REPORTS OF CASES. 
137 
sloughed out, leaving a small opening through which a little food 
and water passed when the animal ate or drank. This, however, 
soon closed, leaving the cow as well as ever. I should have used 
carbolized catgut suture for stitching the oesophagus, but I did 
not have it. Had it been used, I am satisfied there would not 
have been the least suppuration. 
During the operation I kept my hands and instruments well * * 
saturated with the corrosive sublimate solution. 
IMPACTION OF THE RUMEN. 
By the Same. 
On March 30th, ’88, 1 visited a cow that appeared to be suf¬ 
fering from impaction of the rumen. I administered a cathartic, 
which caused fluid evacuations from the bowels, but the distress¬ 
ing symptoms of impaction still remained, and the hard impacted 
contents of the rumen could easily be felt with the fingers. Stim¬ 
ulants were prescribed for a day or two, after which another ’ 
cathartic was administered, but with no better result. 
Rather than resort to rnmenotomy (an operation which cer¬ 
tainly is accompanied with more or less danger), I adopted a plan 
which was new to me, at least. I inserted a large trocar and 
canula through the abdominal muscles into the rumen, and after 
withdrawing the trocar I passed a strong steel rod through the 
canula and stirred or broke up as much of the impacted matter 
as possible. 1 then injected a quantity of warm water through * 
the canula, and repeated the puncturing and breaking-upf process 
about six inches from the first puncture. Prescribed strychnine 
in 2 gr. doses twice a day, combined with bicarbonate of soda, 
and had the satisfaction of seeing my patient in good health in a 
few days. 
While this operation might prove ineffectual in some cases, I 
believe it would do away with the more dangerous operation of 
rumenotomy in many others. 
ABSCESS IN THE BRAIN, THE RESULT OF STRANGLES. 
By the Same. 
The subject, a mare four years old, according to the owner’s 
statements had suffered from ft severe attack of strangles a few 
