397 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
CHLORIDE OF SODIUM INJECTIONS IN VENTRAL HERNIA. 
A. A. Holcombe. D.V.S. 
In March, 1882, I. was asked to treat a case of ventral hernia 
in a colt, ruptured by being caught on the end of a sharp picket 
as he was leaping a fence while a yearling. A few months after 
the accident a farrier attempted to reduce the hernia by intro¬ 
ducing a seaton; bnt the tumor became larger instead of smaller. 
The enlargement was about the size of a man’s fist, and seemed 
reduciable by pressure. It was determined to try to effect a cure 
by means of injections of chloride of sodium in solution, which, 
it was believed, would reduce the hernia and permanently close 
the sac by the infiliation it would cause; accordingly the animal 
was put on small doses of tiucture of arnica for a few days, so 
that the tendency to inflammation might be diminished, and prep¬ 
aration made for casting by emptying the bowels with an 
eighteen hours’ fast. 
When the animal was cast he was placed on his back and an 
effort made to empty the sac, but this was not possible owing to 
some adhesions between the omentum and walls of the sac near 
the opening in the abdominal wall. These adhesions were prob¬ 
ably the result of the seatoning whieli had been done two years 
before. Seeing that the sac could uot be emptied, except by 
opening it and breaking down the omental adhesions, it was de¬ 
cided to make the injections with the hope that the resulting in¬ 
filiation would reduce the hernia as much as possible, and by 
closing the abdominal opening around the omentum, prevent its 
further protusion. Accordingly, four injections, at opposite points, 
were made of ten drops of a saturated solution of chloride of 
sodium, and the hernia held in reduction by means of a pad and 
broad bandage. No result whatever followed these injections, so 
they were repeated in about two weeks’ time without casting the 
animal, and with fifteen instead of ten drops .of the solution. 
Within twelve hours considerable swelling took place around each 
point of injection, which by the third day included the entire 
tumor in a very firm,infiltration. The enlargements were tender 
to pressure, while the respirations were increased in frequency, the 
heart beat at 50, and the temperature went up to 105° 
