106 THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OF 



surgeon Redwood, will give the reader a better idea of this 

 malady than the author can furnish ; his experience being 

 rather limited in treatment of this affection : — 



" I have forwarded to you a jar containing portions of the 

 abomasum of a cow that I have had slaughtered, seeing that 

 further treatment was altogether useless. You will perceive a 

 large gangrenous spot on the inner coat of the above viscus, 

 which I consider was the cause of the symptoms presented. I 

 have also sent you portions of the ilium and jejunum, which 

 will afford you some idea of the intensity of the spasmodic ac- 

 tion with which these intestines were affected. The whole of 

 the small intestines presented the most marked spasmodic con- 

 dition ; in fact they were like so many muscular cylindrical 

 cords, and impervious to any body larger than that of an ordi- 

 nary sized goose-quill. 



" Now, all the diseased conditions are enumerated in the 

 above brief description. Every other organ — except the 

 liver, which had a little deposit of earthy matter in a few of 

 its larger bihary tubes, a very common condition of the gland 

 — both in the thorax and the abdomen, presented the most 

 healthy aspect. The animal was ill but thirty-six hours. 



" The following were the symptoms observed and the treat- 

 ment adopted : — 



" The patient was a dairy-cow, five years old, in excellent 

 condition, living on straw alone for the last fourteen days, five 

 months advanced in pregnancy, and never had been ill before, 

 being bred on the farm. 



" When I first visited her she evinced all the symptoms of 

 hoven, and that to a great extent, so much so, that at one time 

 I was about to introduce the trocar, for the purpose of afford- 

 ing relief, yet knowing the animal could not have had access to 

 succulent diet, I came to the conclusion that this was the effect 

 of the chemical laws acting on vegetable matter, over which 

 the stomachs had in some degree lost their vital influence. Tlie 

 poor animal was in great agony, shown by loud groaning, 

 though rarely lying down ; eyes sunk in their oibits ; pulse 



