PRACTICAL THOUGHTS ON PLENALYUS. 
335 
expired. Just as the other horse was in the act of being led 
into the stable from work it fell dead. (I did not know any- 
thing of this horse having been in the yard until after its 
death.) The heifer, as also the rest, were very ill. 
To relieve this distended condition of the rumen I intro- 
duced the trocar, whep. the contents rushed out through the 
canula like a fountain. The extremities were deathly cold, 
the pulse at the tail was scarcely perceptible, all the usual 
signs of speedy dissolution rapidly made their appearance, 
and about eight p.m. she succumbed. The contents of the 
rumen were very fluid, and presented a greasy appearance. 
From the nature of the contents in this case I at once 
abandoned all thought s of rumenotomy in the treatment of 
the other animals, and relied on oleaginous and other purga- 
tives, and abstinence from food and drink. One animal, 
which was in a tolerable condition, was slaughtered. I 
believe we should have saved all the rest had it not been that 
while a draught was being administered to one of the animals 
the head was elevated so much that some of the fluid went 
down the trachea, and symptoms of asphyxia at once became 
apparent ; and although it did not at once terminate fatally, 
yet, combined with the disease, ultimately killed her. Three, 
then, after a great amount of nursing, care, and medicine, 
recovered ; of the other three, one was killed by a butcher, 
another died from the artificial means had recourse to to 
promote health, and the third died bond fide . Throughout 
the disease the alvine evacuations were extremely fetid. 
Cadaveric Lesions. Horses . — The stomach and large in- 
testines were filled to repletion, and two ruptures existed in 
the second horse, one of the stomach, and the other in the 
commencing portion of the colon. In the first horse no 
ruptures existed. The ingesta presented a baked appear- 
ance. The mucous and peritoneal surfaces of both stomach 
and intestines were of a black hue. 
Heifers . — As above stated, the contents of the rumen were 
in a very fluid and fermentative state, and the epithelium could 
easily be removed from the fibrous coat. The omasum, 
abomasum, and large intestines showed signs of active 
inflammation. 
