286 
W. H. GRIBBLE 
with this trouble—the trouble I most dread, viz., the thora¬ 
cic or low-choke—dies. 
Any obstruction lodged in the pharynx or oesophagus 
produces, (or is that which is known as) choking, and most 
writers treat the subject as one of almost childish simpleness, 
some even entirely ignoring it; leaving the student to sup¬ 
pose that the complaint is a rarity, and its treatment and cure 
easy and simple. In fact, Dr. Robert McClure, in his work on 
the American horse, written some time about 1870—he being 
then I believe, a professor in the Philadelphia Veterinary 
College and an author of some note on works pertaining to 
the horse, says on page 59, “ Choking is very rare in the 
horse, and what few we have seen was due to a ball of aloes 
sticking in the throat; ” and he also says, “ the high choke is by 
far more dangerous than the low choke.” I know full well 
that many of those present, as well as myself, will differ with 
this professional gentleman, both as to the rarity of choking 
and the degree of danger to our equine patients, in the high 
or low variety. So, with this knowledge of your sympathy, we 
will give you my experience. But first let me ask you to 
bear in mind that while we treat the subject of choking as a 
general one, your especial attention is called to the kind com¬ 
monly known as low choke; and secondly, that as the choking 
of cattle with soft feeds is extremely rare, and the treatment 
when the obstruction is more solid, simple and in the great 
majority of cases easy of removal, we will pass them by and 
confine our remarks entirely to the horse. It is useless, gen¬ 
tlemen, for me to give you the minute anatomy of those or¬ 
gans in which choking occurs, but 1 think a little description 
will aid your memory and so not be out of place. 
The pharynx is the cavity at the back of the mouth, be. 
hind the soft palate and common to the air and digestive pas¬ 
sages. The oesophagus is the tube that carries the food from 
the pharynx to the stomach. It is situated above the trachea 
until it reaches near about the middle of the neck, where it de¬ 
viates towards the left, entering the thoracic cavity near to 
the inner side of the first left rib; it soon regains its position 
above the trachea, passing over the base of the heart, and be- 
