SPECIAL REPORT ON DISEASES OF CATTLE
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416 XXXVIII. Tuberculosis of cow's udder 416 XXXIX. Actinomycosis
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ng, as well as in regurgitation for rumination or the chewing of the cud. The action of the first three stomachs is merely preparatory to digestion. Thus it would seem that as a resu
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of the surface, it is found to fluctuate or "give," then we may conclude that there is a collection of pus at that place. It is well not to open the abscess until the fluctuation is
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those who are competent. IMAGINARY DISEASES (HOLLOW HORN; LOSS OF CUD; WOLF IN THE TAIL). It would appear quite in place here, in connection with the diseases of the stomach and
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stic, are pain when getting up or lying down; grunting and pain upon sudden motion, especially downhill; coughing; pain on pressure over the second stomach, which lies immediately ab
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carefully laid open in the long direction, the adhesions of the protruding organs carefully separated from the umbilicus, and after the protruding parts have been returned into the
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horoughly chewed, and this constitutes what is known as "chewing the cud." From the second stomach the food passes into the third, and from the third into the fourth, or true, stomac
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Acetic acid is irritant to the gastrointestinal tract, and may cause sudden paralysis of the heart. _Treatment._--The action of the acid should be counteracted by the use of alkalie
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lysis and the animal dies in convulsions. LAUREL. The laurels, including the broad-leafed laurel, _Kalmia latifolia_, the narrow-leafed laurel, _Kalmia angustifolia_, the rhododen
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d is particularly noticeable while they are ruminating--"chewing the cud." It is not always associated with disease, but may be a symptom of some disease of the heart; in such cases
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s disinclined to move actively, the step is restricted and cautious, sudden motion causes grunting, the attitude is constrained, the feet are drawn somewhat together, the back is arc
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e of most of the diseases under consideration in this chapter. _Attitude and general condition._--The feeling of pain in animals suffering from serious affections of the organs of r
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the majority of cases it is attributable to some form of exposure, a sudden change from warm to cold surroundings, or exposure to cold storms. It may also result from inhaling irrita
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upplied by the cut nerve is paralyzed. The nervous system is often studied in two divisions--the cerebrospinal division and the sympathetic division. The cerebrospinal division con
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s, but there is paralysis in all parts posterior to the fracture, including the fore and hind legs. When the fracture is in the region of the loins the hind legs are paralyzed, but t
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nt passage of urine in driblets, its continuous escape in drops, the sudden arrest of the flow when in full stream, the rhythmic contraction of the muscles under the anus without any
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ed and inflamed kidneys it is present as a part of the inflammatory exudate. Apart from these, albumin in the urine represents in different cases a variety of diseased conditions of
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r, by the presentation of a female, the animal can be tempted to protrude the penis, so that it can be seized and extended, or when it can be manipulated forward out of the sheath, i
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cting stone, may slowly push it on into the bladder. Large doses of laudanum (2 ounces) or of solid extract of belladonna (2 drams) will not only soothe the pain but relax the spasm
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nclosing the tip of a conical mass of tissue from which the urine excludes. Fig. 2. Genital and urinary organs of the bull. (From Leisering, Mueller, and Ellenberger, Handbuch des V
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has a very small external opening, the mucous membrane of which is studded with sebaceous glands secreting a thick, unctuous matter of a strong, heavy odor. Behind this orifice is a
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ack toward the root of the tail. In the early stages of pregnancy the udder develops slowly, and toward its completion quite rapidly. For a long time there is merely a sense of great
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ult from poor or insufficient feed, from the excessive drain upon the udder while bearing the calf, from the use of feed deficient in certain essential elements, like the nitrogenous
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med condition of the membranes of the vagina results in a catarrhal exudate, and this discharge, which soils the external genitals and the tail, and the uneasiness and sometimes the
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was thoroughly closed in and the cow secluded from the constant stream of visitors and the incessant noise, when at once the pains became strong and effe
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passages. _Head and fore feet presented--Back turned down toward the udder._--This position (Pl. XVI, fig. 6) is unnatural, and the parturition is difficult for two reasons: First,
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for success, but if the calf is placed with its back down toward the udder, and if the head is bent down under the brim of the pelvis, the best position for the cow is on her back,
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ised a presentation with the back of the fetus turned down toward the udder, and the anterior extremities one with the back turned up toward the spine, the latter should be selected.
