RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH. 
247 
and ears warm ; refuses all food or drink. Opiate draught 
every two hours; raked, and gave a purgative and opiate 
enema. Found no faeces in the rectum. Stimulant embro- 
cation to abdomen. 
Continued throughout the day in the same state. 
Eleven , p. m. — Rather more tranquil. Owner very anxious to 
drench him with gruel, fearing he would sink from inanition ; 
but, as I had noticed the pains became more acute immediately 
after his draught, and felt assured, from the strength and agi- 
lity with which he arose, when called on, that there was little 
debility, I forbad them giving anything but in my presence. 
Wednesday , 30th , 8, a . m. — Passed a very uneasy night ; and 
as there were no signs of the physic operating, I now became 
uneasy about him, and told the owner I suspected strangula- 
tion of some part of the ilium. Pulse 45, weak but distinct, 
without any wiryness or tremulousness about it ; legs, ears, and 
skin of body comfortably warm. 
Repeated the opiate draughts, laxative and opiate injec- 
tions, and applied a powerful liniment to the abdomen. 
Two , p. m. — Passed some small dung-balls, covered wdth a 
thick, slimy pellicle. Remission of pain succeeded ; he ap- 
peared quite strong and lively, and looked about for food and 
drink. I began to hope the physic was operating, and all 
would yet be right. Pulse 50, and stronger, which I attri- 
buted to the irritation of the liniment. The owner gave him 
several horns-ful of gruel. 
Six,p,m. — Symptoms returned. I now learnt, for the first 
time, that he had been seen sitting upon his haunches several 
times. I immediately conjectured there might be rupture of 
the diaphragm or stomach, or hernia. I closely questioned 
owner and men, and at length elicited, as a matter not worth 
mentioning , that on the Sunday morning (it being a very cold 
morning), the man who watered him, “warmed the water in 
his belly ” Anglice, gave him a brushing gallop. While 
talking, the patient arose, stretched out his fore legs, and 
squatted upon his quarters, like some heraldic nondescript. 
But there was no cold sweat, no tremors, or convulsive 
movements of the tail ; no attempts at vomition, nor ejection 
of fluid from the nostrils ; no tympanitis ; no tenderness of 
side on pressure ; no roaching of back, nor stretching in stall, 
nor recurvation of the neck ; no groaning, nor violent agony ; 
and the pulse throughout distinct ! Being well aware how T 
little dependence can be placed on any diagnosis founded on 
particular attitudes, or modes of expressing pain, I deter- 
mined (unless some other ill-boding token assured me of the 
uselessness of continuing my labours) to persevere in my 
treatment; warning the owner that, from the long continu- 
