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Mew Dork
Htate College of Agriculture

At Cornell Gniversitp
Ithaca, 2. B.

 

Librarp
ornell University Library

The illustrated horse doctor, being an
THE

ILLUSTRATED

HORSE DOCTOR

BEING

AN ACCURATE AND DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS DISEASES
TO WHICH THE EQUINE RACE ARE SUBJECTED

TOGETHER

WITH THE LATEST MODE OF TREATMENT, ANT
ALL THE REQUISITE PRESCRIPTIONS.

WRITTEN IN PLAIN ENGLISH.

ACCOMPANIED BY

More than Four Hundred Pictorial Represeutations.

BY

EDWARD MAYHEW, M.R.C.V.S.

AUTHOR OF “THE HORSE’S MOUTH;” “DOGS: THEIR MANAGEMENT;” EDITOR OF “BLAIN’S VETERINARY
ART,” ETC. ETC.

PHILADELPHIA:
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
1862.
TO

Sit Henjamin Brodie, Baronet,

AS A

TESTIMONY OF THE BENEVOLENCE AND SKILL

WHICH

RESCUED THE AUTHOR FROM IMPENDING DEATH,

This Book is Dedicated,

BY

HIS MOST HUMBLE SERVANT,

EDWARD MAYHEW.
ADVERTISEMENT.

Tue publishers of the present work have long been im-
pressed with the idea that a new book upon the Diseases
of the Horse, written in simple language, and specially de-
signed as a guide for non-professional readers, had grown to
be a public uecessity. While waiting for an opportunity to
carry this notion into effect, they were fortunate enough
to become acquainted with a gentleman whose proficiency
in veterinary science is undisputed. To that individual
the present work was intrusted; and it was nearly com-
pleted when the publishers heard with surprise that Mr.
Mayhew employed the pencil in a manner only secondary
to his use of the pen.

Acting on this information, the publishers were induced
to persuade the author to illustrate his text by drawings
descriptive of the various stages and aspects of disease.
The addition of above four hundred wood engravings has,
of course, materially increased the expense of publication.
A heavy outlay has been incurred, while, at the same time,
the spirit of the age is decidedly against paying a large
sum for any work of general information. These circum-
stances render the present volume doubly hazardous. How-
ever, it is confidently hoped that, when the accuracy of
the illustrations and the perspicuity of the letter-press are
appreciated, a large sale will more than recompense any
amount of outlay.

(7)
PREFACE.

WHEN laying the present volume before the public, the author
cannot but feel he addresses two very opposite parties: one, and by
far the larger portion of society, views the subject of which this
book pretends to treat simply as a working machine, and regards all
those who speak of the creature as endowed with intelligence or pos-
sessed of sensibility as fanciful sentimentalists checked by no limit to
assertion. The other class—a small, but a highly-educated and an
influential section of the public—sees the matter in a very contrary
light. In their ideas, the equine race, though endowed with voice,
is not entirely without reason, but possessed of the keenest feelings
and capable of the tenderest emotions.

The last party, however, expect so little from living writers that
probably they will be pleased with opinions which they may hail as
an advance toward the truth. The first order of readers, however,
the author cannot think to propitiate. Before the opening article is
perused, one of these gentlemen will probably fling the volume aside
with a sneer, and exclaim—

“Why, what would this fellow have? Does he desire we should
build hospitals for horses ?”

To the uniformed mind such a question will suggest a preposter-
ous image. But, when calmly considered, a hospital is perceived to
be nothing more than a place where disease in the aggregate is
cheaply treated, and the trouble or the expense of individual reme-
dies thereby is prevented. A hospital for horses, sanctioned by gov-
ernment, and honored with the highest patronage, does even now
exist in the Royal Veterinary College of Camden Town. Such a

(9)
10 PREFACE,

foundation, therefore, would prove no positive novelty; but were such
institutions more general, a necesssity now universally felt would be
supplied, while the duty incumbent on mankind to conserve the lives
of beings intrusted to their care would, in such structures, be grace-
fully acknowledged and openly enforced.

No man possessing a horse is willing the animal should perish.
His interest clearly is in the prolongation of its life; and he would
gladly part with some money rather than be reduced to the owner-
ship of a carcass. That, however, which he wishes to have accom-
plished he desires should be performed cheaply. Hospitals—snpposing
such places existed, and were of different grades or of different scales
of charges—would afford the best prospect of relief at the smallest
remunerative cost. Still, any application to such establishments must
of necessity prove a tax, the only known preventive against the visi-
tation of which would be the exercise of a little humanity.

A very slight expenditure of the last-named quality would save
the equine race from a long list of ills which now are consequent
upon mortal ignorance or upon human brutality. It is painful to
reflect how many of those affections spoken of as equine disorders
might be cheaply eradicated by the more reasonable treatment of the
animal which man proverbially esteems to be his most hazardous
property.

Cruelty is a very extravagant indulgence. There are now living
persons who merely treat their horses according to the dictates of
reason, and whose stables are graced by working lives of an extreme
age. When he last walked through the Royal Mews, the author was
much gratified to behold several fine animals, in the full enjoyment
of strength and of vigor, which had more than attained their twen-
tieth year.

It might prove nationally remunerative if all of her Britannic
Majesty’s subjects would permit the creatures over which they exercise
legal ownership to live and to labor for their natural terms of exist-
ence. However, during the glorious days of post chaises, the horses
for these vehicles generally cost £30, while, as an average, they ex-
isted upon the road only two years.

What a sacrifice of life and of money! Each horse cost the post-
PREFACE. ll

master £15 yearly; while the animals working for the queen, and
drawing carriages not conspicuous for lightness, if bought originally
for a like sum, would not cost more than £1 per annum. The con-
trast is certainly startling. But to perfect it, there remain to picture
the sorry jade which was formerly harnessed to the public chaise,
and the stately creature which, in all the delight of beauty, accom-
panies Royalty to the Parliament House.

But there are other items to be considered before the opposite
accounts can be fairly placed one against the other. A post-house
generally was a pest-house. The miserable inhabitants of such a build-
ing did not suddenly die off, but, like other things, horses rocked to
and fro before they fell. The closing scene of life was heralded by many
fits of sickness, each of which was of varying duration. Were we to
reckon the money which loss of services abstracted, the extra cost of
those attentions which are imperative when health is failing, and the
hard cash paid for veterinary assistance, very probably a far wider
distance than at first glance is apparent would divide the Royal
Mews from the sheds which used to form a part of every large
roadside hotel.

In the writer’s conviction, humanity toward animals should be
more commonly practiced—if not from any higher motive, because it
is certainly the truest economy. To make this fact plain is the in-
tention of the present publication. To prove that horses are gifted
with something beyond the mere sensation which is common to all
moving things is the object of the present work. To convince the
public, by appealing to the eye and to the understanding through the
means of engravings and of letter-press, that. the equine race inherit
higher feelings than the vast majority of mankind are prepared to
admit, is the purpose of the book now in the hands of the reader.
To demonstrate how closely nature has associated man and horse in
their liabilities and in their diseases—to induce men, by informing
their sympathies, to treat more tenderly the timid life which is dis-
posed to serve and is also willing to love them—is the highest
reward the author of the following pages can picture to himself.

When making the foregoing acknowledgments, the author does not
affect to disdain that recompense which is the due of every person
12 PREFACE.

who labors in any arduous pursuit. This, of course, he accepts.
Though it did not enter into his thoughts when contemplating the
composition of the present book, it nevertheless may have stimulated
his exertions to perfect it. But, in addition to any weight that can
be attached to such a motive, he desired to compose a work which
should render the gentleman who had consulted it independent of his
groom’s dictation; which should enable any person who had read it
capable of talking to a veterinary surgeon without displaying either
total ignorance or pitiable prejudice; which, in cases of emergency,
might direct the uninitiated in the primary measures necessary to
arrest the progress of disease; and which, when professional assist-
ance could not be obtained, might even instruct the novice how to
treat equine disorders in such a manner as would afford a reasonable
prospect of success.

When the regular diet and simple lives of most horses are regarded,
the latter expectations certainly do not seem beyond the reach of
human ambition. Cleanly and simple remedies alone are required ;
and these gentlemen of the highest rank may, without fear of taint
or of ridicule, condescend to prescribe. To secure such an end, the
present book has been written in plain language. The author has
endeavored to eschew hieroglyphics and to avoid technicalities. The
meaning has shaped the terms employed, and all the graces of style
have been intentionally discarded.

In conclusion, the author has to thank the publishers for the very
handsome shape in which they have been pleased to embody his
efforts; likewise he has to acknowledge an obligation to the skill
and the ability with which the Messrs. Dalziel have seconded his
endeavors.
CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

The Brain and Nervous System—Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Phrenitis—Abscess within the Brain. 19 | Tetanus.................ccecceeeeeeeeee scenes 28
Staggers—Sleepy Staggers and Mad Sbringhalibss.:s.. schewgeseaseseseosncwces.e 3

Staggers... ....c.cesesseercess coreseeeeees 20 | Partial Paralysis...............c:c00ceeees 36
Megrims...... asad swenesaw ena eetoeae 24 | Gutta Serema. ..........cececcceseeeeeeee cee 38
Hy drophobia. .........s.ccssesasssceeseseee 27

CHAPTER II.
The Eyes—Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Simple Ophthalmia ..............:..60000 42 | Fungoid Tumors within the Sub-
Specific Ophthalmia..................006 46 stance of the Eye.................:0088 57
Cataract: vsecs. nosesecad eancosteicetccs ne 54 | Lacerated Eyelid ........... ee 60

Impediment in the Lachrymal Duct.. 61

CHAPTER III.
The Mouth—Its Accidents and its Diseases.

    

Excoriated Angles of the Mouth...... 64 73
Parrot: Mouths ssc cess evreanee aeeecs 66 . 74
Lampas ...........eceeee any OF 78
Injuries to the Jaw..........cceeeeeeeeees 69 | Scald:Mouthis: .ccoisscssesecesevessceseens 82

CHAPTER IV.

The Nostrils—Their Accidents and their Diseases.

 

Cold tic. ciceagasetenasscecsenceeatiteues 84 | Nasal Gleetesccccs cncicseonsee speedos
Nasal Polypus.........ccesceeceneeeeeeeeees 88 | Highblowing and Wheezing
CHAPTER V.
The Throat—Its Accidents and its Diseases.

Sore Throat........cscceccseseee censeeers 96 | Choking iicce: ccmeosnaciveswtansneeseve 110
Cough ......cceseesecertneeeeeeeeeeeen ceeeee 99 | Rupture and Stricture of the ;
Laryngitis ........ceceeseeeeessereee ce enee 101 Gisophagus.........cccccesssesseesseees 115
Roaring ....cceccseessnsssecerceeeeeenen ees 106 | Bronchocele..........csecccseseesseeseeees 119
14 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

The Chest and its Contents—Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Congestion in the Field..............+. ea

Congestion in the Stable..............+ 123

Bronchitis, or Inflammation of the
AiL-PASSALCS.... 0. eee ceeee eee eeeeee 125

Pneumonia, or Inflammation of the

RICUPISY'. .cotssiecet aastencinsaeaes
Hydrothorax
Disease of the Heart................... 148

 

CHAPTER VII.

The Stomach, Liver, ete.—Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Spasm of the Diaphragm.............. 145
POMS Casi ieasccew.conccaes tanscaors 147
Chronic Gastritis.............cseeeseeees 150

BObS ss ceenueeeinianneenctundsnie sen see sienisete 152
Chronic Hepatitis...............0000 6 158
Crib-biting ...........ceecee ceeeeeeeeeenees 162

CHAPTER VIII.

The Abdomen—Its Accidents and its Diseases.

Hnteritis wcsccssiienycpece siento ieee se 165
Acute Dysentery. ..........csecesseeenees 172
Chronic Dysentery ............s0e0eeeeee 175
Acites, or Dropsy of the Abdomen.. 178
Intuen zal. oo ccostcesnd denen sa leeds. 181

Abdominal Injuries ..................... 184
WORDS sp lecatuwen sumac tise eustonasa ces 190
Spasmodic Colic; Fret; Gripes..... 194
Windy Colic. ..........0cc0. ccecsessecesens 199

CHAPTER IX.

The Urinary Organs—Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Nephritis, or Inflammation of the

Kid ysieiencssecasaecie tee tienes 204
Cystitis, or Inflammation of the
Badd Gtcs5 asciescemcensin yiaedamnivasemsulne 209

 

Spasm of the Urethra ................. 212

 

Calewli.c estes inietonasvan iene 213
Hematuria, or Bloody Urine 215
Diabetes Insipidus, or Profuse Stal-

AN Be Aweesteesnen asian gcenunieneene 217
Albuminous Urine........... 02... cece 218

CHAPTER X.

The Skin—Its Accidents and its Diseases.

 

Mange xratssscchs Connmcsasy aercarmematediais ee O)
Prurigo ....... 226
Ring-worm ... 227
Surfeit ........ neD29
Hide*bound:cnncvsisacascesteceesncceueeses 231
WiC Gio aesieeeaeclenteseniewess etedeceaes 232
Larva in the Skin..............ceeeeeeee 233

 

Swollen: Legsy..c.ss006. svevenedseetesese 239
Stas tintisscclisaued eden seen wnaesmeuwnnnss 240
Grease a. essences ewteh ssn ectorass 242
Mallenders and Sallenders............ 249

Cracked Heels. .......:sccsccececeeeee ees 250
CONTENTS. 15

CHAPTER XI.

Specific Diseases—Their Varieties and their Treatment.

Broken Wind s.223. 0 osceanetete possecis 204: |" Stranplesis..eccsccaivednineransonveeerss 267
Melanosis:.cc..s.0acicshooeei ees: 200) | SGlamderss cenit cscesecesona ioe encselnts 274
Water Farcy....... opemerncasenk seu ZO: ||) BALCH caseusersceaeinsawarsonsauracuccelanee 282
Purpura Hemorrhagica................ 265

CHAPTER XII.

Limbs—Their Accidents and their Diseases.

Osseous Deposits—Spavin ............ 286 | Rheumatism ..........ccceecceeerseeene eee 312
DPI tio, £2 ei vedaneeriscce corccaneoae usados 2940) Wand: pals) scescesssiscs cosecevseesnaresss 815
Ring bon Ca; cscnescessesnedesgesornanoy 298 | Bog Spavin........... eee. abc sca sonics 318
Strain of the Flexor Tendon......... 300) | Thorotigh=pitiie...<cesces.sesctcceeesesaee 319
Clap of the Back Sinews.............. 802 | Capped Knee......... cece ceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 821
Sprain of the Back Sinews............ 8038 | Capped Hock......... cece eeeeeneee eee 321
Breaking Down............... ceeeeee eee 304 || Capped Elbow...........ceceeseeceeeee eee 824
Curbiast stetavececttads anes Resse ean 306 | Luxation of the Patella................ 825
Occult Spavinicsiesis. cosssccveseceee ves 808 | Blood Spavin.......ccsssccecssereeceesees 328

CHAPTER XIII.
The Feet—Their Accidents and their Diseases.

LAMENESS, 6c aera eo osyne O80 Canker

   
  
   
  

  

 

Pumice Foot .. cieveneenuaaae Oe Thrush
Sandcracek....... ner danaueren sane 842 | Ossified Cartilages 366
False Quarter.. .. B45 Acute Laminitis, or Fever in the
Seedy: Loe. v4. ssisvoncsaseestass .. 346 WOOO sscasdsacuinstucamtnctvesaatean actos 367
Tread and Overreach..................5 348 Subacute Laminitis.... vie OAD
Navicular Disease............s.cees essere 377
CHAPTER XIV.
Injuries—Their Nature and their Treatment.
Poll Byilvicisacwsescussssentiassesewacoteses 888 | Broken Knees........... cceseeeeeeeeeee 404
Fistulous Withers................00eeeeee 891 | Open Synovial Cavities................. 412
Fistulous Parotid Duct................+ 894 | Open Synovial Joints..............0000. 418
Phlebitis, or Inflammation of the Wotinds x. cestecevcusonscewseles tiseztes eee 423
VCIN ces sucssnevacue vaseererteteoeude-sse 398
CHAPTER XV.
Operations.

Operations .......0.sesseceee ces sesceeereees 434 | Neurotomy ........ccccceesesceeerseeeesees 451

   

Tracheotomy .. 448 | Division of the Tendons... a
Periosteotomy.....s.sccssceseseee sons see 449 | QUILLOT..... ccc eeceeeeeeees Soovegeeitavnessees 462
THE

ILLUSTRATED HORSE DOCTOR.

CHAPTER I.

THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM—THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR
DISEASES.

 

PHRENITIS.

Phrenitis implies inflammation of the brain. Madness and extreme
violence are the consequences. The animal, in this condition, disregards
all recognitions, and, apparently, loses all timidity. It suffers the

 

A HORSE MAD, OR WITH INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN.

greatest agony, and no terror can appal it. It would rejoice, could it
anticipate the effects, if the mouth of a loaded cannon were pointed

2 (17)
18 PHRENITIS.

toward itself, and would look for relief when the portfire descended
upon the touch-hole. Every movement seems designed to end its own
existence; but the furor has no malice in it. The creature strives only
to injure himself. It may in its efforts shatter and demolish the struc-
tures which surround it; but it does so without intention. That is
merely the result of its being carried away beyond the things of this
world by a mighty anguish. It desires harm to no one; but it cannot
remain quiescent, and endure the torment which rages within its skull.

When this stage of the malady appears, the best thing is to antici-
pate the evident wish of the animal. The teaching of schools, which
instructs young men to meddle with the strength of an infuriated horse,
is mere prattle. However, if the disease, as it seldom happens, is per-
ceived approaching, something may be attempted. Before the violence
commences, the horse is generally dull. It does not obey the rein or
answer to the lash. It is heavy beyond man’s control. It snores as it
breathes. The lids drop; the head sinks; the body is cold; the mem-
brane of the nose is leaden in color; and, from being the obedient,
watchful, and willing slave, its entire nature appears to have changed.
It does not attend to the goad, and the voice of the driver may baw] in
the harshest key, but the sound which used to excite seems unheard and
is unheeded.

The remedy for the earlier stage is copious blood-letting: Open
both jugulars and allow the current to flow till the countenance bright-
ens or the animal sinks. Bleed again and again, if necessary. Give
purgatives of double strength, and repeat them every three hours, till
the bowels are copiously relieved or the pulse changes, or the general
appearance indicates improvement. Afterward, administer sedatives,
always as infusions. A scruple of tobacco, half a drachm of aconite
root, or a drachm of digitalis should have a pint of hot water poured
upon it. When the liquid is nearly cold, it should be strained, and the
dose may be repeated every half hour, until its operation is witnessed
in the more quiet behavior of the animal.

In the generality of cases, however, no opportunity for such treat-
ment is presented. The disease is most common in the agricultural dis-
tricts, and is usually seen where carters indulge their passion in the
butt-end of the whip employed upon the horse’s head. The cause is,
however, carefully concealed, and, after the violent stage has set in, the
original wound is generally mistaken for some self-inflicted injury.
Thus, the horse, even in the most horrid of deaths, with a generosity
characteristic of its nature, contrives to shield the being whom it served
and loved, from the consequences of his inhumanity.

Should the animal, by such means, recover, treat it gently; do not
ABSCESS WITHIN THE BRAIN. 19

excite it; for phrenitis is apt to return. Even recovery is not always
to be wished for. The depletion, imperative for the cure, too often
engenders the weakness which no care can eradicate; and the animal
survives only to change from the willing servant into a troublesome
valetudinarian.

ABSCESS WITHIN THE BRAIN.

This sad affection is invariably produced by external injury. A horse —
runs away and comes in contact with some hard substance. The blow
is of sufficient violence to fracture the strong cranium of the quadruped
and to smash all that remains harnessed to the animal. Here we have
a reason why man should establish more than a brutal mastery over the

 

A HORSE DYING FROM ABSCESS WITHIN THE BRAIN.

animal he possesses. The horse is the most timid of creatures. It,
however, quickly learns to recognize the voice of its owner. In its vast
affection, it soon trusts with confidence to the person who is kind to it.
An occasional word thrown to a patient and willing servant, spoken
softly to the animal which is putting forth all its strength for our pleas-
ure, would not be cast away. When dread overpowers the horse and it
begins to run at its topmost speed, do not pull the reins: the first check
should be given by the voice. Speak cheerfully to a timid creature. If
the first word produces no effect, repeat it. Watch the ears. If these
are turned backward to catch the accents, talk encouragingly to the
horse. The voice of one it loves will restore its confidence. The pace
will slacken. Talk on, but always in a tone calculated to soothe dis-
tress. Then gently touch the reins. The first gentle movement may
not be responded to, but the second or the third will be; and the animal,
released from terror, is once more under your control.

This is much better than tugging and flogging, which obviously are
thrown away upon a body that horror has deprived of sensation. The
20 STAGGERS.

noise and the resistance but feed the wildness of the fear, and, in the
end, the driver is carried to a hospital, the horse being laid prostrate
among the ruins it has made.

When led back to the stable, a wound is discovered on the animal’s
forehead. It is so small it is deemed of no consequence. A little
water oozes from it—that is all—it does not send forth matter, or it
might deserve attention. However, in a short time the horse becomes
dull. It will not eat. Soon it falls down and commences dashing its
head upon the pavement. There it lies, and, day and night, continues
its dreadful occupation. One side of the face is terribly excoriated, and
must be acutely painful; but the horrid labor still goes on, each stroke
shaking the solid earth, which it indents. At last death ends the misery,
and a small abscess, containing about half a drachm of healthy pus, is
discovered in the superficial substance of the brain.

Physic or operation is of no use here. The cranium of the horse is
covered by the thick temporalis muscles. This alone would prevent the
trephine being resorted to. Blood would follow the removal of any
portion of the skull. Besides, what or who is to keep the head still
during the operation? and, were the operation possible, who would
own an animal with a hole in its skull? The only means of cure would
be to afford exit to the matter; and to do that is beyond human in-
genuity.

STAGGERS—SLEEPY STAGGERS AND MAD STAGGERS.

Staggers means no more than a staggering or unsteady gait; an
incapacity in the limbs to support the body. It therefore, by itself,
represents only that want of control over voluntary motion which
generally accompanies injuries to the brain. Mad and sleepy staggers
represent only different symptoms or stages of cerebral affection.
Sleepy staggers implies the dull stage, which indicates that the brain
is oppressed. Mad staggers denotes the furious stage, when the brain
has become acutely inflamed.

There is but one origin known for staggers, and that is over-feeding.
Carters take the team out and forget the nose-bags. The omission is
not discovered till far on the road. No thought is entertained of turn-
ing back. The poor drudges, consequently, have to journey far, to pull
hard and long upon empty stomachs.

When home is at length reached, the driver thinks to make amends
for neglect; the rack and manger are loaded. Such animals as are not
too tired to feed, eat ravenously. The stomach is soon crammed; but
fatigue has weakened the natural instincts, and domestication has taught
the horse to depend entirely on man. The creature continues to feed,
STAGGERS. 91

till a distended stomach produces an oppressed brain. An uneasy sleep
interrupts the gormandizing. The eye closes and the head droops.
Suddenly the horse awakens with a start. It looks around, becomes
assured and takes another mouthful. However, before mastication can
be completed, sleep intervenes, and the morsel falls from the mouth or
continues retained between the jaws.

This state may continue for days. The horse may perish without
recovering its sensibility; or mad staggers may at any period succeed,
and the animal exhibit the extreme of violence.

Mad staggers equally results from carelessness in the horsekeeper.
The animal which gives itself up entirely to the custody of man, too
often experiences a fearful return in recompense for its trustfulness.
Any neglect with regard to the feeding of a horse, may entail the
worst; and a most cruel death upon the inhabitant of the stable is too
often its reward. The groom, perhaps, may slight his work, lock the
stable door and hurry to his beer-shop, leaving the lid of the corn-bin
unclosed. The horse in his stall, with his exquisite sense of smell,
scents the provender and becomes restless, His desire is to escape from
the halter. With fatal ingenuity the object is accomplished, and the
next moment the animal stands with its nose among the coveted oats.
It eats and eats as only that being can whose highest pleasures are
limited to animal enjoyments. After a time it becomes lethargic; but
from that state it is soon aroused by a burning thirst. The corn has
absorbed all the moisture of the stomach, the viscus being dry and dis-
tended. Pain must be felt, but thirst is the predominant feeling. Water
is sought for. None is to be found; and the sufferer takes his station
near the door, to await the appearance of his attendant.

No sooner is the entrance opened, than the quadruped dashes out.
With all speed it makes for the nearest pond. There it drinks the long
and the sweet draught few in this life can taste; but to know which, is
to die a terrible death. The corn swells more with the liquid imbibed.
The stomach is now stretched to the uttermost. Continued tension
causes inflammation. The brain sympathizes, and the horse speedily
becomes acutely phrenitic. :

There is, however, a strange symptom, in which the two disorders
appear mingled. The sleepy fit is not entirely removed, nor are the
violent symptoms fully developed. The horse, in this condition, will
press its head against a wall. In doing this, it only displays an impulse
common to most animals in the sleepy stage; but the peculiarity is, that
the eye may be half unclosed and the limbs vigorously employed, as
though a trotting match were going forward. The breath will quicken
and the creature be coated with perspiration. This attitude and motion
95 STAGGERS.

a

may subside, and recovery may ensue; but commonly the quadruped
drops, moves the limbs as it lies upon the ground, and is only quieted
by death. In a few instances horses have left the wall to exhibit the
utmost violence, and to sink at last.

When corn has been gorged during the night, the animal must be
rigidly kept from drinking. A quart of any oil should be immediately
administered. A pint of oil is the ordinary dose; but here there exists
more than an ordinary disease. Besides, much of the fluid will sink
between the grains, and, probably, not half of it will reach the mem-
brane of the stomach.

Oil is preferable to the solution of aloes, which is generally given,
inasmuch as it will not act upon or swell the corn so readily as any
medicine dissolved in water. Should no amendment be detected, in six
hours repeat the dose. In another six hours, give another dose with
twenty drops of croton oil in it. When another period has elapsed,
should no improvement be noted, give thirty drops of croton in another
quart of oil. Should none of these drinks have taken effect, the round
must once more be gone over. However, at the slightest mitigation of
the symptoms or even suspicion of amendment, stop all medicine at
once. The altered aspect of the horse is the earliest symptom that the
distention is relieved.

In sleepy staggers, the head hangs pendulous or is pressed firmly

 

SLEEPY STAGGERS, FROM OVER-GORGING.

against some prominence. The pulse throbs heavily—the breathing is
laborious, and the animal snores at each inspiration. The eye is closed;
the skin cold and the coat staring. The nasal membrane leaden. The
STAGGERS. 93

mouth clammy; the ears motionless; the tail without movement, and
the breathing alone testifies that it is a living animal we look upon.

The signs that announce the advent of mad staggers, from whichever
cause the disease may arise, are always alike. The lid is raised, and
the eye assumes an unnatural brightness. The nasal membrane reddens;
the surface becomes as hot as it was previously deficient in warmth; the
movements are quick and jerking. The breath is no longer laborious—
it is rapid, sharp, and drawn with a kind of panting action. The whole
appearance is altered. The characteristics of approaching frenzy can
hardly be mistaken. :

Then comes the most painful duty of ownership over life. The pro-
prietor has, then, to make a speedy choice, whether his dumb servant is
to take a desperate chance and undergo a torture for which the con-
centrated pleasure of many lives could not atone, or be deprived of the
fatal power to injure others and itself. Humanity would unhesitatingly
pronounce for death, and, in this case, there is need of haste. The
symptoms are so rapidly matured, that, in ten minutes, the poor horse
may be sadly hurt and bleeding, panting and rearing, in the center of a

 

THE HORSE DURING THE MAD STAGE OF STAGGERS.

desolated stable. A mad horse is a terrible object! Its strength is so
vast that ordinary fastenings yield before it; but the animal, even when
deprived of reason, wins our respect. Suffering will find expression in
energetic action. Man, when a tooth is about to be extracted, generally
24 MEGRIMS.

clinches something; but what were a hundred teeth to the agony which
causes every fiber in the huge framework to quiver? The perspiration
rolls off the creature’s body. The eye glares with anguish, not with
malice; the body is strangely contorted, but there is no desire to in-
jure. Who, contemplating such a picture, could forbear speaking the
word which should grant peace to the sufferer, although the order neces-
sitate some violence to the feelings of him who is invested with power to
command?

MEGRIMS.

So little sympathy exists between man and horse, so little are the
ailments of the animal really studied, that the likeness between certain
diseases affecting the master and the servant have not been observed.
Megrims, evidently, is a form of epilepsy; yet, to speak of an epileptic
horse would, probably, induce laughter in any society. Notwithstand-
ing which, man is not isolated in this world: he is associated with the
creatures of the earth not only by a common habitation, but by similar
wants and like diseases. He is united by nature to every life that
breathes. His heart should feel for, and his charity embrace, every
animal which serves him. He has his duty toward, and is bound by
obligations to, every creature placed under his control. None are so
subject. to his will as is the horse; none have such powerful claims to
his kindness and forbearance. The noble animal is begotten by man’s
permission; its course in life depends upon his word: for his service it
surrenders everything—freedom, companions, and paternity—it relin-
quishes all. Its owner’s pleasure becomes its delight; its master’s pro-
fit is its recreation. Itis the perfect type of an abandoned slave; body
and soul, it devotes itself to captivity. It is sad to think how bitter is
its recompense, when an obvious similarity, even in affliction, has not to
this hour been recognized.

Megrims, like epilepsy in man, will in certain subjects appear only
during some kind of exertion. In others, it will be present only during
particular states of rest. It is uncertain in its attacks. It is not under-
stood; and of the many theories which have been advanced, none ex-
plain it.

All horses may show megrims; some when at work, and some only
while in the stable; others in the glare of day, and a few during the
darkness of night; but of all, draught horses are the most liable to the
malady. This may be because harness horses are subjected to the most
laborious and most continuous species of toil. A horse fettered to a
vehicle obviously must strain to propel as much or as long as the person
intrusted with the whip thinks the animal should draw. Men’s con-
MEGRIMS. 25

sciences, where their own convenience and another’s exertions are the
stake, generally possess an elastic property. It takes a great deal to
stretch them to the utmost. An Arabian proverb says, “it is the last
feather which breaks the camel’s back;” but the English driver knows
the entire pull is upon the collar, and he is moved by no considerations
about the back. If the whip cannot flog the poor flesh onward, a shout
and a heavy kick under the belly may excite the spasm, which, in its
severity, shall put the load in motion.

Age does not influence the liability to megrims. The colt, which has
done no work, may exhibit the disease, and the old stager may not be
subject to its attacks. One horse may die in the field from exertion and
never display the malady; another shall be led through the streets and
exemplify megrims in all its severity. One shall be merely dull—the
disorder shall never get to the acute stage, though the fits may be re-
peated. This last, to the surprise of its master, shall every now and
then stop, stare about, and proceed as though nothing were the matter.
A second, when mounted, will be seized by a sudden impulse and run
into shop doors; while a third, being between the shafts, will be pos-
sessed with an irrepressible desire to inspect the driver’s boots.

The horse often becomes suddenly stubborn. The reins are jagged
and the whip plied to no purpose. The animal will only go its own
way, which is commonly beset with danger. Perhaps, it may persist
upon galloping, head foremost, down an open sewer; probably, it will
tush up the steps leading to some ‘mansion, and beat the door in with
tremendous knocking.

Then come convulsions, followed by insensibility. If such a scene
occur in a city, of course a crowd collects. Opinions are noisy and
various; but a majority incline toward
bleeding from the mouth. It is only to
cut the palate, and a dozen knives, already
opened, are proffered for the purpose.
However, let the person in charge attend
to no street suggestion. Let him at once
seat himself upon the horse’s head, and re-
main there till consciousness returns ; then
speak kindly to the sufferer, loosen the har-
ness, and take care that the animal is per-
fectly recovered before it is permitted to

 

rise. THE EXPRESSION CHARACTERISTIC OF
Dealers pretend that a horse subject to REPEATED ATTACKS OF MEGRIMS.

megrims is to be readily told. A horse, after repeated fits, is easily
singled out; but the animal which has experienced only a single attack,
26 MEGRIMS.

no man could challenge. One attack, however severe may be its char-
acter, will not necessarily leave its impress upon the countenance. But
the creature subject to such visitations soon assumes a heavy, flaccid,
and stupid expression. The disease distorts no feature, but it leaves its
mark behind; and any man, acquainted with the subject, would have
no difficulty in picking from a drove the horse which has endured re-
peated fits of this disorder.

Another class of knowing ones pretend they can drive a megrimed
horse any distance, by simply keeping a wet cloth over the brain. This
last experiment is, however, not inviting; and the author has yet to be
assured by science that a wet rag over the brain would repose upon
the primary seat of the disease.

When a horse has the first fit of megrims, at once throw the animal
up. Do not strive to sell the diseased creature, as such a sale is illegal.
The law presumes everything sold to be fit for its uses. Thus, a person
buying rotten eggs can recover at law, because eggs are sold for human
food, and no man can eat a tainted egg. So a megrimed horse is unfit
for employment. Recovery in this disease is always doubtful. A chance
is best secured by throwing the horse up on the first attack. Do not
turn a sick animal out to grass. Keep in a loose box, covered with
plenty of straw. Feed liberally, and with the best food. Have the
body regularly dressed, and the animal led to, not ridden to, exercise.
Allow a quart of stout every morning and half a pint of oil every night.
Above all things, attend to the stabling. Let the box be large and well
ventilated. Food is eaten but occasionally during the day. Air is as
essential as more substantial nutriment to life, and is consumed night
and day. Food has to undergo a complicated change, and to travel far,
before it joins the blood. Air is no sooner inhaled than it is imme-
diately absorbed by the blood. After such a statement, it is left to the
reader’s reason to decide upon the importance of pure air toward sus-
taining health. Probably, were stables erected with a little less regard
to the proprietor’s expense and the builder’s convenience; probably, were
they made in some degree proportioned to the magnitude of their future
inhabitants, and were the comfort of the captive a very little considered
in their construction,—the health of a horse might not be so very telling
a proverb; while megrims, under a better treatment, if it did not dis-
appear, might not be so very common.
HYDROPHOBIA. 27

HYDROPHOBIA.

This is always the fruit of contagion, received from some stable-pet,
it the shape of a dog or cat. It is essentially a nervous disorder.
From the first, it influences the brain to a degree which no other malady
seems capable of exercising. The animal constantly licks some portion
of the body. The place appears to itch violently, and the tongue is
applied with an energy and a perseverance highly characteristic of an
over-wrought nervous distemper. The appetite always is affected;
sometimes it is ravenous. The rack is not only emptied with unusual
speed, but the bed, however soiled, is also consumed with more than
apparent relish. Generally, however, the desire for provender is de-
stroyed. Sometimes, the longing for fluids is morbidly increased. The
horse plunges his head to the bottom of the pail, will bite at the groom
who endeavors to interrupt the draught, or seize the wood between its
teeth and crush it with a powerful gripe. More frequently, water will
cause spasm, and be avoided with horror. The animal’s likings may be
morbidly changed: it will occasionally devour its own excrement, and
lick up its emissions.

The nervous system is always highly developed. The horse starts at
the smallest sound, trembles violently without a cause, flies backward,
hangs upon the halter, stares wildly,
and bursts into a copious sweat
without any apparent reason being
detected. Its voice is also changed,
and the expression of the counte-
nance invariably altered. The neigh
is squeaking, and the face is at the
commencement characterized by
immense anxiety, which is soon
changed for a peculiar aspect of
cunning, mixed with a grinning
ferocity.

Rarely, however, all the foregoing symptoms are absent. The horse
is harnessed and taken to work. Suddenly it stops, appears stupid,
and threatens to fall. In a short time it recovers, and the labor is
proceeded with. The fits occur again and again. At length they
end in violent shivering. When the tremor ceases, the recognition
is not perfectly recovered. The breathing is quick and sharp; the
eye bright and wild. The animal is turned homeward, but seldom
reaches the stable before the furious stage begins.

 

THE COUNTENANCE OF A HORSE WITH HYDROPHOBIA.
28 TETANUS.

Hydrophobia is commonly matured before the expiration of the sixth
week. A fortnight is the earliest period of its appearance; but writers
have asserted that the imbibed virus will remain dormant for twelve
months. The author has no experience which justifies the last opinion.

Whenever a suspicion of this incurable and horrible disorder is enter-
tained, place the horse by itself in a building with bare walls, but capa-

 

THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPULSE OF HYDROPHOBIA.

ble of being looked into through a window. Put food and water in the
, house, and, if the door be not strong, have it barricaded. Let no one
enter for at least three days, as, during this disease, the horse is both.
mischievous and dangerous. The pain is such that it seeks relief in
destruction. All breathing and moving creatures first attract its rage;
but, wanting these, its frenzy is expended in breaking, rending, and
scattering inanimate objects. Its ability to destroy is only limited by
the duration of the disorder.

Let as few people as possible be near the hydrophobic horse. The
quadruped’s nerves are then alive to every impression. The presence
will be detected, though the person be assiduously concealed. The
sound of breathing even adds to the torture. Keep all people away
but one; and that one should be the best shot in the neighborhood.
Let him approach, aim steadily, and pull the trigger; for a bullet well
placed is the only remedy the author knows which can stay this fearful
disorder.

TETANUS.
Tetanus is defined to be spasm of the muscles of voluntary motion.

That definition is right, as far as it goes. The disease, however, is the
same in man and horse. The human being complains of the breathing
TETANUS. 29

being much oppressed, and of pain at the pit of the stomach. Such
complaints show the diaphragm to be involved, while the large doses
of strong medicine which can be swallowed with impunity prove the
abdominal contents have not escaped. Therefore, the author regards
tetanus as spasm of the entire muscular system.