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w is to be sacrificed a blow on the head with an ax will produce quietude. Then the prompt cutting into the abdomen and womb and the extraction of the calf requires no skill. If, how
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of the lips of the vulva, a weak, rapid pulse, violent and perhaps loud beating of the heart (palpitations), sunken, staring eyes, coldness of the skin, ears, horns, and limbs, pers
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connections with the womb are severed and the remainder is expelled suddenly en masse. It is quite evident that neglected cases with putrid membranes are poor subjects for this meth
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examples of udder poisons are found in the first milk (colostrum), which is distinctly irritant and purgative, and in the to
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f the disease gangrene may ensue, a quarter or half or even the whole udder, losing its vitality, and sloughing off if the cow can bear up against the depressing influence. These gan
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anything which irritates them. The powerful sucking of the calf; the sudden chilling of the teat in winter after the calf has just let it go or after the completion of milking with a
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in as a swelling after the bowel has been returned; and when the protruding bowel has contracted permanent adhesion to the sac, it is impossible to return it fully without first seve
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reen all act in this way. The same may come from disease in the cow's udder, or any general disease of the cow with attendant fever, and in all such cases the tendency is to rapid ch
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D.] Some knowledge of the skeleton is advisable to facilitate the study of diseases of bones and the accidental injuries to which they are exposed. The skeleton of the adult ox is
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is one in which the bone is severed in two parts, transversely, longitudinally, or obliquely, without serious injury to the adjoining structures. COMPOUND FRACTURES.--Compound fract
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oken down and the bones are united (anchylosis). This process may include any or all of the three lower joints of the hock. The joint of motion which is situated on the lower end of
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t unknown. _Symptoms of articular rheumatism._--The symptoms appear suddenly and with varying degrees of severity. The animal presents a downcast appearance, with staring coat, horn
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far as possible to make the trachea tense and prominent; make a longitudinal incision about 2 to 2-1/2 inches long through the skin and deeper tissues and trachea at the most promine
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arly exercised or be allowed freedom so that it can exercise itself. Sudden changes of the temperature are dangerous. The animal should be fed moderately, but of a diet easily digest
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considerable rotary motion or twisting is possible. Their color is cloudy gray or grayish red, with white bands of connective tissue radiating from the center. Their consistence vari
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ts in the early and complete removal of the tumor, taking care to include a wide border of healthy tissue. This has been most successful in such superficial cancers as those of the e
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ns of the legs become irritated and chapped when cattle are fed in a muddy or wet yard in winter, or if they are compelled to wade through water in frosty weather. Another form of er
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the formation of circular patches on the skin, which soon becomes denuded of hair. The cuticular layer of the skin in slightly inflamed, and vesication with exudation occurs, follow
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sclerotic, or white of the eye, is bloodshot and the cornea may be cloudy. If the disease advances, keratitis results, with its train of unfavorable symptoms. _Treatment._--Careful
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a long time, but will eventually induce keratitis with inflammatory exudations. _Treatment._--The cornea may be punctured at its upper and outer margin, and the worm squeezed out wi
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hiefly responsible for the morbid changes. This definition might include diseases caused by certain animal parasites, such as trichinÊ, for example, which multiply in the digestive
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ected by means of chlorin gas liberated from the chlorid of lime by crude carbolic acid. This is accomplished by making a cone of 5 or 6 pounds of chlorid of lime, in the top of whic
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acute one, as is frequently seen in hot weather, the symptoms appear suddenly; the breathing becomes rapid and difficult, the animal grunts or moans with each expiration, the shoulde
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he same time similar changes may go on in the skin of the thighs, the udder, or the scrotum, or about the vagina, which lead to small sloughs. In severe cases, which are the most co
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loss in flesh and a lessening or cessation of the milk secretion. The udders often become inflamed and ruined by the formation of abscesses, and cows affected in this way are sometim
