Io8 CLINICAL VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



This horse was sent to us b)- a colleague, who regarded it as suffer- 

 ing from "cold abscesses." But subcutaneous cold abscesses are less 

 sharply defined than were the tumours ; the}' grow more rapidl}-, are 

 adherent to the skin, and pressure on them produces pain ; finally, 

 they are usually found in parts covered by the harness. Exploratory 

 puncture through the centre of the two largest swellings gave a nega- 

 tive result. 



We began to consider whether the case was one of tuberculosis. 

 There was no enlargement of the glands at the entrance of the chest, 

 in the groin,, or under the lumbar vertebrae. On the supposition of 

 tuberculosis some at least of these swellings should have been accom- 

 panied by lymphangitis and by specific inflammation of lymphatic 

 glands, as in the case of which I recently spoke. We cleared up 

 this question, however, by testing with tuberculin, by bacteriological 

 examination, and by inoculation. 



One of the tumours was removed from the right side of the chest. 

 It was flattened, circular in form, and its tissue greyish-white, and 

 slightly firm. Microscopic examination showed it to be entirel}- 

 formed of round-cells, with large nuclei. It contained neither tuber- 

 culous centres nor giant-cells ; and bacteriological examination pro- 

 duced no bacilli. An emulsion formed by crushing a fragment of the 

 tumour in a little sterilised water was injected into the peritoneum of 

 two guinea-pigs. The day afterwards 30 centigrammes of tuberculin 

 were injected on the right side of the horse's neck. This was followed 

 by no appreciable reaction, no fever, no rise in pulse-rate, etc., nothing 

 except a very trifling swelling. We then inferred the new growths to 

 be sarcomatous in character. 



I may here add, to avoid having afterwards to return to the ques- 

 tion, that the result of inoculation was negative. When killed at the 

 end of five weeks neither guinea-pig showed an}- tuberculous or sarco- 

 matous lesion whatever on posi-iiiortcin examination. 



Tliere was no hope of removing the tumours. I prescribed 2 

 drachms potassium iodide, and at a later stage 15 grains of arsenious 

 acid daily, No tangible improvement occurred. I now return to the 

 clinical histor}-. 



Some da}'s after the horse entered hospital new tumours appeared 

 in different regions, and others successively followed. 



At a trot the animal's breathing at once became laboured. The 

 horse was unable to work, and as the number and size of the tumours 

 increased it progressively became weaker. 



During the first week the general condition showed little change ; 



