188 OPERATION OF ALOES ON THE HORSE. 
returned. The injections were continued at intervals of an 
hour or two, and with each some faeces were expelled, in- 
creasing in quantity, diminishing in density, and the mucus 
that coated it disappearing. 
On examining the faeces, the cause and nature of the 
disease was made clear; as usual, they contained badly 
masticated and undigested food, coarse hay, with long pieces 
of the bottom and hard ends of new w heaten straw — it being 
just after harvest. I pronounced the horse free from danger 
and left him. The next morning be was purging, and being 
kept quiet in his loose box on a well-regulated diet, was in 
perfect health from that time. 
Case 3. — A black entire Roman coach-horse, belonging to 
a Florentine hackneyman — a very bad horsekeeper — became 
the subject of a severe attack of colic. This individual’s 
stables had afforded several such cases from the just-mentioned 
cause. There was in the instance before us much intestinal 
fulness from the coarse, bad hay, bran, straw, and little corn 
given to this overworked animal ; indeed, such were the 
prevalent causes of gripes amongst these animals, but I 
found that a new element had been introduced, and a sour 
glutinous residue of wheat from a starch-factory had been given 
to the poor horse we are speaking of, with certain others. 
The case looked almost hopeless, the abdomen being 
extremely tense and distended, and the paroxysms of pain 
most violent. Six drachms of Cape aloes were at once 
given, and clysters used. The latter acted with exceedingly 
good effect, some offensive faeces being voided with each. 
Shortly, improvement was evident, and in three or four hours 
the colic had subsided, the abdomen feeling relaxed and less 
distended. I ordered the horse to be kept quiet, gave direc- 
tions about food and warm water, informing the people that 
he would purge the next day, and that he would require two 
or three days rest at least. 
I returned to visit my patient next morning; the helper 
told me that the horse was quite well, had fed well, and his 
master had sent him out on a day’s job with a carriage. I 
turned away excessively annoyed, and heard no more till the 
evening, when I was informed that the poor animal had 
returned exhausted after a day’s work, and died a few 
minutes after getting into the stable. The post-mortem exami- 
nation revealed a laceration of the colon, with escape of the 
contents of the intestine into the cavity of the peritoneum. 
The other viscera of the body were healthy, the hollow ones 
being nearly empty, flaccid, and free. 
