622 
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
without an attendant. The conditions that may be taken for 
pseudo-pregnancy may be named as follows, viz. : 
(< a ) Uterine cysts or moles. 
(b) Hydrometra. 
(e) Uterine tumors. 
(a) Uterine Cysts or Moles may be caused by an early de¬ 
generation of the embryo encased in its enveloping membranes. 
This condition is* not very common in mares ; occasionally ob¬ 
served in cows and frequently in sows. They may vary from 
io centimeters to 20 or 30 centimeters in diameter. Those that 
we have observed upon post-mortem were in animals that suf¬ 
fered no inconvenience from the condition ; but should such a 
structure be suspected as being the exciting cause of some sys¬ 
temic disturbance it should be removed. 
(b) Hydrometra is a condition characterized by the presence 
of fluids in the uterus. This occurs more frequently in the 
bitch than in the cow or mare. The character of the fluid may 
vary from a thin transparent serous fluid to a thick purulent 
semi-fluid, and as it collects the uterus becomes distended and 
the abdomen enlarges. It is seldom that the fluid remains in 
the uterus for more than one-half of the period of gestation 
without some or all of it being expelled ; in such cases the con¬ 
dition can often be relieved without surgical interference, but 
when the walls are involved they become cedematous and thick¬ 
ened ; and, even if the embryonic structure is expelled, the con¬ 
dition may persist ; medication may prove useless ; injection of 
antiseptics or astringents into the uterus may be ineffective; 
and, consequently, there remains no other resort but surgical 
interference. This, however, should not be classed under Caesa¬ 
rian section, for in such cases the foetal structure may have 
been expelled ; but occasionally part of it and the foetal mem¬ 
brane becomes organized and attached to the walls when their 
removal by the vaginal route is impossible. To curet the uterus 
of a quadruped through the vagina is not a practical procedure; 
therefore the better plan is to proceed as in Caesarian section ; 
remove the foetal membranes and all abnormal structures, and 
curet the uterus and irrigate it thoroughly, then close the in¬ 
cision properly ; but, if the pathological condition is such that 
there is danger that this treatment will prove ineffective, the 
uterus should be removed (> hysterectomy ). 
(0) Uterine Tumors .—Tumors that involve the uterus may 
be found in any part of it, and when of extreme size may cause 
an external appearance resembling pregnancy, and when the 
