202 
RUPTURE OF THE DIAPHRAGM. 
lief, but she was shortly as bad as ever. She was then clystered 
several times and left to her doom. She continued to be as bad 
until about six next morning t and I should think she was up 
and down during the night two or three hundred times, and 
was in the most violent pain all night in which I ever saw any 
horse ; her breathing was very laborious and she was repeatedly 
looking towards her chest. 
13th. Six, p.m. Is become pretty easy and stands quiet, 
but her breathing is three times as quick as natural : after this 
her bowels were well opened. Pulse became very quick and 
feeble. Appetite bad. Respiration very difficult; stood up all 
the time and gradually sunk, and died on the 18th, rather sud¬ 
denly. 
Dissection, The peritoneum on the lo_wer part of the abdo¬ 
men was in a state of inflammation, . but from its colour inclin¬ 
ing to the chronic form. 
The diaphragm was ruptured on the left side from the ster¬ 
num to the spine, at the distance of three or four inches from 
the side of the chest, but it appeared quite a recent occurrence. 
One of the ribs on the left side of the chest had been fractured 
and was in part re-united, but there was no disease about the 
part. I am sorry I could not stay to examine the diaphragm 
more minutely. 
Case II. On the 18th of March, 1828, I was going along a 
road near this town and saw a man skinning a horse. I went 
to him, and he said the horse was very badly broken winded, 
and he had been ploughing with him; but finding him getting 
unwell he unyoked him and he died in a short time after. 
Examination. The diaphragm was ruptured on the left side 
' similar to the above case, and appeared also a recent affair. 
There were several air bladders on the surface of the lungs near 
to their base, but not very prominent: otherwise they appeared 
sound. 
The pericardium was in a most severe state of disease, being 
quite of a blackish colour and filled with dark grumous blood, 
partially coagulated. The heart was of a blackish colour, but 
sound. 
Observations. The mare (1st Case) had been most severely 
worked for the last four or five months, and latterly whilst la¬ 
bouring under considerable catarrh ; her owner was in the habit 
of knocking and kicking his horses about, and driving occasion¬ 
ally at a greater rate than their strength would permit, and it is 
probable that her rib was broken by ill-usage, and that peritori- 
tis was brought on by her being kicked on the abdomen. Over 
