ILL-CONSEQUENCES OF BLOODLETTING. 191 
vesting membrane (whether pyogenic or not) goes on 
increasing in capacity, by throwing from its internal surface 
additional matter to distend its own tunics, which gradual 
enlargement comes at last to interfere, by its presence, with 
the duties and vital integrity of contiguous organs ; inducing 
as a concomitant of the existence and collateral manifestation 
of a tubercular diathesis, phthisis of the animal organism. 
Leaving your readers to deduce from these imperfect 
remarks upon an interesting case, such theories as they 
consider tenable, such derivable facts as are confirmative of 
existing principles, and then calmly to lay aside the rest, 
I remain, &c. 
Ashbourne; Feb. 21, 1853. 
OCCASIONAL ILL-CONSEQUENCES OF THE OPERATION 
OF BLOODLETTING. 
By John Brown, M.R.C.V.S., Whitefriars, London. 
Sir, — If you should deem the following worthy of a 
place in your valuable periodical, you are quite welcome to 
insert it. It is from an ardent and sincere desire for the 
advancement of our profession that I think it a duty and a 
privilege incumbent on me, to do all in my power to add 
something to the general fund of Veterinary knowledge ; for as 
with nations as well as smaller communities, what is it which 
constitutes its true greatness? Not its buildings, however 
great and magnificent ; but its individual members — each of 
whom may strengthen, while each may weaken. 
The few remarks I have to make are on the occasional 
ill-consequence of Venesection, called Phlebitis or “ In- 
flammation of the vein/ 5 When I first began practice, I 
had a great many bad cases of “ Inflamed veins, 5 ’ after bleed- 
ing, which I could not at first find out the cause of. I had 
always strictly adhered to the advice both of Blaine and 
Coleman. 
The first, at page 6 13 of the 4th edition of the c Outlines 
of the Veterinary Art, 5 directs, after the pin has been intro- 
duced, “ to wrap a few hairs or a little tow ; but observe that 
it be lightly wrapped, otherwise it may strangulate the part, 
and produce festering instead of healing at once by the 
adhesive process. 55 The latter, in his 4 Lectures, 5 used to 
