DISEASES OF THE HEART AND ITS ME:\IBRANES, 661 



half of the eye broken off. I ordered the wound to he treated with 

 fomentations and dressed with carbolic liniment. I have not seen the 

 cow since, but the owner writes me stating that she appears all right, 

 and feeding well. I expect to see her about the end of this week to 

 remove the cord, as in the others. 



" I may mention that all these wounds, after the needles were 

 removed up to the tin^e the cord or slough wqs taken away, had a very 

 offensive smell." 



Traumatic pericarditis is generally manifested very insidi- 

 ously, diagnostic symptoms being often absent for long periods 

 after the foreign body has been swallowed, no symptoms being 

 present, so long as it remains in the digestive cavity, nor during 

 its course to the heart, until it materially interferes with the 

 functions of that organ. I have repeatedly observed instances 

 where cows have presented no other sign of disease than an 

 occasional attack of flatulence or indigestion, and have been 

 sleek and well-doing, until the act of parturition, when they 

 have rapidly succumbed, and the post mortem has revealed the 

 pericardium immensely thickened, adherent at its surfaces, and 

 the exudate in a condition of organisation, sometimes of a con- 

 sistence resembling cartilage; the adhesions between the reti- 

 culum, diaphragm, and mediastinum and the walls of the canal 

 being so organised as to leave no doubt of the lengthened period 

 since the injury had been inflicted ; the act of parturition, more 

 especially the contractions of the abdominal muscles, having 

 evidently altered the position of the hitherto quiescent foreign 

 body, and thus excited a fresh attack of inflammation. More 

 commonly, however, the symptoms of the lesion have become 

 gradually diagnostic ; at first symptomatic of indigestion, with 

 capriciousness of the appetite, flatulence, and eructation of gases, 

 and gradual emaciation. After a while, the pulse becomes 

 exceedingly small; the jugular veins are distended; there is 

 also a well-marked jugular thrill or pulse, extending even as 

 high as the bifurcation of those veins, associated sometimes with 

 palpitation of the heart. To these succeed oedema of the inter- 

 maxillary areolar tissue, gradually extending down the neck to 

 the dew-lap ; in some instances clonic spasms of the superficial, 

 particularly the cervical muscles. Continental writers state that 

 the diagnostic symptoms of traumatic from simple pericarditis 



