Treatment. Kui:)ture of the Liver. ' 517 



Treatment. As the condition is always secondary, atten- 

 tion must be paid chiefly to the treatment of the primary 

 disease. 



Literature. Bohl, Arch. f. Yet.-Wiss., 1905, 23(3.— Davidsohu, Y. A., 1897, CL, 

 16 (Lit. on experini. amyloid degeu.). — Griiuer, Archiv. f. Vet.-Wiss., 1906, 740. — 

 Hissbach, Leipz. Ber., 1906, 13.— Joest, Ergebn. d. Path., 1907, XII, 444 (Lit.).— 

 Lubarseh, ibid., 1S97, IV, 449 (Lit. on experini. amyloid degen.). — Noyer, Uber 

 Leberblutung inf. Amyloiddeg. b. Pferd. Diss. Bern, 1904 (Lit.). — Wiktorow, Zur 

 Frage lib. d. amyl. Entart. der Leber u. d. Milz b. Pferd. (Monographie; russ.), 1905, 



5. Rupture of the Liver. Ruptura hepatis. 



{HcemorrJiagia s. Apoplexia liepafis.) 



Etiology. The comparative richness in blood and the soft- 

 ness of the liver tissue explain the rupture of even healthy 

 livers when subjected to some sudden mechanical influence 

 which causes a rise of internal pressure. Among such influences 

 may be included jumping, falling, kicking, severe vomiting, etc. 

 (Johne). Rupture of the liver may be caused by fractured 

 ribs. In cattle foreign bodies passing through the stomach wall 

 may also cause this accident. Parasites, such as the Pentastoma 

 denticulatum in the sheep, fluke and Cystercercus tenuicollis in 

 ruminants and pigs, have also been responsible. 



As a predisposing cause of rupture of the liver, there is 

 usually a degeneration of some kind of the liver tissue. In this 

 connection, at least as regards the horse, amyloid disease is 

 the most important. Parencli}Tiiatous degeneration and more 

 frequently fatty degeneration, abnormal conditions of the blood 

 vessels in acute infectious diseases such as anthrax, purpura, 

 hemorrhagic septicemia, hepatic lesions of a glanderous or 

 tuberculous nature, the latter especially in birds, abscesses 

 (Schiller) and neoplasms (angioma, sarcoma, carcinoma) some- 

 times determine rupture of the liver. Elevations of blood 

 pressure, such as occur in the early stages of inflammatory 

 processes and in the veins of the liver as a result of diseases 

 of the heart and lungs, are predisposing causes of hemorrhage 

 of the liver. Hemorrhage may also follow embolism of the 

 hepatic artery or portal vein. In all these instances the hemor- 

 rhage occurs either spontaneously or in response to some 

 trifling external influence. 



According to Worz too liberal a diet may cause parenchymatous hemorrhages 

 in the liver, the over-filled stomach and intestines causing pressure on the liver and 

 portal vein and thus producing congestion of the vessels of the liver. As mentioned 

 by Noyer, rupture is very likely to occur in such cases when the liver is amyloid. 



Anatomical Changes. In cases where there is rupture of a 

 large numlier of small vessels the liver is beset with small dark 

 punctiform hemorrhages. Such hemorrhages and even large 

 ones may later become enclosed in fibrous capsules. These 



