396 
PARTURITION CASES. 
Extraction of a Calf on its Back, hind Legs 
PRESENTING. 
On the 30th of April, 1850, Mr. came for me to a cow, four 
years old, that could not calve. As in the last instance, another 
celebrated man at such work had been in attendance on her; but 
from the state of the os uteri he was fairly frightened from making 
an attempt to remove it; as, he said, “ an operation” must be per- 
formed on it. I found her well off at the hips, and about the vulva 
well relaxed. On introducing my hand into the vagina, I ascer- 
tained that the os uteri was dilated to about five inches in diameter, 
and in an apparent rigid state. On passing my hand through the 
os uteri, I found that the calf lay upon its back. The hind feet 
could be felt, but they were doubled up at the fetlocks, and pressed 
against the rectum and inside of the upper portion of the os uteri. 
In consequence of the calf lying upon its back, and the legs being 
doubled up, the latter was not forced into the os uteri : from which 
cause the os uteri could not be dilated for the cow to calve. I im- 
mediately got one of the legs straight, and brought it forward into 
the vagina, and passed a cord around it, and then served the other 
the same ; afterwards, we used gradual traction to the feet until the 
os uteri was fully dilated, and in the course of an hour we removed 
a live calf, which, together with the cow, did well. I fear such 
cases as these may induce persons to divide the os uteri, thinking 
it in a scirrhous state. 
In a fortnight after, this person had exactly a similar case ; but, 
from using gross force, they burst open the pelvis somewhere ; and 
the consequence was, the cow was obliged to be destroyed. 
Extraction of a Calf, Head back, Calf dead, &c. 
On the 8th of May, 1850, Mrs. Green, of Prees Heath, sent for 
me to see a cow that she thought wanted to calve. She was con- 
tinually striking first one leg and then another up towards her belly, 
and had been doing so for a week or more. About a fortnight 
previously she had the " blain” very badly, and was bled twice. 
Present Symptoms . — Strikes her abdomen occasionally with her 
hind legs; not in the least off at the hips, nor are the parts about 
the vulva at all relaxed : does not strain. The calf is supposed to 
be dead, which I believe, since it is never seen to move, and it lies 
low down, like a dead mass. From the cow not being off at the 
hips, nor the parts about the vulva being at all relaxed, and from 
the absence of any straining, I was led to believe that the other 
symptoms of pain were caused by some irritation of the stomachs or 
