MELiENA IN COWS. 
381 
the nature of the disease, or the kind of foot operated upon ; 
nor was any advice given as to what course the owner should 
take with respect to them afterwards, that very many lost 
their hoofs consequent upon the operation. 
Please accept my kind regards, 
And believe me to remain, yours truly. 
p.s. You are at liberty to make what use of this you think 
proper. 
CASES OF MELiENA IN COWS. 
By “ Caustic.” 
Allow me to direct the attention of your readers to a 
disease affecting cattle, which, so far as I am aware of, has 
not even been alluded to in works on cattle pathology. Judg- 
ing from my own experience, it is not one of an occurrence 
so rare, nor can it be so nearly allied to other diseases in its 
character, as to have escaped observation ; neither can it be 
considered so slight an affection as not to be worthy of a 
place in our nosology. I allude to that peculiar kind of 
abdominal hemorrhage termed by medical practitioners 
melaena or enterorrhoea. It will answer my present purpose if 
1 describe melaena as an hemorrhagic disease of the true 
stomach and intestines, accompanied or not by the vomiting 
of a dark brown or black grumous fluid mixed with blood ; 
or a discharge of the same per rectum. This definition, coupled 
with the cases I intend hereafter to describe, will, I trust, be 
found sufficient to make myself understood, and to draw the 
attention of my brother practitioners to this important disease. 
And may I further express a hope, that through the Veterinarian 
the profession may receive much valuable information from 
those older, more experienced, and altogether better qualified 
to instruct than the humble individual who now’ has the 
honour to address you. 
Case 1. — I was requested to attend a cow r that had calved 
about three weeks. She had lived upon grass previous to the 
time of calving, was in fair condition, and quite well the pre- 
vious evening. The following morning she gave but little 
milk, and was purging. Upon my arrival, I found she had 
an exceedingly anxious countenance ; the ears and horns were 
cold ; the heart could be heard beating several yards off ; the 
pulse at the jaw was exceedingly weak, numbering in the 
xxix. 49 
