250 
FATAL CASES OF DISEASE. 
adjacent to the umbilicus. The foal had been unwell from 
its birth. 
Case TIL “Wood Evil.” — June 21st, 1855. — A cart foal, 
three weeks old, was observed to be lame yesterday. To-day 
there is a slight swelling on the inside of the near stifle joint. 
23d. — The off hock and near stifle joint are much swollen; 
the pulse is quick, the breathing laboured, he looks thin, and 
sucks but little. The case was treated throughout as cir- 
cumstances demanded. 
24th. — The swelling has extended from the stifle to the 
anus ; the hock is more enlarged, the animal cannot walk, or 
get up when down, he will not suck at all, and the pulse 
and respiration are very quick. 
25th. — The pulse and respiration continue accelerated ; 
both the thighs are swollen from the hocks to the anus and 
hips; the colt protrudes his nose, and saliva flows from the 
mouth ; a discharge of mucus mixed with blood takes place 
from both nostrils ; he cannot swallow ; and the throat is 
swollen externally. 
26th.~ The animal died. 
Post-mortem appearances. — The cellular membrane covering 
the hocks, the ligaments and bones of the hocks, black and 
gangrenous ; the cellular membrane and muscles of the 
thighs mortified ; a quantity of sero-purulent matter between 
the gracilis and vastus internus muscles, and between the 
latter muscle and tibia, to which bone it was closely adherent ; 
a large quantity of thickened synovia, mixed with pus, in the 
stifle joints ; the ligaments and bones of these joints in a 
state approaching putrefaction ; air-passages inflamed, and 
contained frothy extravasated blood ; lungs congested. 
p.s. — The most remarkable feature in this case was the 
affection of the air-passages and lungs. These diseases of the 
joints and synovial membranes, and which sometimes involve 
the muscles, of sucking colts, are termed by country people, 
“ Wood Evil.” 
Case IV. Highly diseased Liver and Spleen. — July 
4th, 1855. — Attended a cart-mare, 7 years old, having laryn- 
gitis and an abscess under the jaw. The abscess broke in a 
few days, and the mare went on afterwards apparently favor- 
ably (although she had been broken-winded for two years,) 
till the middle of August, when she was put to work for a 
day or two, which quite exhausted her. I was then requested 
to see her again, when I found a hard pulse beating 70 in 
the minute ; the breathing quick, and peculiarly short ; she 
