OBSERVATIONS ON COLIC. 
631 
some relief seemed to be afforded. The breathing became more 
composed, and the pulse became of a little better character, though 
it still remained so feeble that to think of bleeding would have 
been madness. When the blister was taken off, I found that in 
three places it had removed the hair and cuticle, but the spots 
where it had done so were not each larger than a crown-piece. The 
general surface was unaffected; and when I saw that Nature 
would not respond to the potent agent which had been employed, 
I concluded that the case must terminate fatally. 
As the straining to dung continued, a tobacco enema was exhi- 
bited, and that also seemed to procure a remission of the symp- 
toms ; but still not to any decided extent, and the perspiration on 
the body felt cold. Nevertheless, there was some pulse ; and as the 
time had been so short since the acute symptoms set in, I deter- 
mined to give another drink, in the hope that it would excite the 
heart, and give me an opportunity of abstracting blood, or invigo- 
rate nature to struggle with the disease. Sulphuric ether, six 
ounces ; tincture of capsicums, one ounce ; carbonate of ammonia, 
two drachms ; solution of chloride of lime, one ounce, was given 
in a pint of camphor mixture, and two pints of water. The horse 
resisted the drench, shaking his head, and trying to get away; but 
he swallowed the greater part, and when released, walked a few 
times round the box, then staggered, and soon fell, dying in an 
hour and a half from the time when the symptoms took on the 
acute form. 
I was surprised when I beheld the sudden termination, and 
could not imagine to what it could be attributed. To the natural 
inquiry, as to the cause of so speedy a death, I was obliged to say 
that I could afford no answer. I was certain that the intestines 
were impacted and inflamed ; but I could not by these account 
for the rapidity of the case. I made a confession of my ig- 
norance, and with some curiosity began to make a post-mortem 
examination before the carcass was cold. 
Having divided the linea alba, the intestines were seen to be 
loaded, and their weight rendered it somewhat difficult to examine 
them ; for, not knowing what might be presented, I was anxious to 
make certain there was no abnormal development or structural 
change before the knife was employed to remove them. Nothing 
of the kind existed. The peritoneum was healthy, but its vessels 
gorged with dark fluid blood. The stomach was of an extraor- 
dinary size, and 1 attributed its unusual dimensions to flatus, which 
had been generated during the latter period of the animal’s exist- 
ence. When, however, I had released it from its attachments, 
and endeavoured to lift it from the cavity for the purpose of in- 
