SURGICAL TREATMENT OF COLICS 83 



testines through the stomach with the stomach tube. If 

 the stomach is full, but this is seldom the case, it should 

 first be washed out and then six to eight gallons of water 

 injected into it. The water promptly finds its way into 

 the intestinal tract, sometimes as far as the cecum. By 

 supplying the intestines with these liberal draughts of 

 water from two directions, there are, indeed, few cases 

 of impactions that will not yield, when the diagnosis is 

 made before the muscularis has been too seriously weak- 

 ened and a peritonitis has already developed. 



3. Flushing the Colon Through the Abdominal Wall. 

 — The third is the direct instillation of water or oil mto 

 the colon through the abdominal wall by means of a 

 trocar and canula. The right flank is punctured in the 

 usual manner and after the trocar is removed a small 

 rubber hose is attached to the canula and the instillation 

 done by pouring the liquid into the funnel attached to 

 the other end. The intestines will slowly take liberal 

 amounts of fluids in this manner. The procedure is 

 harmless, and, if done at an early stage, is very effectual. 



When the contents are known to have been softened 

 by these methods, eserine may be given with safety and 

 with splendid results. 



I am aware that these systems of attacking impactions 

 are not new. They have, however, never become stand- 

 ard operations, and, in view of the fact that they are 

 proving phenomenal in the hands of those who have be- 

 come expert in the essential manipulations, this atten- 

 tion to them has been deemed worth while. 



Torsion of the Colon 



Torsion of the colon is a common enough accident of 

 horses, and, of course, always fatal. Attempts to cor- 



