460 
VETERINARY OBSTETRICS. 
One case I well remember;—a valuable black cart-mare 
manifested the usual symptoms of parturition about nine 
a.m., upon which two strong fellows, under the super¬ 
intendence of a cow-leech, began the attack and laboured 
ineffectually until noon, when a messenger was dispatched 
for me, and the mare allowed a respite. 
Not being at home, the attack was renewed, and continued 
until mv arrival at half-past six, p.m. 
I pronounced the case a hopeless one, as the mare was 
fast sinking, and all uterine contractions had ceased. She 
was scarcely able to rise, and the men by their united efforts 
had dragged the poor brute along the ground into the yard. 
On examination, the head was turned backwards, both fore 
feet protruding had been pulled at and amputated at the 
knees. I at once divided the integuments from the shoulder 
downwards; when each limb was brought away with the 
scapulae. The head was brought up by a long hook, and 
held until a second was inserted within the nose. After 
removing the first hook, the nose was held and directed 
within the passage, during which time a stout fellow steadily 
pulled at the hook, when all came away tolerably easy, occu¬ 
pying about twenty-five minutes. The mare died the next 
day. 
In a cow of the Welch breed, I found a rupture of the 
womb, after several hours of similar usage. The calf of 
course was amongst the intestines. She was slaughtered. 
In February last, a mare was seen to be labouring under 
symptoms of protracted parturition. I was sent for before 
she was interfered with, and found the head turned backwards 
over the left side of the thorax, both legs also back, and the 
shoulders firmly pressed by the violent throes of the animal 
across the pelvis. 
The foal was dead. By pushing it back I was enabled to 
get up the legs singly, and, as before, I divided the integu¬ 
ments from the shoulder, &c. The whole operation did not 
occupy more than half an hour, consequently the animal 
did not suffer much, and by subsequent attention she was 
restored, and able to work in about a fortnight. 
In a short-horn cow, which had gone beyond her time 
three weeks, without showing symptoms of parturition, 
or any diminution of her great size, and which, from 
being off her food, dull, and hide-bound, presented rather 
a miserable appearance, I found the pelvis, which re¬ 
laxes so greatly during parturition, to be as firmly fixed as 
at ordinary times ; the vulva and vagina were also as small as 
in a maiden heifer, which rendered the examination a difficult 
