118 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
not perforated and the lesion not necessarily serious. 2. A 
considerable amount of a dark-red serous exudate in the pleural 
cavity. 3. Diffuse broncho-pneumonia. 4. In some of the 
deeper-seated central bronchi small bits of apple skin. 5. The 
stomach contained large pieces of apple, but no entire fruit. 
General Observations .—The case is illustrative in many 
ways. 
It is unusual to injure the oesophagus in pushing an apple 
onwards with the probang with ordinary care. In this instance, 
however, it appears that the apple had been partly crushed when 
the patient snapped at the owner and unintentionally swallowed 
the broken but unmasticated fruit. The apples being unsalable 
culls were hard, and probably the laceration was caused by a 
sharp projection of the apple core. It emphasizes the possible 
dangers in using the probang, even in cases apparently well 
adapted to this form of treatment. 
More important is the teaching in reference to the use of 
fluids during choke whether given by force as a drench to re¬ 
lieve the choke or taken voluntarily by the animal. In either 
way there is a constant danger of inhalation pneumonia, and 
we have repeatedly observed the fatal effects of this “ water 
cure ” so highly recommended by influential authors. We re¬ 
gard such use of liquids in choking as highly dangerous and 
wholly unwarranted. 
That liquids may be used safely and advantageously in some 
cases of choke and under proper technique we have no doubt. 
In cases of choke due to the impaction of dry food, like oats or 
hay in the cervical region, the insertion of a hypodermic syringe 
needle into the lower or central part of the bolus and the in¬ 
jection into the mass of warm soda solution would doubtless 
cause a breaking up and passing onward of the dry mass. 
We could also safely try the forcing of water into the oeso¬ 
phagus per os if first the precaution be taken to perform trache¬ 
otomy accompanied by proper care, but its application is of 
doubtful value. With a hollow probang a small tube could be 
pushed through it and water forced through this against the 
obstruction, any detachable pieces flowing back through the 
probang. Or by laying the oesophagus bare, grasping and com¬ 
pressing it against the probang to prevent the return of fluid 
along the outside, water could be forced through it under press¬ 
ure and foreign bodies forced onward by hydraulic pressure, 
which would be gentler, and by dilating the oesophagus, possi¬ 
bly better in rare cases than direct pressure by the probang. 