A horse of any age may exhibit tetanus. Colts, newly dropped, have
displayed the disorder, and all animals are liable to its attacks; but the
very aged are least subject to this malady. Animals of a highly nerv-
ous temperament are most inclined toward it.

It is said to be of two kinds; but, in truth, it only has two origins.
Traumatic tetanus is when it springs from a wound; idiopathic tetanus
is when it appears without there being any known lesion to account for
its presence. It may display its symptoms immediately or within a
month of the injury. From the sixth to the fourteenth day is the most
likely period for the advent of the disorder.

Cold, rain, draughts of air, and too much light, are all likely to ori-
ginate it. Their potency, perhaps, ranges in the order they are placed.
A gentleman is apt to dismount at some hospitable house and to leave
the animal, which has quickly borne him thither, shivering in the night
air. The master enjoys himself, probably, more than is good for his
health. The patient steed waits and waits, more quietly than the most
faithful of human slaves. It shivers in the night air; its limbs become
cramped with the cold. The wind gets up, as the owner, before a cheer-
ful fire, mixes another glass and takes another cigar. Still the horse
remains almost in the spot where it was placed. The perspiration which
covered the body dries in the darkness; evaporation quickly chills the
blood which violent exercise had heated. The pulse sinks; spasms creep
over the frame, but there is none near to note them. In solitude and
discomfort the most painful of maladies is imbibed: in due time it
breaks forth, to the astonishment of the proprietor.

Another man rides far and fast through a heavy shower. He reaches
a distant house and flings himself from the saddle, fastening the horse
to the door-post. Cordials are ready for the man, and business is dis-
cussed over a glass. No one thinks seriously of the poor life fastened
to the door-post. ‘The horse is wet and can take no harm.” “The
gallop home will warm it,” and so forth. Therefore, the animal re-
mains, to be drenched by the rain and to creep as near to the house as
it may for partial shelter; the posterior part of the body, however, pro-
jects, and the drops fall, heavy and cold as lead, upon the loins of the
patient beast. The blood loses its warmth and the limbs their elasticity.
When the owner again crosses the saddle he may be jolly; but it needs
both spur and whip to cause the dripping and frozen animal to move.
30 TETANUS.

When tetanus originates in some wound, the horse is generally nerv-
ous from the first. It fidgets in the stall; it lacks the repose which
usually sits so beautifully upon the sick horse’s frame. It is excited at
the approach of any person, and, commonly, very obstinate when given
physic. The wound may, nevertheless, be healthy. Sometimes, as the
outbreak draws near, the wound may rapidly close, become morbidly
dry, or, instead of pus, send forth only a foul and scanty serum. Instances
are narrated of tetanus supervening upon mortification; but such re-
ported cases are, in the horse, very rare. Commonly, the wound pre-
sents no appearance by which any man, however profound his knowledge,
could guess the consequence to which it had given rise.

Tetanus is announced by an appearance of excitement. The tail is
erect; the ears pointed forward; the head elevated; the legs stiffened
and stretched out. This aspect
of excitement is not temporary.
The groom passes through the
stable and the attitude is main-
tained. He wonders “what ails
the horse?” It seems all alive;
yet, though the groom shout out
“come over,” the order is obeyed
with difficulty. The food is not
eaten. Itis picked and strewed
about, but not devoured. When
master returns home, the groom
wishes he would “just look” at the horse. It is very strange indeed!
Why, the tail is quivering and the body feels quite hard—not like flesh.
Hopes are expressed and the “veterinary” sent for. He proceeds at
once to the manger, observing the animal as he approaches. With one
hand he raises the horse’s head. The haw is projected over the eye, and
a case of tetanus is recognized.

Most persons know what bellyache and cramp are. Well, these are
but spasms affecting different parts of the body: tetanus is spasm affect-
ing every part of the body at the same time. The spasm is always pres-
ent; but it admits of aggravation. Any painful operation, any sudden
fright, or the slightest sound, will produce a paroxysm, during which the
horse’s body is fearfully contorted; and the animal writhes as it falls to
the ground. Left alone, however, the horse may rise after some time;
for nothing causes the quadruped so much dread as an inability to stand.
It may totter or fall about, but it refuses to lie down, even though rest
must be greatly needed and would act as the best of medicine. It stands
day after day in the same spot. It does not move, as any motion may

 

THE TEST FOR TETANUS, WHEN NOT FULLY DEVELOPED.
TETANUS. 31

bring on one of those terrible paroxysms. The matter is rendered worse
by the brain, during the entire period, being sensible. Every pain is
felt, and the wretched animal has leisure to appreciate its agony. This
is bad enough; but the torture is aggravated by the appetite of the
animal not being dormant. Hunger still exists, and a sense of starva-
tion augments the suffering. The jaw is closely locked. The creature
cannot feed; but the presence of hunger is no supposition, for if a
mash be held to the mouth, with a look of piteous gratitude the liquid
portion is often drawn through the closed teeth. Hunger frequently
impels the horse to make a desperate effort. The jaws are forced a lit-
tle way asunder; a morsel is seized between the incisors; mastication
commences, but cannot be perfected. The agony attendant upon motion
forces the famishing creature to desist; and the poor horse is often found
with a mouthful of hay firmly clenched and hanging from the mouth.
The animal may have been conspicuous for its beauty. The harmony
of form may, in it, have been united to agility of limb. The creature

 

SHOWING HOW FAR AN ANIMAL WITH THE DISEASE IS CAPABLE OF MOTION.

may have been the pride of its proprietor; but a few days of this disease
will work a mighty change. The limbs are moved with difficulty; the
body has lost all its undulating grace; and the flesh has parted with its
elasticity. The master in vain seeks for the object of his admiration in
the painful sight which he then looks upon.
32 TETANUS.

One peculiarity of tetanus is too marked not to be noticed. Persons
have complained of the wooden appearance of the body; but, in severe
cases, the height of the animal seems diminished and the length shortened.
This appearance is more than the result of mere imagination. Many of
the bones are divided by a fibro-cartilaginous substance: this substance
force can compress. For that reason, a man is shorter when he retires
at night than when he rises in the morning. No weight, however, can
act with the energy of excited contractibility, and of that tetanus is
composed: all the muscles are violently in action or energetically con-
tracting. A single muscle, when excited, shortens to that degree, which
moves some portion of the body; but, when the entire mass of muscles
simultaneously contract, they compress the frame, as in a vice. The
grace of the animal is lost; the height is diminished, and the length is
lessened, under so powerful and general an action.

All kinds of treatment have been tried for tetanus, and it is said that
each has resulted in success. The majority of these popular methods,
however, are sheer barbarities; and if they were successful, they were so
against probability. The plan at present adopted is much more humane:
the animal’s shoes are removed, that no sound may follow the tread, and
a solitary shed is strewn with refuse tan. Food, in the form of an ample
malt mash and a pail of thin gruel, is placed within easy reach. The
shed must be approached but once daily—then by the man most accus-
tomed to the horse; and he speaks soothingly as he nears the building
to change the provender.

This species of treatment, when preceded by a large dose of purgative
medicine, is usually successful. Mix four drachms of aloes or six drachms
of aloetic mass, and four drachms of extract of gentian, with one scruple
of croton ferina. This tremendous purgative may be confidently given,
as everything during this disease depends upon the maintenance of quiet,
and upon getting the bowels open.

As all people, however, may not live where solitude can be com-
manded; then, give the purgative, render the room dark, and allow as
few curious visitors as the pleading of sincerity cannot prevent intruding
upon the sick and disabled quadruped. Pulling the animal about to
administer medicine seems to do more harm than the most powerful
drugs can counteract. Permit no blisters; sanction no firing: counter-
irritants, however beneficial in other cases, are positive irritants, when
applied to a body nervously excited to the highest degree. Graut per-
mission for no operation to be performed, as any person of ordinary
imagination may picture the effect of bustle, followed by sharp pain,
upon a creature which cannot endure even the slightest sound.

Should, however, the case last so long as to warrant fear of the

 
STRINGHALT. 33

life sinking through starvation, food may be given even in quantities.
Blood-warm linseed gruel should be procured—a gallon will be sufficient.

 

THE MODE OF FEEDING A HORSE WITH CHRONIC TETANUS.

The horse could swallow more; but after a prolonged fast there is danger
in loading the stomach. Fix the horse catheter to the stomach-pump ;
then place the free end of the catheter in the nostril of the quadruped
and push it forward, having previously slightly bent the end of the tube
downward. Should the insertion provoke coughing, withdraw the
catheter and commence afresh. Two feet of the instrument having dis-
appeared, and no alarming symptom being present, begin to pump; do
this as fast as possible, till the gallon of linseed gruel has been ex-
hausted: such a resort is, however, better adapted to tetanus of the
chronic description.

When applied to the acute form of the disorder, it is too apt to induce
violent spasm. The acute disease, however, speedily terminates, and
positive starvation is all but impossible during its brief continuance.

STRINGHALT.

Stringhalt is the imperfect development of that form of disease which,
in man and in dogs, is called chorea, or St. Vitus’s dance. In dogs it
jerks the whole body, even to the face. The lower jaw will continue
moving and the eye twitching, while the animal is prostrate and asleep.
In the horse, however, it is seen only in the hind extremities. In the
dog it will continue during progression, sometimes shaking the creature
from its balance, and it often terminates in death. In the horse it is
never fatal; and, save when about to start, is seldom to be detected.
Then it causes the hind limbs to be quickly raised in succession. The
movement is rapid, full of energy, and entirely involuntary. These

3
34 STRINGHALT.

motions over, the horse proceeds, nor is the symptom usually witnessed
again till the animal has once more to start; although a few exceptional
cases are on record where stringhalt was perceptible at every step.

 

A HORSE HAVING STRINGHALT MUST MAKE SEVERAL INVOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS WITH THE HIND LEGS
BEFORE IT CAN PROGRESS.

Guilford, the racer, exhibited the disease in its worst form. In that
animal, stringhalt was present in such severity as prevented the signal
being obeyed before the several eccentric movements had been performed.
The horse was esteemed good for its purposes; but the ground lost at
starting gave away its chances, and it was consequently sold. From the
pampered stable of the race-horse, it descended rapidly through various
grades until the creature came to be harnessed to a London omnibus.
While in that position, the disease was so aggravated that the pastern
used to hit violently against the belly, till the hair of both was partially
removed by the repeated blows. The Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty then purchased the miserable carcass for three pounds, and had
the life and the suffering extinguished.

The body was given to the Royal Veterinary College for dissection.
Professor Spooner relates that he found blood effused on the sheath of
the sacro-sciatic nerve. This, however, must have been an accident pro-
duced by the death struggle: that nerve moves the flexor muscles.
Stringhalt is the disease of the extensor muscles only; therefore, the
STRINGHALT. 35

condition of the nerve alluded to by Professor Spooner could in no way
influence the motions of the limb. Messrs. Percivall and Goodwin both
appeal to instances, where, in animals affected with stringhalt, pressure
existed upon the posterior portion of the spinal column. The last ob-
servation accords much more with the writer’s notions of cause and
effect.

Nevertheless, the inexperienced reader may ask, how can the posterior
portion of the horse’s spinal column become affected? Of all the ver-
tebra, those of the lumbar region are endowed with the greatest motion,
and consequently are the most exposed to injury. The uses to which
man puts the animal are not so very gentle but a delicate structure,
however deeply seated, might be hurt. However, grant all these are
harmless, which is indeed to allow a great deal to pass, the stables are
enough to provoke stringhalt in half the horses now resident in London.
Has the intelligent reader visited these places? He knows the holes in
which poor humanity is obliged to stive. Well, any place not good
enough for a man to live in is esteemed luxurious lodging for a horse.
Many of the places are undrained ; frequently have light or air admitted
only by the doorway, and the stalls are seldom more than four feet wide.
The wretched captives cannot turn their bodies round in the allotted
space. A horse being in, when wanted abroad, must be backed into the
gangway, and thus made to ‘face about.” It is not creditable to human
nature when we perceive its most valuable and willing servant is be-
grudged the space in which its useful body rests. The labor of the day
should at least earn for the horse a sufficient bed.

The exhaustion of the toil—for man has nicely calculated the work a
horse can perform, and generally exacts the quotum to the full—has
merited the night’s repose, which shall fit for the morrow’s fatigue; but
man is most particular in all that concerns the quadruped. He has
reckoned up the food it may eat, the water it may drink, the space it
may occupy; the keep, the keeper, the lodging, and the very harness
that fastens it to the load,—all are precisely calculated. There is no
law to interpose between man and horse, even should the estimate be run
“too fine.” Against sore shoulders there is some enactment, which is
only enforced through a constable specially retained by a private associ-
ation. No clause teaches man his duty toward his inferiors. The lower
animals have no protection against the exhausting labor and inadequate
provision that maims a body or wastes a life.

The servant, observing the master to be without feeling, apes his
better. A bad example always finds plenty of imitators. The horse
may be wanted in a hurry; the groom commands it to “come round.”
It is too much trouble to back the animal as usual; the master is in
36 PARTIAL PARALYSIS.

haste and the servant has no time to lose. The poor animal endeavors
to obey; it squeezes and twists its body: the head is seized, a blow is
given, and the difficulty is vanquished. But at what a cost! One bone
of the spine has been injured. Bone is slow in its developments. No
immediate consequence results; but months afterward, the injured place
throws out a spicula of bone, no larger than a needle’s point, perhaps,
but it presses upon the spinal marrow, and lasting stringhalt is the
effect.

Of course no drug can reach the part affected; no cunning prepara-
tion can remove even a needle’s point from the interior of the spinal
canal. The stinghalt, once exhibited, is beyond cure, and never disap-
pears but with the life. However, it mostly affects high-spirited, nerv-
ous horses, and not being generally observable during progression, some
of the quadrupeds thus diseased sell for large sums.

PARTIAL PARALYSIS.

Paralysis, in the horse, save when it appears toward the termination
of violent disorders, is never more than partial. It locates itself in the

 

THE UNSTEADY WALK OF A HORSE WHEN SUFFERING UNDER PARTIAL PARALYSIS OF THE HIND LEGS.

hind limbs, and, though it does not destroy all motion, yet it destroys all
strength or utility. The power to move with speed is entirely lost, nor
is the ability to progress at a slower pace by any means assured. One
PARTIAL PARALYSIS. 37

hind foot is perpetually getting in the way of the other, and constantly
threatening to throw the animal down, whose walk already is rolling or
unsteady.

This affection is the property of matured animals; so rarely as to be
exceptional is it to be seen attacking colts. Fast trotters, omnibus
horses, hunters, and creatures subjected to extreme exertion, are most
liable to it. It creeps on insidiously. At first the pace is as fast as
ever; but something is suspected wrong in the manner of going. After
a time the creature is brought to a veterinary surgeon as a lame horse.
The suspicions are then destroyed and the real malady is announced.

The decay of the more showy powers seems to bring forward the
gentler qualities of the horse’s nature. The animal, which once was
dangerous, loses all its dreaded attributes: with paralysis, it becomes
meek or tame, as though the big life felt its great affliction and sought
to compensate, by amiability, for the trouble it necessarily gave, or, in
other words, that the animal was mildly pleading for existence. No
doubt much of such a sentiment, if not all, resides in the mind of the
spectator, the animal only being subdued by sickness. Still, it is very
sad to contemplate the horse, which once could outstrip the sparrow in
its flight, reduced to a pace which the tortoise might leave behind; to
behold the beast, once powerful and proud of its strength, humbled to a
feebleness which the push of any child might overthrow. It is more
sorrowful, when we think its hurt was received from him to whom its
welfare was intrusted; that its injury was the consequence of an over-
anxiety to please and to obey. It may be well doubted whether, when
man was given dominion over the beasts of the field, he was invested -
with an absolute authority over God’s creatures, which had no moral
duties nor obligations attached to it. At all events, it would be difficult
to find an object more suggestive of pity, or better calculated to excite
our inward reflections, than a horse suffering under partial paralysis.

Paralysis is generally past all cure; occasionally, however, it admits
of relief. It is an eccentric disorder, and it is difficult to say, positively,
what medicine will be of use. The horse, however, during paralysis,
should enjoy absolute rest. In its disabled state, a little walk is as
great an exertion as once was a breathing gallop; and it was over-
exercise which induced the disorder. The animal should receive only
strengthening physic and the most nourishing of food. The following
ball should be administered, night and morning :—

Strychnia, half a grain, gradually, or in six weeks to be worked up
to a grain and a half; iodide of iron, one grain; quassia powder and
treacle, a sufficiency: to be given night and morning.

The grooming should be persevered with, the animal being carefully
38 GUTTA SERENA.

dressed twice each day, and the process ending by brushing the quarters
thoroughly with a new birch broom. The bed should be ample; the
box should be padded and a warm cloth always kept over the loins. A
piece of wet flannel, covered with a rug, placed over the lumbar region,
has on occasions induced a return of warmth. The bowels should be
regulated, if possible, with mashes and green meat; but, when costive-
ness exists, a pint of oil is to be preferred to even three drachms of aloes.
The one exhausts, the other nurtures as well as relaxes the body.

The hope of amendment must, however, be indulged with caution.
The disease is of chronic growth, and therefore will be of long duration.
At all events, it is not one horse in four which recovers from an attack
of partial paralysis; and not one in twenty that is afterward fit for its
former uses.

GUTTA SERENA.

Gutta serena is fixed dilatation of the pupillary opening, owing to
paralysis of the optic nerve; the affection is, consequently, accompanied
by permanent blindness.

The causes of this malady are blows upon the head, quick driving,
excessive hemorrhage, stomach staggers, unwholesome stables, poor
food, exhausting labor, or anything which may decidedly undermine
the constitution.

The majority of these causes are inflicted by man, the remainder are
within his control. Any person has but to reflect how very precious
eyesight is to mankind. Having settled that point, he has only to con-
jecture how much more dear it must be to a creature forbid to enjoy the
pleasures of conversation. To take away sight, is to deprive the animal
of a faculty with which it is endowed to perfection, in some measure to
compensate for the absence of reason and the deficiency of speech. <A
horse can see farther than its master. The human eye is, frequently,
dormant, when the thought is active: the healthy, equine eye never
rests. The creature sleeps so lightly that very seldom is it caught
napping. We may imagine, therefore, the gratification bestowed by an
organ so constantly employed. To blind a horse, is to deprive a
breathing body of half its life’s pleasure. It is more, when we consider
the natural disposition of the quadruped: it is to deprive timidity of its
watchfulness, fear of its protection. It is even yet more, when we think
upon the habits of the horse—its spirits, its pleasure, its joy—all are
expressed by means of a gallop. But what speed can the hofse indulge
in, when cruelty has taken away the power to guide with rapidity? To
destroy the horse’s sight, is to condemn a creature to live on, but to
take from life the gayety of existence.

 
GUTTA SERENA. 39

The eye recently afflicted with gutta serena, or rather the eyes, (for
this deprivation commonly affects both orbs,) is, to the uninformed
inspection, perfect. The internal structures are in their proper places,
and the pupil is beautifully dilated. A
very little instruction, however, enables the
spectator to distinguish between fixedness
and dilatation. A trifle more tuition will
point out that the pupil is not so dark as
in the organ of the healthy animal: that it
has an opaque milky cast, accompanied very
frequently with a bright light-green shining
through it, as though a piece of tinsel were
within the posterior chamber. After gain-
ing such information, probably the notion
before expressed about beauty may be
changed. Most things are most beautiful as nature formed them, and
no little expression resides in the ever-changing dimension of the
pupillary opening.

 

AN EYE AFFECTED WITH GUTTA SERENA.

 

THE MODE IN WHICH A HORSE, WHEN QUITE BLIND, PROGRESSES.

The symptoms of blindness are equally pathetic and characteristic.
The nostrils are constantly at work and the ears perpetually in motion—
life is endeavoring, by exercising other senses, to compensate for the one
lost. Then, the movements are peculiar. A blind man commonly
40 GUTTA SERENA.

shuffles along, endeavoring ‘“‘to feel” his way. The horny hoof lacks
the human faculty, but the horse endeavors to surmount objects by step-
ping high. A blind man turns the sightless face heavenward; the
animal, likewise, raises its head, as it were, to expose its sightless orbs
to its Creator. There is another strange peculiarity also, exemplified
by the blind horse. The sightless quadruped, contrary to the majority
of its species, generaily carries a rough coat in summer and a blooming
coat in winter.

Now, a high stepper, a well-carried head, a lively ear, and a blooming
coat, are great points in a horse, especially about London, and with
gentlemen of little information. To prevent imposition, always place
the horse in a full light. Should the pupils continue large, have the
horse put into a dark house. A quarter of an hour afterward, take a
candle, and by its light regard the eye. If the pupil is still dilated,
hold the candle near to the eye. The iris will not contract quickly upon
artificial light, but in five minutes it ought to move. However, suppose
you imagine it to remain stationary; then,
placing yourself by the head, have the
horse led out into sunshine. If it exhibit
no change to mark the passage from dark-
ness to daylight you may certainly con-
clude the optic nerve is paralyzed.

There are other tests, but these are not
satisfactory ; such as covering the eye with
the hand or a hat. The hand is semi-
transparent, and so can only induce par-
tial darkness; the hat does not fit the
inequalities of the horse’s countenance,
therefore it is useless. Of the same nature
is aiming pretended blows at, or moving
the hand before, the suspected eye. The
other senses, by constant exercise, become
so very acute during loss of sight, that
THE BASE OF THE BRAIN. winking is no proof of vision: the lid may

a. The point of junction between the A

sentana lett optic nerves move, and, nevertheless, the horse be stone
b b. The healthy optic nerve, of a white blind

color, originating on the left side and pro- 3

ceeding to the left eye. é :
SS pace U peiealibig opie Nothing can be done for paralysis of

nerve, diminished in size and darker in ic y inj -
color. It ran to the right eye; but its the optic REV: The injury “once €s
diseased condition can be clearly traced to is i ino @
GH clans ouLbRe Tetaideor uke nici tablished, its effects are lasting. Butchers

and other people, who foolishly pride
themselves upon their fast trotting steeds, and whose natures are not

unpleasantly susceptible, often induce the affection. It lessens the value

 

 
GUTTA SERENA. 41

of the horse, dooms it to a lower class of proprietors, and takes from
the creature’s life much of the pleasure which otherwise might lighten
the animal’s existence,

After death, an anatomical peculiarity is observed. The optic nerves,
subsequent to leaving the brain, unite and exchange fibers. Neither
nerve pursues an absolute course; yet, consequent on decease, if the
right eye were blind from gutta serena, the left nerve, or the nerve
originating from the left side of the brain, alone is affected: the disease
seems confined to that part. The opposite nerve is perfectly white and
healthy; but the one affected with paralysis is of a yellowish color,
softer nature, and sensibly diminished in bulk. So, if blindness afflict
both eyes, both optic nerves are then of diminished size and of a yel-
lowish hue.
CHAPTER II.

THE EYES—THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES,

SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA.

Tue following engraving illustrates some of the accidents which
attend upon injured sight in the horse. The eyes are probably more
important to the safety and pleasure of the master than any other por-
tion of the quadruped’s frame. Let the smallest impediment exist, and

 

8OME OF THE RESULTS OF IMPERFECT VISION.

there is no telling in what way it may operate. Certain horses are most
affected by near objects; others exhibit alarm only when bodies are
approaching them; another class of creatures will look upon most for-
ward sights with indifference, but will invariably be horror-struck when-
ever the view is extensive; while a fourth group will shy violently with-
out mortal vision being able to recognize any cause for terror. In every
case, the dread excited overmasters all other feelings. The presence of
extreme fear releases the horse from the dominion of its proprietor; its
movements are sudden, jerking, and eccentric; the animal has lost all
self-control, and there is no saying in what direction it may move or
what it may attempt to do. It is regardless of its own life, therefore

(42)

 
SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA. 43

it is careless about the welfare of others, and he is very fortunate who
possesses such a servant and escapes without accident. :

There is no cure for a disposition depending upon a change of struc-
ture; but there may be a preventive. Would all horse-owners preserve
their tempers and forbear from slashing a horse over the head, they
would be vast gainers in a pecuniary sense, and would certainly escape
very many of those ills now commonly attendant upon equestrian exer-
cises.

Whoever has a shying horse had better discard the creature from all
private uses. Send the animal to some work in which the habit will be
accompanied with less danger, or never allow the quadruped to quit the
stable without having the sight securely blinded. Such things are
necessary ; but the feeling man, when he considers how much the exer-
cise of the senses sweeten mere animal existence, will sigh over the order
which compels him to deprive a horse of that which the common sense
of the English has denominated “ precious sight.”

Simple ophthalmia is inflammation of the fine membrane which covers
the horse’s eye; it reaches no deeper, it does not affect the internal
structures of the organ, and it is not so much to be dreaded in its
immediate as in its after consequences. It is caused by accident and
by the violence of man.

As the reader has walked the streets, he surely must have seen men
indulge their temper by cutting a horse over the head with the whip.
The animal capers about and shakes the ears, endeavoring to avoid the
chastisement; the man becomes more enraged; the reins are pulled
tight, while the master stands up in the gig, and for minutes continues
chastising a creature that is bound to the shafts and comparatively at
his mercy. Were the horse, thus tortured, to run away, the person
who abused his authority would have provoked a severe retribution;
but the animal has no such intention. The fault may be far more
imaginary than real. The timidity of the horse prevents it from will-
fully inviting the dreaded lash; possibly the offense resides more with
the individual invested with trust over life than with the creature that
patiently submits to most unworthy control. At all events, the thong
curls about the face; now it cuts the lips, in which the sense of touch
resides; the pain is maddening, the horse capers and shakes its head,
striving to avoid a repetition of the torture. The next slash, however,
turns sharply round the blinkers and lights upon the eye; the horse is
held tight, the man feels happy, he has discovered a tender place; the
whip is plied again and again, always falling true. It hits the mark.
When the animal reaches home, the lid of one eye is closed, and many
tears have wetted the cheek, while scars remain after the immediate
44 SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA.

consequences have passed; the vision is interfered with, and timidity
becomes an inveterate shyer.

Also, from the manner in which the rack is placed, a hay-seed fre-
quently falls into the eye. The hay is always kept in the loft above the
stables, and a narrow trap-door opens into the rack. This is very con-
venient for the groom; how could any architect be so very “maudlin”
as to design a stable with the slightest consideration for a horse? At
every mouthful the head has to be raised and the provender pulled out;
probably, human ingenuity could not invent a machine more likely to be
_ attended with injury. The head uplifted, the eye open to direct the bite,
the dry grass shaken to pull out the morsel, of course the loose parti-
cles are dislodged, and what wonder if one of the hay-seeds should fall
into the open eye? This body is small, dry, harsh, and sharp; moved
about by the motion of the lid it commits fearful ravages upon the tender
organ to which it has found admittance, and simple ophthalmia is the
consequence.

Man is too proud to learn from nature, or he might observe horses
always depress their heads when in the field. The common parent, with
care for all her children’s comfort, makes the animal stoop to crop the
herbage; man causes the creature to upraise and outstretch the neck to
reach its sustenance. However, the horse is not always free from acci-
dents when it quits the stall. Carters often amuse the weary way by
striking what they term a ‘stubborn and foolish horse” over the head
with the butt end of the whip. This action, though most irritating to
witness, is generally less important in its results than any of the injuries
previously remarked upon. The lid shields the eye; consequently, a
largely swollen covering and a slightly injured membrane are the conse-
quences.

Many brutal drivers have “a happy nack” of kicking at the head of
a fallen animal to make it rise. This act may extinguish vision or pro-
voke simple ophthalmia; but, it is hoped, all such are exceptional cases,
therefore these are willingly not remarked upon.

Frequently horses try to while away the long hours of confinement
by playing with one another; one horse will lean its head over the divi-
sion to the stalls and for hours together lick its fellow prisoner’s neck.
Sometimes a day’s rest begets high spirits, and the animals indulge in a
more boisterous amusement; they bite and snap at one another’s heads.
Domestication has, however, disabled the creature to nicely measure dis-
tances; standing all day long with the nose close to a glaring white wall
has probably impaired the vision. One horse projects its teeth too far;
they simply graze the eye; but a small flap of membrane is the conse-
quence. The bite of an enraged horse is fearful; and were not the
SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA. 45

animal gently inclined, more than a minute portion of fine skin would
testify its intention. Simple ophthalmia, accompanied with a small
abscess upon the cornea, is the result.

The treatment of simple ophthalmia is somewhat homely. Put on a
bridle, or a leather head-stall; or a halter will answer the purpose ;
fasten a cord loosely to either side, so
that it may cross the forehead; on this
line suspend a cloth several times dou-
bled; but, mind it is large enough to
cover both eyes, for the visual organs are
so sympathetic, that when one is in-
flamed the other is very likely to exhibit
disease. Keep the cloth continually
dripping with the following lotion.

Fill a two-quart saucepan with poppy
heads, cover these with water; boil, till i
the poppy heads are quite soft; pouroffthe * RFT none or musors « mons ap
liquor, strain, filter, and, adding thereto SEELEY CEES AUMIAS
one ounce of tincture of arnica, the preparation, when cold, is fit for use.

On the first morning, an inspection should be gently attempted; for
the eye is generally so very tender, and the animal so resistful, that no
examination at that time is generally satisfactory. On the following
day, however, the lotion will have reduced the swelling, mitigated the
agony, and have enabled the horse to be more obedient; then make
another and a thorough examination. The skin upon the eye will be
white and opaque, the lining of the lid inflamed, while numerous tears
will pour down the cheek according to the severity of the injury. Re-
move any substance found underneath the
eyelid. If the hay-seed or sharp particle
shaken from the provender stick firmly into
the outer covering of the eye, grasp it tightly
with a pair of forceps, and endeavor to pull
itout. Should it be fixed too deeply for any
ordinary force to move it, do not exert all your
power, but take a sharp-pointed knife, which
is better than a lancet, because more under

 

 

. . : AN EYE RECENTLY AFFECTED WITH
command, and placing its tip below the ob- SIMELR OPERATOR:

stacle, with a motion, of the wrist oblige it

to quit its situation or to come forth between the ends of the forceps.
Should a flap of the cornea be left by a bite, probably pus will be

secreted beneath it; the place must be watched till the local inflamma-

tion has subsided, and a spot of yellow, opaque matter can be detected
46 SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.

under the transparent membrane. With a slight incision the pus must
be released and the eye bathed with a lotion composed of water and
chloride of zine, one grain to the ounce.

Other cases will rather be known by the variety of marks left behind
than by any difference in their necessary treatment. A lotion is gen-
erally everything required; however, should the inflammation become
excessive, it may be necessary to open the eye-vein or the vessel which,
journeying toward its larger trunk, runs directly beneath and from the
eye. When this prominent and visible vein is pierced, it frequently,
although distended, will not bleed. Then place some favorite food upon
the ground,—the bending of the head and the movement of the jaw will
cause the current to flow forth freely.

It is among the most beautiful attributes of the horse, that though so
very timid, it never suspects nor can it understand actual injury. Thus,
the flowing of its own blood does not affect it; it is otherwise with other
animals not more intelligent. If a dog or cat be hurt, no delicacy can
tempt the creature to feed. The horse, when in battle deprived of its
limb, is so accustomed to restraint and so unsuspicious of harm, that it
has heen found, after the strife was ended, maimed, and yet cropping the
herbage about it. The generous beast, when domesticated, retains its
gentle disposition, and soon forgets to recognize danger; it becomes
attached to its superior, and though its treatment be coarse and its
usage brutal, it can pardon all.

The consequences of simple ophthalmia are little, white, opaque spots
upon the membrane. Streaks of the same sort are occasionally left upon
the organ by the abuse of the whip; the amount
of blemish, of course, will be decided by the
original injury. Never purchase an animal thus
disfigured ; better buy a blind horse. The opaque
places prevent many rays of light from reaching
the optic nerve; the sight is irreparably im-
paired; the horse sees imperfectly; it may be-
Z : hold the head of a man, while the opaque scar
BOS y ae Roun Re me conceals the body. Timidity takes alarm at the

apparently spectral object. It has no reason to
explain, and it wants intelligence to understand. The poor abused quad-
ruped becomes a dangerous shyer.

 

SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.
Before we touch upon the subject which forms the heading to this
article, we wish to establish one proposition, because it will smooth the
way to an understanding between author and reader.

 
SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA. 47

Man cannot make a property of life; he has no power over its con-
tinuance; it may cease to-morrow without his permission and against
his wishes; it is removed from and independent of his control. Man
can have nothing like a property in that which is altogether above his
sway. He then, obviously, has no right to enslave any living creature,
and take no care of the existence which he has deprived of liberty to
provide for itself. When he captures a wild animal and retains it in
captivity, he entails upon himself the duty of providing for its wants,
and becomes answerable for its welfare. He violently usurps nature’s
province—obviously, he adopts nature’s obligations; if he rebel against
such a moral contract and persist in viewing dominion as absolute
authority, as something which invests him with power to feed or starve
at his pleasure, house or turn into the air according to his will, nature
opposes such arrogance, and, releasing the life by death, takes the op-
pressed creature from the tyranny of the oppressor.

Under some such compact the horse is given to man. The implied,
not written obligation, may not be acknowledged or understood; but,
nevertheless, it exists, and the terms of the bond are rigidly exacted.
Let us regard this matter in relation to specific ophthalmia. A gentle-
man possesses five horses; he builds a stable twenty feet long, twelve
feet wide, and nine feet high; into this place he crams the five huge
lives. We will suppose the place to be good of its kind, to be paved
with Dutch clinkers and to be perfectly drained; still each horse stands
in a stall four feet wide; in this it has to remain all night and the major
portion of the day. In this space it has to relieve its body; the liquid,
to be sure, may run off by the drain, but it has to fall upon straw, which
imbibes some, and to flow over bricks, which
absorb more; the solid excrement is during the
day removed by the groom as it falls, but it re-
mains in an open basket to taint the air of the
place. We will suppose the horses and their at-
tendants, occasionally, are the sole inhabitants,
and the building contains none of those things,
living and otherwise, which ladies are pleased
to order should ‘‘be carried into the stable.”

Will the sane reader assert that the space is
large enough for its purposes? The stable never
can be sufficiently ventilated: it will smell of
impurity—of hay, straw, oats, ammonia, and of THE SPECIES OF EYE WHICII IS
various other things. The air feels hot. Can GENERALLY SUPPOSED Tv RE

MOST LIABLE TO OPHTHALMIA.
it be wondered at? ‘Ten large lungs have been
breathing it for weeks and years, during twenty out of every twenty-

 
48 SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.

four hours. Five huge creatures have been cabined there, living by day,
sleeping by night, feeding and performing all the other offices of nature.
Is it astonishing that the air feels and smells close? Ought we not
rather to wonder that animal life can exist in such an atmosphere? The
chief contamination is ammonia; ammonia will not support vitality.
The reader has inhaled smelling salts; those are purified carbonate of
ammonia; have these not made the eyes water? The ammonia of the
stable affects the eye of the horse; it also undermines the constitution ;
but, by constantly entering upon the lungs and stimulating the eyes, it
causes the constitutional disease to first affect the visual organs; in
short, specific ophthalmia is generated.

Now, to prove the case here stated. In the south of Ireland, where
poverty prevails, humanity is obliged to shelter itself in strange places,
and any hole is there esteemed good lodging for a horse. In that part
of the kingdom ophthalmia affects the majority of animals; it not only
preys on horses, but it seizes upon mankind; for the author, a few years
ago, was much struck by the quantity of blind beggars to be encountered
in the streets of Cork. Here we have the conclusion of the argument;
its moral exemplified and enforced. If animals are foully housed and
poorly kept, they generate disorders, which at length extend to the
human race; therefore he who contends for a better treatment of the
horse, also indirectly pleads for the immunity of mankind from certain
diseases. Man cannot hold life as a property, or abuse life without his
ill deeds by the ordinances of nature recoiling on himself.

Specific ophthalmia is a constitutional disease affecting the eyes; it
has been submitted to all kinds of rude treatment; no cruelty but has
been experimented with; no barbarity but has been resorted to. It has
been traced to various sources; its origin has been frequently detected ;
but the real cause of the disease, to this day, has not been recognized.
The veterinary surgeon is often sent for to just look at a horse which
“has got a hay-seed in its eye.” This
mistake is very common, as ophthalmia gen-
erally breaks forth during the long night
hours, while the stable is made secure and
|) the confined air is foulest. The groom sees
an animal with a pendant, swollen lid, and
with a cheek bedewed by copious tears; he
SV Pie can imagine only an accident; but the medi-

THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF srEcIFIC cal examiner must obey the summons with
OPHTHALMIA.

   

an unprejudiced mind, because simple oph-
thalmia is a mere misfortune, specific ophthalmia is a constitutional
disorder.

 
SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA. 49

The veterinary surgeon, firstly, in the groom’s convictions, makes a
grievous mistake. He goes up to the horse on the opposite side to
the affection; being there, he takes the pulse, remarks the breathing,
observes the coat, feels the feet, examines the mouth, and looks at the
nasal membrane. If simple ophthalmia be present, some of these may
be altered from long-endured pain; but if specific ophthalmia exist,
the general disturbance denotes a constitutional disorder. The pulse is
hard, the breathing sharp, the coat staring, the feet cold, the mouth
clammy, and the nasal membrane inflamed or leaden-colored.

