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EXCISION OF THE UTERUS FROM A SOW.— A 
CASE OF BLACK-WATER IN A COW.— AN OB- 
SCURE CASE OF INTERNAL EFFUSION. 
By Mr. L. Barker, Stockley. 
Th e followingcasesmay not, perhaps, be deemed quite unworthy 
ol a place in your excellent Journal. It has long occupied a 
niche in my little library. I, like others, have derived much in- 
formation from it; and I should be ungrateful did I not express 
my sense of its value, and my determination to support it to the 
extent of my humble means. 
In August 1840 my assistance was required with regard to a 
sow, my own property, and which was farrowing for the first 
time. She had produced during the night nine little ones ; at 
7 a.m. she took a regular breakfast of milk, and suckled her 
young ones, and at ten o’clock had some bran and warm water. 
At 1 p.m. a total protrusion of the uterus was observed, and 
her labour-pains had returned, and continued, but with no great 
degree of violence. The uterus was necessarily very large. I 
did not for a moment conceive that it would be of any use 
to attempt to replace it, and I determined to pass a ligature 
round it, and excise it. J. S. Strother, Esq., a surgeon of this place, 
was present, and kindly lent me his assistance. We tied this 
ligature tightly, and cut the uterus away, leaving a small portion 
of it protruding: no blood followed the excision. Her young 
ones were taken from her, and she was kept as quiet as possible — 
indeed, she was indisposed to take any food. 
At 6 p.m., however, she took a little gruel. Her young ones 
were taken back to her, two or three at a time, in order to keep 
up the secretion of milk. 
We administered to her, as they seemed to be required, castor 
oil, spirit of nitrous ether, nitre, or antimonial powder, and 
she recovered. 
No sooner, however, had she escaped from this danger, than 
she caught the prevailing epidemic. An almost similar treatment 
was continued, and her young ones kept totally from her two or 
three days, when she perfectly recovered and again suckled them. 
All of them in their turn exhibited symptoms of the same malady, 
but soon got well, without any treatment except a little nursing. 
At the usual period they were taken from her, and she was put 
up to feed. She fattened very kindly, and weighed sixteen stone, 
although of a very small breed. 
