OBSCURE ABDOMINAL DISEASE IN HORSES. 25 
The treatment, as I learnt, had hitherto chiefly consisted 
in the administration of “ fever-balls,” and as I only pre- 
scribed for him once, I may not be considered responsible for 
what followed. 1 was obliged to leave home a few hours after my 
seeing him, and my absence extended over several days. My 
assistant, Mr. Lamb, continued to meet the practitioner twice 
a day, but I am sorry to say that their united efforts were 
unavailing to effect a cure, as their patient died on the 
12th, at 3 p.m. 
A post-mortem examination was made, and Mr. Lamb in- 
forms me that the right lung was partially consolidated, and 
the peritoneal covering of the bowels generally inflamed, 
as also was the lining membrane of the bladder ; further that 
the whole of the viscera were somewhat unhealthy in their 
appearance. He was, nevertheless, at a loss to know (in the 
absence of any very severe symptoms during life, and the 
non-appearance of very active disease in his post-mortem inves- 
tigation) what was the real cause of death. 
On the 4th of November, I was again summoned to see 
another brown cart-horse which had become unwell. 
The symptoms in him were those of a general febrile cha- 
racter, but nothing urgent attracted my attention, lie was 
performing his usual work the day before, and his refusal of 
his night feed was the first indication given of ill-health. 
I prescribed the following draught to be given imme- 
diately : 
Sol. Aloe Bbd., f^iv ; 
Liq. Ammon. Acet. cone., f^j. 
Sp. iEth. Nitrici, f^ij. Misce. 
On the following day, my patient was somewhat nauseated 
with the medicine, but he had eaten a little bran-mash with 
oats, and, to use the man’s expression, had “foundered amongst 
the hay.” His pulse was scarcely so full as I found it on my 
first visit, and it numbered 54 in the minute. I was informed 
that he had coughed once or twice, and on that account, 
some of the Ol. Mylabris Cichorii was directed to be 
applied to the throat. I also ordered a vegetable tonic to 
be given. 
I had no reason to apprehend any danger, nor did I think 
otherwise than that my patient would do well. It is scarcely 
necessary for me to enumerate the daily changes which 
occurred. It will be sufficient for me to state that so rapidly 
did the animal become worse, that I at one time entertained no 
hopes of his recovery. During his attack he frequently evinced 
abdominal pain, but the action of the bowels was tolerably 
xxix. 4 
