220 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



This latter view, I think, is the correct one. I am 

 inclined to that belief by reason of the way in which 

 my own knowledge of the condition came to me. 



Although I knew that the condition had been men- 

 tioned, I had not myself, when publishing the first 

 edition of this little book in 1902, ever met with a case 

 — that is, to recognize it as such. Consequently, when 

 dealing with subacute obstruction of the intestines, I 

 was only able to refer to the affection briefly, and as 

 follows : 



' The present chapter, then, is given over to a descrip- 

 tion of all obstructions of a subacute type that occur in 

 any position in the large or double colon, with which, 

 until differential means of diagnosis present themselves, 

 I include typhlitic or csecal impaction.' 



These words, as a matter of fact, still stand on page 81 

 of the present edition. 



Now, however, that is all changed. If means of dif- 

 ferential diagnosis do not present themselves with the 

 exactness we might wish, it is at any rate quite certain 

 that we are able fully to recognize the condition at post- 

 mortem, especially when what we see then is read in 

 the light afforded by the course the case has run. It 

 is further certain that these cases run a course which, 

 with what we now know about them, should be recog- 

 nized during the period of the animal's suffering. In 

 other words, some measure of differential diagnosis is 

 now possible, and the condition of cascal impaction must 

 in future be described as another and distinct form of 

 intestinal obstruction. 



So far as I am able to judge, we are indebted for the 

 furtherance of our knowledge in this respect to Professor 

 Gofton of the Royal Dick Veterinary College of Edin- 

 burgh. In a paper submitted at the meeting of the 



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