32 
ON DILATATION OF THE HEART AND HYDROPS 
PERICARDII. 
By Mr. Pritchard, F.S., Wolverhampton . 
I again resume my pen to pursue my observations on 
diseases of the heart to a close of that subject. This has been 
somewhat delayed from other engagements; but as the old saying 
is, “ better late than never/’ it remains for me to say something on 
dilatation of the organ and hydrops pericardii. 
It will be seen from what I have already said on hypertrophy and 
dilatation, that the former produces its ill effects on the economy 
of the arteries, while the latter impedes the functions of the 
veins and absorbents principally; and from this derangement 
of the venous circulation no organ of the body is so liable to 
have its office perverted as the liver, from its great circulation of 
venous blood, and the termination of its veins at so short a 
distance from the right auricle of the heart, compared with the 
other viscera. This turgescence of blood in the liver rapidly 
extends through the vena porta to the intestines, the colon and 
caecum principally suffering, and to the spleen. The absorbents 
next become surcharged, from the resistance offered to their larger 
trunks giving a general plethora to the wffiole. The symptoms 
that must inevitably follow will now be evident: the animal 
gradually becomes lean, the belly puts on an unusual rotundity, 
the coat has an unhealthy appearance, the legs become anasarcous, 
cedematous collections appear underneath the abdomen, and the 
bowels are irregular, nevertheless the animal continues to feed. 
With these outward features of dilatation of the heart’s cavities, 
if we apply our ear immediately behind and above the elbow in 
the region of that organ, and find the contraction of the cavities 
announced by a long, dull, sonorous clapping stroke,—rather loud 
and increased in frequency, although its beats are regular,—toge¬ 
ther with a regurgitation of blood high up the jugulars, the case 
is confirmed dilatation of the right side of the heart; and we 
may judge whether it is the auricle, or the ventricle, or both, 
by observing the above phenomena during their contractions. 
In this state the subject may linger on some short period, when 
some viscus, as the liver or spleen, otherwise some large vessel, 
ruptures, and death ensues from the haemorrhage. This hepatic 
haemorrhage ensues from an immediate cause, very different 
to that which takes place in chronic inflammation of the paren¬ 
chymatous texture of the liver—an affection I, at some future 
time, purpose to communicate my opinions upon to this Journal. 
Dilatation of the left side of the organ I have never seen occur 
but in conjunction with that affection of the right: it is com- 
