RUPTURE OF THE DIAPHRAGM. ,7"? 



nous expansion, comparatively devoid of sensibility, to stand the pressure and the 

 hoc* which will always be greatest at the centre. 



Yet it is subject to injury and disease of a serious and varied character. What- 

 ever may be the original seat of thoracic or abdominal ailment, the diaphragm soon 

 becomes irritable and inflamed. This accounts for the breathing of the horse being 

 so much affected under every inflammation or excitement of the chest or belly. Tie 

 irritability of this muscle is often evinced by a singular spasmodic action of a portion, 

 or the whole of it. 



Mr. Castley thus describes a case of it : " A horse had been very much distressed 

 in a run of nearly thirteen miles, without a check, and his rider stopped, on the road 

 towards home, to rest him a little. With difficulty he was brought to the stable. 

 Mr. Castley was sent for, and he says, 'When I first saw the animal, his breathing 

 and attitude indicated the greatest distress. The prominent symptom, however, was 

 a convulsive motion, or jerking of the whole body, audible at several yards' distance, 

 and evidently proceeding from his inside ; the beats appeared to be about forty in a 

 minute. On placing my hand over the heart, the action of that organ could be felt, 

 but very indistinctly ; the beating evidently came from behind the heart, and was 

 most plainly to be felt in the direction of the diaphragm. Again placing my hand on 

 the abdominal muscles, the jerks appeared to come from before, backwards ; the 

 impression on my mind, therefore, was, that this was a spasmodic affection of the 

 diaphragm, brought on by violent distress in running.' "* 



Mr. Castley's account is inserted thus at length, because it was the first of the kin< 

 on record, with the exception of an opinion of Mr. Apperley, which came very nea 

 to the truth. " When a horse is very much exhausted after a long run with hounds 

 a noise will sometimes be heard to proceed from his inside, which is often erroneous!] 

 supposed to be the beating of his heart, whereas it proceeds from the excessiv* 

 motion of the abdominal muscles."f 



Mr. Castley shall pursue his case, (it will be a most useful guide to the treatmenl 

 of these cases) : " Finding that there was little pulsation to be felt at the submaxillary 

 artery, and judging from that circumstance that any attempt to bleed at that time would 

 be worse than useless, I ordered stimulants to be given. We first administered three 

 ounces of spirit of nitrous ether, in a bottle of warm water ; but this producing no 

 good effect, we shortly afterwards gave two drachms of the sub-carbonate of ammonia 

 in a ball, allowing the patient, at the same time, plenty of white water to drink. 

 About a quarter of an hour after this, he broke out into a profuse perspiration, which 

 continued two hours, or more. The breathing became more tranquil, but the convul- 

 sive motion of the diaphragm still continued without any abatement. After the 

 sweating had ceased, the pulse became more perceptible, and the action of the heart 

 more distinct, and I considered this to be the proper time to bleed. W'hen about ten 

 pounds had been extracted, I thought that the beating and the breathing seemed to 

 increase ; the bleeding was stopped, and the patient littered up for the night. In the 

 morning, the affection of the diaphragm was much moderated, and about eleven o'clock 

 it ceased, after continuing eighteen or nineteen hours. A little tonic medicine was 

 afterwards administered, and the horse soon recovered his usual appetite and spirits."^ 



Later surgeons administer, and with good effect, opium in small doses, togethei 

 with ammonia, or nitric ether, and have recourse to bleeding as soon as any reaction 

 is perceived. 



Over-fatigue, of almost every kind, has produced spasm of the diaphragm, and so 

 has over-distension of the stomach with grass. 



RUPTURE OF THE DIAPHRAGM. 



This is an accident, or the consequence of disease, very lately brought under the 

 cognizance of the veterinary surgeon. The first communication of its occurrence was 

 from Mr. King, a friend of Mr. Percivall. It occurred in a mare that had been ridden 

 sharply for half a dozen miles, when she was full of grass. She soon afterwardi 

 exhibited symptoms of broken- wind, and, at length, died suddenly, while standing ic 

 the stable. The diaphragm was lacerated on the left side, through its whole extent, 

 throwing the two cavities into one. 



* The Veterinarian, 1831 , p. 247. t Nimrod on the Condition of Hunters, p. 185 



t The Veterinarian, 1831 , p. 248. $ The Veterinarian, 1828, p. 101. 



x 



