DISEASES OF THE HEART. 



443 



when a pulsation (every third or fourth, for instance) is wanting, 

 we say that the pulse is intermittent; the intermission may be 

 regular or irregular. 



2. Equal or unequal pulse coincide with the regularity or irreg- 

 ularity in volume of the blood-waves. When small waves alternate 

 with the larger ones the pulse is called alternative. 



3. Strong or weak pulse [great or small, full or empty pulse) are 

 expressions which indicate the degree of fulness of the blood-wave). 



4. Hard or soft pulse (hard and soft artery) — depending upon 

 the degree of distention of the artery. When the pulse is small 

 and hard it is said to be filiform. 



5. Accelerated or slow pulse — depending upon the more or less 

 rapid gliding of the blood-wave under the finger. 



Among the other anomalies of the pulse we must also mention : 

 the dicrotic, or alternating, in which the curve of the pulse is in- 

 terrupted in its descent, and the anacrotic pulse, in which the 

 ascending part of the curve is irregular. 



The intermittent pulse is often observed in animals which are 

 perfectly healthy (slight troubles of heart innervation); it is also 

 found in diseases of the heart and brain ; we have seldom found it 

 in gastric diseases, contrary to what others have advanced; in 

 febrile diseases it is quite frequent, as well as the irregular pulse. 

 The full pulse is observed in cardiac hypertrophy ; the hard pulse 

 in painful diseases (colics, tetanus, etc.). 



The venous pulse is especially a symptom of cardiac weakness 

 (febrile infectious diseases), valvular lesions, acute heart trouble 

 (traumatic myocarditis), etc. ; it results from an abnormal fulness 

 of the right heart. It is ordinarily observed upon the lower part 

 of the jugulars. A slight backward flow of the blood in these 

 veins is observed in the normal condition of a large number of 

 animals ; it does not at all indicate the existence of heart disease. 

 In the ox the venous pulse is very common ; it has been very 

 erroneously looked upon as a sure symptom of traumatic carditis 

 and pericarditis. There is no true venous pulse except when the 

 compressed blood-wave is very visible and ascends quite high in 

 the jugulars. 



Hypertrophy and Dilatation of the Heart. 



If hypertrophy and dilatation of the heart constitute anatomically 

 and clinically two affections, in practice it is very difficult to separ- 



