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CASES OF PROLAPSUS ANI. 
By A. J. Owles, V.S., Carabineers. 
Scutari Barracks ; December Wth, 1855. 
Gentlemen, — A precedent will often induce young practi- 
tioners to act with more confidence in rare and doubtful cases 
than they otherwise would do ; and, probably, had it not been 
for a case published some time ago by the late Mr. Dycer, of 
Dublin, I should have hesitated before operating with the 
knife for “ Prolapsus Ani.” As all may not have seen cases 
such as these, I send a very short account of two; one of 
which was successfully treated by excising the protruding 
portion of the gut ; and if you consider them to be sufficiently 
interesting for the readers of the Veterinarian , they are very 
much at your service. I may as well inform you that we 
had a great number of cases of intestinal irritation, while at 
Eupatoria, caused by the horses swallowing a large quantity 
of sand ; and to this cause I attribute the straining which led 
to the prolapsus. 
I am, 
Yours obediently. 
To the Editors of the e Veterinarian? 
Case I. — Prolapsus Ani. 
November 14th, 1855. — Early this morning, the subject of 
the above affection, a brown gelding, 8 years old, was dis- 
covered w 7 ith a portion of the rectum inverted, and projecting 
from the anus to a considerable extent. He strained occa- 
sionally, but in the intervals appeared to be tolerably free 
from pain. The inverted gut was swollen, and also hard 
and cold to the feel. It was likewise torn slightly in tw 7 o 
places. I despaired of being able to reduce the hernia with a 
fair probability of any good resulting, both from the condition 
of the protruding viscus, and from the great irritability of 
the intestines which was present, caused by the existence 
of sand w 7 ithin them. I, however, made the attempt, having 
been advised so to do. The intestine was first scarified 
slightly, to relieve the congested vessels, and afterwards 
fomented continuously for nearly three hours. By these 
means, both the swelling and hardness were somewhat re- 
lieved, but w 7 hen the least effort was made to return the gut, 
the horse groaned with pain, and strained violently against 
our attempts. Finding it useless to persevere in these 
