418 WARTY GROWTHS WITHIN MAMMILLARY DUCT OF A COW. 
tory of the case showed that the heifer had been purchased 
about eight months previously, and that she had done well 
until within the last month, when occasionally vomiting 
came on. No probang or other instrument had ever been used, 
as in a case of choking. 
I ordered her to be killed. The post-mortem examination 
failed to show that any foreign substance had penetrated the 
part where the rupture existed; and, thinking it a rare case, 
I have forwarded the specimen to you. Any remarks you 
may please to make upon the case I shall be glad to read in 
the Veterinarian. 
[An examination of the parts showed that for some time 
dilatation of the pharynx had been gradually going on, and 
that the coats of the organ, together with the contiguous 
portion of the oesophagus, had undergone considerable 
attenuation. This condition of the throat fully explains the 
difficulty which the animal experienced in deglutating ordi¬ 
nary alimentary matters, as well as their occasional ejection 
by the mouth. The ultimate stoppage within the throat of 
a large pellet of partially masticated hay, together with the 
strong efforts at deglutition, led to a rupture of the thin 
coats of the pharynx and oesophagus. 
The case is one of rare occurrence, and possesses much 
interest to the pathologist.— Eds.] 
WARTY GROWTHS WITHIN THE MAMMILLARY 
DUCT OF A COW. 
Communicated by Mr. Fletcher, M.R.C.Y.S., Sheffield. 
We are indebted to Mr. T. Fletcher for an interesting 
specimen of obstructed milk duct in a cow, which existed to 
such an extent as to render amputation of the teat necessary. 
An examination of the duct showed that its inner surface 
was studded with warty growths, which so closed in on 
either side as to reduce the passage to a size which would 
scarcely admit the introduction of a very small silver probe. 
Obstruction of milk ducts arises from several causes; but 
until now we have never observed that warts springing from 
the mucous lining of the mammillary duct had to be ranked 
among them. 
Amputation of a teat of a milch cow would be scarcely 
admissible; but in a case like this, where the damming up 
of the milk would ultimately lead to structural changes of a 
serious and perhaps complicated nature, an operation of the 
kind would be warrantable. 
