KUPTUKE OF fSTOMACH. 419 



the walls of the stomach are abnormally weak, and when the colic- 

 affected animal severely tests the strength of the distended organ 

 by tlirowing himself down on the ground in agony. The continued 

 feeding of horses on large quantities of bulky food (boiled turnips 

 for instance) tends to permanently enlarge the size of the stomach, 

 and to proportionately weaken its walls, as well as its digestive 

 power. Taking into consideration the fact (which we can prove 

 by experiment on the dead animal) that no air will escajie from 

 the stomach into the gullet, if the stomach is filled, even to the 

 point of bm'sting, with air from its intestinal opening; we can 

 easily see that rupture of the stomach may readily occur when the 

 intestinal canal is blocked up (by undigested food, or twist of the 

 intestine, for example), and when the contents of the stomach is 

 in a state of fermentation. It is almost needless to say that the 

 nearer the seat of the obstruction is to the orifice by which the 

 stomach opens into the intestine, the greater will be the danger 

 of this accident. We learn from the '' Prussian Military Report " 

 of 1891 that obstruction of the intestine was the cause of 33 cases 

 of rupture of the stomach among the horses of the Pinissian army 

 during that year. 



KUPTURE OF THE INTESTINES is also a complication of 

 flatulency, and, like inipture of the stomach, is greatly aided by the 

 presence of an obstruction which prevents the generated gas from 

 escaping by the anus. Owing to the fact that the human stomach 

 can, comparatively easily, get rid of undigested food by vomiting; 

 rupture of the intestines is much more common in man than rup- 

 ture of the stomach. The converse, I believe, is the case in the 

 horse. Having no data to go on respecting the characteristics of 

 rupture of the intestines, I shall confine my remarks here to 

 rupture of the stomach, which may involve all three (serous, mus- 

 cular, and mucous) coats, and thus be complete, or incomplete, in 

 which case the muscular coat is, I believe, the one usually affected. 



THE CHIEF SYMPTOMS OF RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH 



are vomiting, and more or less sudden collapse of the vital powers, 

 preceded by great gaseous distension and violent colic. In vomit- 

 ing " the muscles of the abdomen and neck are the seat of con- 

 vulsive contractions; the bent head is kept close to the chest, at 

 the same time a yellowish green, frothy liquid of the odour of 

 chyme, and of a consistence somewhat similar to that of the par- 

 taken forage, flows from the nose or from the mouth. The quantity 

 varies from a few spoonfuls to a stable bucketful or more. The 

 animal sweats abundantly, the legs are drawn up under the body, 

 and the eyes are haggard and fixed. Immediately after the vomit- 



