DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 1 65 



animal prevented from rubbing it. Gut-tie may often be 

 remedied by manipulation with the hand in the rectum, or even 

 by the simpler expedient of jumping from a bank about two 

 feet high, though if due to adhesion of the cord to an intestine 

 the abdomen must be opened and the band cut. 



HERNIA. RUPTURE. BURST. 



Hernia is understood to mean the displacement of some 

 internal organ through a natural or unnatural opening. Of 

 abdominal organs the bowels and omentum are those that most 

 commonly protrude, though the womb often escapes in bitches. 

 According to the structure through which the organ passes the 

 hernia is named r — into the chest, diaphragmatic or ph'enic ; 

 through the omentum or mesentery, omental mesenteric; through 

 the navel, umbilical ; into the scrotum, inguinal or scrotal ; 

 through i\\Q femoral arch to the inner side of the \\\\gh, femoral ; 

 through an artificial opening in the walls of the abdomen. 

 ventral ; through the relaxed walls of the vagina, vaginal. 



Diapijragmatic Hernia may occur from violent muscular 

 efforts, from the violent shock of a heavy abdominal organ on 

 the midriff in leaping or from laceration with a broken rib or 

 other offending body. The worst cases are suddenly fatal from 

 suffocation. In others there is a sudden access 01 difficult 

 breathing with gurgling sounds on auscultating the chest. In 

 still others, with a smaller rupture, the rumbling in the chest 

 may be absent, but there is violent, continuous colic, and rapid 

 prostration as in obstruction. In the slightest forms there is 

 only an extra lifting of the flanks as in heaves. Treatment is 

 useless, though rest and anodynes will allow a slight case to 

 merge into the chronic form. 



Mesenteric and Omental Hernia give rise to complete obstruc- 

 tion of the bowels, and can rarely be recognised or remedied 



Umbilical Hernia is common in horses, dogs, and very young 

 ruminants. It is usually congenital, but may result from violent 



