58 
CATTLE PATHOLOGY. 
some oil and barley-water, which only increased her sufferings. 
Six hours afterwards the veterinary surgeon was sent for, and 
he observed the following symptoms: extreme distention of the 
paunch—agitation and trembling of the hind-quarters—the head 
and neck protruded horizontally—frequent efforts to vomit—a great 
quantity of saliva running from the mouth, and the sufferings of 
the animal expressed by constant moaning. 
^^He immediately punctured the paunch, and left the canula in 
the flank; and after a careful examination, not being able to detect 
the foreign body, either in the pharynx or in the cervical portion of 
the oesophagus, he presumed, with some reason, that it remained 
in the floating or thoracic portion. He then introduced a probang 
into the gullet, and found that its passage was arrested at the ex¬ 
tremity of the oesophagus, and that, whatever violence or skill he 
might use, he could not force it on into the paunch. Every effort 
which he made had no other result than to cause useless suffering 
to the animal. Night now coming on, he deferred the adoption of 
other measures until the morning. The morning came. The cow 
was suffering as much as ever, and the surgeon made another 
attempt with his sound. He was as unsuccessful as before; and 
then he determined, with the consent of the owner, to enlarge the 
opening which he had made in the paunch with the trocar, and to 
empty that organ of a part of the aliment which it contained, in 
order that he might be able to introduce his hand as far as the 
cesophagean canal, and grasp the foreign body which he supposed 
occupied the opening of the oesophagus into the paunch. 
“The cow being standing, they placed her with her ri^ht side 
against the wall of the house, and to which she was fastened by 
ropes, so that she was altogether unable to move. The canula of 
the trocar was withdrawn, and a straight bistoury plunged into the 
left flank two inches from the transverse apophyses of the lumbar 
vertebrae, taking a direction from above downwards into the mid¬ 
dle of the flank, and comprising the walls of the flank. This open¬ 
ing was made sufficiently large to enable the surgeon, M. Salon, to 
introduce his arm into the flank. 
“ The alimentary contents of the paunch immediately presented 
themselves. Although a little dry, they were in the act of fer¬ 
mentation, and the paunch was full. He then passed one end of 
a linen cloth into the paunch, letting the other hang over the side 
of the animal; and by this means he was enabled to take out a 
portion of the contents of the rumen, without letting any of it fall 
into the abdominal cavity. With the assistance of a little wooden 
dish he laded out full thirty pounds of food, which permitted him to 
reach the orifice of the cesophagean canal. The sound was again 
introduced into the oesophagus, and confided to the care of an as- 
