PLEURISY IN THE 
MOUSE, CATTLE, AND DOGS. 
on every side, rendering expiration difficult, and at length im¬ 
possible, and destroying the animal by suffocation. The very 
commencement of effusion may be detected by the adept at aus¬ 
cultation,-by the cessation of the respiratory murmur at the 
sternum, and the increased grating 5 — not the natural murmur, 
but a distinct grilling or rubbing. Impress carefully on your 
memory the importance of observing the difference here—not the 
crepitating crackling noise as when congestion is going on—not 
the feebler murmur as congestion advances, and the absence of 
the murmur when it is completed (and that either over the 
whole lung or in patches), and the murmur louder than natural 
where the lung is yet sound, and that sound part has double 
duty to perform—but the absence of the murmur, beginning 
from the bottom of the chest, which is the part that will be first 
occupied by the fluid ; or sometimes a wheezing, gurgling, noise 
there when gas is extricated, during the effusion of the water; 
the murmur being evidently increased above, where the lungs 
are not compressed, and where they must work. 
It is painfully interesting to watch the progress of the effusion 
—how the stilliness creeps up, and the murmur gets louder 
above, and the grating sound louder too, until at length there 
is no longer room for the lungs to play, and suffocation ensues. 
When the effusion commences, the pain of the animal seems 
to be materially relieved; but the beating of the flanks is in¬ 
creased, and the nostrils become dilated, and then the dread of 
suffocation immediately follow^s. 
Post-mortem Appearances .—These are various, and depend 
upon the disease having been pure or combined. If it originated 
in pneumonia, or became combined with it, both the lungs and 
the pleurm will exhibit marks of inflammation, but it will 
often be curious to trace the ravages of disease when the mem¬ 
brane only is affected :—the highest degree of vascularity— 
patches of coagulated lymph, the action being so intense that 
the fluid coagulates as soon as poured out—filaments, bands 
running across from the costal to the pleura. There is rarely in 
the horse much adhesion ; this fortunately does not often take 
place in an animal valuable for his speed; for even in case of 
recovery these adhesions w’ould incapacitate him for that extra 
exertion w'hich we often require of him, and on his capability of 
which his value much depends. The fluid varies in quantity as 
well as appearance and consistence. I have known sixteen 
gallons contained in both sacs, pale, or yellow, or bloody, or often 
differing in the two sides of the thorax ; occasionally, a thick 
adventitious coat covering the costal or the pulmonary pleura— 
rarely, I have said, much adhesion, but the lungs purple-coloured. 
