8 
THREE CASES OF DISEASE IN SOWS. 
By W. A. Cartwright, M.R.C.V.S., Whitchurch. 
I. — Case of Inversio Uteri in a Sow. 
On the 9th of November, 1847, I was sent for to Viscount 
Combermere’s farm-yard (Park View) to see a sow, two yi irs 
old, that had farrowed eight fine pigs. She commenced farrowing 
about half-past eight, A.M., and was not above an hour, in labour, 
and afterwards all was thought to be going on well. She was 
seen about one, P.M., apparently doing well. At half-past one, a 
large tumour, the size of a man’s head, was seen protruding out of 
the vagina, and soon afterwards the whole of the uterus was in- 
verted. The parties present could not put it up, and I was sent 
for. I saw her about half-past three, P.M., but found she had died 
a short time before. 
Post-mortem examination . — The whole of the uterus, which 
was hanging out behind her, I cut off close to the body, and laid 
on a table for examination. The length of the vagina cut off was 
one foot ; its width, five inches. The length of each curved horn 
was twenty-seven inches, and averaged about five inches in width. 
The whole of the horns, except a very small portion towards the 
Fallopian tubes, were completely inverted, and its mucous mem- 
brane was thickened, ift many places abraded, and of a dark venous 
hue. About the middle of the right horn there was a complete 
transverse rupture four inches in length. There was a great 
quantity of blood behind her, in her bed, and I have no doubt the 
cause of death was haemorrhage from its inner surface and the 
rupture. 
Observations . — I really do not know a more difficult or embarrass- 
ing case to be called into than one of inversion of the uterus in the 
sow. It is a very different affair to that in the mare or cow. 
There , even if there should be twins, there is in a great measure 
nothing more than a single sac to re-invert ; but here , there are 
two horns of an immense length, branching out on each side from 
the vagina itself. In consequence of the foetuses lying in different 
places, the interior parts of the horns form somewhat irregular sacs, 
varying in diameter, something similar to the cells in the large 
intestines of the horse. From the size of the vagina, it is my opi- 
nion only one of the horns can become inverted at a time, since 
there would not be room for them both to pass through at once. 
Now, from the particular structure of the interior of the cornua. 
