. I was once requested by a
veterinary surgeon to see him remove a polypus from the vagina of a bitch,
as he had determined to excise it. Luckily I went, and saved him from
cutting away the animal's uterus, which would assuredly have destroyed
her. A contrary course was pursued, and that dog, in three days
afterwards, was returned to its master well. The following particulars
will enable him who may be in such a difficulty to discriminate the uterus
from a polypus.

The uterus is soft, but rough when exposed; no vessels are to be seen upon
its surface; it does not shine; it is not round or pear-shaped; it feels
like a thick empty sac, and never appears upon pressure to contain any
substance; it cannot be traced to any stalk-like attachment, and, if
returned, the situation it will occupy denotes the position it was
ordained to hold.

A polypus is smooth, glistening, and on its surface generally exhibits
vessels. Its covering is always tense, and contains a semi-solid
substance; it is often sensitive, and, if the space allows of the passage
of the finger, the neck or point of attachment can be felt; it cannot,
like the womb, or the bladder when inverted, be forced inward, or made to
take the situation which either of them would occupy.

Moreover, the appearance of a polypus is an affair which must have
attracted notice some months prior to its occurrence; whereas, the
inversion of the bladder or the womb, occupies but an instant, and is
commonly preceded by no symptoms.

Being assured there is a polypus, if a fine silk can be passed round the
neck or stalk and be tied tight, so as to cut off the circulation of blood
to the part, the growth will drop off in two days, supposing the operation
to have been effectively performed. When a ligature cannot be applied, the
body should be seized with a proper pair of forceps, and it should then be
turned round and round several times. The object in doing this is to twist
the stalk, so as to strangulate the vessels within it; and this sometimes
answers quite as well as the ligature itself, but the last is best, as
being more sure and less likely to be attended with accident. When neither
can be accomplished, the polypus may be forcibly dragged away, or
literally torn out; but the pain of this is very great, and the operation
has nothing to recommend it but its absolute necessity.

The polypus being removed, perfectly cold, mild, astringent injections, to
act as healing and clean