24 
RUPTURE OF THE DIAPHRAGM. 
were driven at a quick pace. She reached her destination without 
showing any particular symptom of fatigue. The postmen, in¬ 
stead of bringing their horses quietly home, worked another car¬ 
riage back to Oswestry; and, when about half way upon their 
return, this mare showed symptoms of distress, which increased 
to such a degree, that a mile and a half from home she was taken 
from the carriage, and was with some difficulty got to her stable. 
I was immediately requested to attend her; but being at a short 
distance in the country, an hour elapsed before I saw her. She 
was breathing with great difficulty,—not in that short quick way 
that characterizes inflammation of the lungs, but each respiration 
was produced with great effort, like a person labouring under a 
severe fit of convulsive asthma. I am free to confess, that the 
peculiarity of the breathing surprised and puzzled me, as I had 
never seen any thing like it in the horse before, nor have I since ; 
but knowing that the mare had undergone dreadful fatigue, it 
was set down as a case of exhaustion, or overmarking, as sports¬ 
men term it. Some blood was drawn, under the impression of 
relieving the congestion of the lungs, and a ball, containing 
ammon. carb. 3ij, was directed to be prepared; but during the time 
occupied in bleeding and making the ball, the mare was so de¬ 
cidedly worse, that it was considered useless to interfere further 
with her, and in half an hour she died. Upon opening the chest, 
a rent was discovered in the diaphragm, extending from the ensi- 
form cartilage to where the vena cava passes through the tendi¬ 
nous portion of it. The lungs exhibited no appearance of disease, 
nor did any other viscera; neither were the stomach or intestines 
distended or loaded with food. Another practitioner in this town 
informed me, that a case of the same kind occurred to him in the 
same week,—a post-horse had been rode and driven from Shrews¬ 
bury to Oswestry, at fast work, and died soon after. A post¬ 
mortem examination took place, when the diaphragm was found 
rent, and no other morbid appearance could be detected. 
That inordinate, and, perhaps, convulsive, action of the muscu¬ 
lar part of the diaphragm may cause a rupture of its tendinous 
portion is easily to be conceived, being no more than what is 
known to happen with other muscles and their tendons; and the 
interruption given to respiration by such an opening would soon 
occasion death. 
