384 
T. F. WINCHESTER. 
Gray gelding, died from effects of heat; no evidence o 
parasite in question. 
Mr. Mather, M.R.C.V.S. in Veterinarian for 1857, Volj 
XXX., page 190, writes as follows : 
“About twelve months since, when practicing in tht 
South, the following cases came under my notice, and neve 
having read in any of our veterinary works, or heard men 
tion made, of such a disease (excepting that veterinary sun 
geons had occasionally met with it), I thought perhaps yoi 
might deem the following particulars not unworthy of a plac< 
in the Veterinarian. 
“ It was thus only by chance that I was enabled to lean 
the nature of the complaint the animals were laboring under 
and that in the following manner: The subjects of the dis 
ease were blood foals varying in age from seven to sixteei 
months, and one of them having been found dead in the field' 
I was sent for to make a post-mortem examination, it beinp 
suspected that the animals had been poisoned. On examin 
ing the foal previously to opening it, I found the body to bij 
very much emaciated, and that the abdomen was greatly en 
larged. On percussion of the belly, I detected the present 
of a small quantity of gas, mingled with a fluid which I con 
eluded was of a serous nature. From this circumstance, 
came to the conclusion that the animal had died from ascites^ 
but on opening it, I found the abdomen to contain quite ^ 
gallon of pure blood. On removing the viscera, I at onc< 
saw that the hemorrhage had come from a rupture of th< 
posterior aorta, just in front of the renal arteries. I dissect 
ed out the vessel to nearly its whole length, and on examin 
ing it, I thought at first that simple aneurism existed ; but 01, 
cutting into dilated portion, near to the rupture, I found 
much to my surprise, that the vessel was completely chokeo 
with myriads of small worms, similar in appearance to th< 
filaria which we find in the bronchial tubes of calves suffering 
from bronchitis or husk. The internal coat of the vessel wa 
considerably thickened ; in fact, it appeared to be lined wit! 
a false membrane, which, no doubt, had been caused by thi 
irritation set up by these creatures. In all of the arterie 
