OPENED STATE OF THE UKACHUS. 
637 
The first is a remarkably clear description, by a non-professional 
man, of an accident of rare occurrence, and of which no author, 
that we are aware of, speaks ,— 11 Discharge of Urine from the 
Urachus/ 5 When superintending the parturition of the greater 
or smaller quadrupeds, we give ourselves very little concern about 
the umbilical cord. The act of parturition is generally performed 
without the assistance of man. The mare seems, as it were, stu¬ 
diously to select the period when this natural process shall be ac¬ 
complished in secrecy and darkness; but when untoward cir¬ 
cumstances render our aid necessary, we treat the umbilical cord 
with a want of ceremony at which the human practitioner would 
stand aghast. No ligature is dreamed of, in whatever way the 
cord may be ruptured or divided. Nature, who proportions her 
care to the need of all, has bestowed such elasticity on the vessels 
of the cord, that haemorrhage rarely or never follows—in fact, 
that often scarcely more than a few drops of blood escapes. 
The urachus likewise (the canal through which the foetal urine 
passes), as suddenly collapses, and that fluid, immediately after 
birth, wholly flows through its new and proper canal, the urethra. 
No case of the contrary is on record in the history of quadruped 
pathology. The human practitioner, indeed, speaks of the urine 
being discharged from strange outlets, but in a totally different 
way; for it does not continue to flow through its old passage, but 
after its secretion from the kidneys it is absorbed, and takes some 
marvellously erratic course in order to be ejected from the system. 
This is a different affair. The owner of the colt shall speak for 
himself. 
u Sir, — I will take it as a particular favour if you will be so 
good as to write me your opinion upon the following case. A 
very valuable work-mare foaled twelve days ago. Every thing 
went right at the time of foaling, but the foal (a colt) was very 
lean and weak; however, it took its milk well, and got better, till 
it was four or five days old, when it appeared very stiff upon its 
limbs, round in the back, and walking with difficulty; and also 
having great difficulty in rising and lying down, and having a 
desire to lie almost constantly upon the ground, unless made to 
rise; and in this way it has continued ever since, though appa¬ 
rently relishing its milk, of which the marc has abundance. Its 
