3o8 Veterinary Medicine. 



Palpitations in the lower animals not dependent on any struc- 

 tural disease of the heart are usually due to some violent mental 

 emotion, such as fear or joy. The author once possessed a fast 

 and clever cob, having no sign of organic disease, and equal to 

 the severest work on the road without showing signs of exhaus- 

 tion, but which nevertheless was affected by palpitation when 

 threatened with a cane in his stall, or if he had been guilty of some 

 wilful misdemeanor for which he dreaded punishment. In such 

 cases the heart's action was accelerated and the beating could be 

 heard loudly for a distance of several yards. They are especially 

 common in dogs under strong mental emotion (joy, fear), and in 

 dogs and pigs suffering from digestive disorder (worms) or chest 

 diseases. 



Percivall collects a series of cases from the I \'tcrinarian under 

 the head of Spasm of the Diaphragm, a diagnosis originating in 

 the jerking movement of the flank, a symptom which, as is shown 

 in the above table, is common to man as well. I^eblanc equally 

 collects cases from the French veterinary journals and acknowl- 

 edges their true character. One of these observed by Coulbeaux 

 is thus described : "The respiratory movements are interrupted 

 by a violent lifting of the flanks, confined to the upper part, 

 and so intense as to be appreciated by the hand as well as the 

 eye. The lifting of the flank which is limited to a few square 

 inches of surface precisely in the hollow of this region, is per- 

 fectly isochronous with the beats of the heart, which cannot be 

 appreciated but by the ear. ' ' 



A case reported by Levrat at greater length may also be given. 

 The subject a mare, fifteen years old, and kept for hire, was at- 

 tacked without any known cause. ' ' There was a jerking of the 

 whole body produced by the extraordinary force of the beats 

 of the heart which struck violently against the back towards 

 the upper ends of the first asternal ribs on the left side. The 

 shock is very distinct and does not appear to be due to any 

 tumor interposed between the heart and the ribs ; its force is 

 such that it causes a movement of the whole body, which can 

 be seen at a great distance. The beats of the heart very regu- 

 lar, numbering fifty per minute, were heterochronous with the 

 pulsations of the submaxillary artery, which are of the same 

 number." (The pulsation was evidently retarded). "The 



