ENORMOUS SEROUS ABSCESS IN A CART MARE. 365 
ing in a perfect state of health, until the 17th, when the following 
symptoms terminated his existence. On going to him early in 
the morning he was observed to have a swelling extending from 
the anus to the sheath, which was very much enlarged, as was 
the abdomen. He was constantly pacing round the box and 
beating the ground with his fore feet. The legs and ears death- 
like cold ; the breathing very laborious. In this state he continued 
until ten o’clock, when I just arrived in time to see my opinion 
verified. As no arrangement had been made between the parties, 
the owner of the horse was unwilling to have him opened, there- 
fore I cannot give the post-mortem appearances. 
AN ACCOUNT OF AN ENORMOUS SEROUS ABSCESS 
IN A CART MARE, SITUATED BETWEEN THE UM- 
BILICUS AND MAMMiE. 
By Mr. R, Read, Credit on. 
On March the 2d, of the present year, a black cart mare, 
the property of Richard Vinnicombe, Esq., of Thoverton, and 
master of the Thoverton harriers, was taken to my infirmary, a 
distance of eight miles : she was placed in a comfortable loose 
box. 
On making some inquiry from the man who brought her, I 
elicited from him that about three weeks previously she had re- 
ceived considerable injury on the abdomen, by getting across the 
shaft-pole of the threshing machine. Shortly afterwards a swell- 
ing of the part commenced, and continued until it reached its 
present bulk. 
Diagnosis . — There is a large collection of serum producing 
the swelling, or a sacculation of the colon and caecum, from a 
dilatation of the abdominal muscles, the effect of a rupture of 
some of the fleshy fasciculi, which I have many times witnessed, 
and which I saw in one case during gestation. The foetus in a 
mare, seven months gone, was completely sacculated in the 
abdomen from dilatation of its muscular and fascial parietes; 
notwithstanding which she did well, by being supported with 
compresses encircled over the part, until parturition had taken 
place. 
In order to determine the contents of the swelling, a small 
acupuncture needle was introduced, and the fluid that oozed 
out caught in a graduated measure. It was a serous-looking 