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that in the latter there is a rapid infection of the entire herd, including the adult cattle, as well as the infection of hogs and sheep. The characteristic lesion of foot-and-mouth
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pressure. This tumefaction consists essentially of a cerogelatinous exudate into the subcutaneous and intermuscular tissues. Bloody extravasations may take place in subcutaneous tis
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68 cows, 69, or 41 per cent, being tuberculous, and 2 having diseased udders. The result of testing the Queen's herd at Windsor was that 36 out of 40, or 90 per cent, were found tub
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under the jaw, and along the neck. Of late tubercular disease of the udder in cows (Pl. XXXVIII) has received considerable attention from sanitarians, owing to the infection of the
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of the cases tested. The relatively few failures in diagnoses are included among two classes of cattle. The first class contains those that are tuberculous, but which do not react ei
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unanimity of opinion on the part of all who are best calculated to judge that such an injurious effect does not occur. Even those who have been most pronounced in the claim tha
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xperimented with such virus. It was the experiments and comparative studies of Theobald Smith, however, which attracted special attention to the difference in virulence shown by tube
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ppearance of reddened, inflamed areas, principally upon the teats and udder, and at times on the abdominal skin or the skin of the inner surface of the thighs. In a few cases the ski
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t occurring in bovine affections. It is therefore of interest to conclude this article with a brief discussion of the disease in man and its relation to actinomycosis in cattle. In
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called anthrax peracutus or apoplectiform, when the animal dies very suddenly as if from apoplexy. Such cases usually occur in the beginning of an outbreak. The animal, without havin
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es will hardly hold, as it is found in all kinds of soil, in all altitudes, at all seasons of the year, and under various climatic conditions. It occurs in this country from the Atla
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etimes the mouth is kept open, permitting the tumefied tongue to protrude. One or more of the above symptoms direct the attention to the mouth as the seat of disease; or, having noti
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a uniform brownish tint, dissociated by gas and with a blood-tinged exudate. This gangrenous tissue, when present before death, can be removed without pain to the animal. The intesti
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thropoda and to the genus _Margaropus_ (or _Boophilus_), which is included in the order Acarina. Its life history is quite simple and easily traced from one generation to another. It
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clear solution, except for dirt. If the liquid persistently remains muddy or milky, it may be because the operation has been conducted so fast that much water has been boiled out an
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ed territory has in every instance been found a certain method of excluding Texas fever. The regulations governing the movement of cattle from below the quarantine line are made year
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laundry soap 1 pound. Water 4 gallons. Crude petroleum 1 gallon. Powdered naphthalin 4 ounces. Cut the soap into thin shavings and disso
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equal parts; (2) kerosene, 1/2 pint, mixed with lard, 1 pound; (3) crude petroleum; (4) any of the dips recommended for use in dipping, and diluted in the same proportions as for di
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d scattered their droppings. The worms in the stomach produce a multitude of eggs (fig. 14_c_) of microscopic size, which pass out of the body in the feces. In warm weather these egg
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as they are rather common among sheep in the Northwest. As already alluded to, these worms are the intermediate stage of a tapeworm found in dogs, and their life history and the mean
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earance of vesicles containing serous fluid in the mouth and upon the udder, teats, heels, and coronary bands of the affected animals. Drooling is profuse, and there is a peculiar sm
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f premises, 363 inflammation of the udder, description, prevention, and treatment, 237 ma
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, causes, symptoms, and treatment, 103 contagious, of the udder, description, prevention, and treatment, 237 ea
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, causes and treatment, 322 Pseudoplasm. _See_ Tumors. Psoroptic mange, description and treatment, 513 _Pucinia a
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nic, causes and treatment, 25 Udder-- congestion, description and treatment, 233 contagious inflammation af
with the back of the calf turned toward the rump of the cow. Similarly with
the croup turned upward and forward, that should be pushed on forward, and
if the forefeet and head can be secured it will be a natural anterior
presentation, with the back of the calf turned upward toward the rump of
the cow.
