ECTASIA, DIVERTICULA AND RUPTURES OF THE (ESOPHAGUS. 427 



finally breaks, when the difficulty in swallowing and the fever disappear. 

 Guilmot saw a case of abscess formation in the lumen of the 

 oesophagus of a calf, causing vomiting, tympanites, and difficulty 

 in swallowing ; on introducing the oesophageal sound, about two 

 pints of pus were discharged, the symptoms disappearing some days 

 later. Hanbold saw an oesophageal fistula produced in the horse 

 by abscess formation in the retro-pharyngeal lymph glands ; the 

 animal recovered in three weeks. Stamm had a similar case 

 following strangles. Fistula of the gullet sometimes results from 

 cesophagotomy. Injuries to the walls of the pharynx by balling- 

 guns or tooth instruments, indicated by salivation and disturbance 

 in swallowing, may heal, provided they do not become complicated 

 by infection, bleeding or inflammation. In small animals their position 

 and extent can be determined by direct inspection. 



Treatment. As already indicated, care must be exercised in the 

 use of oesophageal and tooth instruments, and sharp balling-guns 

 or sticks avoided. The duration of pus formation in the throat 

 may be shortened by early and cautious opening of the abscess, by 

 careful disinfection and by making provision for free escape of 

 wound discharge. (Esophageal fistula sometimes gives much trouble. 

 Definite closure may often be produced by applying the actual 

 cautery, but is not always successful. In a horse under Moller's 

 treatment cauterization and other measures were used without 

 result. Enlarging the fistula and suturing the opening in the 

 oesophagus generally produces healing, though the operation is by 

 no means easy, and does not in every case produce the desired effect. 

 In Butters' case injections of nitrate of silver proved useless, but 

 the fistula closed spontaneously in four months. 



(3.) ECTASLE, DIVERTICULA, AND RUPTURES OF 

 THE (ESOPHAGUS. 



The term ectasia is applied where the skin, muscular and mucous 

 tissues have undergone dilatation. Ectasias sometimes result from 

 stricture of the oesophagus, and, like it, usually develop slowly. 

 They occur both in large animals and in carnivora. 



Langrehr saw a cow which for three months had always vomited after 

 taking food, and especially when drink was given soon after feeding. The 

 cow was very thin, and when slaughtered exhibited a dilatation of the 

 oesophagus close under the diaphragm, and capable of holding nearly 

 three quarts of fluid. Wagner examined a horse which had a dilatation of 

 the oesophagus in front of the fourth cervical vertebra, and also just 



