362 CLINICAL VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



down. A veterinary surgeon, who was called in, was struck by the 

 slowness and irregularity of the pulse. He prescribed nux vomica and 

 digitalis. This treatment producing no improvement the animal was 

 sent here. 



Condition on Entry. — The conjunctiva was pale ; the pulse was 

 feeble, irregular, and intermittent ; there was no venous pulse. On 

 auscultating the heart pauses were noted after every third or fourth 

 pulsation. They lasted for a period equal to one or two complete heart 

 cycles. Furthermore, the first beat of the heart was double. 



Treatment. — Iodide of potassium in daily doses of 2^ drachms. 

 Appetite was preserved, and the animal ate freely. 



On the i6th December examination of the heart and pulse revealed 

 no change. After a few moments' trotting the heart-beats became 

 accelerated and violent, and the pauses, which at rest had occurred 

 after every third or fourth pulsation, were deferred for much longer 

 intervals. Their duration still equalled that of a complete heart cycle. 

 The first pulsation which followed an intermittence was stronger than 

 the others. The pulse was small and feeble, contrasting with the 

 violence of the heart-beats. 



After some minutes' rest the intermittency resumed its previous fre- 

 quence. During the next few days the condition remained stationary. 



The animal left hospital on the gth January. Treatment had pro- 

 duced no improvement, but the owner was advised to continue it for 

 fourteen days each month. 



68. A three-year-old mare, brought for examination on the 14th 

 December, 1895. 



The animal had been bought a week before at a cab sale. In work 

 it rapidly lost breath, slackened its pace, and stopped, showing signs 

 of violent dyspnoea. The neck was extended ; the face appeared 

 anxious ; respiration was very rapid, and the flank movements were 

 short and irregular. 



At the first examination, made after a period of rest, breathing was 

 regular. There was no double flank movement and no check during 

 expiration. The cough was not like that of broken wind. The pulse 

 was irregular, a series of three or four normal pulsations being followed 

 by a feeble beat. On auscultating the heart no murmur and no change 

 in the sounds could be detected, but the rhythm was not quite regular, 

 three or four normal beats being followed by a slower and feebler con- 

 traction. 



After a few minutes' trotting the heart beat violently and irregularly ; 

 the second sound was diminished and almost lost, but the irregularity 

 of the pulse was less marked. At the end of about two minutes pauses 

 could be detected approximately equal in duration to two cardiac 

 cycles ; these were followed by two slow, and afterwards by four or five 

 rapid contractions ; beats then succeeded in increasingly rapid succes- 

 sion until the next pause. The pulse showed some want of rhythm. 

 At the end of ten minutes intermittency had disappeared, and all that 

 could be detected was irregularity in the strength of the cardiac con- 

 tractions and pulse. 



