SCOTTISH METROPOLITAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION. 857 
could not have taken place, owing to the thickened and hardened 
state of the os uteri. He directed attention to that part, and to 
the excessively vascular state of the uterus itself, and the peculiar 
“ plugged up ” state of many of its blood-vessels. 
The specimen having been examined an animated discussion 
took place on the question, Whether it is ever justifiable to 
enlarge the opening of the os uteri by the knife ? It appeared 
to be the general opinion that while that operation should never 
be performed till it is actually necessary, still there are cases in 
which tile os uteri does not dilate sufficiently, and in which there 
is great danger of the animal sinking, and that in such cases the 
os uteri should be cut into, and that this can be done with com¬ 
parative safety. The Chairman stated that he had performed 
the operation eight times with only two deaths; and others had 
also done it with success. The best place for the incision, Pro¬ 
fessor Walley stated, was towards the upper part, and a little to 
the side. Very slight haemorrhage generally follows, and the 
animal needs little treatment, if any, afterwards. Mr. Steele, 
however, was of opinion that the operation was quite unnecessary, 
and should not be performed. With sufficient time, he main¬ 
tained, the os uteri will always dilate. 
Professor Walley then laid before the meeting what he stated 
could scarcely fail to be very interesting to every one present, 
viz. the fourth stomach of the animal which had died on Bremts- 
field Links from what had been suspected to be rinderpest. “ It 
was well known,” said the Professor, “that lately a vessel, 
The Benachie, from Eussia, had put into Leith Eoads with a 
lot of cattle on board affected with the rinderpest; that these 
cattle had been detected, and prevented from landing by Mr. 
Eomanes, the Inspector (now present); and that afterwards, in 
accordance with orders received from the Privy Council, the 
cattle were sent forty miles out to sea, slaughtered, and thrown 
overboard. Well, shortly afterwards, the cry was raised that a 
lot of Iceland cattle on Bremtsfield Links, in the centre of this 
city, were suffering from rinderpest, and that one of them had 
died. The carcase had been taken to the abattoir, and I was 
called on to make a post-mortem examination along with Dr. 
Littlejohn, Mr. Eomanes, and the City Inspector, and, though 
after a careful examination we came to the conclusion that the 
animal had died from muco-enteritis, the result or accompani¬ 
ment of eczema or foot-and-mouth disease, still knowing how 
very closely in many respects eczema and rinderpest resemble 
each other, and taking into consideration the fact that the owner 
of these Iceland cattle and his servants were known to have been 
frequently on board The Benachie, in contact with the rinder¬ 
pest cattle, we considered we were justified in not giving a 
