ACUTE MYOCARDITIS. 567 



muscular structure of the heart without speciall}^ attractive 

 symptoms. 



The animal was a three-parts bred two-months old foal ; it 

 had been attacked with strangles ; the abscess had matured 

 and suppurated in the submaxillary space. But shortly after 

 this it became the subject of pyogenic fever ; disseminated 

 abscesses occurred at various parts, chiefly in the course of 

 the vessels of the pectoral limbs, which, after some little time, 

 healed, and the patient appeared to be doing well. 



On the occasion of one of my visits, while standing looking 

 carefully at the foal, which was with the dam in a large loose 

 box, it seemed to me to be lame of both fore-limbs ; on being 

 made to move across the box it suddenly commenced to 

 breathe rapidly, dyspnoea in a short time being very marked, 

 and before I left the place the animal died. 



On making an examination of the carcase, several small 

 localized collections of pus were found in difterent situations 

 in the course of the lymphatic vessels of the anterior limb of 

 one side. The viscera of the great serous cavities appeared 

 healthy, except the heart and investing membrane ; the peri- 

 cardial sac contained a little bloody serous fluid, and was 

 slightly ecchymosed on both visceral and parietal layers of the 

 membrane, the muscular structure being of a darker colour 

 and softer than natural. On mcising the wall of the left ven- 

 tricle there was laid open a considerable abscess, which con- 

 tained laudable creamy pus ; around the abscess the muscular 

 fibres were darker, softer, and more friable than natural. 



No other collections of pus were found in the chest. In 

 addition to this condition of the muscular structure of the 

 heart there w^as also rupture of one of the fleshy pillars of the 

 ventricle, and of the tendinous cords attached to it ; these 

 appeared to have been of recent occurrence, and probably 

 accounted for the death. 



