34 
ON AMPUTATION OF THE UTERUS. 
single ligature, and which should be renewed as they become slack. 
We should be careful not to place the ligatures above the meatus 
urinarius. In the human subject, many cases are on record in 
which it has been successfully performed ; but I am only aware of 
a solitary one in any of our English journals, and that was performed 
on a sow, by Mr. L. Barker, of Stockley, in Yorkshire ( see The 
Veterinarian, vol. xiv, p. 444), and is as follows: — 
“In August 1840, my assistance was required with regard to a 
sow, my own property, and which was farrowing for the first time. 
“ She had produced during the night nine little ones; at 7 A.M. 
she took a regular breakfast of milk and suckled her young ones, 
and at ten o’clock had some bran and warm water. 
“ At 1 P.M. a total protrusion of the uterus was observed, and her 
labour pains had returned, and continued, but with no great degree 
of violence. The uterus was necessarily very large. I did not for a 
moment conceive that it would be of any use to attempt to replace 
it, and I determined to pass a ligature round it, and excise it. J. S. 
Strother, Esq., a surgeon of this place, was present, and kindly lent 
me his assistance. 
“We tied this ligature tightly and cut the uterus away, leaving 
a small portion of it protruding : no blood followed the excision. 
Her young ones were taken from her, and she was kept as quiet 
as possible : indeed, she was indisposed to take any food.” She 
recovered and was fattened and weighed 16 stone, although of a 
very small breed. 
M. Eleout says “ that many of his brethren in France have 
obtained a radical cure by excising a portion of the uterus but 
he does not state in what animals. 
Mr. Youatt says, when speaking of an inversion of the uterus in 
sheep, “ a far better operation would be, not to return the womb at 
all ; but to tie a strong ligature round the protruded parts, as near 
to the mouth of the vagina as possible. The uterus will slough off 
in the course of two or three days. There will be no bleeding, nor 
the slightest inconvenience, and the ewe will become as healthy 
and as fat as anj r of the flock.” Of course, reduction should be 
first tried. 
The following case, in the bitch, is by M. Cross, M.V. Milan. 
“In July 1829, I was desired to attend a small bull bitch, six 
years old, and that four times had had puppies. The uterus was 
completely inverted, and rested all its weight on the vaginal 
orifice of the urethra, preventing the discharge of the urine, and 
thus being the cause of great pain when the animal endeavoured to 
discharge its urine and fsecal matter. The uterus was become of 
nearly a black colour, swelled, softened, and exhaling an almost 
gangrenous odour. J udging from this that the preservation of the 
