DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 18 



c 



scarcely stand aloue, in fact, required the services of three men to 

 steady him, he could walk, and seemed most at ease when kept 

 in motion. I commenced immediately to inject warm soap-suds 

 into the rectum ; but so soon as the fluid entered the same it was 

 immediately ejected, there being no room for it within, in conse- 

 quence of. the distension of the walls of the intestines, which 

 pressed on the rectum. I next attempted to administer a colic 

 drench, composed of ginger, golden seal, and hyposulphite of soda, 

 but did not succeed in getting much of it down; for as soon as the 

 fluid entered the aesophagus, it was met by a volume of eructating 

 gas, which brought the fluid back by way of the mouth and nos- 

 trils. I learned, however, that, previous to my arrival, Mr. 

 Smith, the foreman, had succeeded in drenching the patient with 

 a full dose of the colic mixture. This probably had the effect of 

 limiting the generation of gas ; otherwise the animal might have 

 died ere my arrival. The case now appeared almost hopeless ; so 

 I procured a trocar and canula, and plunged them through the 

 flank into the large intestines. (See puncture of the intestines). 

 On withdrawing the cutting instrument, a steady volume of gas 

 issued through the canula for a period of ten minutes. The relief 

 was immediate. I next gave a dose of colic drench, Tind left the 

 animal in charge of the owner for the night. Early next morn- 

 ing I visited the animal, and found that he was all right. He was 

 fed lightly for a few days, and, without any other medical treat- 

 ment, was again put to work. 



The dangers tc be apprehended in cases of this character are 

 either rupture of the intestines or diaphragm. In either case, 

 death is sure and certain. Sometimes, however, neither of these 

 ruptures occur; then the distended intestines exert such pressu>.i 

 on the diaphragm and organs of respiration that the animal dies 

 of suffocation and loss of pulse. When, therefore, it becomes im- 

 possible for the patient to swallow medicine, in a case of this char- 

 acter, recourse must be had to the trocar and canula, in view of 

 liberating the imprisoned gas. The lack of a little knowledge on 

 this subject has been the cause of the loss of very many valuable 

 horses. 



