STRANGULATED HERNIA, ETC. 133 
slightest resistance, or spasmodic convulsion, on the part of 
the animal. 
The probang, and that a cattle one, had gone its full length 
by the trachea into the lungs, and that without the slightest 
resistance on the part of the patient. Is it possible that the 
plugged oesophagus had paralysed the epiglottis, which 
ceased to perform its function, and deprived the parts of their 
extreme sensitiveness, thus preventing the excessive irritability 
and spasmodic convulsion that one would expect to ensue on 
the passing of a cattle probang down the trachea into the 
bronchi? Strange to relate, this extraordinary anomaly oc¬ 
curred over and over again. 
I called in my friend Mr. Barker, Veterinary Surgeon 
H.M. 7th Hussars, in consultation, who concurred in opi¬ 
nion that there was nothing could be done for the case but 
the operation of oesophagotomy. The animal was recast, 
and Mr. Barker performed the operation. An incision was 
made parallel to and immediately below the jugular vein, the 
cellular membrane of the subjacent parts loosened with the 
finger, and the plugged oesophagus exposed to view. An 
incision of about three inches was now made through the 
tube, and a probe passed a very little way, after a quantity of 
grain had been removed, but all to no purpose. Mr. Barker 
now made an incision lower down, towards the thoracic por¬ 
tion of the tube, and found it plugged as densely as above. 
We then came to the conclusion that any further attempt 
was useless, and Barker being tired, I put a few ligatures in 
the oesophagus and the external integument, and let the poor 
animal up. He died in ten or twelve hours after the opera¬ 
tion. The post-mortem examination exposed the tube plugged 
from end to end, but no abnormal condition or alteration in 
the trachea, although the cattle probang had passed into the 
bronchi over and over again. 
The next case is also peculiar. I was called from my 
hospital late one evening, as it was getting dark, in consul¬ 
tation. I had neither seen nor heard anything of the case in 
question till that moment. I found a very valuable horse 
(worth c£l80), the property of Mr. Allen, of the firm of 
Peake, Allen, and Co., of Umballa, with his head drooping, 
general aspect dull, and a stream of blood issuing from the 
nostril. 
The animal had been operated on under suspicion of 
glanders. The sinuses of the head had been opened by the 
trephine, and washed out with a dilute solution of nitric 
acid ; the nostril had been slit, explored, and plugged, and 
the cold douche constantly applied to the head. 
