174 
H. F. JAMES. 
tried that method. I conceive that a circumscribed peritonitis 
was set up from one of the punctures, that the bowel became 
adherent to the abdominal muscles, and that an abscess in those 
muscles, as the result of the tapping, implicated the coats of the 
bowel and resulted in its persection. Some of my readers may 
think that I might have slit it up in the first place and saved all 
the trouble; so I might, and 1 would do it now, but then I had 
no data to work on. Perhaps the recounting of my experiences 
may save some young practitioner who meets with a similar case 
from spending much valuable time in modes of treatment which 
are of no avail in this particular trouble. The conclusions I may 
fairly arrive at are these : 
That fistula of the colon or other bowels may be a sequel 
of enterotomy in the horse. 
That scraping of the walls of the fistulous tract, followed by 
the use of the firing iron and blistering, the mild application of 
nitrate of silver, use of pressure by pads and surcingle, painting 
with flexible collodion, and application of adhesive plasters, are 
of very little avail in the treatment of this sequel. 
That where the fistulous tract communicates directly with the 
bowel, we are justified in resolving merely the upper part of 
that tract into an incised wound, and that by securing firm 
opposition of the lips of the wound we may almost always confi¬ 
dently look forward to a complete obliteration of that portion ; 
thus being practically a cure. 
That such cases under treatment should be tied up short and 
prevented from rubbing the flank or catching tail on sutures ; 
diet should be small in quantity and exclusively grain, and the 
water restricted. 
In cases where this plan of treatment fails in closing up 
the external opening, rectal alimentation together with similar 
incision and sutures may accomplish a cure. 
I trust my readers will pardon this somewhat long, and per¬ 
haps to some, uninteresting article. All practitioners are baffled 
at times, at least I have yet to see the man who is always equal 
to the occasion; and so I feel no diffidence about placing my 
treatment in this case under your scrutiny. I have always held 
