314 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



the case lingers the possibility of spontaneous reduction 

 of the twisted bowel occurring grows less and less. If 

 only in small degree, changes in the circulation of the 

 blood in the bowel wall at the point of the bend must 

 set in soon after the bowel is retained in its abnormal 

 position, leading to cramping of the muscle fibres, and 

 less likelihood of these responding to any stimulus we 

 may endeavour to give to them. Moreover, every hour 

 sees a gradual gathering of gas in the intestines, parti- 

 cularly the large. As we have explained, this is at first 

 only small in quantity. Its steady accumulation is 

 certain, however, so long as the bowel maintains its 

 unnatural position. 



The practical importance of this explanation lies in 

 the fact that it points to the need for a stimulant treat- 

 ment quite early in the case, and logically upholds the 

 value of eserine and other like drugs as against the 

 exhibition of sedatives. 



Case I., we may remark, ought to have been correctly 

 diagnosed, if only by the absence from near the pelvic 

 brim of the pelvic flexure. In honestly confessing to 

 this particular failure, however, I hope to draw greater 

 attention to the value of this piece of evidence than I 

 should have done by relating a case where everything 

 appeared ' so simple.' 



Case II. was purposely selected as illustrating the 

 greatest difficulty that comes in our way when attempting 

 to diagnose these cases — the presence in the pelvis of a 

 gas-distended coil of small intestine, which we are able 

 to mistake easily for the pelvic flexure. I regard it as 

 unfortunate now that no photograph was taken in this 

 particular instance. The same condition is well illus- 

 trated, however, in two photographs I have of another 

 case of twist of the flexure. I give both of these, as 



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