Cattle 1853 - Lewis Family Farm

INVERSION OF THE WOMB.
incision, and retained on it by means of proper bandages, and the
case treated as consisting of a serious wound.
EMBRYOTOMY.
In eases of malformation of the calf, or when, as now and then
happens, the powers of nature seem to be suddenly exhausted, and
no stimulus can rouse the womb again to action, the destruction of
the foetus, should it still live, and the removal of it piecemeal, is a far
more humane method of proceeding, and much oftener successful.
All that will be necessary will be a very small kind of pruning knife,
already described, with the blade even a little more curved than
those knives generally arevand that can be carried into the passage
in the hollow of the hand with scarcely the possibility of wounding
the cow. A case related by M. Thibeaudeau will best illustrate this
operation. " I amputated the left shoulder of the foetus, in spite of
the difficulties which the position of the head and neck presented.
Having withdrawn this limb, I made an incision through all the car-
tilages of the ribs, and laid open the chest through its whole extent,
by means of which I was enabled to extract all the thoracic viscera.
Thus having lessened the size of the calf, I was enabled, by pulling
at the remaining fore-leg, to extract the foetus without much resist-
ance, although the head and neck were still bent upon the chest.
The afterbirth was removed immediately afterwards. A cow the
neck of whose uterus was so constricted that the finger could scarcely
be introduced ; I divided the stricture, and saved both cow and calf."
INVERSION OF THE WOMB.
In the convulsive efforts in order to accomplish the expulsion of
the foetus, the womb itself sometimes closely follows the calf, and
hangs from the bearing, as low as or lower than the hocks, in the
form of a large red or violet-colored bag. This is called " the down-
fall of the calf-lag." It should be returned as soon as possible, for
there is usually great pressure on -the neck of the womb, which
impedes the circulation of the blood, and the protruded part quickly
grows livid and black, and is covered with ulcerated spots, and
becomes gangrenous and mortified ; and this is rapidly increased by
the injury which the womb sustains in the continual getting up and
lying down of the cow in these cases.
The womb must first be cleansed from all the dirt which it may
have gathered. If much swelling has taken place, and the bag looks
thickened and gorged with bloody it, should be lightly yet freely
scarified, and the bleeding encouraged by warm fomentations. While
this is done, ifc should be carefully ascertained whether there is any
distension of the rumen, and if there is, either the common puncture
for hoove should be made in the flank, or a dose of the solution pf t^o