432 
SPLENITIS IN THE OX. 
lasted until the end of the morning’s work. Having arrived at 
the stable, the animal lay down and rested for some moments in 
a kind of somnolent repose ; he then got up, his belly no longer 
distended, and manifested a desire to eat. If he was put to 
work in the afternoon, the same phenomena presented them¬ 
selves ; but if he remained at home they did not appear. On 
the regular days of rest nothing seemed to ail the animal. 
This had already continued during a month when 1 was con¬ 
sulted. My diagnostic was—a periodical enlargement of the 
spleen, occasioned by fatigue, and by some peculiar state of that 
organ. He was kept from work; his forage was lessened; and 
a bleeding of 8 pounds was effected. This treatment seemed to 
be beneficial: his coat was better laid ; the skin became unc¬ 
tuous ; rumination was properly performed ; and the animal was 
gay, and ate all before it. Eight or ten days of this regime 
appeared to me to be sufficient, and to have destroyed the in- 
riainmatory tendency in the spleen ; and as the ox had not 
worked, the tumefaction had not reappeared. He was then har¬ 
nessed again. 
day ,—Slight tumefaction, which endured only half an 
hour. 
2d and Zd days -—Reappearance of splenitis with as much 
intensity as ever. Rest was again prescribed. Two bleedings of 
six pounds each were ordered, with an interval of two days 
between them ; application of compresses, soaked in acidulated 
water, on the flank and left hypochondriac region, until the 
engorgement disappeared. The beast regained his condition 
under the influence of this treatment. I then advised them to 
fatten him, lest the splenitis should return with his labour. 
Particular reasons prevented my counsel from being followed, 
and the ox was again sent to work. During the first days he 
seemed to have been entirely cured of his complaint, but he 
was soon out of breath, as usual, and sometimes, before the 
commencement of rumination, he coughed violently. He con¬ 
tinued to work ; the tumefaction of the spleen shewed itself 
anew, at first occasional, and with little intensity ; but, when I 
saw him two months afterwards, it was constantly swelled, and 
he expressed much pain when the left hypochondriac region 
was pressed on. He became affected with foetid diarrhoea; his 
cough was feeble and frequent; and he was evidently labouring 
under marasmus. 
Having no hope of his being longer serviceable, and there 
being no possibility of fattening him, it was determined to 
destroy him. On examining him after death, the abdomen 
contained a small quantity of serosity. The spleen was much 