The womb should be injected with warm water or oil, and the turning of the
calf will demand the combined action of the repeller and the hand, but in
all such cases the operator has an advantage that the body of the fetus is
wholly within the body of the womb, and therefore movable with comparative
ease. No part is wedged into the pelvic passages as a complication. The
general principles are the same as in faulty presentation fore and hind,
and no time should be lost in making the manipulations necessary to bring
the feet into the pelvis, lest they get inbent or otherwise displaced and
add unnecessary complications.
With a transverse direction of the calf, the head being turned to one side,
the pressure must be directed laterally, so that the body will glide around
on one side of the womb, and the extremities when reached must be promptly
seized and brought into the passages. Sometimes a fortunate struggle of a
live fetus will greatly aid in rectifying the position.
_Breast and abdomen presented._--All four feet in the passages._--In this
form the calf lies across the womb with its roached back turned forward and
its belly toward the pelvis. All four feet may be extended and engaged in
the passages, or one or more may be bent on themselves so as to lie in
front of the pelvis. The head, too, may usually be felt on the right side
or the left, and if detected it serves to identify the exact position of
the fetus. The position may further be decided upon by examination of the
feet and limbs. With the limbs extended the front of the hoofs and the
convex aspect of the bent pasterns and fetlocks will look toward that flank
in which lie the head and shoulders. On examination still higher the
smooth, even outline of the knee and its bend, looking toward the hind
parts, characterize the fore limb, while the sharp prominence of the point
of the hock and the bend on the opposite side of the joint, looking toward
the head, indicate the hind limb. (Pl. XVII, fig. 5.)
The remedy of this condition is to be sought in repelling into the womb
those limbs that are least eligible for extraction, and bringing into the
passages the most eligible extremities. The most eligible will usually be
those which project farthest into the passages, indicating the nearer
proximity of that end of the calf. An exception may, however, be made in
favor of that extremity which will give the most natural presentation. Thus
if, owing to obliquity in the position of the fetus, the hind extremities
promised a presentation with the back of the fetus turned down toward the
udder, and the anterior extremities one with the back turned up toward the
spine, the latter should be selected. Again, if the choice for the two
extremities is evenly balanced, the hind may be chosen as offering less
risk of complication, there being no head to get displaced.
The first step in the treatment is to place a running noose on each of the
four feet, marking those of the fore limbs to distinguish them from those
of the hind ones. In case it is proposed to bring the anterior extremities
into the passage, a noose should also be placed on the lower jaw. Then run
the ropes attached to the two feet that are to be pushed back through the
ring of a cord carrier (Pl. XXI, fig. 5), passing the rings down to the
feet, and by the aid of the carrier push them well back into the womb and
hold them there. Meanwhile drag upon the ropes attached to the two other
feet so as to bring them into the passage (or, in case of the anterior
extremity, on the two foot ropes and the head one). The other feet must be
pushed back into the womb until the body of the calf is fully engaged in
the passages. After this they can no longer find an entrance, but must
follow as the body escapes.
NEGLECTED AND AGGRAVATED CASES.
