304 OBSTRUCTED URETERS DANGEROUS. [BOOK II. 



an alarming irregularity of pulse, precede but a 

 short time the dissolution of the functions of ani- 

 mal life. This is the most dangerous species of dis- 

 order, arising from calculous deposite, we know of. 



Whilst in the kidney, however, little danger to 

 life is to be apprehended from the stone, unless the 

 animal is put to severe work, so as to produce 

 the symptom of bloody urine before described. 

 They are mostly fat horses that die with stone in 

 the kidney ; in fact, all that we have ever seen or 

 heard of, and these have been numerous ; for we have 

 long made a point of inquiring after such cases of 

 calculus, where they seldom escape notice, viz. the 

 horse slaughterers' yards, of which it is proverbially 

 and truly said, that not a hair enters but is turned 

 to profit, for we buy those very stones. The pro- 

 bability is, that when the stone detaches itself and 

 descends into the ureter, the fat which partly en- 

 veloped it and the residue of the kidney had been 

 withdrawn, through disease or poor living, and the 

 membrane which supported both had divided. 

 Some further observations on this part of our sub- 

 ject have been recently made, which will be worthy 

 of public perusal ; but these are not yet sufficiently 

 mature to find place in this little volume, devoted 

 as its pages are to matter-of-fact, and fair deductions 

 therefrom, and wholy exclusive of argumentation 

 or theoretic speculation. Nevertheless, in aid of 

 what others may think fit to say in any other place 

 (out of the spirit of controversy, which is still so rife 

 among certain veterinarians) let us add, that only 



