1076 Fatty Heart. 



time compressed, and are finally caused to atrophy. Even the spread- 

 ing apart of the muscular fibers alone renders the contractions of the 

 heart muscle more difficult to a certain degree, and any occurring degen- 

 eration or atrophy reduces the strength of the heart muscle still more. 



Symptoms. In an excessive degree of fatty heart, symp- 

 toms of heart weakness present, such as feeble heart beat, 

 perhaps an increased cardiac dullness which, however, is 

 difficult of demonstration in obese animals; also feeble heart 

 sounds, possibly anorganic murmurs, feeble, small pulse; in 

 severe cases vertigo, and finally cutaneous edema. The pro- 

 duction of dyspnea and of vertigo is to a certain degree to be 

 credited to the deposit of fat in the respiratory muscles. These 

 S}^nptoms become marked after severe exercise, or even during 

 simple motion. Death occurs finally through paralysis of the 

 heart, pulmonary edema or rupture of the heart. 



Treatment. The treatment for obesity (p. 915) is indicated 

 in this condition. If signs of cardiac weakness are already 

 present, cardio-tonic remedies must be considered. 



8. Rupture of the Heart. Ruptura Cordis. 



Etiology. The healthy heart muscles tear at most under 

 the immediate influence of an injury (external injuries, falling 

 down in cattle, from wounds caused by a foreign body entering 

 from the reticulum). Dull pressure exerted upon the heart 

 can hardly produce a rupture. Usually rupture of the heart 

 forms a secondary occurrence which is observed when the 

 resistance of the heart muscle has been reduced by degenera- 

 tion or atrophy. This is most frequently the case in animals 

 with valvular troubles, wdiere, however, the permanent increase 

 of the blood pressure in certain portions of the heart is also 

 of importance. Bupture of the heart can, far less frequently, 

 be brought into causal relation with occlusion of the coronary 

 arteries or with abscess in the heart wall. In these conditions 

 there usually exists already a circumscribed bulging of the 

 diseased heart wall (aneurysma chronicum cordis) and this 

 persists under special conditions. A bulging of the wall of 

 the heart may occur exceptionally in acute myocarditis 

 (aneurysma acutum cordis). As further causes for heart 

 rupture may be mentioned tumors or parasites (especially 

 echinococcus), in horses also aneurysm of the coronary arteries, 

 which, however, is very rare (Walter, Gurlt, Bo^iiiann, Cadiot, 

 Piot-Bey). 



In literature reports may be found of rupture of a sound heart muscle from 

 nervous causes, but this possibility has not been proved irrefutably in a single case. 



The bursting of a heart which is already diseased occurs 

 sometimes without any special cause, particularly under the 



