252 
ATROPHY OF THE LUNGS. 
rather low in condition when bought, and afterwards had a more 
liberal allowance of oats, &c. In May, she was taken very ill on 
the road to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and remained at that place some 
days under medical treatment. When she returned to Staindrop, 
she was in a very weak, reduced state, and quite incapable of 
working; consequently she was turned out to grass. After some 
time, no improvement being apparent, fault was found with the 
pasture, and she was then removed six or seven miles distant, to 
rich good herbage. Here she was observed not to graze, like the 
other horses in the field, but she would hang about, and seemed 
heavisome. 
On July the 24th, I was sent for to this place, as she was taken 
very ill. She had been bled previous to my arrival, and from four 
to six quarts of blood had been taken away. I gave her sedative 
medicine, and saw her the following day. The heaving at the 
flanks was not so hurried as on the 24th; but the same dull hag¬ 
gard appearance remained, and the least quick movement gave 
her distress, somewhat like unto a broken-winded nag. 
A dispute having arisen with the parties concerning her, she 
was in a day or two removed, and I did not see her again till I 
was called to examine her on the morning of the 12th of August, 
she having died the day previous. 
The contents of the abdomen did not shew any thing unusual, 
only the liver was a little pale and soft. The cavity of the 
thorax was amazingly filled with a milky-like fluid; but the most 
remarkable circumstance in the examination was, that no lungs 
could be discovered,—the whole of the lungs had dissolved away. 
I was quite astonished at this state of the chest. There was some 
thickening of matter about the division of the windpipe of a mor¬ 
bid or offensive nature, but not a portion of lung whatever re¬ 
maining. 
This animal was a large grey mare, rising six years of age, and 
of a sluggish appearance. Previous to her falling unwell on her 
journey, she had been noticed to purge, as though she had had 
physic, which the owner attributed to changes of food on the road. 
In this case I am inclined to think she had never cast off her first 
attack. Has her dissolution been gradually going on for that length 
of time 1 This case led me to conclude that life may be sustained, 
though but a very inconsiderable portion of lung may remain. It 
is probable that what little sustained life might have wasted away 
in the fluid in the intervening time of death and my opening her. 
In conclusion, I beg to say, that I have given only a hurried ac¬ 
count of the facts of the case; but I was induced to send it from 
reading one similar, communicated by Mr. Darby. 
There were some lumps of (I don’t know what to term it) con- 
