CATTLE TATHOLOGY. 
55 
“ On the 15th of September, 1800, T was requested to see a beau- 
tiful cow, four years old, that had on the left side of the neck a 
tumour as large as a loaf of bread of four pounds weight, and ex¬ 
tending from half-way down the neck to the thorax. It was soft, 
fluctuating, and might be handled without giving the animal much 
pain. The respiration was laborious—the distress of the animal 
evidently great—the pulse accelerated and full—the paunch 
somewhat distended—the beast making frequent efforts to vomit, 
and the mouth filled with adhesive saliva. 
“ I was told by the proprietor that the cow had attempted, in 
the early part of the day, to swallow an apple that had fallen from 
one of the trees that were planted in the fence, and that it was 
arrested in its course down the oesophagus. He had immediately 
sent for a cattle-doctor, who had passed a willow rod down the 
gullet, and which operation had evidently given the animal a great 
deal of pain. He then said that the beast was labouring under 
inflammatory fever, and he prescribed a bottle of wine with some 
theriaca, composed of thirty-six vegetable ingredients, stimulating, 
narcotic; in fact, an omnium gatherum of almost every incom¬ 
patible vegetable production that could be blended together. The 
swelling just described soon afterwards made its appearance, and 
then, frightened at what he had done, the empiric abandoned the 
cow as altogether lost. 
'' Another pretender to a knowledge of the diseases of cattle 
gave a similar draught, and the cow became still worse than 
before. 
“ As soon as I saw the case, I suspected that the charlatan had 
ruptured the oesophagus, and. that the fluctuating tumour consisted 
of the fluid which had penetrated into the surrounding cellular 
tissue by means of the lesion which he had effected. I examined 
the course of the oesophagus, and ascertained that a hard body was 
impacted in it about half way down the neck. 
“ I had her cast, and the head distended. I cut through the in¬ 
tegument from above downwards to the extent of a couple of 
inches—this hard body being my guide. I then introduced ray 
finger into the wound which I had made, and broke down with 
it the neighbouring cellular tissue, until [ arrived at the centre of 
the tumour, when the wash and the theriaca gushed violently out. 
Then, guided by a sound and a canula, I enlarged the wound, and 
found the strangely projecting portion of the oesophagus. 1 
cleansed it from the portions of ruptured cellular tissue which the 
effusion of the fluid had caused, and was compelled to make ano¬ 
ther incision at the beginning of the dewlap, before I could get rid 
of the whole of the effused fluid. After having washed all this 
away, 1 attempted the extraction of the apple. I prolonged the 
