SUBACUTE OBSTRUCTION OF THE DOUBLE COLON 89 



able amount of success — a method which, perhaps, the 

 need of their district calls for — I would still wish to 

 appeal strongly to those who are yet wavering. 



To commence with, provided we have diagnosed our 

 case, and are certain that we have purely a condition of 

 subacute intestinal obstruction to deal with, we cannot 

 do better than ask ourselves the follow^ing questions : 



1. What is the exciting cause of the attack P 



2. What is the cause of the pain ? 



3. What is the actual condition we are called upon to 

 treat P 



4. What part of the animal system is it best to operate 

 through — the digestive or the nervous P Or should our attack 

 be directed mainly upon the offending substance itself P 



1 . What is the exciting cause of the attack P To that 

 question I answer. Undoubtedly in the great majority of 

 cases it is the nature, bulk, or mode of administration of 

 the horse's food. Whether of an indigestible nature, 

 given in too large a quantity, or whether given in such a 

 manner and at such a time as not to admit of a free 

 action upon it by the gastric and intestinal fluids, the 

 result remains the same — viz., impaction of a certain 

 portion, or portions, of the alimentary tract with a mass 

 of improperly digested food. 



2. What is the cause of the pain P The pain, I think 

 we may safely answer, is brought about by active peri- 

 stalsis, followed by spasm of the bowel, either on both 

 sides of, or before, or behind the point of obstruction. 

 This pain, of the severity of which we may judge by 

 noting the animal's symptoms in the most acute case 

 of obstruction we have — viz., twist — we may designate 

 as cramp. This explanation of 'cramp,' however, does 

 not altogether meet the case when we are talking of 

 obstructive colic in its subacute form. Here, in the 



