618 
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
plicated by foetal abnormalities are serious ; and the true con¬ 
ditions should be ascertained, and if the life of the mother can 
be saved by embryotomy the importance of the operation should 
not be overlooked by the obstetrician; and should the patient 
survive it should never be again used for breeding purposes. 
2. Malpresentations. —Parturition is sometimes rendered 
difficult by the foetus being in such a position that it can not 
pass through the pelvic outlet. This difficulty is more com¬ 
mon in quadrupeds than in bipeds. The anatomical difference 
of the pectoral arch adds to the difficulty resulting from an an¬ 
terior malpresentation. The dorso-sternal diameter of the 
thorax is longer ; the motion of the scapulo-humeral articulation 
is more limited ; and the rotation of the anterior limb is much 
less in quadrupeds than in bimana. The difference resulting 
from this skeletal and muscular peculiarity of domestic ani¬ 
mals adds to the difficulty in rectifying these malpresentations. 
The posterior malpresentations are fully as difficult to rectify 
as those already mentioned ; the increased length of the longi¬ 
tudinal axis of the foetus often makes mutation impossible. 
Transverse presentations are often very troublesome, especially 
the dorso-lumbar, when accompanied with some maternal de¬ 
ficiency ; these complications must be handled judiciously, and 
when mutation is impossible the obstetrician must resort to the 
course indicated. All malpresentations must be rectified by 
retropulsion and either rotation or version ; but, if this is im¬ 
possible the foetus must be removed either by embryotomy or 
Caesarian section. 
3. Multiparity. —Multiple pregnancy in uniparous ani¬ 
mals may in some cases be the cause of some form of dystokia, 
or accident common to pregnancy ; such as rupture of the 
uterus ( hysterorrhexis ), or hernia of the uterus ( hystero- 
cele). These accidents are not confined to multiparity, but 
nevertheless are sometimes associated with it; but dystokia, 
however, frequently occurs in multiparity. It is not an un¬ 
common thing to find a suspension of labor after the delivery of 
the first foetus when uniparous animals bear twins ; and, when 
such suspension is continued for any length of time, the death 
of the foetus retained most invariably follows ; however, there 
are exceptions to this ; for example, when each foetus is envel¬ 
oped in its own foetal membrane, it can remain in the uterus 
after the expulsion of the first one until the uterus has regained 
its tenacity and physiologically prepared itself for the second 
expulsion ; but, if the foetuses are enveloped in a common 
