4 LG DEATH OF A HOUSE FROM SWALLOWING A TOOTH. 
that the tooth might be thrown out ; but, to my great sur- 
prise, no tooth could be seen. I carefully searched the mouth of 
the animal, and it became evident that lie had swallowed it. I 
then assured myself that it had been entirely extracted, and as, 
during the operation, the frsenulum of the tongue had been 
wounded, and bled considerably, 1 deferred the cauterization of 
the alveoli until the following day. 
As to the swallowing of the tooth, I gave myself very little 
concern about that. I did not think that so small a body was 
likely to form any serious obstruction in the intestinal canal, or 
that its temporary sojourn in the large intestine could become at 
all dangerous ; and L confined myself to directing the mouth to 
be frequently washed out with warm water, and forbidding all 
food except that which was soft and easily masticated. 
20th . — I again saw the horse, and no serious consequence had 
attended the operation. He ate with appetite the mash of barley 
meal which was given to him, and had taken a small quantity 
of hay. 
Two hours afterwards, at 11 a.m., he was brought to the 
school. He was very uneasy, and his belly was enormously dis- 
tended. The swelling was principally on the right side, and the 
resonance here was considerable on percussion. The horse was 
continually endeavouring to expel something from the anus, and 
the straining was so great, that 1 feared, every moment, that the 
rectum would have protruded. These efforts were followed by 
small mucous dejections, mixed with portions of food. The mu- 
cous membrane of the rectum was of a depressed red colour. These 
symptoms had been preceded by the swelling at the flanks — 
colicky pains had immediately followed, but they had ceased, 
and nothing now remained but the enlargement of the belly, and 
the incessant effort to void the faeces. 
The artery was full, but the pulse was almost imperceptible — 
the extremities were cold, and the mucous membranes of a red 
violet colour. The nostrils were convulsively dilated— the walk 
w r as staggering — and the respiration difficult and accelerated — 
the skin was covered with sweat ; and, in a word, the animal 
presented every symptom of immediate suffocation. On this 
account I immediately opened the jugular, and abstracted a 
dozen pounds of blood. The patient was very considerably 
relieved. I then ordered all four legs to be well rubbed with 
essential oil of turpentine. 
There now appeared to me a connexion between these symp- 
toms and the swallowing of the tooth, which I could not fail of 
observing. But where was this tooth ? Entangled in the pyloric 
orifice of the stomach ? I could not recognize any symptom of 
