Difference between Inflammation of Bowels & Colic. 265 



red ; eleventh, peristaltic motion of bowels ex- 

 cited, with the anus hot. Pawing the ground 

 is common to both complaints, but in cases of 

 entanglement of the gut it desists from pawing. 

 It is that portion of the intestines called the 

 ileum which, by the horse throwing itself about 

 during the continuance of the spasm, becomes 

 twisted and knotted together with astonishing 

 firmness; for this there is no cure, and death 

 soon closes the scene. Horses that have frequent 

 attacks of colic may be suspected of having stone 

 in the intestines, most probably in the caecum or 

 colon. Sometimes they are of several pounds 

 weight. Professor Pritchard showed me one this 

 summer as large as a full-sized cocoa nut, which 

 was taken out of a horse that had died of spas- 

 modic colic. These obstructing the passage of 

 the gut produce colic pains, and at other times, 

 when exceedingly large, by pressing upon the 

 mucous membrane, produce inflammation. But 

 as yet we know of no distinctly marked symptom 

 to tell us of their presence, and no certain mode 

 has been discovered for their removal. Another 

 evil arising out of long-continued spasmodic colic 

 is interruption of the intestines ; this from long- 

 continued spasmodic action on the ileum some- 

 times causes an inverted pressure upon the coecum 

 towards the stomach, which overcomes the natural 

 action and forces this contracted portion of the 

 intestines into a portion above it which retains 

 its natural calibre. The irritation thereby pro- 

 duced increases the upward action, and causes 

 still more of the intestine to be forced inward, 



