ON THE USE OF THE STOMACH PUMP. 
G7 
to swallow, I again used the pump, and with great ease gave 
her a gallon of gruel. In this way I went on, mixing daily two 
drachms of emetic tartar and one of nitre, and occasionally two 
drachms of aloes in the gruel, until the mare was able to eat and 
drink, which was at the end of the second week. The setons 
were kept in (after the first set) with digestive ointment, for 
about a week after the use of the pump had been dispensed 
with. In a short time the patient lost every vestige of the dis¬ 
ease, and very little condition ; the latter I impute to the way 
she was supported by gruel, and not having lost more than three 
quarts of blood 
The next case is a brown mare, which w as reported to be off* 
her feed, and extremely heavy. I immediately examined her, 
and found that she had considerable fever and difficulty in 
breathing, such as 1 have frequently observed in common stran¬ 
gles. There w as an extensive discharge of glutinous saliva from 
the mouth, and a frequent cough, which the suffering creature 
attempted to suppress. The head was quite fixed, and the eyes 
staring. The under jaw moved occasionally, but without that 
grinding noise which is often heard in the last stages of acute in¬ 
flammation of the lungs or bow els. The parotid and submaxillary 
glands were a little enlarged ; and the larynx appeared as if it 
w ere pressed downward. With much inconvenience I passed my 
hand into the fauces, which I found very hot and tender to the 
touch, but was unable to find any limited tumefaction, which I 
was prepared to expect. The mare exhibiting symptoms of thirst, 
I offered her water: she attempted to drink, but the pow ers of de¬ 
glutition were quite suspended, and the water returned by the 
nostrils and mouth. Taking, therefore, all the symptoms col¬ 
lectively, I felt I should be acting with prudence by pursuing the 
soothing system. I accordingly applied a very hot bran poultice 
to the throat, and caused the patient to inhale a thick vapour 
from hot water, in which was immersed a lock of hay, by moving 
w hich, the groom was able to increase the volume of steam, and 
thus keep the affected part constantly exposed to a vapour bath. 
This is a most favourite practice of mine in all catarrhal and bron¬ 
chial affections. Holding myself in readiness to perform tra¬ 
cheotomy, which the increasing difficulty of respiration caused me 
to anticipate, I continued the same treatment until the evening 
of the second day, when I thought it high time to make some 
arrangement for the removal of the discomfort which the poor 
sufferer exhibited, not only from pain but hunger. I therefore had 
some gruel made, and having adjusted the stomach pump ; I in¬ 
jected upwards of six quarts of strong decoction of oats : 1 again 
attempted to introduce my hand into the fauces, but the irritation 
