PARTURITION CASES. 
397 
intestines; consequently, I gave an anodyne, and ordered some 
purgative medicine ; and was upon the point of leaving, when 1 
bethought myself I would just ascertain whether the os uteri was 
at all dilated. To my great surprise, I found it was so to its fullest 
extent. From the os uteri being so fully opened, and believing the 
calf to be dead, and from the cow being in a healthy state, and her 
hind parts being particularly roomy, I thought it prudent to attempt 
its removal ; though, as a general rule, it is highly imprudent to 
do so when cows are not “ off at the hips,” and the other parts are 
not prepared for such an event. To, this end, I ruptured the 
membranes. The head was lying doubled back, and one of the fore 
feet down towards the udder. The discharged waters were foetid 
and discoloured, and the placenta was in a putrefactive state, and, 
of course, the foetus was dead. After putting all right, and securing 
cords to the fore legs, I put a hook into one of the orbits, and one 
of Nelson’s forceps into the nostrils, by which means we gradually 
drew the foetus into the vagina, and thence into the vulval opening, 
where we allowed it to remain for some time, to give the parts 
time to gradually give way. Ultimately, we got it away without 
without much force, and afterwards the placenta ; and the cow did 
well, without any further attendance. 
Observations . — The great peculiarity in this case is, that of the 
os uteri being fully distended without the female being in the least 
" off at her hips,” or shewing the least appearance of parturition 
about the vulva. 
I have seen several cases where violent premature labour-pains 
have come on which no sedatives would allay, and where the cows 
have not been in the least off at the hips. In some of them, nothing 
would satisfy the owners but that the calves must be got away, no 
matter what force was required to be employed. Of course, the 
consequence has been death to the animals. 
In some of these cases, although they have not been much med- 
dled with at first, the cows have become so exhausted before the 
parts have given way and the calf has been extracted, that they 
have sunk under the labour. It therefore behoves practitioners to 
use great discrimination in deciding what is to be done in such dif- 
ficult cases. 
I strongly advise every one that follows cattle practice to become 
possessed of Nelson’s (of Sheffield) forceps ; for I have found them 
in many instances extremely useful, and without them should have 
experienced very great difficulty in removing foetuses. I know of 
nothing so useful, or that is less likely to injure parts, supposing 
their hold should at any time give way. 
