30 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
the exception of the last, and then it was not so severe. This 
animal made a very rapid recovery, and in twenty-four hours 
was able to move at a trot. 
No inflammation at point of injection. 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
“ Careful observation makes a skillful practitioner , but his skill dies zvith him. By 
recording his observations, he adds to the knozvledge of his profession , and assists by his 
facts in building tip the solid edifice of pathological science .” 
SPASMODIC ASTHMA. 
By W. F. Derr, V. S., Wooster, Ohio. 
During the summer of 1898, I had occasion to treat a four- 
year-old horse for a dry short chronic cough for Several months 
and under which treatment he improved in his general condi¬ 
tion as well as his cough. I, however, informed the owner that 
his cough was of a broken-winded order and that the case might 
eventually terminate in heaves. 
On August 30th I received a telegram to come and see him, 
when I found him as follows : The horse was stabled in a bank 
barn very close and hot at the time. The party owning the 
animal was doing his fall thrashing, and the dust from the ma¬ 
chine going into the barn, and of which he had to inhale a good 
quantity, undoubtedly produced constriction of the bronchial 
and pulmonary air tubes. His respirations at the time being 
very laborious, I got him out of the barn as soon as I possibly 
could, which excited him some, he being very nervous. He fell 
down, and I thought he would never rise again. 
I had really not yet made a diagnosis, but thought it a case 
of acute laryngitis. I opened the trachea while he was down 
by making an incision of about three inches, but from which 
he got no relief whatever. In the meantime he was got on his 
feet again, and after opening the orifice in the trachea he fell 
down again. I saw instantly that I had a case of spasmodic 
asthma to deal with. I then gave him 2 grains of morphia 
hypodermically, also 3 1 of fl. ex. stramonium injected into his 
mouth. The pulse at this time was small, feeble and very 
irregular, the respirations loud enough to have easily been heard 
one hundred feet. In about five minutes after the injection of 
the morphia he seemed to get great relief. I thought this rather 
quick from the morphia, but at the end of a few minutes more 
he was again gasping for breath, with mouth and nostrils wide 
