470 SPORADIC DISEASES. 



to another disease or to an accident. If deatli occurs soon after 

 astlima has been manifested, no morbid change may be detected. 

 Professor Dick said he had examined many cases where no dis- 

 ease toiild be discovered. In other cases the stomach has been 

 impacted with food. This impaction of the stomach will only 

 be observable in an animal which has died suddenly, or has been 

 killed , as in One suffering from another disease the appetite 

 would be impaired, and the horse would not eat for a time prior 

 to its death. 



If the disease has continued for a period of time, the following 

 lesions may be detected : — Emphysema of the lungs, chronic 

 thickening of the bronchial tubes, dilatation of the air vesicles, 

 with anaemia, degeneration, and rupture of their walls, pallor 

 of the pulmonary parenchyma, and eccentric hypertrophy of the 

 right side of the heart, or the whole cardiac substance may be 

 varioilsly altered in structure. 



Symptoms. — The inspiratory movement is performed with ease, 

 but the expiratory by two apparent efforts, at the conclusion of 

 which the mUscles relax, and the flanks fall with peculiar force. 

 There is a singular cough, which seems to be " ejaculated with a 

 sort of grunt through the upper part of the trachea, perhaps from 

 a sympathetic connection with the parts below." — (Blaine.) 

 Auscultation will detect the respiratory murmur weakened or 

 absent ; there is a loud, sonorous, sibilant wheeze, heard particu- 

 larly loud towards the posterior part of the chest. Ehonchus 

 and sibilus of every tone and variety may be heard all over the 

 chest. There is stagnation of air in the lungs, and the sounds 

 may change both in character and site, owing to the varying 

 clonic contractions and relaxations of the bronchial muscle. 

 A rubbing sound is heard, if rupture of air cells has occurred, 

 denoting the presence of air in the lung tissue. On percussion, 

 the resonance of the thoracic walls is increased, showing that 

 the lungs are distended with air ; the chest itself seems rounder 

 than is natural, and the thoracic movements are very limited, 

 whilst the abdominal ones are violently increased during a 

 paroxysm. The symptoms are much more severe after the 

 animal has been fed, and after the spasmodic fit has passed 

 away, the breathing may be tolerably easy until it is fed again. 

 The digestive organs are weak and easily disordered ; flatulence 

 is a prominent symptom ; and the animal is often harsh and 

 dry in its coat, pot-bellied, and unthrifty. 



