THE CESAREAN OPERATION ON A SOW. 
By Mr. J. B. Carlisle, of Wigton. 
On the 11th of July 1839, I was requested to attend a sow, the 
property of a farmer near this town. The poor animal had been 
in labour six days. During the last three days she was not able 
to stand, nor had she taken any food, and her death was expected 
every hour. She was a very fat animal, and the owner informed 
me that she was about ten days past her time of pigging, and that 
he was confident the pigs were dead. I was of the same opinion; 
and, after a minute examination, felt confident that nothing short of 
the Caesarean operation could save her, at the same time informing 
the owner that she might die in consequence of, or during, the 
operation. 
The operation was consented to, and I proceeded first to secure 
her legs, and to have them firmly extended their full length, and 
retained there by assistants. I next placed a bundle of straw 
underneath her, wdiich gave the belly a round and prominent posi¬ 
tion, rendering it more tense and firm and at the same time giving 
me considerable advantage in operating. 
My first proceeding was to clear away the hair in the direction 
of my intended incision, in which T, at the onset, had made up 
my mind to follow the theory taught on operative surgery, viz. 
always to make the incisions in the same direction as the muscular 
fibres, and, above all, never to sever a muscle if it could be avoided. 
The hair being removed, T was about to make the incisions length¬ 
ways, in the course of the linea alba, when it suddenly occurred to 
me that I should not, in this case, be able to keep the lips of the 
wound approximated by sutures or bandages, on account of the 
depending state of the abdomen and its contents. I, therefore, 
determined to make the incision more on the side, and across the 
obliquus externus abdominis. I accordingly cut freely through 
the integuments for about eight inches in length, which I accom¬ 
plished with a common scalpel. Next I penetrated through the 
adipose or fatty matter underneath, of which there was no lack; 
and then cut down on the muscle, at the superior part of the inci¬ 
sion, quite through, and exposing the peritoneum. I now intro¬ 
duced my two fore-fingers as directors, and with the curved bistoury 
laid the abdomen freely open. 
The lips of the incision or wound, of course, receded from each 
other to a great distance, and a slight arterial hemorrhage ensued, 
which I thought proceeded from the circumflex artery of the ileum. 
If the incision had been made longitudinally, this might have been 
prevented, but, as the hemorrhage soon ceased, it was of little con- 
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