182 PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



existence. The post-mortem disclosed no perceptible in- 

 ternal lesions. 



Similar phenomena are often seen to follow amputa- 

 tions of the uterus in the cow, or even the simple reposition 

 of a uterus that has been inverted for some hours. The 

 sudden evacuation of intestinal gases of enormously bloated 

 horses or oxen frequently gives the most striking examples 

 of shock from this special cause. Soon after the sudden re- 

 lief from such grave conditions the above symptoms rapid- 

 ly follow and continue until death. 



This special form of surgical shock, which is ever liable 

 to occur in veterinary manipulations that are capable of dis- 

 turbing the equilibrium of the circulation is very easily 

 explained. The whole disturbance is due to an overflow of 

 blood into the splanchnic vessels. In the case of the bloat- 

 ed horse or ox, practically all of the blood is driven out of 

 the abdominal viscera by the pressure of the gas. In addi- 

 tion the small vessels of the viscera are weakened, in fact, 

 paralyzed by the severe tension, when suddenly the pres- 

 sure is removed by evacuation of the gas through the tro- 

 car, the blood pent up in other parts of the body suddenly 

 overflows and over-fills the visceral blood vessels. The 

 amount of blood that the weakened vessels are capable of 

 holding within them is sufficient to deprive the peripheral 

 vessels of their necessary supply. The skin becomes cold 

 and clammy because its blood is within the abdomen, the 

 brain becomes anasmic and hence incapable of governing 

 the functions because its necessary blood is elsewhere, and 

 the heart, owing to the deficiency of the blood volume, 

 weakens as if an external haemorrhage had occurred. Shock 

 of this variety is, in fact, analogous to haemorrhage, from 

 which it varies only in the fact that the blood, instead of 

 being outside the body, is stagnated in the splanchnic ves- 

 sels. Similar phenomena may occur in the uterus, the 



