Complete Treatise on the mare and foal at the time of delivery, with illustrations. Also on cows and calves, with stallion and mare, when diseased by Gonorrhea (clap) or Pox, also Diarrhea and Costiveness in Colts.

in one pint of Linseed tea, every three hours, and by means of a syringe, or bladder, with a clean piece of elder tied in the neck, I have injected into the womb from four to six quarts of Linseed tea, which caused a copious discharge of bloody matter from the womb, amounting sometimes to a bucket full. In extraordinary cases, the purifying organs were overpowered and the mortified blood was carried through the whole system, and even then the mare recovered to a certain degree, until in about a week afterwards her hoofs came off, caused by the mortified blood, and she was accordingly destroyed.

The above Engraving represents a false presentation. The two fore feet are presented, and the head remains behind in the right flank of the mare. The operator will be able to tell whether they are the front or hind feet, by examining the knee joints. Now, a bowl containing two or three quarts of very warm water, with a large tablespoonful of very fine lard or linseed oil on the surface of the water, should be at hand. Under no circumstances should a hand or arm be introduced to the mare, unless first thoroughly warmed and greased, otherwise they are rank poison to the mare. After the arm is prepared, the fingers and thumb should be brought to a point, and should be introduced, following the channel, until the neck of the foal is reached at Fig. 1, when the full right hand should grasp the neck, the left hand being supported against the mare, when the operator should pull with all his strength, in order to draw the neck further up, when the hand should pass down along the neck, still drawing as it passes along, until reaching Fig. 2, the ear, when he can make good progress, until he can insert the middle finger in the eye, at which point he is able to raise the muzzle, Fig. 3, so far, that he may close his hand over it, and in a minute, all will be right in the operation. But let no one suppose, that this is accomplished in ten or fifteen minutes. Sometimes it may, but in many instances, I have labored for an hour, and even two and a half hours. In some cases, the severe exertion, and the heat of the mare, caused my arterial circulation to force so powerfully in my arm, that I was often afraid my veins would burst; in this case I would withdraw my arm for a minute or two, and then go to work again. In my entire practice, I have failed but in three cases, that of two mares and one cow, to accomplish my object. I was often called, where two, three, and even four men had been summoned before me, owing to the distance I lived away, and succeeded in every instance where others failed. I resolved not to fail in any case, but this determination proved disastrous to myself, inasmuch, as I became subject to palpitation of the heart, so that I could not follow my business for more than twelve years.

Of the cases represented in Plate III, I had a large number; of such as are presented in Plate IV, only a few, of which I will describe only one. On the 13th of June, 1854, I was called to the premises of Mr. George Braucher, in Hartley township, Union county.

In this case the hand and arm must be prepared, as already described, and inserted to the elbow, Fig. 1. A great amount of force is required to raise the leg, until the knee joint is brought up. The left hand should then be warmed and greased by an assistant, and introduced, placing it on the knee-joint; the right hand should then be passed down, grasp the foot, and turn it backwards, when the left hand should press inward with great force, and with the right hand bring up the foot, keeping it turned backwards. When the foot is brought up, a rope should be attached to the lower jaw of the foal, when an assistant should take hold of the rope and pull in a slightly downward direction; in this way the foal will be delivered with the greatest ease. Sometimes one shoulder will present itself, and the other will incline a little to the rear. Under such circumstances, too much force should not be employed; the foal should be turned sometimes from right to left, and then again from left to right, frequently introducing the hand, and moving it around the foal. In all cases the membrane or skin should be kept in its proper position around the foal, as this will greatly assist the work, and make it one of comparative ease.

In the above case, the foal presented itself in the afternoon of the 12th, and all the knowing men of the neighborhood were summoned, and all of them labored until night, when they were obliged to give it up and pronounce it a failure.--The next morning a messenger was sent for me. I arrived at the spot at half past ten o’clock, in the morning, and at twelve o’clock noon, I had the object accomplished, and we sat down to a hearty dinner. In December 1868, the mare was still alive.

On the 30th day of April, 1855, when about ready to retire to bed after a hard day’s drive, two messengers, Mr. B. Cramer, from Middlecreek, and Mr. Uriah Berger, from Centre township, arrived at my house together. After some consideration, I concluded to accompany Mr. Berger, and on arriving, I found a foal, having presented itself as represented in the preceding Engraving. Before my arrival, three men had exerted all their strength for an hour or more, to extract it, but having failed, they left before my arrival.

