THE CyESAREAN OPERATION ON A COW. 
123 
18^A.—Doing well. The excretions regular, and she for the first 
time voluntarily took a little milk, with a drachm of brandy, of which 
she appeared fond. From this time she continued to improve 
daily, and, on the fifth day from the operation, she was able to stand, 
and fed well. The roller round her body was not removed for a 
month, and the plaister remained for nearly three months. When 
it came away the wound was beautifully healed. 
This animal has attracted considerable attention in the neigh¬ 
bourhood, and she is now as fat as she can be, and a fine specimen 
of the short-eared breed. 
The Caesarean operation is seldom performed on the quadruped, 
and still more rarely with the same good result. This case, how¬ 
ever, does not stand unrivalled, even in my county, Cumberland. 
About sixteen years ago, a farrier of the name of Walker, residing 
at Brumpton, near Carlisle, performed the operation on a mare, 
with success. The particulars of the operation I cannot now relate, 
being at that time quite young, but I recollect that the poor animal 
was sadly mutilated. 
We are not aware of any other recorded case of the Caesarean 
operation, successful or unsuccessful, by our English veterinary 
surgeons. Most earnestly do we solicit the communication of any 
such case, successful or unsuccessful. In the meantime we will 
transcribe one or two from the last and improved edition of Hur- 
trel D’Arboval’s Dictionary. 
For the first we are indebted to M. Morange. It relates to a cow, 
ten years old, that had exceeded the usual period of utero-gestation 
thirty-seven days. She had manifested all the precursor symp¬ 
toms of parturition, but they had gradually passed away. When 
M. Morange was first called to her, her walk was slow, and exhi¬ 
bited considerable loss of power—she ruminated very slowly—her 
eyes were sunk in their orbits, and she was slightly hoven. On 
introducing the hand into the vagina in order to ascertain the dila¬ 
tation of the os uteri, it was found to be completely closed, and by 
additional examination, per rectum, it was ascertained that the calf 
was dead. The impossibility of a delivery being thus ascertained, 
and, consequently, the certain death of the cow, he, as the last re¬ 
source, determined to attempt the Caesarean operation, and that 
without delay. 
The parietes of the abdomen being incised, an enormous quantity 
of a lightly red serosity escaped; and, the uterus being opened, 
many quarts of fluid issued from its cavity. The dead foetus was 
extracted, and also the placenta, and a re-union of the edges of 
the wound was effected by the interrupted suture. It did not seem 
that a suture of the wound in the uterus could be easily effected, 
nor did it appear to be indispensable, since wounds in this organ 
