A Case of Syncope Lasting for Five Hours After Anæsthesia in a Dog
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ABSTR.\CTS AND REPORTS. except in from twenty-four to forty-eight hours after partuntlOn, or perhaps sometimes before parturition. He contends that this view is certainly not correct, for not at all seldom the disease develops three or four, or even fourteen, days after parturition, and he publishes the following as an instance of the disease occurring as late as six weeks after calving: he says that in this cow, which had calved six weeks previously, milk fever set suddenly in; the cow showed symptoms of paralysis of the hind limbs, lay with the head turned back against the right shoulder, fell into a sleepy condition, and showed in general all the symptoms observable in an ordinary case of milk fever. Inquiry could not elicit the least ground for supposing that there was any other cause than milk fever for the symptoms. The animal had to be slaughtered on the second day; the post-mortem had a negative result, but this, Gruber remarks, is not opposed to the accuracy of his dIagnosis. A CASE OF SYNCOPE LASTING FOR FIVE HOURS AFTER AN.l:ESTHESIA IN A DOG. 1\1. PECUS had brought to him in the month of September 1892 a bull-dog, aged six years, for treatment on account of a small tumefaction of the size of a nut seated on the right side of the nose. It was subcutaneous and fluctuating, and in its deeper parts apparently related with an ulceration of the buccal mucous membrane. It was thought that the case was one of simple abscess, and the swelling was therefore punctured from the mouth, with the result that only blood escaped and the swelling remained as large as before; it was then discovered that the swelling was in reality a tumour. This operation had an unfortunate effect, for during the next few days it started to grow very rapidly, and five days afterwards the owner consented to the extirp.ltion of the tumour. At 6.30 A.M. an injection of 3 centigrammes of morphine was administered, and a quarter of an hour later IS grammes of chloral dissolved in an infusion of linseed was given. The amesthesia was produced very slowly, and at 7 A.M. another dose of I centigramme of morphine was administered, as at the first stroke with the bistoury the animal showed signs of sensibility. The tumour was easily removed, and the operation was completed at a quarter to eight. Throughout the operation the animal had continued to breathe well, and had not presented any serious symptoms; it was laid on a rug to allow it to recover from the anresthesia. At 8 A.M. the respiration became irregular and jerky, and finally it stopped altogether at 8.5 A.M. Thinking that it was only a temporary syncope, M. Pecus practised artificial respiration by alternatively raising and depressing the ribs and the fore limbs, but that was not followed by any marked improvement, the cornea remaining quite insensitive. At 9.30 A.M. slight fibrillary movements of the muscles of the thigh were noticed, and at 10. IS A.M. this local muscular trembling was more decided, while the eyelids were slightly opened when one blew on them; at 11.30 A M. the dog made a slight movement, but almost immediately fell again into a state of the most complete torpor. In order to combat the action of the chloral and morphine, a subcutaneous injection of two milligrammes of and strychnine mixed were administered, the artificial respiration was kept up and traction was exercised on the tongue. At mid-day the ocular reflexes were very distinct, and the dog seemed to know what was passing around him; he listened ,,"hen his master spoke, pricked up his ears when he was called, and appeared to understand, but 5till he could not respire at all. He again made an effort to rise, but immediately fell down threatened with asphyxia; at 12. I 5 P.M. the artificial
Transcript of A Case of Syncope Lasting for Five Hours After Anæsthesia in a Dog
ABSTR.\CTS AND REPORTS.
except in from twenty-four to forty-eight hours after partuntlOn, or perhaps sometimes before parturition. He contends that this view is certainly not correct, for not at all seldom the disease develops three or four, or even fourteen, days after parturition, and he publishes the following as an instance of the disease occurring as late as six weeks after calving: he says that in this cow, which had calved six weeks previously, milk fever set suddenly in; the cow showed symptoms of paralysis of the hind limbs, lay with the head turned back against the right shoulder, fell into a sleepy condition, and showed in general all the symptoms observable in an ordinary case of milk fever. Inquiry could not elicit the least ground for supposing that there was any other cause than milk fever for the symptoms. The animal had to be slaughtered on the second day; the post-mortem had a negative result, but this, Gruber remarks, is not opposed to the accuracy of his dIagnosis.
A CASE OF SYNCOPE LASTING FOR FIVE HOURS AFTER AN.l:ESTHESIA IN A DOG.
