202 Veteruiary Medicine. 



by the oiled hand and carefully extracted. If this is not suc- 

 cessful, impactions in the floating colon or pelvic flexure maj' still 

 be to a large extent broken up and loosened by the knuckles of 

 the oiled hand in the rectum. I have often resorted to this with 

 excellent effect. Impactions in the caecum or elsewhere in the 

 double colon are however inaccessible for such treatment. For 

 these, external measures are available. Wilhelm wraps the abdo- 

 men in cold compresses. Causse and Lafosse recommend the 

 electric current. Friction to the skin of the abdomen is a 

 common resort. Rudofsky turns the animal on his side or his 

 back, to remove tlie weight of the small intestines from the im- 

 pacted caecum or colon, and favor the exit by gravitation of the 

 contents from the caecum into the colon. Kneading of the ab- 

 domen with the fists or knee when in this recumbent position 

 ma\- also be resorted to. 



As a dernier resort, Gaullet performed laparatomy but with no 

 success as the animal died the following daj'. The horse was, 

 liowever, in extremis at tlie time of the operation and a portion 

 of the intestinal wall was blackish and gangrenous. To be 

 sticcessful such an operation should be practiced before there is 

 any probability of gangrene, and while the patient is still in good 

 condition for recuperation. But these are just the cases in 

 which success is to be hoped for from less dangerous measures. 

 Again the conditions for its success are best in ca.se of obstruc- 

 tion of the pelvic flexure, as that could easily be drawn out 

 through a spacious abdominal wound, incised, emptied and 

 sutured with careful antiseptic precautions, and with little ri.sk 

 of infection of the peritoneum. But this is just the point where 

 an obstruction can be ef^ciently dealt with in a less dangerous 

 way, by kneading through the rectum for example. The opera- 

 tion, however, is not one to be utterly condemned, but in any 

 case in which it is certain that the obstruction is otherwise irre- 

 mediable, it should be adopted at as early a stage as pos.sible, 

 under anaesthesia, and with antiseptic precautions. The after 

 treatment would consist in a restricted diet of milk or gruel with 

 antiseptics to prevent fermentation and bloating. 



