50 EXTENSIVE INJURY TO A COW SCIENTIFICALLY TREATED. 
the first purgation he had had. This evidently afforded him great 
relief ; for immediately afterwards he took to feeding. At nine 
o’clock P.M., however, he was again lying down, and, to appear- 
ances, had become as uneasy as before, with a pulse strongly beat- 
ing, though no more than 50. Let him lose ifoviij of blood, and 
have a blister put upon his belly. The blood-letting relieved 
him, and (about ten o’clock P.M.) we left him for the night. 
Further detail is unnecessary. In the end the horse recovered 
from the effects of the castor oil ; but they were such as to deter 
me from giving it remedially. Indeed, it is this case that induces 
me to believe that the fatal consequences occasioned by the exhi- 
bition of sulphate of soda and castor oil together are principally 
— entirely, perhaps — to be ascribed to the castor oil. 
AN ACCOUNT OF AN EXTENSIVE INJURY TO 
A COW. 
By Mr. J. YOUNGHUSBAND, Grey stoke. 
In July, 1844, I was called rather hastily to a cow, the property 
of my farmer, who, through the heat of the weather and the 
stinging of flies, had run forcibly against the catch of the yard 
gate-post, and effected as extensive a wound of the right side 
of the skin, muscles, and ribs as I ever saw. In length it mea- 
sured about fourteen inches. One of the anterior ribs was frac- 
tured, along with which were ruptured two of the pleurae costales, 
so that at each act of inspiration and expiration the lung was 
seen performing its office. Likewise two of the last posterior ribs 
were completely shattered, and a wound made both through the 
external and internal oblique muscles, so that I could with ease 
introduce my clenched hand. The contents of the abdomen were 
partly to be seen. 
As the cow appeared to be suffering most acutely from the in- 
halation of atmospheric air through the wound in the thorax, and, 
at each act of inspiration seemed to be ready to fall, my first pro- 
cedure was to close up the wound in the thorax, so as to ex- 
clude the introduction of air into that cavity. Not having any 
metallic sutures, I procured from the house six large stocking- 
needles, which I introduced deeply through the skin and muscles, 
and, by using the twisted suture, with some difficulty brought the di- 
vided parts into contact. After this, I stitched the parts as closely 
as possible, thereby excluding every particle of air from pcrforat- 