The horse is next ordered round to the stable window, with the dis-
eased eye toward the light. A pretense
is then made of forcing the lid open; if
simple ophthalmia be present, the resist-
ance is energetic, but not violent. Should
specific ophthalmia be the affection, the
horse struggles against the intimation with
the wildness of timidity, striving to escape
a terrible torture. The animal is, there-
upon, brought into some shady corner; its  Ratsiva THe UPPER LID OF AN EYE AF-
fears are allayed, and it permits the lid to See een ei tg a
be raised with little difficulty. Should the eye have been injured by
an accident, the most prominent part of the ball is likely to be hurt.
The internal structures are unaffected; the pupil generally is larger
than usual, and the iris is unchanged. The haw may be or may not
be projected; but the eolor, form, and aspect of the iris is unaltered.
During the commencement of specific ophthalmia, the center of the
cornea may be transparent, but the circumference of the ball is violently
inflamed; the reason being that a constitutional disorder always first
attacks the more vascular structures, and, therefore, commences in the

 

  

DIAGRAM OF THE EYE IN SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA. DIAGRAM OF THE HORSE’S EYE WHEN S8UF-
THE DARK LINE INDICATES THE EXTENT TO FERING FROM SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.
WHICH HAW MAY PROTRUDE.

loose conjunctiva, covering the white of the globe. In specific ophthal-
mia, the color of the eye has changed to a lighter hue, and the pupillary
opening is firmly closed, to prevent the entrance of the dreaded light.

4
50 SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.

Weakness increases as specific ophthalmia progresses. The attack,
however, is seldom stationary ; the eye first involved may suddenly become
clear and healthy, and the opposite organ may exhibit the ravage of the
disease; thus, the affection keeps rapidly moving about; when it sud-
denly quits both eyes, the inflammation commonly fixes upon some dis-
tant part of the body, as the lungs or feet. No one can predicate how
short will be its stay or how long the attack may last; it has disap-
peared in a week, it has continued two months. It seldom reaches its
climax during the first assault. It will occur again and again; generally
it ends in the destruction of one or both eyes; but never, so far as the
author’s knowledge extends, causes gutta serena. Like scrofulous affec-
tions in the human being, which it greatly resembles, it generally is the
inheritance of youth; after maturity or after the eighth year has been
attained, it is rarely witnessed.

When this terrible affliction visits a stable, let the proprietor firmly
oppose all active measures. A shed ought to be procured, cool or shady,
and screened on every side, excepting on the north. Every hole, how-
ever minute, should be stopped, because light shines through a small
opening with a force proportioned to its diminutiveness. The stars and
candles in the once popular London Diorama were only small holes cut
in the canvas.

The eye-vein is then to be opened, and the lid, if much enlarged,
punctured in several places; when the bleeding has ceased, a cloth,
saturated in cold water, is to be put over both eyes. As to other reme-
dies, they must be regulated by the condition of the animal. Should it
be poor, oats and beans, ground and scalded; cut green meat; gruel
made of hay-tea, etc., should be given. No dry fodder must be allowed;
all the provender must be so soft that mastication may be dispensed with.
The movement of the jaw, sending blood to the head, is highly injurious
during an attack of specific ophthalmia,.

Let the following ball be given twice, daily :—

Powdered colchicum » . . « « . Two drachms.
Jodide of iron . . . . . . . . +. One drachm.
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . . «One scruple.

Make into a ball with extract of gentian.

Observe the teeth while this physic is being taken. The author has
taken twenty-five grains of calomel daily, for a month, with impunity;
lately, he was slightly salivated by two grains, when not expecting any
effect. Mercury, therefore, operates in accordance with the system; it
is strong or weak as the body is sickly or robust.

Should the animal be fat, do not therefore conclude that it is strong;
SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA. 51

obesity is always accompanied with debility. But if the horse be a
hunter or a racer, in training condition, still give the medicine pre-
scribed, with soft food, not quite so stimulating, and the ball twice daily.
However, as soon as the medicine begins to take effect, which it will do
soonest upon the weakly, change it for :—

Liquor arsenicalis . . . . . . . . Three ounces.
Muriated tincture of iron . . . . . Five ounces.

Mix, and give half an ounce in a tumbler of water twice daily.

Do not bother about the bowels; endeavor to regulate them by mashes
and with green meat; if they should not respond, do not resort to more
active measures. Should the pulse be increased, a scruple of tincture
of aconite root may be administered every hour, in a wineglass of water;
should the pain appear to be excessive, the like amount of extract of
belladonna may be rubbed down in a similar quantity of water, and be
given at the periods already stated; only always be content with doing
one thing at a time. Thus reduce the pulse, for, with the lowering of
the vascular action, the agony may become less intense;-however, so
long as the beats of the artery are not more in a minute than sixty-five,
and not very thin or hard, the aconite should be withheld, for during an
acutely painful disorder the heart must be in some degree excited.

The grand measure, however, remains to be told. Remove every horse
from the stable in which the attack occurred; then elevate the roof,
widen the gangway, and enlarge the stalls; improve the ventilation,
overlook the drains, lay down new pavement—in fact, reconstruct the
edifice. It is felt that, in giving these directions, a proposal is offered
to demolish a building. The author is fully alive to the expense of such
a transaction; but one valuable horse will pay for a great deal of bricks
and mortar. Experience has decided that the most humane way is, in
the long run, the cheapest method of proceeding. Ophthalmia is a
teasing and a vexatious disorder. If the owner has no feeling with the
inhabitants of his homestead, still let him study his own comfort, for it
is astonishing how very much good stabling adds to the appearance and
to the happiness of a mansion.

Specific ophthalmia does not terminate in death; it usually leaves the
victim blind in one or both eyes. In England, however, it is mostly
satisfied with the destruction of one organ; the strength of the other
becoming, after its departure, considerably improved. At the same
time, having caused the lids to swell, it leaves them in a wrinkled or a
puckered state; the remaining eye is likewise somewhat sensitive to
light. To gain in some measure the shadow of the brow, and to escape
the full glare of day, the eye is retracted; all the muscles are employed
52 SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.

to gain this end, but the power of the levator of the upper lid causes
the eye to assume somewhat of a three-cornered aspect.

It is always desirable to recognize the animal which may be or may
have been liable to so fearful an affection.
One symptom of having experienced an at-
tack is discovered on the margin of the trans-
parent cornea. The inflammation extends from
\. the circumference to the center. The margin
of the transparent ball is generally the last
place it quits; here it frequently leaves an
irregular line of opacity altogether different
to and distinct from the evenly-clouded indica-
tion of the cornea’s junction with the sclerotic,
which last is natural development.

Nevertheless, the internal structure best display the ravages of specific
ophthalmia; it is upon these the terrible scourge exhausts its strength.
The eye becomes cloudy; loses its liquid appearance; the black bodies
attached to the edges of the pupillary opening either fall or seem about
to leave their natural situation. The pupil becomes turbid, then white;
the iris grows light in color, and at last remains stationary, having pre-
viously been morbidly active. The whiteness of the pupil grows more
and more confirmed, and every part grows opaque; by this circumstance,
the total cataract, arising from specific oph-
thalmia, is frequently to be challenged, The
lens, moreover, is often driven, by the force of
the disease, from its position; it lodges against
the inner surface of the globe. Very common
is a torn orragged state of the pupil witnessed,
as was stated, during the intensity of the at-
] tack, for the iris contracts to exclude the light;

ce a eae oer remaining thus for any period, it becomes at-

tached to the capsule of the lens; when the

disease mitigates, it often rends its own structure by its efforts to expand.

Should those efforts prove unavailing, the pupillary opening, as some-
times happens, is lost forever.

In the previous description of disorder, no mention has been made of
the cartilago nictitans, or haw, or third eyelid, as it has been called.
This thin body is very active, and resides at the inner corner of the eye;
of course, in a disease under which the eye is pained by light, the haw
is protruded to the utmost. In ophthalmia, however, it is covered by
an inflamed membrane, and though in health its movements are so
rapid that it may easily escape notice, yet in this disease it lies before

  
 

AN EYE DISPLAYING THE RAVAGES
OF SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.

 
SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA. 53

the eye, red and swollen; this substance it was once common for farriers
to excise, under a foolish notion of removing the cause of the disorder.

The use of the cartilago nictitans in the healthy eye will now be
explained. Let the reader inspect any of the illustrations to this article ;
he will find the outer corner represented as being much higher than the
inner corner of the eye, where the active little body resides. Under the
upper lid, near to the outer corner, is situated the lachrymal gland, which
secretes the water or tears of the eye.

Suppose any substance “gets into the eye;” being between two layers
of conjunctiva, it creates much anguish, it provokes constant motion
of the lid, which in its turn causes the lachrymal gland to pour forth its
secretion. Liquid flowing over a smooth globe of course gravitates ;
the substance “in the eye” is thus partly washed and partly pushed
toward the inner corner.

Now, the base of the cartilago nictitans rests upon the fat at the back
of the eye. Pain causes the globe to be retracted by spasmodic jerks;
adipose matter cannot be compressed, and it is therefore driven forward
every time the muscles act. The fat carries with it the cartilago nictitans,
and the edge of the body being very fine and lying close to the globe,
shovels up any foreign substance that may be within its reach, to place
it upon the rounded development at the inner corner of the eye. Still
may the reader inquire, if the cartilago nictitans is covered with con-
junctival membrane, and the inner corner of the eye is enveloped in the
same, does not the foreign substance occasion pain to these as it did to
the globe of the eye? No; it was just hinted that conjunctiva is not
sensitive except two layers of the membrane are together, as the ball
and the inner surface of the eyelid. The haw, therefore, has no sensa-
tion upon its external surface, neither has the inner corner of the eye,
whence all foreign bodies are quickly washed by the overflow of tears.

Farriers, however, are not an extinct race; many of the fraternity
still exist, still practice, and are, it is to be feared, very little improved.
Should one of these gentlemen offer to cure specific ophthalmia, it is
hoped the owner, after the foregoing explanation, will not allow the
“haw” to be excised.

Let every man treat the animals over which he is given authority with
kindness, as temporary visitors with himself upon earth, and fellow-
inhabitants of a striving world. Let him look around him; behold the
owner of a coveted and highly-prized racer to-day, in a week reduced to
the possessor of a blind and wretched jade; then ask himself what kind
of property that is to boast of, which may be deteriorated or taken from
him without his sanction? Having answered that question, let him
inquire whether it is better to propitiate the higher being by showing
54 CATARACT.

tenderness toward his creatures, or to defy the power which can in an
instant snatch away his possessions.

CATARACT.

Cataract is a white spot within the pupillary opening. The spot may
be indistinct or conspicuous,—soft, undefined or determined ; it may be
as small as the point of a needle, or so big
as to fill the entire space: in short, any in-
dication of whiteness or opacity upon the
pupil is regarded as a cataract.

Cataracts are designated according to the
parts on which they reside. The lens of the
eye is contained within a capsule, as an egg
is within its shell. Any whiteness upon this
PARTIAL CATARACTS, OR SMALL WHITE capsule is termed a capsular cataract. The
SPECK WITHIN THE PUPIL OF THE EYE.

lens floats in a liquor which surrounds it, as
the white does the yolk of anegg. Any turbidness in this fluid is termed
amilky cataract; any speck upon the lens is a lenticular cataract; and
any little glistening appearance behind the capsule is spoken of as a
spurious cataract.

Moreover, there are the osseous, the cartilaginous, and the opaque
cataracts; but those distinctions rather concern the anatomist than the
pathologist, as they may be guessed at, yet are not to be distinguished
with certainty one from another, during life.

That which more concerns the reader is, to learn the manner, if possi-
ble, of preventing cataract from disfiguring his horse’s eyes. Then will
the gentleman be kind enough to hold a sheet of white paper close to his
nose, so that the eyes may see nothing else, for a single half hour. Let
us suppose the trial has been made. With many people the head has
become dizzy and the sight indistinct. In some persons singing noises
are heard and a sensation of sickness has been created. Let the author
strive to explain this fact. Travelers, passing over the Alps, wear green
veils, to prevent the strain or excitement which looking upon a mass
of white snow occasions the visual organs. Any excitement is preju-
dicial to the eye. Workers at trades dealing in minute objects, often go
blind, and the use of the miscroscope has frequently to be discontinued.
But to look continuously upon a white mass is the most harmful of all
other causes.

This fact must be considered as established. And what does the
horse proprietor have done to his stable? He orders the interior to be
whitewashed. It looks so clean, he delights to see it; but do the
horses—does nature equally enjoy to look upon those walls of “ spot-

 
CATARACT. 55

less purity?” Before those walls, with its head tied to the manger,
stands the animal through the hours of the day. Close to its nose
shines the painful whiteness which the master so enjoys. Is it, then, sur-
prising (seeing how nature for its own wise purposes has connected all
life) that the equine eye, doomed to perpetual excitement, sometimes
shows disease ?

A horse with imperfect vision is a dangerous animal. A small speck
upon the lens confuses the sight as much as a comparatively large mark
upon the cornea. To render this clear, let the reader hold a pen close to
the eye; it prevents more vision than yonder huge post obstructs. So
impediments are important, as they near the optic nerve. The lens
is nearer than the cornea, and therefore any opacity upon the first
structure is more to be dreaded.

However, let it be imagined a horse, with an opacity upon the pupil,
and the sight confused by staring at a white flat mass spread out before
it, is led forth for its master’s use. By the aid of the groom and its own
recollections, it manages to tread the gangway, and even to reach the
well-known house door in safety. The owner, an aged gentleman, of the
highest respectability, comes forth in riding costume. He mounts, and
throwing the reins upon the neck of the animal, sets his nag into walking
motion, while he, erect and stately, looks about him and proceeds to pull
on his gloves. The horse, however, has not gone many steps before the
cataract and the confused vision, acting conjointly, produce alarm. The
steed shies and the gentleman loses his seat, being very nearly off. The
passengers laugh, the proprietor suffers in his temper, but the whip is
used, and the equestrian is soon out of sight.

The man and horse proceed some distance; the gentleman becomes
much more calm, and the horse recovers sufficient composure to try and
look around it. The pace now is rather brisk, when the horse thinks, or
its disabled vision causes it to imagine, it sees some frightful object in the
distance. The timid animal suddenly wheels round. The rider is not
prepared for the eccentric motion: he is shot out of the saddle. He falls
upon his head; he is picked up and carried home; but afterward he
avoids the saddle.

Never buy the horse with imperfect vision; never have the interior of
your stable whitewashed. Then what color is to be employed? Probably
blue would absorb too many of the rays of light; at all events, it seems
preferable to copy nature. Green is the livery of the fields. In these
the eyes take no injury, although the horse’s head be bent toward the
grass for the greater number of the hours. Consequently, the writer rec-
ommends that green wash, which is cheap enough, should be employed,
instead of the obnoxious white, for the interior of stables.
56 CATARACT.

For complete cataract nothing can be done. In man, operation or
couching may be performed with success; but the horse can retract the
eye and protrude the cartilago nictitans.
Thereby difficulties are created ; but these
may be overcome. However, when an open-
ing through the cornea is perfected, the
spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the
eye, acting upon the fibrous covering of
the globe, is apt to drive forth the liquid
contents of the organ in a jet: this is ir-
reparable, of course. When so fearful a

 

COMPLETE CATARACT.

catastrophe does not ensue, still the capsule
of the lens is always difficult to divide, and the lens itself cannot easily
be broken down. ‘The lens, therefore, must be abstracted; but that
necessitates a large incision, which the previously named probability
forbids. Displacement is the only resort left; but the lens, when forced
from its situation into the posterior or dark cavity, is, by the contraction
of the muscles, forced up again. The uncertainty of the result, even
when the operation is successfully performed, is peculiarly disheartening.
Half lose their eyes in consequence of the attempt; half the remainder
are in no way benefited; to the rest, as these cannot wear spectacles to
supply the place of the absent lens, of course the pain endured becomes
useless torture.

Where partial cataract is feared but cannot be detected, then arti-
ficially dilate the pupil. Rub down two drachms
of the extract of belladonna in one ounce of water.
Have this applied, with friction, to the exterior of
the lids and about the eye; mind none gets into
the eye. The belladonna, acted upon by the secre-
: tions, turns to grit; inflammation is the conse-
DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING tHe uence, and the clearness of the cornea is im-

Rh eae ue! paired. When the belladonna is properly used,

The inner space represents

the natural pupil, on which jt dilates the iris and exposes the margin of the
no cataract is to be observed. i wie 2
The second gpace represents Jens, thus enabling the practitioner to inspect the
the pupillary opening as it - ‘i

may be enlarged by the appli- eye ina fall light.

cation of belladonna, whereon 2 : ;
two partial cataracts are to be To tell a spurious cataract, which defect is
remarked. The other space

hey neuescts the dilated never permanent, first observe the spot. Note
pupil.

 

if it present any metallic appearance, and try
whether, as the horse’s head is moved, it alters in shape, catching irregular
lights. Then inspect the exterior of the eye; see if it retain any signs
of recent injury. Subsequently endeavor, so far as may be possible,
FUNGOID GROWTHS.

57

to ascertain the exact position occupied by the defect: upon all this

evidence put together, make up your opinion.

To distinguish between the different kinds of cataract, apply the bella-

donna. Next place the horse near a window or
under a door. Should the sun shine, have the
animal led into the full glare of day. Look
steadily into the eye from different points of
view. Then have the horse’s head moved about,
all the time keeping your sight fixed upon the
part you are desirous of inspecting.

Should one spot continue in every position,
of one bulk, and of one aspect, never becoming
very narrow and always occupying one place
throughout the examination,—it is a lenticular
cataract that is beheld.

If the whiteness changes appearances, in some
positions seeming very thin or perceptibly less
bulky, it is assuredly a capsular cataract which
is inspected.

Most cataracts may either be partial or com-
plete; but a spurious cataract is always partial,
never permanent, and invariably caused by vio-

 

DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING THE DIF-
FERENT KINDS OF CATARACT.

1. A capsular cataract or an
opacity, situated on the envel-
ope of the lens.

2. A lenticular cataract or an
opacity, within the substance of
the lens.

3. A spurious cataract. or a
particle of lymph adhering to
the inner surface of the lenti-
cular capsule.

lence.

For spurious cataract, treat the injury to the exterior of the eye.
For other cataracts, do nothing: there is no known medicine of any
beneficial effect. However, it is well to add, the author’s and the gen-
eral opinion favors the absorption of cataract; or that these opacities
may appear and after a time go away without the aid of medicine.
Nevertheless, to hasten such a process, have the interior of the stable
colored. However much in favor a clean white wall may be with grooms
or with the lower order, exercise an informed judgment; have the wall
shaded of the tint most pleasant to the inhabitants’ sight, and the
prospect of recovery will by so trivial an outlay be materially facilitated.

FUNGOID TUMORS WITHIN THE SUBSTANCE OF THE EYE.

These, fortunately, are rare affections. We know of no immediate
cause for their production. No man can prophesy their appearance.
The horse, to human judgment, may enjoy the top of health; may be in
flesh and full of spirit—altogether blooming. Nevertheless, the action
of the legs may perceptibly grow higher, and the ears become more
active. The animal will wait to be urged or guided, when the road is
58 FUNGOID GROWTHS.

clear. Also, it may run into obstacles, when the rider does not touch
the rein. Should anything he left in the gangway of the stable, it is
certain to be upset, by what the groom terms
“that clumsy horse.” Sometimes it will
stand for hours together neglecting its food,
with the head held piteously on one side.
Occasionally, when at grass, it may be found
separated from its companions, alone and
dejected, with the head as before, held on
one side, while the waters of the eye copi-
ously bedew the cheek.

FUNGUS HEMATOIDES, OR CANCEROUS

GROWTHS WITHIN THE SUBSTANCE At last the eyes are examined. The eye-

nates ball may be clear, but some brilliant yellow
substance may be discerned shooting from the base of the interior, and
the horse is declared contaminated by a cancerous disease.

All is now explained: the sight is lost; the horse is blind. There
are three terrible decisions now left to the master. Is the life to be
shortened? The thought shudders at taking existence, when misery
pleads for consolation. Is the animal to live on and nurture to maturity
the seeds of a cancerous disease? The mind shrinks from subjecting any
creature to the terrible depression and hopeless agony attendant upon
such disorders. Is an operation to be performed? Shall the surgeon
extirpate the eye? This last proposal seems the worst of all; nor does
inquiry improve the prospect. The cancer does not entirely reside within
the eye; it is not limited to that part. The taint is in the constitution,
and the operation can do no more than retard its effect. The eye re-
moved, the cancerous growth will soon fill the vacant orbit After two
or several months of dreadful suspense, the life at last will be exacted,
and the animal, worn out with suffering, will expire.

Under such circumstances, the writer recommends death, before the
full violence of the disease is endured. Should, however, the reader
think differently, and prefer the extirpation of the eyeball, the operation
will here be described. First, mind the operator has two knives not
generally kept by veterinary surgeons: one of small size and slightly
bent to one side; the other larger, and curved to one side till it has
nearly reached a semicircle. Mind the operator has everything ready
before he begin: a sharp scalpel, two straight triangular-pointed needles,
each armed with strong twine; one curved needle, similarly provided;
sponge, water, injecting tube, bellows, lint,—and all things at hand. It
is necessary the proprietor should see to this, as some men will commence
an operation upon a mere horse and be obliged to stop in the middle, not
having brought all the instruments which they may require.

 
FUNGOID GROWTHS. 59

Cast the horse. Impale both eyelids, each with one of the straight
needles, and leave the assistant to tie the thread into loops. Through
these loops the assistant places the fore-finger of each hand, and then
looks toward his superior. The sign being given, the man pulls the
eyelid asunder, while the surgeon rapidly grasps the straight knife and
describes a circle round the globe, thereby sundering the conjunctival
membrane. The knife is then changed, the small curved blade being
taken. The assistant again makes traction, and the knife, being passed
through the divided conjunctiva, is carried round the eyeball, close to the
bone; the levator and depressor muscles are detached by this movement.
The assistant again relaxes his hold; the operator relinquishing the
knife, selects the curved needle.
With this the cornea is transfixed.
The thread is drawn through and is
then looped. Into this loop the
surgeon puts the fore-finger of his
left hand, and giving the sign once
more to his assistant, takes hold of
the large bladed knife. Traction is
made on all the loops. The curved
knife is inserted into the orbit, and,
with a sawing motion, is passed
round the organ. The posterior
structures are thereby divided, and
the eye is drawn forth.

The operation ought to be over
in less time than five minutes; but Srareparion Ow TRE EYE:
speed depends on previous prepara-
tion. The assistant, during the operation, should rest his hand upon
the horse’s jaw and face; sad accidents by that means are prevented ;
but, above all things, he should be cool, doing just what is sufficient and
no more.

Some hemorrhage follows the removal of the orb; to stop it, inject
cold water into the empty socket; should that have no effect, drive a
current of air from the bellows upon the divided parts; if this be of no
avail, softly plug the cavity with lint, bandage the wound to keep in the
dressing, and leave the issue to nature.

Such is the undisguised operation for extirpating the horse’s eye.
The reader is confidently asked, whether a few months of miserable
existence, with the certainty of a fearful death, are not dearly purchased

at so great a suffering ?

 
60 LACERATED EYELID.

LACERATED EYELID.

Horses frequently endeavor to amuse the weary hours by a playful
game with one another; if accident results, it is not wholly the fault of
the guileless animals; they are tied to the mangers; they cannot exert
their activity; otherwise their principal enjoyment resides in the free-
dom of their heels. And looking at a blank mass of monotonous
white for many hours may have disabled the sight or have confused the
judgment.

The groom being absent, advantage is taken of the event to have a
romp. The animals snap at one another over the divisions to their
stalls; often the amusement extends, and four or five heads may be be-
held united in the sport. Generally, however, the game is confined to
two players; but, either way, no injury is meant; the teeth rattle, but
they are intended to close upon empty space. However, man has to
bear the consequences which his errors provoke. That species of con-
finement to which horses are subjected renders the judgment uncertain
and the sight untrue. The animal pretends to snap, but, either from
one head not being removed quick enough or from the other head being
protruded too far, the teeth catch the eyelid and divide it through the
center. The injury is not very serious, for had malice impelled the
assault, much more than an eyelid would have been grasped between
the jaws.

In other cases, the groom has driven nails into the wall of the gang-
way; grooms are fond of seeing the stable decora-
ted with pendant objects of various kinds. So long
as the nails are occupied, little danger ensues; but
they are apt to be left vacant, and horses are con-

m, for the servant obliges the animal, very often, to
@ keep close to the wall; the projecting nail catches
the lid of the eye, and a long rent, commencing upon
the outer side, usually results.

Such an injury creates great alarm, but it is less serious than it ap-
pears to be. Let the wound, from whatever cause it springs, be well
bathed with a soft sponge and cold water; this should be done till the
bleeding ceases. Afterward, the wound should be let alone for two or
three hours, that the edges may become partially sticky; then let there
be procured a loug piece of strong thread, having a needle at each end;
the needles should be new, very sharp, and of the stronger sort em-
ployed by glovers. Let all the punctures be made from within out-

 

EYELID TORN BY A NAIL.
IMPEDIMENT IN THE LACHRYMAL DUCE. 61

ward, to avoid injuring the eyeball, and a separate needle be employed
for each divided surface. The thread being brought through, cut off the
needles, and loop, but do not tie the thread. Proceed with another
suture, and do not tie that; then with another, observing the same
directions, and thus, till the eyelid has a sufficient number of sutures.
Then proceed to draw all to an even tightness—none should be abso-
lutely tight. The parts ought only to be approximated, not tied firmly
together; well, all the sutures being of equal size, they are fastened, and
the operation is concluded.

But as the wound begins to heal it is apt to itch, and the horse will
often rub the eye violently to ease the irritation. To prevent this,
fasten the animal to the pillar-reins of its stall, and let it remain there
till the wound has healed; the injury will in a short time close, but the
sutures should be watched. When the holes begin to enlarge, the thread
can be snipped. If the punctures be dry, let the divided sutures remain
till nature shall remove them. If they are moist, and the wound ap-
pears united, you may try each thread with a pair of forceps; should
any appear loose, then withdraw it, for after division it can be of no
use, and may provoke irritation; however, should it be retained, employ
no force; have patience, and it will come forth without man’s inter-
ference.

Feed liberally, regulate the bowels
by mashes and green meat; smear the
wound with oil of tar to dispel the flies ;
for should the accident happen during the
warmer months, these pests biting and
blowing upon so delicate a part as the eye
may occasion more harm than our best
efforts can rectify. When the lid is bitten |. pce a ae ne aes
through, the operation is precisely similar; | BROWGNT TOGETHER BY MEANS OF sU-
the divided edges are to be brought to-
gether by sutures. To prevent needless repetition, an engraving of the
bitten lid, after the operation has been performed, is here presented.

 

IMPEDIMENT IN THE LACHRYMAL DUCT.

The lachrymal duct in the horse is a small canal leading from the eye
to the nostril; it commences by two very minute openings near the
terminations of the upper and lower lids, at the inner corner of the
eye; it emerges upon the dark skin which lines the commencement of
the horse’s nostril, being on the inner side of the internal membrane.
62 IMPEDIMENT IN THE LACHRYMAL DUCT.

Its use is to carry off the superflux of tears; hence, with human beings,
who have a like structure, ‘‘much weeping at the theaters provokes loud
blowing of noses.”

The channel being so minute, any substance getting into it soon be-
comes swollen with the moisture and closes
the passage. The tears cannot escape, and
being secreted, flow upon the cheek. The
perpetual stream pouring over a part not
designed for such uses, causes the hair to
fall off, and thus forms gutters, along which
the fluid continues to run. The flesh at
length excoriates, and numerous sores are
established; the lids swell and become raw

A Hors®8 HEAD, Displaying on. 2+ the margins; the conjunctiva reddens,

ENON “nus taconymal and the transparency of the cornea is greatly

lessened by the spread of inflammation.

The wretched animal in this condition presents a very sentimental
appearance to a person ignorant of the facts of the case. The swollen
lid, because of its weight, is permitted to close over the eye, while the
tears, flowing fast upon the cheek, with the general dejection, gives the
creature an aspect of weeping over some heavy affliction.

Like the late William Percivall, whose works on veterinary subjects
remain a monument to his memory, the author has encountered but a
single case of this description; it was in a matured but not a very
aged animal. The report was, that a year ago it had been attacked
by influenza; the lid then enlarged, and the near cheek had been wet
ever since.

Referring to the pages of Percivall’s ‘‘ Hippopathology,” the author
procured a thin, elastic probe, about twelve inches long; the horse being
cast, and an assistant holding the upper lid, the probe was introduced at
the inner corner of the eye, by the lower opening to the duct; the en-
trance was easy enough, but the passage was soon obstructed; then the
probe was inserted at the opening of the duct within the nostril. The
way in this direction was longer, but the end came at last, without any
good being effected. Next, a syringe being charged, the fine point was
introduced up the nasal termination of the duct, the power of the jet
effectually removing every impediment; the water streamed through the
upper openings, and the horse was sent home cured.

The writer saw the animal six months subsequent to the operation; it
was apparently in excellent health, and obviously in amended condition.
The owner said the horse soon got well after it reached home; but,

 
IMPEDIMENT IN THE LACHRYMAL DUCT. 63

being pressed to say how great a duration “soon” represented, he re-
joined ‘about six weeks, perhaps.”

Three months afterward, however, the horse was once more brought
with “watery eye,” and again operation was successful. The proprie-
tor then received back and soon sold the creature, which being past the
age when horses are most valuable, seemed likely to become an expen-
sive retainer.
CHAPTER III.

THE MOUTH—ITS ACCIDENTS AND ITS DISEASES.

EXCORIATED ANGLES OF THE MOUTH.

LET no man punishahorse for want of obedience; the sole use of the
creature and its only delight is to obey. Let no person abuse it for
having a hard mouth, or for not answering to the rein. Man had the
formation of the mouth, and its condition can be no fault in the pos-
sessor; the horse’s pleasure is the gratification of its master. Observe
the antics of the nag thoroughly trained and perfectly up to the rider’s
point of jockeyship. Does not every fiber seem to quiver with excess of
happiness? There is a tacit understanding between man and horse; the
pretty arts and graceful prancings of the animal tell how joyful it is
made by the conviction that it is sharing man’s amusement. But let
the equestrian dismount, and another, above or below the horse’s educa-
tional point, assume the saddle, that understanding no longer exists.
The harmony is destroyed; there is no intelligence between horse and
man. All the playfulness disappears; the entire aspect of the animal
is changed, and it sinks to a commonplace “ugly brute.”

The majority of drivers are very particular about the horse’s mouth;
yet they all abuse the animal as though it was their desire to destroy
that which each professes to admire. Every supposed error is punished
with the lash, but the whip can convey no idea; the lash does not in-
struct the animal; beat a horse all day, and it will only be stupid at sun-
set. All the horse can comprehend from the smart is a desire that the
pace should be quickened; that wish it endeavors to comply with. The
person who guides the vehicle generally becomes fanatic at such perver-
sity; he begins “jagging” and “sawing” the reins. The iron is vio-
lently pulled against the angles of the mouth, or rapidly passes from one
side to the other. Would the owner or driver take the trouble to instruct
his dumb servant in his wishes, the poor drudge would rejoice to exhibit
its accomplishments. But no information is communicated by first
urging and then checking; the timidity is increased by the one, the
angles of the mouth are excoriated by the other.

Ladies’ horses invariably have admirable mouths; ladies generally are
very poor equestrians, yet they encounter few accidents. Men, who ride
better, are oftener thrown and hurt. The gentleness of the woman, or
the sympathy existing between two gentle beings, produces this effect

(64)
EXCORIATED ANGLES OF THE MOUTH 6

or

The horse is never dangerous when not alarmed; the feminine hand pats
the neck of the steed; the feminine voice assures the timidity ; the
whip never slashes; the reins are never converted into instruments
of torture; the weight is light and the pace is easy. A perfect under-

ro os
ere

   

VARIOUS MODES OF FORMING THAT WHICH ALL MEN SPEAK OF WITH ADMIRATION, AS A “q@ooD MOUTH.”

standing is soon established between the two, and the rider, notwith-
standing her weakness, her indifferent jockeyship, and her flapping dress,
sits the saddle in safety, while the animal increases in value under her care.

Man certainly does not gain by the contrast; the male treatment does
not improve the animal. The horse’s memory, like that of most dumb
creatures, is very tenacious; the quadruped is not made more steady by
ill usage; the sore corners of the mouth oblige the animal to be laid up
“for a time,” and the expense of medical treatment increases the sacri-
fice consequent upon loss of services.

Trouble attends the circumstance, at which the favorite groom is sure
to grumble, even if the master does not receive
“notice.” The food must be prepared ; a few oats
thrown into the manger, and a little hay forked in-
to the rack will not now suffice ; all the provender
must be carefully prepared. At first, good thick
gruel and hay tea must be the only support. Ina
few days, boiled and mashed roots may be intro-
duced; these may be followed by cut roots boiled, *°oRIATED ANGLES oF THE
but not mashed, the whole being succeeded by
scalded hay with bruised and mashed oats. When all is done however,

5

 
66 PARROT-MOUTH.

the horse’s temper is not improved, and its mouth is decidedly injured.
Such results will vex the temper of any good groom, and very many it
will anger to the throwing up of their situations. They ‘will not get a
horse into beautiful condition for master only to spoil.”

When the horse is thus injured, ignore all filthy ointments; such
things consist of verdigris, carbonate of zinc, horse turpentine, blue,
green or white vitriol, mixed up with dirty tallow or rank lard. Now,
to grease a horse’s teeth is not much worse than to tallow its lips; if
the former prevent it from feeding, the latter is not calculated to improve
the appetite.

Discarding all unguents, have the following lotion prepared :—

Chloride of zing . 2. 2. . 1...) . «Two scruples.
IWSECGTS ah oa. hee ed ke esate GS es ven Gass. Sor se ROMpIniss
Essence of aniseed . . . ..... =. +. Asufficiency.

Pour some of this into a saucer, and, with anything soft, apply the
lotion to the sore places; do not rub or scrub; do your ministering
gently; so the parts are wet, no further good can be accomplished ; use
this wash after every feeding or watering. Ina little while amendment is
generally perceptible; where violence has been used, it is impossible to
foretell the extent of the injury. A superficial slough may be cast off;
this process is attended with fetor; that the lotion will correct, and
thus add to the comfort of the horse. The cure, however, will possibly
leave the horse of a lessened value; where the skin
has been destroyed it is never reproduced; the
wound will, therefore, probably blemish, and may
lead a future purchaser to suspect “all sorts of
things.” The horse is certainly deteriorated ; with
the skin the natural sensibility of the part is lost.

PERMANENT pLEMIsH AND A cicatrix, consisting only of condensed cellular tis-

Nice sexsiniuity oF sye, must form upon the spot; this structure is very

feebly, if at all, nervous, and when compared to the

smooth and soft covering of the lips, may be said to be without feeling,
and is very liable to ulceration.

 

PARROT-MOUTH.

This, strictly speaking, is not a disease; it is a malformation; the
upper incisors, from those of the lower jaw not being sufficiently de-
veloped, meet with no opposing members; they consequently grow very
long, and from their form are likened to the bill of a parrot.

This formation is not unsoundness, but it cannot be a recommendation;
the horse can only gather up its corn imperfectly; much falls from the
LAMPAS. 67

mouth during mastication. The animal which requires four feeds and a
half daily to support the condition another maintains upon four feeds,
must be the more expensive retainer of the two.
Moreover, it is a virtue in a horse to thoroughly clear
out the manger; a healthy animal not only licks out
corners to catch stray grains, but hunts among the
straw for any corns that may have fallen. This duty
the parrot-mouth disables a horse from performing ;

 

the good feeder alone is equal to the work. COPIED FROM THE AU-
* - a 5 THORS WORK, ENS
Besides, a rider is always pleased, when sauntering TITLED “THE HORSES

a S MOUTH,” PUBLISHED

down the green lanes during the spring of the year, BY MESSRS. FORES,

to see the horse’s neck stretched out to catch a twig eneee

of the shooting hedge; this can do no harm; but it is hard alike upon
horse and man to always have a tight hold of the rein when the fresh
scent of the budding thorn tempts the mouth to its enjoyment. And
yet, in the majority of instances, it would be cruelty to yield and
permit the parrot-mouth to bite; the under teeth very often rest
against the palate. No more need be said to caution owners pos-
sessed of an animal thus afflicted, against a natural indulgence. The
parrot-jaw is a deformity for the perpetuation of which man is respon-
sible; dispositions and formations are hereditary. Would the owners
of stock only exercise some judgment in their selections, this misfortune
might speedily be eradicated.

LAMPAS.

The horse’s lot is, indeed, a hard one; it is not only chastised by the
master, but it also has to submit to the fancies of the groom. ‘“Lam-
pas” is an imaginary disease, but it is a
vast favorite among stable attendants.
Whenever an animal is ‘‘off its feed,” the
servant looks into the mouth, and to his
own conviction discovers the, “‘lampas.” That affection is supposed to
consist of inflammation, which enlarges the bars of the palate and forces
them to the level of or a little below the biting edges of the upper
incisor teeth.

Would the groom take the trouble to examine the mouths of other
young horses which “eat all before them,” the “lampas” would be
ascertained to be a natural development; but the ignorant always act
upon faith, and never proceed on inquiry. Young horses alone are sup-
posed to be subject to ‘“lampas;” young horses have not finished
teething till the fifth year. Horses are “broken” during colthood ;
they are always placed in stables and forced to masticate dry, artificial

 

THE LAMPAS IRON.
68 LAMPAS.

food before all their teeth are cut; shedding the primary molars is
especially painful; of course, during such a process, the animal en-
deavors to feed as little as possible. A refusal to eat is the groom’s
strongest proof that lampas is present. But, putting the teeth on one
side, would it be surprising if a change of food and a total change of
habit in a young creature were occasionally attended with temporary
loss of appetite? Is ‘“‘lampas” necessary to account for so very prob-
able a consequence? The writer has often tried to explain this to stable
servants; but the very ignorant are generally the very prejudiced.
While the author has been talking, the groom has been smiling; looking
most provokingly knowing, and every now and then shaking his head, as
much as to say, ‘ah, my lad, you can’t gammon me!”

Young horses are taken from the field to the stable, from juicy grass
to dry fodder, from natural exercise to constrained stagnation. Is it so
very astonishing if, under such a total change of life, the digestion be-
comes sometimes deranged before the system is altogether adapted to its
new situation? Is it matter for alarm should the appetite occasionally
fail? But grooms, like most of their class, regard eating as the only
proof of health. They have no confidence in abstinence; they cannot
comprehend any loss of appetite; they love to see the “beards wag-
ging,” and reckon the state of body by the amount of provision con-
sumed.

