EXTRACTS FROM FOREIGN JOURNALS. 
25 
who in turn sent for me as soon as he had arrived and seen the 
state in which he then was. On my arrival, between four and 
five on the morning of the 27th, I found that the animal was 
standing in a very depressed condition, with haggard expression 
of countenance, head and ears pendent, mucous membranes 
injected, breathing accelerated, slight sweatings on the‘sides of 
the neck and at the flanks, considerably—but not excessively— 
swollen abdomen, pulse imperceptible at the jaw, and all the 
other symptoms indicative of collapse. After making a careful 
examination, I informed the attendants that he could not live 
more than five or six hours, and that he was suffering from 
peritonitis, the result of rupture of some portion of the intestines. 
I then took my departure, and when I returned found that the 
result was that he had died about nine o’clock that morning, 
about five hours after I had visited him. 
The post-mor.tem examination made by me about three hours 
after death revealed a rupture of the rectum, about an arm’s 
length or so from the anus, just beyond the entrance to the pelvic 
cavity, the opening being large enough to permit of the exit of a 
dust ball of about three inches in diameter, which 1 at once 
jumped to the conclusion had caused it, but on making a further 
examination of the abdominal cavity no trace of a calculus could 
be found. The contents of the stomach and larger intestines 
were perfectly regular and pultaceous, though these organs them¬ 
selves—more especially the former—were considerably distended 
with gas; I was therefore forced to the conclusion that the rup¬ 
ture must have resulted from the effects of excessive tympanitis. 
The chief point of peculiarity and interest for the profession 
in this case seems to me to be the comparative rarity of the 
rupture having occurred so far back as to be almost within 
reach of the hand, and this must be my excuse for recording it. 
I am further of opinion that the rupture must have existed for 
the greater part of, if not for the whole day previous to death, 
while he yet did his work, and at least had not entirely ceased 
to eat his food, as the peritoneum, both parietal and visceral, 
was inflamed throughout to a greater or less extent, showing 
that the irritant causing this had been for a considerable time 
