PUNCTURE OF THE COLON BY A PIN. 137 
On reaching the stable I found him in an extreme state of 
pain, he having broken loose and rolled all round the stable, 
smashing the boards and posts in his agony. 
The symptoms then were those of acute enteritis, and did 
not offer any remarkable feature as regards posture, &c. 
The pulse numbered, as nearly as I could manage to count 
the beats, about 85, and was hard and bounding. 
Assistance was quickly procured, and the animal was imme¬ 
diately removed to a loose box. On examining the conjuncti¬ 
val and nasal mucous membranes, I found them excessively 
congested, and the mouth hot and dry. At this time his 
struggles were so furious that no one could go near him ; but 
after a short time he became exhausted, and stood up ; but a 
wonderful change had taken place in him in less than half 
an hour. The pulse, then so strong and vibrating, was now 
running down rapidly ; the mucous membrane of the gums, 
eyes, and nostrils was perfectly blanched and colourless ; the 
pupils widely dilated; the breathing short and very quick, 
with sighing; the surface of the body, ears, and limbs was 
as cold as ice. 1 had no difficulty in diagnosing a rupture of 
the intestines, and considering all treatment to be of no 
avail, I waited with the poor animal until a few minutes 
before his death, which took place about half-past seven a.m. 
The autopsy , made about three hours after death, showed 
an almost circular rupture, rather larger than a five-shilling 
piece, in the side of the colon, through which had passed 
faeces and partially-digested food into the cavity of the 
abdomen. There was also a large quantity of blood in a fluid 
state, mixed up with other matters. On carefully removing 
the whole of the viscera, and examining the intestines sepa¬ 
rately, I observed that the whole extent of the colon was in¬ 
flamed, but the parts surrounding the perforation exceedingly 
so. Chancing to wash out the fluid matters from the 
abdomen, I found a small brass pin, one of the common sort, 
and, I presume, of the smallest size. 
I made every investigation to discover from whence it 
came, and I am perfectly satisfied now as to its having been 
swallowed in the horse’s food, probably the oats. Taking the 
history of the case into consideration, I think I am fully 
justified in coming to the following conclusions with regard 
to it. The pin had found its way into the intestinal canal in 
the food. After remaining there for an indefinite period, its 
point had been driven through the wall of the intestine, and 
it must have been at this particular time that the animal ex¬ 
hibited symptoms of uneasiness, simulating colic. After the 
peristaltic motion, and the contents of the canal had pressed 
xxxii. IQ 
