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Eserin in the treatment of colic
ABSTRACTS.
85
impulses, the respiration at the same time being dyspnceic. After this the horse had such attacks daily, and his condition rapidly became worse. The case was diagnosed as one of idiopathic hypertrophy of the heart, and at the end of twelve days the horse was killed. Post-Illortem.-The circulatory apparatus was examined with care, and it was ascertained that there was no aneurism of any of the large vessels. On opening the pericardium about i of a litre of serosity escaped. The heart was very voluminous and considerably above the normal weight for a horse of the same size. The capacity of the auricles and ventricles was decidedly increased, and at the same time the ventricular walls were much thickened, those of the auricles remaining normal. The auriculo-ventricular valve at the right side was slightly thickened, and to some extent insufficient, as was ascertained by injecting water into the ventricle from the pulmonary artery. When submitted to the same test the mitral valve was found to be quite efficient. The lungs were emphysematous in their anterior lobes. Mauri asserts that many cases of heart disease met with in veterinary practice are not associated with any valvular lesions. There exists, he says, a series of heart affections which are manifested at the outset by simple hypertrophy, entailing phenomena of acute or chronic asystole.--Rez'Ue Veterillaire.
ESERIN IN THE TREATMENT OF COLIC. In 1892 Pichel published in the Zeitscllrift fur Ve!erinarkunde an article in which he gave his experience of eserin in the treatment of colic, and in which he contended that the dangers attributed to the use of this substance by many veterinary surgeons have no existence. In a more recent number of the same J oumal (1893) Hirseman comes to the same conclusion. Since the introduction of eserin Hirseman has used it most extensively in the treatment of colic in the horses of a \Vurtemburg cavalry regiment, and he has not observed that it exerted any injurious influence on the course or result of the disease. For example, out of thirty-two cases of colic that occurred in the regiment in 1892 twenty-five were treated with eserin and seven without it, and the three fatal cases belong to the latter series. The following table (see next page) shows all the colic cases which have occurred in the regiment from 1885-1892. A striking fact brought out by this table is that in the years 1885 and 1886 the percentage of fatal C:1ses was proportionnlly high, viz., 25% and 15~~, but this apparently large proportion of fatalities is nscribahle to the fact that the milder cnses of colic were not included in the table. The proportion of btalities to cases of colic from 1887-92 wns from 6 to 12 per cent. Unfortunately, for most of the years information is not forthcoming regarding the cause of death in the fatal cases, but in the years 1890, 1891, and 1892, there were in all 215 cases of colic in the regiment. Putting aside thirty-seven of these cases which were not submitted to medicinal treaj:ment, there remain 178, and M these 135 were treated with eserin, and forty-three without it. In thirteen (9'62 per cent.) fatal cases after treatment with eserin the postmortem showed that five were due to rupture of the stomach or intestines, while in four (9'30 per cent.) cases that had not been treated with eserin one or other of these lesions was found at the post-mortem. Of the first five ruptures two were primary and three supervened on displacement of the intestine. Of the other two ruptures, which occurred in animals that had not been treated with eserin, one wns a rupture of the diaphragm, and the other a rupture of the stomach after twist of the intestine. Hence only tbe two primary ruptures need be considered in this connection, but in the one case
86
ABSTRACTS.
there was no doubt that the tear in the wall of the stomach had been determined by great distension of the stomach with food material. The result brought out, therefore, is that in 135 cases of colic treated with eserin there
I
Treatment 'Witiz and 'Witizout Eserin.
I Fatal Cases
Year.
No. of Cases of Colic.
188 5
-1- 8
35
13
12
10
2
1886
60
-1-9
I I
11
I I
-
188 7
25
15
10
3
2
1888
31
29
2
3
3
]889
52
49
3
6
5
1
18 90
135
81
54
9
9
-
18 9 1
48
29
19
5
3
2
18 9 2
32
25
7
3
I
2
43 1
3 12
119
TOTAL.
I
-----
Fatal Cases.
witiz and wit/tlout Treatment ky Eserin.
1 --
-I
---~-2
4.J. 8 I -----------
was only one case of rupture of the stomach in which the blame of the accident could possibly, but not certainly (since the degree of impaction present was high), be ascribed to the eserin. In any case these statistics do not bear out or warrant the assertIOn that eserin either favours or induces the production of rupture. In the regiment here referred to the dose of eserin employed was almost always one-tenth of a gramme, and this dose was repeated only in cases in which there was extreme tympanites not immediately relieved by puncture. Hirseman contradicts the assertion that colic ends fatally when the bowels are not moved after subcutaneous injection of eserin. He has observed many cases in which after the first full dose of one-tenth of a gramme no laxative action was produced, and still the patient recovered. The statistics, indeed, embrace fourteen cases in which six to eight hours after the administration of the first dose of one-tenth gramme a second similar amount was given without producing any injurious effect.
