431 
PERITONITIS AND ENTERITIS. 
The two following cases in a different species of animal, with 
the observations made on them at the time, will somewhat illus¬ 
trate our subject. 
CASE III. 
Nov. 13,1833.*—A badger ate its breakfast well, and had no 
appearance of illness. About two o clock it was seen lying at its 
length, struggling violently, and it died a minute or two after¬ 
wards/ The peritoneal coat of the intestines was inflamed through 
its whole extent, and there was considerable injection of the 
mesentery. The mucous coat presented no inflammation, neither 
did the stomach: the lungs were sound, but the spleen was of a 
blacker colour than usual. 
CASE IV. 
Nov. 14,1833.—Another badger refused its food last night, but 
there was no other appearance of illness. This morning he was 
found dead. Here also was intense inflammation of the perito¬ 
neal coat of the intestines, with very little of the mucous coat, 
and scarcely any of the stomach. In this case there was consi¬ 
derable effusion of bloody fluid in the abdomen. The lungs were 
sound. 
The examination of these two cases of sudden death, and so 
closely after each other, could not be devoid of interest. The 
intense inflammation of the peritoneal coat in both, with the 
effusion of bloody fluid in one—the comparative absence of in¬ 
flammation of the mucous coat of the intestines in one, and the 
perfect absence of it in the other, and the absence of inflamma¬ 
tion of the stomach in both—prove pretty clearly that food had 
nothing to do with the disease. Recollecting the different cha¬ 
racter of the summer and winter quarters of the badger, I should 
have said decidedly that it arose from the neglect of this change 
that it was the external application of cold, as in the young 
zebra : but these badgers had been two years in the garden, and 
had not been shifted, and their boxes were thoroughly warm and 
comfortable. I cannot, however, help referring the complaint, in 
a great measure at least, to cold : the weather has of late become 
suddenly cold; and although we must beware of too much nurs¬ 
ing, yet we may take a hint as to the future treatment of these 
and other animals. 
CASE V. 
The following case has some little bearing on our subject. 
Dec. 31, 1833.—Malabar deer. The coat stares, the animal 
is out of spirits, and does not feed well. Give a dose of Epsom 
salts with a little ginger. 
