581 
STRICTURE OF THE RECTUM IN A MARE. 
this period of time ; but now, her coat beginning to stare, and her 
bowels being again confined, I sent her a few alterative aloetic 
balls, one to be given every third, fourth, and fifth day, as circum¬ 
stances might indicate. 
Feh. V^th .—The owner came and wanted more balls for her, 
stating that the others had done her so much good, that he wished 
to have a few more, especially as she did not look quite so well as 
she had done a few days before. These balls consisted of two 
drachms each of resin and aloes. 
March 13/A.—He came for more balls. 
16^A.—I was sent for in great haste, because she was down and 
could not get up. She was indeed down, but the pulse was good, and 
the respiration good. The bowels, however, were confined. The 
owner had given a ball on the 13th, but said that he did not dare 
to give another, for the first had almost purged her to death. I 
dipped a rug in boiling water, and applied it to her back, and 
poured on this more hot water, in proportion as the former quantity 
got cool. This was continued for the space of ten minutes, when 
she sprung on her feet, and appeared as if nothing was amiss, ex¬ 
cept a straining to dung. 
On examining her per rectum, I found a stricture nearly twenty 
inches from the anus, through which I could scarcely pass three 
fingers. I stated this to the owner, and added, that T considered 
the case to be quite hopeless. His reply was, that I must try 
what I could do, and that, while she lived, no one knew what for¬ 
tunate circumstance might occur. 
I sent her a solution of aloes with oil, and some liquid blister, 
to be applied from the commencement of the loins to the tail. This 
was followed by the blister-ointment in the morning. An injection 
was thrown up night and morning, with aloes and oil occasionally. 
The blistering, and purging, and injections, and occasional intro¬ 
duction of'the hand were continued during nearly three weeks ; 
and, about the 15th of April, the filly was turned out to grass dur¬ 
ing the day. 
May \^th .—I was castrating a colt for the same farmer, when 
she came galloping up to us. Look, sir,” said one of the men; “ look 
at the dead marc. She is worth many a dead one yet.” I replied 
that “she looked well, but time would tell what would become of 
her ;” and, truly enough, I was sent for on the 12th of June. 
Her symptoms were precisely the same as we had so often seen. 
We adopted the same treatment, and with the same effect, but 
only for a day or two, when she relapsed, and continued, sometimes 
better and sometimes worse, until the patience of the owner was 
exhausted, and on the 1st of July he sent, desiring that 1 would 
take her a wav. 
