286 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



hand. Jelkmann inserts the left hand, presses forward 

 towards the left abdominal wall, and endeavours to 

 thrust the left portion of the colon [i.e., the combined 

 second and third portions, H. C. R.] with the convolutions 

 of the rectum forwards from this point towards the 

 middle line of the abdomen. Once the bowel is brought 

 into this position, Jelkmann passes the hand slowly 

 upwards, when the colon falls back over it into its 

 normal position ; he considers that the convolutions of 

 the rectum, displaced towards the left lower abdominal 

 wall, having been thrust upwards, leave room for the 

 colon to return to its normal position. My own experi- 

 ments tend to support this explanation. 



' I replaced a left rotation of the colon in the following 

 way : After emptying the rectum, the right hand was 

 introduced, and discovered the bands of the colon run- 

 ning from in front backwards and outwards, or towards 

 the left. I now employed the bands of the colon lying 

 above to bring about reposition. Whilst the hand in 

 the rectum was strongly adducted, I laid its volar surface 

 or the fingers against the bands, and after repeated care- 

 ful attempts, finally succeeded in drawing these so far 

 towards the right that the colon again took up its 

 position parallel with the middle line of the body. As I 

 had discovered by my experiments on dead animals, in 

 torsion towards the left the bands of the lower section 

 of the bowel [the combined second and third portions, 

 H. C. R.] offer a purchase for retroversion. After effect- 

 ing this, the pelvic flexure of the bowel, until then filled 

 with gas, at once collapsed, the symptoms of colic dis- 

 appeared, peristaltic action, which had almost com- 

 pletely ceased, again set in, the small frequent pulse 

 altered its character, and half an hour later the recovery 

 of the animal could be foretold. ... In support of 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



