DISEASES OF THE BOWELS. 709 



sisting very often of straw-knots, &c., firmly glued together. 

 This will sometimes be found perforated through its centre, so 

 as to admit the passage of faeces. 



The presence of these concretions at some time or another 

 constitutes a fatal obstruction. Many symptoms are laid down 

 as being diagnostic of calculus, such as sitting on the haunches, 

 lying upon the back, &c. I am not, however, aware that there is 

 any diagnostic sign, beyond those of violent abdominal pain and 

 obstruction, by which they may be discovered during life ; and 

 they can only be guessed at by recurrent attacks of colic and 

 constipation. In one case which fell under my notice there 

 were no symptoms of abdominal pain, but merely constipation, 

 which nothing could overcome. For two days after the animal 

 had been observed to be off its food the pulse remained natural ; 

 on the third day, however, the abdomen became tympanitic, the 

 pulse rose rapidly, and the animal died ; and the post mortem 

 revealed the presence of a phosphatic calculus, about ten pounds 

 in weight, firmly lodged in the single colon. In one case exami- 

 nation per reetuni enabled me to feel and remove a calculus 

 from the rectum, the animal being immediately relieved. This 

 shows the necessity of such an examination in all cases of 

 abdominal pain. 



Cases are recorded of polypi or other tumours in the stomach 

 and in the intestines. Gastric polypi finally plug up the pyloric 

 orifice, and give rise to fatal distension. 



To prove the fallacy of forcing the action of the bowels in 

 cases of mere constipation, and to show how long a horse may 

 live without passing any faeces, I may mention that I had a 

 horse under my care that had no action of the bowels whatever 

 for twenty-five days, yet it made a good recovery. It was 

 noticed that after a purgative had been administered the pulse 

 became greatly accelerated, mucous membranes injected, and 

 that it manifested signs of pain, which continued for several 

 hours, in fact until the medicine was excreted by other organs. 

 Except when suffering from the effects of medicine it ate a 

 moderate quantity of food. Another case lived eighteen days, 

 passing no faeces, and showing no pain except when irritated 

 by purgatives; towards the end of that day it showed pain, 

 and died from calculus in the single colon. Upon tliis point 

 the following letter from a late student, Mr. Martin, now in 

 London, is instructive ; — 



