CHAP. II.] EXAMINATION. 161 



ment, which having emptied, the bladder may be 

 felt much distended. In this case, we are told, 

 " too much pressure might terminate fatally ; " 

 but by smoothing the bladder gently with the tops 

 of the fingers, from its neck forwards, is usually suc- 

 cessful. In fact, we never should have thought of 

 its failing, but for what is said in one of the books 

 on diseases of horses (White, vol. i. p. 121), where 

 we find a good number of pages bestowed upon 

 " suppression and retention of urine," which are 

 not diseases in themselves, but the effects of dis- 

 ease ; the first arising in defective secretion of the 

 kidneys, the second in the bladder, or its neck. 

 At all times, a portion of sympathy exists between 

 this organ and the kidneys, and more between the 

 kidneys and liver ; inflammation of either being 

 soon communicated to all three, in a degree pro- 

 portioned to the animal's general state of bodily 

 health previously to the attack. But it is of the 

 neck of the bladder we now speak, and of its 

 sphincter particularly, as being liable to inflamma- 

 tion ; the bladder itself never contracting that dis- 

 order, so far as we can ascertain after much patient 

 attention, although it may suffer when disorder 

 prevails in the contiguous parts. 



