IN THE ABDOMEN OF A HORSE. 
23 
hibited. No other symptom made its appearance during the 
three weeks that he remained in hospital. His appetite amended ; 
his spirits gradually returned ; and he was discharged “ conva¬ 
lescent,” to take walking exercise daily, and be well looked 
after. 
A fortnight afterwards he was brought again with a complaint 
of “ not doing work,” and failing once more in his appetite. He 
had the same dull listless appearance as on his first admission. 
His pulse was sixty-five ; his coat rough and arid ; his flanks 
tucked up; his eye downcast; his mouth and tongue dry, and 
preternaturally hot. I prescribed venesection as far as a gallon of 
blood, and a return to laxative, not actively purging medicine. 
As soon as the bowels had been gradually relieved, he grew bet¬ 
ter ; he ate with amended appetite; his pulse softened, and low¬ 
ered to sixty ; moisture returned to his mouth ; and he recovered 
much of his lost spirits again. Three or four days from this 
time, his bowels having in the interval relapsed into a degree of 
constipation to which I now found them rather disposed, he 
again grew dull, lost his appetite, and had relapse of his lingering 
febrile affection. It was at this period that was first discovered 
abdominal uneasiness, indicated by the litter being found scraped 
up in a heap from pawing, and from a slight attack of “ gripes,” 
which the man said he had had since my last visit. I renewed 
the laxative medicine, combined with calomel, and had a blister 
applied to the entire surface of the belly. This was followed by 
much relief; indeed, so greatly did my patient rally after this, 
both in his spirits and appetite, that I began to entertain hopes 
that the disease (whatever it might be) was giving way. This 
delusion, however, to my regret, did not last long. The bowels 
became confined again on the discontinuance, even but for a day 
or two, of opening medicine ; attacks something similar to gripes 
(though very slight) became more frequent; and in the intervals he 
would he down much : indeed, throughout the course of his dis¬ 
order, he always evinced much disposition to lie down, day as 
well as night. 
Latterly, in addition to a repetition of blisters and the insertion 
of a rowel, I gave him daily, 
Calomel....3ss 
Digitalis.3ss 
Purging mass...3j. 
During its exhibition he experienced a more painful attack of his 
symptomatic “ gripes” than had occurred before ; and it was this 
paroxysm that ushered in his death. Indeed, for some time past 
he had been so evidently wasting away in flesh, particularly 
about the quarters, that hope of recovery seemed to me to be now 
