268 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



colon, and covered on occasions by thick strings of 

 mucus from the bowel lining. What is passed in the 

 early stages of torsion is best described as rather sloppy 

 or oily. 



Rectal examination reveals, instead of the open and 

 ' ballooned ' state of the bowel we have come to associate 

 with impaction, a spasmodic condition of its walls that 

 renders any extensive exploration difficult. Accompanied 

 by moaning grunts, and violent expulsive efforts on the 

 part of the patient, the rectum exerts a clinging clasp 

 round the inserted arm with such force as to almost cramp 

 the fingers. Waiting for the stronger of these expulsive 

 efforts to subside, a further exploration becomes possible. 



And then, during the patient's cessation from straining, 

 the hand discovers, thrust close to the pelvic opening, 

 a gas-distended coil of bowel — the tympanitic pelvic 

 flexure. This was referred to by Walley as ' the resilient 

 tumour of intestinal torsion or displacement,' and was 

 likened by him to a greatly distended bladder. That it is 

 the pelvic flexure is definitely ascertained by noting its 

 shape, and by following up the bowel and feeling for its 

 longitudinal muscular bands. Once these are felt, then 

 the fact that one is dealing with the displaced colon is 

 assured. Jelkmann and Moller both of them refer to 

 this means of definitely determining the pelvic flexure.^ 

 The late Professor Walley also mentioned the same 

 thing. ^ 



In addition to this abnormal position of the pelvic 

 flexure, rectal examination reveals an additional symptom 

 of importance. Quite distinct from the colon, above, and 

 usually to the left, can be felt a tightened band running 

 from above downwards and forwards. This is the 



1 MoUer's ' Veterinary Surgery' (translation by Dollar), p. 287. 



2 Veterinary Journal, vol. xxx., p. 395. 



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