276 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
for a cathartic, which was administered the next morning. 
On the morning of the second day after the exhibition of the 
aloetic pill, my attention was called to the patient, and, on 
examination I found him to be much nauseated, and that his 
pulse was extremely fast, his heart beating at the rate ol 80 
per minute, but that the temperature was but little affected, j 
being 100.5° F. He refused all food of whatever nature and 
appeared to be suffering from slight gastric pain. Occasion¬ 
ally he would lie down, stretch his neck and head at full 
length and curl his upper lip. The bowels were moving 
freely, but apparently without causing griping. On account 
of the alarming condition of the pulse it was deemed best to 
quiet the excited intestinal peristalsis, and consequently the 
patient received the following bolus: 
ft Extracti Opii., 3 i, 
Pulv. Plumbi Acetatis, 3 ii. 
This had the desired effect, and no more fluid faeces was 
voided. !' 
The observation was now made that the lameness for 
which he was being treated had entirely disappeared. 
For the next three or four days there was but little 
change in his condition. No food of any kind passed his 
lips—not a spear of grass, not a grain of oats, not a particle 
of bran nor hay nor food of any description. 
The epigastric pain ceased, but the pulse assumed a most 
peculiar character. For half a minute possibly it would beat 
at the rate of 100 per minute, for the remaining half at the 
rate of 36 or 40 per minute. All this time the temperature 
registered either ioo° or 100.5° F«, respiration a little above f 
normal, eyes bright, ears erect, and thirst a little above 
normal. 
I can complete my story in much less space if I bunch 
the history for the next five or six days by saying the last 
described symptoms persisted about the same, until after 
eleven days he partook of one bite of grass, which he masti¬ 
cated and swallowed, and on the thirteenth day began to 
partake of hay in small quantity. 
In a few days he was eating well; his pulse, which had' 
