PERFORATION OF THE COLON. 
449 
examination, I deferred making one till the evening. On 
opening the abdomen, I found part of the proper contents 
of the intestines floating in it. The viscera, generally, were 
healthy, except the large intestines. The colon was inflamed, 
the mucous coat throughout, and in places, greatly so, and 
the submucous tissue infiltrated. In one place all the coats 
had given way, and there was an opening about the size of a 
large walnut through them. 
The post-mortem examination of the other case showed the 
morbid changes more clearly. The liver was congested, and 
slightly softened, and the intestines were marked with patches 
of inflammation along their course externally, i. e . perito¬ 
neum. The omentum was thickened, and had been involved 
in the inflammatory action; the colon had two perforations 
through its coats, one the size of a small walnut, the other 
not so large. Through these openings some of the con¬ 
tents proper of the intestines had escaped, causing the general 
inflamed appearance of the other parts of the intestines. 
On cutting open the colon, I found extensive ulceration in 
different parts, and an effusion of a jelly-like matter under 
the mucous coat in other parts, which was of a dirty 
colour, and offensive to the smell. The ulceration in this 
case was undoubtedly the real cause of the coats giving 
way, which, from the escape of the contents of the gut into 
the abdominal cavity, produced the sudden sinking and death 
of the animal. The ulceration and change of structure, &c., 
of the colon would have killed the horse eventually had there 
been no perforation. 
Of course, the rupture in Mr. Dyer's case took place only 
some few hours prior to death, as the animal could not be 
expected to live long after the contents of the large intes¬ 
tines had escaped into the cavity of the abdomen. Probably 
this was the effect of that peculiar ulcerative inflammatory 
action of the intestines, similar to the corresponding disease in 
man. I hope to be pardoned for the liberty I take in making 
these remarks on the case in question. Published cases 
become public property, and I write in good faith, fully 
sensible of my defects, but not deterred by them. Are there 
any symptoms by which one can, with any certainty, detect 
this state of the colon in the horse, and which I failed to 
detect in my patients ? I knew, of course, I had a singular 
case, and perhaps some of your correspondents will assist 
me in this, and place me in a more enviable position as 
regards my own feelings, should another case of the kind 
come under my care. At present 1 can only judge such 
cases by the absence of any marked symptom. Continued 
xxxii. 59 
