RUPTURE OF THE DIAPHRAGM AND STOMACH. 249 
RUPTURE OF THE DIAPHRAGM AND STOMACH, 
WITH THORACIC HERNIA. 
By William Perciyall, M.R.C.S. and V.S. 
The present case, though, as is indicated by its heading, 
different in some important respects from the one of Mr. 
Miles 5 , preceding it, yet will it be found to have some points 
of analogy. 
On the 4th of April, 1853, two days before my regiment, 
then under orders, marched to Windsor, a troop-horse, 17 
years old, of strange temper and wilful disposition, was 
brought to me for having hurt himself C( behind/ 5 by falling- 
down in his stall while asleep. I did not, at the time, believe 
this report of his hurt, and for two reasons, one being that 
the lameness in his hind quarters was too great to render it 
likely it had been caused in such manner ; the other, that 
horses that sleep, standing, rarely, if ever, actually fall down, 
but generally catch themselves up in the erect posture again 
the moment they feel their legs failing and bodies sinking. 
Still, there was one thing in the case before us to be taken 
into the account, which was, that this horse had never been 
known to lie down to take his rest. 
When first I saw him run, and even walk, the horse quite 
hobbled with his hind parts, rather dragging his posterior 
extremities after him than using them in action. My opinion 
was, that he had received some injury in the loins; though 
afterwards I was shown a mark of contusion he had upon 
one hip-bone. Being so near the march I could not venture 
on physic, therefore ordered continual fomentation and repose, 
hoping he might, next day or the day after, be well enough 
to be led to Windsor. Next day, however, he was lamer, 
and all prospect of his being able to walk such a distance 
was at an end. It was therefore arranged that he should 
travel by railway. 
On the 7th of April, the day after the march to Windsor, 
I found him in statu quo he was in in London. I ordered 
him now some opening medicine, with the repetition of the 
fomentation, and the addition of stimulating embrocation 
for the parts supposed to be hurt. The physic operated 
freely, and took him off his feed. Under it, gruel was sub- 
stituted as drink for his water. 
On the evening of the day (the 1 1th) on which the physic 
had set in the morning , the old horse was seized with symp- 
toms of “ gripes. 55 I was called at 7 o’clock to him, and 
