276 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



reveals an abdomen apparently empty — no distended 

 bowel of any description within reach. 



With the pelvic flexure thus out of reach, and the 

 abdomen apparently empty of distended bowel, displace- 

 ment of the pelvic flexure can very often be correctly 

 diagnosed. In such a case, indeed, the matter is an easy 

 one (see record of Case I., Chapter XXL). But it some- 

 times happens, with the pelvic flexure thus displaced, that 

 a coil of small intestine comes to take its place. This 

 quickly becomes distended with gas, and, by the paining 

 efforts of the patient, is forced right up into the pelvic 

 cavity. Here it can be readily mistaken for the pelvic 

 flexure itself (see record of Case II., Chapter XXL). 



In other words, in at least two instances of torsion we 

 meet with this resilient tumour or gas-distended portion 

 of bowel forced right up to and sometimes into the pelvis. 

 These two instances are — (i) Torsion of half a turn at the 

 suprasternal and diaphragmatic flexures — the cases we 

 are particularly considering; and (2) torsion of the pelvic 

 flexure — both of them forms of incomplete twist, and both 

 of them showing more or less identical symptoms. How 

 are we to distinguish the one from the other ? It is im- 

 portant to be able to do this, for in the one case we may 

 attempt treatment with some hope of ultimate success, 

 while in the other treatment is out of all question. 

 There are two ways in which this may be done : 

 The first method is to pay attention to the form, and 

 particularly to the position of the tumour. The tumour 

 met with in torsion of the pelvic flexure (in this case dis- 

 tended small intestine) is neither so large nor so round to 

 the touch as the distended flexure itself. Moreover, and 

 this point I regard as important, it is forced not only up 

 to the pelvic brim, but actually within the pelvic cavity 

 and close up to the rectum, rendering exploration difficult 



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