625 
A CASE OF INFLAMMATION OF THE DIAPHRAGM 
IN A MARE. 
By Herr F. C. Heckmeyek, V.S. 
On the 20th of March, 1840, I was requested to see a thir- 
teen-year old brown mare. She was strong and well formed, 
active and spirited, and, as I was informed, had seldom or never 
been ill for a single day. On the morning of that day she had 
been ridden very hard, and thrown into a perspiration ; she sub- 
sequently cooled, and then appeared unusually dull and stupid, 
and refused her food. I first saw her in the afternoon of this 
day. She was standing with her fore-legs apart, her head hanging 
down, her eyes half closed, her countenance dull and heavy, and 
she appeared totally insensible to all external impressions. 
The expirations and inspirations were very laborious — the breath 
came in spasms or gasps, as if it was jerked out — and the short or 
false ribs became very visible, from the muscles of the belly being 
convulsed and drawn upwards. Sometimes the breathing was 
heard every second quite plainly, and not a single drawing of 
the breath was lost. The mare then became very anxious, turn- 
ing round, choaking, and tottering, and her eyes appearing as 
if almost starting from her head. The air expired was not so 
warm as it usually is in cases of inflammation of the lungs. 
From time to time there was a painful spasmodic cough, which 
seemed to come from the depths of the chest, and by which the 
flanks were very much drawn up, the head brought further under 
her than I ever before saw it, and the back curved upwards. 
After each of these painful coughs, if the breathing paused for 
a moment, a violent throbbing of the flanks took place. This 
gradually subsided, and the action of the flanks became scarcely 
greater than is usually the case in common inflammation of the 
lungs; but it was irregular, and quicker at some times than at 
others. The action or motion of the ribs was always spasmodic. 
The mare appeared to suffer great pain when the ribs were 
pressed. The pulse was hard, wiry, very quick, and spasmodic. 
The mucous membrane of the nose and eyes was of an intense 
red, and injected with blood, the mouth dry and hot, the dung 
hard, the urine dark brown, the extremities, ears, and lips cold, 
the skin tightened, and both hunger and thirst altogether absent. 
In bringing the animal to the hospital, a distance of not more 
than 400 paces, we were obliged to stop two or three times, as 
she would otherwise have fallen ; but after a short rest, during 
which she stood with her fore legs wide apart and coughed several 
times very convulsively, she got on again. 
VOL. xiv. 4 N 
