574 RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH IN THE HORSE. 
fluid, and also some laminm of the epiploon, which had been 
ruptured. 
In searching for the cause of this, we discovered a rupture of 
the stomach, situated at the anterior extremity of the right sac, 
and parallel with the great curvature. It was of an elliptical 
form, seven inches in length : the rupture of the serous mem¬ 
brane was more extensive than that of the muscular one ; and 
that, in its turn, larger than the lesion of the mucous one. 
The left sac of the stomach was distended with bran, and the 
right one with green meat, nearly resolved into chyme; the 
bran, however, was dry and disposed in layers half an inch in 
thickness. The mucous membrane was not inflamed, except in 
the immediate neighbourhood of the rupture, but the vessels of 
the epiploon were injected. The lining membrane of the small 
intestines was reddened throughout the greater part of its ex¬ 
tent, and the mesenteric {mhardiques) veins injected, and sur¬ 
rounded by many ecchymoses. 
After having eaten greedily, this mare exhibited symptoms of 
indigestion. She had violent colic, and the pulse was small, 
wiry, and frequent; but the symptom which we have oftenest 
observed, and which, in our mind, is characteristic of rupture of 
some portion of the alimentary canal, was rapid convulsive move¬ 
ments of the inferior coccygean muscles, and that could be felt 
under the finger. This circumstance assured me that there was 
some internal rupture ; and the post-mortem examination, twelve 
hours afterwards, confirmed my diagnosis. The internal lesion 
being thus determined, practitioners will no longer torment the 
animal with drink after drink, as I have frequently seen them. 
I may here be forgiven if I submit one observation to the 
reader. Ruptures of the stomach are frequent among our 
patients, for two reasons : the first is, that the membranes of the 
stomach are naturally very friable, and easily torn, when in¬ 
flamed. The second is, that we are so much in the habit of 
administering drinks, when the stomach is already over-distended 
with food. We forget that the stomach of the horse can scarcely 
contain more than three gallons; and if the pyloric orifice, which 
in a healthy state is always open in this animal, should chance 
to close, the stomach would be filled, distended by an ordinary 
meal. If in this case of distention we introduce repeated drinks, 
each consisting probably of a quart, at least, what wdll be the 
consequence? These liquids, little compressible, increase the 
evil, and cause the rupture of many a stomach that might have 
otherwise escaped this irreparable injury. I examined, a few 
days ago, a horse that had died of colic. The peritoneal mem- 