1\1. PECUS had brought to him in the month of September 1892 a bull-dog, aged six years, for treatment on account of a small tumefaction of the size of a nut seated on the right side of the nose. It was subcutaneous and fluctuating, and in its deeper parts apparently related with an ulceration of the buccal mucous membrane. It was thought that the case was one of simple abscess, and the swelling was therefore punctured from the mouth, with the result that only blood escaped and the swelling remained as large as before; it was then discovered that the swelling was in reality a tumour. This operation had an unfortunate effect, for during the next few days it started to grow very rapidly, and five days afterwards the owner consented to the extirp.ltion of the tumour. At 6.30 A.M. an injection of 3 centigrammes of morphine was administered, and a quarter of an hour later IS grammes of chloral dissolved in an infusion of linseed was given.
The amesthesia was produced very slowly, and at 7 A.M. another dose of I centigramme of morphine was administered, as at the first stroke with the bistoury the animal showed signs of sensibility. The tumour was easily removed, and the operation was completed at a quarter to eight. Throughout the operation the animal had continued to breathe well, and had not presented any serious symptoms; it was laid on a rug to allow it to recover from the anresthesia. At 8 A.M. the respiration became irregular and jerky, and finally it stopped altogether at 8.5 A.M. Thinking that it was only a temporary syncope, M. Pecus practised artificial respiration by alternatively raising and depressing the ribs and the fore limbs, but that was not followed by any marked improvement, the cornea remaining quite insensitive. At 9.30 A.M. slight fibrillary movements of the muscles of the thigh were noticed, and at 10. IS A.M. this local muscular trembling was more decided, while the eyelids were slightly opened when one blew on them; at 11.30 A M. the dog made a slight movement, but almost immediately fell again into a state of the most complete torpor. In order to combat the action of the chloral and morphine, a subcutaneous injection of two milligrammes of piloc~rpine and strychnine mixed were administered, the artificial respiration was kept up and traction was exercised on the tongue. At mid-day the ocular reflexes were very distinct, and the dog seemed to know what was passing around him; he listened ,,"hen his master spoke, pricked up his ears when he was called, and appeared to understand, but 5till he could not respire at all. He again made an effort to rise, but immediately fell down threatened with asphyxia; at 12. I 5 P.M. the artificial
ABSTRACTS AND REPOR1S.
respiration \,:a5 affected more easily, and the dog seemed to wish to inspire, but it was not before 12.30 P.M. that inspiration was affected naturally and without assistance. Expiration was not yet possible, and it appeared to become more and more difficult to execute, the ribs once elevated becoming fixed to such a degree that it was necessary to press strongly on the chest wall in order to drive the air out of the lungs. Fortunately this did not last long, and by 12.45 P.M. the inspiration was followed by spontaneous expiration, which, however, was irre~ular and trembling. At I P.M. the dog could inspire and expire without assistance. and when lifted off the table on which it had been put it immediately ran off to the home of its master which was not far distant; once there it drank some milk and appeared quite well. M. Pecus attributed the irregular effects of the anaosthetics administered to some impurity present in the chloral.-Journal de Med. Vet.
THE ETIOLOGY OF ACTINOMYCOSIS.
IN a case of abdominal actinomycosis in the human subject, Ammentorp on opening one of the abscesses found in its centre a pea-sized concretion, in the centre of which there was recognisable a piece of barley awn about 2 centimetres long. The patient admitted that while he had been in the country during the year before he became ill he had often rubbed out barley heads in his hand and eaten the grain. A somewhat similar case had previously been observed in the Clinique at Vienna; III this case also the patient suffered from abdominal actinomycos:s, and a faocal stone which was found in the patient contained at its centre a barley awn.-Zeitsdtrift I fl· u. Milch. Hyg.
THE SYMPTOMS OF RABIES IN SHEEP.
SEVEN sheep belonging to a flock that had been attended by a dog attacked with rabies simultaneously developed symptoms of the disease; in the whole seven the disease began in the same way, namely, the sheep ceased to eat and showed a striking sexual disturbance; both the female and the male ammals followed the other sheep and continually jumped on them; they also bit at the wood, gnawed and scratched themselves at various parts of the skin, stamped with the fore feet, and butted at the other sheep as well as at human beings. The tone of the voice was not altered, but when irritated they occasionally gave a peculiar bleat, such as one usually hears from a ram. Subsequently six of the animals became weak, lay very much, and died after about six days; in the seventh case the disease lasted for ten days.Zeitschrift I fl· 1l1ld Milell. Hj:f·
THE ORIGIN OF TRICHINOSIS IN PORK.
OWING to the frequent occurrence of trichinosis in the rats to be found about the premises of knackers, the keeping and fattening of swine in such premises has been forbidden in Austria. This law is amply justified by the experience of practical trichina inspectors. N at long ago in Berlin ten pigs that had been fattened on a knacker's premises were found to be the subjects of trichinosis.-Zeit. I fl. u. Milch. Hjog.
