e whole left side of the abdomen and
extends across its floor to the right side. Its upper surface thus forms an
inclined plane, sloping from the left downward and to the right, and on
this sloping surface lies the pregnant womb.

It is easy to see how, in the constant movements of the paunch upon its
contents and the frequent changes of position of the growing fetus within
the womb, to say nothing of the contractions of the adjacent bowels and the
more or less active movements of the cow, the womb should roll downward to
the right. Yet in many cases the twist is toward the left, showing that it
is not the result of a simple rolling downward over the paunch, but rather
of other disturbances. The condition may be suspected when labor pains have
continued for some time without any sign of the water bags, and it is
confirmed when the oiled hand, introduced through the vagina, finds the
mouth of the womb soft and yielding, but furnished with internal folds
running forward in a spiral manner. If the folds on the upper wall of the
orifice run toward the right, the womb is twisted to the right; if, on the
contrary, they turn toward the left, it indicates that the womb is turned
over in that direction. The direction of the twist must be known before
treatment can be undertaken. Then, if the twist is toward the right, the
cow is laid upon her right side with her head downhill, the hand of the
operator is introduced through the spirally constricted neck of the womb,
and a limb or other portion of the body of the calf is seized and pressed
firmly against the wall of the womb. Meanwhile two or three assistants roll
the cow from her right side over on her back to her left side. The object
is to hold the womb and calf still while the body of the cow rolls over. If
successful, the twist is undone, its grasp on the wrist is slackened, and
the water bags and calf press into the now open passage. If the first
attempt does not succeed, it is to be repeated until success has been
attained. If the spiral folds on the upper wall of the opening turn toward
the left, the cow is laid on her left side and rolled over on her back and
on to the right side, the hand being, as before, within the womb and
holding the fetus, so that all may not rotate with the cow. In introducing
the hand it will usually be found needful to perforate the membranes, so
that a limb of the calf may be seized direct and firmly held. Among my
occasional causes of failure wit