160 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 



rupture can only become a cause of vomiting when it does not bear 

 upon the entire thickness of the gastric walls, if it be limited to one 

 of the membranes — to the muscular coat, for instance, the serous 

 being intact. There must,^ too, be paralysis of the cardiac opening 

 at the same time. We will later on speak of rupture of the stomach 

 when its walls are ulcerated, or in cases of colics of constipation. 



In most cases it is characterized by a collapse which appears sud- 

 denly when the colics are most intense; the pain seems to have 

 disappeared^ the abdominal bruits become almost imperceptible, the 

 pulse is small, filiform, much accelerated ; the extremities are chilled, 

 the body is covered with a cold and profuse perspiration, the tem- 

 perature falls below the normal and ascends abruptly, the animals 

 are stupefied and trembling ; sometimes they neigh, they take 

 strange positions and gather their limbs under them ; the eye is 

 anxious and haggard; we observe dyspnœa ; the walk is embar- 

 rassed and staggering ; often a thick mucus, of a yellow-greenish 

 color, escapes from the mouth and nose (Gielen). 



The symptoms of rupture of the intestine are almost the same as 

 those of rupture of the stomach. Ordinarily it is preceded by eruc- 

 tations, regurgitations, or vomitings. 



Some horses have been seen to perform their work for a few 

 hours after having had the stomach torn and while suffering 

 (Schmoike). Death often follows rapidly ; it may be anticipated 

 for days when the laceration is not great, or when an organ, for 

 instance, the omentum, has lodged itself upon and occludes the rent 

 in the stomach-wall, thus preventing escape of the alimentary mat- 

 ters through its lips ; such cases as the last mentioned, however, 

 are very rare. 



3. Rupture of the diaphragm. The cause of this accident is 

 recognized as being the pressure exercised upon the diaphragmatic 

 wall by the much-distended stomach, a pressure which is aggra- 

 vated in its action by falls and violent movements on the part of 

 the animal. Chronic inflammation of the diaphragm and the vari- 

 ous alterations of this organ give a predisposition to rupture. We 

 may find engaged in the diaphragmatic opening : the stomach, the 

 small intestine, and the colon or omentum. When the condition is 

 an old one these organs are united to the walls of the pectoral 

 cavity ; often the hernial portion of the intestine becomes strangu- 

 lated. 



The symptoms are always alarming. We observe an intense 



