28 
CASE OF SPASMODIC COLIC. 
gentleman residing about half a dozen miles from this place. 
It was stated the animal was labouring under an attack of colic. 
Not being able to attend for some two hours, I forwarded my 
usual colic-draught, consisting of Tinct. Opii et Sol. Aloes, 
cum Spt. /Ether. Nit. et Spt. Ammon, comp. This I was 
informed gave speedy relief. 
Upon examination of my patient I found him very dull, the 
pulse but little affected,respiration normal, mucous membranes 
unaltered in appearance. The introduction of my arm up 
the rectum disclosed nothing particularly remarkable, merely 
a small quantity of thick mucus. I perceived, however, the 
odour of Spt. Terebinth, in the box-stall, and also upon the 
neck of the animal. Upon inquiry, I was told that a certain 
medical man had the evening before mixed up a dose for the 
horse, of Ol. Ricini et Ol. Tereb., both of which agents I 
have abandoned the use of for some years past, at least as 
internal remedies. I mentioned this to the owner of the 
horse at the time, and stated my regret that such had been 
given. 
The history of the case, as far as I could learn, was this : 
On the day before, Saturday, the animal was at work as 
usual, drawing a cart upon the farm, when he was suddenly 
taken ill; he was instantly removed to the stable, when all 
the ordinary symptoms of colic showed themselves. At this 
time the worthy doctor was consulted, and who as worthily 
prescribed the drench before mentioned. The horse was 
quietly removed to this place during the Sunday, and ap¬ 
peared to be recovering; but there was a difficulty in pro¬ 
ducing an action of the bowels. Nothing passed in the shape 
of faeces from Saturday until Monday morning, when I 
observed a mass of thick stringy mucus covering a copious 
evacuation. This I did not like, and jumped to the conclu¬ 
sion that something was radically wrong; not from the fact 
alone that so large a quantity of mucus was voided, but 
also from the general appearance of my patient. 
The symptoms all this time were not of a severe or violent 
nature, quite the reverse. They seemed to indicate deep-seated 
languishing pain , better known to the experienced veterinarian 
than described upon paper. My opinion was an unfavorable 
one from this day. The treatment adopted by me was that 
calculated to ameliorate the sufferings of the poor animal. 
From Monday until Saturday, the only important symptom 
present, beside those already described, was this; every five 
minutes, when the animal was standing, he would attempt to 
urinate , but there was no secretion going on, in fact all the 
secretions had ceased. At noon on Saturday I found the 
