ON THE USE OF THE OMENTUM. 
607 
The next important part of the affair was, that the operation 
brought to daylight a mass of fungous matter, weighing not 
less than seventy pounds, in the centre of which lay a remarkably 
fine heifer calf, fully matured, and evidently a very short time 
dead. The most minute examination was instituted, but no 
connexion appeared between the womb and the part inclosing the 
calf, except by external adhesion. 
I considered it worthy of remark, that, although it was impossi¬ 
ble that the calf could have been expelled in the usual way, every 
part requisite for the performance of that operation was distended, 
and acted on as in an ordinary case; and the capacity of the 
womb was, I should think, under the circumstances, extraordi¬ 
nary. 
ON THE USE OF THE OMENTUM. 
By Mr. W. Dick. 
In examining the bodies of horses which had died from the 
effects of a rupture of the stomach or any portion of the intes¬ 
tines, I had always observed, that a large proportion of the matter 
which had escaped through the rupture into the cavity of the 
abdomen had been collected in the omentum; but, as in most 
cases, there was also a considerable quantity extravasated among 
the intestines, my attention was not particularly excited by it 
until about eight months ago, when I met with a case in which 
the matter that had escaped from a small rupture in the sto¬ 
mach was entirely collected by the omentum. This circumstance 
suggested the idea, that either the omentum must have an action 
that would enable it thus to collect the extravasated matter; or 
the intestines must have a motion against the omentum, capable 
of producing the same effect; or otherwise, that the matter escap¬ 
ing through the ruptured portion must have passed directly 
upon the omentum: but this last process could not have taken 
place here, because the opening in the stomach was not upon 
the omentum. In reflecting on these circumstances, it occurred 
to me, that if I could clearly explain these things, it might serve 
to shew what is the true use of the omentum ; and as it was 
at once evident that this organ, although floating among the 
intestines so as to collect the extravasated matter from among 
them, must have some more important office to perform than 
that of thus accidentally taking up foreign substances, it must, 
in being moved in the situation and the manner in which the 
matter was collected, be continually sliding among the intestines. 
