77 
A CASE OF RUPTURE OF THE LIVER. 
an artery and two veins in the centre, having an expanded 
origin, which becomes converged into a firm cord, one inch in dia¬ 
meter and three long, terminating obliquely in the body of the 
polypus, which is a firm flat substance, weighing seven ounces 
and a quarter. 
; A CASE OF RUPTURE OF THE LIVER. 
By the same. 
Between seven and eight o’clock in the evening of the 21st 
of February, 1833, a messenger came in breathless haste, and 
desired me to run to the stable of a celebrated spoiting gentle¬ 
man to attend the Old Quee/i y for he thought that she would be 
dead before I could see her. I made the utmost haste possible 
to see my patient, although I was fully convinced that my 
attendance would probably be transient; because my feelings 
have been too frequently wounded for me to suppose that any 
confidence would be reposed in my judgment, by sporting gen¬ 
tlemen taking cases from under my treatment (which were 
recovering as fast as possible), and placing them under the caie 
of empirics, whose want of courtesy, or a presumed self-suffi¬ 
ciency either in secret or intuitive knowledge, renders any con¬ 
sultation impracticable. But, however limited my pathological 
knowledge may be, sympathy excites me to exeit my humble 
efforts, in order to save or alleviate the sufferings of those 
valuable animals that are occasionally intrusted to my caie. 
On my arrival I found that the subject of attack was a brown 
mare, thirteen years old, a superior hunter, and well known in 
Leicestershire. She was standing tremulous, with her coun¬ 
tenance and respiration indicating the greatest distress. 
pulsations of the submaxillary artery were not perceptible, while 
those of the heart were falteringly heard: the buccal, pituitary 
and conjunctival membranes were deathlike ; and before I had 
been in attendance many minutes, she fell down and expired. 
From these indications I conceived that death had probably 
been caused by some internal haemorrhage. The groom observed 
her trembling between six and seven o’clock, p.m., and abstracted 
a small quantity of blood, which increased her sufferings. On 
the 19th she went through a good run with the Earl of Lons¬ 
dale’s hounds; and although she got a bad stait, and was 
slightly hung in a fence, she performed her day s work in a 
superior manner. I was informed that the mare had an attack 
of the jaundice in October, but had not shewn any symptom of 
VOL. VII. l 
