316 
VETERINARY OBSTETRICS. 
I think, on the score of humanity, is deserving of anything but censure, and 
I have yet heard no argument of any weight in opposition to the many in 
favour of such a procedure. 
“Mr. Anderson, of Glasgow—I think it better that veteri¬ 
nary surgeons should make public their unfortunate cases as 
well as their fortunate ones, for the benefit of their profes¬ 
sional brethren. In my experience of cases such as Professor 
Gamgee has related, I have met with four in which the head 
was turned backwards. In the case which I will relate first, 
the mare belonged to Mr. Clark, of Newhouse, and in this 
case I had the assistance of William Hall, who, I dare say, 
was the strongest man in Scotland, but I could not succeed 
in getting out the foetus, though I attempted it for some 
hours, and at last Mr. Clark ordered the mare to be destroyed. 
In the second case I was assisted by the late Mr. M‘Lean, 
and we worked from eight o’clock in the morning till twelve, 
but did not succeed in getting out the foetus. I then went 
to Paisley, and brought up Mr. Donaldson in a short time. 
We then commenced again, and succeeded in bringing it 
away at four o’clock. This mare was very weak for some 
time after, but it ultimately recovered. In the third case I 
could not succeed in getting away the foetus, and I called in 
Mr. M e Lean to assist me, but being still unsuccessful, we 
called in Mr. Cockburn, but we were still baffled, notwith¬ 
standing all our endeavours, so that we recommended the 
mare’s throat to be cut. In the fourth case I succeeded in 
getting away the foetus, but the mare afterwards died. I have 
sometimes seen them coming with the back first. 
“ Mr. Dunlop, the vice-president, mentioned a case in which, 
from contraction of the uterus, he could not get his hand in 
between the mare and the foetus, and the mare, in conse¬ 
quence, was destroyed. 
“ Mr. Macdougall remarked that he also had had similar 
cases in which he was unsuccessful. 
“ Mr. AitJcen, of Kilmarnock, then rose and said—I thought 
that some of Professor Gamgee’s remarks about the papers 
in relation to the case which had been written were intended 
for me. I beg to say that the paper which has been com¬ 
municated by me to the Veterinarian has no reference to 
Professor Gamgee’s case at all; and that in it Professor 
Gamgee's name is not mentioned. I may say that I have 
had as much practice in cases where the head of the foetus 
is turned backwards as any man in Britain. If you can 
get hold of the head }’ou are all right. I was sent for, the 
year before last, by a Mr. Douglas, to assist him in a case. 
