148 
EXTRANEOUS SUBSTANCES IN THE RECTUM. 
to make her rise, she raised herself on her fore extremities 
only, and all efforts to cause her to assume the standing pos¬ 
ture were ineffectual. The practitioner in attendance then 
bled her, administered an oleaginous draught, prescribed 
febrifuge and anodyne medicines, and ordered the injection 
of enemata, and the application of a sinapism to the loins. 
On the following dav, my attendance having been re- 
quested, I visited her, and found the restlessness and other 
symptoms indicative of pain unmitigated and almost inces¬ 
sant. She seemed to lie with most ease on her left side; 
manifested pain on the application of pressure to the right 
flank, to which part she frequently turned her head, and was 
still powerless to rise. The pulse was 82, the breathing 
quick, the mouth hot and dry, the faeces pultaceous, and I 
was informed that she had urinated freely. Unable, at first, to 
deduce from my patient’s symptoms any satisfactory conclu¬ 
sions with regard to the cause of her illness, I proceeded to 
examine her more carefully, and in the course of my investi¬ 
gation, introduced my arm into the rectum. I immediately 
felt therein what, from their size and hardness, I thought 
might possibly be beans which had escaped undergoing the 
masticatory and digestive processes; but on emptying the 
bowel of its contents, I discovered, intermixed with the faeces, 
which were thickly coated with mucus, a considerable number 
of small stones, of a description common to the beds of water¬ 
courses ; two or three curved* pieces of brass wire, apparently 
segments of a large ring; several rusty iron nails, a brass 
button , a tinned tack, a pin, and various shapeless scraps of iron, 
w T hich were much corroded. In the faeces which, during the 
same day, had been previously and were also subsequently 
voided, I found a small quantity of pebbles; but in addition 
to these, no other similar substances were observed in the 
evacuations. I ordered the administration of an opiate 
draught, a liberal allowance of demulcents, and frequent in¬ 
jection of enemata. 
The mare continued extremely ill until about 9 o’clock 
the following morning, when a little amelioration of the symp¬ 
toms began to be visible. On my arrival, I was informed 
that, after my departure on the previous day, her respiration 
had at times been much accelerated, that her breath had 
issued from her nostrils like steam, and that short twitchings 
of the head and fore extremities had occasionally occurred. 
I found her able, but with some difficulty, to stand for about 
five minutes at a time. The pulse and breathing were im¬ 
proved, and she seemed more free from pain ; her bowels 
were sufficiently open, and she staled freely. I gave her an 
