452 ABDOMINAL ABSCESS FOLLOWING STRANGLES. 
her recovery was impossible, although she might last a little 
longer, and that I thought her suffering would be great, she was 
destroyed. From the commencement she would not take a 
mouthful of any thing, except a little thin oatmeal gruel, and 
sometimes a little warm water, and not more than two or three 
swallows of either at one time. Nothing was forced into her 
except medicine. 
Post-mortem examination . — On opening the abdomen, no part 
of the intestines appeared to be diseased; but the uterus presented 
itself most enormously distended. It contained twin foals— fillies, 
within a month of birth ; one floating in the fluid, a fine healthy 
foal, the other presenting falsely, comparatively dry, and appear- 
ing as though the uterus had contracted upon it, and endeavoured 
to cutoff all communication. I thought from the size that this 
foal had been dead three weeks or a month. The cuticle came off 
with the slightest touch ; the umbilical cord was twisted round 
its loins; there was a deep impression where it had lain when the 
cord was removed. The family surgeon was present at the ex- 
amination. We regretted much that we were deprived of ascer- 
taining the quantity of fluid the uterus contained, owing to it 
being ruptured in an attempt to move it; but I think there must 
have been three or four full-sized stable-pails full. No further 
examination took place, as all was to be replaced and buried with 
the mare. 
The mare had been frequently seen to roll, as if in extreme 
pain : might not the foal have been turned and destroyed in one 
of these spasms, and thence have arisen the effort to cut off all 
communication between the living and the dead, and, from this 
unnatural state of things, the increased secretion in the other 
portion of the uterus, and from the pressure of the distended 
uterus the obstinate constipation of the bowels ? 
ENORMOUS ABDOMINAL ABSCESS FOLLOWING 
STRANGLES. 
By Mr. J. W. Nobbs, Cerne Abbas. 
A chesnut mare, four years old, belonging to Mr. Stone, of 
Hillfield, near Cerne, had been labouring under strangles some 
time previous, and was to all appearance perfectly recovered. 
On the 3d of April last the mare was observed to be in the 
habit of lying down more than usual: this continued for four or 
five days, and she sometimes rolled on her back. I was requested 
to see her. I found her on my arrival in one of her rolling fits. 
After a few minutes I examined her pulse ; found it 82, and having 
