114 
M. BUNKER. 
HOSPITAL RECORDS, 
RENAL ABSCESS-FOLLOWED BY MANIFESTATIONS OF FARCY AND 
GLANDERS. 
By M. Bunker, D.Y.S. 
March 24th, 1881, Dr. S. S. Field sent to the hospital of the 
American Veterinary College a black gelding, 8 years old, 15 
hands 3 inches high, with tiie following history: 
The horse had been in the possession of his present owner for 
several months, and during that time there had been a discharge 
of a purulent fluid from the inside of the left thigh, close to the 
inguinal region. 
Otherwise, his health was good, and he had been doing his 
work up to the date named. The appetite and general functions 
were normal. 
On the 26th he was thrown down and placed on his back for 
examination. The inferior opening of a fistulous track was found 
on the left side, on the inside of the thigh, slightly forward, about 
the point of separation of the sartorius and gracilis muscles. 
A long probe was inserted into the opening, and as the track 
was quite large, a catheter was afterwards used in its place, and 
inserted to the depth of about two feet. On the hand being in¬ 
troduced into the rectum, and passed forward into the lumbar 
region, the catheter could be felt, and on being traced to its end, 
the track was found to end in a round, well-defined soft body, 
resting about on the median line. When the catheter was with¬ 
drawn, a small amount of pus came with it. 
When the horse was let loose and allowed to get up, a further 
rectal examination was made, but no marked difference as to the 
general character of the tumor could be observed, except that it 
had moved from the median line slightly to the left, and was 
more dependent. 
A diagnosis of abscess of the psoas muscle was made, with a 
very unfavorable prognosis, the means and chances of treatment 
being too small to justify surgical interference. Aspiration 
being too uncertain, incision through the flank sure to prove 
fatal, and a puncture with drainage tube of more than doubtful 
