VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. 
621 
death. The lungs were softer than natural ; the heart was 
very much enlarged ; in fact it was, he believed, the largest 
heart he had ever seen. The outer wall of the heart was very 
thick. The right auricle and right ventricle were both dilated. 
The disease must have existed some time, not less than six 
months at any rate. The change in the condition of the walls 
of the heart was effected very slowly; the lungs were sus- 
ceptible of a more speedy alteration. He considered the 
enlarged state of the heart to be the cause of death. Looking 
at the state of the lungs he should expect that the horse would 
cough when alive, and that he -would be very dull. 
Cross-examined . — Had been in practice eight years, but only 
passed the Veterinary Surgeon’s College last May. Con- 
sidered bleeding a proper mode of treatment for disease of 
the heart. The pulse of the diseased horse was 74 ; the 
ordinary pulse of a horse was 36. A pulse of 74 might 
indicate inflammation. 
lie-examined . — The extremities were of a natural heat, -which 
showed the absence of inflammation. 
Thomas Fletcher , veterinary surgeon, said that on November 
9th, the plaintiff brought him the heart and lungs of a horse. 
Witness examined them. The lungs were very soft, and not 
in a natural state, but he could not say positively whether 
that had not been the effect of their being buried. The heart 
was very large indeed — the result of disease. Believed the 
disease to have been of long standing; from four to six 
months at least must have elapsed, he should say, since its 
commencement. The substance of the right auricle was very 
hard ; the right ventricle was very much dilated, and the wall 
was nearly twice its natural thickness and soft. These were 
all slow processes ; the thickening of the wall would take two 
months at least. The pericardium was very thick, and blood- 
vessels had been formed over it — another result of disease. 
The immediate cause of death was, in his opinion, disease of 
the heart. No treatment could have saved the life of a horse 
in such a state. He believed that bleeding and purging were 
not inappropriate treatment in a case of disease of the heart. 
Cross-examined . — The disease was certainly of long stand- 
ing. Witness was not of very long standing himself ; he 
passed the College last May. There was sufficient evidence 
in the lungs of the existence of disease. Among the symp- 
toms of disease of the heart were a general dulness and fever 
pervading the system and affecting the appetite. Exercise, 
galloping and jumping, would increase the depression of the 
spirits. In a case of disease of the lungs there would be 
generally a running from the nose, and coughing. 
V 