The prejudices of ignorance are subjects for pity; the slothfulness of
the better educated merits reproba-
tion. The groom always gets the
master’s sanction before he takes a
horse to be cruelly tortured for an
imaginary disease. Into the hands
of the proprietor has a Higher
Power intrusted the life of His
creature; and surely there shall be

BURNING FOR LAMPAS. demanded a strict account of the
stewardship. It can be no excuse
for permitting the living sensation to be abused, that a groom asked and
the master willingly left his duties to another. Man has no business to
collect breathing life about him and then to neglect it. Every human
being who has a servant, a beast or a bird about his homestead, has no
right to rest content with the assertions of his dependents. For every
benefit he is bound to confer some kindness. His liberality should tes-
tify to his superiority; but he obviously betrays his trust and abuses the
blessings of Providence when he permits the welfare of the creatures,
dependent on him, to be controlled by any judgment but his own.

 
INJURIES TO THE JAW. 69

The author will not describe the mode of firing for lampas. It is
sufficient here to inform the reader that the operation consists in burning
away the groom’s imaginary prominences upon the palate. The living
and feeling substance within a sensitive and timid animal’s mouth is
actually consumed by fire. He, however, who plays with such tools as
red-hot irons cannot say, ‘thus far shalt thou go.” He loses all com-
mand when the fearful instrument touches the living flesh: the palate
has been burnt away, and the admirable service performed by the bars,
that of retaining the food during mastication, destroyed. The bone
beneath the palate has been injured; much time and much money have
been wasted to remedy the consequence of a needless barbarity, and, after
all, the horse has been left a confirmed “‘wheezer.” The animal’s sense
being confused, and its brain agitated by the agony, the lower jaw has
closed spasmodically upon the red-hot iron; and the teeth have seized
with the tenacity of madness upon the heated metal.

When the lampas is reported to you, refuse to sanction so terrible a
remedy ; order the horse a little rest, and cooling or soft food. In short,
only pursue those measures which the employment of the farrier’s cure
would have rendered imperative, and, in far less time than the groom’s
proposition would have occupied, the horse will be quite well and once
more fit for service.

INJURIES TO THE JAW.

Save when needless severity urges timidity to madness, the horse is
naturally obedient. This is the instinct of the race. The strong quad-
ruped delights to labor under the command of the weaker biped. Its
movements are regulated by him who sits above or behind it. It often
waits for hours with its head pulled backward, its mouth pained, and its
eyes blinded. All its learning is attention to the sounds of the human
voice. It is guided by touches. It submits to the whip when it might
easily destroy the whipper. It eats, it drinks, it rests only by man’s per-
mission. Yet there are such words as “vice” and “spite” connected
with the horse; but there remains to be spoken the word which shall
fitly characterize the self-sacrificing life of the noble animal.

Man could not endure such tyranny, nor does the horse, notwith-
standing its submissive instinct, live under it very long. The majority
perish before they are eight years old. They are worked to an early
grave—often they are distorted before the body’s growth is completed.
Is there any other life so serviceable ? Is there any other life which
reads so sad a moral? For the time it is allowed to breathe and labor,
the horse patiently obeys its tyrant. It aids his vanity; it conforms to
his pleasure; it devotes strength, will, and life to man’s service.
70 INJURIES TO THE JAW.

Let every owner of a horse treat his slave with gentleness. Above
all things, let no individual employ the
reins as instruments of torture. The horse
will neither be wiser nor better for such a
mode of punishment. Besides, the man
may deteriorate his own or another’s  prop-
erty. With the bit a jaw has been broken;
and with the snaffle the bone has been in-
jured. An animal with a good neck carries
the chin near to the chest. The iron of the
j snaffle, therefore, cannot pull against the
THM, ONANET A PEABING ZO 28 angles of the mouth. It rests upon the
gums, and because this point is by some

disputed, the following illustration of the fact is inserted.

The cruel bit is, however, in general use with carriage horses.
Fashion delights in a vehicle stopped smartly at a door. The greatest
noise possible then announces the new arrival. The wheels grate—
the horses struggle. The coachman pulls hard—the vehicle sways to
and fro. The footman jumps down and pulls at the bell as though life
and death depended on a speedy answer to his summons.

All this is, doubtless, very pleasant, but how does it operate upon the
poor horses? These, to be pulled up sud-
denly, must be thrown upon their haunches
by the unscrupulous use of the bit. The
pressure often wounds more than the gums;
frequently the bone of the lower jaw is
bruised. The gum then must slough, and a
HE EFFECTS propucep on tae  DOFtion of bone must be cast off. The ex-

ea me await foliation of bone is a tedious process accom-

The most forward and smaller panied with an abominable stench. The
mark indicates the injury usually

done by pulling at the snaffle. The Surgeon must be constantly in attendance;
more backward dark place indi- ss 2
cates the spot where tugging at the otherwise the gum might close over the ex-
bit bruises the bone of the lower Be $3 ‘
jaw. foliating bone and numerous sinuses might
be established within the mouth. The ex-
foliated substance must come away. The abscess, which would announce
its retention, would be more painful than the open wound, and ultimately
would turn to a foul and ragged ulcer. Such an injury may occur
wherever the bit rests, before or behind the tush, and a similar injury,
though not to the same extent, will result from an unscrupulous use of
the snafile.
Supposing a case of this description is submitted to your notice upon
the day succeeding its occurrence. No change is anticipated, such as

 

 
INJURIES TO THE JAW. "1

would denote a bruise to other structures. The covering to the gums
is thick and hard, and it will conceal much that may be taking place
beneath it. If any spot be darker, redder, or whiter in color,—if any
place be more sensitive than the adjacent parts, the knife is there in-
serted till it grate upon the bone. The extent of the necessary incision
is decided by the efforts made in resistance. A thin fluid may issue
from the orifice; but when the knife grates upon the bone, then the
animal’s struggles announce the extent of the bruise. Sound bone may
be cut, scraped, or even burnt with impunity; but when bruised or
otherwise diseased, the structure is most acutely sensitive.

When the wound emits its characteristic odor, a lotion composed of
chloride of zinc, one scruple; water, one pint; ess. of aniseseed a suffi-
ciency, should be syringed into the openings, several times during the
day. The lotion, also, has a tendency to heal the sores, which must be
counteracted by the employment of the knife.
Occasionally, however wide the incision, it
may be too small for the cast off bone to
escape from. The knife again must enlarge
the orifice, and the forceps be inserted to
grasp the exfoliated substance. That taken
away, the lotion is continued and the injury
left to heal at Nature’s pleasure. INJURY SOMETIMES ACCOMPLISHED

WITH THE PORT OF THE BIT.

The late W. Percivall, in his excellent
work, entitled “Hippopathology,” describes horses as sometimes injured
under the tongue by the port of the bit. An engraving, representing
such an injury, is given; but it is hoped no gentleman of the present
day would employ the severe invention by which alone such a hurt could
be produced. The consequences may be lasting, The terminations of
the sublingual ducts are included in the blackness. Were these bruised
and inflamed, their delicate mouths might be obliterated and hopeless
fistula be established.

The bit must be sharply and strongly tugged at before it can harm
the roof the mouth. Any one who has seen horses pulled up before a
fashionable mansion must have observed them open
wide their mouths. They do this to escape the
wound of the bit. The animals extend their jaws
to prevent it striking the roof of the mouth. Not-
withstanding the existing age is more civilized than es
those which preceded it, the bits used at the present = "He upprr saw rsunep

BY THE BARBAROUS USB
time can, without any vast display of genius, be OF THE BIT.
made to injure the obedient animal, for whose mouth
such ferocious checks are forged. An injury thus inflicted is sufficiently

 

 
12 INJURIES TO THE JAW.

serious. The bony roof not only supports the bars, but also forms the
solid floor of the nostrils. As it is not very thick, the greater is the
danger when it is injured. The wound, because of the unyielding sub-
stance on which it is inflicted, is more painful than that of the lower jaw.
It is also for the same reason more severe.

The last injury demands the same treatment as has already been de-
scribed, only the remedies are far more difficult to apply. Should the
entire portion of bone exfoliate and a hole be left behind, the conse-
quence is not of fatal import. Bone can reproduce itself, though it is
somewhat eccentric in its growth. So after the opening is closed, the
surface toward the nostrils may be uneven, and the horse be rendered an
inveterate wheezer.

When the animal is once injured, never, for your own safety, after-
ward employ a bit. If it be ridden or driven, always use a snaffle, and
use even that most tenderly. The horse has vivid recollections, and man
is naturally forgetful. When power is entrusted to the oblivious, danger
is apt to be close at hand.

The inferior margin of the jaw-bone is liable to harm from the curb
chain, and some men will have the curb chain tight. Such people are
commonly very imperious. They shout, and slash, and tug when they
want obedience from an animal whose delight is. to be allowed to please.
Their meaning is seldom comprehended, and therefore their orders are
rarely obeyed; whereas, they would be humbly propitiated, were their
commands only given as though the animal had no interest to rebel.

The result of such violence is, from the curb chain being ruthlessly
jerked, the jaw-bone soon enlarges. A
portion of the bone having been bruised,
has to exfoliate; a foul abscess forms;
tumor speedily succeeds to tumor; os-
seous structure is thrown out and a swell-
ing is matured, before the enlargement
heals.

The treatment of such a case is simi-
lar to that already directed. Keep the
wound freely open, to permit the unim-

 

cy) Ri K ABUSE OF T . .
Sera er ugeeyggnre sts "™ peded exit of exfoliated bone. Use the

lotion, previously directed, liberally and
constantly. The healing process may then take place without deformity
being left behind

 
APHTHA. 73

APHTHA.

Nothing proves the sympathy which binds nature more strongly than
the sameness or similarity of the diseases that affect man and animals.
Tetanus, pneumonia, enteritis, etc. are so alike as to be the same in the
human being and in the horse. From the cow was derived the safe-
guard from the ravages of the small-pox, and the medical profession has,
by its want of feeling, more than recognized a likeness, linking humanity
to the dog; in the motive which alone could prompt abuse of a most
affectionate animal.

It is a sad proof of the stubbornness of pride, that a unity, thus en-
forced by suffering, should be ignored, as though it were an insult to
the superior. No compact, founded by nature, can be dependent upon
man’s liking. The terms may be laughed at, scorned or denied, but
these exist. Man is declared in affliction to be the companion of other
life. When will this truth be acknowledged, and the entire family of
nature live in one brotherhood?

Aphtha is a human disorder as well as an equine disease. It generally
appears in spring and autumn, being produced by
heat of body. May not a slight attack of aphtha
sometimes explain that which the groom intends by
lampas? At all events, aphtha is accompanied by
dullness and a refusal to feed. Both lips commonly
swell as the lethargy increases; the tongue tumefies,
becomes decidedly red, and generally hangs out of
the mouth, partly for the sake of coolness, partly to
accommodate its enlarged size. Around the mouth
little lumps break forth, which at first are stony
hard, and others, though of a larger size, may be APETMA.
felt upon the tongue. Vesicles are soon developed
from these spots, and each contains a small quantity of clear gelatinous
fluid. The bladders burst; crusts form; and by the time these fall off,
the complaint has disappeared.

Some good thick gruel and a few boiled roots, which should be re-
peatedly changed, must constitute the nourishment while the disease
lasts, or during the period that the mouth is sore. No medicine; a
little kindness is now worth a ship load of drugs. When the pimples
are about to burst, the following may be prepared :—

 

Boraxs 4% io 2 we Poe a ee oe a ok & -Bivevounces:
Boiling water. . . . 2. ee ee ee «One gallon.’
Honey ortreacle .. . . . . . Two pints.

When the mixture has souls id up the horse’s head and pour
14 LACERATED TONGUE.

half a pint into the mouth. Half a minute afterward remove the
hand; allow the head to fall and the fluid to run out of the lips. This
mixture should be used several times during the day. Beyond this
nothing is needed, excepting a cool, loose box, a good hed, body and
head clothing, With flannel bandages, not too tight, about the legs. Work
should on no account be sanctioned until the last vestige of the disorder
has vanished, and its attendant weakness has entirely disappeared.

LACERATED TONGUE.

Men who become proprietors of animal life undertake a larger re-
sponsibility than the generality of horse owners are willing to admit.
They are answerable for their own conduct toward the dumb existence
over which they are legally invested with the right of property; they are
also morally accountable for the conduct of those to whose charge they
entrust their living possessions. The appearance of those men who con-
gregate about the stable doors of the rich is not very prepossessing.
Their looks express cunning far more than goodness. Their long narrow
heads denote none of that wisdom which alone can comprehend and
practice kindness for its own sake. Their eyes and actions have a
quickness at sad variance with the affected repose of their manners.
Their dress declares a vanity, that is much opposed to the humility in
which a wise man loves to confide.

There is nothing about horses which should degrade men; yet it
cannot be denied, that the vast majority of stable men are rogues. How
can this be accounted for? Ts it difficult to understand, when we see
the unlimited trust put into a groom’s hands, and the common abuse of
confidence by the man who enjoys it? No slave proprietor possesses
the power with which the groom is invested. It is true, the slave owner
can lash the flesh he terms his property. However, there is in humanity
a voice which puts some limit to the ill usage of the negro. The groom
can beat and beat again, at any time or in any place. No voice can be
raised in appeal to nature. The groom’s charge lives beneath him, and
day or night is exposed to his tyranny. He may chastise the body and
steal the food, still, so no human eye detect, the horse will quietly look
upon the wronger it never can accuse,

A good man would seek far, before he would repose so large a trust
in another person. The gentleman generally engages the groom after a
trivial questioning. His desire is to have a servant entirely corrupt;
one who asserts a knowledge how to trick animals into health. No
examination is made into the real character of the applicant. A vast
confidence is off-hand reposed in an individual who may be without a

 
LACERATED TONGUE. 45

single moral attribute. Who deserves blame for such an abuse of re-
sponsibility ? He who has been educated into knowingness, and, having
become thoroughly degraded, esteems himself fully qualified for the situa-
tion he demands to fill, or he who, having the benefit of education, and
being blessed with leisure for self-inquiry, shirks his duty and transfers
his authority to unworthy hands?

Every groom fancies he knows how to compound something he calls a
condition ball,—that is, a certain mixture of drugs, which shall bring a
living body suddenly into “tip-top” health. A bevy of companions are
invited to see “Jim give a ball.” They duly arrive, and part of the
horse’s tongue is speedily made to protrude from the mouth, this portion
being firmly held by “Jim’s” free hand. The condition ball is in ‘‘Jim’s”

 

STICKING TO A HORSE.

other hand, and the exhibition consists in the marvelous adroitness with
which the ball can be introduced between the animal’s jaws. The horse
soon sympathizes with the excitement that surrounds it. Jim, “quick
as lightning,” makes a thrust with the ball, whereupon the startled
animal raises the head and retreats. ‘Stick to him, Jim!” “stick to
him!” shout the visitors. Jim does stick to him until his hand is covered
with blood, or, without quitting its gripe, suddenly loses the resistance,
which constituted its hold. Should it be the former, the frenum of the
tongue is ruptured, and a wetted sponge soon clears the hand of the
groom as well as the mouth of the horse. A general curse and a kick
under the belly of the rebellious steed end the amusements for one day.
Should it be the latter, Jim finds the larger portion of the quadruped’s
tongue left in his hand. This is an awful accident. The blood is wiped
off, and the groom next morning goes to his master with, ‘‘ Please, sir,
see what ‘Fugleman’ has done in his sleep !”
16 LACERATED TONGUE.

A farmer engages a pretty-looking stable boy. The young scamp is
sufficiently a groom to glory in nothing so much as deception. The
farmer, however, takes this pretty boy to the fair, where an additional
horse is purchased. With the new ‘‘dobbin” the boy is entrusted, being
cautioned to lead it gently home. With numerous protestations boy and
horse depart, but have barely reached the suburbs before the knowing
youngster stops ‘‘dobbin,” and, twisting the halter in ‘a chaw,” leads the
animal to the nearest gate, where the Jad climbs upon its back.

“A chaw” is the slang short phrase for something to chew. This is
made by twisting the balter into the animal’s mouth so as to encircle the
jaw. In this position the rope is thought by some knowing people to
answer the purposes of a bridle. To this rope the boy hangs, rolling to
either side; now, nearly off—and now, jerked from his seat, as ‘‘dobbin,”
after repeated urgings, starts off into the lazy pretense at a trot.

Anything inserted into a horse’s mouth provokes the curiosity of the
animal. It is felt and poked about with the tongue, till at last the
lingual organ is, by the exercise of much ingenuity, inserted beneath the
obstacle. In this state of affairs, ““dobbin” and the pretty boy finish
the latter half of the journey. The youngster laughing, as the rough
action of the horse bumps him up and down, he all the time dragging at
the halter. Before home is reached, night has set in; the boy dis-
mounts, and with all the simplicity his face can assume leads ‘‘ dobbin”
to the homestead.

The boy is protesting about being so very tired after his long walk,
when the horse’s mouth is discovered to be stained with blood. The
youthful expression of surprise exceeds that of the elder’s. Next the
halter is found to be rich with the same fluid. The horse’s mouth is
then opened, it is full of blood, and the tongue nearly cut through.
Accusations are made against the lad; at first they are replied to with
defiance; at last they are propitiated with tears, drawn forth by the
idea of honesty being suspected. Youthful knowing, however, is not in
the long run a match for the self-interest of age; and perseverance is
rewarded by a full confession.

“The chaw” is an artifice recognized in every stable. Grooms have
their tastes. It is very unpleasant to these gentry when they behold
some unmannerly horse hang back in the halter. Stalls are drained into
a main channel, situated at the edge of the gangway. The pavement on
which the animal stands consequently slants from the manger to the
footpath. This nice arraugement obliges the horse always to stand
with the toes in the air and throws the weight of the body upon the
back sinews. To ease its aching limbs the animal is apt to go to the
extent of its rope, so as to place the hind feet upon the gangway, and

 
LACERATED TONGUE. TT

even occasionally to give the toe an opposite direction by allowing it to
sink into the open drain. Such presumption horrifies the groom’s sense
of propriety. The ignorant mind’s idea
of beauty is ‘everything to match.” He
thinks all is so nice when the animals dress
to a line, like soldiers on parade. To have
this line preserved, even in his absence, he
puts ‘“‘a chaw” into the refractory “brute’s”
mouth. This chaw is to be preserved night :
and day. The tongue soon gets under the ABTEE OR ietie SGee

rope. Timidity is rendered yet more fearful

by persecution. The voice of the groom has become a terror to the
quadruped. It hangs back for ease, and is surprised by the vehement
exclamation of the tormentor. Back goes the neck and up goes the
head. The animal runs to its manger, but something has fallen upon
the floor! The horse was luxuriating in hanging back to the full ex-
tent when surprised. The sudden start jerked the halter rein, and the
result is the free portion of the tongue falls from the mouth, severed by
the rope.

These are lamentable instances of the general behavior of grooms to
the creatures entrusted to their care. Nothing is so corruptive as mis-
placed authority. A little mind knows no difference between the pos-
session of power and the indulgence of tyranny. The use and the abuse
are synonyms to the ignorant; and the sins committed principally reside
with him who places the life Heaven has entrusted to his care in such
unworthy custody.

When a tongue is partially divided, do not insert sutures of any kind.
Metallic sutures wound the fleshy palate, and silk sutures soon slough
out. Neither, therefore, does good, and
each serves to confine the food which
enters the division. Foreign matter irri-
tates a wound and retards its healing.
Consequently, do nothing to the tongue
when partially divided. Feed the patient
on gruel until the healing is complete, and FF eee ee eon vor SueoeeN
wash out the mouth thrice daily, with some __ The jaw has heen divided to show the

: : injured tongue, as it would appear in the
chloride of zinc lotion, one scruple of the mouth.

A a, The indentation at the seat of injury,
salt to a pint of water, after the manner and which will remain s0 long as life
. e : s shall continue.
described in the preceding article.
Should the tongue be separated to that extent which divides the ves-
sels, then, with a knife remove the lacerated part, which otherwise being

deprived of support, must slough off. Still do nothing to the tongue

 

 
78 TEETH.

afterward. Feed on thick gruel and wash out the mouth with the lotion.
A horse with half a tongue will manage to eat and drink, but some food
is spilt and some left in the manger. Constant dribbling of saliva is
the chief consequence of such an injury. This is unpleasant, and arises
from deglutition being injured. A horse which has had the tongue
lacerated only, but not divided, forever retains the evidence of the in-
jury; and as the food is apt to accumulate at the point of union, the
animal ever after demands attention subsequent to every meal.

TEETH.

No fact is more discreditable to humanity than the small attention it
has wasted upon the beautiful lives entrusted to its charge. Mortal
pride asserts these creatures are given man for his use. Yes. But is
the full use obtained? Are not the lives sacrificed? The horse has
been the partner of mankind from the earliest period. For centuries at
least the animal has been watched throughout the day; yet, even at this
time, equine disorders are only beginning to be understood. Does this
fact denote that care which such a charge demanded ?

Cutting the permanent teeth seems, in the horse, to he effected at
some expense to the system; it was a favorite custom with the farriers
of the last century to trace numerous affections to the teething of the
animal. Further inquiries have proved our grandfathers knew positively
nothing about those growths, concerning which they assumed so much.
The late W. Percivall traced sickness in the horse to irritation, arising
from cutting of the tushes; there, however, our knowledge ends. Vet-
erinarians have not, as a rule, either leisure or the necessary power to
observe those animals it is their province to treat; they generally are
but passing visitors to the stables into which they are called. Those
who have studs of horses nominally placed under their charge feel they
are retained not to watch, but to physic the animals to which the groom
directs their attention.

The tushes of the upper jaw may, however, be fully up, and yet not
have appeared in the mouth; this fact is easily explained. The advent
of the tushes provoked acute inflammation of the membrane covering the
jaw. The horse was cured of the attendant constitutional symptoms,
but the cause of the disorder was mistaken. The acute inflammation
changed into chronic irritation. The membrane, which in the first in-
stance should have been lanced, thickened and imprisoned the tush
beneath it; an incision is even now the only remedy, and should in-
stantly be made.

Neither tushes nor incisors are known to be exposed to other accidents ;
it is, however, different with the molar teeth. These teeth consist of
TEETH. 79

three components; bone or ivory constitutes the chief bulk of the organ,
and over that is spread a thin covering of inorganic enamel, the whole
being invested with a fibrous coating of crusta petrosa. The enamel is
the material on which the tooth depends for its cutting properties; the
manner in which the edge is preserved deserves attention, for the brick-
layer’s trowel appears to have been suggested by it. A thin coat of
hard but brittle enamel is held between the two other bulky and tough
substances, just as a thin layer of steel is protected by coatings of yield-
ing iron in the house-builder’s instrument.

The highly organized crusta petrosa is often injured; to understand
this, we must first comprehend the vast power which urges the jaw of
the horse. The motion resides entirely in the lower portion of the skull,
which is moved by strong, very strong muscles, going direct from their
attachments to their insertions. No force is lost by the arrangement, and
no less a motor power was required to comminute the hays and oats on
which the horse subsists. The machinery seems to be admirably adapted
to its purposes; and to be so strongly
framed as to defy all chance of injury.
Man, however, has a mighty talent for evil;
it does not always suit the convenience of
the groom to sift the pebbles from the grain ;
corn and stones are hastily cast into the man-
ger, and the poor horse, having no hands to
select with, must masticate all alike. The
reader can imagine the wrench which will
ensue, when a flint suddenly checks the aS HR SER Wino TEAC
movement of the molar teeth. The crusta
petrosa is bruised upon the large fang of the tooth. Disease is estab-
lished, and sad toothache has soon to be endured.

Then there are the effects of the
powerful acids in much favor with
most grooms and too many veteri-
nary surgeons; moreover, there are
the sulphates, which in every pos-
sible form enter into veterinary
medicine; the nitrates, likewise, are
much esteemed, and are given in
enormous doses. All of these much A HORSE QUIDDING, OR ALLOWING THE FOOD
affect the crystalline enamel of the MASTICATION. ea ert ne
molar tooth; a small hole is first
formed; into this the food enters and there putrifies; caries and tooth-

ache are the result.

 

 
80 TEETH.

A horse with toothache upon certain days sweats and labors at its
work; saliva hangs in long bands from the under lip; the countenance
is utterly dejected; the head is carried on one side or pressed against
some solid substance, as a wall. The food is ‘ quidded”—that is, it is
partially masticated, when, from acute agony, the jaws relax, the teeth
separate, the lips part, and the morsel falls from the mouth, more or less
resembling what is termed ‘a quid of tobacco.”

Upon other days the animal is bounding with life and spirits; the
movements are light, and the motions are expressive of perfect happi-
ness. The head is carried jauntily; the lips are compressed; the saliva
ceases to exude; the food is devoured with an evident relish, and the
general health appears to be better than it was before the strange dis-
ease. The continuance of such bliss is, however, very doubtful; the
different stages will often succeed one another with vexatious rapidity.

If nothing be done, the horse alternates between anguish and happi-
ness for an unascertained period, when all acute symptoms apparently
cease. The lips, though no longer actually wet, are not positively dry;
the food is often eaten; but as time progresses a sort of gloom hangs
about the animal, and deepens every day. The horse seems never free
from some unaccountable torture; more time is now occupied in clearing
the manger; then the hay may be consumed, but the oats remain un-
touched. These last are found soaked in apparent water; the fluid
turns out to be saliva; the symptoms by degrees become more severe;
a strangely unpleasant odor characterizes the breath; the flesh wastes,
and the animal ultimately exhibits hide-bound.

This stage being attained, and the proprietor becoming much per-
plexed, he is one morning informed by the groom, who displays many
nods and winks, of a certain mysterious receipt for a wonderful ball that
never fails, but always cures. The potent bolus is sent for to the chemist,
and, after sundry explanations, is com-
pounded. The groom, stiff with pride,
takes the magic morsel; it is pushed
rapidly into the horse’s mouth; an ex-
clamation from the man follows the
disappearance of the hand, which is
retracted bathed in blood.

To afford time for the writer to ex-
A MOLAR TOOTH HAS BECOME VERY LONG FROM plain this incident, the reader must

daw ND OF ATTRITION IN THE OPPOSING — vouchsafe some patience. The horse’s

molar teeth are miniature grindstones.
To supply the wear and tear of so violent a service, the molar teeth,
originally, have enormous fangs, and, as the eating surface is worn

 
TEETH. 81

away, the fangs are thrust into the mouth by the contraction of the
jaw-bones.

Caries at first pains, but at last destroys all feeling or life in the
tooth; the dead organ ceases to possess any vital quality; it loses all
power of self-preservation, and is a mere piece of dead matter opposed
to a living agent. In consequence, it
breaks away, while the opposing molar
projects more forward from the absence
of attrition. The healthy tooth at last
bears against the unprotected gum,
upon which it presses severely, and
provokes the greatest agony. The
animal endeavors to prevent the prom-
inent tooth from paining the Jaw by THE MOLAR TEETH HAVE BEEN GROUND SLANT-
masticating entirely upon the sound en eee et ton
side. Hunger is slowly, and perhaps
never, satisfied by such imperfect comminution; the outside of the upper
molars and the inside of the lower molars become slanting; the first
being almost as sharp as razors, wound the membrane of the mouth and
lay open the hand which is thrust into the cavity.

If the disease be still neglected and permitted to increase, the stench
grows more formidable; nasal gleet appears; the discharge is copious,
accompanied by a putrid odor; osseous tumors commence; the bones of
the face are distorted; the eye is imprisoned, and ultimately obliterated
within the socket by actual pressure; eating becomes more and more
painful, until starvation wastes the body and reduces the horse to a
hide-bound skeleton.

If such a case be taken early, its cure is easy and certain; the dead
tooth must be extracted, and the prominent molar shortened by means
of the adjusting forceps and the guarded chisel, invented by Mr. T. W.
Gowing, veterinary surgeon, of Camden Town. Then the sharp edges
must be lowered by the tooth-file, and if these things appear to occupy
time, it is better done at two or even three operations, than unduly pro-
long the agony of a sick animal. This being accomplished, all is not
ended; the horse's mouth must, from time to time, be again and again
operated upon; nor will the creature offer much opposition to the
proceeding, if only proper gentleness be observed.

Aged horses, from the contraction of the lower jaw, (which change
is natural to increase of years in the equine race,) frequently have their
upper molars ground to a knife-like sharpness. They wound the inside
of the cheeks, cause a disinclination to eat, and provoke a dribbling of
saliva. The cure is the tooth-file, which should be applied until the

6

 
82 SCALD MOUTH.

natural level is attained. This should be followed by the frequent use
of the wash recommended for aphtha, or by the chloride of zinc lotion.

It may probably provoke a laugh among gentlemen and horsemen to
read of toothache in the horse. Few, very few grooms may have wit-
nessed or have noticed such a disease, but the fact exists; it is, indeed,
a cruel reality to the animal which experiences it. The ignorance of
stable men can establish nothing, for they are, as a class, equally pre-
sumptuous and ignorant; they have seen the horse for years, and yet are
acquainted with neither the natural ailments nor the proper treatment of
the animal. The toothache is to the creature a most agonizing dis-
order. We have only to look at the healthy horse, to observe how
exquisitely it is clothed, how finely it is framed, to imagine how sensi-
tive must be the body. The horse seems capable of a fear the most
cowardly of mankind never conceived. So its face, though not made for
expression, can denote an anguish which the human mind fortunately has
no capacity to picture. The eye is often painful in its speaking. It
embodies a desperation, a weariness of the world, and a prayer for
death, such as few people comprehend ; or the cry would rise, from the
length and breadth of the land, demanding, as with one voice, the more
Christian treatment of man’s fellow-creature.

SCALD MOUTH.

This is an accident which occasionally occurs where grooms are too
ignorant, or too thoughtless to read the direction labeled upon every
bottle sent into the stable. Potent fluids are sometimes transmitted
pure, in small bottles, though the custom is highly reprehensible ; nor is the
practice bettered because the label orders the contents to be mixed with
water before the medicine is administered to the horse. Grooms are
generally careless, and proverbially in a hurry; one of them enters the
stable to give the drench, sees the bottle, seizes it in haste, calls the helper
nearest the stable door, and, with such assistance, pours the liquid fire
down the animal’s throat.

The mouth is by the potent drug deprived of its lining membrane, and
the stomach is lastingly injured; even if the dose be too small to oc-
casion death, the interior of the mouth is rendered raw. Fortunate is the
man who can be certain the evil there begins and extends no farther;
but who can calculate the effect upon delicate, internal organs? The
mouth may be healed, but who can ascertain the state of the deeper in-
jury? Animals are treated as though their sensibilities were not affected
by any medium pain; something must be visible before the groom sanc-
tions the right in his charge to be restless. All signs and motions
SCALD MOUTH. 83

denoting a gnawing agony, but not expressive of overpowering anguish,
are visited with chastisement.

The groom is not entirely to blame. The fault resides with his
superiors, whom the servant apes. The sin rests with those who (un-
able to keep a stud-groom) think their duty is discharged by a daily
scamper through the stable before they go to business; with those who
by their manners corrupt the groom’s simplicity, while by a strange
costume they induce the ignorant fellow to regard the badge of his dis-
grace as the upholder of his pride. To the upper classes, the short-
comings of stable men cling; with the superiors, whose example should
instruct, rests the real blame of the servant. With educated men abide
the errors of the ignorant.

After a scalding drench, an unusual redness declares the state of the
mouth; a quantity of saliva flows from the restless lips, which are con-
stantly in motion; they are being moved
. perpetually up and down, and are always
parting with a smack. The food, for a time,
is rejected, but good gruel, if cold, is gen-
erally taken freely. Boiled roots should con-
stitute the nourishment for two months after-
ward, the mouth being all the while washed
with the application recommended for aphtha.

No immediate danger is to be apprehended
from scald mouth. The stomach is more disposed to assume chronic
than acute disease. Probably the temporary services of the animal
might well be dispensed with, and much might be gained by an extra
months’ continuance of the prepared food. At all events, the experi-
ment would be intended to ward off a possible evil; and, if we are to
believe at all the motive, being based on goodness, the act would not
be without its reward.

 
CHAPTER IV.

THE NOSTRILS—THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.

COLD.

Ir should not excite surprise if the horse, though generally strong,
and exposed to every abuse, is occasionally subject to the disease
which, in man, is almost the property of the delicately nurtured. The

 

SELLING “A CAPTAIN,” AS ANY HORSE WITH A NASAL DISCHARGE IS CALLED BY THE LOW DEALERS.

animal exists in a stable commonly kept at a high temperature by means
of contaminated air; it is taken thence into a wintry atmosphere to
stand for an uncertain period before the master’s door. There it has
to remain inactive, shivering in the blast, until it suits the proprietor’s
convenience to come forth; next, it is pushed along till the perspiration
bedews the sides. Then it has to remain, generally unprotected, in the
cold until some business is transacted, when it is flurried home again,
and often has to wait afterward till it suits the groom’s leisure to dry
the reeking frame. ;

Can it create astonishment if an animal so treated exhibit that nasal
affection denominated “cold?” The case is similar with hunters. They
leave hot stables to join the distant meet. Game may be soon started,

(84)
COLD. 85

or “the find” may occupy hours; at last, men, horses, and hounds
scamper off; the fences are cleared; the fields, though they be swampy
or plowed, are crossed at the longest stride. The pace is killing
while it lasts; at length, comes a check. That saves many a steed,
whose breathing ability was well nigh exhausted; but every animal has
to shiver till the “ view holloa!” again summons the assembly to motion.

How often does my lady’s “carriage stop the way?” And how long
have the horses to stand in the rain before it does go? How frequently
does the gig or brougham linger near the curb, while another glass to
good fellowship is drained ? Then, we have to reflect upon the breathing
forms harnessed to hired carriages; how the street cab rests in storms !
How, day or night, the horses must be exposed to all the varied seasons!
Unsheltered from the sun; with no protection from the frost! Let the
reader reflect upon this and say, not if it be wonderful that a few horses
exhibit the affection denominated cold; but whether it is not a legiti-
mate matter for surprise every second horse is
not thus affected ?

A mild cold, with care, is readily alleviated.
A few mashes, a little green meat, an extra
rug and a day or two of rest, commonly end
the business. When the attack is more se-
vere, the horse is dull; the coat isrough; the
body is of unequal temperatures, hot in parts,
in places icy cold. The membrane of the
nose at first is dry and pale or leaden colored;
the facial sinuses are clogged ; the head aches ;
the appetite has fled; often tears trickle from
the eyes, simple ophthalmia being no rare ac- 4 nonse’s nea, ExmmmrTiNG A
companiment to severe cold; till at length a ea
copious defluxion falls from the nostrils without immediately improving
the general appearance of the animal.

The treatment is plain. When mucous membrane is involved, all de-
pletion must be avoided; the invalid should be comfortably and warmly
housed; should have an ample bed, and the body should be plentifully
clothed. Then a hair bag, half as long and half as wide again as the
ordinary nose-bag, should be buckled by a broad strap on to the sick
horse’s head; into the bag should be previously inserted one gallon of
yellow deal saw-dust ; upon the saw-dust, through an opening guarded
with a flap upon the side of the bag, should be emptied a kettle of boil-
ing water, the superfluity of which may run or drain through the hair
composing the bag.

The boiling water ought to be renewed every twenty minutes, as the

 
86 COLD.

bag should be retained upon the head for an hour each time. Should
not yellow deal saw-dust be obtainable, procure some of common deal,
upon which last pour one ounce of spirits of
turpentine. Mix well and thoroughly before
you apply the bag to the head; but should
not a proper apparatus be in the stable, then
it is better to forego the steaming, as the
common nose-bag is far too short and too
tight for safety. The cloth moreover is apt
to swell and not to allow the free passage of
the water. Sad accidents have ensued upon
the incautious employment of the ordinary
nose-bag for steaming purposes.

If the horse appear to be weak, and there
is the slightest suspicion that the weight of
the appliance for the time directed may tax
: the strength, let some substance, as a stool, a
STRAMING THE Nose oF A HORSE form or chair, be placed beneath the bag. The

animal will require no teaching to understand
the use of the intended resting-place. As the weight begins to drag,
the head will be lowered, and after a very brief space the steaming
apparatus will be found reposing upon its intended support.

While the membrane is dry, use the steaming-bag six times daily.
When a copious stream of pus flows from the nose, its application thrice
daily will be sufficient. At the same time let the food consist of grass
with mashes, to regulate the bowels and subdue the attendant fever.
Give no medicine; but the discharge being established, three daily feeds
of crushed and scalded oats, with a few broken beans added to them,
will do no harm. Likewise, should the weakness be great, a couple of
pots of stout, one pot at night and the other at morning, will be bene-
ficial. Good nursing, a loose box, fresh air, warmth, and not even exer-
cise till the disorder abates, are also to be commended. Afterward
take to full work with caution, as much debility is apt to ensue upon
severe cold. It will also sometimes lead to other diseases, as those of
the larynx, air-passages, and lungs. Should the symptoms deepen, the
treatment must be changed; the lesser affection (cold) being swallowed
up by the greater disorder, which is superadded ; consequently, disre-
gard the original ailment, taking those measures requisite to relieve the
new and more important affliction.

Animals with chronic cold, or with a constant running from the nose,
soon exhibit excessive weakness. Nothing taxes the strength so much
as the prolonged disorder of any mucous surface.

 
COLD. 87

All that ignorant people know of glanders is, that the disease is
accompanied with a nasal defluxion. The more cunning in horse flesh,
likewise, are aware that glanders
causes the lymphatic gland within
the jaw to swell, or that a gland-
ered horse is always, as such-peo-
ple assert, jugged.

