.REPORTS OF CASES. 
641 
in agar-agar and gelatine; the cultures are not particularly 
exuberant; they cannot grow upon potatoes at the usual 
room temperature. Through these properties, and many 
others, they may be sharply differentiated from other oval bac¬ 
teria, especially from hog cholera (schweinepest or schweins- 
diphtheritis) which are mobile, quick and lively upon gelatine 
and agar-agar, and grow a slimy exuberant mass upon the 
same ; they flourish upon potatoes, where they form a yel¬ 
lowish brown tract. 
Ribbert’s bacteria of intestinal diphthe^itis in rabbits is 
more similar to the swine plague bacteria; it is also mobile 
and grows upon gelatine and agar-agar as well as potatoes in 
a similar manner to the swine pest organism. 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
“Careful observation makes a skillful 'practitioner , but his skill dies with him. By 
recording his observations he adds to the knowledge of his profession , and as¬ 
sists by his facts in building up the solid edifice of pathological science .” —Vet¬ 
erinary Record. 
THORACIC OBSTRUCTION OF THE (ESOPHAGUS. 
By M. W. Drake, D.V.S., Philadelphia, Pa. 
On July 29th.,at eight A.M.,I was called to see a bay gelding 
about nine years old ; he had been suffering about an hour ; was 
taken very suddenly fifteen minutes after eating his morning 
feed of oats, showing the following symptoms : Standing with 
all four feet extended, head down and on a level with the 
neck, a violent expulsive cough with attempts at vomition, 
followed by severe fnuscular contractions of the interior cer¬ 
vical muscles, large quantities of ropy saliva escaping from the 
mouth and nostrils with e#ch expulsive cough, the attempts 
at retching following each other at an interval of about ten 
minutes. 
In about three hours these violent symptoms gradually 
subsided and retching occurred only on introduction of an irri¬ 
tant, such as water or oil, of which he would swallow two or 
three swallows, which would cause a reflex action of the mus. 
cular fibers of the oesophagus, so forcing it up through the 
oesophagus out of the nostrils and mouth. 
