264 
ON DIAGNOSIS IN 
mare had been off her appetite for some days past, and had been 
restless in the stall, as if troubled by worms. The result of exa- 
mination of her shewed the mucous surfaces of the nose, mouth, and 
eyes pale ; tongue coated ; pulse increased ; contraction of the 
heart weak ; respiration normal ; dung dry, and generally voided 
after the mare had shewn some uneasiness, with prostration of 
strength and apparent dragging of the posterior parts. Herr Rohl- 
ing considered it an affection of the abdominal viscera, and pre- 
scribed accordingly. On the 16th the alvine evacuations were 
more abundant ; the restlessness was not so great ; the pulse was 
decreased to 31 beats per minute; but the respiration increased to 
15 per minute, without being distressing ; the mucous surfaces, as 
before, pale ; weakness and dragging of the hinder parts the same ; 
appetite decreased. 
11th . — All the symptoms the same, with the exception of the 
restlessness, which was so much increased that the mare attempted 
several times to lie down, though seldom effecting it, and, when 
she did, it was with such caution, that it was quite evident the 
act was painful ; and when down she would support her withers 
against the wall or stall, and draw her legs under her so as to lie 
on the sternum and abdomen, a position in which she would point 
to her back and grunt at times. After a little while she would 
get up, and immediately try to lay down again. The pulse had 
now decreased to 26 per minute, while the respiration had in- 
creased to 16. She was more tucked up at the flanks, the motion 
of which somewhat resembled that of broken wind. The contrac- 
tions of the heart were very perceptible ; the alvine excretion 
small and coated. What surprised Herr Rohling most by this 
visit was the decreasing of the pulse ; a symptom which indicated 
either a want of nervous influence in the vascular system, or some 
affection of the brain, though of the latter there was not the slight- 
est corroborative sign; Herr Rohling, therefore, concluded that 
he must have mistaken the pulse, and proceeded to a second exami- 
nation. The result was precisely the same. But as he took the 
pulse at the brachial artery of the near fore leg, he put his right 
hand on the back, with a view of ascertaining the participation of 
the spinal column in the act of respiration, when he felt the pulsa- 
tion of the aorta as distinctly as the contractions of the heart are 
felt at the time that the hand is placed against the left side of the 
chest. Some few pulsations were synchronic with the beating of 
the brachial artery ; others were not. The pulsation was strongest 
opposite the last or short ribs, along the spine on the left side ; but 
the oscillation of the vessel seemed to be towards the chest. This 
was an appearance which Herr Rohling, in a practice of many 
years, had never met with, and was consequently at a loss to 
