PERITONITIS. 419 



two or three examples of which have come under my notice. 

 Surgical operations whose performance necessarily involves or 

 endangers the wounding of this membrane, are also likely to 

 be followed by inflammation of it ; among which, castration, 

 for its comparative frequency, as I said before, stands fore- 

 most ; though to the same list may be added the operations 

 for strangulated hernia, stone, tapping the bladder, &c. Pe- 

 ritonitis, says Professor Vatel, is a serious consequence of 

 castration ; for it is rapid in its progress, difficult of arrest, 

 and, if not arrested, almost sure to end in gangrene. 

 It may occur in every period of convalescence, as late as the 

 twelfth day after cutting, and even later. Its prime causer 

 is cold. 



Professor Stewart, formerly of Glasgow, met with a case 

 which rendered it probable that the entrance of air into the 

 abdomen caused it, and is inclined to consider this to be one 

 modus operandi of mischief in cases operated on by the cautery 

 rather than the clams. The professor operated on two 

 yearling colts with the cautery. One struggled a good deal, 

 and when he rose up, was heard '^ a slight gurgling noise pro- 

 ceeding from the scrotum." " I put my hand against the 

 ring, and the noise instantly ceased." The colt was seized 

 with peritonitis on the third day, and was dead on the 

 fourth. One of the chords was found " altogether within 

 the abdominal cavity : its sound extremity lay just at the 

 internal opening of the ring." The professor thought him- 

 self, from this case, warranted in deducing the conclusions, 

 that — 



1. The colt will sometimes draw the spermatic chord into 

 the abdominal cavity. 



2. That a quantity of air will sometimes follow the chord. 



3. That air in the cavity of the abdomen will produce 

 peritonitis. 



4. And it seems feasible that castration by clams is not 

 likely to be followed by peritonitis. 



The Symptoms of acute peritonitis are many of them 

 common to enteritis and colic, and other abdominal pains and 

 irritations ; though, if we may judge from his mode of ex- 



