116 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 



quantity, and is of easy digestion, it ends in resolution. This 

 happens within a few hours in slight cases ; the first symptoms of 

 the return of digestion ordinarily appear in twenty-four to thirty- 

 six hours. They are : return of the appetite and rumination, more 

 active peristaltic movements, frequent eructations, and defecation. 

 In three or four days the recovery is complete. 



DifPerential diagnosis. The overloading of the rumen may be 

 confounded with acute tympanites and with pelvic hernia. 



Pelvic hernia is produced suddenly, and is mainly expressed by 

 anxiety and restlessness, as in overloading of the rumen. Rectal 

 exploration enables us to distinguish both ; the tension of the cord, 

 which is characteristic in hernia, is not found in overloading of the 

 rumen. In acute tympanites, which appears immediately after 

 meals and is betrayed by a rapid enlargement of the belly, the rumen 

 is distended by gases, while in overloading we perceive very dis- 

 tinctly the alimentary matters, which form a more or less consistent 

 mass. In addition, respiratory and circulatory troubles are less 

 annoying in this latter condition. 



The diagnosis of overloading of the stomach from acute gastro- 

 intestinal catarrh is easy : the intensity of the symptoms and their 

 sudden appearance are indications which are proper to overloading. 



Treatment. In most cases we might limit ourselves to waiting; 

 still it is advisable to subject the animals to diet and to walk them 

 several times a day. When the affection has any gravity, we try 

 to re-establish the peristaltic movements, by massage of the flank, 

 and also by drastics and emetics. The most advisable therapeutic 

 agents are : aloes, tartar emetic, or large doses of sulphate of soda, 

 and white hellebore in powder or tincture (10 grammes of powder 

 or 15 to 20 grammes of tincture). As a last resource, we may resort 

 to incision of the flank and the cleansing of the rumen. 



[In order to re-establish peristaltic movements in the rumen we 

 may have recourse to hypodermatic medication ; emetine and apo- 

 morphine in full doses, or eserine and pilocarpine may be very 

 advantageously used after the gas has been removed with the trocar. 



— W. L. Z.] 



NOTE ON "vacuity OF THE RUMEN." 



Voigtlander^ has described certain obscure morbid phenomena 

 produced by emptiness of the rumen ; he has observed this condi- 



1 Voigtlander, Sachs. Jahresber., 1878-79. 



