170 
MR. LAQUERRIERE. 
Other symptoms, however, such us the lean condition of the pa¬ 
tient; the absence of the natural gloss of his coat; the length and 
staring of the hair; the pallor of the visible mucous membranes; 
irregularity of appetite ; alternating diarrhoea and constipation, 
with other not easily defined maladies, all contribute to the for¬ 
mation of a decision. 
Colics from poisoning differ, according to the toxic pecu¬ 
liarities of the ingested substances. A knowledge of the history 
of the case is here of the first importance. As to the intestinal 
stoppages produced by the retention of accumulations of stercora. 
ceous matter, egagropilo or calculi, it is very difficult, if, indeed, it 
be not impossible, to clearly make them out. Stercoraceous obsten- 
tion, as we have seen in some cases, may, however, be as readily di¬ 
agnosticated by rectal examination as the presence of other foreign 
bodies by this manipulation. Stercoraceous colics are generally 
violent and incessant, and allow no pause or rest to the sufferer. 
The animal is in most instances constantly stretching himself and 
making useless efforts to obtain relief ; while at other times he 
appears to experience dull pains, increasing in force and of an in- 
termittant character, and with a constant increase in their fre¬ 
quency. In the cases of egagropilo and calculi, the pains are also 
intermittent and dull, but there are deceitful remissions of several 
days’ continuance, during which the patient appears really cured. 
During the accesses of pain the horse lies down very carefully 
and remains quiet for a long time, stretched on one side. But 
while on his feet lie is constantly pawing and pushing his bed¬ 
ding under him with his fore feet. According to Reynal, this is 
a pathognomonic symptom of an accumulation of hardened fmces 
in the large cavities of the colon. With the exception of the ver¬ 
micular variety, the prognosis in these colics is always serious. 
Fifth Group.— Displacements of intestinal organs are gener¬ 
ally discovered only at the post-mortem. The diagnosis of, spine 
forms, however, is known, such as the inguinal and the diaphrag¬ 
matic. Rectal explorations with external taxis may aid us in de¬ 
tecting the presence of a portion of intestine engaged in the ingui¬ 
nal canal. Auscultation and percussion of the chest, associated 
with the symptoms of asphyxia, may assist in the discovery of the 
