400 
CASE OF RUPTURED STOMACH. 
During the morning she had drunk about six quarts of 
chilled water. I then found that the swelling had entirely 
left the near hind leg, but the off one was swollen from the 
thigh to the fetlock; the slightest pressure causing great 
pain. The respiration became quick and extremely labo¬ 
rious ; the pulse rose from 54 to 68 per minute; the visible 
mucous membranes became still more injected ; ears and legs 
cold, and the surface of the body bedewed with a cold per¬ 
spiration, with indications of severe pain, apparently situated 
in the abdomen. There was not the slightest tympanitis. 
My prognosis was unfavourable, the case appearing a 
hopeless one. 1 left, however, to procure some stimulant 
from a druggist close at hand, and on my return, in a quarter 
of an hour, the mare was dead. 
The cause of death I supposed to be a rupture of some 
portion of the abdominal viscera. 
Post-mortem examination .—Upon laying open the abdomen 
a large quantity of semi-digested food was seen floating 
amongst the intestines; the cavity of the abdomen con¬ 
tained about three gallons of fluid ; the peritoneum was in¬ 
jected in patches; the mesentery presented a strange appear¬ 
ance, being almost black; the intestines contained very little 
faeces ; the stomach was almost empty, having a rupture of 
about ten inches through all its coats, and which apparently 
was of recent occurrence. The lining membrane was injected 
in different places, and all the coats were in a weak condition. 
The duodenum was very much discoloured and easily torn, 
and there were patches of congestion over the whole intes¬ 
tinal canal. The liver and spleen were both much enlarged. 
On removing the skin from the hind legs, I was surprised 
to find the areolar tissue congested and dark-coloured. 
[In reply to the question put by Mr. Read—“Is there not 
reasonable ground for supposing that mechanical distension, 
arising from the large quantity of sloppy food in the stomach, 
was the cause of its rupture ?”—we are of opinion that this 
took place at the time of death; the digestive process being 
interfered with by the previously existing illness, which led 
to an over-distension of the stomach, and a weakening neces¬ 
sarily of its coats.] 
