REPORTS OF CASES. 
361 
I examined those in the barn and found the hearts’ action 
and respiration very little interfered with. Temp, from ioi to 
102. Recognizing it as a dietetic trouble, I proceeded to ex¬ 
amine the diet; the grains, hay and water to all appearance were 
number one; I was then shown a keg of soda hypo-sulphite 
and was told that each horse was receiving about a dessert spoon¬ 
ful each day. This did not strike me at first as of any impor¬ 
tance, but I was inquisitive enough to ask if those horses would 
eat that soda in the coarse crystal form in their feed ; then the 
facts were shown that the soda for the entire stable was placed 
in a tank and water drawn on to it, when dissolved the horses 
were let out one at a time to water ; some would refuse to drink 
while others drank heartily. 
My suspicions w T ere aroused and I set about weighing the 
soda, and measuring the water. This done, the result was that 
each gallon of water was found to contain approximately i8y£ 
dr. of soda. This was offered after each morning’s feed. Now, 
figuring on from 4 to 6 gallons of water to those horses that did 
drink heartily, they were receiving from 454 to 7 ounces of the 
soda. I could not say that that was sufficient to kill a good 
healthy horse, so I resorted to post-mortem on one that had died 
on the night previous. The deviations from normal as I noticed 
were as follows : 
Large intestines, totally devoid of blood, dark drab or slate 
color, the wall rather thicker than normal, caused from sub¬ 
mucous effusion. This effusion was like a jelly in consistency, 
yellowish in color, tinged with a dark drab. 
Stomach.—Tissues normal, but contents heavily coated with 
black tarry substance where it came in contact with the walls 
of the organ. 
Spleen.—Totally devoid of blood and on section it pre¬ 
sented a beautiful dark cherry red, stroma tough with withered 
feeling. 
Kidneys.—Mottled with dark blue spots. Over each spot 
the capsule was markedly indented. Underneath each spot a 
congested streak passed down through the cortex. 
Bladder.—Empty, and heavily coated on lining with a 
milky like secretion. 
Left Lung.—Congested, but as animal was lying on that 
side some time before dying I believe it was caused from some 
of a drench. 
Blood.—Was a beautiful dark cherry color, and feebly 
coaguable. 
