126 
THE CESAREAN OPERATION ON A COW. 
ble to effect parturition by the usual means, and he had recourse to 
the Caesarean operation, performed in the same manner as in the 
last case, except that, at the inferior part of the suture he left an 
opening through the muscles and integument sufficiently large for 
the passage of two fingers, and the design of this was to enable 
him, by means of a small piece of sponge, to stanch or remove, as 
often as might be necessary, the blood which might be effused in 
the abdomen, and to leave a free passage for the matter which would 
be secreted in the suppuration of the wounds. This opening was 
closed by a bit of sponge, which was confined in its proper situ¬ 
ation by means of two little ribands passing through the skin. 
The patient was taken all possible care of, and, for several suc¬ 
cessive days, the sponge was removed from time to time to permit 
the escape of the blood, or, more properly speaking, the bloody 
fluid, which daily diminished in quantity. The proper suppuration 
soon became established; the wound in the abdomen gradually con¬ 
tracted, and, at the expiration of six weeks, was perfectly healed. 
The animal was, some time afterwards, sent to the butcher, and, on 
examining her after death, it was found that the cicatrization of the 
uterus presented a comparatively small inequality—that the frac¬ 
tured bones of the ileum had not reunited, and that there was a 
callus of large size at its inferior part, which had formed the insu¬ 
perable obstacle to parturition. 
M. Chretien relates another case, of rather a curious nature. 
Being desired to attend a cow in labour, twenty-seven days after the 
usual period of utero-gestation, and that was making continual and 
violent efforts to expel the foetus, he saw, with much surprise, a por¬ 
tion of the intestines of the young one protruding. He examined 
her, and found the foetus bent upon itself, and that by no effort could 
he get it into the natural position. He had no other resource but the 
Caesarean operation, and, accordingly, he proceeded to perform it. 
The four extremities were entangled together, and it was not with¬ 
out difficulty that he could disengage the fore ones and bring them 
out, and also the head. Half of the body was in the vaginal pas¬ 
sage, or had protruded from the vulva, and it was impossible to 
extract the foetus entire : he therefore cut it in two at the loins, and 
it was easily removed, one portion through the wound, and the other 
through the vagina. The proprietor, fearing the consequences of 
such an operation, determined to send her to the butcher. 
M. Chariot also practised this operation on a cow that for three 
days had been cruelly suffering, and unable to expel the foetus in 
consequence of a vaginal cystocele which presented itself in the 
form of a round tumor, tense and fluctuating. There was, in fact, a 
laceration in the inferior portion of the vagina, through which the 
bladder had protruded itself. This was discovered after death, for 
the cow died soon after her delivery. The calf survived. 
