172 
CONSULTATIONS. 
No. XIII. 
Tumour of long standing. 
20th Oct. 1839. 
Dear Sir,—I SHOULD take it extremely kind if, at your earliest 
convenience, you would give me your advice on the following 
case :— 
The subject is a strong carriage horse, about seven years old, and 
the complaint is a broad, flattish, hard tumour, situated on the margin 
of the chest, in a line with and about four inches from (behind) 
the top of the olecranon. I saw it first about three months ago : it 
- was then nearly two inches in diameter, flat, and not very promi¬ 
nent ; quite hard and immoveable; deep seated, and unconnected 
with the skin. Generally speaking, it was not painful, even when 
hardly pressed, except when exposed for a length of time to the 
pressure or friction of the harness band, and then it was often tender 
for a day or two. 
I applied strong iodine ointment, rubbed in daily for about a 
fortnight, without producing any apparent good effect. Nothing 
more was done until about a fortnight ago, when the tumour ap¬ 
peared to be enlarging and becoming habitually painful. It was still 
uniformly hard. I have inserted a rowel, and blistered the part, but 
no good is appearing to be derived from the treatment. The pulse 
is feeble; and although the horse is kept on highly nutritive food— 
boiled barley, carrots, and moistened hay—and in a commodious 
loose box, he is quite out of spirits, and is rapidly losing condition. 
Kindly favour me with your opinion and instructions. 
I am, &c. 
P.S.—I cannot learn the cause of the tumour ; but I can trace it 
back two or three years. 
Reply. 
Sir,—Without seeing the tumour, and ascertaining its precise 
situation and character, it is difficult to advise you as to the course 
which you should pursue. 
The tumour seems to be connected with the sternum or the car¬ 
tilages of the ribs; and from the symptoms which you describe, I 
fear that the disease has extended to the pleura, and is producing 
adhesion or effusion into the chest, or, from its situation, very pro¬ 
bably affecting the pericardium, and producing effusion into it. In 
either case there is great danger. The treatment must consist of 
repeated blisters, which may produce suppuration, in which case 
a puncture must be made, and the matter be evacuated. 
To prevent effusion in the chest, and to support the strength of 
the animal, tonics combined with diuretics should be given, sul- 
