48 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
I would like the opinions of my listeners as to the principal 
factor in the cause of this death. Was the method of confine¬ 
ment with the body well stretched out in a straight line the 
cause, or was the shock too great after the loss of so much 
blood, or is the operation of such a grave character that death 
is liable to occur in any subject. 
AN EXAGGERATED CASE OF HYDROPS AMNII.* 
By E. S. Fry, M. D. C., Naperville, Ill. 
On Monday night, Feb. 7, 1898, I was called to the country, 
about five miles distant, and found a nice black Norman mare, 
four years old, in foal, due in April next. Her abdomen was so 
distended that the respirations were very short and quick. 
The owner thought it was tympanites. I made a rectal examine 
tion, and, with the aid of abdominal percussion, I diagnosed it 
as hydrops amnii. I opened the os, which dilated easily, punc¬ 
tured the membranes, and inserted a half-inch hard rubber hose, 
produced a syphon, and took away 60 gallons of water by actual 
measurement. The mare became very weak, so I administered 
stimulants every twenty minutes until she began to get stronger, 
then every hour during the night. The next morning I made 
an examination and found a posterior presentation of the foetus 
and lots more water, so I resorted to the hose again and took 
away 15 gallons more (in all 75 gallons). I then took a blanket, 
folded it together, put it under the abdomen, a man on each 
side, and thereby raised the abdomen, so I could reach the foetus, 
which I delivered. I also removed the foetal-envelopes, and 
found attached to these any amount of small bladders, filled with 
water, in size from a hen’s egg to that of a man’s head. The 
mare became very weak by this time, so that she fainted. I 
gave stimulants in liberal doses, but she seemed to be very much 
in pain and kept straining, so I put her under the influence of 
morphine for two days. I sterilized the womb twice a day, ad¬ 
ministered milk and eggs, diffusible stimulants and quinine and 
iron. I regulated the bowels with oil and physostigma. To¬ 
day (Feb. 13th) the mare is making a nice recovery. 
* Eead before the meeting of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, 
PYb. 16, 1898. 
