WEST OF SCOTLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 301 
ably misrepresented by several persons who had brought it 
before the public. He explained his reasons for causing the 
mare to be destroyed, and stated that he had relieved a case 
somewhat similar a few days after the former one, he being 
then provided with proper instruments. 
Mr. IF. Anderson narrated four different cases, in one only 
of which he was successful, and then onlv with the aid of 
two other veterinary surgeons. But he recommended all the 
known methods of abstraction to be applied, and all available 
assistance to be got, before destroying the parent. 
Mr. Aitken , of Kilmarnock, related several cases in which 
he had been successful, and his remarks upon several of them 
were valuable. He stated, in answer to Mr. Moir, that he 
had taken away a foal, and the mare died some days after¬ 
wards ; but the presentation was different from those described 
by either Mr. Anderson or Mr. Gamgee. He also gave a 
description of several instances he had met with where the 
womb was twisted, and on introducing his hand into the 
vagina, the parts felt as if a band was passed round the neck 
of the womb. When this was the case, he cut boldlv into 
the side, the same as for the performance of the Caesarian 
operation, and with a glove on the hand turned the womb. 
Mr. Moir said that he could easily understand how Mr. 
Aitken had been so successful, as the cases he had described 
occurred mostly in cattle. He had met with a few of those 
himself, and was equally as successful; but, bad as these 
were, how much more difficult was it to extract a fcetus from 
a mare ; the length of the passage, also of the neck of the 
foal, and the violence of the labour pains rendering it so. 
Mr. Dunlop described a case in which the foal was so large 
that the mare had to be destroyed. 
A few other cases were related and commented upon. 
On Mr. Aitken being asked to become a member of the 
society, Mr. W. Anderson expressed a hope that they should 
have the pleasure of Mr. Aitkeffs company oftener, as from 
his long experience he would be a valuable member of the 
association. 
Mr. Gamgee said that he was making a collection of all 
known instruments used for the extraction of foetuses, and 
also endeavouring to make improvements in them, which he 
hoped would greatly assist the veterinary surgeon in ob¬ 
stetric cases. 
Charles Moir, 
Hon. Secretary. 
XXXIII. 
40 
