MALFORMATION OF THE FCETAL CALF. 
278 
to condemn the unfortunate subject, is the opened joint, accom¬ 
panied with a complete division of both the extensor tendons, the 
animal being thereby deprived of the power of extending his foot, 
and such a complicated case is not an uncommon occurrence. 
MALFORMATION OF THE FCETAL CALF. 
By Mr . Cartwright, Whitchurch. 
ON the 22d May, 1829, I was sent for to Mr. Tredman’s, of 
Black Park, to assist a cow to calve. She had been trying for 
five or six hours, and had been assisted by several men. She was 
lying on her left side when I first saw her, and the calf’s head 
and three legs were presented,—two hinder ones and a fore one. 
Method of' Extraction .—I first tied a rope to each hind leg, 
a little above the fetlock joint, and one above the hock. I then 
pushed the head and the fore leg back as far as I could, and 
ordered the men to pull a little (so as to get the haunches of the 
calf into the passage), whilst I kept back the head. After seve¬ 
ral fruitless efforts to pull it aw r ay, I ordered the cow to be turned 
on her right side, and examined her again ; when I found the 
other fore leg was in its wrong place, and interfered with the ex¬ 
traction of the calf. I, therefore, pushed that back also, and 
made up my mind to remove it by manual strength, if possible. 
We then (six or seven of us) pulled at it again, and, after several 
efforts, something broke, and the foetus came away, bringing 
with it the after-birth. 
Description of the Calf .—It was full grown. The spine was 
nearly of a circular ^hape, the head and neck being bent back¬ 
wards, so as to toucn the hips. The near fore leg was bent at the 
fetlock joint, and also at the knee, so as to form three sides of a 
square. The whole of the thorax and abdomen were uncovered with 
integument. The ribs were divided at the sternum (except the 
first), and thrown back on each side over the bent spine, so as 
nearly to meet on the back. The abdominal and thoracic viscera 
seemed natural and perfect, and must have lain floating in the 
waters without any covering, having the appearance of a calf 
half dressed for sale. The spine, about the end of the dorsal 
vertebrse, was broken, which must have been that which gave 
way before the calf was removed. 
The cow was nine or ten years old, and had not received any 
injury or accident. We were about three hours in removing it. 
The cow is doing well: the calf died in the birth. 
t 
