RUPTURED HEART OE A HORSE. 
457 
By this he was relieved for about two hours, when he showed 
a little uneasiness again. I repeated the draught, which had 
as good an effect as the first. 
April 4, 8 a.m.—My patient is decidedly much worse. He 
has not partaken of anything during the night, except a little 
gruel, and with this he was drenched. The pulse is imper¬ 
ceptible at the jaw, and even at the heart, except by auscul¬ 
tation, when I could only hear a very weak movement of the 
heart. The visible mucous membranes are more injected, 
the mouth hot and very dry, the respiration laborious, the 
extremities warm. 
1 told the owner’s father-in-law, Dr. Dumain, who was 
present, that I was somewhat at a loss to account for the 
very great amount of fever, pain, and laborious breathing, 
with such a very weak, low, and intermittent pulse as the 
animal had from the beginning, and expressed my opinion 
that there was inflammation going on in the stomach 
and large intestines, and that there must be some affec¬ 
tion of the heart which deceived us in the pulse. I also 
suggested to the doctor that I thought the best treatment 
we could adopt would be to bleed the animal, to see if we 
could get a pulse, as we could not dare to give any stimulants 
with so much fever present. The doctor being of the same 
opinion, the horse was bled to the amount of about six 
quarts, when we obtained a pulse. I then applied a mustard 
cataplasm to the loins and abdomen, ordered— 
Pulv. Opii, 3j; 
Hyd. Chlorid., 5j; 
Pulv. Lini, c. Syrupus, q. s. M. ft. bolus, 
and gave liq. ammon. acet. 3vj. in gruel; directed clysters to 
be thrown up occasionally, and a little mash and gruel to be 
offered him. 
2 p.m.—My patient is about the same as when I saw him 
last, except that the pulse is again imperceptible, and the 
mouth not quite so hot and dry. Bloodletting was again 
ventured upon to the amount of about two quarts, when the 
pulse became again perceptible at the jaw. Repeat the 
medicines as before ordered, apply hot rugs to the abdomen, 
and continue the clysters. 
1 a.m.—The pulse is perceptible, but very weak and quick; 
the visible mucous membranes are about the same; the re¬ 
spiration not so laborious; and the extremities are warm. 
He has been free from pain since the rugs were applied, and 
has partaken of a little mash with sliced carrots in it, and a 
