ON THE DIVISION OF THE OS UTERI IN DIFFICULT 
PARTURITION IN THE COW. 
By Mr. James Horsburgh, V.S., Dalkeith. 
[ WAS glad to see in the No. of The Veterinarian for April, 
the Caesarean operation brought forward; but I fear that you will 
hear of very few successful cases, for this simple reason—it is 
never attempted until all other means that are commonly tried 
have failed, and the animal is totally exhausted. In a considerable 
cattle practice, I have only performed it once, and unsuccessfully ; 
but it was after all sorts of hooks and ropes, even to the black¬ 
smith’s largest forge tongs, aided by some half dozen strong coun¬ 
try ploughmen, and all the female tribe that could be mustered on 
the farm, had done their best to extract the foetus. Since that time 
I have never had occasion to try it, having successfully performed 
the operation of dividing the stricture at the mouth of the os uteri, 
and, in all cases, I have succeeded in extracting the calf. 
The scirrhous degeneracy of the neck of the uterus, mentioned in 
page 127, and which was supposed to have rendered that opera¬ 
tion necessary, is not uncommon here, and numbers of cows are 
yearly lost from it. It is called by the country people lyreing*. 
It seems to be a diseased state of the os uteri, which, during 
gestation, sometimes assumes a cartilaginous hardness. At the 
period of parturition nature is unable to dilate the opening suffi¬ 
ciently ; and unless proper assistance can be rendered, the animal 
is lost. This can only be done successfully by the division of that 
stricture, of a few cases of which I beg to send you an account. 
Jan. 1836.—I was called to attend a cow belonging to 
Mr. Hunten, of Outterstone. She had been very ill two days. 
I found her unable to rise, and viciously turning her head, and 
endeavouring to strike every one that came near. The pains had 
ceased. I found that one foot had passed the os uteri, and was 
informed that it had made no progress during the time she had 
been ill. I had some difficulty in returning it, and found I could 
only introduce my four fingers through the opening. I lost a con¬ 
siderable time in the vain hope of dilating the passage with the 
hand; but not the least impression could be made on the hardened 
substance. I then determined, at whatever risk, to divide the 
stricture. For this purpose I used a small short and sharp-pointed 
bistoury, which I introduced (the point guarded by the fore-finger, 
and firmly held between the finger and thumb) as far as I could 
pass it into the uterus; and then, by turning the edge into the 
* Lyre, or Iyer, i\ name for any cartilaginous substance. 
