22 



Lympliatic system, and both show that nature has adapted the 

 animal for a somewhat shiggish, but long life — for long continued 

 slow work. The most notable peculiarity of the Elephant's blood, 

 the smallness of its corpuscles (relatively, although, absolutely, 

 they are among the largest nonuucleatcd corpuscles known) 

 arranges for the limited supply of oxygen for tissue waste. 

 The characteristic features of the circulatory system are juvenile 

 and not highly special — thus the organs which compose it are but 

 little liable to disease. There is not vigour in the system of the 

 Elephant to enable him to withstand serious disorder, so he is a 

 "bad patient," and his disorders assume the asthenic (weak) 

 typo and require to be treated in almost every case by means of 

 stimulants. We are not prepared to state the use of two fibrous' 

 cords which pass from the back of the pericardium to blend with 

 the elastic tissue covering the front of the Diaphi-agm. Tlieso 

 bands are themselves elastic. 



The PdlsEj taken at the posterior auricular arteiy, averages 

 about 49 beats [25-28 in Europe (Colin)] per minute, its indica- 

 tions as to the presence or absence of fever and internal inflamma- 

 tion are fairly reliable. We feel for it at the root of the ear, 

 somewhat behind, but it requires a good deal of practice to bo 

 able to take the pulse of an Elephant satisfactorily. The same 

 vessel may be utilized for the abstraction of blood, however this 

 operation is one which will seldom be required for the Elephant, the 

 only cases in which it is admissible being those of Brain disorder 

 (Inilammatory or Apoplectic) or of Inflammation of the Facial 

 Sinuses; in fact it is a useful measure in cases of " Sunstroke" and 

 may then bo performed byopening the artery behind the ear with a 

 common abscess lancet. Phlebotomy, the opening of a vein, cannot 

 be pei'formed in the neck at the jugular because of the smallness 

 of this vessel as compared with that of most other quadrupeds, the 

 greater part of the blood returning from the head by ono 

 much more deeply placed in the neck. There are mechanical 

 difficulties, too, in the way of bleeding — the skin is so thick that it 

 must first bo divided and then the wall of the vessel punctured 

 with an abscess lancet. The patient also requires to be secured 

 by fetters ; and the vein (generally the large one inside the thigh) 

 raised by a ligature passed round the limb above the seat of 

 operation. The amount of blood to be removed should not be 



