ON RESPIRATION. 127 



In either case it has hitherto remained incu- 

 rable. 



The orifice of the trachea is frequently in- 

 jured by the custom of pinching it with the 

 hand, to discover, by the manner of coughing, 

 whether or not a horse is sound in his wind. A 

 case of this kind occurred during my residence 

 at the veterinary college. A horse was brought 

 to the infirmary which was afflicted with an 

 excessive difflculty of breathing, accompanied 

 with great noise from the nostrils, and a 

 copious discharge of saliva from the mouth. 

 As the horse eat and drank as usual, and in all 

 other respects was in perfect health, it was sus- 

 pected that the laborious respiration arose from 

 some obstruction about the larynx, or at the en- 

 trance into the nasal cavities. In order to give 

 immediate relief, Mr. St. Bel, who was at that 

 time professor, performed the operation of 

 bronchotomy, or, in other words, made an 

 opening into the windpipe about four inches 



froxa 



