A CASE OF POISONING BY NITRE. 
85 
had been an unusual quantity of watery vapour present in the 
atmosphere during the night, and followed by hoar-frost in the 
morning. The colt quickly filling his stomach with the grass 
laden with congealed moisture, the powers of the stomach would 
be weakened or suspended—the process of fermentation would 
speedily be established, to which would succeed evolution of gas 
to such an extent as to produce the rupture. But this, of course, 
is mere conjecture on my part, and I know that it is very un¬ 
usual for this to occur on upland pastures. 
A CASE OF POISONING BY NITRE. 
By Mr. SuRGiNSON, Appleby. 
On the 26th of the last month my attention was requested to 
a brown mare, the property of Capt. Hammond, of Appleby, 
which had been ill with a cold nearly a fortnight. On my 
arrival she exhibited the following symptoms :—Pulse quick, 
small, and wiry, and sometimes I could scarcely detect it at all; 
the membrane of the nose intensely red, and interspersed with livid 
spots; the conjunctival membrane highly injected ; the tongue 
protruding four or five inches out of the mouth, and so much 
swollen that the animal was unable to move it in the least; the 
saliva flowing profusely; the mouth burning hot; the muzzle 
deathy cold; the extremities nearly of their natural temperature; 
respiration quickened ; the breath almost insufferably offensive ; 
sore and frequent cough ; increased discharge from the nasal 
cavities ; the bowels much confined. 
I examined the mouth, and I found beneath the tongue and 
along the sides of it much redness and inflammation, but 
no bladders or ulceration. The animal seemed fidgetty and 
uneasy; at length she laid herself down, and remained stretched 
out a considerable time, comparatively quiet—only raising her 
head now and then and casting a glance at her side. All on a 
sudden she raised her head higher than before, and anxiously 
gazed at her flanks for a short time, and then sprung suddenly 
up. For awhile she seemed a little uneasy,but did not attempt 
to lie down again for nearly an hour. She then lay down 
once more, and stretched herself out, but did not roll or struggle 
in the least. I considered that she was labouring under violent 
catarrh. The swelling of the tongue and the inflammation of 
the salivary glands I regarded as concomitants, or rather as 
consequences of it; and the slight cholicky pains that were 
shown, as arising from some impairment of the digestive system. 
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