440 
ON THE CHOKING OF CATTLE. 
the quickened breathing had begun from that time. I was now 
convinced that my surmise was correct, and having some strong 
liquid blister with me, I applied a smart dressing of it along the 
whole length of the lower part of the neck in the line of the tra- 
chea on each side, rubbing it severely in for ten or fifteen minutes. 
It rose almost immediately, and, in a very short time thereafter the 
animal took a full drink of water, and began to eat. The irritation 
produced by the blister was severe, and gave her a good deal of 
external pain, but she had no other unfavourable symptom. The 
breathing became gradually moderated, she purged freety, and in 
ten days or a fortnight was quite well, with the exception of the 
emphysema, which was several weeks before it disappeared from 
her back. 
Case II. — August 13, 1846. I was called to the farm of 
K , distant about nine miles, to see a two-year old quey, 
affected with hsematuria, or bloody urine. She had been going in 
a park when the owner observed her ill, and it was not known how 
long the disease had continued. She was considerably reduced, 
both in condition and strength, and the discharge from her bowels 
was black, foetid, and of very bad appearance. I advised that she 
should get an ordinary dose of physic, followed by stimulating 
medicines and restorative treatment, and left her, the owner pro- 
mising to send me word in a day or two how she was. Next 
morning I received a note from him informing me that the quey 
had got her medicine as directed, one of the men on the farm having 
administered it, and that in less than half-an-hour she was found 
dead. Although I considered the case far from being a hopeful 
one at first, I was by no means prepared for such a sudden ter- 
mination to it. I therefore went in the evening, and made a post- 
mortem examination ; and, in addition to the appearances of the 
original disease, I found in the air-passages of the lungs a con- 
siderable quantity of the medicine given, which was easily iden- 
tified by the sight and taste. It had been given in oatmeal gruel, 
which there was no danger of mistaking for any natural or dis- 
eased secretion that may be in the lungs. It had also been 
mixed with strong home-pounded ginger, the particles of which 
were not very minute, so that small hard bits of it could be got 
sticking in the smaller bronchi, and which, on being chewed, told 
sharply what they were, and whence derived. I was in no hesita- 
tion to say that the sudden death of the quey was due to a portion 
of the medicine having found its way into the larynx, and thence 
down the trachea to the lungs, producing asphyxia and death ; of 
course, with more speed and certainty from the animal being pre- 
viously weakened by disease. 
Case III. — October 9. A cow, six years old, at J , affected 
