RUPTURE OF THE AORTA IN A HORSE. 373 
years old, 16 hands high, in good condition, and, to all appearance, 
perfectly sound. 
On the morning of the 2d instant a groom led him and another 
horse, whilst riding a third, to Mr. E.’s, a distance of four miles. 
During the journey thither he was sometimes walked and at others 
trotted, and on arriving there he sweated a little. He continued 
in the stable the whole of the day, was put into a separate stall, 
and had every care taken of him. Between eight and nine at night 
he was supped up with the other horses, and then seemed perfectly 
well, and was left eating. 
Some cold water was brought to him when he was supped up, 
but of which he drank but little. From this time he was left for 
the night, without being seen again. Between four and five o’clock 
the next morning the servant men were in attendance upon the cart 
horses, and, to their great surprise, found this horse dead behind 
them. It is highly probable, previous to death taking place, that 
he had been violently struggling and staggering about, as a bar 
that separated the stall from the other horses and the greater part 
of the stall itself were forced down, and the head collar was also 
off his head. None of the other horses were in the least injured. 
Examination . — The mucous membrane of the small intestines 
was a good deal inflamed. The stomach was moderately filled with 
food, and was perfectly healthy ; and it was very evident that, at 
the time of death, digestion was going on in a natural state. 
There were no bots in the stomach, or at the entrance into the duo- 
denum. 
I next laid open the thorax, and found the lungs highly con- 
gested ; the trachea was also violently inflamed inside. 
I was very much struck with the size and appearance of the pe- 
ricardium, which was considerably larger than usual, and of a dark 
blue colour. I immediately laid it open, and found that it contained 
about two quarts of bloody serum and dark coagulated blood, in 
about equal proportions. There was none of the buffy coat inter- 
mixed with it. It was now very evident that a rupture of some 
bloodvessel had taken place within the pericardial sac, and on re- 
moving the blood it was seen whence it proceeded, as there were 
stringy portions of the coagulated parts hanging out from a ca- 
vity leading towards the origin of the aorta, and close up to the 
heart. I introduced my finger therein, which went directly into the 
aorta. On opening it, I was surprised in scarcely finding a vestige 
of disease in its coats : its inner membrane was beautifully smooth, 
and of a natural colour, and the whole of its substance was not at 
all thickened ; in short, there was nothing more than an opening 
into it that one could just pass one’s finger through, and which was 
