640 
PERICARDITIS IN CATTLE. 
loss of appetite, and leucorrhoea. The animal lingered for 
about four weeks more, the symptoms remaining nearly the 
same as when I first examined her, with the exception of in- 
creased emaciation. 
The post-mortem revealed anaemia, the tissues being ex- 
ceedingly pale and sodden, the blood in the vessels scanty 
and pale, and scarcely staining the fingers. The abdominal 
viscera were healthy, with the exception of the liver, which was 
congested. The gall-bladder was distended with dirty, lemon- 
coloured bile of thin consistence, and seemingly containing 
a large amount of mucus. On opening the cavity of the 
thorax, the pericardium was seen distended to an enormous 
extent, filling the floor of the cavity, and adherent to the 
sternum and pleura costalis by a thick layer of exuded 
lymph, this having no appearance of organization, but seem- 
ingly consisting of a shapeless basis-substance, easily sepa- 
rated from the parts it was in contact with. The cavity of 
the pericardium contained, at its inferior part, about two 
pints of a whey-like, fetid fluid. With the exception of that 
part which contained this fluid, the cavity was obliterated 
by exudation, matter about two inches in thickness sur- 
rounding and glueing together the visceral and parietal 
surfaces of the pericardium. The heart itself was flabby, 
pale, and its cavities contained a small amount of blood, of 
the same thin consistence as that in other parts of the body. 
The endocardium was healthy. The lungs presented no ap- 
pearance of disease ; they were pale, excepting in the parts 
lying undermost after death. The pleurae, excepting where 
they were involved in the pericardiac disease, presented no 
abnormal appearance. The thoracic and abdominal cavities 
contained a little fluid. 
Reflecting on the appearance presented by the pericar- 
dium, by its being adherent through the accompanying pleu- 
ritis to the walls of the thorax and sternum, and by the heart 
itself being thus in a manner bound down and fastened, 
by a thick layer of plastic and elastic material existing be- 
tween it and the ribs, 1 was satisfied that the absence of the 
sounds of impulse was due to these pathological changes, and 
not, as I had foolishly supposed, to general debility. But 
before giving publicity to this opinion, I thought it better to 
wait for more proof. 
September 4th, 1857- I was called to attend a cow, the 
property of W. Gregg, Esq., Syntroll, Mold. I had at- 
tended her in May previous, for “ retention of the foetal 
membranes. 5 ’ She seemed to be very languid and depressed 
for some days before and after the removal of these; but as 
