RETENTIO SECUNDINARDM IN THE COW. 
97 
had strained violently, an easy recovery soon followed, while other 
cases, where the detachment was very easily and completely ef¬ 
fected, have resulted in severe metritis. 
When only the ends of the arteries of the umbilicus protrude 
through the vulva, and the cow otherwise is quiet and well, it is 
best to limit the treatment to internal remedies, and when these 
do not prove effective in the course of eight days, the removal of 
the membranes may be attempted by the winding process or by 
the insertion of the hand. 
In connection with this subject, it may be stated that the re¬ 
moval of the afterbirth will require the assistance of two men, one 
to hold the head of the cow and the other to hold the tail aside 
and upwards. The removal of the afterbirth is not without some 
danger to the operator. The continued contact with putrescent 
matter is apt to produce severe erysipelatous inflammation, the 
formation of abscesses, enlargement of the lymphatic glands at the 
armpit, fever, herpes zoster, &c. From the latter painful affection 
the writer has suffered twice, each case being traceable only to putre¬ 
scent infection, after removal of decaying afterbirth in one case, 
and after the removal of a dead and decomposed calf in the other 
case. The danger of such infections may generally be obviated 
by precautionary measures. It is our custom to liberally anoint 
not only the hand and arm, but also the genital organs of the an¬ 
imal, with oil or hog’s lard, the latter of which is generally always 
attainable. As both hands by turn will be required in detaching 
the afterbirth, it is our custom to wipe off the hand and arm first 
inserted and to repeat the anointing a second or third time, if their 
insertion is again required. When the operation has been con¬ 
cluded, the arms and hands should be thoroughly cleaned with 
soap and warm water. A person with wounds or sores on his 
hands or arms should not engage in the operation. As the per¬ 
formance of the operation requires partial undressing of the oper¬ 
ator, he should avoid exposure to drafts of cold air in the stable. 
As a protection to the clothing, the use of an old rubber overcoat 
without sleeves has been found very desirable by the writer. 
