TTHAT WE HAVE BEEN-WHAT WE MAY BECOME. 
477 
way is to rouse that organ to increased action ; and to accomplish 
that I know of nothing better than stimulants and purgatives. 
Apply mustard, hot fermentations, warm injections , and order as 
much gruel to be given as he will take. 
While the walls of the stomach are so distended, there is no 
danger of inflammation; should there be any cerebral symptoms, 
such as heaviness of the head, leaning the head on the manger, 
or thrusting it against the wall, a good free bleeding should be 
added to the stimulants and purgatives. 
If the disease should take the tympanitic or gaseous form, 
the coecum or colon is its usual seat; the cures for it are innumer¬ 
able ; every quack has his own infallible specific, and most veter¬ 
inarians have a remedy, which they think nearly a cure ; but 
although many cases no doubt are cured, still it is beyond doubt 
many die, and from gaseous distention alone, without a particle 
of inflammation. Like the previous cases I have dealt with, 
where the stomach is distended with food, expulsion is the object 
we have to attain. To have the bowels distended with gas, we 
must have fermentation, and to have fermentation there must be 
a mass of imperfectly digested matter in the gut. All agree 
giving the most powerful stimulants, and there are few who don’t 
think it necessary to combine with them some active purgative. 
I condemn the fashion of walking and trotting the animal in 
such cases. 
In despite of all treatment, however sound, both in theory 
and practice, our cases will sometimes die, and others appear upon 
the point of bursting. 
In such cases I have used the trocar in thirty-one instances, 
with nine successful results. I believe, however, if it were used 
earlier than it usually is, the results would be more successful. 
WHAT WE HAVE BEEN-WHAT WE MAY BECOME. 
By Dr. D. V. Dixon, D.V.S. 
(A Paper read before the United States Veterinary Medical Association, 
Cincinnati, September 16tb, 1884.) 
On the ninth of June, 1863, a number of gentlemen belong¬ 
ing to the veterinary profession, assembled in convention at the 
