506 
PERICARDITIS IN A MARE. 
examined her, per vaginam, but found the os uteri quite closed. 
The other symptoms were—the breathing a little accelerated, 
constipation present, the pulse at the jaw quick and feeble, 
and the action of the heart seemed laboured. I applied strong 
mustard applications, and gave fever medicines, combined 
with an aperient. 
On Sunday morning I found her no better, and repeated 
the sinapisms, but neither took any effect. I also gave her 
some more medicine, but perceived her to be gradually getting 
worse, in fact, sinking. 
On Monday the unfavorable symptoms were much aggra¬ 
vated, and after a minute examination, and careful auscultation 
in the front of the chest, I was satisfied that water existed 
in the pericardium. Not until then could I detect it; 
although my opinion before this, was that the heart was 
diseased. I may here remark that the peculiar sound on 
auscultating was such as I never heard before. 1 could 
hear a peculiar splash when the heart moved, altogether 
unlike what I have heard in other cases of hydrops-pericardii. 
I also could distinguish, all the time of her illness, the sys¬ 
tolic and the diastolic action of the heart, which is not easily 
done in these cases, on account of the fluid. 
The animal died at 5 o’clock on Tuesday morning, and I 
made a post-mortem examination in the evening. The liver 
I found very hard round the circumference of its lobes, but 
the centre of the organ was of a light colour, and softened. 
It was also of its usual size. On opening the chest I found 
the lungs a little reddened, and the pericardium of an enor¬ 
mous size, and on cutting into it an immense quantity of 
pale, straw-coloured fluid escaped, but there were no flocculi 
of lymph. The heart I have sent to you, the state of which 
you will better describe than I can, although I must at¬ 
tempt it. 
I found the entire surface of the heart and pericardium 
covered with lymph ; the external surface of the organ was 
of a dark-red colour, but the internal structure was of a 
lighter colour than is natural. 
Permit me to ask, have you seen so severe a case as this, 
and what time do you think it has taken to deposit so large 
a quantity of lymph? You will see I have taken a piece 
of the right ventricle and of the pericardium, to preserve 
as specimens of disease for myself. I have examined the 
effused matter with the microscope, and I find it is lymph, 
but I also perceive some fat globules in it, but not to any 
extent. The muscular substance of the heart is not dege¬ 
nerated, although it is a little softer than natural. I find 