In laying down the foregoing rules for giving assistance in critical cases
of calving it is not intimated that all cases and stages can be
successfully dealt with. Too often assistance is not sought for many hours
or even days after labor pains, and the escape of the waters intimate the
danger of delay. Not seldom the long delay has been filled up with
unintelligent and injurious attempts at rendering assistance, violent
pulling when resistance is insurmountable without change of position,
injuries to the vagina and womb by ill-considered but too forcibly executed
attempts to change the position, the repeated and long-continued contact
with rough hands and rougher ropes and hooks, the gashes with knives and
lacerations with instruments in ignorant hands, the infecting material
introduced on filthy hands and instruments, and the septic inflammations
started in the now dry and tender passages and womb. Not infrequently the
death, putrefaction, and bloating of the calf in the womb render the case
extremely unpromising and make it impossible to apply successfully many of
the measures above recommended. The labor pains of the cow may have
practically ceased from exhaustion; the passages of the vagina may be so
dry, tender, friable, red, and swollen that it requires considerable effort
even to pass the oiled hand through them, and the extraction of the calf or
any portion of it through such a channel seems a hopeless task; the womb
may be equally dry, inflamed and swollen, so that its lining membrane or
even its entire thickness is easily torn; the fetal membranes have lost
their natural, unctuous and slippery character, and cling firmly to the dry
walls of the womb, to the dry skin of the calf, or to the hands of the
operator; the dead and putrefying calf may be so bloated with gases that
the womb has been overdistended by its presence, and the two adhere so
closely that the motion of the one on the other is practically impossible.
In other cases reckless attempts to cut the calf in pieces have left raw
surfaces with projecting bones which dangerously scratch and tear the womb
and passages.
In many cases the extreme resort must be had of cutting the fetus to pieces
(embryotomy), or the still more redoubtable one of CÊsarean section
(extraction through the flank).
DISSECTION OF THE UNBORN CALF (EMBRYOTOMY).
In some cases the dissection of the calf is the only feasible means of
delivering it through the natural passages; and while it is especially
applicable to the dead calf, it is also on occasion called for in the case
of the living. As a rule, the living calf should be preserved, if possible,
but if this threatens to entail the death of the cow it is only in the case
of offspring of rare value that its preservation is to be preferred. To
those acquainted with the toil, fatigue, and discomfort of embryotomy, no
discussion is necessary so long as there is a prospect of success from the
simple and generally easier method of rectifying the faulty position of the
calf. When the correction of the position is manifestly impossible,
however, when distortions and monstrosities of the fetus successfully
obstruct delivery, when the pelvic passages are seriously contracted by
fractures and bony growths, when the passages are virtually almost closed
by swelling, or when the calf is dead and excessively swollen, no other
resort may be available. In many cases of distortion and displacement the
dismemberment of the entire calf is unnecessary, the removal of the
offending member being all that is required. It will be convenient,
therefore, to describe the various suboperations one by one and in the
order in which they are usually demanded.
_Amputation of the fore limb._--In cutting off a fore limb it is the one
presenting that should be selected, since it is much more easily operated
on, and its complete removal from the side of the chest affords so much
more space for manipulation that it often makes it easy to bring the other
missing limb or the head into position. The first consideration is to skin
the limb from the fetlock up and leave the skin attached to the body. The
reasons for this are: (_a_) That the skin is the most resistant structure
of the limb, and when it has been removed the entire limb can be easily
detached; (_b_) the tough skin left from the amputated limb may be used as
a cord in subsequent traction on the body of the calf; (_c_) the dissection
and separation of the limb are far more safely accomplished under the
protection of the enveloping skin than if the operator's hands and
instruments were in direct contact with the walls of the passages or womb;
(_d_) the dissection can be much more easily effected while the skin is
stretched by the left hand, so as to form a comparatively firmer resistant
point for the knife, than when it is attempted to cut the soft, yielding,
and elastic tissues which naturally offer little solid resistance, but
constantly recede before the cutting edge of the instrument. The
preservation of the skin is therefore a cardinal principle in the
amputation of all parts in which it is at all feasible.
