A CASE OF 1 'NTUS-SUSCEPTION. 
463 
twice in one week ; at other times she would work well for two 
months, and appear quite healthy. In some of the attacks the 
bowels were constipated, at other times not. If she manifested 
very distressing pains, I used to employ depletion, and exhibit 
mild aperient medicines in combination with sprts. aether nitros., 
which would sometimes relieve her in two, three, or four hours ; 
at other times twelve hours would elapse before any relief could 
be obtained, which obliged me to give medicines of a more power- 
ful nature. The last attack was about the 1st of June, when, after 
rolling about for twenty-four hours, she appeared quite easy, and 
her bowels worked well. Two days afterwards she was taken 
with influenza, from which she recovered ; and on the 12th inst. 
I left orders for her to go to work on the 14th ; but on the 13th 
I was sent for in great haste, the mare having been taken much 
worse. Before my arrival, however, she had died. 
Post-mortem Examination .. — I first disclosed a great quantity 
of ingesta extravasated into the cavity of the abdomen, which I 
soon ascertained proceeded from a very extensive rupture of the 
pyloric portion of the stomach, all the coats of which proved lace- 
rated to the same extent. From the quantity of ingesta, I should 
suppose the organ to have been very full at the time of bursting. 
The next thing discovered was an intus-susception of the duo- 
denum, of about two inches, which had caused a considerable 
thickening of the coats of that intestine ; contiguous to which was 
a number of pendulous tumours, which, upon laying open the gut, 
I found attached to the mucous membrane. Some of them were 
as large as a pullet’s egg, others about the size of a small bean, 
a specimen of which I have forwarded to the Royal Veterinary 
College. The intus-susception was doubtless caused by a sort of 
dragging action on the coats of the intestine. 
Professor Spooner very kindly obliged me with his opinion of 
the case, in which he states the pendulous tumours sent are what 
may be termed fleshy polypi . He states he has previously seen 
similar specimens of disease in the horse, though it i^ by no means 
common ; and has hitherto been quite unable to give a satisfactory 
explanation as to the cause in operation in giving rise to these 
very singular abnormal productions. 
July 15, 1847. 
