VETERINARY OBSTETRICY. 489 
should imagine, to perform on a living subject. 1 have tried it on a 
dead one with success. It is this : — first of all, draw the protruded 
viscus out as far as possible, and then introduce the hand along 
the tumour up towards where the meatus lies, where we shall find 
a sort of stricture and a small pouch, into which we may intro- 
duce the finger by curving it downwards. On examining the 
vagina, there will be found, a little posteriorly to the meatus, what 
Blaine calls “ a membranous vascular fold,” which was mis- 
taken by Hunter for the hymen, and which encircles the vagina 
for the purpose of preventing the urine from entering it. In a 
preparation lying on the table before me, it is about three-eighths of 
an inch in diameter, and projects all round within the vagina. It 
is by means of pulling at the inverted bladder that this membrane 
forms the pouch above alluded to, and through which we should 
try to make a longitudinal incision, so as to divide the upper part 
of the sphincter and neck of the bladder ; in which, if we suc- 
ceed, we may readily, from experiments I have instituted, re- 
duce the viscus. At the place where I propose to make the in- 
cision there are very few muscular fibres to be seen entering, to 
form the sphincter, but at the under surface they are distinctly to 
be seen, and have the appearance of being a continuation of those 
of the sphincter vaginae. 
If all these methods should not succeed, we have no other alter- 
native but to pass a ligature around the protruding Aiscus, posteri- 
orly to the orifices of the ureters. Now, it is to be observed, that 
the ureters enter the substance of the neck of the bladder ob- 
liquely towards its sides, but their orifices are to be seen, when 
the bladder is inverted and the cow or mare is standing up, at the 
upper and superior surface of the viscus, about half an inch apart. 
To detect them, we must draw the bladder sufficiently down, so that 
we may be able to inspect the parts. Where they enter, the in- 
ner membrane (now the ureter) will have a soft and jelly-like pro- 
tuberant appearance, in the middle of which will be detected two 
very small openings of a nipple-like shape. To be certain that we 
have hit upon them, we may introduce a probe, and pass it down- 
wards, towards the suspended fundus. 
Having discovered the orifice of the ureters, and passed a liga- 
ture around the neck of the bladder below them, we have nothing 
more to do than occasionally tighten it, so as to effect complete 
strangulation and sloughing of the body of the bladder ; though, 
as soon as we find it dead, we may, to save time, cut it away with 
a scalpel. We should, also, after having applied the ligature, punc- 
ture the distended fundus, since its great weight may cause a 
dragging and inflammation about its cervix, or may force the li- 
gature over the mouths of the ureters, which would occasion the 
VOL. XIX. 3 X 
