246 BOVINE PATHOLOGY. 



Such complications as occur are sometimes troublesome ; 

 tympany often requires to be relieved by puncture with 

 the trocar, even before any measures are adopted against 

 the choking. Eupture and stricture, as results of injury 

 with the probang, have been already noticed. Often a 

 very considerable formation of false membranes occurs at 

 the seat of impaction. When the free end of the probang 

 is brought up covered with blood, laceration of the lining 

 mucous membrane or rupture of both the walls has taken 

 place, and the case is probably hopeless ; there is a free 

 flow of any fluid which is administered, and when the 

 obstruction is in the thorax, this may pass into the pleural 

 sac and give rise to pleuritis. The animal continues in 

 pain and the breath becomes foetid. 



Prophylaxis consists in having all roots cut or bruised, in 

 giving cattle only a little at a time of any fresh food, and 

 in fattening for slaughter animals which have been thus 

 affected. 



VoMiTiON is an expulsion of material from the alimen- 

 tary canal as a result of reversed peristaltic action. Thus, 

 it is clear that it may vary much in its nature and severity 

 in the ox. We have noticed that it is one of the sym- 

 ptoms of choking where the obstruction is near the 

 rumen. In other cases it is simply expulsion of matter 

 from an over-loaded rumen, and is one of nature's methods 

 of relief in cases of hoven. This form is rather frequent ; 

 the ejected matter mainly passes by the mouth, and 

 sometimes amounts to an enormous quantity. It differs 

 from '' dropping the cud '^ mainly in the rapidity with 

 which the aliment is ejected, and in the fact that it 

 accompanies indigestion. Rarely, the contents of the true 

 stomach are thrown off ; this, which Youatt terms " true 

 vomition,'' he illustrates by a case from M. Cruzel, in 

 the 'Journal Pratique,' 1830, p. 322. The patient, an ox, 

 was unthrifty, ruminated seldom and slow, and had slight 

 tension of the left flank. " Rumination commenced, 

 preceded by deep and sonorous eructations having a 

 penetrating odour. This lasted about ten minutes, after 

 which the animal got up, backed himself in his stall. 