The presenting foot is inclosed in a noose and drawn well out of the
passages. Then a circular incision through the skin is made around the limb
just above the fetlock. From this the skin is slit up on the inner side of
the limb to the breast. Then the projecting part of the limb is skinned up
to the vulva, traction being made on the foot by an assistant so as to
expose as much as possible. The embryotomy knife may now be taken (Pl. XXI,
fig. 2), and a small hole having been cut in the free end of the detached
portion of skin, that is seized by the left hand and extended while its
firm connections with the deeper structures are cut through. The looser
connections can be more quickly torn through with the closed fist or the
tips of the four fingers held firmly together in a line or with the spud,
of which there are several kinds. Much of the upper part of the limb can be
skinned more speedily without the knife, but that must be resorted to to
cut across tough bands whenever these interrupt the progress. The skinning
should be carried upward on the outer side of the shoulder blade to the
spine or nearly so. Then with the knife the muscles attaching the elbow and
shoulder to the breastbone are cut across, together with those on the inner
side of the shoulder joint and in front and behind it as far as these can
be reached. Steady traction is now made upon the foot, the remaining
muscles attaching the shoulder blade to the trunk are torn through with a
cracking noise, and the whole limb, including the shoulder blade and its
investing muscles, comes away. If the shoulder blade is left the bulk of
the chest is not diminished, and nothing has been gained. Before going
further it is well to see whether the great additional space thus secured
in the passages will allow of the missing limb or head to be brought into
position. If not, the other presenting part, limb or head, is to be
amputated and extracted. For the limb the procedure is a repetition of that
just described.
_Amputation of the head._--The head is first seized and drawn well forward,
or even outside the vulva, by a rope with a running noose placed around the
lower jaw just behind the incisor teeth, by a sharp hook inserted in the
arch of the lower jaw behind the union of its two branches and back of the
incisor teeth, or by hooks inserted in the orbits, or, finally, in case the
whole head protrudes, by a halter. (Pl. XXI, figs 4_a_ and 4_b._) In case
the whole head protrudes, a circular incision through the skin is made just
back of the ear, and the cut edge being held firmly by the left hand, the
neck is skinned as far as it can be reached. Then the great ligamentous
cord above the spine is cut across at the farthest available point,
together with the muscles above and below the spine. Strong traction on the
head will then detach it at this point and bring it away, but should there
still be too much resistance the knife is inserted between the bodies of
two vertebrÊ just behind one of the prominent points felt in the median
line below, and their connecting fibrous cartilage is cut through, after
which comparatively moderate pulling will bring it away. The detached neck
and body at once slip back into the womb, and if the fore limbs are now
brought up and pulled they are advanced so far upon the chest that the
transverse diameter of that is greatly diminished and delivery
correspondingly facilitated.
If the head is still inclosed in the vagina two methods are available: (1)
The removal of the lower jaw and subsequent separation of the head from the
neck; (2) the skinning of the whole head and its separation from the neck.
To remove the lower jaw the skin is dissected away from it until the throat
is reached. Then the muscles of the cheeks and side of the jaw (masseters)
are cut through and those connecting the jaw with the neck. When traction
is made on the rope around the lower jaw it will usually come away with
little trouble. Should it resist, its posterior extremity on each side
(behind the grinding teeth) may be cut through with bone forceps or with a
guarded bone chisel. (Pl. XX, fig. 8.) After the removal of the lower jaw
the way will be open to separate the head from the neck, the knife being
used to cut into the first or second joint from below, or the bone forceps
or chisel being employed to cut through the bones of the neck. Then
traction is made on the head by means of hooks in the orbits, and the hand,
armed with an embryotomy knife, is introduced to cut through the tense
resisting ligament, and muscles above the bones. The skin and the strong
ligamentous cord attached to the poll are the essential things to cut, as
the muscles can easily be torn across. Unless there are great difficulties
in the way it is well to skin the head from the eyes back, and on reaching
the poll to cut through the ligament and then bring the head away by
pulling.
If it is decided to remove the entire head at once, it may be skinned from
the front of the eyes back to behind the lower jaw below and the poll
above, then cut through the muscles and ligaments around the first joint
and pull the head away, assisting, if need be, in the separation of the
head by using the knife on the ligament of the joint.
If the calf is a double-headed monster, the skinning of the head must be
carried backward until the point has been reached where both heads branch
from the single neck, and the separation must be made at that point. The
muscles and ligaments are first to be cut through; and if the part can not
then be detached by pulling, the bodies of the vertebrÊ may be separated by
passing the knife through the joint. The second head may now be secured by
a noose around the lower jaw or hooks in the orbits and brought up into
place, the body being pushed back toward the other side by a repeller, so
as to make room.
