THE DISEASES OF CATTLE. 225 



watery character as in other parts. The gall bladder was dis- 

 tended with thin, lemon-colored bile. The thoracic cavity con- 

 tained rather a large amount of clear serum. The pericardium 

 was distended by a layer of lymph, about two inches in thick- 

 ness glueing together its two surfaces, and containing near the 

 apex of the heart nearly a pint of dirty, whey-colored fluid, of a 

 fetid odor. The lymph was easily removed from the heart, and 

 between it and the muscular tissue of the organ, was a layer of 

 cartilaginous substance, about a quarter of an inch in thickness 

 covered by a serous glistening membrane. Toward the apex 

 of the heart this had formed bands of connection between the 

 two surfaces of the pericardium, but in all other parts it was 

 confined to the visceral pericardium only. The lungs were 

 slightly congested. The pleurae was as described in the former 

 case." 



HYPERTROPHY OF THE HEART. 



Hypertrophy signifies augmentation — thickening of the 

 muscular substance of an organ, resulting from increased nutri- 

 tion. It generally occurs in animals of the sanguine tempera- 

 ment, of vigorous health, their muscles being much harder 

 and firmer than usual; in such animals the blood is rich, and 

 nutrition is very active. I have often visited our market in 

 this city, for the purpose of inspecting the hearts of slaughtered 

 oxen, and I have observed that hypertrophy generally occurs 

 in the left ventricle ; sometimes its walls are thickened, the 

 cavity retaining its natural dimensions ; occasionally the cavity 

 is dilated and the wall thickened, but in the majority of cases 

 the walls ace thickened and the cavity diminished ; this 

 constitutes the disease known as true or concentric hypertrophy 

 — enlargement. 



This disease when moderate and uncomplicated, is not pro- 

 ductive of much inconvenience to the bovine species, whose 

 motions are slow, yet occurring in a horse it would produce 

 much inconvenience, and render the animal almost useless for 

 speed. 



