SYNOPSIS OF CONTINENTAL VETERINARY JOURNALS. 549 
the oesophagus made by the instrument would be insignifi¬ 
cant, would not interfere with the passage of food, and 
would heal perfectly.” In reproducing this in the Revue , 
we do not offer it as a novelty to our readers, we only wish to 
recall that Lafosse long ago suggested the breaking up of 
the foreign body by such a mode of procedure. So in his 
Treatise on Pathology 3rd vol., part i, p. 256, we read: 
“ Division of the foreign body by means of crushing has 
been tried, but this is dangerous, since it injures the living 
tissues as well as the foreign body ; it is preferable to use 
a cutting instrument. Thus, having made an incision on 
to the oesophagus we proceed by submucous cuttings, directed 
so as to divide the body into many pieces. Where this 
course is impossible, it is advisable to extract the body 
whole by simple incision, or, preferably, by a double incision, 
so performed that the wound in the fleshy coat is not against 
that of the mucous.” In 1871 I successfully carried out 
this suggestion of M. Lafosse. A milch cow, belonging to 
a neighbour of the school, had just swallowed a potato 
and was threatened with asphyxia. The foreign body was 
of considerable size, and had become impacted at about the 
middle part of the cervical oesophagus. All means of ex¬ 
traction through the mouth having proved ineffectual, it 
was endeavoured to force it downwards. Only slight dis¬ 
placement resulted, and in the fear of not being able, on 
account of its volume, to pass it to the rumen, I ceased this 
means to have recourse to oesophagotomy. The oesophagus 
having been exposed, a straight bistoury was introduced by 
puncture into the thickness of the potato, and it was 
divided into four parts by cuts made towards the walls of 
the oesophagus. Cicatrisation occurred rapidly. Breaking 
up the foreign body by means of the straight bistoury 
requires to be done with great care to avoid injury of the 
opposite wall of the oesophagus. To render the operation 
easier and less dangerous we may, as M. Nocard suggests, 
use the probe-pointed and curved tenotomy knife, whose in¬ 
troduction should be preceded by that of the straight knife, 
as in the performance of plantar tenotomy. A probe-pointed 
bistoury would be equally effectual. In the case mentioned 
above an ordinary tenotomy blade would have been too short, 
and could not have been usefully employed. (F. Mauri.) 
“ Poisoning of fifty Sheep by an Arsenical Bathfi by M. 
Beucler, of La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre. M. Offroy, farmer, at 
Corbois, having bought a lot of sheep in the spring of last 
year, at the May shearing perceived that many of them were 
affected with “ scab.” He had them dressed by the shep- 
