690 DRY CANCER IN THE TONGUE OF AN HEIFER. 
small, and in a high state of decomposition. The placental mem- 
branes also came away at the same time. After the cow was 
thus relieved, she began to feed as vigorously as in a state of 
health, requiring only the attendance usual on such occasions. 
The most remarkable feature in this case is, that the cow, three 
days before 1 was called in, shewed an earnest desire for the bull, 
and the usual connexion took place, the owner concluding from 
this symptom that she was not in calf. Immediately after this 
sexual connexion her labour-pains commenced, and continued, 
with slight remissions, until I relieved her. 
1 wish to know whether the foetus, in this decomposed state, 
irritated the lining membrane of the vagina, and became the 
cause of this oestrum ; and whether copulation was the cause of 
the parturition that immediately followed. 
[We are thankful for this communication. It is, we believe, the 
first of the kind on record ; but it has occurred in many dairies. 
The foetus being dead, and in the act of decomposition, the 
uterus would be in a diseased state, although not sufficient to 
subdue or prevent the process of oestrum. The gratification of 
that oestrum would, however, rouse the sub-acute irritability of 
the uterus, and the foetus would be expelled. Several of our 
correspondents could furnish us with cases in point. — Y.] 
A CASE OF DRY CANCER IN THE TONGUE OF 
AN HEIFER. 
By Mr. W. Reddall, F.«S., Plymouth. 
On perusing last month’s Veterinarian, I was struck 
with the novel and interesting communication from Mr. Hollis 
on a disease of the tongue of a heifer. His views, in my opinion, 
are correct as to the nature of the disease ; but I think, Mr. Edi- 
tor, from your reply, you were not quite correct in your conclu- 
sions : I say so, from your recommending the part to be well laid 
open; but if I read Mr. Hollis’s description of the disease correctly, 
it was not a case in which such a procedure was indicated. In due 
deference to your judgment, Sir, I am led to differ from it, in 
consequence of observations I made on a similar case that oc- 
curred in my practice a few months since ; and as none of us can 
boast of infallibility of opinion, I am sure, Mr. Editor, you will 
