608 
ON VETERINARY ORSTETRICY. 
cervix towards the fundus, and in a straight direction. Otherwise 
it appeared sound. 
This cow was an unlucky one, and had escaped out of her 
pasture twice within a day or two previous to calving, and which 
may have caused a rather premature labour, as it was observed 
that she was not “ off at the hips” (a relaxation of the sacro-sciatic 
ligaments) to such an extent as cows generally are when they have 
arrived at their full time. This might also account for the mal- 
position of the foetus. 
False Presentation and Rupture of the Uterus in a Cow. 
About 5 P.M., April 11th, 1845, a four-years old cow, belonging 
to Mr. Sandford, of Brick- kiln-lane, shewed symptoms of ap- 
proaching parturition, as the fore-feet had made their appearance, 
and soon afterwards the head was seen. Help was now called in, 
and a good deal of force was used to extract it, but to no purpose, 
as it could not be drawn out farther than towards the loins. 
Other neighbours were now sent for; but, with their united 
strength, they could not get it out any further than before, and not 
knowing farther what to do in the affair, I was sent for, and ar- 
rived there between eight and nine at night. I found my patient 
all at full length in the cow-house, in a very exhausted state, with 
one-half of the calf hanging out of the vagina. 
My first procedure was to make an examination of the situation 
and conformation of the posterior parts of the calf; and I had not 
had my hand long up the vagina ere I felt the hind feet project- 
ing forcibly against the anterior parts of the pelvis, and at times 
they were fairly within the pelvis, near to the symphysis pubis, 
and which perfectly satisfied me that the calf’s hinder parts were 
doubled up on itself, and was the cause of all the difficulty ; in 
short, it was a presentation of the whole of the feet. I have no 
doubt that by merely pulling at the fore parts the hinder ones were 
drawn more into the pelvis, thus more completely blocking up the 
passage the harder they drew. 
I then tied cords around the hind legs, and had recourse to 
embryotomy, first removing the contents of the thoracic and ab- 
dominal viscera, and afterwards the whole of the protruded parts 
of the body : having done this, I easily forced back the posterior 
parts of the body, my assistants, at the same time, drawing the 
hind legs forward ; by these means, and without any great force, 
the remainder of the body was easily extracted. We gave the 