THE SURGICAL TREATMENT OF ROARING. IN the Revue Vrtrrillaire for January 1894, M. Labat gives the result of his experience of Moller's operation for roaring. CASE I.-A seven-years-old gelding. This horse had been bought when a three-year-old, and had never been ailing since. He had never had any cough or discharge from the nose, and had never presented any signs of sore throat. He had only light work to do, except in summer time, when he had
85
impulses, the respiration at the same time being dyspnceic. After this the horse had such attacks daily, and his condition rapidly became worse. The case was diagnosed as one of idiopathic hypertrophy of the heart, and at the end of twelve days the horse was killed. Post-Illortem.-The circulatory apparatus was examined with care, and it was ascertained that there was no aneurism of any of the large vessels. On opening the pericardium about i of a litre of serosity escaped. The heart was very voluminous and considerably above the normal weight for a horse of the same size. The capacity of the auricles and ventricles was decidedly increased, and at the same time the ventricular walls were much thickened, those of the auricles remaining normal. The auriculo-ventricular valve at the right side was slightly thickened, and to some extent insufficient, as was ascertained by injecting water into the ventricle from the pulmonary artery. When submitted to the same test the mitral valve was found to be quite efficient. The lungs were emphysematous in their anterior lobes. Mauri asserts that many cases of heart disease met with in veterinary practice are not associated with any valvular lesions. There exists, he says, a series of heart affections which are manifested at the outset by simple hypertrophy, entailing phenomena of acute or chronic asystole.--Rez'Ue Veterillaire.
ESERIN IN THE TREATMENT OF COLIC. In 1892 Pichel published in the Zeitscllrift fur Ve!erinarkunde an article in which he gave his experience of eserin in the treatment of colic, and in which he contended that the dangers attributed to the use of this substance by many veterinary surgeons have no existence. In a more recent number of the same J oumal (1893) Hirseman comes to the same conclusion. Since the introduction of eserin Hirseman has used it most extensively in the treatment of colic in the horses of a \Vurtemburg cavalry regiment, and he has not observed that it exerted any injurious influence on the course or result of the disease. For example, out of thirty-two cases of colic that occurred in the regiment in 1892 twenty-five were treated with eserin and seven without it, and the three fatal cases belong to the latter series. The following table (see next page) shows all the colic cases which have occurred in the regiment from 1885-1892. A striking fact brought out by this table is that in the years 1885 and 1886 the percentage of fatal C:1ses was proportionnlly high, viz., 25% and 15~~, but this apparently large proportion of fatalities is nscribahle to the fact that the milder cnses of colic were not included in the table. The proportion of btalities to cases of colic from 1887-92 wns from 6 to 12 per cent. Unfortunately, for most of the years information is not forthcoming regarding the cause of death in the fatal cases, but in the years 1890, 1891, and 1892, there were in all 215 cases of colic in the regiment. Putting aside thirty-seven of these cases which were not submitted to medicinal treaj:ment, there remain 178, and M these 135 were treated with eserin, and forty-three without it. In thirteen (9'62 per cent.) fatal cases after treatment with eserin the postmortem showed that five were due to rupture of the stomach or intestines, while in four (9'30 per cent.) cases that had not been treated with eserin one or other of these lesions was found at the post-mortem. Of the first five ruptures two were primary and three supervened on displacement of the intestine. Of the other two ruptures, which occurred in animals that had not been treated with eserin, one wns a rupture of the diaphragm, and the other a rupture of the stomach after twist of the intestine. Hence only tbe two primary ruptures need be considered in this connection, but in the one case
86
ABSTRACTS.
there was no doubt that the tear in the wall of the stomach had been determined by great distension of the stomach with food material. The result brought out, therefore, is that in 135 cases of colic treated with eserin there
I
Treatment 'Witiz and 'Witizout Eserin.
I Fatal Cases
Year.
No. of Cases of Colic.
188 5
-1- 8
35
13
12
10
2
1886
60
-1-9
I I
11
I I
-
188 7
25
15
10
3
2
1888
31
29
2
3
3
]889
52
49
3
6
5
1
18 90
135
81
54
9
9
-
18 9 1
48
29
19
5
3
2
18 9 2
32
25
7
3
I
2
43 1
3 12
119
TOTAL.
I
-----
Fatal Cases.
witiz and wit/tlout Treatment ky Eserin.
1 --
-I
---~-2
4.J. 8 I -----------
was only one case of rupture of the stomach in which the blame of the accident could possibly, but not certainly (since the degree of impaction present was high), be ascribed to the eserin. In any case these statistics do not bear out or warrant the assertIOn that eserin either favours or induces the production of rupture. In the regiment here referred to the dose of eserin employed was almost always one-tenth of a gramme, and this dose was repeated only in cases in which there was extreme tympanites not immediately relieved by puncture. Hirseman contradicts the assertion that colic ends fatally when the bowels are not moved after subcutaneous injection of eserin. He has observed many cases in which after the first full dose of one-tenth of a gramme no laxative action was produced, and still the patient recovered. The statistics, indeed, embrace fourteen cases in which six to eight hours after the administration of the first dose of one-tenth gramme a second similar amount was given without producing any injurious effect.
THE SURGICAL TREATMENT OF ROARING. IN the Revue Vrtrrillaire for January 1894, M. Labat gives the result of his experience of Moller's operation for roaring. CASE I.-A seven-years-old gelding. This horse had been bought when a three-year-old, and had never been ailing since. He had never had any cough or discharge from the nose, and had never presented any signs of sore throat. He had only light work to do, except in summer time, when he had