EXTRACTS FROM FOREIGN JOURNALS. 
237 
I found the mare in a loose box. She was looking very hag¬ 
gard, trembling a little; legs and ears cold, mouth clammy; 
mucous membranes pale; a running down pulse, and abdomen 
slightly tympanitic. She looked wistfully round at her flanks, 
pawed a little, and seemed to have great pain. I at once gave her 
a powerful anodyne draught to relieve her pain, while I proceeded 
with my examination and inquiry as to her history. I learned 
that she had been used as a brood mare and the dam of a good 
stock; that she had always been healthy up to that day. She had 
been getting the usual food, viz., corn and hay and a little boiled 
food at night; that she was led out every day for exercise. 
While being led out that morning she seemed duller than usual, 
but showed nothing calling for special notice. I also learned that 
she had got a fright about ten days previously when going out at 
the stable door, and had an ugly fall. She got up and walked 
away, seemingly none the worse, and those who saw it thought no 
more about it. I attached great weight to the fall, and proceeded 
with my examination. I found, on passing my hand along the 
vagina, to ascertain the condition of the uterus, the os dilated 
sufficiently to admit my three fingers; the animal strained a good 
deal while I was doing so. I next passed my hand into the rec¬ 
tum. I found the passage loaded with rather dry broken faeces, 
which I proceeded to remove. I had cleared out the passage to 
the extent of twelve inches or so. To my horror I found the 
bowel was quite ruptured, and only attached by a mere rag of 
membrane on the left side at the part indicated. The faeces was 
quite filling up the pelvic cavity. I cleared it away and everted 
the free end of the bowel, which I found bore traces of having 
been badly bruised, and seemed as if it had been rent. I then 
proposed to myself what I could do for the best in the circum¬ 
stances. My first idea was to make a new attachment for the free 
end of the bowel within the sphincter, but finding the faeces all 
scattered about within the abdomen, I concluded that would be 
useless. I told my client that the mare’s case was hopeless. He 
inquired whether nothing could be done to save the foal. I an_ 
swered that seventh month children often lived and did well. If 
the foetus was still alive, it might be worth the experiment to try 
