494 CASES OF IRREGULAR STRANGLES. 
14th. — Sublingual glands again pointing, and were opened. 
Pectoral and parotideal swellings have greatly subsided, but 
pus comes freely from incisions made on the 12th. The 
mare cannot feed in consequence of becoming choked when 
attempting to swallow ; the food when chewed and passed 
into the pharynx returns through the nose, and is ejected 
with large quantities of frothy mucus ; there is also some 
difficulty in breathing. Fomentations continued ; head to be 
steamed frequently. 
15th. — Pectoral and parotideal swellings subsiding, pus 
comes freely from the incisions. There is increased difficulty 
of breathing. Treatment continued. 
16th. — Every thing looks well, except the breathing; this 
has become painfully difficult ; the mare has evidently an 
appetite which she cannot gratify. 
7 p. m. — A loud noise accompanying inspiration and 
expiration can be plainly heard at 30 yards’ distance. A 
continuous and sometimes large stream of frothy mucus 
comes from the nostrils ; the head is extended, and the hot 
steam seems grateful. The hand introduced into the pharynx 
can plainly detect that something projects upon, and 
diminishes the cavity from behind ; the laryngeal arytaenoid 
cartilages, and to a less extent the whole larynx, are evidently 
pressed forward and downward in consequence; externally, 
nothing can be detected amiss. An abscess is probably 
forming in the posterior pharyngeal wall, or Eustachian sac ; 
still no place can be found where it would be advisable to 
make an incision sufficiently deep to evacuate the matter. 
Very hot water cloths to be applied to both parotideal regions ; 
head and nostrils to be steamed. 
17th. — This morning she got down, and roared so loudly 
in breathing, that a sentinel on duty forty yards off could 
hear the noise. 
External examination cannot detect any swelling projecting 
outwardly ; it seems apparently easy to produce suffocation 
by pressing the larynx from below upwards. Severe parox- 
ysms of oppressive dyspnoea come on when attempts are made 
to pass the hand into the pharynx, so that internal inspec- 
tion was not accomplished. 
As the suffering was so extreme, as suffocation might 
result from allowing things to remain as they were, and as 
no sign was present to indicate that the abscess (if such 
existed) was ready to burst, I decided to open the windpipe. 
An incision commencing six inches below the larynx was 
extended for four inches along the anterior median line of the 
throat, and carried sufficiently deep to reach the trachea. 
