134± The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



neck, and violent contraction of the abdominal muscles, 

 followed by a discharge of fluid through the nostrils ; 

 indeed, all the phenomena usually present in a complete 

 act of vomitiOD. In cases of vomiting, from rupture or 

 overgorging with other kinds of food, the act is much 

 more of a passive kind. There is a stretching out of the 

 head and neck, little, if any, abdominal effort, and the 

 peculiar spasmodic action in the pharyxis not observable 

 until the return of the ingesta from the stomach, when a 

 choking sound is heard during its passage through the 

 posterior nares, when generally some of it falls back into 

 the trachea, causing a fit of coughing, after which the 

 head is extended, and the watery fluid trickles through 

 the nostrils. I am inclined to believe that the action of 

 the stomach is sufficient to effect this, and that a 

 ruptured stomach is the result of vomiting, and not the 

 cause of it. This, however, is a disputed point. 



Mr. John Gerrard, M.R.C.V.S., of Market Deeping, 

 gives us the following case, which I insert for the benefit 

 of my readers. He says — " A five-year-old half-bred 

 cob mare, the property of Sisson Martin, Esq., of Help- 

 stoneheath, had been put to light work in the field from 

 seven a.m. to three p.m. on the loth of May; a quantity 

 of lawn-mowings and hedge-side chippings were placed 

 in the manger, of which she ate greedily, also a quartern 

 of oats and beans and some chaff ; the usual quantity of 

 water was given, and in about half-an-hour after she was 

 placed in the stall she showed symptoms of abdominal 

 pains, getting up and lying down and rolling violently. 

 The usual colic drink was given, which temporarily 

 relieved her. Two hours after she began to retch, and , 



