CHAPTER XIII. 



THE ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF THE SPLEEN, LIVER, AND 



PANCREAS. 



THE SPLEEN. 



The spleen, or melt, is a long, thin, dark-colored substance, situated 

 on the left side, attached to the rumen, and between that stomach 

 and the diaphragm. It is closely tied to the stomach by blood' 

 vessels, and cellular texture. It is of a uniform size through its whole 

 extent, except that it is rounded at both ends. Of its use we are, in 

 a manner, ignorant ; it has been removed without any apparent injury 

 to digestion. Its artery is large and tortuous, and its vein is of great 

 size, and forms a considerable portion of that which conveys the blood 

 from the other contents of the abdomen to the liver. It is probably 

 connected either with the functions of the liver, or with the supply 

 of some principle essential to the blood. 



It is subject to various diseases, inflammation, ulceration, increased 

 size, tubercles, hydatids, ossification ; but in the present state of cat- 

 tle medicine it is impossible to state the symptoms by which the 

 greater part of these are characteriaed. 



The occasional seat of disease, tlie spleen, and which is found most 

 especially to have suffered, is too frequently overlooked. A beast in 

 high condition, over- driven, or placed in too luxuriant pasture, is 

 suddenly taken ill ; he staggers ; his respiration becomes laborious ; 

 his mouth is covered with foam ; the tongue burns ; he stands with 

 his head stretched out, laboring for breath ; he moans ; blood escapes 

 from the nostrils or the anus ; the disease runs its course in the 

 space of a few hours, and the animal dies. On opening him, the 

 vessels beneath the skin are all gorged with blood ; the skin itself is 

 injected and red ; the lungs and abdominal viscera are congested 

 with blood ; the liver is gorged with it. It is inflammatory fever 

 that has destroyed the animal ; but the speen is most of all aff'ected 

 and disorganized — it is augmented in size, softened, its peritoneal 

 covering torn, and blood has rushed from it and filled the belly ; or 

 the blood has oozed through the investment without any visible 

 rupture. 



In such a malady, the skill of the practitioner can be of little avaih 

 Had the peculiar determination of disease to the spleen been dis- 

 covered, it could not have been arrested ; and all that can be 