Now, both the discharge and
the enlargement are generally
present during inveterate cold. HEAD OF A HORSE WITH “A JUG,” OR WITIE
Animals of this kind are sold to SRE LYMPHATIC GLANDS OF THE THROAT
the unwary as sound horses. The 1. The enlarged lymphatic within the jaw.
vendors believe the quadruped to
be glandered, or to be affected with the most terrible of equine diseases ;
and the purchaser wants knowledge to perceive the contrary.

Let, therefore, no man who buys “a captain,” (which is the slang for
a horse with nasal discharge,) become alarmed, and to some member of
the gang from whom it was bought, resell his bargain for a few shillings.
Large sums are often made by thus disposing of a diseased animal for a
high price; then, directly afterward, frightening the purchaser with a
view to buying back at a cheap rate the supposed glandered horse.
Always take the animal to the nearest veterinary surgeon. Have the
quadruped examined; and, if really glandered, order it to be immediately
destroyed. Listen to no offer; but have the order obeyed.

A gentleman once attending a sale, bought for a large price a fine
black horse. No sooner had the money been paid, than a man came up
and informed the purchaser of the real character of his recent acquisi-
tion, offering to take the bargain off the new owner’s hands for fewer
shillings than pounds had just been given. The proposal was indig-
nantly refused. Others came, but all encountered the same answer.
The terms were gradually heightened, till double the money expended
was tendered. The horse, however, was destroyed; thus a gang of
swindlers were deprived of a property which, they owned, had for the last
year earned them an easy thousand pounds.

Every man, however, must not anticipate so favorable a proposal.
The animals mostly are worthless, and would only be rebought for a
very trifle; the swindlers, generally, being perfectly indifferent whether
their eyes ever again behold a creature which can be easily replaced.

 
88 NASAL POLYPUS.

NASAL POLYPUS.

A polypus, when not otherwise distinguished, represents a pear-shaped
body, which has little sensation, but great vascularity. It is not malig-
nant, and its growth is generally rapid. By the increase of its weight,
the polypus ultimately hangs from the spot where it grew,
and becomes pendant by a sort of stalk, formed principally
by the blood-vessels enveloped in the membrane which coats
the tumor. Such growths are peculiar to mucous tissues,
or to all the cavities of the body which communicate with
the external air. With regard to the horse, polypus is
mostly met with in the nostrils.

It is a disputed point how these growths are occasioned.
However, no compliment is paid to the veterinary science,
when it is asserted that, even to this day, no recognized
plan of treatment for polypus has been laid down. Such tumors are
allowed to be removed with the knife, by ligature, by traction, and by
tortion; in short, as you please. ‘The first has generally been employed
after a most butcherly fashion, slicing a piece off one day, and taking a
morsel the next, till by slow degrees the whole was extirpated. So bar-
barous an operation is only worthy of ancient farriery; the blood lost
must be enormous, and the subsequent weakness of the animal must more
than counterbalance any benefit which the operation could have promised.
Mr. Varnell, assistant professor at the Royal Veterinary College, lately
removed a growth of this kind in a much more surgical fashion. That
gentleman had a knife made with an angular blade; by employing this
instrument, he was enabled to excise the tumor with a single cut, inflict-
ing little pain, but affording immediate and lasting benefit to the crea-
ture. Where it can be employed, Mr. Varnell’s angular knife is to be
recommended, as the quickest and most efficient
means of eradication which the public possess.

Tortion is more repulsive in appearance than in
reality. A pair of scissors having sharp curved
claws, at the expanded ends of blunt blades, are em-
ployed. The tumor is seized by the claws, a little
pressure is made, and, at the same time, the scissors
\ are drawn slightly forward. By that means the points

aa ig are driven into the substance, and a firm hold is ob-
tained. The handles of the scissors are next fastened

together with wire, or not, at the pleasure of the operator. The scissors
are afterward made to revolve several times, and with each revolution

 

A POLYPUS.

 
NASAL POLYPUS. 89

they oblige the polypus to turn upon its pedicle, which motion first
twists and ultimately ruptures it. The growth is thus removed; as the
polypus is not very sensitive, and the operation should be soon over,
small suffering is inflicted, when compared with the permanent ease which
the proceeding insures.

Of the operation by traction or dragging away, no notice will be
taken; it is a vulgar and a cruel affair. Ligature, however, where it
can be used, is generally preferred; because the employment of it is not
so sudden, and, consequently, not apparently so violent; because no
blood generally follows the removal, and therefore there is no visible
evidence of pain. The writer is not certain it is the least painful of. the
methods proposed; the relief is delayed, although the appearance and
the appetite of the animal are assurances that nothing approaching to
agony is inflicted.

For ligature procure a fine, hollow tube, having at one end a cover
made to screw on and off; the opposite extremity must be open, and
should have a cross bar attached externally, one inch from the termina-
tion. Upon the cover two holes must be bored, each large enough to
admit a fine wire; to arm this
instrument, which should be
about eighteen inches long,
procure a piece of zinc wire

 

One yard and i half long; DIAGRAM OF A TUBE FOR THE REMOVAL OF NASAL POLYPUS.
push this through one of the

holes on the unscrewed cover and down the tube; screw on the cover;
fasten the projecting end of the wire to the cross bar; return the
wire through the other hole, and, passing it down the tube, leave it
hanging free. Form of the wire a loop, large enough to surround the
polypus; pass it gently over the head of the growth; by means of the
tube, work the loop upward, tightening the wire as the size of the poly-
pus diminishes. When the wire is round the pedicle, fix it by winding
it also over the cross bar; then slowly make turns with the tube,
observing the growth while so doing. When the tumor changes color
or the animal exhibits pain, discontinue all further movements; release
the wires from the cross bar and withdraw the tube, leaving the ends of
the ligature protruding from the nostril and turned up on one side
of the face.

Order the horse to be fastened to the pillar-reins that night, and to be
watched while feeding. The next day, if the tumor do not feel sensibly
cold and has not evidently lost the living hue, reinsert the wires into the
tube, fix them again on the cross bar, and give another turn or two. If
small alteration be subsequently observed, the same evening the pro-
90 NASAL POLYPUS,

ceeding may be repeated; but, when death appears confirmed in the
tumor, twist the tube till the pedicle gives way.

The advantages possessed by this invention is, firstly, the ability of
twisting a ligature tight when the growth is partly removed from view.
Also, in the adoption of wire which will retain the form it is placed in,
and remain unaffected by the moisture natural to the nostrils. More-
over, the tube can be made without the screwing head-piece, and answers
quite as well, or even better, when solid. If made without the screwing
head-piece, it can assume a flattened form, and it is somewhat casier to
introduce; but the wire, in that case, must have both ends pushed
through the holes down the tube.

The bleeding polypus is not met with in the horse. For that poly-
pus which sprouts from the nasal membrane and extends to the fauces,
impeding respiration and deglutition, appearing like a disease of the
structure, to which it is attached by a broad base, nothing can be done.
It grows fast, and in a short time renders longer life a larger misery.

The polypus which admits of removal is a smooth, moist, glistening
and vascular body. It greatly impedes the breathing. These growths
have been known to push out the cartilaginous division of the nostrils
until the once free passage was all but obliterated. They provoke a
constant discharge of pure mu-
cus, and, on that account, the
horse, thus affected, has been
condemned as glandered. How-

A TENACULUM. ever, the truth may be at once

recognized by closing the nos-

trils alternately. It is then easy to discover which cavity is affected, as
a resistance is provoked by stopping the free channel, which bears no
resemblance to glanders. To bring down the polypus, cough the horse,
by making gentle pressure upon the topmost part of the windpipe; for,
during the stages of glanders, any appearance at all resembling polypus
is never present. It was usual, the instant the growth was visible,
to transfer it with a tenaculum. This, however, like other barbarities,
only did harm. The substance of a polypus is easily rent, and it bleeds
freely. The bleeding concealed much, which, after proceedings rendered
necessary, should be plainly seen. It is better, when sufficient room is
not left for operation or inspection, to proceed with greater boldness, so
as to ascertain the advantages likely to result from further measures.
Then throw the horse, and with a probe-pointed, straight bistoury, slit
up the nostril upon the outer side. That done, release the animal till
all bleeding has ceased, when the endeavors may be renewed with a
better prospect of success. Afterward, close the incision with a double

 
NASAL GLEET. 91

set of sutures, (one set to the true nostril and another for the false nos-
tril.) Apply to the wound the chloride of
zine wash, and in a short time all will be
healed.

Nasal polypus, nevertheless, is an affec-
tion often requiring the performance of
tracheotomy, before any examination can be
attempted. For this necessity, the operator
must be prepared; but, as tracheotomy is
required only to relieve the breathing during
examination, the temporary tube invented
by Mr. Gowing is, in that instance, decidedly to be recommended.

 

NASAL POLYPUS.

NASAL GLEET.

This terrible affliction is suppuration of the mucous membrane, lining
the facial sinuses. It rarely occurs in the stable; but when it does, the
cause mostly is to be traced to the projection of some molar tooth, and
the disease is then generally hopeless. The pressure of the ‘tooth has
provoked irritation of the bone. The sinuses are no longer hollow
spaces, but have been converted into cavities crowded with bony net-
work. To cleanse them in that condition is impossible, and death is
the only resort left to a humane proprietor.

Horses, when allowed a run at grass, are often taken up with the
bones of the face swollen and soft. Percussion draws forth the same
response as would be elicited by rapping upon a pumpkin. The animal,
suddenly released from toil, has been playing in the field with its new
associates. The simple creature could not comprehend
the feet were fettered. The equine race always dis-
play joy with their heels, and the hoof, which unshod
might lightly touch the neighbor’s skull and no injury
result, being armed with iron carries additional weight
with the blow, and leaves behind a deadly bruise upon
the facial bones. The following engraving, represent-
ing an extreme case of this kind, is a warning never to
turn your animal into a field where others are grazing ;
but if you are obliged to starve a horse on grass, at all
events choose a spot where it can be alone.

Besides the distortion, the next prominent symptom
attending nasal gleet is fetor. Discharge is not always
present. It is irregular in its appearance, but can
generally be made to flow, by a brisk trot or by some tempting food

 

NASAL GLEET.
93 NASAL GLEET.

being placed upon the ground. Stench and discharge, often coming
only from one nostril, but occasionally from two, are likewise sympto-
matic of the same disorder.

Pus is, naturally, the blandest secretion of the body; but being con-
fined, it corrupts, and then smells abominably. The blow, which started
up the secretion, injured the bones forming facial sinuses. Those cavities
open to the nostril on either side by two comparatively small flaps, slits,
or valves. These are their only means of communication with the ex-
ternal atmosphere; and through these valves all the pus must flow. Is
it surprising if such structures occasionally become clogged, till the
accumulated secretion, or the increased breathing, or the position of the
head, obliges the passage to give way?

The chances likely to result upon treatment are about equal, but the
process is generally slow. The trephine has to be employed upon the
facial sinus, and circular portions of bone have to be removed. Into
the openings thus made is to be injected, by means of a pint pewter
syringe, half a gallon of tepid water, or water heated to ninety-six de-
grees, in which half a drachm of chloride of zine is dissolved. The
chloride of zinc not only destroys the fetor, but also disposes the mem-
brane to take on a new action.

The injection, however, only cleanses the sinuses, and the nose also
becomes involved by the disease. It is usual to describe the turbinated
bones, or the fragile bones situated within the nostrils, as thin osseous

 

THE TREPHINE, BY MEANS OF INJECTING THE HEAD OF A HORSE FOR NASAL GLEET.
WHICH A CIRCULAR PIECE OF

BONE MAY BE REMOVED. Copied from a work by La Fosse.

structures, making numerous convolutions upon themselves. They favor
such an opinion when viewed in situ; but, being removed, are found to
consist of ample sacs or bags, which the external layer concealed from
view. These hidden spaces soon fill with pus; here it remains; the
NASAL GLEET. 93

position of the head even cannot entirely dislodge it, as the head is
seldom carried perpendicularly. Here the pus hardens or concretes,
until by degrees the cavities are filled with a foul and solid matter.

 

THE TURBINATED BONE WITHIN THE NOSTRIL PART OF A HORSt’S HEAD WHICH HAS
OF A HORSE AFFECTED WITH NASAL GLEET; THE BONE TREPHINED 80 AS TO EN-
PARTLY ABSORBED BY PRESSURE AND PARTLY ABLE THE SURGEON TO EMPTY THE
DISTENDED BY AN ACCUMULATION OF CON- TURBINATED BONE. THE COURSE OF
CRETE PUS. THE NERVES IS SHOWN.

Such a store-house of disease may thus be opened and cleansed. Mark
with chalk or charcoal the spot in a line with the infra-orbital foramen,
and a little anterior to the third molar tooth ; the positions of both may
be clearly ascertained by feeling externally upon the head of the living
horse. At that place cut through the skin, but no deeper. Make a T
incision, only reverse the letter L. Withdraw the two flaps of skin;
remove by means of blunt hooks any structures that conceal the bone,
upon which last, when clear, employ the trephine.

The side of the face being opened, insert through the opening a steel
probe. Thrust it through the concrete pus, and strive to discover the
most depending portion of the sac. To this spot, if possible, apply a
hollow metallic tube, about twelve inches long. This instrument has a
horn-shaped mouth at the blunt extremity, and a fine sharp steel saw at
the other. The saw being fixed upon the spot indicated by the probe,
and a few revolutions being given to the horn-shaped end, between the

 

 

 

Fic. 2.

Fig. 1. The hollow metallic tube, h wing at one extremity a horn-shaped mouth for the convenience
of inserting a gum-elastic probe, and at the other end a fine saw for cutting through the turbinated bone.

Fig. 2. a. A gum-elastic probe to be threaded through the metallic tube, and so forced out of the nos-
tril. 6. A portion of string passed through the cye of the probe and forming a loop. c. The tape which
constitutes the seton passed through the looped string.

palms of the hands, a circular portion of the bony net-work which char-
acterizes the turbinated structures is removed.
Now, so soon as this is accomplished, force through the hollow instru-
94 HIGHBLOWING AND WHEEZING.

ment last employed an elastic probe armed with a piece of linen tape.
The probe, being about eighteen inches long, will, by the application of
very gentle force, soon glide through the opening last made, and out of
the nostril. The tape is, by traction, made to follow, and the ends being
tied, a seton is established. By the daily movement of this last contri-
vance, the concrete matter may effectually be displaced.

This being finished, the syringe is to be daily employed; and the cure
may be often expedited by the following ball, which should be given
once every twenty-four hours :—

Balsam of copaiba . . . . 1 Half an ounce.
Cantharides (in powder) . . . . . Four grains.
Cubebs. 2... . 1. 1... 6A Sufficiency. Jha.

Should this appear to affect the urinary system, immediately discon-
tinue it. In its place, half a drachm of belladonna should be rubbed
down in one ounce of water, and administered every hour, till all ap-
petite is destroyed, and the drug should be discontinued after this effect
is gained. The belladonna, however, should be exhibited only every
fourth day.

The lymphatic glands under the horse’s jaw occasionally enlarge; but
as the affection is destroyed the swelling will disappear. However, the
cure may be expedited by commodious lodging and liberal food. It
evidently is folly to stint the provender and expect a starved nature to
vanquish disease.

HIGHBLOWING AND WHEEZING.

These peculiarities admit of no pictorial illustration. Obviously, it is
impossible to picture a sound. Both affections are known by the noises
to which they give rise.

Highblowing is complained of only in saddle horses. It consists of
forcing the respiration violently through the nostrils, whereby a bur-r-r-r-
ing kind of noise is made. This sound children are fond of imitating,
when they play “horses;” but in the animal it is unpleasant to the
equestrian, because by it the nostrils are cleared, and the trousers of the
rider are often soiled. Besides, fashion at present favors a quiet steed.
For this habit there is no remedy, except throwing up the horse for har-
ness purposes, in which employment the habit is not generally regarded
as objectionable.

Wheezing is a thin, whistling noise, heard only during inspiration. It
is provoked by some impediment to the breathing, and the cause always
resides in the nasal chambers. It is astonishing how small an obstacle
engenders this affection. This, like the former peculiarity, is equally
incurable. It is easy to stop each nostril, and thus to tell from which
HIGHBLOWING AND WHEEZING. 95

the noise proceeds; yet, for its removal, the affection demands a purely
experimental destruction of parts, so ample, that even veterinary science
shrinks from the attempt.

However, to such chances the life of a horse is exposed. The indul-
gence of a habit which adds to the animal’s beauty in the eyes of the
foot passenger, is regarded as objectionable in one position, while it is
admired in another situation; the advent of the smallest excrescence in
a large cavity can deteriorate the value of a life. A loss of value entails
loss of caste. The life descends to harder work and lessened care. The
first step taken, the others rapidly succeed; for it cannot be asserted
that, as a general rule, the lower classes appear to advantage, when the
custody of a beautiful animal is morally considered.
CHAPTER V.

THE THROAT—ITS ACCIDENTS AND ITS DISEASES.

 

SORE THROAT.

THERE is, among horse owners, much dispute as to the proper mode
of harnessing a horse. Gentility has no feeling either for itself or with
any of the many lives by which it is surrounded; this vice of modern
time delights in labored imposture, and is always best pleased when it

9

 

WITH AND WITHOUT THE BEARING-REIN.

is mistaken for something that it is not. Gentility favors the use of a
bearing-rein in the horse’s harness. The object is to keep up the head,
and to give to an animal with a ewe neck the aspect of one having a
lofty crest. The artifice is very transparent; it should deceive nobody
save him who is foolish enough to adopt it; but it deprives the poor
horse of no little of its natural power. Gentlemen’s coachmen complain
of the work when their horses are driven ten miles daily, although the
distance may be repeatedly broken by visits and by shopping. The cabs
of London can only employ the horses which gentlemen have discarded;
with these last vehicles, however, no bearing-reins are adopted. The
cast-off animal that previously fagged over ten miles, when reduced to
the rank, has to pull loads which no genteel carriage would carry, and

(96)
SORE THROAT. 97

to travel a sufficient distance to pay horse, driver, conveyance, and pro-
prietor. In the possibility of such a contrast is, perhaps, best exemplified
the cruelty of the bearing-rein.

When the fine structure of the horse’s body is regarded, and we reflect
that a creature of so beautiful a frame is by man’s will taken from the
fields, where every bite of grass is of a different flavor—now hot and
pungent by an admixture of the buttercup, then cool and bland by the
marsh-mallow mingling with the morsel—where, unknown as yet to toil,
such sustenance is sufficient for growth and idleness; when we consider
that an animal is suddenly snatched from such a diet, every mouthful of
which was endowed not only with a varied taste, but with a change of
perfume; when we feebly conjecture how grateful this ever-varying savor
must have rendered herbage to any being possessed of the admirable
sense of smell with which the equine species are gifted, it can create but
small surprise that, when taken into stables, put to exhaustiug labor,
and day after day made to eat a stinted allowance of dry food, the same-
ness of the diet and the change in habit should occasionally derange the
digestion. Sore throat is, however, frequently a sign of some graver
disorder; the affection should, therefore, be cautiously treated as a local
malady.

When it is present, the symptoms are a constant deglutition of saliva,
a want of appetite, accompanied by an inability to swallow liquids. The
pail being presented, the act of drinking is accomplished with evident
effort; the drops are forced down by a series of jerks, which are often
made more emphatic by an aud-
ible accompaniment. Notwith-
standing this labor, only a por-
tion of the fluid enters the
gullet, the greater part return-
ing by the nostrils.

So soon as this is observed,
throw the horse up, for sore
throat is always attended with
weakness. Clothe fully, band-
age the legs, place in a well-
ventilated and amply littered
loose box; feed upon green
meat for a couple of days, at
the same time always having A HORSE WITH SORE THROAT ENDEAVORING TO DRINK.
present a pail of thick, well-
made gruel, which should be regularly changed, thrice daily. Morning,
noon, and night, a pottle of bruised oats, with a handful of old beans

T

 
98 SORE THROAT.

distributed among them, should be scalded, and, when blood-warm, placed
in the manger.

Frequently, this is all that is required, and the disorder is well cured,
which yields without medicine. Should the bowels prove obstinate, and
after the second day continue constipated, a mild dose of solution of
aloes should be administered.

Solution of aloes . . . . . . . . +. Four ounces.
Essence of aniseseed . . . . . . . +. Half an ounce.
IWiaHOR. a ak rset Ay Oe is ey ai Gee oe SOnerpint:

Mix, and give.

This, with the diet previously recommended, is rarely required, as the
food alone, so far as the author’s experience can justify an opinion, never
fails in relaxing the body. However, should the sore throat remain,
dissolve half an ounce of extract of belladonna in one gallon of water.
Hold up the head of the animal and put half a pint of this liquid into
the mouth; allow the fluid to be retained for thirty seconds, then take
away the support, and the medicine will run from the lips. Repeat this
frequently, or from six to eight times during the day.

If the soreness of the throat should appear indisposed to heal, but, on
the contrary, should seem inclined to spread, lose no time in resorting to
the next preparation. Permanganate of potash, (prepared by Squires,
chemist, of Oxford Street,) half a pint; distilled water, one gallon; half
a pint to be used to cleanse the horse’s mouth, in the manner just directed
for diluted belladonna, six times daily, or—

Chloride of zinc. . . . . . . ) .)))06Three drachms.
Extract of belladonna. . . . =. . =. . Half an ounce.
Tincture of capsicums . .. . . . . Two drachms.
Water . - « « « One gallon.

Mix, and use as directed for the previous recipe.

Occasionally the disease does not spread, but, spite of our best en-
deavors, it will remain stationary. Then try the brewers’ stout. Give
one quart morning and evening. However, see that the animal has the
beer, for men are partial to that fluid, even more than horses. Should
no change be remarked in forty-eight hours, blister the throat. Do this
with one part of powdered cantharides soaked for a month in seven
parts of olive oil, adding to the whole one part by weight of camphor.
Rub this oil, when filtered through blotting paper, into the throat for
ten minutes in summer, and a quarter of an hour in winter.

All the endeavors may be useless. Then cast the horse. Have ready
some nitrate of silver, dissolved in distilled water—five grains of the
active salt to one ounce of the fluid. Saturate in the solution a sponge
four inches wide, tied on to the end of a stick eighteen inches long.
Have the sponge made as dry as possible without squeezing it. Puta
COUGH. 99

balling iron into the mouth. Insert the sponge through the iron, and
having pushed it down to the back of the tongue, rapidly press it against
the side of the cavity. Be prepared for what you are about to do, and
do it quickly. The operation stops the breathing, and calls forth the
resistance which is natural to impending suffocation.

The horse being released, give the following ball. in addition to the
stout, twice each day :—

Powdered oak bark and treacle, a sufficiency of each to form a mass.

If none of these measures are successful, the sore throat must be the
symptom only of some greater disorder, and all local remedies, in that
case, must be ingulfed in the general treatment. However, it is not
every measure which will cure every sore throat. In young horses, when
first taken from the pure air into the contaminated atmosphere of most
stables, such affections are common; but in old animals they are gen-
erally most severe. It is a usual plan to turn a horse out to grass
when afflicted with obstinate sore throat: this is cruel. The animal,
whose labor we enjoyed during its health, has a positive claim on us
for kindness and for care when overtaken by disease. Moreover, those
who laugh at the above may become serious, when they are informed
that animals turned to grass for sore throat are not unfrequently taken
up virulently glandered. So closely are moral duty and self-interest
associated, when the operation of both is rightly considered.

COUGH.

Cough is too often caused by unhealthy lodging. Few stables are
perfectly drained and ventilated; the very great majority are close with
impurity. No surprise, then, need be exhibited, if the entrance to the
air-passages should display disease, when an animal, so naturally cleanly,
is imprisoned in the space man is too thoughtless to keep uncontaminated.

The larynx is the seat of cough, when the affection exists by itself,
although the annoyance is often a symptom of some other derangement,
and may then spring from laryngeal sympathy with some comparatively
remote organ. It may arise from a very trivial cause, as teething; or
it may be a sign attendant on the worst of disorders, as farcy and
glanders. Broken wind, roaring, laryngitis, bronchitis, chronic diseases
of the lungs, stomach, bowels, worms, etc. etc., all are attended by
cough, which is more frequently present as a symptom than as a disease.
Hot stables, coarse and dusty provender, rank bedding, and irregular
work, are the general provocatives of cough, as a distinct affection.

The name is evidently derived from the noise which constitutes the
chief symptom of the disorder. Cough consists in spasm of all the
100 COUGH.

muscles of expiration. The air is violently expelled, and an explosive
sound is the consequence. During this spasm, the soft palate is raised,
and the breath is allowed to pass through the mouth as well as through
the nostrils. The horse, as a rule, being able only to respire through
the nostrils.

The characteristic noise is generally annoying to the master. Warmth,
however, is popularly esteemed the cure for cold. The horse proprietor,
therefore, thrusts his animal into an abode heated by impurity, only to
find the annoyance aggravated. This fact is soon explained. Stables
are not heated by fire or by water; their warmth is entirely derived from
the fermentation of excrement. Were they well ventilated, efficiently
built and cleanly kept, these places, having no artificial heat, must be
cold; but the owner loves warmth; it feels so comfortable; it is so
nice! He does not inquire if it is derived from the right source; he

 

THE ACT OF COUGHING.

hates the bother of investigating Nothing can be proper if you are to
consult medical men! They talk and discuss, but no good comes of
their verbosity! And by such sayings, the horse proprietor blinds his
judgment, permitting to continue the evil which ignorance institutes.
Chronic cough cannot, when thus treated, amend. It continues till the
membrane covering the larynx be thickened and morbidly sensitive; then
the cough is an appendage to the life, and roaring is its companion.

For the cure of chronic cough, scald and crush the oats, damp the
hay, and give thin gruel or linseed tea for drink. At the same time see
that the air is pure: the human nose is a sufficiently good test of at-
mosphere—that of the stable should not smell of horses, or of any taint
whatever. If the ventilation is good, the drainage clear, and the bed-
ding clean, the interior of a stable should be as odorless as any lady’s
apartment.

 
LARYNGITIS. 161

Cough, or the noise which accompanies stages of different disorders,
will be described as the various affections of which it is a symptom are
passed before the reader. Chronic cough, or the sound that follows a
draught of cold water, and is heard when the horse quits the stable for
the open air, is most distressing. It isa constant accompaniment during
the commencement of a journey, and requires that the food and lodging
should be looked to. Clothe warmly, and give half a pint of the follow-
ing, ina tumbler of cold water, thrice daily :—

Extract of belladonna (rubbed down in a pint

of cold water). bas Yo way 4 oe) One drachin:
Tinetureof squills. .. 204 « = «2 . ~ Tenounces.
Tincture of ipecacuanha . . . . . . . Eight ounces.
Mix.

If no beneficial change be witnessed, try the subjoined :—

Barbadoes tar (or common tar if none other

beathand) . ...... . . . . Half an ounce.
Calomel. «2 6 % 4 2 a % & 2 ¢ « « Five grains.
Linseed meal . . . . . . . . <Asufficiency.

Mix, and give as one pall, wg and morning.

Should no improvement result, the next may be substituted :—

Powdered aloes . . . .. . . . . . One drachm.
Balsam of copaiba . . . . . . . . . Three drachms.
Cantharides. . . . . . .. . . . . Three grains.
Common mass .. . . A sufficiency.

Mix, and give first fhing in te: morning.

A bundle of cut grass, every day, has done much good in the spring;
so, also, has a lump of rock salt placed in the manger, during any season
of the year. The horse, however, should be observed. If it eat the
litter, no straw, during the daytime, should cover the stall; and, at
night, a muzzle should be fixed upon the animal. The cough must be
more than of a simple character which does not vanish before the pro-
posed measures are exhausted. Cut roots, also, are beneficial during
this disease. The hay should not be abundant, and should always be
moistened. But, above all things, attend to the drainage and ventila-
tion of the stable.

LARYNGITIS.

The common cause of this disorder is foul stables. When we see the
animal associated with the nobleman in his pride, and linked as the will-
ing slave of the merchant for his profit, it does seem strange that a crea-
ture, thus connected, should be subject to disease from scant and tainted
lodging. When we consider the subject from another point of view, and
102 LARYNGITIS.

regard the eautiful frame-work, animated by the affectionate disposition
of the horse, it sounds more than cruel, to say the most valuable and
amiable assistant man has on earth dies neglected in age, and, during
the vigor of its prime, encounters disease from the niggard provision
made for its welfare. The devotion of a life ought to entitle the laborer
to breathing space, after the labor of the day has ended. But noblemen,
professional men, merchants, tradesmen, mechanics, all sin in this respect
alike. The horse, when not toiling, is pushed away into the narrowest
possible limits. The prisoner is permitted only to breathe a limited
quantity of the air which nature has supplied in so great abundance and
in such purity. That quantity must, from the time of close confinement,
be frequently respired during the night; and, when the air of the place
has become hot and heavy, the quadruped, at the command of its attend-
ant, quits its abode for the cold atmosphere without the walls.

The pure air which circulates about our globe is certainly much to
be preferred to the close interior of the stable. Yet, to the larynx, in
some measure accustomed to the last, a sudden draught of the first is the
almost certain source of disease. It acts as a stimulant upon a part
rendered delicate by abiding in a morbid medium. It operates violently
upon a structure which had almost become familiarized with impurity.
Inflammation is the result, and laryngitis is established.

The symptoms are broadly marked and prominently characterized.
Dullness is present. There is a slight enlargement, which may be ob-
served externally, and over the region of the
larynx. The most distant attempt to handle
the throat produces energetic resistance. The
head is carried awkwardly, as though the neck
were ‘‘stiff.” A short cough is frequently to
be heard almost at every inspiration. At
the same time, there is often to be detected
a hoarse sound, which becomes a sort of
grunt, when the ear is placed against the
trachea. The breath is hurried and catch-
ing; the pulse is full and throbbing; while
the nasal membrane approaches to a scarlet
hue.

The pulse requires the first attention. It
must be rendered less frequent and more
soft, by drachm doses of tincture of aconite
root in wineglasses of water, which should
be repeated every half hour. This is better than blood-letting, as laryn-
gitis is to be most dreaded because of its tendency to assume the chronic

 

THE STEAMING-BAG.
For a full description see p. 85.
LARYNGITIS. 103

form. This tendency venesection favors; therefore, save under profes-
sional advice, refrain from bleeding.

After the pulse, the breathing next demands our care. Warmth and
moisture are curative and pleasant to an inflamed surface. Procure the
steaming-bag, and keep it almost constantly applied. The steaming-bag
in laryngitis is of the first importance. A day’s delay in its use may so
aggravate the disorder as to oblige the resort to tracheotomy.

Should the steaming apparatus appear to distress the animal, it must
be used only for a limited period, and be reapplied after its effect has
subsided. To aid its operation, some soft hay must be obtained. Soak
this in boiling water and fix it upon the throat, by means of an eight-
tailed bandage, a representation of which is given below.

 

EIGHT-TAILED BANDAGE,

A piece of stout canvas or flannel, one yard and a quarter long, and nine inches wide, is procured.
Three slits are to be made at either end; each should be a quarter of a yard deep. This is placed round
the throat and the ends are tied, four in front of, and four behind, the ears.

So soon as the animal appears capable of enduring interference, the
appended drink should be given thrice daily. While administering it,
watch the horse with the utmost attention. If the slightest inclination
to cough be exhibited, immediately lower the head, or the liquid may,
during the spasm, be drawn down the windpipe. It is far better to lose
much physic than to kill one animal. It will, generally, be more readily
swallowed, if made blood warm: on no account should the twitch be used
or the jaws be forced widely asunder. The neck of the bottle should be
inserted into the corner of the mouth, and the quadruped should be per-
mitted to use its discretion as to the time occupied before each gulp is
swallowed.

Infusion of squills . . . . . . Two ounces.

Infusion of ipecacuanha . . . . Two ounces.

Infusion of aconite . . . . . . Half an ounce.

Extract of belladonna. . . . . One drachm, rubbed down with a

pint of warm water.
Mix, and give thrice daily.

The lodging should be a cool, well-aired and thickly-littered loose
box. The legs ought to be bandaged and the body fully clothed. The
food, during the violence of the disorder, must consist only of well-made
gruel. It may he untouched; but, nevertheless, it must be changed,
thrice daily, for no one can tell when the appetite may return.
104 LARYNGITIS.

The signs of the disease becoming worse are, increased noise in the
breathing; the respiration and pulse quicken; the cough is suppressed ;
the nasal membrane changes to a leaden hue; the standing becomes
unsteady; the horse moves about; partial sweats break forth, ete.

The symptoms of improvement are, the membrane becoming paler, or
more natural in color; the cough growing freer or louder; a white,
thick discharge flowing from the nostrils; the breathing, also, is easier
and less noisy; together with the general demonstrations of health.

Then a little moist and succulent food may be allowed, but nothing
harsh or fibrous should be presented. When the amendment is con-
firmed, a seton, or, in other words, a piece of tape, may be put between
the skin and flesh, in the place indicated by one of the next engravings.

The seton should be moved daily, and ought to be kept in so long
only as is necessary for the secretion of healthy pus. That object being
obtained, cut off one of the knots, and by pulling at the other, withdraw
the agent. Some slight alteration is next made in the solidity or dry-
ness of the food; and then the neck or throat is blistered, the size and
extent of the blister being indicated in a subjoined illustration.

 

A SETON IN THE THROAT OF A HORSE, A HORSE WITH THE THROAT BLISTERED.

The action of the vesicatory having subsided, the natural food may be
returned to, only with certain cautions. The hay must be shaken out,
to remove dust, and it should also be picked, to take away any harsh
substances, pieces of stick, or thistle leaves. Then, the fodder being
perfectly clean, should be sprinkled with water and allowed to remain
soaking, at least six hours prior to its being placed before the animal.
The oats, likewise, should be twice sifted and once examined thoroughly
by the hand. Afterward, warm water ought to be freely poured upon
them, and the grain be permitted to soak six hours before being put
into the manger.

The popular opinion declares sore throat to be always present during
laryngitis. That notion springs from the horse always quidding, or re-
LARYNGITIS. 105

. jecting the pellet it has masticated, while suffering under an attack of
the last-mentioned disease. The two disorders, however, are distinct ;
likewise the remedies for each are
separate. The quidding, during lar-
yngitis, springs from the act of de-
glutition, obliging the sore and in-
flamed larnyx to rise and press the
pellet against the roof of the fauces.
That act occasions much pain; hence
the aversion to swallow solid sub-
stances. Sore throat is, however, by
no means the necessary accompani-
ment of laryngitis. Neither are the bowels invariably confined during
the disease. It has been known that the purgation existed in such
energy as to require remedies. Consequently, no absolute plan of treat-
ment can be laid down. However, depletion should be avoided to every
extent which may be possible. The chronic form of the malady, conse-
quent upon debility, is to be much dreaded. Effusion into the mem-
brane, covering the rim of the larynx and its attendant roaring, is too
frequently the result of that weakness which is produced by active
measures. Among the lesser evils are cough, which not unfrequently
proves but the precursor of more potent ills. Therefore, while laryngitis
lasts, rather check the fever by gentle measures than resort to antimonials,
niter, or the host of lowering agents.

So soon as the case is observed, change the stable: the horse will do
far better in the open air than in the foul atmosphere which originated
and must aggravate the disorder. Rain, snow, or frost are more whole-
some than the polluted warmth man’s most humble slave is too often
doomed to inhale. The roofs of many stables are terribly low; in no
building of this kind is the covering too high. The welfare of the horse
seems always sacrified to the imaginary interests of its master. Thus,
above the stable is built a loft for the hay and a residence for the groom.
To save expense, the building is raised as small a distance from the
ground as possible. The height of modern buildings would be by no
means extravagant, were an entire stable of ordinary dimensions left free
for a single quadruped to breathe in. A puerile parsimony, however,
denies the huge lungs of the animal the only food life cannot do without,
for even a short space. Disease and death consequently soon waste
treble the money ample accommodation would not have consumed.
Ignorance is the most expensive quality a proprietor of horse-flesh can
indulge; for nature invariably refuses to be made subject to man’s

 

A HORSE IN THE ACT OF QUIDDING.

convenience.
106 ROARING.

ROARING.

A horse is said to roar when, during progression, he emits any unnatural
sound. The noise is not exactly of the same intensity in any two animals.
Some creatures roar so loud as to attract attention from the foot pas-
sengers; others have so trivial a defect in this particular, that it can
only be detected after a breathing gallop. In all, however, it materially
lessens the value.

It is usual to cough horses suspected of being roarers; this, however,
is wrong. The constant pinching of the larynx may induce the affection.
The cough of a confirmed roarer, however, is peculiar. It consist of a
double effort; a spasmodic expulsion of the air, followed by a deep and
audible inspiration.

The best mode of detecting a roarer, where exercise is forbidden
or impossible, is to get a stick and to quietly approach the suspected
animal. Having reached the head, take a short hold of the halter, and
all at once display the weapon, at the same time making a pretense as
though about to use it violently upon the abdomen. The horse in alarm
will run toward the manger, and, if a roarer, the action will be accom-
panied by an audible grunt. This proof, taken with the refusal to allow
the horse to be tried, is generally conclusive; though by itself the test
is by no means satisfactory. Many horses that are not roarers will
sometimes grunt under the emotion of fear.

Of roaring there are two kinds, acute and chronic. Acute roaring
is that which is merely symptomatic of a disease. It may be produced
by the tumor of strangles compressing the larynx; by the impediment,
in choking, being situated so high up as to interfere with the breathing ;
and by many other causes. In these cases remove the excitant, and the
effect will immediately cease. Acute roaring is, therefore, a very trivial
affair, excepting so far as it indicates the severity of the complaint,
which generates the affection.

