CONSULTATIONS. 
13 
with blood, subsequently and slowly trickling from the kidney, ap- 
pears probable ; but why this should suddenly change and become 
like whey, I must confess I do not pretend to offer an explanation. 
CONSULTATIONS. 
No. XVII. 
OSTEO-SARCOMA IN A COW. 
My dear Sir, — I BEG to request your opinion regarding the dis- 
ease of a cow, respecting which the owner and myself do not per- 
fectly agree. I will hereafter send you the morbid parts when they 
are sufficiently macerated. I am, at present, disposed to trace it 
to some mechanical injury, but none of the servants knew any thing 
about it : there was no appearance of injury on the muzzle, and she 
seemed to masticate and ruminate her food as usual. It was a 
little girl, who, taking the cows to water, first discovered that some- 
thing was the matter with the animal’s mouth, and told her father of 
it. He, the farm-servant to a gentleman of considerable property, 
informed his master of the case, and I was sent for. 
On examining the cheek externally, there appeared an enlarge- 
ment of the inferior maxillary bone at its anterior part. I then 
opened the mouth, and to my surprise found that all the teeth were 
gone, except the two anterior molars, which were loose, one of which 
I extracted with my finger and thumb. The palate was detached 
from the roof of the mouth nearly to the centre of it, and there was 
a fungus filling up and sprouting above the cavities that had been 
occupied by the teeth. I removed as much as I could of this fun- 
gous growth, by means of a pair of scissors. I was compelled to 
repeat this operation three or four times, for the fungus grew afresh, 
filled the animal’s mouth, and prevented her from eating. 
I directed the mouth to be washed with a solution of alum, but 
with not the slightest advantage. There appeared to be a large 
abscess in the masseter muscle, and another a little below the paro- 
tid gland. I opened both, and found them to contain a great quan- 
tity of foetid pus. A solution of chloride of lime was applied to them 
frequently, and, twice in the day, the ulcers were dressed with di- 
gestive ointment, but without the slightest benefit. 
The owner had been absent during the greater part of this time. 
He now returned, and I immediately told him that I had no hope 
of the case, and advised that she should be destroyed. He objected 
to this, and wished to try something of his own. He did so, but 
without the slightest avail. He would not even then destroy her 