In this case, the mare is very restless, repeatedly rising up and lying down again. It will require one man to attend to the head of the mare, and two men must take hold of the foal, raise it up toward the tail of the mare, and bear inwards with all their strength, when the operator must put all his force to one of the hind feet, and push that in at full arm’s length; the other side must be treated in the same manner. But let each one bear in mind, when the foal is moved inward, the mare will have pain and that she will bear towards you, so that sometimes but little is accomplished.

We labored faithfully from eleven o’clock until one, when I took a midnight meal and departed for Middlecreek township.

In some cases of the above kind, however, I had accomplished my object in much less time, than in this one.

On the 5th of May, 1855, I was called to the premises of John Deabler, in Beaver township, Snyder county, where I found a foal presenting the tail, as represented in Plate VI. Presentations of this kind occur but rarely. In this case the operator must prepare his hand and arm as before stated, and introduce it, taking hold over the stifle-joint at Fig. 1, then, by a strong effort, pull upward slipping his hand down to Fig. 2, when he must draw up the knee-joint as far as possible; then place the left hand on the knee joint, and pass the right hand down to Fig. 3, the foot, grasp it firmly, and bend it backward, at the same time pulling upward, and with left the hand bearing inward, when the foot will yield in a moment. The other side must be dealt with in the same manner.

The above Engraving represents the foal with the hind feet foremost. They will generally be projected against the upper part of the entrance. It is best to extract them in this position, as turning them is almost impossible. The head will remain so far behind, that it cannot be reached. By keeping the membrane or skin properly over the foal, there will be but little difficulty experienced in extracting it. The foal should sometimes be drawn downward toward the feet of the mare, and then upwards towards the tail, frequently turning it half way round, and then back again. The foal will necessarily be dead.

Many cases of this kind will occur in a neighborhood in the course of twenty years.

The above Engraving represents a foal which has died from some cause or other about nine days ago, the mare wanting the proper pains to deliver it. The foal is now bloated to such an extent, that it is in a condition to rupture the womb, and the hand can not be passed around the foal. It is an utter impossibility to extract it in the usual way. The operator must procure a knife, very straight in the blade, from twelve to fifteen inches in length, wrap the whole blade in a piece of muslin, take the point of the knife in his left hand, turning the edge downward, put his hand in the entrance of the womb and run it down until he reaches the chest of the foal. He must then introduce the right hand, grasp the handle, and hold it firm; then with the left hand he will slip the muslin from the blade, and with the first finger of the left hand find the spot where the windpipe comes out of the chest. After the point of the knife is set, the right hand must force the blade, to its full length if possible, through the Diaphragm, and then withdraw it. The left hand must retain its hold upon the muslin during the entire operation, and as the blade is withdrawn from the foal, it must again be carefully wrapped around the knife, the left hand seizing the point in the same manner as when it was introduced. After the arm holding the knife is withdrawn, a very nauseous gas will escape, and in a short time the front feet may be reached, then the head, after which the operation will proceed as described in the foregoing pages.

On the 20th day of May, 1854, I was called to the field of Mr. Sem Schoch, of New Berlin, Union county, Pa., where I found a mare in the act of foaling, in which the foal presented the four feet at once. These cases are of rare occurrence, and it is well for the veterinary Surgeon, or his life would be a brief one. I never injured myself at any work to a greater extent, than I did in treating these cases.

Sometimes the hoofs will only protrude from the entrance, leaving the whole body of the foal in a curved position the head being turned backward, as described in the foregoing Engraving. The head should be brought forward, but I always found it impossible in every case of this description, to accomplish this. A cord must be looped around the hind legs, to avoid losing them; then the four legs must be put back again as far as possible, and the foal must be turned, in order to get the head down and the back up.

If an effort was made to extract the foal as it is presented, the back would come in below, and the operation would be impossible; but if it is properly turned, it may be extracted in the same manner, as those which present only the hind feet, as already described. These cases require more aid than any others that I have ever treated. Two or three men should take hold of the mare’s head and neck, to keep her down, otherwise she will plunge about fearfully. One or two men should assist the Surgeon, as the effort required for this operation is so great that one man is soon exhausted.

Two and three hours are often required to accomplish the object in these cases, but I have succeeded in every one of them in preserving the mare alive.

THE COW AND CALF.

The average period of gestation in the cow is 270 days; the shortest 120 days, and the longest 313 days. The calf is placed in the same position, and in the same side of the cow, as is the foal in the mare. Mal-presentations of calves are treated in the same manner as those of the foal, with this advantage, that calves will live much longer than the foal. I have had cases, where I extracted the calf twenty-four hours after they were raised, and delivered them alive and sound.