181< TRANSLATIONS FROM CONTINENTAL JOURNALS. 
the 29th of October, after a copious meal, the size of the ab¬ 
domen had greatly increased, and that it appeared as if she 
were meteorised, animation being suspended, and the appetite 
lost; that the owner had submitted the animal to the ex¬ 
amination of two veterinary surgeons, who diagnosed indi¬ 
gestion ; that the abdomen had increased to an enormous 
size; that on the 3rd of November the posterior part of the 
body had become paralysed, and the patient could no longer 
stand; and on the 4th, that strong expulsive efforts were 
made. 
On entering the shed, the author found the cow extended 
on the litter, supporting herself on the sternum; her head 
extended, respiring with great anxiety, continually moaning, 
in a word presenting all the symptoms of approaching as¬ 
phyxia. The volume of the abdomen was monstrous; per¬ 
cussion gave a dull sound, and by pressure a seeming fluc¬ 
tuation was detected; there was a tremor about the shoulders; 
colicky pains and twitchings of the hind extremities existed; 
at times she made strong but ineffectual efforts to get up; 
she often changed her position, but the anterior parts alone 
were moved, the posteriors being dragged as if they were a 
dead weight; no appetite, and rumination had ceased ; the 
alvine evacuations were scanty and voided with difficulty ; the 
rectum hot and distended with faeces, the expulsion of which 
seemed to be preyented by a tumour the size of a man’s head. 
This tumour could be easily felt through the vagina, but was 
rendered more prominent by the expulsive efforts made, and 
which were more violent through the rectal and vaginal ex¬ 
plorations. It was formed by the left cornu of the uterus, 
which was distended with serum, and by the efforts of the 
animal forced into the pelvic cavity. Carrying the inves¬ 
tigation to the uterus, the vagina was found to be red and 
hot; the os uteri was dilated enough to admit three fingers, 
but it was obstructed superiorly by the foetal membranes, 
which, when raised by the index finger, were easily torn by 
the nail. This was followed by the escape of a large quantity 
of serum; and on penetrating further with the fingers into 
the uterus, dropsy of the amnion was found to exist, com¬ 
plicated with metritis and the presence of a dead foetus. 
Notwithstanding that speedy death was prognosticated, 
actuated by curiosity the author caused the expulsion of the 
fluid contained in the uterus by dilating the os uteri with his 
finger and thumb. This was followed by the rejection, in 
different expulsive efforts, of about seventy litres of clear 
yellowish serum, which caused a sensible decrease in the size 
of the abdomen, and a fictitious improvement of only short 
