She is still very ill; she evinces great pain when pressed upon the abdomen; and it is manifest that she has another fœtus within her. I ordered a dose of the ergot, and in about twenty minutes a large puppy was produced, nearly dying. She survived with due care.
I cannot refrain from inserting the following case at considerable length.
Sept. 4, 1820
. — A very diminutive terrier, weighing not 5 lbs. was sent to my hospital in order to lie in. She was already restless and panting. About eight o'clock at night the labour pains commenced; but until eleven scarcely any progress was made. The
os uteri
would not admit my finger, although I frequently attempted it.
At half-past eleven, the membranes began to protrude; at one the head had descended into the pelvis and the puppy was dead. In a previous labour she had been unable to produce her young, although the ergot of rye had been freely used. I was obliged to use considerable force, and she fought terribly with me throughout the whole process. At half-past one, and after applying considerable force, I brought away a large fœtus, compared with her own size. On passing my finger as high as possible, I felt another fœtus living, but the night passed and the whole of the following day, and she ate and drank, and did not appear to be much injured.
Several times in the day I gave her some strong soup and the ergot. Some slight pains now returned, and by pressing on the belly the nose of the foetus was brought to the superior edge of the pelvis. The pains again ceased, the pudenda began to swell from frequent examination, the bitch began to stagger, and made frequent attempts to void her urine, with extreme difficulty in accomplishing it. I now resorted to the crotchet; and after many unsuccessful attempts, in which the superior part of the vagina must have been considerably bruised, I fixed it sufficiently firmly to draw the head into the cavity of the pelvis. Here for a while the shoulder resisted every attempt which I could make without the danger of detruncating the fœtus. At length by working at the side of the head until my nails were soft and my fingers sore, I extracted one fore leg. The other was soon brought down; another large puppy was produced, but destroyed by the means necessary for its production. This was the fruit of two hours' hard work.
She was completely exhausted, and scarcely able to stand. When placed on the ground she staggered and fell at almost every step. Her efforts to void her urine were frequent and ineffectual.
At four o'clock I again examined her; the external pudenda were sore and swelled, and beginning to assume a black hue. It was with considerable difficulty that I could introduce my finger. A third fœtus irregularly presented was detected. I could just feel one of the hind legs. No time was to be lost. I introduced a small pair of forceps by the side of my finger, and succeeded in laying hold of the leg without much difficulty, and, with two or three weak efforts from the mother, — I could scarcely call them pains, — I brought the leg down until it was in the cavity of the pelvis. I solicited it forward with my finger, and, by forcibly pressing back the