DISEASES 01 THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 178 
thing regarding its cause and symptoms, which are all detailed in 
the following case, from the author’s note-book : 
Death of a Horse from Ruptured Stomach.—The subject, a black 
gelding, nine years old, had been driven a distance of twelve milea 
into the city; on arriving at the “City Hotel stable,” he first 
manifested signs of uneasiness, by pawing with his feet and turn- 
ing his head toward the belly. He finally got down, rolled, 
tumbled about, and passed considerable flatus, etc. His owner, 
supposing him to be the subject of colic, administered a dose of 
“ fire-water,” in the form of gin and cayenne pepper, followed by 
three ounces of spirits of niter. He urinated freely, passed con- 
siderable flatus, yet grew no better very fast. Four hours from 
the commencement of the attack our attention was called to him. 
The case then appeared hopeless, consequently we declined pre- 
scribing. The following were the symptoms: Pulse, small and 
thready; in number, fifty-six; respirations, sixty—laborious, 
emitting, occasionally, a sort of grunt, indicative of pressure, from 
a distended stomach, on the diaphragm and lungs. The eyes 
were amaurotic (pupils dilated and loss of vision); sclerotica 
(white of the eye) slightly injected; conjunctival membrane, 
within the eyelids, surcharged with blood. The buccal membrane, 
within the mouth, intensely inflamed, induced, probably, by the 
fire-water drench. The tongue was of a leaden hue, and the nasal 
membranes were somewhat reddened. The body, or external 
surface, was the seat of profuse perspiration, which ran down the 
limbs like rain. They, as well as other parts of the body, re- 
mained comfortably warm until within a few minutes of death. 
There appeared to be considerable distension in the region of the 
stomach, and less at the flanks, from which circumstance we con- 
cluded that the patient was laboring under tympanitis (windy dis- 
tension) of the stomach. At the moment of death, the reverse 
was the case, which circumstance seemed to confirm this opinion ; 
for then, the stomach being ruptured, the gas would diffuse itself 
in the abdominal cavity and increase in bulk. 
Aspect and motions of the body.—The head was kept within 
striking distance of the ground; the tail was elevated, and kept 
in a quivering condition (involuntary). The fore extremities were 
advanced, one leg frequently crossing the other; the hinder parts 
maintained a crouching attitude, and the penis hung pendulous. 
When not in this position, the patieni would revolve in a circle 
