646 
ON THE DIVISION OF THE OS UTERI IN DIFFICULT 
PARTURITION IN THE COW. 
By Mr. P. Davie, Elgin, N. B. 
As a constant reader of your useful and impartially conducted 
periodical, I beg leave to send you a brief account of a case of the 
contraction of the os uteri which lately came under my notice; 
and, as it w'as one of a very peculiar nature, I feel assured that it 
will not be uninteresting to many of your readers. 
On the 22d of August last, I was called to attend a cow be¬ 
longing to Mrs. Me Andrew, of Westfield. She had been very ill 
for a day and night before I saw her, and was thought to be in 
a dangerous state, as she was at her full time, and her throes 
severe and continuous, without any progress towards the expulsion 
of the calf being made. The vagina was greatly enlarged; and, 
to the surprise of those who had assisted previous to my arrival, 
they could find no opening through which to extract the calf. On 
examination, I could not introduce my finger through the os uteri. 
I told the owner that there was no chance of saving the cow but 
by an operation, as there was a stricture at the mouth of the womb, 
and she desired me to do what I thought proper. Accordingly 
I determined on putting to the test the operation performed and 
recommended by Mr. Horsburgh, V.S., of Dalkeith. 
I commenced the operation, the cow being down and secured, 
and divided the first stricture or cartilaginous ring with little trou¬ 
ble. About two inches further I found I had another to divide, 
which I accomplished ; and, at yet two inches beyond this, w^as a 
third ring. I then introduced a hook into the first divided ring, 
and pulled gently, which assisted to give me more room to operate, 
as, a little further, I found a fourth stricture. 
I now, with the assistance of some men, got the cow on her 
legs, and, enlarging all my incisions in a direction upwards, and 
thus getting rid of the strictures, I then felt the foetus. We 
now allowed the cow to lie down, the passage being sufficiently 
dilated, notwithstanding which, I had great difficulty in extracting 
a large dead calf. These operations gave no pain, but rather seemed 
to yield relief to the cow. No hemorrhage took place. We gave 
the cow a drink of luke-warm water and a little green food, which 
she took readily. On the next morning she was turned out to 
grass apparently in perfect health, and has since been sold for £12 
sterling. 
She was a fine young cow, and the above case occurred on her 
having her second calf. She had re(|uired assistance when she 
