ON THE CHOKING OF CATTLE. 
451 
was the fear of the supervening inflammatory attack that induced 
me to bleed in this case ; but the consequences were such, that I 
should hardly feel myself justified in doing it again under similar 
circumstances; for I think there is no doubt, that in the com- 
mencement of such a case, the most vigorous stimulant treatment 
might be had recourse to with advantage, leaving the antiphlo- 
gistic measures to the fuller development of the inflammatory 
stage. Be this as it may, the fact was, that the animal, which was 
nine or ten months old, and perhaps nearly twenty stones weight, 
fainted without recovery, after the loss of less than an imperial 
pint of blood, a quantity which would not have affected a calf of 
three weeks old. And the evident conclusion from this, I think, 
is, that some pre-existing tendency to fainting had been established 
in the vascular system previous to the operation. I regretted much 
that, owing to the circumstances under which I had to make the 
post-mortem examination, it was not in my power to dissect the 
arterial system of the brain and spinal cord with sufficient care to 
ascertain whether there were air-globules in them or not. 
A third set of symptoms liable to arise from attempts at choking 
with fluids, and one less likely to be connected with the true cause 
than either of the above, is emphysema of the sub-cutaneous cel- 
lular tissue, shewing itself by the skin over the entire upper part 
of the body and neck being puffed up like a bladder. This occurred 
in two of the cases I have reported, Nos. 1 and 3 — in the latter to 
a very alarming extent ; and I have no doubt arose from a rupture 
of some part of the bronchial ramifications, at the instant when the 
animal made a powerful expiratory effort to relieve itself. Such 
an accident would be immediately followed by an escape of air 
into the cavity of the chest, which would by-and-by become ex- 
travasated through the moist serous lining and muscular parts, and 
diffuse itself as a puffy crepitating swelling under the skin. Patho- 
logical writers speak of this as a pretty constant accompaniment of 
such a state of parts in the human subject. 
With regard to the treatment of such emphysema, I have little 
to add to what has been already stated in noticing Case III. When 
it occurs to a considerable extent, there must, of necessity, be much 
constitutional derangement, which will have to be overcome by a 
stimulant and restorative system of treatment, at the same time 
that means must be had recourse to for the escape of the air as 
speedily as possible. For this purpose, I found the insertion of a 
number of small tape setons under the skin to be the most effec- 
tual. Mere puncturing with the lancet I found to have little 
effect, in consequence of the speedy re-union of the divided edges 
of the skin ; and large setons would be productive of too much 
irritation. 
