164 
CALCULOUS AFFECTION. 
of stating this opinion to you, though I can neither support nor con- 
contradict it. 
As it was evident, from the above details, that no incision had 
been made in the neck of the bladder, I was compelled to aban- 
don my hypothesis relative to the existence of a scirrhous tumour, 
and once more fall into uncertainty. 
Wishing to escape from this embarrassing position, and to take 
some decisive step, I successively requested M. Barthelemy, 
senior, and Messrs. Bouley (my father, and my uncle), to assist me 
with their advice. 
M. Barthelemy, sen., who, as I have before stated, knew the 
horse, had the kindness again carefully to examine him. After 
having, through the rectum, explored the bladder and the tumour, 
and seen the animal stale plentifully without apparent difficulty, 
this talented veterinarian was of opinion the tumour could not be 
in the urinary passages, and consequently there was no operation 
to be performed. He simply advised that an endeavour should be 
made to combat the marasmus by good feeding, and that, if that 
proved at all successful, the animal should be moderately worked. 
This advice was instantly acted upon by the owner, who, eight 
days afterwards, again brought the horse to me, stating, that as he 
could get no work out of it, he was resolved to have it destroyed, 
unless I chose to operate upon it, which I eagerly agreed to do for 
the benefit of science. 
Nevertheless, before proceeding to do so, I resolved to make, in 
concert with my father and uncle, another and most careful exa- 
mination of the patient, in order, if possible, to ascertain the actual 
position of the parts, and, above all, the direction of the urethra. 
A considerable quantity of warm water was therefore introduced 
into the urinary conduit and bladder, by means of a syringe in- 
serted at the extremity of the canal of the urethra, and, when the 
parts seemed sufficiently distended, a ligature was passed round 
the penis, in order to retain the fluid. Notwithstanding that one 
of us had taken the precaution to place his right hand in the rec- 
tum during the introduction of the warm water into the bladder, 
it was perfectly impossible to follow the course of the urethra : 
as soon as the fluid reached the ischial curve, that canal suddenly 
disappeared from the eye as well as from the touch. 
Not being able in this manner to arrive at any conclusion, we 
confined ourselves to exploration per rectum, and thus perceived, 
1st, In the fore part of the pelvis, the bladder full to distention, 
protruding forward in its natural position ; 2dly, a little further 
backwards, two prolonged eminences appearing, united in the me- 
dian plane, and then to separate from each other from behind for- 
wards, leaving between them a triangular space ; 3dly and lastly, 
