440 
RUPTURE OF THE VAGINA OF A MARE COM- 
PLICATED WITH AN ESCAPE OF THE SMALL 
INTESTINES. 
By Brand Garner, M.R.C.V.S., St. Ives. 
May 16, 1856. — About 1 1 a.m. I was summoned to attend 
a mare, four years old, and in good condition, belonging 
to Mr. John James, at his farm near Hilton, five miles 
distant from St. Ives. The messenger’s report was, that his 
master was from home, and the foreman wished me to come 
over as quickly as possible, as “ the young chestnut mare” 
was about to foal ; and as she had never had a foal before, 
if anything went wrong, he should not know what to do. He 
also said that symptoms of parturition had been observed 
but a very short time before the foreman sent for me. I lost 
no time in returning with the messenger; but when I arrived 
at the farm, the foreman, much to my surprise, met me in the 
yard, and told me that the mare was dead, and that she had 
not given birth to her foal. In answer to my inquiries as to 
whether he had tried to take away the foetus, he said that 
there was not any part of it to be seen, and therefore 
he did not meddle with the mare. He added that he had 
never seen a mare in so much pain as this one, and also that 
he had never known so much of a mare’s “ reed ’’ to come 
down before foaling. I told him I did not know what he 
meant by a mare’s cs reed,” unless it was the placental mem- 
branes, and that these were not expelled until parturition 
was completed. On going into the place where the mare 
was, to see this “ wonderful large reed,” I walked behind her 
and lifted up her tail, when, to my surprise, I observed 
that some of the small intestines were hanging, in a mutilated 
state, from the vulva. On searching among the straw, I 
found other portions of the torn intestines scattered over the 
floor. The place, which was a studded and boarded one, 
was rather small for a mare to be in when about to foal, and 
I have no doubt that on the occurrence of the rupture and 
protrusion of the intestines, as she was quickly turning 
round, as mares are accustomed to do during parturition, 
the intestines were caught by a nail or splinter of wood and 
were thus both drawn out to a greater extent and likewise 
torn. It was evident also that they had reached to the ground, 
and it is more than probable received further injury by being 
trod upon by the mare herself. 