Chronic roaring is a very different business. This mostly results from
the abuse to which a generous animal is subject, during the early period
of its domestication. A carriage horse may be serviceable, and even
dashing, when the twentieth year has passed; but the vast majority of
these animals perish before maturity is reached. A handsome pair of
Cleveland bays pull some fashionable lady round the park, before their
bones are formed or the teeth perfected. The animals have also to take
their mistress the circle of morning calls, and to be smartly stopped short
at the door of every house she visits, while their sinews are still soft and
yielding. They have to “go faster,” when their mistress is in a hurry,
and have to wait her pleasure when she is disposed to linger. They
ROARING. 107

have to do all this, while their bodies are distorted by the bearing-rein ;
the balance of their frames being violently made to conform to the
capricious notions of modern fashion. For the illustration of this sub-
ject, an animal, with a head rather well put on, has been chosen. The
engraving represents a horse undergoing the torture of the bearing-rein.
The next illustration exhibits the horse carrying its head as it would,
were it free to exercise a choice. The reader is not asked which delinea-
tion looks the best. Any appeal to his taste is forborne, because the
generality of eyes are perverted by the dictates of custom.

  

A HORSE’S HEAD WITHOUT THE BEARING-REIN.

BEARING-REIN.

But he is asked to inspect the representations. Let him look well
and long at them; then declare which appears most at ease. Let his
heart instruct his eyes, and, to its teaching, let him subject his liking;
for there can be no beauty where constraint is perceptible. In the most
vigorous of the ancient statuary repose may be absent, the muscles may
be strained and the attitude violent; still all the parts balance. ‘ Yes,”
it may be replied, ‘but in the Elgin marbles the horses’ heads are thrown
back.” So they are; but not fixed back. The horses are ridden without
bridles. The elevation of the head, therefore, denotes spirit, and repre-
sents no more than the action of a moment. The modern carriage
horse, whether galloping, trotting, or standing still, always has the head
in one attitude, save when the muzzle is thrown into the air to ease, for
an instant, the pained angles of the mouth, inhumanly tugged at by the
bearing-rein.

Which of the foregoing engravings looks most at ease? Does not
the fashionable horse appear suffering constraint and torture? The face
is disguised and concealed by the harness; but enough is left visible to
suggest the agony compulsion inflicts. ‘‘ Pride,” says the proverb, “has
no feeling.” Therefore, no expectation is formed of any appeal to the
fashionable circles; but by the ignorance of the public is this barbarity
108 ROARING.

licensed. Were the mass properly informed, the hooting of the popu-
Jace would soon drive fashion into a more humane usage.

 

THE HEALTHY LARYNX. THE EFFECT PRODUCED BY THE BEARING-REIN.
1. The thyro-hyordeus muscle. a. The healthy arytenoideus muscle.
2. The crico-thyroideus muscle. b. The healthy crico-artenoideus posticus muscle.
3. The arytenoideus muscle. A. The arytenvideus muscle paralyzed and par-
4. The crico-arytenoideus posticus muscle. tially absorbed by the constant use of the
a. a. The thyroid bone. bearing-rein.
A. The epiglottis (a cartilage.) B. The crico-arytenoideus posticus muscle ren-
B. The arytenoid cartilages. dered pallid, and deprived of puwer by the
C. The thyroid cartilage. use of the bearing rein.
D. The cricoid cartilage.
E. E. E. The commencement of the trachea.

The left engraving represents the larynx in a state of health. The
larynx is the most sensitive organ in the body. If a crumb of bread, a
particle of salt, or a drop of water “go the wrong way,” or enter the
larynx, everybody has felt the convulsive coughing that immediately
ensues. Yet this larynx, so exquisitively sensitive, and so resentful of
the lightest touch, is forced out of place and shape by the adoption of
the bearing-rein. The whole weight of the head is made to press against
the larynx; the action of the part is stopped; certain muscles are thrown
out of use. Now, doom a part to constant rest, and paralysis soon
results. This is exactly what follows the often long stoppage of that
freedom which is necessary to the health of any structure. Certain of
the muscles are absorbed; they lose their bulk and part with their color;
their function is destroyed: the consequence is, the horse becomes a
confirmed and an incurable roarer.

So fearful a result, as a life of anguish to any creature, might be
thought sufficient to amend a triviality like the whim of fashion. Still,
sad as that consequence is, it is not all which this folly engenders.

The larynx, sensitive and delicately constructed, is formed upon dif-
ferent pieces of cartilage. This substance is slowly organized and very
yielding. The structures of the youthful horse’s frame are not con-
ROARING. 109

firmed. All are soft, especially a substance naturally semi-elastic. The
bearing-rein forces the head upon the neck; the larynx thereby is com-
pressed. It assumes strange forms, when it is forced from its natural
position. As maturity arrives, the various
structures harden. Then distortion of the
larynx becomes fixed. This organ has been
taken from the bodies of old animals, of the
shape here depicted. The morbid specimen,
from which the following was copied, is, un-
fortunately, too common, as the late Professor
Sewell clearly demonstrated. But, what a
price is this to pay for fashion—to sit for
hours behind a noble creature, whose exer-
tions are adding to our pleasure, and at the
same time to be entailing deformity upon the
animal! Physical soundness is of far more 14. spscna ann TARYNE DI®
importance to the horse than to the human = T0RTED TRoucA THe constant
being. The value of the quadruped, its man-

ner of life, its kind of treatment, the sufficiency of its food, and the com-
parative comfort of its lodging,—all are regulated by the soundness of

 

its body.

There are those who assert roaring is no injury to the powers of a
horse. Certain animals, to be sure, can hunt and keep a good pace,
although thus afflicted; but Nimrod (as the well-known, late sporting
writer called himself) soon found out to his cost that all roarers were
not fit to ride across country. The writer has seen a sailor, deprived of
one leg, dance a hornpipe with wonderful agility; but it would be folly,
therefore, to say sailors were not injured as dancers by the loss of a
limb. That which impedes the free passage of air to the lungs must be
a rather serious detriment to exertion. The
cab proprietors of London, who cannot
afford to purchase very sound animals, and
then to let them out at so much per day to
strange drivers, have discovered a way to
prevent the noise generally made by roarers.
This end is attained by placing a pad under
a portion of the harness. In the following
engraving this pad is indicated by a white
mark; though in reality it is so GOIOTEL AS: ore ce cena menses armament:
to blend with the coat of the horse. It _
presses upon the nostrils near to their openings, and by thus limiting

the extent of their expansion, by controlling the space through which

 
110 CHOKING.

the air has to pass, it also commands the quantity of atmosphere which
is inspired. Thus the bulk of air is regulated to the diminution of the
respiratory organs. The horse breathes freer, and no noise is made
during the act. Yet, although such a contrivance may do very well for
a London cab, the pace of which is regulated by Act of Parliament, it
evidently is unsuited to the field, where everything depends on the
capacity of the lungs, and nothing upon the sound made during in-
spiration.

Other causes are mentioned by different writers as provocatives of
roaring, besides tight reining. Some of these, like thickening and ulcer-
ation of the membrane lining the larynx, are the after consequences
of acute disease, and, as such, are to be prevented only by judicious
treatment during the existence of the primary disorder. Among other
causes, bands of coagulable lymph in the trachea, and congenital de-
formity, are too rare to deserve the attention they have received.

There is one consolation, however, connected with the subject which
breeders may accept with confidence. Roaring is not necessarily heredi-
tary. There is, moreover, a caution, which, associated with roaring,
may be given to purchasers. When trying a horse at the top of its
speed, never hold in the reins tightly. By so doing, you draw the head
upon the neck, compress the larynx, and may make almost any animal,
however sound, ‘roar like a bull.” Rather wait till the animal has
stopped. Then dismount, place your ear against the windpipe, and, if
the horse is a roarer, the deep inspirations necessary to tranquilize the
system will inform you plainly enough of the fact.

CHOKING.

Gentlemen have something to answer for, when they employ the know-
ing and the ignorant as grooms about their stables. The writer wishes
women would undertake to tend on horses. The animal requires no
service that the female strength would not be equal to, while the female
mind would soon comprehend and appreciate the gentleness of the quad-
ruped. The timidity of the equine race would meet with womanly sym-
pathy; and no one can have observed the attachments which spring up
between the female and domesticated creatures, but must in heart have
confessed that the care of the stable was, as much as the watching of
the sick-room, especially woman’s province.

The foolish fellows, now congregated about a mews, are constantly
longing for something which shall magically do their work for them.
They have a firm belief in charms and an utter hatred of labor. They
sigh for some spell which shall marvelously improve the appearance of
CHOKING. 111

their master’s property without exertion on their parts. Their pride
centers in the blooming coats of their charges. They have a large con-
fidence in all sorts of condition balls. Such secrets constitute the mys-
tery of their craft. As a general rule, the faith is proportioned to the
strength of the ingredient. Arsenic is, by the lower order of stable
keepers, contemplated with positive love. Vitriol, in the uneducated
groom, engenders the warmth of passion. Niter breeds delight; and
confidence is, by the better sort of horse attendants, bestowed on any
filth or trash. Raw tobacco has some repute; but the ashes of the
weed, collected and wrapped in several papers, are much more esteemed
in the generality of stables. Half a pint of human urine, forced down
the cleanly throat of the horse, is not an unfrequent benefit bestowed
upon the animal; but, happily, this specific is recognized only by the
more learned of the class. Of all things, however, to amend condition,
perhaps, a raw egg driven into the horse’s esophagus, before any food
has been consumed, may be honored by the most universal regard.

Nevertheless, be the condition-worker what it may, the groom gen-
erally keeps his own counsel. Arsenic and vitriol are commonly favorites
with agricultural carters, who poison their horses with the intention of
over-much kindness. Tobacco ashes and eggs are popular with the
more refined of the order. Both classes, however, are too self-confident
and too ignorant to have any fear of consequences. With the groom,
the egg is thrust into the fasting gullet. Its size excites the contracti-
bility of the muscular fiber; the substance is soon grasped by the living
tube with spasmodic tenacity. There it is retained. The symptoms con-
sequent upon choking are soon exhibited ; but the groom looks on un-
moved. At first, he thinks the evidence of agony is proof in favor of his
charm; subsequently he resolves, with the cunning of ignorance, “not
to split upon hisself.”

Now, in a case of this description, never depend upon any report you
may have received. Recollect choking may spring from two opposite
causes. The symptoms may result from disease, as strangles; or they
may arise from any tumor pressing against the respiratory channel. In
that instance, however, remove the cause, and the effect will cease. Of
genuine choking, during health, there remain two sorts: the high and
the low choke. Thus, if the substance has become fixed in the pharynx,
or has only passed six inches down the esophagus, the symptoms are
urgent. The remedy must be at hand, else the life is quickly lost.

In the high choke the head is raised; saliva bedews the lips; a dis-
charge soils the nostrils; the eyes are inflamed and watery; the coun-
tenance is haggard; the breathing audible; the muscles of the neck are
tetanic ; the flanks heave ; the body is in constant motion ; the fore legs
112 CHOKING.

paw and stamp; the hind legs crouch and dance; perspiration breaks
forth; every movement expresses agony: wherefore, if relief be not
quickly afforded, the horse falls and dies of suffocation.

 

THE HIGH CHOKE.

The veterinary surgeon should attend such a case, prepared to perform
tracheotomy, which sometimes is absolutely necessary, before anything
intended to remove the obstruction can be attempted. The operation,
in this case, is designed to be no more than temporary; therefore, the
use of Mr. Gowing’s tracheotomy tube is here decidedly in its proper
place. It can be inserted; a few moments after it can be removed, and
leave behind no loss of substance to be supplied or to retard recovery.

The balling-iron, after tracheotomy is accomplished, should be fixed
in the mouth and the hand then introduced. Sometimes the impacted
substance can be felt, but cannot be grasped. In this last case, a rough

 

AN EXTEMPORIZED HOOK TO RELIEVE HIGH CHOKING.

hook is to be extemporized out of any wire which may be at hand. It
should be of the shape indicated in the preceding engraving, and of suf-
ficient length to reach behind the obstruction. The hook is to be gently
worked into its situation, and, with a sudden jerk, the foreign body is to
be removed from the esophagus.

Occasionally, the substance is so firmly embraced as not to permit any
instrument to pass beside it. Sulphuric ether must then be inhaled, in
the hope of thus overcoming the spasm. The ether, however, does not
CHOKING. 113

in every instance prove successful; and, as an egg, probably, alone could
be of sufficient size to resist all the measures adopted for its removal, a
large darning-needle must then be procured. That, being first armed
with a piece of strong twine, must be driven through the skin and made
to enter the globular impactment. There is no danger of injuring nerves
or arteries while doing this; all vessels are pushed on one side by the
enlargement, caused by the choking substance. The integrity of the
shell being destroyed, the egg may easily be broken by external pressure.
Another plan proposed, is to insert a fine trocar, and draw off the con-
tents of the egg. Hither method would answer, but it is always well
to wound the lining membrane of the cesophagus as little as may be
possible.

The employment of the cow probang has been advocated; the egg
to be broken, if this recommendation is adopted, by the employment of
the whalebone stilet. The cesophagus of the cow and horse, however,
are of such different construction, that he must be a very bold or a very
ignorant person who dare employ an instrument made for the first, to
remove an obstruction within the gullet of the last.

 

THE COW PROBANG, USED TO BREAK AN EGG.

An old and hardened ball may provoke this accident; but then the
impactment is not complete, because such substances are seldom of a
perfect round. The sides are opened, and the obstruction is, therefore,
more easily removed. Horses are not like the bovine race, so greedy as
to swallow potatoes or small turnips, without mastication. Besides,
man’s favorite is more under domestication, and, therefore, less exposed
to such accidents.

When the choking occurs low down, or within the thoracic portion of
the esophagus, the symptoms are less urgent. The animal ceases to
feed. If water is attempted to be swallowed, it returns by the nostrils.
The countenance expresses anguish; but the head is not held erect,
neither are the muscles of the neck spasmodically contracted. Saliva
flows from the mouth, and a copious discharge runs from the nose. The
breathing is labored; but it is seldom noisy. The back is roached, the
flanks tucked up, and the horse often stands as if desirous of elevating
the quarters.

After two or three days, (for the low choke may continue such a
period,) the accumulation of wind er the abdomen becomes excessive ;
114 CHOKING.

the breathing quickens; the pulse fails, and the animal (if not relieved)
perishes from suffocation, induced by tympanitis.

For low choke more time than nature allows, when the impediment is
situated near the mouth, may be occupied. No hurry nor any speedy
remedy is required. Give oil, by the quarter of a pint, every hour. In
the intermediate half hours give strong antispasmodics, using the horse
probang after every dose of the latter. Sulphuric ether, two ounces;
laudanum, two ounces; water, half a pint, will constitute the proper
drench. Should the whole be returned, chloroform must be administered,
by inhalation, till total insensibility results. Then, the head being ex-
tended, the probang should be introduced, and gentle but steady pressure
made to force the obstruction onward. If success comes early, it is easily
welcomed ; but it is well not to expect success before the expiration of
twenty minutes. When movement is felt, do not increase the force.

 

3
To ips sy

THE LOW CHOKE.

Maintain a steady pressure, never relaxing and never augmenting the
power exerted. Drive the substance slowly before you, but do not, by
sudden energy, risk either the provocation of spasmodic action or a
rupture of the esophagus.

Before using the probang, always calculate the length of the whale-
bone, so as to judge when the end has nearly entered the stomach. It
is always well, if possible, to avoid forcing the end of the probang through
the cardiac opening, as the termination of the esophagus is called. The
muscular fibers here are strongly developed, and are formed to resist the
passage of any substance out of the stomach. To be sure, the animal is
under the influence of chloroform; but that powerful agent seems more
particularly to exert its action upon the voluntary muscles; whereas, the
cardiac orifice is guarded by white, involuntary muscular fiber.
RUPTURE AND STRICTURE OF THE GSOPHAGUS. 115

A few days subsequent to the removal of the obstruction, no matter
where it may have been situated, feed on soft-boiled food—not bran
mashes; and in case of roots not being at hand, sustain the life with
smoothly-made gruel. Let the animal be observed, when watered.
Should the liquid be returned by the nostrils, injury to the lining mem-
brane of the esophagus is indicated ; stricture may then be anticipated.
Though it be not probable that any medicine will now be beneficial,
nevertheless, as an experiment, administer, thrice daily, four ounces of
water in which four grains of chloride of zinc have been dissolved.

Such is a true and brief history of the terrible mishaps that result
from the mingled knowingness and ignorance which characterize the
majority of grooms. A good or simple lad would be sadly out of place
in a modern stable, though the writer should recommend the employment
of such to become more general. The tricks and arts of professed grooms
are all worthless or injurious. To such men, however, is the timid horse
intrusted ; and so much are our minds enslaved by custom, that the hint
only of employing women in the stable will, no doubt, be received with
general indignation. Let us, however, endeavor to view the matter
without prejudice. Women work in the fields; women fill the situations
of men as domestic servants; women carry heavy loads; women, on the
continent, perform the duties of men; women commonly tend an animal
of inferior intelligence, the cow; women are subordinate to men only
where strength is concerned. In the stable no strength is required.
Courage, even, is out of place there. Gentleness is the only quality im-
perative, and gentleness so habitual that it never will alarm timidity.
This attribute seems to reside in the feminine mind; and, however opposed
it may be to habit, the author cannot but lament the barrier which pre-
vents the horse from becoming known to its natural attendant.

RUPTURE AND STRICTURE OF THE SOPHAGUS.

The gullet or esophagus of the horse is, perhaps, the most compact
and delicate structure in a beautiful body. Its mucous lining membrane is
thrown into minute folds, thereby announcing to the studious anatomist
the degree of extension the tube was designed to endure. Its exterior’is
enveloped by a large mass of cellular tissue, by which means the inde-
pendence of its motion is secured ; it will permit of less violence than
almost any other part. Small as its channel and delicate as its lining
membrane are, the tube is amply large and strong enough for a creature
which masticates long before it deglutates once, and which is by nature
forbidden to regurgitate.

However, stable-men seek not to understand but love to master the
116 RUPTURE AND STRICTURE OF THE @SOPHAGUS.

quadruped intrusted to their charge. The butt-end of a carter’s whip is
a favorite resort with these people, whether serving some farmer or
acting as grooms to some lord. When any mighty specific happens to
stick in its passage to the stomach, the butt-end of the whip is employed
to drive the obstinate charm onward. Should the obstruction be situated
low down, the whip is neither small enough nor pliable enough to touch
the offending matter. Should the choking mass be lodged high up, by
compelling it beyond the reach of human hand, positive injury is done,
and ultimate relief is rendered very problematical indeed ; however,
ignorance is not often to be deterred by difficulties. As the passage
narrows, greater violence is resorted to; the men push and strive till at
last the whip moves onward, and the stable-men congratulate each other
upon “all being right at last.”

When the whip seemed to yield, something more than the obstruction
gave way; the walls of the canal were ruptured; an almost inevitable
death then awaits the unfortunate animal. The food is rejected; drink
is refused; the creature stands motionless, the picture of horror; it
seems to comprehend and to await its approaching fate. The neck
begins to swell; the swelling creeps on till it invests the entire body.
Gas has found entrance into the cellular tissue, through the divided
gullet. Death at last ensues, because the inflation impedes the vital
functions, and, being corruptive, is incompatible with the preservation
of living organism.

More often, however, the whip only tears the internal membrane; the
obstruction has been dislodged and removed, but a worse evil has been

created. The horse for a time refuses food,

The dilated cesophagus or sac and the anxious master wonders “‘ what can be

eer the matter!” At last the pain may cease, the
appetite return, for nature may strive to repair
the damage. The whip usually tears a flap
of membrane, which, obedient to the laws of
gravity, hangs pendant within the esophagus.
Our common parent, however, does not, after the
human pattern, repair the evil which man induces.
She has no mortal hand wherewith to restore
the rent membrane to its place. The sides of
the wound, however, strive to unite, and by the

The tube of its natural size, Gate when this junction is accomplished, the

STRICTURE OF THE Esornacts. Mucous membrane being inelastic, the magni-

tude of the canal is seriously diminished. Na-
ture seems to feel that the chief strain of deglutition will be upon this
lessened spot, which, therefore, she endeavors to support and strengthen.

The Stricture.

 
RUPTURE AND STRICTURE OF THE @SOPHAGUS. 117

Lymph is deposited about the place, till ultimately a firm and solid
stricture is formed.

This, however, though bad enough, is not the worst. Lymph, after a
time, has a tendency to contract. With the diminution of the external
ring, of course the internal canal decreases; it is strained at every
meal; but straining only provokes its contractive power, till at length
hardly the best comminuted morsel could pass the opening. Such, how-
ever, rarely enters the strictured ceesophagus; the difficulty of deglutition
renders it impossible for the appetite to be appeased. No sooner is the
food placed before the animal than, because of hunger, induced by pro-
longed starvation, it is bolted, almost unprepared by mastication and
insalivation. Nourishment in that state cannot pass the stricture; it
lodges above the contraction; still, hunger impels the horse to eat on.
It does so till the esophagus becomes distended. Gullets have been
taken from animals, stretched till they are thinner than the paper upon
which this book is printed, and so much enlarged as to admit a boy’s
clenched fist.

After the affection reaches this stage, the swollen esophagus, when
loaded, presses upon the trachea and
larynx so severely as materially to im-
pede the breathing, and it is at this period
that instinct develops a strange artifice.
The horse has no power to vomit; the
fibers of the healthy esophagus impel
but in one direction ; still, no sooner has
the gullet become distended than the
impaired breathing creates a desire to
remove the obstruction. The chin is
lowered; the crest is thus curved to the
utmost, when the muscles of the neck are
brought into violent action, and the im-
pacted provender is shot back through Dh
the mouth and nostrils. THE HORSE ENDEAVORING TO CAST UP THE

PROVENDER WITH WHICH THE SAC OF A

This description reads bad enough, but ArhiGrOonED. GeOPHAGUS 18;LOADED:
regard for veracity obliges the statement
that is not yet complete. Hunger, when excessive, causes the stomach
to pour forth its acid secretion ; this effect is produced by the sight of
provender; but the gastric juice not being given food to act upon, passes
into the intestines; there it provokes the most intense spasm ; so that it
is common to see the hind legs raised to violently strike the aching belly,
while the labored breathing announces that abstinence from any kind of

exertion has become a primary necessity of life.

 
118 RUPTURE AND STRICTURE OF THE @SOPHAGUS.

The only palliative for so pitiable a condition is carefully-prepared
food—gruel and such substances given in small quantities at a time.
The horse, however, when it requires such support, generally has been
so much lowered by disease as not to be’ worth its ordinary keep. No
one cares merely to prolong the equine life; the animal is only permitted
to live because of the profit man can make out of its labor; yet, for the
full meanness of the last motive, let the horse proprietor seek a better
class of servants for his grooms. Let him abolish the stunted, long-
faced, narrow-headed compounds of mischief and of treachery which are
now the common inhabitants of every mews. Before doing so, however,
he must amend himself; he must be prepared to teach by example; the
present groom only fulfills the wishes and panders to the pride of the
master. Were a higher order of stable-men desired, the longing could
easily be supplied; but fashion pronounces in favor of the present, natty
affectations, and men with more solid qualities naturally refuse to compete
in an arena so unworthily occupied.

Before quitting this subject, a caution must be given against all pro-
bangs as at present made. The cow probang is evidently unsuited to
the equine gullet. The horse instrument has the bell of the cow probang
attached to a piece of whalebone; when a narrow channel is to be
entered, the bulk of the leading substance is of all importance. That
which goes in front, not that which lies behind, has then to be con-
sidered; so, in spite of the whalebone, the present horse probang is
nothing more than the cow instrument in disguise.

The probang intended for the horse should be formed like that em-
ployed upon the human subject. It should consist of a long slip of fine
whalebone, having a sponge fixed to one end; when required, the sponge
should be thoroughly saturated in water or in oil, (according to the cir-
cumstances,) then squeezed dry and forced down the esophagus. The

The horse probang as at the present made.

 

 

=<]

That which should be employed.

 

THE HORSE PROBANG, AS IT IS AND AS IT OUGHT TO BE.

material would adapt itself to every cavity, would fill the largest, but
could not harm the smallest; would as effectually remove every obstruc-
tion, but would not be so difficult to retract, if the head should by
accident pass the cardiac orifice.
BRONCHOCELE. 119

BRONCHOCELE.

This disease, which entails much suffering upon the human species,
under the name of “ goitre,” is, in the horse, a very trivial affair. The
cause of its orign has not yet been made plain. It is, however, a sign
that nature suffers in some essential particular. In the sunless depths
of the valleys about the Alps, it is, with man, a frightful deformity.
May not the dark and close stables, in which horses too often are con-
fined, have something to do with its production in these animals?

It is an enlargement of a substance anatomically called the thyroid
gland. This body resides upon the larynx, immediately under the jaw.
It is occasionally as large as a hen’s egg, but seldom is of greater
magnitude. Its natural size is that of half a chestnut. The enlarge-
ment appears to occasion no inconvenience, and is only objected to
because horsemen consider it unsightly. Purchasers, moreover, are
fastidious about buying an animal which exhibits any unusual develop-
ment.

It, however, generally yields to treatment, and the animal need not be
taken from gentle work during the time occupied by the cure. Let the
following drink be given night and morning :—

Jodide of potassium . . .. . . . . Half a drachm.
Liquor potasse . . . . . . . . . . One drachm.
Distilled water . . . . . . . . . . Halta pint.

At the periods stated for giving the medicine, rub into the enlarge-
ment a portion of the annexed ointment. Remember, any of the un-
guent being left upon the hair is proof positive that sufficient friction
has not been employed. The ointment can in no way benefit the
external covering. The object of friction is to get the ointment ab-
sorbed. This it effects by promoting warmth, and thereby inducing
dryness, both of which stimulate the pores of the skin to take up outward
moisture.

When this is being accomplished, there is no necessity for extraor-
dinary care or excessive attention. The tumor, which constitutes
bronchocele, is certainly not endowed with morbid sensibility. Suf-
ficient force for the purpose in view, therefore, may be safely exerted ;
but, at the same time, it is always well, where horses are concerned,
to discard anything approaching to violence. Consequently, exercise a
proper discretion when employing the following ointment :—

Todide of lead . . . ..... . . . One drachm.
Simple cerate . . . . .. .. . . « One ounce.
120 BRONCHOCELE.

Supposing the tumor to be present only upon one side, a piece of the
ointment as large as a hazelnut will be sufficient, if well rubbed in
each time. Twice the quantity will be necessary when the swelling

 

A HORSE WITH BRONCHOCELE.

is to be seen upon both sides of the neck; and should the part become
sore, of course all application must be stopped for the time necessarily
occupied by the healing process.
CHAPTER VI.

THE CHEST AND ITS CONTENTS—THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.

CONGESTION IN THE FIELD.

Ir is a dangerous thing to trust a dumb animal to the guidance of an
ignorant man; such a person is dangerous because he does not understand
that certain preparation adapts vitality to particular usages. A racer
may be a mysterious creature, about which he dares to think nothing,

 

A HORSE PROSTRATE FROM BEING OVERRIDDEN.

excepting that it is a horse, very beautiful and very fleet; a hunter,
in his notion, is any horse running after hounds; he takes the stable
favorite out for a morning canter, crosses the hunt, and immediately,
with no thought of harm, joins the field. For the first few acres a very
ungentlemanly person may, in a very gruff voice, request him to “hold
hard and not to ride over the dogs;” but the first three fields passed,
there is no need of such acaution. The horse, with that perfect aban-
donment of self which makes its will its master’s choice, and converts
the rider’s pleasure into its delight, strains every nerve ; its head is pro-
truded and its legs outstretched ; it struggles hard, but can make no
(121)
122 CONGESTION IN THE FIELD.

way. Voice, whip, and spur by turns urge the animal onward, but it has
been taken suddenly from its uses; the horse thinks not of that, it only
seeks to gratify the being who for a time has become its ruler. To his
amusement it devotes itself, and obedient to this idea, it runs, or en-
deavors to run, till its limbs are with difficulty lifted from the ground;
it reels, it falls, and the would-be huntsman stands over a prostrate
steed.

The horse has congestion of the lungs. Yes; but what caused it?
Over-exertion, accompanied by a consequent absence of nervous energy.
The sensibility of the larynx, feeling the exhaustion before the body
appreciated it, inclined inward; they prevented the atmosphere from
oxygenating the blood. Deficient oxygen causes the frame, spite of
violent exertion, to feel clammy cold. The brain being supplied with
impure blood, produces temporary insensibility. Vitality seems to be
contesting with death.

Now, were a fleam, and some one who understood how to use it, at
hand, venesection might do good; neither are to be found; the animal
after some time rises, and with difficulty is led to shelter. Country
opinions always incline to stimulants; gin and pepper is, in all rural
districts, a potent horse physic. A dose is administered; the horse
seems to amend; another and another jorum is poured down the animal’s
throat. After the third potion it is clear to all the horse is becoming
worse. Bloody water is soon blown from the nostrils; partial sweats
break forth; the eye assumes a gray appearance ; all at once the depart-
ing life appears to rally; the animal seems to walk with a firmer step;
but just as this fact has been observed, it falls, and almost without a
struggle expires.

Such is a lamentable instance of the general ignorance which prevails
concerning horses. Firmly as nature may have united man and horse,
gentility would dissever them; it is not polite in society to speak of
man’s most patient companion and most faithful slave. Gentility con-
descends to use animals, but loves to prate only of frivolity. The educa-
tion of the young, which should be directed by the conversation of the
matured, is thus neglected ; boys, London boys especially, regard the
stable as a place to be avoided ; they view horses, not as the gentlest of
created beings, but as creatures it were a breach of good manners to
speak of “before ladies.” They learn to consider these animals and all
that concerns them, as subjects to be forgotten the instant “ society is
entered.” From the ignorance thus fostered, and from the fashion which
prefers to talk about trifles to conversing of those matters which consti-
tute the facts of reality and involve the instruction of the youthful, springs
that mishap which has been described as congestion of the lungs.
CONGESTION IN THE STABLE. 193

A noble animal is thus, by prejudice, denied the benefit which would
otherwise result from social opinion. Woman, whose gentleness fits her
for the companionship of the timid horse, is, as by design, kept in per-
fect ignorance of her lawful possession. The creature is separated even
from those benefits which would result from the expression of feminine
sentiment. A being that seeks protection, that with a submission
amounting to a perfect denial of self, entreats for shelter and begs to
serve, is handed over to the harshest order of the human race. Much
more than this, it is transferred to the custody of the ignorant, who view
its nature as requiring to be subdued, and think they display spirit
when they treat the most fearful of living creatures as though it were a
carnivorous brute bent upon ravening and destroying.

When a horse sinks in the field, bleed if possible; should the neces-
sary means not be at hand, a vein may be punctured with a knife, and
every vein in the body is then turgid with congestion. There is no dif-
ficulty of seeing where to puncture, and a pint taken at this time does
more good than a gallon abstracted one hour subsequently. Then cover
the body ; pull. off your own coat of there be any want of clothing; you
caused the mischief and should not heed personal nicety when reparation
is possible. Lead quickly but gently to the nearest stable; there heap hot
rugs upon the body; the desire is to relieve the lungs by determining the
blood to the surface; bandage the legs and cover the neck ; warm the stable
either with fire or by means of tubs full of boiling water. This being
done, if a chemist lives in the neighborhood, procure one ounce of ether
and half an once of laudanum, which dose, in rather more than half a
pint of water, should be given, without any noise or bustle, every half
hour. Should no chemist be near, take two tablespoonfuls of turpentine,
which beat up with the yolk of an egg, and give in half a pint of water.
Place a pailful of cold gruel within easy reach of the horse, and see that
there ig an ample bed under it. These things being done, do not leave
the place before the fate of the horse is determined, which it invariably
is before thirty hours have expired; for the proprietor’s presence is the
only surety that orders are obeyed, where horses and the uninstructed

are concerned.

CONGESTION IN THE STABLE.

This affection mostly attacks debilitated or fat horses. These creatures
are driven far in a four-wheeled carriage, heavily laden. One animal, of
small size, has to drag an entire family. Else, the quadruped has to
journey fast to avoid a shower of rain. The horse is flogged onward.
A horse, whose motions are quickened by the lash, is not likely to be
124 CONGESTION IN THE STABLE.

very closely observed. It is much more probable the speed will be
blamed as laziness, than the laboring life be pitied for exhaustion. Yet,
when congestion follows, it is proof positive that the powers of nature
were overtaxed.

The wretched slave, after the distance is accomplished, is taken from
the shafts and led into the stable; it is hardly tied to the manger before
a sickening sensation seizes on the body. The head hangs down; the
furnished rack and manger are not glanced at. This alarms the groom’s
prejudices. At length the man imagines it must be thirst which prevents
his charge from eating. The attendant hastens for water, but on his
return he finds the horse blowing; that is, panting or breathing quickly.

We be

   

alt

SRT AL
ASS

CONGESTION IN THE STABLE.

This symptom, which only denotes exhaustion, used to be regarded as
the forerunner of inflammation of the lungs. Doubtless, it would term-
inate thus seriously, were nothing done to arrest the progress of the
affection. The change from extreme labor to perfect rest produces a
revulsion of the system. The capillaries contract and soon become in a
congested condition. Not only does this state affect the lungs, but it is
present all over the body. Should the pulse be now taken, the artery
will be round and gorged. The beat may be either quicker or slower
than most books fix the number at; but it will be very feeble and will
convey no idea of vital activity. It hardly stirs, suggesting the surging
of a tranquil summer sea upon a sandy shore. Partial perspirations
may break forth, and the body may become wet with a fluid of no higher
temperature than the skin from which it exudes. The feet are cold;
the eye is fixed; the living type of obedience moves not, when com-
manded ; hearing is lost; all natural functions appear to be arrested,
except the breathing; and that being involuntary, nevertheless is evi-
dently disordered.
BRONCHITIS. 125

If this condition be immediately attended to, it will disappear almost
as quickly as it was exhibited. Take two ounces each of sulphuric ether
and of laudanum; cold water, one pint. Give this drink with caution,
as the animal to which it is administered is not conscious. Have pa-
tience with sickness, and the whole will be swallowed; or the fumes will
be inhaled and do almost as much good as the imbibition of the fluid.

The drink being given, do not leave the stable. Wait by the side of
the horse, watching the effect of the draught. If in ten minutes the
horse has not perfectly recovered, or be but partially restored, let another
similar portion be poured into the body. More will seldom be required;
but, notwithstanding, watch for twenty minutes after the last drink, as
such fits occasionally vanish and reappear.

The rack and the manger must be emptied. Gruel is all we dare at
present trust within reach of an exhausted frame. Though the animal
would eat, solid food must be withheld. The body should be lightly,
but well clothed; and a pail of gruel should be suspended from the
manger, so that a heavy head need not be raised high to partake of it.

The next day the creature, thus treated, may return to its customary
food and be as well as ever; but when the animal reached home, should
the groom have been in a hurry, if company should have been waiting
for dinner, and the horse should be hastily turned into the stall by the
only servant kept by gentility; then the congestion is unseen, and any
disease may follow it. This condition used to be, as fainting in the
human being once was, treated by the abstraction of blood. But to
bleed a debilitated horse, is to increase the cause of the affection, which
it should be the province of physic to destroy. By the stimulant, which
leaves behind no inflammatory tendency; by the subtle distillation, which
speedily traverses the frame, we revive the system and awaken lagging
nature once more to vital activity.

When congestion is not noticed in the first instance, and has time to
become confirmed, the original disorder is invariably swallowed up in
some greater evil. Pneumonia and pleurisy are the favorite shapes
which it assumes; but it has terminated in fatal enteritis.

BRONCHITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE AIR-PASSAGES.

This serious affection is, mostly, the consequence of man’s neglect.
The master rides far and fast. He dismounts at some pleasant threshold
and remains long under the roof. During that time the horse stands
outside, either shivering in the cold or pelted by the storm. The gen-
eral treatment seems to say, that life and machinery, being equally sub-
servient to man’s will, are, in fact, the same things in man’s regard.
126 BRONCHITIS.

Even the wheels and bars of polished iron, however, require care or they
soon become useless; the thews and sinews of a living body cannot be
abused with impunity. So plain a truth should be acknowledged by
something more than words. Life and functions connect men and ani-
mals. Their habits may be dissimilar and their food not alike; but,
when we consider the wants of each, their liabilities and their diseases,
the approach to actual sameness becomes almost startling. The man
who can enjoy himself, without bestowing a serious thought upon the
unfortunate steed which has carried him hither and will bear him hence,
deserves to lose the life of which he is so culpably careless. Change the
places of the two existences. Let the horse be rendered comfortable
and the man be stationed outside. The result would be the same: the
man would in that case probably suffer from bronchitis. Does intelligence
require a more startling evidence of the link which binds master and
servant while sojourners upon this earth ?

Bronchitis is indeed a painful malady. Originally situated upon and
confined to the membrane lining the air tubes, it has an aptitude to in-
volve the entire contents of the thorax. Being the ailment of mucous
membranes, it requires cautious treatment. A small blood-letting may
induce the prostration no tonics can remove; a slight dose of aloes often
starts up the purgation no astringents will check. It is agile at metas-
tisis. It too often leaves behind the evidence of its visitation. Add to
all this, that though so much to be feared, it does not announce its advent
with a thundering double knock. It creeps on insidiously, and comes in
so gradual a form, as if it intended to deceive the groom. The appetite,
during the primary stage, is often unaffected, nay, is sometimes increased.
Stable-men have a strong prejudice where feeding is concerned. The
most educated of the class can imagine nothing more than a slight
cold, while the corn is only partially consumed. Thus the disease, in
consequence of delay, mounts into fury, before its presence is fully rec-
ognized.

