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AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF LUSUS NATURE 
IN A CALF. 
By Brand Garner, M.R.C.V.S., St. Ives. 
To the Editor of u The Veterinarian ” 
March 1st, 1851. 
My dear Sir, — Should you consider the following account 
worthy a place in The Veterinarian, please to give it 
insertion. 
On the 8th of February I was requested by Mr. Roberson, 
of St. Ives’ Hill Farm, to attend a cow of his which shewed 
symptoms of parturition. When I arrived, I was informed by 
Mr. R. that he believed from five to six pailfuls of fluid had 
come from the uterus, prior to which her abdomen appeared 
very large, and that they were of opinion she would have two 
calves. She was six years old, and this was her third calf. 
She was rather low in flesh. I made an examination, per 
vaginam , and found that it was a hind foot presentation. I 
therefore fixed cords round the hind legs, in introducing my hand 
to do which I ascertained, by a careful manipulation, that I had 
the two hind legs and one fore leg, and the head, to encounter. 
I found, after repeated attempts, aided by an assistant, that it 
was impossible to get the foetus’ head and fore legs back, or to 
turn it, or bring the hind legs out as far as the hocks, even with 
the further help of four men ; neither could we push the foetus 
into the uterus again, or bring it out any further, so that I might 
dissect it from the cow a limb at a time. All our attempts 
proved in vain ; I therefore proposed the Caesarean operation. 
But, as the cow was a favourite, and there appeared not much 
chance of saving her life after she had been pulled about so 
much in our attempts to extract the foetus, it was advisable she 
should be slaughtered at once, which was done, and the foetus 
taken from her. It was found to have two heads, and two dis- 
tinct necks, four fore legs, and two hind ones, and two tails : in 
fact, it had two distinct spinal columns from head to tail. One 
of the heads and necks was turned to the right side, the other 
head and neck turned to the left side. Two fore legs were 
placed between the two necks ; the other two fore legs were laid 
along the sides of the calf, as in the case of a naturally formed 
one. The fore legs were deformed, and one of the heads was 
larger than the other. It was very broad across the shoulders, 
which you might expect, as it had two sets of ribs. On laying 
open the thorax, I found that it was double, and that each cavity 
contained a heart and lungs; so that it was likewise double in 
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