396 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
very fast, abdomen giving away and hanging down almost to 
hock, swelling extending upwards to vulva. Called to see her 
at lo o’clock A. M., and found her as before described. After 
careful examination diagnosed dropsy of amnion and advised 
tapping per vagina; also requested to have Dr. Myers, V. S., of 
Wilmington, O., called in consultation, which the owner agreed 
to. Gave anodyne and waited for Dr. Myers, who arrived 
about 2 o’clock p. m. After examination the doctor said the 
diagnosis was correct, in his opinion, but his experience was 
very limited in such cases ; also that he had no treatment to offer 
better than the one proposed. Patient was lying on her right 
side and could not get up. We repeated anodyne and inflated 
os with belladonna. Found envelopes tense and round ; could 
not feel foetus ; punctured chorion with finger; requested the 
doctor to assist. After finding the opening I had made, he 
queried, “ Shall I go on through ? ” which I answered in the 
affirmative. He then proceeded to puncture the amnion by 
slightly scratching with the finger-nail ; the liquor amnii 
flowed profusely on removing his arm. We made no attempt to 
draw off fluid, but left the excess to flow through the aperture. 
Quite a nervous shock followed the operation, the walls of the 
abdomen collapsing, udder seemed flaccid, liquid continuing to . 
flow for several hours, when the patient moved. Dr. Myers left 
for home, prognosing a eritical condition, with probable fatal 
termination. I had the patient removed a few feet from the 
place of operation, clothed comfortably, and then administered 
nitrous aether and ammonia aromat., followed by fl. ext. bella¬ 
donna every two hours, in “ i doses, and left for the night. 
Called at 8 o’clock on the 2oth ; found patient several yards 
from where I left her, grazing apparently without pain, appetite 
good, nervousness subsiding, locomotion fair, abdomen very 
pendulous, discharge from vagina almost arrested ; requested 
animal removed to barn lot some forty rods away and up quite a 
steep elevation, which she climbed quite readily, arriving at 
door-yard without much fatigue ; prescribed iron sulphate, gen¬ 
tian rad., aa 3 ii, twice per day. Thinking system unable to with¬ 
stand shock likely to follow removal of foetus, concluded to 
defer operation until next morning. It was impracticable for 
me to call next morning, but on arriving at home in the even¬ 
ing about 9 o’clock found order on slate to come immediately; 
called and found patient prostrate and suffering intensely, just 
having delivered a foetus, in which decomposition had set in, 
which, in my opinion, should have been removed twelve hours 
