STRICTURE OF THE CE^OPHAGUS. 245 



accompanies these symptoms : the pulse commonly ranging 

 between 50 and 60. The horse lies down sometimes by day 

 as well as by night. Emaciation proceeds^ until, from de- 

 bility and inanition, the exhausted animal sinks to rise no 

 more. 



The seat of Stricture varies. In two cases which 

 occurred in my own practice, it proved to be the place where 

 the oesophagus enters the stomach — in the cardia. My 

 friend, Mr. King, of Stanmore, related a case to me, in 

 which he fancied there existed a stricture in the middle of 

 the canal. A very interesting case, published in ' The 

 Veterinarian^ for 1830, by Mr. Cheetham, of Glasgow, 

 leaves no doubt on this point, and throws fresh light on 

 several others. 



Mr. Nice, V.S., Dockhead, sent an account of a case he 

 had attended to Mr. Sewell, which will be found in the 

 ' Transactions of the Veterinarian Medical Association/ 

 The symptoms were, that the horse usually fed about five or 

 seven minutes at a time, without any inconvenience, w^hen 

 he would become restless, and exhibit hurried breathing, 

 and spasmodic action in the oesophagus, during which, re- 

 gurgitation of food took place through the nostrils. At this 

 time he would strike his belly, and lay down, and rise, &c. 

 after which he would continue quiet until feeding recom- 

 menced. He gradually lost his condition. The stricture 

 was found, post-mortem, about one inch and a half above 

 the cardiac orifice : the little finger could hardly pass 

 through it. The oesophagus was very much thickened 

 around the strictured part, while the muscular fibres, both 

 longitudinal and circular, were considerably disgregated, 

 depriving them of much of their normal action over the 

 dilated sac. Some of the aliment seemed to find its way 

 into the stomach, which for awhile sustained him. 



Mr. Cheetham was called to attend a mare belonging to 

 an officer of the 4th Dragoon Guards. She discharged 

 masticated food from the nose ; and on the near side of the 

 neck there was a swelling, in the situation of the oesophagus, 

 as large as a person^s arm, commencing about six inches 



