334 RETENTION OF A DEAD FCETUS IN A COW, 
tube, which is fittted by its other to the seat of the handle ; 
thus it seems to bring the flask in communication with the 
cautery tube. The other division similarly receives a 
caoutchouc tube, 40 or 50 centimetres long, which termi¬ 
nates by two dilations, about the size of a large pear. One 
of these, which is surrounded by a net, acts as an air 
reservoir, the other as a ‘ bellows/ We have in fact a 
double opening bellows. In working the apparatus I warm 
the end of my cautery in the flame of the alcohol lamp for 
two or three minutes. You see that if I now press in 
the least on the bellows* the air pushed into the flask 
vaporises part of the mineral essence, and the gaseous 
mixture passes into the platinum cone. Increased pressure 
causes red heat or white heat of the cautery. This blowing 
may be easily managed. I have fired with this instrument 
with ordinary or penetrating points six times. On animals 
standing or cast these have done well. The cautery, how¬ 
ever, is too large, and is too costly, but the maker, M. Collin, 
will probably be able to correct these disadvantages.'” 
RETENTION OF A DEAD FCETUS IN A COW, 
ASSOCIATED WITH A SECOND IMPREGNA¬ 
TION AND GESTATION. 
Communicated by George Lewis, M.R.C.V.S., Monmouth. 
On Sunday (afternoon), March 9th, of this year, I was 
requested to attend at the Home farm of J. A. Rolls, Esq., 
upon a short-horn cow, ten years old. She was at her full 
time for calving, and had had parturient pains for some hours ; 
but as she made no progress the bailiff introduced his hand, 
and finding only the tail of the calf I was sent for. I found 
labour to be complicated with tympanitis of the rumen and 
diarrhoea. The evacuations from the bowels were not very 
thin, but of a highly offensive nature. I inquired concerning 
the food she had partaken of, or, as to any injury she might 
have received,which could have produced these symptoms, but 
failed to elicit any cause for them. I was informed, however, 
that she had thus suffered, more or less, for the past week, 
and would sometimes become bedewed with perspiration. The 
foetal membranes were ruptured and the os uteri fully dilated, 
but the foetus was dead. It could, however, only have been 
so for a very few hours, as the secretions were natural, and 
