LACERATION OF THE COLON. 
145 
I gave her a ball composed of aloes 3ix, zingiber 3ij, and or- 
dered that she should have nothing but tepid water for a few 
hours, and which she refused. 
I visited her at four o’clock in the afternoon, and found her 
about the same. I ordered that sufficient water, mashes of bran, 
and hay, should be offered to her, and I did not hesitate on leaving 
her for the night. 
On the morning of the 19th I found her worse, the spasms in- 
creasing, and was informed that she had taken neither food nor 
water from the time I last saw her ; and as the ball given to her 
was made up hy an apothecary, it was doubtful whether the aloes 
were sufficiently powdered, and, not operating, I abstracted 10 lbs. 
of blood, and gave a bottle of ol. lini, and tinct. opii Jjss along 
with it. 
I then had her well wisped and clothed — gave her repeated 
clysters and gruel, which she at times took, and appeared to 
be relieved from the severe pain so much as to void a little hard 
dung, and she ejected her urine freely. The medicine not ope- 
rating, I gave aloes sol. 3hj, and had her taken out and walked 
for a few minutes. 
At three o’clock, afternoon, I found her about the same, except 
that the pulse was small, and about 65 : the clyster was repeated, 
which brought off a small quantity of feces, and, afterwards, 
symptoms of medicine operating, and the urine freely ejected. 
I then left her in charge of the servant, instructing him, in 
case of her getting worse, to put her into an empty house, no loose 
box being here : this was done. 
On the morning of the 20th, I found her frothing at the mouth, 
the eyes staring, and she was staggering about the house. She 
put her mouth to her right side, pulling at the skin several times, 
and then instantly expired. 
On opening the abdomen in the ordinary way, I discovered the 
viscera in the different regions coated with fecal matter ; and, on 
pulling the colon to the left side, I readily perceived one of its 
flexures lacerated to the extent of seven or eight inches, contigu- 
ous to the right flank. Around the orifice it was in a gan- 
grenous state, and, between it and the flank there was a large col- 
lection of dark-coloured fluid, having a strong foetid smell : the 
remainder of the viscera had suffered little injury. 
I have narrated the present case not with a view that such will 
soon find a remedy, but w 7 ith reference to shew how the symptoms 
of internal accident and disease impose upon the veterinary sur- 
geon, and the urgent necessity there exists for him to be cautious 
in his opinion in doubtful cases, however close the symptoms may 
resemble each other, fn this case there were suspicions of the 
VOL. XIX. X 
