THE OX AND THE DAIRY. 215 



of the bowels is more vehement, they intertwine each other, 

 the fatal noose is tightened, perhaps the mesentery is ruptured, 

 and death ensues ; and all this might have been prevented. 



Another result of continued spasmodic colic is what is 

 termed introsusceptio ; that is, one portion of the bowels 

 being perhaps spasmodically contracted, is forced forward by 

 the strong peristaltic action of the intestines, and so runs 

 into the succeeding dilated portion, perhaps to a very con- 

 siderable extent ; often the peristaltic action of the intestines 

 is inverted, and in that case a lower portion of the bowel is 

 forced into the portion preceding it. The latter, as far as 

 we have observed in animals, appears to occur the most 

 commonly. The agony resulting from this introsusception, 

 or infolding and sliding of one portion of intestine into 

 another, must be horrible ; the mesentery is generally la- 

 cerated ; inflammation comes on, and the animal dies. The 

 symptoms indicative of this occurrence are indefinite, and 

 the same observation applies to strangulation. But we 

 may suspect the mischief from the increase of pain and 

 the inutility of medicines. If anything is likely to prove 

 beneficial it must be bleeding, conjoined with opium. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE MUCOUS MEMBRANE OF THE FOURTH STOMACH 

 OR ABOMASUM, AND OF THE SMALL INTESTINES (GASTRITIS AND 

 GASTRO-ENTERITIS). 



Inflammation of the abomasum (gastritis), or rather of its 

 mucous membrane, is a most serious disease, nor is it of very 

 unfrequent occurrence; generally the inflammation is not 

 limited to the abomasum, but extends through the duodenum. 

 This is the gastro-enteritis of authors. It appears to be 

 brought on in most instances by improper food, by acrid 

 plants, by bad water, by musty hay, and other causes which 

 are not easily ascertained. 



The symptoms of this disease (for we need not minutely 

 distinguish between gastritis and gastro-enteritis) are heavi- 

 ness, loss of appetite, disturbed breathing, fever, a hot dry 

 muzzle and tongue ; sometimes diarrhoea, occasionally vomit- 

 ing ; and in milch cows, either a cessation of the milk or an 

 alteration in its quality ; it irritates or even inflames the 

 udder, and the milk when drawn off is thin, yellowish, and 

 stringy with threads of coagulum. Its smell is often offensive, 

 and sometimes it has a reddish tinge, as if slightly coloured 

 by blood. 



