CATTLE. 



induced to eat, the griping pains are immediately increased — the 

 belly swells — the countenance becomes anxious — the ears, the horns, 

 the nose, and the thighs become cold — the pulse is small and accele- 

 rated, and scarcely to be felt — the breathing is laborious and heard 

 at a distance — the mouth and nostrils are pale. The disease con- 

 tinues during six, seven, or eight days : it yields to no medicine — it 

 is aggravated by most of the measures adopted — it is especially so if 

 the beast is moved about — and at length death terminates the period 

 of suffering. 



On examination, strangulation of some part of the intestine is 

 found, and generally of the small intestine. It is tied by a distinct 

 and evident cord — in some cases it is the spermatic cord, which, 

 after castration unskillfully performed, or now and then by mere ac- 

 cident, has been retracted into the belly, and has become enlarged, 

 and has had tumors forming on it, and particularly at its extremity. 

 Oftener it is an adventitious or unnaturally formed membrane, which 

 becomes entangled round the intestine, and assumes the appearance 

 of a cord. 



The mode of operation, in castrating bullocks, is often very absurd. 

 Some practitioners pride themselves on performing it with scarcely 

 the loss of any blood. The}^ open the scrotum, and lay bare the • 

 spermatic cord, and then, by mere dint of pulling and twisting, they 

 tear it out. There is, certainly, no bleeding, and the portion that 

 remains immediately retracts into the belly ; but the consequence of 

 all this violence is that inflammation ensues — tumors, false mem- 

 branes are formed, and the foundation is laid for this complaint. 

 Others draw the cord out as far as they can without tearing it, and 

 then cut it off close to the pelvis. There is no external bleeding in 

 this case ; but there is bleeding within the cavity of the belly, and a 

 source of irritation is set up by the presence of this blood, and \ a- 

 rious abdominal diseases ensue, and, among the rest, the cords, or 

 gtit-tie. 



It is not, however, to be uniformly traced to this cause alone. It 

 seems, especially, to prevail in low and damp situations — it has fol- 

 lowed the use of half mouldy and unwh-.iesome fodder — it has 

 seemed to be connected with hard work, and that on an irregular or 

 steep surface ; and some have imagined that it is most prevalent 

 where the floor of the ox stables is too much inclined, on account of 

 the great pressure on this part of the abdomen, and especially in the 

 act of rising. It can be readily believed that any source of irritation, 

 ■whether of the spermatic cord, or of the intestines lying in the 

 neighborhood of it, or of the intestinal canal generally — in fact, that 

 any or all of the sources of common colic may be the predisposing 

 or immediate causes of this species of strangulation. 



Although it has been stated that no medicine seems to be of 

 avail, the patient should not be abandoned. There is an operation. 



