CHRONIC TYMPANITES. 195 



diseases of the liver, subacute or chronic peritonitis, gestation, lesions 

 of the mediastinum, etc., etc. 



(a) Secretory or Chemical Dyspepsia. In primary dyspepsia it is 

 impossible to discover any lesion sufficient to explain the disturbance. 

 Chronic tympanites, for instance, follows prolonged consumption of 

 rough or bad food (in years when forage has been scarce or winter 

 food has been lacking), and too short a supply of water for weeks in 

 succession. It also occurs as a consequence of acute inflammation of 

 one or other of the gastric compartments — rumenitis, reticulitis, gas- 

 tritis. Sometimes it assumes an insidious, slow, progressive form, 

 without anj' apparent cause whatever. 



In these various conditions, the mucous membrane of the gastric 

 compartments suffers from the deferred results of the bad feeding 

 or want of water. Its secretory powers and anatomical structure be- 

 coming modified, it is no longer able regularly to elaborate the juices 

 necessary for digestion, and chronic indigestion, imperfect digestion, or' 

 dyspepsia result. Similar results follow acute inflammation of the 

 omasum, reticulum, or rumen. Integral repair becomes impossible. 

 Anatomical injury is done, disturbance of secretion follows, and dys- 

 pepsia is a necessary consequence. 



(b) Motor Dyspepsia. Finally, it would appear that general bad 

 health, abstinence and exhausting work, may produce a form of dys- 

 pepsia, unconnected with secretory disturbance, but resulting from 

 mechanical disturbance due to general enfeeblement and to atony of 

 the muscular walls of the gastric compartments. The rumen ceases 

 to perform its work of mixing the food, the reticulum also acts badly, 

 and the abomasum receives imperfectly prepared material. The result 

 is what might be described as motor dyspepsia, in opposition to those 

 forms which are of chemical origin. 



The condition may vary in degree, peristalsis being diminished (one 

 contraction every two or three minutes instead of two per minute), or 

 being simply intermittent and occurring only for a few hours during 

 the day, or finally being altogether suppressed. Suppression is never 

 absolute, but atony may be so marked that the mixing of the food is 

 very imperfectly performed. 



Symptoms. The most constant symptom present in all dyspeptic 

 conditions is chronic tympanites, indicated by a certain degree of 

 tension or by permanent dilatation of the rumen. 



Eumination is impeded and irregular, the distended rumen loses its 

 power of contraction, and no longer causes eructation nor passes gas 

 into the intestine. It becomes progressively inert, whether the inertia 

 be primary and occur suddenly, as a result of some particular condition 

 of the sympathetic system (motor dyspepsia), or secondary and of slow 



