CALCULUS CAUSING RUPTURE OP THE RECTUM. 9 
been relittered on the removal of the excrement in the earlier 
part of the morning. 
The horse was used in a light town cart, and I was assured 
by the carman that the animal had drank a pailful of water, 
and ate all his feed, given at seven o’clock. He had, indeed, 
always been a voracious feeder. On passing my hand up 
the rectum I was unable to reach any fseces. (Perhaps I 
ought to note distinctly that I passed my hand up only as 
far as the wrist.) I was informed that the horse had made 
two or three attempts to stale, but only a small quantity of 
urine was voided at each time. Since as yet there had not 
been any violent paroxysm, I looked upon it as a case of 
intestinal obstruction, and administered a dose of chloride of 
mercury, combined with an antispasmodic, and requested 
that if there were no amendment visible in the course of half 
an hour, the horse might be led to my stable, a distance of a 
quarter of a mile, thinking that the walk might prove beneficial 
to him rather than otherwise. About ten o’clock the animal 
was brought, and was in much the same state as when I first 
saw him. No faeces had been passed, and he had lain down 
but once since the ball was given, and that for a few minutes 
only. He did not roll, and when he rose up he was brought 
directly to me. The symptoms before enumerated continuing 
the same, the state of the pulse attracted most of my attention. 
I gave as a draught a diffusible stimulant with a diaphoretic, 
consisting of 
Spts. JEth-. Nit. 
Liq. Ammon. Acet. aa ^iiss. 
Ordered him to be quietly led home again, and warmly 
clothed immediately on his arrival there. 
On visiting my patient about an hour after this, 1 found 
him standing in the same position as when I first saw him ; 
the surface of the body quite warm, the legs and ears warmer ; 
still pulseless at the jaw, and the heart beating very feebly. 
The most marked symptom now was a peculiar motion of the 
lower jaw and tongue, which was accompanied with a strange 
sucking kind of sound, caused by the movements of the 
tongue. The lower jaw was drawn sideways to the 
off-side, and spasmodically retained in that position for a 
short time ; the mouth being open, the tongue was seen in 
constant motion, rubbing against the inner surface of the 
molars, thus causing the sound before mentioned. Occa- 
sionally it was protruded on the near side, and after a 
short interval, the lower jaw was drawn to the same side 
of the head, and this alternate action repeated. There 
was no pawing, nor any desire manifested to lie down. 
xxx. 2 
