REPORTS OF CASES. 
705 
heart becomes involved, have a diagnostic value. I feel justi¬ 
fied therefore in advancing the following: 
ist. That traumatic pericarditis may be usually diagnosed 
during life; that its symptoms are dullness, low down on the 
left side of the chest, muffled heart-sounds, breathing painful 
rather than difficult, often grunting, pain on percussion over 
the lumbar insertion of the diaphragm or between the ribs, 
oedema of the dewlap, the pain of respiration being very much 
augmented on exercise. 
2d. That the position and length of the foreign body may 
be approximated by considering the gravity of the symp¬ 
toms, the greater the amount of pericardial exudate and sub¬ 
cutaneous oedema, the greater the probability that the intrud¬ 
ing body is acting as a seton, and permitting access of air 
and fluids from the stomach to the pericardial sac ; if the 
body is short, the wound may close in its tract. The nearer 
the apex of the heart the milder the symptoms, and vice 
versa. If very great disturbance of respiration is present the 
piesumption is strong that the right heart is involved. 
3d. The tolerance of the heart to the irritation of these 
invading bodies holds out hope that in the future surgery 
may offer relief from what must be regarded as an almost 
surely fatal condition. I do not believe that removal would 
add to the risks of a condition bringing the patient into the 
shadow of death, and I shall carry out my conviction of this 
by operating on the next patient that comes under my 
care. 
A SUPPLEMENTARY MOLAR. 
By A. D. Galbeaith, D.V.S. 
A sorrel mare, eight years old, was brought to my hospital 
April 10th, 1885, with the history that she had been losing 
flesh for two or three months, and had trouble in mastication, 
and had not taken any nourishment for several days. 
The mare was considerably emaciated with an excessive 
flow of a fetid, ropy saliva from the buccal cavity. An exam¬ 
ination revealed a foreign substance in the right cheek, and 
after removing a half pint or more of partially masticated 
