71 
RUPTURED STOMACH. 
By John Younghusband, V.S., Greystoke. 
“ The struggle after knowledge is full of delight : it renews and invigorates 
the faculties of the mind.” 
In one of my wandering explorations through the volumes of 
The Veterinarian, looking over the opinions and experience 
of those men from whose genius and science I have received 
much and valuable information, my attention was arrested by an 
account headed, “ Pleuro-pneumonia and Ruptured Stomach,” by 
that indefatigable veterinarian, Mr. Cartwright, in which he has 
given the opinions of some talented veterinarians as to the 
occasional occurrence of vomition in this disease of the stomach. 
Myself having had only a slight opportunity of viewing this 
occurrence, I do not think myself justified in giving an opinion. 
Nevertheless, 1 will shortly relate two cases in which, after 
death, that viscus was found to be ruptured ; in one of which 
cases the act of vomition was clearly shewn, though, in the other, 
the symptoms did not indicate the disease. 
February 18, 1849, I was called to attend a black mare, of 
the strong cart breed, who, six months gone in foal, had been 
regularly fed and worked the day before ; — had been done up in 
the evening the usual way; — had had no extraordinary feed given 
her ; — and was left for the night. On visiting her again in the 
morning, she was found to be unwell. From the supposition 
that it was a case of " gripes,” it was treated by the owner for 
that complaint. Relief not being obtained, I was called in. On 
arriving at the place, and approaching the mare for examination, 
I was surprised to find the rack, manger, and all other parts, 
nearly void of any thing in the shape of food. From this 
observation, I asked if they had removed all away. The reply 
was, that she had not only eaten her night’s ration, but likewise 
all her litter. After this explanation, and from the appearance 
of the mare, I gave it as my opinion that it was a case of indi- 
gestion from an overloaded stomach. For this she had the 
usual treatment. She obtained no relief — grew rapidly worse. 
From a slight cringing, or perhaps a kind of kneeling down, of 
the fore parts, she reversed the symptoms, and began to sit 
upon her haunches, in which position she would remain a con- 
siderable length of time, shewing symptoms of the most acute 
pain. Again rising up, she would distinctly exhibit the act of 
vomition, and a painful act it was to appearance. At times 
she discharged from her nostrils a quantity of fluid of a dark 
