575 
RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH IN THE HORSE. 
brane of the stomach had given way a little; the muscular 
membrane had yielded, and in a few days the mucous mem¬ 
brane would have been rent, and the contents of the viscus poured 
into the abdomen. 
It appears to me, then, that when a practitioner has assured 
himself that the violent colic, with respect to which he is con¬ 
sulted, had followed a copious meal, he ought to refrain from 
giving those emollient drinks which are so frequently admi¬ 
nistered : for the very sufferino's of the horse demonstrate that 
there is already a tendency in some part of the intestinal tube 
to give way, and the assurance of that having actually hap¬ 
pened is the convulsive action of the coccygean muscles. 
I may be asked, what is the practitioner to do ? Is he to 
stand by, a tranquil spectator of the progress of the disease ? 
Not exactly so; we may inject into the jugular or crural vein 
from fifteen to thirty grains of emetic tartar, dissolved in two 
ounces of water. Experience enables us to speak confidently 
of the result of this. 
The following is one of the experiments we made in order to 
ascertain the power of the antimony. We selected a strong 
horse, apparently in perfect health. We made him fast during 
two days, and then we permitted him to eat as much as he 
pleased of oats, soaked in warm water. When he began to 
present all the phenomena of indigestion, and could no longer 
keep himself up, and there remained no doubt of his being in 
imminent danger, we injected into the right cural vein thirty 
grains of emetic tartar, dissolved in five ounces of distilled water. 
A few minutes only elapsed ere the horse, that had lain almost 
motionless, began to move his jaws: there were slight move¬ 
ments of the limbs generally, with trembling of the muscles of 
the limbs; the respiration and the pulse were quickened; 
ineffectual attempts were made to vomit; and after two hours, 
liquid spumy matter, resembling that produced by physic, was 
voided from the anus. In six hours the animal was up, and on 
the following day returned to his usual food. 
Some days afterwards we repeated the experiment; injecting, 
however, only fifteen grains of the emetic tartar. The result 
was precisely the same. 
About the same time, a horse was condemned on account of 
glanders. Two drachms of emetic tartar, dissolved in five ounces 
of water, were injected into the vein. The horse was affected in 
the same way as in the two preceding cases; he purged, and 
was apparently well at the close of the day. 
Many other cases might be cited, in order to prove that 
these injections arc generally advantageous, and never injurious. 
