ECTASIA, DIVERTICULA, AND RUPTURES OF THE CESOPHAGUS. 429 



membrane formed a cavity as large as a hen's egg. This communicated 

 with the rupture. Griinwald considered that an abscess had formed in 

 the oesophageal wall and caused the rupture. But it also seems possible 

 that the condition was a simple diverticulum. Harms, Hartenstein, and 

 Roloff describe cases of oesophageal diverticula in cows ; one detailed by 

 Harms was situated 2| inches in front of the rumen. 



The symptoms of these conditions bear a general resemblance 

 to one another. Ectasiae and diverticula are recognised by symptoms 

 of choking and a tendency to vomiting, usually appearing soon after 

 taking food. Where the lesion is in the neck portion of the oesophagus, 

 a swelling appears on the left side of the neck during feeding, which 

 is not painful, or only slightly so, shows no inflammatory symptoms, 

 but may be accompanied by salivation, choking, or attempts at 

 vomiting, and usually disappears after one to two hours. Pressure 

 on it produces symptoms of suffocation and attempts at vomiting. 

 It is commonly more prominent after consumption of dry chaff than 

 after hay or water. It may continue for a long time without impairing 

 general health, but when large, especially if situated in the thoracic 

 portion, or when distended with food, such swellings not only excite 

 choking and vomiting but compress the trachea and produce dyspnoea. 

 The horse described by Leisering, if smartly exercised, especially 

 after feeding with hay, exhibited dyspnoea and coughing, which 

 disappeared later. The animal eventually died from suffocation. 

 Other cases have been described. The symptoms may continue 

 for a long time without causing more than loss of condition and 

 slowness in feeding, though the dyspnoea sometimes produces death, 

 as shown by the cases reported by Leisering, Fuchs, and others. 

 Finally, obstruction may lead to mechanical pneumonia and death 

 in consequence of interference with swallowing, as in Wagner's case. 



In complete rupture of the oesophagus symptoms are produced 

 similar to those of severe injury to the oesophagus. If in the cervical 

 portion, they comprise emphysema in the neck and formation of 

 abscesses, which by-and-by perforate and discharge pus mixed with 

 food. These may heal like oesophageal wounds. Spontaneous healing 

 in a cow is related by Schleg ; but death may ensue from burrowing 

 of pus and general infection, as Laurent's and Graf's observations 

 show. Graf's case was caused by a kick from another horse. Schleg's 

 case in a cow shows that spontaneous recovery is nevertheless possible. 

 Krebs records dilatation and rupture of the oesophagus in a horse 

 in consequence of fatty degeneration of the muscular coat. 



Should the oesophagus become ruptured in the thorax or abdomen, 

 death soon follows from septic pleuritis or peritonitis. Kehm and 

 Griinwald report such cases in the horse. Accumulation of food 



