TORSION OF THE DOUBLE COLON 291 



to wash and roll down my sleeves flatus was expelled in 

 large volumes per anum, and the tympany of the abdomen, 

 before so marked, began visibly to decrease. More than 

 that I did not stay to see. This was in the evening. 

 On the following morning the patient was well and 

 feeding. 



A further case I can call to mind occurred in a heavy 

 Shire gelding. He was brought to me early one evening, 

 and the history elicited was that he had been at heavy 

 work on the day previous, carting stone. In the early 

 hours of the day following he was found by the atten- 

 dants to be unwell. He refused his morning feed, and 

 commenced to exhibit dull pains. These gradually 

 increased during the day, and with all the attendant 

 symptoms of obstruction of the bowels in evidence. 

 When, at about 5 p.m., he was brought to me, the 

 symptoms of incomplete twist that we have once or twice 

 repeated were well marked. Particularly noticeable was 

 the sobbing breathing, and the extreme pallor of the 

 mucous membranes, to say nothing of the weak and 

 thready pulse. Moreover, rectal examination revealed 

 the tympanitic flexure close to the exploring hand, and 

 the presence of the stretched and tightened band, pre- 

 sumably the rectal mesentery, which I have before 

 likened to a tautened wire stretched across the abdo- 

 men, in this case running from behind forwards and 

 downwards. 



Again I administered the usual stimulants, including 

 a dose of eserine, but attempted nothing in the way of 

 manual interference until later in the evening. At 

 10.30 p.m. I decided, as in the previous case, to attempt 

 movement of the distended flexure. Preparatory to that, 

 especially as the paining attempts of the animal at 

 defaecation rendered manipulation difficult, I punctured 



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