REPORTS OF CASES. 
39 
I was in the country, time near midnight, and the air was 
real chilly. I was very, very weary, having driven fifty miles 
over the hills that day (Sunday), and had had no supper. There 
was very little water in the steer’s bladder, and I thought that 
surely it would not be bursted by morning. The extent of 
whatever was in the urethra somewhat demoralized me in regard 
to operating. I knew it was an obstruction, and it’s true I could 
have opened the urethra, but he did not need it then, and as 
he munched some corn and seemed rather comfortable by turns, 
I concluded to await developments until morning. I have said 
this steer was gentle, and so he was, even to the point of gen¬ 
tility, for as I was passing out the door to go to bed he raised 
his tail courteously and gracefully waved me a parting ati 
revoir . 
I arose early next morning and was the first to see the steer, 
and he presented all the classical symptoms of a ruptured blad¬ 
der. That this was the condition of my patient I satisfied 
myself by'manual exploration and performing paracentesis of 
abdominal floor. I then took breakfast, informed my patron he 
had best beef the steer because he was suie to die, and departed. 
After my visit, upon numerous occasions I received the in¬ 
formation, accompanied with sundry grins, that the steer had 
refused to die, was eating, that most wise and skillful talent 
had “fixed him up,” and he was doing well ! In the meantime 
I was being unmercifully chaffed and given the vinegar laugh 
by hollow friends with poisonous ridicule. Here was at least 
one case where “ life was more terrible than death ”—to me. 
Four weeks to the day, Nov. 5th, being several miles from 
that farm, I called to see my former patient. I found him eat¬ 
ing fodder and chasing the calves around the barn yard. No 
one being at home I cornered him and tied him up. Pulse very 
weak and fluttering—could not count it satisfactorily. Mucous 
membrane of nose had the appearance of that of a case of pur¬ 
pura hsemorrhagica, with very slight extravisation. Hair very 
loose, belly pendulous and about full of urine. His tenacity 
of life and remarkable vigor astonished me, and yet we were 
getting familiar. 
Nov. 12th, five weeks to the day after I was called to see 
the steer, I received a telephone message that the steer was dead 
and about to be buried. I held an autopsy, and upon opening 
his abdomen so much urine ran over the ground that the spec¬ 
tators laid down rails to stand upon, so they would be out of 
the mud. 
