PALPITATION OF THE HEAET. 355 



could not be clearly felt. Venesection which it became 

 necessary to repeat aperient medicines and opiates, re- 

 covered her/' 



I have witnessed cases of spasm of the diaphragm, which 

 may be called by the well-known name applied to them in 

 human subject hiccough. I have seen this condition as 

 the result of poisoning with the veratrum album, and in one 

 case of over-repletion of the stomach, with vomiting, which 

 recovered. The spasm of the diaphragm was violent, all the 

 symptoms of hiccough were well-marked, but no such sounds 

 as practitioners have believed to depend on such spasm were 

 ever witnessed. On the other hand, I have seen several cases 

 of marked nervous palpitation of the heart, in which the 

 sounds could be heard at a great distance from the affected 

 animal, and have satisfied myself that the heart alone was 

 the organ implicated. Leblanc, the best authority on this 

 subject, holds the same opinion, and disputes the opinion 

 held by Delafond and Goubaux in accordance with the views 

 of the veterinarians quoted by Mr Percivall. Leblanc draws 

 attention to three singular cases recorded in 1830 by Coul- 

 beaux, veterinary surgeon at Melun. After alluding to certain 

 accessory symptoms, such as elevated temperature of the 

 body, redness of the visible mucous membranes, and tumultu- 

 ous breathing, he says, " The respiratory movements were 

 interrupted by a violent elevation of the flanks, circumscribed 

 towards the upper region, and so intense as to be appreciated 

 with the hand as well as by the eye. This lifting of the flank, 

 which is limited in extent to a few square inches of surface 

 precisely at the hollow of this region, is perfectly isochronous 

 with the heart-beats." In the second case Coulbeaux found 

 " no cough, breathing not accelerated, but interrupted by a 

 lifting of the flanks, equal on either side, and perfectly 

 isochronous with the pulsation of the subinaxillary artery. 