It should be added that, except in the case of a double-headed monster, or
in case of the head protruding or nearly so, and one or both fore limbs
presenting, it is rarely desirable to undertake amputation of the head. The
space desirable in the passages can usually be obtained by the much simpler
and easier procedure of removing one or both fore limbs.
_Amputation of the hind limbs._--This is sometimes demanded on the one
extended limb when the other can not be brought up and delivery can not be
effected; also in case of monsters having extra hind limbs; when the calf
is dead, putrid, and bloated with gas; and in some cases of breech
presentation, as described under that head.
When the limb is extended the guiding principles are as in the case of the
fore limbs. The skin is cut through circularly above the fetlock and slit
up to beneath the pelvic bones on the inner side of the thigh. It is then
dissected from the other parts as high as it has been slit on the inner
side and to above the prominence (_trochanter major_) on the upper end of
the thigh bone on the outer side of the joint. In this procedure the hands
and spud can do much, but owing to the firmer connections the knife will be
more frequently required than in the case of the fore limb. The muscles are
now cut through all around the hip joint, and strong traction is made by
two or three men on the limb. If there is still too much resistance, a
knife is inserted into the joint on the inner side and its round ligament
cut through, after which extraction will be comparatively easy. This
accomplished, it will often be possible to extract the fetus with the other
leg turned forward into the womb. If the calf is bloated with gas, it may
be necessary to remove the other leg in the same way, and even to cut open
the chest and abdomen and remove their contents before extraction can be
effected. In the case of extra limbs it may be possible to bring them up
into the passages after the presenting hind limbs have been removed. If
this is not practicable, they may be detached by cutting them through at
the hip joint, as described under "Breech presentation," page 197.
Another method of removing the hind limb is, after having skinned it over
the quarter, to cut through the pelvic bones from before backward, in the
median line below, by knife, saw, or long embryotome (Pl. XX, fig. 1), and
then disjoint the bones of the spine (sacrum) and the hip bone (ilium) on
that side with embryotome, knife, or saw, and then drag away the entire
limb, along with all the hip bones on that side. This has the advantage of
securing more room and thereby facilitating subsequent operations. Both
limbs may be removed in this way, but on the removal of the second the
operator is without any solid point to drag upon in bringing away the
remainder of the fetus.
_Division across the middle of the body._--In cases of extra size,
monstrosity, or distortion of one end of the body it may be requisite to
cut the body in two and return the half from the passages into womb, even
after one-half has been born. The presenting members are dragged upon
forcibly by assistants to bring as much of the body as possible outside.
Then cut through the skin around the body at some distance from the vulva,
and with hand, knife, and spud detach it from the trunk as far back into
the passages as can be reached. Next cut across the body at the point
reached, beginning at the lower part (breast, belly) and proceeding up
toward the spine. This greatly favors the separation of the backbone when
reached, and further allows of its being extended so that it can be divided
higher up. When the backbone is reached, the knife is passed between the
two bones, the prominent ridges across their ends acting as guides, and by
dragging and twisting the one is easily detached from the other. With an
anterior presentation the separation should, if possible, be made behind
the last rib, while with a posterior presentation as many of the ribs
should be brought away as can be accomplished. Having removed one half of
the body, the remaining half is to be pushed back into the womb, the feet
sought and secured with nooses, and the second half removed in one piece if
possible; and if not, then after the removal of the extra limb or other
cause of obstruction.
_Removed of the contents of chest or abdomen._--If the body of the calf
sticks fast in the passages by reason of the mere dryness of its skin and
of the passages, the obstacle may be removed by injecting sweet oil past
the fetus into the womb through a rubber or other tube, and smearing the
passages freely with lard. When the obstruction depends on excess of size
of the chest or abdomen or thickening of the body from distorted spine,
much advantage may be derived from the removal of the contents of these
great cavities of the trunk. We have already seen how the haunches may be
SOURCES & PROVENANCE
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