THE MODERN HORSE DOCTOR. 131 



subject of which died from inflammation of the stomach and 

 bowels. The owner labored under the impression that his horse 

 had been poisoned, and, in order to satisfy his curiosity, employed 

 us to make a post mortem examination. The mystery was soon 

 solved. On exposing the stomach, it appeared about as large as 

 two ordinary ones ; and after cutting into it, out tumbled about 

 half a bushel of stuff resembling brown sawdust, but which 

 turned out to be brown bread ! The animal had been regularly 

 fed for many months on brown bread, mouldy or not, just as it 

 happened ; he was the constant subject of colic, in consequence 

 of which the stomach had probably become gradually dilated by 

 distention from gas, until acute disease terminated his existence. 



Mr. Gamee, in his Descriptive Anatomy of the Abdominal 

 Viscera of the Horse, quotes from a paper written by M. Colin. 

 He found the stomach of a very small horse to contain only nine 

 quarts, while in one of colossal dimensions the stomach held 

 thirty-three quarts. 



The stomach, therefore, not only varies in size with the dimen- 

 sions of the horse, but also as to whether it be full or empty, 

 adapting itself generally to the amount of food taken. 



The horse's stomach is composed of four coats ; the first or 

 external one is a part of the membrane which covers the whole 

 of the abdominal contents, called peritoneum. This is termed 

 the serous coat of the stomach. The second coat is called the 

 muscular ; it is composed of three layers — inner, outer, and 

 middle. These run in various directions, give strength, and 

 admit of a complicated muscular motion which greatly facilitates 

 digestion. 



The outer layer of muscular fibres is a continuation of the 

 longitudinal ones of the oesophagus. 



The fibres of the middle layer embrace the stomach in circles ; 

 they admit of considerable contraction and relaxation, and are 

 very powerful as they approach the lower orifice of that organ. 



The third or inner layer of fibres runs in an oblique direction. 

 The third coat of the stomach corresponds to the cellular tissue 

 under the skin of man ; it serves to connect the parts together, 

 and acts as a medium for the transmission of blood vessels ; and 

 being soft and cushion-like, protects them from injury or pressure. 



