New Berlin, Pa., July, 1869.
[Illustration: PLATE I.]
The above Engraving represents the Foal, as it is folded up in the womb
of the Mare when fully developed, in the right flank of the animal, the
chest of the Foal toward the tail of the Mare, the front legs turned
backwards, and the hind legs turned forward under the body of the
Foal, the head and neck turned back in its left side, so that the head
will rest on the first false ribs. From the time of covering the Mare,
to the time of foaling, generally requires a period of three hundred
and thirty days. A few instances, however, came under my observation,
in which fine, full-grown, and healthy colts were delivered in three
hundred and twelve days, while others delayed their appearance for a
period of three hundred and ninety days, before the owner could rejoice
in the valuable prize brought to his stable. The full chested, round
trunked mare will develope a foal much sooner than the flat-sided, lean
and camel-backed one.
In nine days after the covering of the mare, the womb will begin to
close about fifteen inches from the entrance; at the same time, the
fecund seed of the horse will change into bloody streaks, and the
balance becomes like cream on curdled milk about six hours after it is
strained, and in from forty to fifty days, the foal will be regularly
shaped, and about the size of a small rat. At the same time a membrane
or skin will spread around the entrance inside of the womb, from which
a number of small cords branch out, uniting together as they run along,
until they form one cord, extending to the navel of the foal, through
which the blood of the mare circulates in the foal, in order to give it
nourishment. At the same time another membrane or skin is formed around
the foal, in which are contained from four to six, and even eight
quarts of yellowish fluid, which answers a twofold purpose: first, it
prevents all friction between the foal and membrane, and secondly, it
assists in raising the foal from its locality. At the first throes of
the mare, the action of the womb will cause the membrane or skin to
protrude through the entrance of the womb, and the fluid will be forced
into it, and the weight will assist in raising the foal, until it will
be presented when the skin will break and the channel will be opened
for the foal to breath.
[Illustration: PLATE II.]
The above Engraving presents the natural position of the foal in
delivery. The two front feet will be presented first, and the muzzle
or the nostrils will rest on the top of the legs, and the membrane
or skin around the foal, spoken of in Plate I, will already protrude
about two feet. The hind legs will sink down more and more, until they
will be stretched out behind horizontally. Sometimes one foot will
raise up too high and be forced against the inside of the entrance.
The hand should be introduced and the foot pushed back a few inches
and then brought back into the channel. Sometimes the forehead will
project against the upper part of the entrance, when the hand should be
introduced, and hold should be taken back of the poll, with a downward
pressure, the other hand to the muzzle to raise it up, and a gentle
pull should be made, when all will be right in a few minutes. The cord
running to the navel of the colt should be tied about one inch from the
surface of the skin, then cut off about one inch from the string, or if
no string is at hand, the cord should be pressed very tightly between
the thumb and the two first fingers of the hand for a few minutes, then
cut off, and it will bleed no more. The colt should be drawn away a
few feet, but not toward the mare, as she should not be disturbed.
The mare will lie down flat, apparently dead, and will remain in this
situation, five, ten, and even sometimes thirty minutes, according to
the severity of the operation she has undergone. Suddenly she will
raise her head, look about the stable, lie down again, and roll three
or four times on her back, but never over her back, which is done for
the purpose of loosening the membrane or lining of the womb spoken of
in Plate I, when she will rise up, go after her offspring, lick and dry
it, after which the membrane and the afterbirth will be discharged.
When the colt is dry, it should be assisted to its mother to obtain
nourishment.
Sometimes the membrane attached to the womb will remain fast, and in
this manner retain the afterbirth. In this case, bleeding from three
to four quarts, and giving following dose of medicine in one pint of
flaxseed tea is recommended, viz:
1 oz. Laudanum,
1 oz. sweet Spirits of Niter.
This will correct everything in a few hours. In some extreme cases,
the membrane, the afterbirth and the fluid contained with the foal
remained in the womb after a complete separation from the womb, causing
such a strong inflammation, that some parts had began to mortify.
I have bled copiously, and given one large tablespoonful of fever
medicine, composed of
4 oz. of Nitre,
½ ” ” Digitalis,
½ ” ” Tartar Emetic,
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.
[Illustration: PLATE III.]
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.
[Illustration: PLATE IV.]
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.
[Illustration: PLATE V.]
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.
[Illustration: PLATE VI.]
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.
[Illustration: PLATE VII.]
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.
[Illustration: PLATE VIII.]
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.
[Illustration: PLATE IX.]
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.