374 
LACERATED RECTUM OF A HORSE. 
him the same as in the evening, but he moved himself more 
freely, although there was a slight straddling gait with his hind 
legs; after, however, going a few yards, it went off; lie 
backed and turned either way as well as ever he did, and 
flinched nowhere on pressure; he had voided his faeces and 
urine during the night naturally. I was still of opinion that 
he had hurt his back in some way or other, and therefore 
sent some Lini. Saponis to be rubbed over his loins, with 
some cooling medicine, and thought that in a day or two he 
would be all right again. 
On the third day, about half-past one p.m., the groom 
came, saying the horse was all but dead ; he could scarcely 
keep him from falling down; he was trembling, constantly 
straining and making efforts to stale, which he did only in 
small quantities at a time. I took with me a draught consist¬ 
ing of 01. Lini., Ol. Tereb., and Tr. Opii, and found the horse 
as he described him; the trembling, however, had partly 
gone off, the pulse was but slightly quickened, there was an 
anxious expression about his eyes, the membranes were rather 
more injected, the breathing quicker than usual, the abdomen 
very tense, and the mouth slightly clammy. The bowels had 
acted during the day, yet he kept stretching himself out, 
making efforts to urinate, and looking round to his near flank. 
I at once administered the draught I had brought, and pro¬ 
ceeded to examine him, per rectum, which I found full of faecal 
matter, of a fair consistence. A few inches from the anus the 
rectum was lacerated . Removing all the faecal matter, with which 
was pus mingled with blood, I felt that the intestine was 
thickened, and detached portions of membrane were hanging 
about it, and on the left side there was a piece the width of 
my finger across the rupture. I at once told the groom I 
had no hopes of the horse’s recovery, and left, with instruc¬ 
tions to send for me again during the night should the animal 
become very much worse. Expecting him to become vio¬ 
lent, at about nine a.m. I again saw him, and to my sur¬ 
prise found him much easier. He had passed his urine 
without any straining, but no faecal matter had been voided. 
On examination I found the rectum empty and very dry, 
and a considerable amount of bloody, purulent matter issued 
from a sac formed by the outer coat of the intestine. I 
administered an enema, ordered soft food, of which he par¬ 
took during the day, and saw him again at one p.m., when he 
was about the same. At nine in the evening 1 administered 
another enema, which he resisted, straining against it very 
much. The next morning I saw him about ten; he was 
then endeavouring to stale; the pulse was quicker, the breath- 
