258 THE COMMON COLICS OP THE HOR^E 



standing position) and not on the lower, and if found 

 there, the bowel must be twisted for it to be exposed.' ^ 



This will be more readily understood if reference is 

 now made to Figs, ig, 20, and 22, illustrating the normal 

 course of the bowel. 



Again, under certain abnormal conditions of weighting 

 of the bowel — as, for instance, when, owing to irregularity 

 of digestion, the third portion is impacted and heavy 

 while the second is comparatively empty — twist may occur 

 in the opposite direction. Under these circumstances, if 

 the animal lies on his right side, the third portion of the 

 bowel may glide between the abdominal wall and the 

 second portion, and torsion occur from right to left. The 

 state of affairs would then be represented by Fig. 24. 



Were it not for the arrow indicating the direction of 

 the twist, this diagram might be taken to represent 

 equally well twist from left to right, as in Fig. 23. The 

 distal half of the colic loop has again turned upside down : 

 with the autopsy made with the patient on his back, the 

 plain, unpuckered surface of the bowel is again exposed ; 

 and again the superior face of the latter half of the colic 

 loop has become the inferior, as instanced by the position 

 of the vessels and glands b, h. 



At the actual autopsy, however, the direction of the 

 twist is quite apparent if careful examination is made of 

 the bowel in the neighbourhood of the suprasternal and 

 diaphragmatic flexures ; for one is led to it by beino' com- 

 pelled to twist the second and third portions of the bowel 

 in the opposite direction in order to make them occupy 

 their normal positions in the abdomen. Moreover, it will 

 be noticed at once, immediately on laying back the 

 abdominal flaps, that the third portion crosses the second 



1 Proceedings of the Fifth General Meeting of the National 

 Veterinary Association. 



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