RUPTURED STOMACH. 
569 
spire in others ; especially as the adoption of the simple 
therapeutic methods sometimes calls for an extra share of 
patience on the part of those who cannot see the value of 
“ doing nothing/’ 
CASE OF RUPTURED STOMACH. 
By Alfred Walker, M.R.C.V.S., Rugby. 
On Wednesday, August 13th, 1856, 1 was called in shortly 
after 6 a.m. to attend a valuable hunter, six years old, the 
property of Mr. Darby, of this town. On the Sunday pre- 
vious he had an ordinary dose of physic (3iv aloes), which 
had acted well, and the bowels had assumed their natural 
condition. On Tuesday night he was fed as usual with corn 
and hay, and appeared in perfect health. During the night 
he ate up all his food, but on the groom going to give him 
his feed of corn of Wednesday morning, he noticed something 
about him which made him suspect he was not u quite right,” 
he therefore sent for me to see him. 
I saw him in an hour after, and found him trembling 
violently ; his whole body bedew 7 ed w'ith perspiration, w 7 hich 
was dropping off him ; pulse 70; a peculiar jerking kind of 
breathing, and increased to 50 per minute ; the head extended, 
and the upper lip frequently curled ; the extremities cold, 
and visible mucous membranes injected; he stood in one 
position, as if afraid to move, and alternately rested his legs. 
I administered a sedative draught, although, from the sudden- 
ness and violence of the attack, I had but little hopes of his 
recovery. I saw him again in an hour after, and found him 
much the same, still exhibiting no inclination to move, and 
the body had become tympanitic. My diagnosis now was, 
that rupture of some of the abdominal viscera had taken place. 
The animal continued much the same until an hour before 
his death, when he evinced symptoms of uneasiness, by 
slightly pawing and moving round his box ; he shortly after 
became insensible, and at 1 o’clock the same day fell down 
and died. 
Post-mortem examination . — On laying open the abdomen, a 
quantity of gas and fluid feculent matter escaped. The 
intestines w r ere laid back to examine the stomach, w hich was 
much distended with food, and on the surface of this organ w 7 as 
xxix. 73 
