MIDLAND COUNTIES VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 839 
EXTRAORDINARY TUMOUR IN A HORSE. 
Mr. Blakeway said by the permission of the President he had to lay 
before them the history of a case which would be perhaps of some in¬ 
terest although perhaps some of those present might have seen similar 
cases. As it, however, had features of interest to himself, he would 
mention the case together with the post-mortem appearances. The case in 
point occurred in a carriage-gelding belonging to a client of his, which he 
had known for years, and which had never shown symptoms of any disease. 
It was a very good horse with high courage, and did its work remarkably 
well. The first time anything of consequence which happened was when he 
was called in to attend an enlargement of the elbow, caused by a bruise, 
which he subsequently lanced on Oct. 15th, 1878, operating upon it as he 
determined in the ordinary way. This course of treatment was apparently 
satisfactory, and he (Mr. Blakeway) did not see the horse for some time, 
as he was put to work. A short time afterwards he saw that the horse 
had bruised the elbow again and he thought it necessary to cauterise it. 
This was done on the 1st of April, 1879. Great swelling began to take 
place in the neighbourhood of the chest and on the fore quarters. He 
might tell them the horse always had a peculiar appearance upon the 
fore quarters, the superficial veins being much and peculiarly enlarged. 
This swelling went on to a very great extent in spite of physic given and 
fomentations used, gradually increasing, and then he arrived at the con¬ 
clusion that the animal had got an effusion into its chest. He did not think 
it necessary or advisable to puncture the chest as the external swelling 
was so considerable. It being a case of considerable interest he requested 
his employer to let some other veterinary surgeon see the animal, and 
Mr. Parker, of Birmingham, came over to consult with him. Mr. Parker 
was also of opinion that there was great effusion around the chest, and that 
it was not advisable to puncture, but he asked if there had been any 
symptoms of heart disease. They both came to the conclusion that 
there were small hopes of saving the patient’s life, but administered 
tonics and allowed liberal diet. The animal, however, died, and a, post¬ 
mortem examination disclosed that the abdominal veins were healthy. 
There was great effusion upon either side of the chest, and an immense 
tumour upon the pericardium of the left side, which was evidently 
pushing the heart to the right side. This tumour was found to be 18 lbs. 
in weight. There were tumours in other parts of the chest, and one in 
a lobe of the lung. This tumour was, as far as microscopical examina¬ 
tion could discern, what might be considered as interior disintegration. 
The horse for 18 years had shown not the least symptom of disease, nor 
that it had any affection of the pericardium, and yet this tumour weigh¬ 
ing 18 lbs. had been found. The owner thought his (Mr. Blakeway’s) 
operation on the elbow had something to do with the case, and therefore 
he asked that Mr. Parker should come in. 
Mr. Barker (Birmingham) said when he saw the horse the superficial 
veins of the fore quarters were very large. It was a nervous, awkward 
horse to approach. There could be no doubt about the effusion around 
the chest, nor that something was the matter with the pericardium. He 
had never heard of a similar case and such an immense mass of tumour 
he had never dealt with. 
Professor Pritchard remarked that he was of opinion that this was a 
very interesting case which Mr. Blakeway had brought before the meet¬ 
ing. He thought that the tumour had been forming some considerable 
time before the operation upon the elbow, and he did not consider that 
there was any relation between the two conditions. The effusion upon 
