ON POUCHED HEART. 
109 
in other words, the blood particles in the small vessels of the 
congested lungs have a tendency to adhere to each other, and 
also to the walls of the vessels, which the propelling action of 
the heart is unable to overcome. The heart’s sensibility has 
been interrupted, its action at first tardy and enervated. To 
this succeeds irregular contraction and laboured efforts to over¬ 
come the difficulty imposed. 
The congested state of the lungs is seen in dark purple spots 
in various parts of each lung. The right lung is generally most 
affected. The noxious blood so retained in the lungs is a source 
of disease to these organs. Tn cases of long continuance the 
lungs resemble the natural appearance of the melt, and this 
organ, too, is congested. Animals with congested lungs are 
very prone to receive endemic or epidemic diseases, which 
prevail from atmospheric influences and other causes (influenza, - 
&c.); in which case the last-named complaint becomes more 
formidable, and runs through its different stages with rapidity 
equal to its violence. The animal so affected has to encounter 
a two-fold difficulty;—the peculiar disease induced by the 
process of fattening and the epidemic disease aggravated from 
that circumstance. This secondary disease is altered from that 
*/ 
circumstance, and why 1 Because there is present morbid 
irritability of the stomachs and lungs with permanent disease of 
the heart. Such cases are mostly fatal. The appearances that 
have been named are precisely the same when animals have 
been said to die from typhus. 
No attempt will here be made to argue the difference between 
congestion and inflammation; but it may be sufficient to state, 
that congestion of the lungs, where the heart is pouched, is 
followed by active inflammation, and this is succeeded by pus 
corpuscules, where the purple spots existed (they having first 
coalesced) ; ulceration follows, and a cavity is formed: the 
progress resembling the tubercle of the consumptive in man 
and beast. 
It is a well known physiological fact, when the diseases that 
have been named, pouched heart and congested lungs, are 
present, that fibrine is not formed in the blood, that is, the flesh 
forming process does not go on, because the growth and de¬ 
velopment of the blood is not maintained in a constant ratio. 
“ Boussingault, in an extensive series of experiments, has 
proved the truth of this.”— Liebig's Report. 
The quantity of blood, too, must be in relation to the quantity 
of carbon which the lungs can throw off, while oxygen must be 
freely supplied. An animal unaccustomed to healthy, open air, 
and suitable exercise, than which two greater deprivations 
could not be invented under the pretext of improving its con- 
