CASE OF RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH. 
225 
symptoms, which had usually been successfully treated with 
Tine. Opii et Spt. JEth. Nit. Occasionally also he had been 
purged. Still, after partaking of food severe abdominal pain 
came on, which caused him to roll very violently, and sit 
long and persistently upon his haunches. 
The swallowing a small quantity of water brought on the 
same symptoms, although, as a rule, he drank but very little. 
When these paroxysms were over, he appeared well, was 
hearty, and when walked out playful; his coat was sleek, 
and for hours together he was apparently all right until he 
got food again. 
Diagnosis .—Some peculiar spasmodic disease of the sto¬ 
mach, induced by the introduction of food or water into that 
organ. Yet food and water he must have. Let him have 
good food in very small quantities, and given very often. 
Tonic medicines were given very cautiously in boiled barley. 
Hay caused great pain if more than a mere handful was given ; 
he was therefore only allowed it in handfuls. 
Under this treatment the animal continued to do well, only 
once or twice having a slight return of all the unfavorable symp¬ 
toms when the quantity of hay was somewhat exceeded. He 
was so playful when out at exercise, and looked otherwise so 
well, that I allowed him to be put to w r ork. He was put to 
the plough, and did well for eight or ten days. Gradually 
his hay had been increased, with no bad effects, and he was 
now considered altogether better. 
I was, however, called to him one night, after a Sabbath 
day; he was in the stable, without stint of hay, when he was 
again taken ill, but was dead before I arrived. I had an 
examination made in the morning, and upon opening the 
abdomen the existence of a rupture was certain from the ap¬ 
pearance of the ingesta, and its being scattered over the whole 
of the peritoneum. Closer examination showed that the 
stomach was the ruptured organ. It was torn from side to 
side along its greater curvature. But what are these bodies 
like strings hanging around the opening ? Let us examine 
them. They are shreds of peritoneum, drawn up upon them¬ 
selves, and in numerous instances they have formed round, 
bead-like-looking ends. What next? The muscular coat 
has thickened, fleshy edges; granulations are formed all 
around the wound upon this coat, and only the mucous mem¬ 
brane appears to be recently torn. The inner opening is not 
nearly so large as the rent along the peritoneal and muscu¬ 
lar coats, and, of course, no healing process has been going 
on there. 
The whole of the symptoms were now to my mind at 
