274 
CASE OF MELANOSIS IN THE HORSE. 
By C. W. Moore, Assistant to R. Rolfe, V.S., 
Harleston. 
The following case of melanotic depositions, affecting the 
thorax in particular, came under my notice in the month of 
January, 1856. 
The animal was a grey mare, twenty years old, the property 
of George Cathew, Esq., of this place. She had been several 
times, during the last few years, the subject of an attack of 
oedema, commonly called farcy, in one hind limb, and as 
there were some hard substances situated over the parotid 
glands, it was thought that these had formed as a sequela of 
these attacks. The last time she was taken with farcy in the 
off hind leg. It subsided after the usual course of treatment 
had been adopted, but a large tumour was left situated on the 
top of the scapula. It was about the size of a child’s head, 
but not painful when pressure was applied to it, nor was she 
lame when trotted. The groom told me that therelwas, every 
morning, perspiration perceptible on the near side, over the 
ribs and shoulder, which extended up to the tumour. I 
thought there might probably be similar tumours within the 
chest, and I informed the owner that the animal might live 
some little time, but I feared it would not be long, as I had 
suspicion of some thoracic disease ; there being present a 
quickened pulse, and a short cough ; but the breathing was 
not accelerated, and she was not off her feed, while she did 
her work as usual. I promiscuously called and looked at her 
about a fortnight after, when she was standing up feeding, 
and appeared as well as usual. A few hours after this the 
man came to tell me the mare had fallen down, stretched her 
head and legs out, and died without a struggle. She had gone 
a short journey of eight miles, drawing a phaeton, two days 
before this. 
Post-mortem examination . — The viscera of the abdominal 
cavity were quite healthy, with the exception of slight venous 
congestion ; but the thorax, as I expected, was the seat of 
disease. There were at least three pailfuls of water in the 
chest ; the diaphragm, pericardium, and pleura costalis were 
covered with melanotic deposits or tumours varying in size 
from a nutmeg to a large orange. The diaphragm was 
thickened, the pericardium ruptured in several places, and 
the heart so diseased that I could with ease pass my finger 
through its walls. The right ventricle was filled with coagu- 
