RETENTIO SECUNDINARUM IN THE COW. 
93 
the more readily follows a condition of inertia and liabbiness of 
the uterus, and therefore, retention of the afterbirth is very 
frequent in cases of twin births and by old, lean, poverty-stricken 
and hollow-backed cows. 
Want of contractile power in the uterus can also be depend¬ 
ent upon, or a consequence of morbid conditions. Thus adhesion 
may have taken place during gestation between the cornu of the 
womb and the abdominal walls, by which retroflexion or return 
of the cornu to its normal position is prevented. Such adhesion 
may be suspected when, on examination soon after delivery, the 
cornu of the uterus is found to be remarkably long, and when it 
cannot, as under normal conditions, be drawn towards the vagina, 
by pulling in the afterbirth. 
The afterbirth may also be retained in consequence of a too 
rapid contraction of the os uteri, while the uterus itself remains 
inert and flaccid. Likewise, retention may be due to a too rapid 
retroflexion of the uterus; for we often find by detaching the 
afterbirth from its natural adhesions, that it adheres most tightly 
in the flexed cornu (most frequently the right cornu), and that it 
requires forcible bending of the hand and wrist to effect its de¬ 
tachment. Another cause of retention is a too firm connection 
between the afterbirth and the cotyledons. This condition is not 
unfrequently met with in the cow. It is very common in cases 
of abortion that the afterbirth, despite the powerful and repeated 
straining of the cow, is not expelled, because the adhesions have 
not been loosened by the expulsion of the unripe fruit, and as a 
rule it does not loosen before decomposition takes place. Even 
in cases where eversion of the uterus has taken place after normal 
calving, it is often found impossible to detach the placentulse from 
the cotyledons. A too firm connection between the afterbirth 
and the uterus, besides being ascertained while attempting its 
removal, may be suspected from the strong but ineffectual after- 
pains of the cow. By inserting the hand in the uterus in such a 
case, the powerful contractions almost paralyze the hand and 
render manipulation impossible. 
The importance which the retention of the afterbirth has, as 
regards the life of the animal and its economical usefulness, varies 
