TUBERCULIZATION OF THE PLEXUS CHOROIDES. 445 
On opening the horse, I found all the abdominal viscera 
perfectly healthy, and a small quantity of food in the 
stomach, which he must have eaten after his arrival. 
On opening the chest, the lining membrane and pleura 
pulmonalis appeared healthy; but on cutting into the lungs, 
I found them very much softened and easily broken down 
under pressure of the fingers. The heart was also softened. 
These changes not being sufficient in my mind to cause the 
sudden death of the animal, I naturally examined the brain, 
thinking to find a cause for apoplexy. On taking off the bony 
covering, the meninges of the organ appeared to be quite 
healthy, and its substance only showed slight congested 
spots; but on opening the cavities, I found an effusion of 
serum to exist, and, what I have never seen before, tuber¬ 
culization of a considerable portion of the plexus choroides. 
REMARKS ON THE ABOVE CASE. 
Fully to understand the cause or causes which may have 
produced the death of an animal, it is important, in many 
instances, although not in all, to have either witnessed or 
received an authentic account of the history of the case, and 
also the symptoms observed previous to death. Such infor¬ 
mation, coupled with the post-mortem appearances, materially 
assist in coming to a definite conclusion. Unfortunately, 
however, in the above case, we are not in possession of such 
knowledge, nor does it appear, as far as symptoms are con¬ 
cerned, that Mr. Vick had any idea what they were ; we 
therefore feel less confidence in any opinion we may offer, and 
we are inclined to think that Mr. Vick was a little too hasty 
in the conclusion he came to. The owner of the horse, we are 
told, considered him to be in good health up to the time he 
placed him in the hands of the ostler of the hotel, and 
judging from the statements in Mr. Vick’s letter, the ostler 
could not have paid much attention to the animal until the 
moment of his death, therefore was not in a position to say 
whether the horse was unwell immediately after being placed 
in the stables of the hotel, or if the symptoms of the disease 
which caused death suddenly appeared. 
This we take to be important; for if it could be shown that 
his respiration was embarrassed a short time after he was 
admitted into the stable, and, in association with other pecu¬ 
liarities, continued to be so, then, under such circumstances, 
we should be able to assert that his lungs were congested, 
O O' 
and that such was the cause of death ; which we really think 
is more likely to be the case than its depending upon en- 
