70 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGICAL PATHOLOGY. 
mouth and nose generally, was slightly changed from its bright 
red colour to that of modena. On collation of all these circum- 
stances, we were led to suppose that it might have been possible 
that she had been choked from accidental impaction of the ante- 
rior aperture of the larynx by a portion of her food of the previous 
evening ; and, accordingly, the entire structure of the mouth, 
pharynx, and larynx were carefully removed. On exposing the 
laryngeal apparatus, by division of the upper wall of the pharynx, 
no such impaction, however, was seen, but the immediate cause of 
death was at once exposed in the impervious state of the chink of 
the windpipe, from the extensive oedema of the aryteno-epiglot- 
tidean folds. These were swollen to such an extent, that they 
completely overlapped each other, forming a most perfect valvular 
mechanism. Their surface was smooth, glistening, and transparent, 
with here and there a few asteroid vascular spots ; and, on water 
being allowed to subside on them, not a drop was found to pass 
between their edges into the cavity of the larynx. On punc- 
turing them, a considerable quantity of pure serum exuded from 
the apertures, which, after a little time, emptied the folds so much 
as to cause them to be thrown into a corrugated state. The 
mucous membrane anterior to the folds was comparatively healthy, 
being only changed slightly in its colour ; and beneath them, the 
membrane of the ventricle of the larynx had, at its upper part, 
somewhat the appearance of inflammatory infarction of its vessels, 
though from the oedematous state above this was less shewn. It 
was, therefore, a most distinct and perfect case of sudden tume- 
faction of the loose cellular tissue of these folds of mucous mem- 
brane, and closing so perfectly the anterior opening of the windpipe 
as to cause cessation of respiration, asphyxia, and all its sequences 
on the heart and nervous systems. 
What could have been the cause of this disease is difficult to 
say. The animal had previously been in the best state of health ; 
she was most carefully attended to, both in regard to diet, 
cleanliness, and ventilation ; and the only cause that we had to 
attribute was that she might have by an accidentally hurried 
and deep inspiration during her rapid feeding, and when in the act 
of swallowing, carried some of the light particles of saw-dust into 
the larynx, which, at first, producing severe spasmodic coughing, 
had become discharged, though the irritation induced by their pre- 
sence had been sufficient to give rise to the perilous tumefaction 
above described. Every search was made in the larynx, trachea, 
and its ramifications, but none of these particles could be found. 
It was probable, however, that their presence in the larynx was 
very short, and that they had been ejected after a few severe fits 
of coughing, which could easily be done from their small size and 
