PERICARDITIS IN A MARE. 507 
none of the flocculi to be vascular. Could such a large 
deposit take place in so short a time ? 
I may in conclusion, remark, that the symptoms were not 
very severe until during the last few hours. 
REMARKS BY ASSISTANT-PROEESSOR YARNELL. 
Specimens of heart disease, similar to the above, are by 
no means rare. Nevertheless, from the importance of the 
organ involved, a large amount of interest is attached to such 
cases, therefore, as many of them, with the symptoms ob¬ 
served during the illness of the animal, and the collateral 
circumstances connected with each case, should, as often as 
convenient, be recorded. 
That the mare should have passed over the usual period of 
utero-gestation as much as tw'o weeks, without showing signs 
of parturition, is no uncommon occurrence; and it is wise, 
in most instances, not to be over anxious or to interfere. 
The precise period when the attack of pericarditis com¬ 
menced, or the cause which gave rise to it, appears not to 
have been noticed. At any rate, the early symptoms are not 
at all well defined. It appears, however, that after a time the 
true character of the disease was recognised, and such treat¬ 
ment, as was thought proper, adopted for its relief, but as 
the sequel proved, without having the desired effect. 
We see no necessity to offer any remarks on the patholo¬ 
gical conditions of the organ affected, as the description 
given by Mr. Jones sufficiently explains the changes that 
had taken place, both in the structure of and upon the sur¬ 
faces of the pericardium, and which are so strikingly charac¬ 
teristic of pericarditis that no one would think of giving any 
other term to the disease. 
The first question asked by him is, Did you ever see so 
severe a case ? My answer to which is—Several, for, as I 
have before stated, such cases are not by any means rare. 
The second is, What time did it take to deposit the lymph 
on the surfaces of the pericardial membrane? Judging from 
its nature, I am of opinion that it could have been deposited 
in ten days, or even less. It is not converted into structure, 
nor has it become vascular at any point. 
The most interesting part of the history of this case, and 
one, as far as I am aware, unrecorded, is the occurrence of 
pericarditis just at the period when parturition was ex¬ 
pected to take place, and, as far as we know, without any 
assignable cause being in operation. 
The post-mortem examination did not disclose any disease as 