Very rarely is the groom’s attention excited during the approach of
the disorder, or while a short cough simply bespeaks irritation; while
the breathing is merely excited; while the legs are warm; while the
mouth is moist, and the nasal membrane only a little deeper in hue than
is positively consonant with perfect health. No! The stable-man is
content while any desire for food remains. Let appetite be quite gone;
let the horse be averse to move; the cough sore, but evidently suppressed
and painful; the breathing quick and audible; the nasal membrane
violently scarlet ; the mouth hot, dry, and clammy; the legs and body
of uneven temperatures— here, cold as ice—there, of a dusty heat.
When danger cannot be mistaken, and hope has almost fled, then the
BRONCHITIS. 127

stable-man creeps to the parlor, with ‘Please, sir, 1 wish you would step
and look at the horse.”

In a case of such a description, abstract no blood. Depletion is
forbidden, when mucous membrane is dis-
ordered. The first thing is a large loose
box. Into this is put the machine repre-
sented in the annexed engraving. It is a
portable boiler, having a covering of iron
wire. The steam, generated by the char-
coal fire, soon renders the air of the place
moist and warm. It must be kept boiling
day and night. It is of more service during
night than day, and it should be very grad-
ually withdrawn.

The water, as it is exhausted in the above STE SNONG AU ERE TUS-20R HOREES
boiler, should be supplied with more at the
full temperature. Very little fire will then keep up the steam, though,
as the fumes of charcoal are decidedly unhealthy, it is always well when
those fumes can, by means of a pipe, be conveyed to the outside of the
building; if that be impossible, let every door and window be left open;
the necessary admission of air may impoverish the steam, but the vapor
is too dense to be entirely dispelled. The steam acts upon the lungs;
warm, moist air being soothing and curative to the thorax affected with
bronchitis. When the apparatus cannot be obtained, the large nose-
bag should be frequently applied during the day.

Some scalded hay is also to be fixed under the throat by means of an
eight-tailed bandage. A macintosh jacket is then laid on the floor, and
the horse gently led forward till one leg rests within one armhole. The
opposite leg is to be raised and put through the other opening; the
cloth is next lifted up and temporarily fixed upon the animal; after-
wards, have six pieces of flannel, two three yards long and the entire

 

 

 

FIGHT-TAILED BANDAGE FOR RETAINING ANY SUBSTANCE AGAINST THE THROAT OF A HORSE.

width of the fabric, the others half a yard long and a foot wide. Satu-
rate three of these with cold water; having folded the long piece, apply
it over the back, equally to either side; the short pieces place upon the
sides of the chest; fasten the jacket over the spine. When the flannel is
128 BRONCHITIS.

“a

warm, remove it; replace it immediately with other flannels, which should
be ready for this purpose. Do this continuously for at least a couple of
hours, after which time the flannel may remain on; but must, on no
account, be suffered to become dry. The jacket and flannel should be
worn for a week subsequent to restoration.

Then prepare the following :

Burgundy pitch. . . . . . . . . . Half a pound.
Powdered camphor... . . . . «. Two ounces.
Powdered capsicums . . . . . . . . Half a drachm.

Melt the pitch. Take the vessel which contains it off the fire; throw
in the other ingredients, stir well, and apply while warm to the front of
the neck, as low as the jacket will permit.

For bronchitis, consisting principally of aggraved congestion, prepare

 

A HORSE DRESSED FOR BRONCHITIS.

the following drink, and repeat it every half hour, until the pulse has
regained its tone; then give the drinks at longer intervals, and ultimately
reduce them to three during the day, which continue till restoration is
perfected :—

Sulphuricether . . . 2... so. + + « « One ounce.
Laudanum. . . . 1 1 1 ww we ws «6 One ounce.
Water « « « . . . « One pint.

Should no effect ie S canaaed: after the third drink, discontinue the
frequency of the ethereal medicine, and substitute the following :—

Infusion of aconite. . . . . . . . Half an ounce.
Extract of belladonna (rubbed aoe as one ounce
of water) . . . ....... =... . Half a drachm.

Persevere with the above till the pulse amends, when withdraw the
aconite, but keep on with the belladonna, half a drachm of which may be
BRONCHITIS. 129

ae

added to each dose of the ethereal drink; which ought to be resumed,
should amendment ensue upon the administration of the aconite draught.

Let the food consist entirely of thick gruel. The appetite occasionally
is unaffected during bronchitis; but, however pleasant it may be to
behold a horse masticate, all solids should be withheld, especially during
the acute stage. Nothing is so injurious to respiration as a loaded
stomach, and a single meal (if permitted) would speedily aggravate the
symptoms of this disease. When the disorder has subsided, food must
be carefully introduced ; the water should be, as grooms say, “chilled,”
or, in ordinary language, should have the chill removed. Boiled roots
or crushed and scalded oats should constitute the earliest approach to
natural diet. Hay should be given with extreme caution, the desire
being to nourish the body, not to load the stomach. A bundle of grass
each day may be allowed upon recovery being assured; and when hay is
at length presented, mind that for the first month it is thoroughly damped;
for nothing more retards recovery after bronchitis than the inhalation of
those dusty particles with which hay too often abounds.

 

THE COUGH OF INCURABLE BRONCHITIS.

When the disorder is to terminate fatally, the proprietor, in the
majority of instances, speedily learns the fact. The pulse continues
unamended at first, but soon grows very quick and tremulous; the breath-
ing becomes more painful even to the spectator. Every inhalation ap-
pears to shake the body; yet, so eager is the desire for air, that the
haste and violence of the respiration evidently defeat their object. The
nasal membrane assumes a bluish tint, a foul, bloody froth hangs about
the nostrils; the eyes are dull and fixed. The cough is the most dis-
tressing symptom. It occurs in fits, and during the paroxysms the
wretched animal reels about. The noise cannot now be restrained; the
horse has no strength to struggle with disease. The sound which shakes

9
130 PNEUMONTA.

the sore lungs and checks the breathing that was already short to suf-
focation, cannot now be suppressed. It continues until a quantity of
discolored fluid is ejected from the nostrils, then a brief respite ensues ;
but, as time progresses, the fits grow more severe and much longer,
while the strength to endure them even more rapidly decreases.

It reads sadly, that hundreds of horses have thus perished without
making any impresssion upon either masters or men. The directions,
which have been given at some length, will probably be discarded by
grooms as far too troublesome; they like the man who can give physic
to a horse when the animal is sick, and ‘‘wants no more bother made.”
The proprietors will object to the expense and the personal superintend-
ence which is necessitated. Most gentlemen hurry through the stable
as though they were intruders upon their own premises, and expected all
business there transacted to be dispatched most expeditiously. The
master, when in the stable, is never at home; he is generally very much
abroad; the groom, if a horse dies, always knew of something which
must have saved the life, only it wasn’t tried; and to prove his compre-
hension of the malady, in answer to inquiries, he says, thereby showing
the real extent of his information, ‘The horse caught a cold and died
of an inflammation.” The employer commonly follows a system which
custom approves; he does not trouble himself to hire a better qualified
or a less prejudiced attendant for his stables. The place and all that is
in it continues the same, only it contains one life the less. The lesson is
thrown away, and all this great suffering in a huge animal has produced
no more than a passing regret for the pecuniary loss.

PNEUMONIA.—INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS.

Under this title our grandfathers congregated all affections of the
lungs. Congestion, bronchitis, pleurisy were all regarded as stages of

 

THE COMMENCEMENT OF PNEUMONIA.

pneumonia. This error, even at the present time, confuses the descrip-
tions of most authors. True pneumonia is, consequently, now more
PNEUMONIA. 131

rarely encountered ; such a result accords with the knowledge gained by
anatomical investigation concerning the structure of or the substance of
the lung. The bronchial tubes constitute a large portion of these organs,
but their disease is termed bronchitis. The pleura covers the lungs,
but its inflammation is called pleurisy. The blood is affected during all
disorders, but the vessels themselves are rarely implicated ; involvement
of the absorbents constitutes glanders and farcy. Yet, when the tubes,
covering, veins, arteries, and absorbents are abstracted, there remains
only cellular tissue; that structure is not apt to take on inflammation,
and when it is so implicated, the inflammation of cellular tissue is re-
garded as rheumatism: consequently, there remains only a species of
general disorder of all the constituents to stand for pneumonia.

Horses supposed to have perished from pneumonia, not unfrequently,
when examined after death, present hydrothorax or dropsy of the chest;
thus proving the pleura to have been affected. However, such vivid
descriptions of pneumonia are bequeathed us by our ancestors, that we
are, to a certain degree, overpowered by the authority of assertion. Too
many are actually overawed by the positiveness of the dead; thus, in
many instances, influenza is treated as inflammation of the lungs ; dropsy
of the chest, brought on by weakness, naturally ensues.

When acute pneumonia (as it is called, which really represents a sub-
acute disorder of all the contents of the lungs) does occur, it is rather
lingering in its development ; the breathing is labored and slightly
accelerated; the pulse is less increased than would be expected; the
artery is full, and the beat seems
driven by some hidden force
through a gelatinous obstacle;
it bulges out, and then all is
still for an interval, after which
the operation is repeated. The
horse has lost all spirit, indeed,
a considerable portion of its con-
sciousness has evidently depart-
ed; it stands as though from
giddiness it feared to fall; its
legs are separated and strained
outward to the furthest limit.

The head and ears are de-

 

. s . . 5 THE POSITION ASSUMED BY THE HORSE DURING AN
jected ; the coat rough ; the es AGGRAVATED ATTACK OF PNEUMONIA.

tremities cold; the body without
warmth; the visible membranes discolored, and the bowels costive; in
short, the animal appears oppressed hy some heavy misfortune. Feeling
132 PNEUMONIA.

seems half dead; thus we are warranted in imagining that the attack has
embraced all the component structures of the lungs, and that it consists
in no small degree of congestion.

The general practice is to bleed, and to bleed largely; to let the
current run till the animal is on the point of fainting ; then, as bleeding
always quickens the pulse, more blood is abstracted to lower it; this not
answering, the same plan is adhered to. The vein is tapped and the
liquor drawn, as though the vital fluid were table beer, and the animal
an inanimate cask. At last, nature resents such repeated depletion.
No sooner is the fleam struck than weakness is alarmed; then the eyes
and nostrils are sponged with cold water, to procure a little more blood;
until, at last, the animal dies, as practitioners have said, because the
horse could not bear bleeding enough!

The writer does not advise to destroy the strength, which is now
essential to surmount disease. Bleed only once, then take no more than
will afford ease to the sufferer; if a pint accomplishes that object, a
pint is sufficient. Be guided neither by the quantity abstracted nor by
the faltering of the pulse; watch the head of the animal; so soon as
that is raised and the general aspect denotes a sense of life, pin up the
orifice ; but think twice before you bleed once, and shun the operation
if it can possibly be avoided, or if the fluid has a thick and black ap-
pearance, dribbling down the neck, not spirting from the vein.

When you first behold the horse, carefully examine it; place your ear
to the side; in health there is only a gentle blowing sound audible; if
more than that is heard; if something within the chest seems to grate or
suck; if, in addition, any noise, as of a huge pair of bellows at violent
work, is detected, make up your mind to a case of pneumonia. No time
is to be lost; procure a large and airy loose
box; strew it thickly with tan; do this, be-
cause pneumonia has an aptitude ‘to fall
into the feet,” as grooms say, or, in other
language, the disease is subject to metastisis,
and the inflammation will sometimes quit
the lungs to reappear in the feet ; something
soft and cool is most likely to prevent such
a mishap; therefore, when the tan is strewn
upon the floor, moisten it with a watering-
pot, and have the iron shoes taken off the

 

 

 

A STEAMING APPARATUS. animal.
Place a pail of water within easy reach
of the horse. Food—even gruel—is not now required. If it is winter,
put a hood upon the head and throw a loose cloth over the loins and
PNEUMONIA. 133

quarters ; then introduce the steaming apparatus, and set it to work with
all speed, leaving every window and door open, while the vapor is gen-
erated. The air being loaded with vapor, take off all clothing; but
give, in the first instance, so soon as it can be procured, the following
drink :—

Solution of aconiteroot . . . . . . . . . . Half an ounce.
Sulphuricether 2 «5 3 4 « 4% = = « » » “LRwoounces:
Extract of belladonna (rubbed down in half a pint of

WALCE) en et we ee ee ee a A drach,

Repeat this dose three times in the course of the day and once during
the night, keeping up the steam all the time. Watch the pulse and
observe the breathing. When the first amends, the quantity of aconite
may be diminished; when the last grows easier, the amount of bella-
donna may be decreased.

These medicines should be persevered with, increasing the ingredients
or diminishing them, as the symptoms warrant. Thus, if the pulse prove
very obstinate, six, or even nine doses of half an ounce of solution of
aconite in a little water, without other ingredients, may be exhibited in
the twenty-four hours. Should the breathing be severe, the belladonna
may be augmented in a similar proportion. Until the symptoms are
more than merely amended, the nourishment ought entirely to consist of
hay-tea, with a little oatmeal boiled in it. When improvement decidedly
takes place, the hay-tea may be made a little thicker, and a couple of
pounds of boiled potatoes allowed per day. So soon as the appetite
seems to be eager for food, a pint of crushed oats, thoroughly scalded,
may be given six times during the day. Great care, must, however, be
taken not to overload the stomach, or to permit a full meal: a single
gorge is likely to provoke a return of the disorder. Little and often
must be the rule at first; and the quantity may be increased while the
frequency is diminished, as recovery is confirmed. Let some days elapse,
however, before any hay is presented: this substance rather amuses the
horse and fills out the stomach, than nourishes the body. Allow to enter
the stable none of the groom’s favorite drink, which consists of a handful
of flour stirred into a pailful of cold water. The flour is not in solution
—it soon sinks to the bottom; and the horse, which you intend should
in some degree be nourished, receives nothing but water.

Order the cook to prepare the gruel, and see that she does it with as
much care and cleanliness as she would exercise for any Christian. The
groom’s gruel is hot water, which may or may not be boiling, stirred
upon a certain quantity of meal. A lady may conjecture how she would
relish such a composition sent to her sick chamber; and the horse is as
nice in its taste as any human being possibly can be.
134 PNEUMONIA.

Neither permit any grass tu be put before an animal which is recovering
from pneumonia. Grasses of all kinds contain the least possible nutri-
ment in the largest possible bulk. The object now is to accomplish the
introduction of nutriment in the most concentrated form. <A distended
stomach impedes the action of the diaphragm, and thereby is most
injurious to the breathing.

 

A MUCH-WISHED FOR SIGHT DURING DISEASE OF THE LUNGS.

The first marked sign of improvement, during pneumonia, is the animal
lying down. When this wished-for sight is before your eyes, do not
enter to disturb the prostrate horse. It has, under disease, stood for
several days. Its limbs must ache and its feet feel sore: make no noise,
therefore. Respect the repose of the sufferer, and be grateful that your
horse, probably, has escaped from danger.

If, subsequent to recovery, the restoration to perfect health is not so
rapid as you could desire, be very particular about the feeding. At the
same time apply a strong blister upon the front of the throat, down to
the chest and between the legs. That blister having worn itself out,
apply another upon the sides of the throat and the upper part of the
ribs; but respect the sides of the thorax; because the animal rests on
these parts, and, during recovery, rest is of more value than medicine.
Nothing, therefore, should be permitted that is likely to prevent so bene-
ficial a state from being indulged in. Abjure all purgatives—these
favorite potions are too debilitating for pneumonia ; forbid all mashes ;
nature, as she permits recovery, will, at her own time, relieve the body;
PNEUMONIA. 135

adhere to the treatment which has been laid down; permit no tonics ;
care and good food are the best restoratives. But, above all things, be
certain the health is thoroughly recovered

before the horse, which has been seriously "Cites py piseash 10 THE PLEURA
ill, is again compelled to labor. wit ote

Several states are mentioned as the con- eee ee eee Wee.
sequence of pneumonia. Adhesion of the 1% ThePlenracostals or the ining
lung to the covering of the thorax is alluded a TSE cag yrerenlings te fall
to as one result of this disease; but before ae Src de sbase oR meine:

adhesion could take place, inflammation
must have existed in the pleura, which lines
the interior of the chest and envelops the
lung itself; consequently, pleurisy must
have been present before the pleura could
be sufficiently inflamed for adhesion to en-
sue. The other condition is the result of
congestion ; the tubes and vessels alike are
clogged, the lung is converted from its soft
and spongy natural texture to a firm and
solid substance resembling liver. But con-

 

: . a - a 5 HEPATIZATION 2, OR THE LUNG BY DIS-
gestion is not pneumonia, neither is a solid EASE CONVERTED INTO A SUBSTANCE

RESEMBLING LIVER.

state of the bronchial tubes by any means
good evidence that pneumonia has provoked the morbid alteration.
Now, in conclusion, we must answer the important inquiry,—what is
the cause of this affliction? Poverty, without dependence, inherits few
disorders. Nature, in mercy, spares the peasant those visitations which
are heaped upon the nobleman. To what, then, shall we attribute the
ailment of a life so entirely in possession of another as that of the horse ?
Ts it untruth to point to that which in ordinary language passes for the
master’s thoughtlessness? The creature is often worked, not to the
point of fatigue, but is goaded to the possibility of exhaustion; fed
upon the cheapest sustenance, and lodged according to the proprietor’s
convenience; made subservient to the whims of vanity, and forced to
conform to the habits or the caprices of fashion; now, waiting patiently
in the storm; then, hurried along the dusty roads through the parching
heat; now, stopped during a long journey and expected hastily to con-
sume the provender which shall support life the remainder of the distance:
treatment like this will provoke more acute evils than pneumonia. The
last disorder is of too dull a type to be begotten by so harsh a parent.
The horse which is pampered, or has much to eat and little work to
do; the creature which for days may stagnate in the stable and then
be suddenly brought forth to extraordinary exertion; the horse whose
136 PLEURISY.

owner is capricious; the animal whose work is uncertain; the quad-
ruped which now is idle, and now is required to make good the lost
time,—is the living being prepared to exhibit any slow disorder—to
consume itself with the disease which an existence, properly treated,
would possess the energy to resist.

Is it strange, that a creature doomed to so much and such deep sub-
serviency, occasionally fails, even when possessed by what men call the
best of masters? Is it just reason for wonder, that flesh occasionally
rebels against the treatment which human ignorance subjects it to?
Were the horse not a very hardy animal, were not the life implanted
as firmly as the frame is set, it would not survive a tithe part of the
usage it now endures, and, notwithstanding, continues to live on and to
obey.

PLEURISY.

This most painful disease, like those of the lungs generally, visits
valuable horses during the years when they are most esteemed. The
unbroken colt is seldom attacked, and the aged animal is, to an almost
equal degree, exempt. The young steed, newly stabled, is liable; and
that liability remains up to the sixth year, when it gradually subsides.
It is a terrible affliction. Its anguish is localized and concentrated. It
is inflammation of the fine, glistening membrane covering the lungs and
lining the inside of the chest. At every inspiration and at every expira-
tion the inflamed surfaces must move upon each other. To breathe is
the primary necessity of the creature’s life. It cannot exist and refuse
to inflate the lungs; yet is existence purchased at a price worth many
years of happiness. The inflamed surfaces cannot remain quiet; yet, to
render the condition of motion the more acute, inflammation stops the
secretion, which, during health, smoothed and lubricated the passage of
the membranes. During disease, the pleura is swollen, rough, and dry;
it grates or scratches as one surface is, by the necessity to breathe,
dragged over the other.

Membranes are sensitive in disease in proportion to the fineness of
their structure, and to their insensibility during health. The pleura
belongs to what are termed serous membranes. These line closed
cavities; as the chest, the abdomen, and the joints. Of the existence
of none of these are we conscious while they are free from disease ; but,
let the inflammation set in, and it would be difficult to decide which of
them is the most painful. Fortunately, however, pleurisy, when concen-
trated or singly present, terminates generally by the second day.

The symptoms, therefore, are quickly developed. The violence on
their first appearance has been so great, that an attack of pleurisy has
PLEURISY. 137

been mistaken for a fit of spasmodic colic. A little care will guard
against so fatal an error. The pulse, in colic, is always natural at the
commencement, and the fits, when they first occur, are invariably of short
duration. In pleurisy, the vessel strikes the fingers; the blow is strong,
and the artery is thin; the pain is continuous; the agony never remits
or ceases ; the horse never feeds; the body is hot, and indicates the fire
within; the feet are icy cold; the muscles are frequently corrugated in
patches, and partial perspirations break forth upou the surface ; a cough
is often, not invariably, present; it is always suppressed and dry ; it
suggests no notion that the intent is to clear the throat; the inclination
to cough, from the larynx sympathizing with the lungs, is great; the
feeling cannot be entirely mastered,—but the horse is fearful of indulging
an impulse, which would violently shake the inflamed chest. The ear,
placed against the ribs, detects a grating sound, and the respiratory
murmur is less clear than usual. Pressure made on the free interspaces
between the ribs sometimes deprives the animal almost of consciousness ;
it shrinks, and were the torture continued, it would fall. At other times
anguish maddens even timidity,—the foot is lifted or the teeth are dis-
played, to repel the tormentor. When left alone, the head is frequently
turned toward the side, with a piteous stare of wonder and inquiry.
Altogether the animal is, as it were, inspirited by the disorder.

 

A HORSE SUFFERING UNDER PLEURISY.

The fore foot is scarcely ever quiet; it constantly paws, which action,
in the horse, always expresses impatience or pain. The breathing, of
course, is peculiar; a full inspiration the animal dare not take. Before
inhalation is half completed the ribs fly backward. However, the back-
ward action has hardly been accomplished before anguish once more
compels a change; thus the breathing, to a looker-on, appears short,
jerking, quick, and always imperfect.
1338 PLEURISY.

The treatment must be active, as it is likely to be short. At the first
outbreak, abstract enough blood to ease the horse, but take no more;
place the sufferer in a cool, loose box; put woolen bandages upon all
the legs, but leave the body unclothed; give, every quarter of an hour,
a scruple of tincture of aconite in a wineglass of warm water. Feel the
pulse before each dose ; when that has softened, discontinue the aconite ;
every second hour then administer one ounce of sulphuric ether and of
tincture of opium in a tumbler of cold water, to dispel any congestion
that may lurk about the pleura, and also to lend smoothness or fullness
to the pulse.

Pursue these measures for the first day and night. On no account be
tempted to bleed asecond time, for fear of that weakness which generates
hydrothorax. When the pulse and pain are amended, should the cough
remain, introduce the steaming apparatus twice described under the
headings of the two previous articles. The bowels are generally cos-
tive; be not alarmed; with the departure of the disorder they will relax.
Place lukewarm water within the easy reach of the horse; but before
the symptoms abate, introduce nothing of a more stimulating nature.
When the disorder lessens, hay-tea may be allowed; as improvement
increases, the diet may be gradually augmented after the manner de-
scribed, when considering the treatment of pneumonia. Such care is
essential, because any violent disorder in a confined part of the body has
a tendency to involve other structures, and the danger of this increases
as the inflammation is removed from the surface.

The tranquilizing of the respiraticn, the softness of the pulse and the
return of the appetite will announce the departure of pleurisy. Wher
these longed-for indications are remarked, blister the throat and chest;
should any seeds of the malady appear to be not entirely removed, repeat
the blister to the throat and chest. Should the bowels not be relieved,
throw up copious enemas of blood-warm gruel; nothing more must be
attempted. Aloes or salts are poisons during pleurisy ; wait patiently,
and in time the establishment of health will restore all the natural functions,
or if they are very confined, a bundle or two of cut grass may be presented
with the usual food.

A yellow, transparent discharge from the nostrils, occasionally streaked
with blood, and more or less otherwise discolored; a horrible anxiety
of countenance, which seems to appeal mutely to every human being the
saddened eye rests upon; quickened breathing, a more rapid but a sink-
ing pulse, and a leaden state of the nasal membranes declare the proba-
bility of a fatal termination. Pleurisy, however, mostly ends in hydro-
thorax, for the character of which the reader is referred to the succeeding
pages.
HYDROTHORAX. 139

Now comes the sad inquiry, what is the cause of pleurisy? All kinds
of things may excite it; but those things which lead to so much suffering
in an inoffensive animal, are under the control of man. Overexertion,
being driven or ridden far and fast, the spirit being stimulated, and the
energy promoted by potent drinks; for men will give the contents of
the public-house to the horse when a wager is at stake, and will lash,
while the limbs can move, to win any pitiful bet,—these circumstances
not unfrequently provoke pleurisy. Injuries received externally not un-
seldom start up internal inflammation. Hurts calculated to lead to so
serious an evil, together with broken ribs, will not be surprising to those
who have seen the unseemly instruments which man will, in his rage,
seize upon to strike the animal with. Colds, aggravated by change of
temperature, as waiting long in the rain and being flurried home after-
ward; inattention in feeding, thus generating a plethora, is apt to dis-
order any internal organ, and many other such like causes will generate
the disease.

And what right has man to inflict so much agony upon any life in-
trusted to his care? What right has humanity to complain of tyranny
in its superiors, when the human race can neglect and entail such anguish
upon the beings beneath them? The greed of gain or the pride of win-
ning are the first motives assigned as the promoters of this terrible afflic-
tion; next come the gratifications of passion; then follows carelessness
for another’s welfare, etc. Which of these several causes is worth the
torture of a living body? such torture, too, as the rack cannot equal,
and human malice is happily forbidden to rival!

A little self-restraint instilled by a better plan of education, a little
more humanity enforced by the teachers of religion, to instruct that man
should not view himself as the owner of the earth which he temporarily
inhabits; that man should not consider himself the proprietor of the
lives which share the globe with him; that man should be actuated by
genuine CHRISTIAN LOVE toward all animated nature, feeling kindly for
the lives akin to his own, and acknowledging, as fellow-sojourners, the
creatures by which he is surrounded,—then, how much affliction might be
eradicated from that which wickedness alone renders a “vale of tears!”

HYDROTHORAX.

This is the consequence of the latter stage of pleurisy; or rather, to
speak with caution, we fear it is often the result of the severe treatment
adopted to dispel that malady.

Man leaves his property, which is very ill of pleurisy over night, hope-
less that the animal can survive till morning. On returning, however,
140 HYDROTHORAX.

to the stable early on the following day, to his surprise he beholds the
horse actually looking better. The pain has evidently abated, if not
altogether departed; the eye is more cheerful; the manner more en-
couraging. Having observed this, attention rests upon the flanks. The

 

A HORSE DYING OF HYDROTHORAX.

motion of these parts is greatly increased. They are now forcibly
brought into action. The suspicion is awakened. The ear is applied
to the chest. Near the breast bone, or low down, all is very quiet. A
little higher up nothing can be heard; but rather past the middle of the
ribs the sound of breathing is once more detected. Again and again is
the experiment repeated, until the disappointed proprietor is forced to
believe that which is against his hope.

Still clinging to chance, after conviction has gained possession of his
mind, there is another trial he will make to render despair a certainty.
He seeks some man—any one will do; and having found a loiterer, he
returns with him to the stable. He places this individual upon one side
of the horse, and tells the man to slap the side of the animal with the
open palm, when the word “now” is spoken. This being arranged, the
master goes to the opposite side. He puts his ear to the place where
the silence ceased. Having assured himself the spot he has chosen is
correct, he pronounces the monosyllable “now.” Directly afterward a
dull sound is heard, and a metallic ring or splashing noise is soon after-
ward audible.

All now is confirmed, yet, ‘to make assurance doubly sure,” the owner
tries to take the pulse at the jaw. There is none to be felt! The hand
is then placed near the chest, upon the left side and over the region of
the heart. The sensation of a throb, coming through water, is percepti-
HYDROTHORAX. 141

ble. The last requirement is confirmed. The horse has dropsy of the
chest, and the termination of the disorder is all but certain.

The first thing to be done, in these cases, is to draw off the liquid be-
fore it soddens the pleura and further distresses the already labored

 

MAKING THE PRIMARY INCISION FOR TAPPING
THE CHEST.

  

REMOVING THE FLUID IN
A TROCAR WITH THE STILET UPON IT. HYDROTHORAX,.

breathing. The manner of performing this operation is very simple,
and the operation itself remarkably safe. A spot near the inferior mar-
gin of the chest being selected, a small portion of skin, between the
eighth and ninth ribs, is pulled forward, and then a narrow slit with a
sharp knife is made upon the place which the skin originally covered.
A trocar, armed with a stilet, is then inserted into the opening, and so
much force applied as suffices to propel it onward. The moment all
resistance ceases, the trocar is within the cavity of the thorax. The
stilet is then withdrawn, and the water usually flows forth.

There is in this operation no danger of piercing the lung. The
trocar must be driven upward and onward, very far and very forcibly,
to induce such an effect. The lung is protected from all lawful violence
by the water, on the top of which it floats.

There is, however, a dispute concerning how much of the fluid should
be extracted. It is a good rule to take all you can get, or all the con-
dition of the horse will permit to be abstracted. Do not commence the
operation with any determinate quantity in your mind. Take all, if the
horse will suffer so much to be withdrawn; but if the animal, after the
loss of a quart, shows signs of approaching faintness, withdraw the
trocar, let the skin fly back, and wait a more favorable opportunity for
the next attempt.

In an hour or two the trial can be repeated. Make a new opening
(for never risk exciting irritation in the original wound, by again thrust-
142 ; NYDROTHORAX.

ing the trocar through it.) There are but few precautions to be ob-
served during the performance of tapping the chest. It is usual to
teach, that the posterior border of the ribs is to be avoided, because this
portion of the bones is grooved for the reception of the artery. Anatomy,
however, shows that such vessels are amply protected by the grooves in
which they travel.

There is also some selection to be made in the trocar which shall be
employed. If the tube be of too great a size and permits the fluid to
gush quickly out, nature may sink under the sudden change induced: the
water, consequently, ought to be very gradually abstracted. For this
purpose, the instrument cannot well be too small. The most diminutive
of those made for human practice will be quite large enough, so that the
bulk of liquid within the chest may be insensibly removed, and the horse
be scarcely aware of the change. Those trocars, however, which are
made for the human practitioner will not be long enough; therefore one
must be procured lounger, but of the like bore.

Sometimes, after the trocar is properly inserted, no fluid will pour
forth: the operation is then all but hopeless. It must have been so
long delayed that various substances have been secreted. These cover
the interior of the chest. They obstruct the mouth of the cannula and
prevent the liquid issuing by the tube.

It is customary, in these cases, to employ a whalebone probe. This
is inserted up the trocar, and then moved about in different directions.
The intention is to break down the layer of pus or lymph lining the
thorax, and to allow the water to leave the cavity. But this is almost.
needless, as the author does not recollect a single case of this description
which ultimately survived.

It is also advisable to draw off the fluid from both sides at the same
time, so there may be no pressure upon the delicate divisions of the
chest, and upon the important vessels within them. But happily the
fluid is, in the first instance, generally confined to one side only.

Always pull a piece of skin either backward or forward, before the
incision is made through the integument. The reason for doing this is,
because, when the trocar is removed, the skin may resume its proper
place, and act as a valve, keeping out the atmosphere from the cavity;
for external air, getting into the interior of the chest, is proved to be
most injurious to life.

There is to be tendered but one last admonition; even this has been
in a great measure anticipated by the previous observations. The
animal must not be left during the operation. Whatever time may be
consumed by the withdrawal of the liquid, the operator must remain a
patient spectator of the slow abstraction; for if the horse should be
DISEASE OF THE HEART. 143

left, syncope may come on during such absence, and the animal, on the
person’s return, be found prostrate upon the ground. On the first sign
of weakness, the cannula should be at once removed; for, should it be
suffered to remain, regardless of this caution, the horse may even die
through sudden collapse.

The treatment, after the withdrawal of the fluid, is entirely changed;
pleurisy has now departed, and weakness is left behind. The most
nourishing but carefully-prepared food must be given; boiled oats and
beans may be allowed in any quantity which the animal will consume,
while the following ball should be administered, night and morning :—

Jodide of iron... 1. 1 © ©). . «One drachm.
Strychnias. 4. ge se oe a a Half acorain:
Sulphate of zine . . |. . Half a drachm.

Extract of gentian and powdered quassia. Of each a sufficiency.

That which will denote a fatal termination is restlessness; neighing;
partial sweats; swellings under the region of the chest, and a distressed
breathing, which nothing can relieve. The death struggle is as short as
the disease has been painful.

DISEASE OF THE HEART.

This affection is characterized by various names in scientific books, as
carditis, pericarditis, hydrops pericardii, inflammation of the pericardium,
etc. All such conditions in the horse
were discovered by examinations institu-
ted after death, when, unfortunately, all
opportunity of observing the symptoms
had ceased. Veterinary science cannot
distinguish one state from another, while
life exists. Probably this deficiency may
be attributed to the inutility of such dis-
crimination. Disease of the heart in
horses is incurable. In man, who can
strictly conform to his physician’s orders ;
avoid excitement; abstain from exertion; eat only such a quantity of
such a food, prepared after such a manner; feed at such an hour and
rest at such a time; who can live by rule;—in man, the diseases of the
heart are only to be delayed, not driven from their certain issues.

Practically, therefore, so the heart be diseased, it is of small import
what shape the disorder may assume. The death is always sudden; it is.
likely to occur when the horse is journeying at its topmost speed; when
accident generally follows. Consequently, it is perhaps wiser to take

 

DISEASE OF THE HEART IN THE HORSE.
144 DISEASE OF THE HEART.

the life, thus afflicted and thus dangerous. The horse may appear
blooming, may even he skittish; yet, the existence shall at any moment
be cut short. Auscultation affords the surest means of detection. Place
the ear close to the left side and lower part of the chest; if any unusual
sound be audible, conclude the heart to be diseased.

The signs visible, externally, are sometimes sufficiently emphatic to
admit of no doubt. The eye is expressive of constant anguish; the
countenance is haggard; the pulse is feeble and irregular, but the heart
throbs; its throbs are visible, and frequently they are to be seen as
plainly on the right side as on the left. The beat is occasionally so
violent as to shake the body. The carotid artery can be felt to pulsate
in the neck. The regurgitation, within the jugular vein, is nearly always
excessive,—it often reaches almost to the jaw. It takes place by jerks,
which ascend high and higher, each becoming less and more weak, as it
mounts upward.

An attempt to represent this has been hazarded in the illustration.
It is, however, impossible to truthfully depict action; and the reader
will comprehend the jerks, in nature, do not occur all at the same period;
but the first subsides before the second can be exhibited.

The appetite is sometimes ravenous ; more often it is fastidious. The
breathing is not accelerated, excepting during the existence of pain;
lameness is occasionally witnessed in one fore leg; dropsical swellings
and abdominal pains have been observed. The animal, when progress-
ing, will suddenly stop, tremble, and appear about to fall; as suddenly,
it will recover and proceed upon the journey. Noises, expressive of
acute anguish, are, under the impulse of the moment, occasionally uttered.
Sometimes the horse cannot be made to move, and it is always averse to
turn in the stall. Often it is seen to yawn; but more frequently has
been known to heave long and deep-drawn sighs. No ascertained sign,
however, announces the climax of the disorder to be near at hand.
Death is always unexpected, and, therefore, is a surprise.

The cause of heart disease is unknown. It may, however, be surmised
from the fact that it is most common in gentlemen’s stables, and is all
but engrossed by the animals which have for years been subjected to the
abuses therein practiced. It is incurable; and ail physic is thrown away
upon this disorder.
CHAPTER VII.

THE STOMACH, LIVER, ETC.—THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.

SPASM OF THE DIAPHRAGM.

Tuts is generally provoked by the heedlessness of the rider. A horse
is “overmarked,” as the condition is technically called, when the animal
is urged onward to the point of falling. The person who may occupy
the saddle then becomes conscious of a strange and loud noise coming
from the body which he strides; it appears to the equestrian as though

  

me asgenenifee:
Th 6 te a

THE YOUNG GENTLEMAN AND THE OLD HORSE.

 

some demon were located within the carcass, and were violently striking
the sides. Should the indication be observed, the noise will be found to
proceed from behind or immediately under, rather than from any part
anterior to the rider.

The noise is produced by spasm of the diaphragm. The horse must,
as the word “‘ overmarked” seems to imply, have been pushed far beyond
the point where man should have pulled the rein. A little distance
farther, after the symptom is devoloped, will bring the animal to the
ground ; let the check, therefore, be immediately given; the rider should

10 (145)
146 SPASM OF THE DIAPHRAGM.

dismount; the loins be covered with the gentleman’s coat, if nothing
better be at hand; he who has caused the misery is bound to make any
sacrifice for its alleviation. The girths should be loosened, the bridle
removed, and when time has passed for the system to become slightly
tranquilized, the sufferer should be very gently led to the nearest shelter.
So soon as it is under cover, the following drink should be administered,
but time should be taken to give the medicine, as the condition of the
horse forbids all haste :—

Sulphuricether . . . . . . +. «. . « Two ounces.
Tincture of camphor . . . . . . . . . Walf an ounce.
Tincture of cpium . . .... . . . . One ounce.
Cold water or gruel . . . . . . . . . © One pint.

This should be repeated every quarter of an hour, till four drinks are
swallowed; then the intervals should be lengthened to half an hour,
and, as the symptom decreases, the medicine ought to be administered
at still longer periods, and ultimately, but gradually, withdrawn.

There are, however, other things to be done. When the animal is
first brought in, procure five quiet assistants; give a leg-bandage each
to four of the helpers, and a sponge, with a basin of cold water, to the
fifth. Order the men to perform their ministration silently; the four are
to bandage the four legs while the fifth sponges out the mouth, nose,
eyes, and anus; this done, the body is to be superficially cleaned. Sweat
is to be removed and dirt taken off; the cars pulled, and the head made
comfortable; the tail and mane having been previously combed, a hood
and body clothing should be put on.

All this should be well understood beforehand; while it is being
accomplished not a word should be spoken; nothing is more soothing
to an agitated system than perfect silence. Wet swabs should then be
placed upon the feet, a pail of gruel suspended from the manger, and a
man left to warn off all noisy strangers from the exterior of the build-
ing; for during spasm from overexertion perfect quietude is quite as
essential as medicine.

