RUPTURE OP THE PERICARDIUM IN THE HORSE. 67 
16th, at 9 o’clock, a.m. — The symptoms were exactly the 
same. The groom told me that he had eaten his mash, and 
that, whilst eating, he had staggered sideways, but soon 
recovered and commenced eating again. I thought there was 
no chance of his recovery, and, most probably, that there was 
some rupture and internal haemorrhage in consequence. 
5 o’clock, p.m. — He had not taken any food during the 
day; the pulse was exactly of the same character, beating 
from sixteen to eighteen per minute, the heart pulsating with 
so much force that you could distinctly hear it when you 
stood behind him; extremities cold; breathing heavy, but not 
quick ; occasionally he gave a deep sigh, which strengthened 
my former opinion ; he had been lying down, but had shown 
no symptom of pain. He died about 8 o’clock the same 
evening, whilst hand-rubbing his legs, without a struggle. 
Post-mortem, examination . — On laying open the abdomen I 
found the abdominal viscera in no way diseased. After 
removing the bowels 1 was very careful in opening the left 
side of the chest, when, to my surprise, I saw the apex of th<5 
heart protruding through a rupture of the pericardium. 
There was very little fluid in the thoracic cavity; the lungs 
were very much congested; the heart appeared unusually 
large ; the pericardium was ruptured for about eight inches 
longitudinally, from which the apex of the heart was visible; 
the interior of the pericardium was covered with lymph, in 
places to a great extent ; and one side of the rupture was very 
thin, the other very much thickened. 
Thinking rupture of the pericardium of rare occurrence, I 
have sent you the particulars of this case. 
I am, Sir, 
Yours respectfully. 
Wakefield, Dec. 19, 1853. 
*** We know but of two cases of this extraordinary 
lesion, and one of them occurred in the ox. The one in the 
horse happened in a case of tetanus under the care of 
Mr. Marshall, V.S., York. Mr. Marshall was summoned 
at 4 o’clock in the morning of the 17th August, 1838, to see 
a horse, nearly thorough- bred, said to have cr the belly-ache.” 
“ The case was plain enough : I found all the symptoms of 
tetanus developed.” The horse continued during the day, in 
spite of treatment, “to get worse.” And, on going into his 
stable at 6 o’clock, p.m., “I heard a thumping noise , as if 
it proceeded from the box at the further end of the stall 
in which he was, which turned out to be the case : the noise 
