

GULLET, STOMACH, AND INTESTINES. 



195 



lancet must be immediately resorted to, and the bleeding continued until 

 the animal seems about to fall ; and to this should quickly succeed repeated 

 injections. Two or three drops of the croton oil should be injected twice 

 or thrice in the day, until the bowels are thoroughly opened. The animal 

 will be considerably better, or the disease cured, in the course of a couple 

 of days. 



There is a singular aptitude in the stomach of the dog to eject a portion 

 of its contents ; but, almost immediately afterwards, the food, or a portion 

 if not the whole of it, is swallowed again. This is a matter of daily 

 occurrence. There is a coarse rough grass, the cynosurus cristatus, or 

 crested dog's-tail. It is inferior for the purposes of hay, but is admirably 

 suited for permanent pastures. It remains green after most other grasses 

 are burnt by a continuance of dry weather. The dog, if it be in his 

 power, has frequent recourse to it, especially if he lives mostly in a town. 

 The dry and stimulating food, which generally falls to his share, produces 

 an irritation of his stomach, from which he is glad to free himself; and 

 for this purpose he has recourse to the sharp leaves of the cynosurus. 

 They irritate the lining membrane of the stomach and intestines, and cause 

 a portion of the food to be occasionally evacuated ; acting either as an 

 emetic or a purgative, or both. They seem to be designed by nature to 

 be substituted for the calomel and tartar emetic, and other drugs, which 

 are far too often introduced. 



An interesting case of the retention of a sharp instrument in the stomach 

 is related by Mr. Kent of Bristol. 



On the 23rd of February, Mr. Harford, residing in Bristol, when feeding 

 a pointer-dog, happened to let the fork tumble with the flesh, and the dog 

 swallowed them both. On the following morning, Mr. Kent was desired to 

 see the animal ; and, although he could feel the projection of the fork out- 

 wardly, which convinced him that the dog had in reality swallowed it, yet, 

 as he appeared well, and exhibited no particular symptoms of pain or fever, 

 Mr. Kent gave it as his opinion that there was a possibility that he might 

 survive the danger, and the animal was sent to him, in order to be more im- 

 mediately under his care. The treatment he adopted was, to feed him on 

 cow's liver, with a view to keep the stomach distended and the bowels open ; 

 ;md he gave him three times a day half a pint of water, with sufficient sul- 

 phuric acid to make it rather strongly sour to the human tongue, with the 

 intention of assisting the stomach in dissolving the iron. 



On the following Sunday, the skin, at the projecting point, began to ex- 

 hibit some indication of ulceration ; and on Monday a prong of the fork 

 ) night be touched with the point of the finger, when pressed on the ulcer. 

 Mr. Kent then determined on making an effort to extract the fork on the 

 following morning, which he accordingly did, and with but little difficulty, 

 assisted by a medical friend of the owner. The dog was still fed on cow's 

 1 tver ; his appetite remained good, and with very little medical treatment 

 t he external wound healed. The animal improved rapidly in flesh during 

 t he whole time. He left the infirmary in perfect health, and remained so, 

 vith one inconvenience only, a very bad cough, and his being obliged to 

 1 e at length, being unable to coil himself up in his usual way. 



The fork was a three-pronged one, six and a half inches long. The 

 handle, which was of ivory, was digested : it was quite gone ; and either 

 the gastric fluid or the acid, or both conjointly, had made a very apparent 

 impression on the iron. 



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