CHRONIC TYMPANY OF THE RUMEN. 



Causes : catarrh of rumen, impaction of manifolds, debility, paresis, peri- 

 toneal adhesions, neoplasms, concretions, sudden change in diet, gastric 

 congestion, lesions of gullet, or of mediastinal glands. Symptoms are 

 usually after feeding only, inappetence, rumbling, costiveness, rumen 

 indentable. Treatment : obviate causes, give salines, acids, bitters, and 

 water, laxative food, carminatives, antiseptics, electricity, emetic tartar, 

 eserine, pilocarpin, barium chloride, ajjoraorphin. 



Causes. The persistence of cause.s of acute tympany may lead 

 to the appearance of the condition after each meal, or even in the 

 intervals between meals. Among the more specific causes may 

 be named catarrhal inflannnation of the rtimen, impaction of the 

 third stomach, paresis of the rumen, general debility, peritoneal 

 adiiesions affecting the .visctis, tuberculosis, actinomycosis or 

 other morbid productions in its walls, hernia of the reticulum into 

 the chest, hard stercoral, hair or wool balls, or masses or foreign 

 bodies in the rumen, and the ingestion of a very fermentescible 

 quality of food. Wlien the rumen is affected by catarrh or paresis 

 or debility, even ordinary food will lead to tympany, but much 

 more so any food to which the animal has been unaccustoiued 

 (green for dry, or dry for green, grain for grass or hay, or beans 

 or peas for grain). Also food in process of fermentation, or the 

 seat of fungoid growth. 



Again, so intimately related are the different stomachs that 

 derangement of one instantly impairs the functions of the other, 

 and thus a slowly progressive impaction of the third stomach 

 leads to torpor of the first, and the aggregation of more or less of 

 its contents into solid, fermenting luasses. In the same way con- 

 gestion of either the third or fourth stomach impairs the func- 

 tions of the ruiuen and induces tympany. 



Morbid conditions affecting the functions of the oesophagus and 

 interfering with rumination and eructation of gas are familiar 

 causes. For example, strictures and saccular dilations of the 

 tube, and enlargements— tubercular, sarcomatous, actinomycotic, — 

 of the mediastinal glands. 



The symptoms do not differ from those of acute tympany 

 excepting that they are less severe ; and are continuous or remit- 

 io6 



