26 
HYDROTHORAX IN A HORSE. 
quarter large pailfuls were abstracted. After properly 
closing up the opening, I operated upon the off side, and 
took away thence two more large pailfuls of fluid, making in 
all the enormous quantity of fifteen and a half gallons. 
The opening on this side also being closed, I gave the 
following: 
Alum. Siccat., 31V, solve in 
Aq. bullien.. Oij, et adde 
Decoct. Avense, Oiv; 
Syr. Empyreum., Ibj. Misce. 
Half an hour afterwards, the animal was allowed half a 
pailful of warm mash, which she ate with an apparent relish. 
The next morning, at five o’clock, a ball was given to her, 
composed of— 
Pulv. Gentianae, 
Pulv. Zingib., aa ^iij ; 
Perri Sulph., 5j; 
Quinae Disulph., 5 SS; 
Mass. Com., q. s. 
At 8 a.m., she had two ounces more of burnt alum, dis¬ 
solved as before. In the evening, the tonic ball was 
repeated, and one hour afterwards, one ounce of burnt alum 
was given, as before. 
The appetite returned quickly; in fact she ate all that was 
allowed her ; and, on the third day after the operation, she 
laid down and rested four or five hours. The alum and 
gruel were continued, morning and evening, for five days ; 
and also the tonic balls, twice daily, for the same time. She 
now gained flesh fast, looked cheerful and well, and the pulse 
quickly fell to its natural standard. I should have stated 
that the pulse, when I was first called to the mare, was from 
86 to 90, but remarkably weak. 
Eight days after the operation had been performed, the 
animal was turned loose into the yard, when she jumped 
and played about like a foal. After this, she was turned 
into a good pasture to graze for a month, where she got very 
fresh, and was taken up to work, and is continuing to do so 
up to the present time, and I believe looks better than any 
other horse on the farm. The age of this mare is six years. 
I must now be permitted to say that, during my thirty years’ 
practice, which has been pretty extensive and varied, I 
have operated on a great number of horses for the same 
complaint, but never took away more than half the quantity 
** fluid I did in this case, at one time. About fifteen years 
