CASE OF STRANGULATED INGUINAL HERNIA. 403 
:iot exhibit symptoms of pain until about two o’clock on the day 
prior to my seeing him. He then began frequently to lie down 
and rise again, and continued very uneasy ; and was brought to 
me next morning. On enquiry, I was informed that the swelling 
was first observed when he became uneasy, but that it might 
have existed since the accident. The part was painful to the 
touch, which was evinced by the animal raising his back and 
groaning when it was pressed upon. 
I ordered him to lose seven quarts of blood ; a dose of laxative 
medicine to be given; tobacco enemas to be thrown up; and fo¬ 
mentations of warm water to be applied to the tumour. 
During the application of the fomentations various attempts 
were made to reduce the hernia by manipulation, both in the 
erect position, and also when laid upon his back with the hind 
quarters raised ; but without effect. There was a degree of fluc¬ 
tuation in the swelling, and, once or twice, a slight gurgling sen¬ 
sation was felt, as if some of the contents of the hernia had es¬ 
caped through the stricture during the attempts at its reduction. 
By introducing the hand into the rectum the intestine could be 
distinctly felt, passing out through the abdominal ring, and firmly 
embraced by it. 
The symptoms becoming rapidly more urgent, pulse 94, irregular 
and scarcely to be felt, and all the means that had been tried 
having failed, I was under the necessity of laying open the sac 
and dividing the stricture. 
The horse being secured by the hobbles, and placed upon his 
back, the off hind foot was unloosed from the hobbles, and se¬ 
cured by a side line; another rope was also attached to it, and, 
being continued backward, was drawn through a ring in a post, 
while the rope of the hobbles was continued forward, drawn 
through another ring; by which means the animal was com¬ 
pletely secured. An incision was then made through the integu¬ 
ments near the root of the swelling, and the layers of fascia and 
cellular membrane carefully divided, until the tunica vaginalis was 
exposed, and which was cautiously opened, when there escaped 
from the sac a considerable quantity (perhaps a quart) of red¬ 
dish-coloured serum. 
The opening being enlarged by a bistoury, the strangulated 
portion of the gut was then seen, of a purple colour. The stricture 
was reached by the finger with some difficulty, and a little raised; 
after which a probe-pointed bistoury was passed by the side of the 
finger, and the stricture divided. The knuckle of intestine was 
then easily passed into the abdomen. The wound was closed by 
sutures, and the hobbles quietly unloosed. A man was placed at 
his head to keep him quiet; and he seemed so much relieved. 
