420 DISEASES OF THE PE11IT0>;EUM. 



pressing them, sliould say the animaVs sufferings were not 

 in general so great as in the first-mentioned two diseases. 

 The horse paws, crouches, looks at his flank every now and 

 then; at length lies down, and, while down, stretches him- 

 self out and groans, or else rolls upon his back ; he cannot 

 bear to lie in a posture which compresses his belly ; nor will 

 he suffer any one to press hard against his sides or abdomen 

 without cringing and flinching, and at the same time turning 

 round to bite at the person. The belly is distended and 

 tympanitic; the bowels costive; the pulse small, hard, and 

 quick; the skin dry and rough-coated; the extremities cold. 

 In the height of the disease the respiration becomes short, 

 quick, and painful ; and he sighs in his breathing as if, in 

 consequence of the soreness of his belly, it hurt him even to 

 heave his flanks. 



Diagnosis. — Throughout their course, and in particular 

 in the latter and more violent stage, the symptoms of peri- 

 tonitis commonly bear that resemblance to those of enteritis, 

 which renders it difficult — often impossible — to distinguish 

 between the two diseases, unless we refer to their origin or 

 history, and then the apparent mystery is likely to become 

 solved at once. We must remember that peritonitis hardly 

 ever originates in the acute form spontaneously ; on the con- 

 trar3\ that, in that alleged form, it is almost invariably to be 

 traced back to operation or mechanical injury of some sort ; 

 and this is often the only safe ground on which we can build 

 our opinion. Hurtrel d'Arboval assures us it is frequently 

 induced by drinking cold water while the body is heated : 

 we may therefore take this circumstance also into our account. 



The Terminations of acute peritonitis are in resolution, 

 effusion, gangrene, and in the chronic form of the disease. 



Resolution, or the gradual abatement of the violence of 

 the disease and progressive return to health, is the termina- 

 tion to which all our remedial efforts must be directed, 

 although the one least likely to be brought about, unless 

 called in quite early — before the disease has had time to 

 develop itself, or when it has gained ascendancy enough to 

 manifest violence. 



