446 Colicky Affections in Horses. 



the stomach have a similar effect. The experience of both liu- 

 inan and veterinary medicine has likewise shown tliat convulsive 

 contractions of the smooth muscle fibers of other organs (bile 

 duct, urethra, urinary bladder) also excite genuine colicky pains. 



Convulsive contractions of the stomach and intestines in 

 domestic animals are always secondary in nature and due to a 

 variety of diseases of these organs which may either increase 

 the excitability of these parts (catarrh, inflammation) or which 

 may lead to aluiormal intense stimuli (sudden passive hyper- 

 emia, mechanical irritation, irritating- decomposition products, 

 like carbon-dioxide, metlian, fatty acids). 



Since colicky pains are only a part of a group of sjauptoms 

 of various heterogenic affections, it does not appear justified 

 from a pathological standpoint to consider colic as a definite 

 pathologic condition ; one might possibly distinguish various 

 varieties of colic, such as catarrhal-, impaction-, gallstone-colics 

 and so forth, as is frequently done by present-day writers. 



In considering the advisability, whether the collective des- 

 ignation * 'colic" should be retained, one must keep in mind the 

 fact that horses do not suffer only from true colic, but that they 

 are subject to various diseases of the al)dominal organs or of 

 those in their neighborhood (peritoneum, liver, kidneys, pelvis 

 of the kidneys, urinary bladder, sometimes also of the pleura) 

 with inflannnatory, dull continuous pain. Such pains are also 

 experienced in the course of certain affections of the esophagus, 

 and so are certain disagreeable sensations in the region of the 

 rectum, which are due to parasites, continued hunger, great ex- 

 haustion. One can, therefore, not even always determine from 

 the behavior of the horse, whether the animal really suffers 

 from true colic, and this can only be determined after the under- 

 lying affection has been ascertained. It is not feasil)le, for the 

 sake of simplicity, to consider all morbid conditions under the 

 head of colic, because there occur socalled colicky affections 

 which are of a totally heterogenous nature. 



If, however, genuine colicky pain is only a part of the clin- 

 ical picture of heterogenous diseases and if socalled colickv 

 symptoms are not always true colicky pains, it is obvious that 

 the collective term ''colic" can no longer be justified from a 

 scientific standpoint. 



Not even from a practical standpoint does the use of the 

 term colic appear well founded, because it might lead the vet- 

 erinary practitioner into the belief that "colic" was a unity 

 which is always to be treated according to the same principles. 

 It is possible to-day to differentiate many of the diseases be- 

 longing to this group on the basis of a proper examination of 

 the patient. Such a differential diagnosis can now be nuide 

 more frequently than the differentiation of various diseases of 

 other groups, which yet are not united under collective names. 

 For the sake of convenience one might retain a collective name 

 for the most heterogenous affections. It would undoubtedly 