Spasm of the diaphragm, if taken in time, is not generally fatal; and
no man, however determined a “‘ Nimrod” he may be, is justified in pro-
ceeding after having recognized so mysterious a warning. The sound
before alluded to must emphatically inform him all is not right with the
animal on which he is seated. It is folly to urge that the horse enjoys
the chase as much as the rider; no life would, for its own pleasure, run
itself to a spasmodic exhaustion. Old hunters may have left the field to
follow the hounds; the animals, however, obey only the impulse of
education, and did what they imagined would gratify their superiors.
The horse is given as a servant to man; the creature is obedient to its
ACUTE GASTRITIS. 147

destiny ; to serve is its lot, to please is its reward. Body and soul it
devotes to the heartless being who is assigned its appointed lord; it
will spend its last breath in the gratification of its master; such affection
surely merits better treatment than the quadruped generally receives.

When spasm of the diaphragm terminates fatally, approaching dissolu-
tion is announced by easily recognized signs. The pulse cannot be felt
at the jaw; the heart only flutters ; the feet are icy cold; a yellow dis-
charge drains from the nostrils; the breath becomes fetid; the pupil of
the eye enlarges; the horse wanders round and round its box; it soon
sinks and perishes.

ACUTE GASTRITIS.

This most painful affliction is only known in the horse as the conse-
quence of some poisonous substance being swallowed. Poisoning entire
teams of valuable horses has followed the use of certain powders, these
being mixed with the corn; the intention was to improve the personal
appearace of the animals to which the drug was administered. Carters
have a large faith in condition powders, and a distant belief in the magic
of medicine; in their ignorance, they spend their hard-earned wages to
procure the stuff, too often compounded of agents which never should be
trusted in the hands of the uneducated. The men argue, if these powders,
say one spoonful given each night, will make the horse bloom in a fort-
night, two spoonfuls must do the same thing in a week; the spoonful

   

erage: =
et 1 Lh ORI ES

A HORSE SUFFERING FROM ACUTE GASTRITIS.

possibly contains the utmost limits of the dose; that quantity exceeded
may endanger or destroy life. But ignorance is always impatient; it
ever desires the speediest results; and if accident attends its eagerness,
indignation should be visited upon those who put responsible trusts in
148 ACUTE GASTRITIS.

such keeping; upon the men who for gain sell poisonous drugs to the
obviously uninformed.

Books and charts are published, explaining the various antidotes and
tests to be employed for the detection and counteraction of the different
poisons. Such authorities are of little service in the stable; the tests
require care and time for their application; the symptoms are mostly so
urgent as to permit no leisure for scientific inquiry. In an acute case,
dependence must be placed on general principles, and fortune must be
relied on to guide the result.

Certain poisons act instantaneously and without any warning suffi-
ciently energetic to be interpreted, as the twigs or leaves of the yew-
tree.

Other agents immediately establish the lesson which sometimes speedily
kills, but more often produces consequences which will ultimately destroy
life, though death may be some time before it occurs, as the mineral
acids, ete.

The presence of particular kinds is announced only by violent disorder,
as powerful diuretics and potent purgatives.

The symptoms, therefore, are not decided; the carter has his motives
for silence, and the inability of the horse to vomit forbids the earliest
announcement of deranged stomach. The time for antidotes has gen-
erally passed before attention is excited ; to support the life, in the hope
that it may survive the destroyer, is evidently the best thing which can,
under such circumstance, be adopted. Chloroform, ether, and opium
render the body insensible, and, by sparing the nervous system, certainly
existence will be prolonged. Purgatives had better be withheld; they
may already have been administered in enormous doses; fearful amounts
of aloes destroy life without purgation being exhibited.

Against alkalies there does not exist the same objection; carbonate
of magnesia, carbonate of soda or of potash may, in quantity, be mixed
with gruel and horned down; both opium and ether may be blended
with the drink. Should the pulse be low, a drachm of carbonate of
ammonia may be added to each dose of the other ingredients. Should
corrosive sublimate be in any degree suspected to be the agent em-
ployed, mix one dozen eggs with the other components; these will in
no way detract from the operation of the drench.

The mixture should be given in as large quantities as the animal can
be induced to swallow. The gruel should be quite cold, and one quart
should constitute a dose. No bleeding should be permitted; the abstrac-
tion of blood promotes absorption; to prevent the absorption of the
poison is the present endeavor. The following draught contains all that
can be recommended, so long as ignorance of the actual poison it is
ACUTE GASTRITIS, 149

desired to counteract, exists. When the information is positive, of
course Morton’s Toxological Chart will be a far better guide than any
observations the author has ability to offer.

Sulphuric ether and tincture of opium . . . Of each three ounces.
Carbonate of magnesia, of soda or potash . . Four ounces.
Gruel (quite cold) . . 2. 2 1. 1 2 1). . One quart.

To these may be added, should the pulse be of a sinking character :—
Carbonate of ammonia . . . . . . . . One drachm.

If corrosive sublimate is known to have caused the agony, one dozen
raw eggs ought to be blended with the drench.

Use discretion in the administration; but repeat the drinks as often
and as quickly as can be accomplished without adding to the distress of
the horse. Regard the state of the animal, and, if weakness be present,
take time when giving the drench. Should delirium be displayed, do
not trust to the natural functions; employ Read’s pump, with the horse
catheter attached, and inject, with all dispatch, the whole quantity at
once through the nostril.

 

HOW TO GIVE PHYSIC, WHEN THE USUAL MODE OF ITS EXHIBITION IS ATTENDED WITH DANGER.

The symptoms of poisoning are various; they are also modified by
the strength upon which they act. The annexed list, however, contains
the general appearances by which poisoning is announced, though the
whole of the symptoms are never simultaneously exhibited: Loathing
of all food; extreme thirst; redness of the nasal and conjunctival mem-
branes; discharge of ropy saliva; frequent eructations, which smell
pungently fetid; colic, rolling on the ground, pawing, striking at the
abdomen, etc.; tucked-up flanks; heaving; panting; small, quick pulse;
superpurgation; violent straining; passing of mucus in large quanti-
ties; protrusion and inflammation of the opening; glances at the abdo-
men; prostration of strength; convulsions; madness and death.
150 CHRONIC GASTRITIS.

And now, whence is derived the source of this evil? It springs from
the ignorance of the age. Is it not, at the present day, a common
saying, that “intelligence goes begging, while handicraft finds employ-
ment?” Goodness, education, and industry cannot, at this time, insure
the bread which will support existence. The cunning and the knowing-
ness of the uninformed is much preferred. There is no mystery in the
groom’s office which might not be acquired in a week. The horse would
fare better and be more safe in the custody of a person who possibly
might sympathize with its solitude and appreciate its disposition. <A
higher class of servants would involve a higher rate of wages. But
these might be paid, and notwithstanding, the horse proprietor be, in
the long run, an evident gainer. To put the wounds inflicted on the
sensibility of a feeling man out of the question, it is a heavy misfortune
to look upon three or four valuable horses stretched out in death. Add
to this, there are other accidents that ignorance, without malice, com-
mits, and all of which must be paid for by the master. Then there are
the petty frauds and understandings in which cunning delights, and all
of which are indulged at the master’s cost. On the other hand, there is
the certainty, or all but certainty, that intelligence would perform its
duty. The horses would thrive better and last longer when confided
to proper custody. The losses, attendant upon ignorance, would be
avoided,—not to mention the ease of mind secured by confidence in the
probity of the person to whom authority is intrusted. What a mockery
it is, to cry up education and then to shun the educated! A stimulus
would be given to the ignorant, when it is recognized that the informed
will be alone engaged to fill offices of trust.

CHRONIC GASTRITIS.

This affection is more general than is commonly understood. The
horse being unable to vomit, of course the first positive proof of dis-
ordered stomach cannot be exhibited. Thus, little attention is generally
paid to its digestion, when primarily diseased.

Chronic gastritis is usually said to be provoked by rearing upon sour
or soft land; but well-bred animals are very often subject to the malady.
The ailment is frequently first displayed at the period when the services
are esteemed most valuable, or between the fifth and sixth years, long
after the mode of rearing must have ceased to operate. The symptoms
are various, and hardly ever alike. The stomach may affect the nervous
symptom; then, its complications become difficult to disentangle. The
affection is mostly declared by an irregularity of bowels and a capricious-
ness of appetite. The animal starts off violently purging. The loose-
ness stops as suddenly as it commenced. Obstinate costiveness then
CHRONIC GASTRITIS. . vl

sets in, and each state can be traced to no obvious reason. The straw
or litter may be eaten ravenously, but all the wholesome provender ob-
stinately refused. The dung shows the condition of the appropriating
functions; it crumbles upon the slightest force being imposed; it appears
to consist of fibers not agglutinated together. Sometimes it is coated
with mucus, and always smells abhorrently. A dry cough may be pres-
ent; the visible membranes are pallid; the mouth feels cool; the breath
is tainted; the eyes are sunken; the respiration is catching; the belly is
pendulous; the anus is lax and prominent; the coat dry and ragged;
while the body quickly becomes emaciated.

 

A HORSE WITH CHRONIC GASTRITIS INDULGING ITS MORBID APPETITE.

The slightest exertion produces a thick and copious sweat. The
symptom, however, which is most remarkable, when the cleanly habits
natural to the animal are considered, is the peculiarity of the appetite.
The rack and manger are generally neglected; but every unnatural or
offensive substance, within reach of the extended jaws, is devoured with
avidity. Woodwork has largely disappeared. Soil and stones have
been removed from the stomachs of creatures destroyed for incurable
disease. Hither of the substances last named, however, are usually
spared, so long as a morsel of plaster, a portion of mortar or of brick, is
within reach. Animals, when in the field, will leave the grass and enter
any ditch to gnaw at bricks and mortar. When confined, they will,
under the morbid influence of this affection, employ themselves for hours
searching for a morsel of either among the straw.

The old custom of purging and bleeding for a case of this kind is posi-
tively injurious. It is better to administer bitters, alkalies, and seda-
tives;—the first, to amend the appetite; the second, to correct the
acidity of the morbid secretion; the third, to destroy the uneasy sensa-
tion which provokes too many of the symptoms.
152 BOTS.

Powdered nux vomica . . - . . . . One scruple.
Carbonate of potash . . . . . . . One drachm.
Extract of belladonna . . . . Half a drachm.

Extract of gentian and wowdenal: quassia. Of each a sufficiency.

Strychnia . . - oa a we o> a a) CBelfa-prain:
Bicarbonate of ammonia . . . . . . One drachm.
Extract of belladonna . . . . . . . Half a drachm.
Sulphate of zine . . . . Half a drachm.

Extract of gentian and pomdcied: quassia. Of each a sufficiency.
Give, morning and night.

One of the above balls may be given daily. When their benefits seem
exhausted, give, instead of a ball, half an ounce each of liquor arseni-
calis, the same of tincture of ipecacuanha, with one ounce of muriated
tincture of iron and of laudanum, in a pint of water. Also, damp the
food and sprinkle magnesia freely upon it. Then, as the strength im-
proves, introduce sulphuric ether, one ounce; water, one pint, daily; and
ultimately change this last for a quart of good ale or stout.

Before concluding, there remains to point out the cause of this lamenta-
ble affection. Ignorance views each part of the body as distinct; it
cannot see the various components are connected, and, in the mass,
constitute one whole. Thus, medicine appears to the uninformed as
thrown away, when internally administered for a skin disease. So it
may to such persons appear strange how the air inhaled can disorder
the digestion! To those better informed, however, it will only seem a
natural consequence that impure atmosphere, inspired day and night,
should impair the body’s health. It will, with such people, be recog-
nized as likely that the disorder should break forth when the frame is
on the eve of being matured. The cause of indigestion is close and un-
healthy stables. What loss will instruct mankind, that they cannot
enslave life and treat it according to their convenience? Life has its
natural rights: these cannot be disregarded—the requirements of breath-
ing creatures must be fulfilled. The ability of the enslaver to use accord-
ing to his pleasure, must not be selfishly regarded; else nature is out-
raged, and in its deprivation, pride learns the impossibility of forcing all
things to conform with its inclinations.

BOTS.

No animal which has not been turned out to graze during the summer
months can possibly be troubled with these parasites. Such annoyances
form no light argument against the benefits accomplished by that which
is in slang phrase termed “Dr. Green.” The appearance of the coat
BOTS. 153

and aspect of unthriftiness, after a run at grass, generally declare bots to
be present within the body.

Uninformed persons are always desirous to possess some medicine
which will destroy bots; they wonder that science lacks invention suf-
ficient to compound such an agent. An anecdote may probably dispel
such astonishment.

A patron of the Royal Veterinary College was once conducted by a
pupil through the museum belonging to that establishment; the pair at
last stood before the preparation of a horse’s stomach, eaten throagh by,
and also covered with, bots.

“God bless my soul!” exclaimed the visitor, after the nature of the
specimen had been explained. ‘What a spectacle! What a myriad of
tormentors! And have you no medicine to remove such nuisances?
Can veterinary science discover nothing capable of destroying those
parasites ?”

“Why, sir,” replied the student, “only look at that preparation. To
my knowledge, it has been put up in spirits of wine, and corked air tight
for two years. The creatures must be either very dead or very drunk by
this time ; yet, as you witness, they hold on. What sort of physic could
accomplish more than is already effected by the spirits of wine and close
confinement? I am at a loss to conjecture !”

For the above, the author is indebted to the admirable lectures de-
livered by Professor Spooner; but the conclusion drawn by the student
must be more than satisfactory. Bots, once within the stomach, must
remain there till the following year, when, being matured, their hold of
the lining membrane of the viscus will relax, and, in the form of a
chrysalis, they are ejected from the system. No medicine can expedite
the transformation. It has hitherto appeared easier to kill the horse
than to remove the parasite.

To the investigation of Bracy Clark, Esq., V.8., the public owe all
their knowledge of the fly whence the bot is derived. The common
parent, according to the above authority, is the cestrus equi; and the
author gladly avails himself of the original description by the above-
named talented gentleman.

“ON THE GSTRUS EQUI, OR THE STOMACH BOT.

“When the female has been impregnated, and the eggs sufficiently
matured, she seeks among the horses a subject for her purpose, and
approaching him on the wing, she carries her body nearly upright in the
air, and her tail, which is lengthened for the purpose, curved inward and
upward: in this way she approaches the part where she designs to de-
154 BOTS.

posit the egg; and, suspending herself for a few seconds before it, sud-
denly darts upon it, and leaves the egg adhering to the hair: she hardly
appears to settle, but merely touches the hair with the egg held out on
the projected point of the abdomen. The egg is made to adhere by
means of a glutinous liquor secreted with it. She then leaves the horse
at a small distance, and prepares a second egg, and, poising herself
before the part, deposits it in the same way. The liquor dries, and the
egg becomes firmly glued to the hair: this is repeated by these flies till
four or five hundred eggs are sometimes placed on one horse.

 

THE ESTRUS EQUI.

Copied from the Work on Bots, by Bracy Clark, Esq.

1. The female fly about to deposit an egg. 5. The newly-hatched bot.

2. The male fly. 6. The bot full grown.

3. The egg, its natural size. 7. The head of a bot magnified.
4. The egg, magnified. 8. The chrysalis.

“The skin of the horse is usually thrown into a tremulous motion on
the touch of this insect, which merely arises from the very great irrita-
bility of the skin and cutaneous muscles at this season of the year,
occasioned by the heat and continual teasing of the flies, till at length
these muscles appear to act involuntarily on the slightest touch of any
body whatever.

‘‘The inside of the knee is the part on which these flies are most fond
of depositing their eggs, and next to this on the side and back part of
the shoulder, and less frequently on the extreme ends of the hairs of the
mane. But it is a fact worthy of attention, that the fly does not place
them promiscuously about the body, but constantly on those parts which
BOTS. 155

are most liable to be licked with the tongue; and the ova, therefore, are
always scrupulously placed within its reach.

“The eggs thus deposited I at first supposed were loosened from the
hairs by the moisture of/the tongue, aided by its roughness, and were
conveyed to the stomach, where they were hatched : but on more minute
search I do not find this to be the case, or at least only by accident; for
when they have remained on the hairs four or five days, they become
ripe, after which time the slightest application of warmth and moisture
is sufficient to bring forth in an instant the latent larva. At this time,
if the tongue of the horse touches the egg, its operculum is thrown open,
and a small active worm is produced, which readily adheres to the moist
surface of the tongue, and is from thence conveyed with the food to the
stomach.

“ At its first hatching it is, as we have observed, a small active worm,
long in proportion to its thickness, but as its growth advances, it becomes
proportionably thicker and broader, and beset with bristles.

“They are very frequent in horses that have been at grass, and are
in general found adhering to the white insensible tissue vr coat of the
stomach.

“They usually hang in dense clusters to this white cuticular lining of
the stomach, and maintain their hold by means of two dark-brown hooks,
between which a longitudinal slit or fissure is seen, which is the mouth
of the larva. When removed from the stomach by the fingers by a
sudden jerk, so as not to injure them, they will, if fresh and healthy,
attach themselves to any loose membrane, and even to the skin of the
hand. For this purpose they sheath or draw back the hooks almost
entirely within the skin, till the two points come close to each other;
they then present them to the membrane, and keeping them parallel till
it is pierced through, they expand them in a lateral direction, and after-
ward, by bringing the points downward toward themselves, they include
a sufficient piece of the membrane, to remain firmly fixed for any length
of time as at anchor, without requiring any further exertion.

“These bots, as is also the case with two or three other species, pass
the autumn, winter, and spring months in the stomach, and arrive about
the commencement or middle of the summer at their full growth, requir-
ing a twelvemonth fully to complete their structure.”

“ON THE GSTRUS HEMORRHOIDALIS, OR FUNDAMENT BOT.

“The part chosen by this insect for this purpose is the lips of the
horse, which is very distressing to the animal from the excessive titilla-
tion it occasions; for he immediately after rubs his mouth against the
156 BOTS.

ground, his fore legs, or sometimes against a tree, with great emotion ;
till the animal at length finding this mode of defense insufficient, enraged
he quits the spot, and endeavors to avoid it by galloping away to a
distant part of the field; and if the fly still continues to follow and tease
him, his last resource is in the water, where the estrus never is observed
to pursue him. These flies appear sometimes to hide themselves in the
grass ; and as the horse stoops to graze, they dart on the mouth or lips,
and are always observed to poise themselves during a few seconds in the
air, while the egg is preparing on the extended point of the abdomen.

 

THE G&STRUS HEMORRHAOIDALIS,

Copied from the Work by Bracy Clark, Esq.
1. The female fly about to deposit an egg. 3. The bot.

2. The egg, magnified. 4, The chrysalis.
5. The male fly.

““When several of these flies are confined in a close place, they have a
particularly strong, musty smell; and I have observed both sheep and
horses, when teased by them, to look into the grass and smell it very
anxiously ; and if they by these means discover the fly, they immediately
turn aside and hasten to a distant part of the field.

“T once saw in a meadow or field upon the cliffs at Margate, a fly of
this sort teasing a horse that was confined to a small space by a spike
stuck in the ground, to which a cord was tied. He could not get away
from its attack, and became quite furious, for in kicking at the fly with
his fore foot, which he did vehemently, he often struck the bone of the
lower jaw, creating excessive pain; for in that direction while grazing,
the fly comes to the beard of the lower lip.
BOTS. 157

“The eggs of this species are difficult to be seen upon the horse’s skin
or beard, owing to the agitation of the beast, and from the color of the
egg being dark like that of the skin of the horse. The animal has been
generally too impatient, while undergoing this pperation, to let me exam-
ine them very well. I ascertained, however, its form by pressing one
of these eggs from the abdomen.

“The larva or grub of this species inhabits the stomach as the former,
generally adhering to the white lining, and is disposed promiscuously in
dense clusters, after the same manner; they may, however, be dis-
tinguished from them by being in general smaller and longer in pro-
portion to their bulk.

“The larva of this species may be obtained from almost any horse
that has been much the preceding year at grass, and exposed to these
flies, and will be found during the summer months sticking more or less
within the verge or opening of the anus, adhering to its soft lining, and
producing considerable irritation and uneasiness. Indeed, I once well
remember being on a tour of pleasure in the Isle of Wight, and ex-
periencing much annoyance from these larve. The little horse I had
hired for the journey became so lazy and unwilling to go on, and moved
so awkwardly, that I could not keep pace with my company, and I was
at a loss how to proceed ; but on casually taking up the tail, I discovered
three or four of these insects hanging to the rectum, and their removal
instantly proved a cure.”

For more ample particulars, the reader is referred to the book itself,
which is entitled ‘‘AN Essay on Bors In THE HoRSE AND OTHER ANI-
MALS.” It will, in the pages of the original work, be seen that Mr.
Clark more than suspected the existence of other species of the same
family; but, as no positive knowledge has yet been gained, we must
await patiently the inquiries of those to whom this branch of science
belongs.

However, the writer must dissent to Mr. Clark’s conclusion, that
“bots are harmless, if not beneficial.” How far does such a supposition
agree with the perforated stomach, preserved at the Royal Veterinary
College? How far does it accord with the ragged coat and unthrifty
aspect by which the presence of the parasites is ascertained? How,
when crediting such a conjecture, are we to account for the horror ex-
hibited by the horse at the approach of the fly; and how can we interpret
Mr. Clark’s experience in the Isle of Wight ?

Bots are known to be injurious; healthy bodies are seldom troubled
with parasites. The parched and innutritious grass of the summer’s
heat cannot support the life accustomed to artificially saved and carefully
prepared food. It is the meanness of the master which dooms the slave
158 CHRONIC HEPATITIS.

to starvation; he begrudges the keep of the animal, therefore, he dis-
guises the ugliness of his feeling under a pretense of giving the horse a
month’s freedom and its natural food! In spring, when the herbage is
young, one hour night and morning might be excused ; but those hours
must be before the flies are up, and after these pests are asleep. In the
height of summer, when the grass has perished and the ground is hard,
the health soon yields to constant exposure and to unwholesome food.
The flies torment the animal, and from the shed it is often driven by its
companions in the field. A large portion of the accidents which horses
are liable to, occur while out at grass; many an animal is released from
the stable blooming and valuable; it is, at the expiration of the month,
brought home looking ragged, with a huge belly, and is never fit for a
day’s service subsequently. If the matter is to be regarded only in a
money point of view, it would have been a saving to the owner to have
paid a twelvemonth’s keep, rather than lose his servant, and notwith-
standing, afterward have to pay for food and treatment till experience
had instructed him in the inutility of expecting restoration. But when
the matter is considered in a moral sense, what right has that individual
who has, for his own pleasure, accustomed a life to a particular form of
diet, at his will, or for his convenience, to snatch the food from the creat-
ure and drive it forth to gnaw at stalks which had shed their seeds, and
to be exposed to all the variations of the season? It is no excuse to
talk about there being no work to be done while the master is at the
sea-side; the devotion of a life should have earned a brief support, and
the gentleman whose avarice thinks otherwise has no just reason to
complain of the punishment which the indulgence of his greed will
probably insure.

CHRONIC HEPATITIS.

Acute hepatitis is unknown among horses in England. The late
Professor Sewell thought he had witnessed one case. Other people
know they have not seen a single instance of such a disease.

Chronic hepatitis is peculiar to maturity. Brewers’ horses—huge
animals, fattened upon refuse of the mash-tub, and which are paraded,
in all the pride of obesity, drawing one small cask over the stones of
London—are often attacked by this malady. All horses which consume
much provender, without absolute regard to work, are exposed to it.
Gentlemen’s carriage horses are very liable to it. A private vehicle is
started, and at first much used; but after a time it is equally neglected.
The individual does not want the carriage to-day, when the coachman
comes round ‘‘for orders.” Neither is it required on the next occasion.
Often a week passes without the fashionable plaything being uncovered.
CHRONIC HEPATITIS. 159

The animals, during that time, depend on the groom for exercise. The
coachman may be fond of his horses, and, in his ignorance, may think
they cannot have too much rest, or himself too little work Let the
master neglect his duty, and the servant soon follows the example.

The word ‘duty ” was employed in the last sentence. It is of an un-
pleasant signification, and was used in its harshest sense. Kings owe a
duty to their subjects; the rich owe a duty to the poor. All authority
has some obligation connected with it. There is nothing like perfect
freedom in this world of dependence. Man is the king over living
things. He may claim his rights, but he at the same time must adopt
the weight of his office: he cannot assume the one and discard the other.
A monarch is invested with dominion and authority over men; but the
stability of the throne is dependent upon the righteousness of the ruler.
If he who wears the crown abuses his trust, he may possess ‘a right
divine,” but he is speedily without subjects. So, if man is unjust to the
creatures ever which he is placed, nature snatches them from his grasp ;
and he may be invested with every power, but he soon wants animals
upon which to exercise it.

View the matter in another light, as an affair only of worldly pru-
dence. Knives, formed of the hardest steel, if purchased and put away,
in a short time are worthless, because of rust. A house wears faster
when untenanted than when properly inhabited.

A horse cannot remain for days in the stable and retain its condition.
The carriage proprietor has not only to find food, but he is equally
bound to support the health of his animals, or the service for which he
bargained will be rudely terminated. Too many do net think of this.
Too many take out the carriage to-day, only because it accords with
their convenience. All, however, complain of the uncertainty which
appertains to horse-flesh. The frame of the horse is stronger than
machinery; but it cannot resist the willfulness of human misrule. Let
that man, whose stable troubles him, question his own conduct. Let
him examine the house in which he has thrust life. Let him see to the
servants he has engaged, and to the food for which he pays; and after
all, let him inquire into his own behavior: the error will be found, not in
the creatures over which he exercises dominion, but in those who are
invested with authority.

If people will start carriages, the vehicle must be taken out every day,
let the weather freeze, rain, or shine. The hard earth of sunshine is fre-
quently more injurious to the feet than either cold or wet are to the
body. The lady, when out visiting, has more than her own pleasure to
consult; for all horses fed on the best and underworked, or retained
standing long befoie the street door, are exposed to chronic hepatitis.
160 CHRONIC HEPATITIS.

The gentleman’s delight is almost as liable as the brewer’s pride. Even
moderate food and too little work will engender the disease. The author,
when he quitted the veterinary college, left in that establishment an
Arab, which, from a year’s stagnation, was obviously thus disordered.

The primary symptoms are not well marked, and do not, generally,
attract attention. The animal is dull and averse to move. It appears
to have imbibed a fondness for the inactivity to which it has been accus-
tomed. The appetite is either nice, altogether lost, or unscrupulously
ravenous; the bowels are constipated; the dung is black, and coated
with bilious-looking mucus; it is friable, and imperfectly digested. Ifa
white paper be pressed upon it, a greenish-yellow stain is imparted.
The urine is scanty, and, commonly, highly colored; while the pulse has
a heavy beat, as though treacle, instead of blood, circulated within the
artery.

The signs which indicate a confirmation of the disorder are: the
mouth feels cold; the nasal membranes are unnaturally pallid; the whites
of the eyes are ghastly, displaying a yellow tinge; sometimes the horse
looks at the right side; usually, it lies upon the left ribs, but never for
any long time; tenderness may be exhibited, if the right side be pressed
upon. However, the last symptom is rarely present, and lameness in
either fore leg is seldom witnessed.

The disease is, for the most part, obscure, and is best recognized when
medicine has become powerless. If early detected, a limited, but suffi-
cient supply of nutritious food; plenty of, but not exhausting labor,
with a long course of iodine in alterative doses, are calculated to work
some beneficial change.

Todide of potassium . . . . . . . «. Two ounces.
Liquor potasse . . . .... One quart.
Mix, and give two tablespoonfuls night and morning, in a pint of water.

Commonly, however, bleeding from the liver is the earliest recognized
indication of disease. Then the horse, with depressed head, is found
standing before untouched food; often it staggers; sometimes it sup-
ports itself against the partition to the stall; it always maintains the
erect position with extreme difficulty; the pupil of the eyes are enlarged ;
if the hand be moved before the sight, the lid does not close; the vision
is lost; the pupils are much dilated; the breath, denoting weakness, is
short and catching; the jaw is pulseless, and the heart flutters; the
visible membranes are deathly; and the bilious nature of the disorder is,
in these last parts, apparent. Should the head, only for a minute, be
raised, the animal threatens to fall.

The first attack is seldom fatal, and possibly might, by proper usage,
be recovered from. The bleeding, then, is from the substance of the
CHRONIC HEPATITIS. 161

gland, and does not generally burst Glisson’s capsule, or the first and
fibrous covering of the liver. Glisson’s capsule, however, is, by the pres-
sure of fluid, bulged out. The hemorrhage stretches the peritoneum,
which is the second or last envelope; and nature, striving to repair the
injury, causes the serous investment to inflame,—to become white,
opaque, considerably thicker, and altogether stronger than in its normal
condition.

   

THE HEAD OF A HORSE SUFFERING FROM
INTERNAL HEMORRHAGE.

 

SSS a SS
THE TEST FOR HEMORRHAGE FROM THE LIVER.

There may be an indefinite number of attacks; or the horse, possibly,
may succumb to the first assault. Commonly, there are several fits of
the same character. Treatment is generally adopted. A dose of aloes
is given, though with what intention the author is not aware. Quiet is
enjoined; and styptics, as sugar of lead, alum, etc., are administered ;
and the horse, commonly, under such treatment, seems to recover.

It is, however, difficult to change a fixed habit, or to perceive the
reason for an alteration after all danger has disappeared. The gentle-
man again indulges his inclinations. The coachman, to keep up his
horse’s flesh, fills the manger; the master very rarely orders the carriage;
now he can ride, walking is preferred for his own exercise. Soon, a
second fit takes place; this time, Glisson’s capsule usually yields; but
the thickened peritoneum, although pushed farther out, still resists, and
now remains the single stay between human perversity and certain
death.

With recovery, the former custom is again resumed; the man chooses
to think a sick horse must require support; the master pleases to imagine
rest must be beneficial to an animal which has been seriously ill.
Another fit ensues; no one is much alarmed this time. The people have
become accustomed to the sort of thing; men soon grow used to other’s

11
162 CRIB-BITING.

agony. However, something is now present which has not been wit-
nessed before ; that circumstance rather disturbs the reigning equanimity ;
the horse is evidently much disposed to quietude, but some hidden cause
excites it; it rolls, flings itself down, struggles up again, paws with the
fore feet, kicks with the hind legs at the belly, and breathes with much
more difficulty than formerly.

Often it lies upon the back for some minutes; the result, when such
symptoms are observed, generally is invariable. After death, the abdo-
men is opened; the cavity is full of black blood, which, commonly, does
not coagulate; though, should death occur upon the first attack, dark
clots may be found among the intestines.

With regard to the treatment, which the author approves, it consists
of the drink previously recommended; sufficient but nutritious food, and,
above all things, abundant exercise. The horse should also be removed
from the heated stable and allowed a large, roomy, loose box. Purga-
tive medicine is too debilitating for such a disease; but the bowels
should be regulated by green meat or by bran mashes, when such agents
are required.

CRIB-BITING.

Nothing more forcibly illustrates the ignorance by which the horse is
surrounded, than the manuer any trivial but visible fact is magnified into
vast and mysterious importance. The untutored always have active
imaginations; thus, what is at worst, in the author’s opinion, the decla-
ration of acidity within the stomach, is by most horsemen dreaded more
than an actual disease.

Cribbing is very common among horses which have been long inhahit-
ants of the stable; the many hours of stagnation the domesticated horse
is doomed to pass, may induce the animal readily to seize upon any soli-
tary pastime. Or the perpetual consumption of oats and hay may dis-
arrange the digestion, which, experience teaches, is in ourselves much
benefited by a moderate change of diet. Or, the constant inhalation of
close and impure air, such as will taint the clothes of the groom, who is
much exposed to it, may disorder that part of the body which is the
most sympathetic of the entire frame.

Adopt which of these theories the reader may be inclined to, all of
them can be brought to bear upon the horse so affected. That cribbing
is a habit is seemingly proved by the young horse, stalled next to an
old cribber, soon acquiring the custom. That cribbing is provoked by
idleness, appears to be in some measure confirmed by the horse never
exhibiting the peculiarity before it has been handled and become an
occupant of the stable. That it arises from acrimony, induced by the
CRIB-BITING. 163

food, is apparently shown by the colt, while at grass, never displaying
the symptom. That it will be witnessed in the old horse, when turned
out for a month’s run at grass, establishes nothing. The temporary
visitor to the field may often be seen galloping toward some gate, which,
having reached, the horse there commences a long game at crib-biting.
This circumstance can settle nothing, except that the digestion is chron-
ically deranged—the stomach, when thus affected, being peculiarly reten-
tive of its morbid condition.

Crib-biting consists in resting the upper incisor teeth against any
solid or firm substance; a fixed point is thus
gained, and, after much effort, a small por-
tion of gas is eructated. The perpetual
emissions of heated air is, in man, one of
the symptoms attendant on indigestion ; and
the act, in the horse, appears to be impelled
by something stronger than habit; since the
animal will leave the most tempting proven-
der for its indulgence.

The premonitory symptoms, moreover,
seem to declare heartburn to be the cause
of this much-dreaded indulgence. The cus- x gorse iw rae act or crIBBITING.
tom is always preceded by licking of the
manger. If on that there should be iron, or should any part be cooler than
the rest, to that particular spot attention will be paid. The licking of
cold substances is a symptom of disordered stomach with other dumb
creatures. It is prominently displayed by the dog when the viscus is in-
flamed. But crib-biting may be prevented, if attacked during the pre-
monitory stage. Any substance, which acts as a stimulant to the stomach,
is said to be beneficial. Salt is known as an almost necessary condi-
ment, aiding the healthfulness of human food. The deprivation of salt
was an old criminal punishment among the Dutch; and a lump of rock-
salt placed in the manger will often enable the horse’s digestion to

 

recover its lost tone.

Crib-biting has, in submission to general opinion, been alluded to as a
habit, learned within the stable. But may not that which man designates
a habit in a dumb creature, be no more than the influence of one atmo-
sphere acting similiarly on two bodies, both caged in the same stable ?
The air is much more than inhaled. A large quantity is swallowed with
the saliva. No slight amount is deglutated with the masticated food.
The water is generally kept in the stable some hours before the horses
are permitted to imbibe it. Water has a large affinity for atmosphere.
Air, therefore, enters largely into the body, besides being continually
164 CRIB-BITING.

absorbed by the blood during respiration. And moreover, is it not
strange that all horses, when indulging an imitative faculty, should always
precede the display by the same licking of the manger, which assuredly is
not learned, because that stage has passed before the young horse is placed
near the one it is supposed to imitate? Is it not also surprising, that
applying the tongue to cool substances should, in other domesticated
but dumb creatures, be a symptom of derangement of the stomach?

When the horse cribs, the manger is not bitten. The upper incisors
are merely placed against the wood-work, and, from this fixed point, the
animal strains backward the body; thereby, the muscles of the neck are
the more readily excited, and a small portion of air, accompanied by a
slight sound, is forced up a canal which does not of itself favor regurgi-
tation. When the inability to vomit is considered, the necessity of some
such stratagem, to relieve the stomach of its burning acidity, must at
once be admitted. We are still further reconciled to the necessity which
prompts the action, when the ease afforded to human dyspeptic subjects,
by the expulsion of ‘the wind,” is properly regarded.

To relieve crib-biting, first attend to the atmosphere of the stables;
render that pure by ample ventilation. Place a lump of rock-salt in the
manger; should that not effect a cure, add to it a large piece of chalk;
should these be unavailing, always damp the food, and, at each time of
feeding, sprinkle magnesia upon it, and mingle a large handful of ground
oak-bark with each feed of corn. Should none of these measures prove
beneficial, treat the case as one of chronic indigestion or gastritis.

Let every reader, however, remember dyspepsia is far easier acquired
than eradicated or even relieved; still, the vast majority of the fears
entertained concerning crib-biting are perfectly groundless. The habit,
certainly, does not round the edges of the front teeth; neither does it
predispose to spasm or to flatulent colic; a horse that cribs may have either
diseases; so, also, do many animals which are free from the peculiarity.
Cribbing can be no recommendation to a purchaser, although the writer
cannot honestly point to the direction in which it is detrimental to the
usefulness. The late Mr. Sewell had a brown horse: this creature was
eighteen years old, and an inveterate cribber; yet, it would trot nine
miles an hour, for its own pace, without ever needing the whip. More
than this, no horse master should require ; but let those who entertain a
horror of crib-biting, pay extra attention to the means by which the
indulgence can be prevented.
CHAPTER VIII.

THE ABDOMEN—ITS ACCIDENTS AND ITS DISEASES.

ENTERITIS.

THE nose turned forcibly upward in horses is only expressive of gen-
eral abdominal disease. The author has witnessed this symptom during
the earliest stage of enteritis. It is
frequently exhibited when no disturb-
ance calling for treatment is known to
be present, or can be subsequently ob-
served. Still, because it is sometimes the
earliest warning of intestinal disorder,
all horses displaying such a peculiarity
should receive pointed attention. THE NOSE STRAINED VIOLENTLY UPWARD IS

Enteritis is a fearful disease, creat- A GENERAL SYMPTOM OF ARDOMINAL IRBI-
ing the greatest possible agony. Aged
horses are specially exposed to this scourge, which can rage with un-
governable fury from the commencement, and consume the life in eight
hours. Its causes, unfortunately, are in a great measure purely conjec-
tural; such as drinking cold water, etc. etc.

These incentives are formally recounted in books; but surely some-
thing is wanted to complete the catalogue. If all the animals exposed
to the operation of such provocatives were to have enteritis, two-thirds
of the horses inhabiting Great Britain would be dead by to-morrow
morning. The principal thing, therefore, is the predisposition; incline
toward a particular malady, and any triviality may start up the disease ;
yet this predisposition we at present are too ignorant to recognize.

A severe fit of colic, long continued, may end in enteritis. This is
well known; yet it was not the colic which induced enteritis; but the
real cause was that which originated the first affection. The predispo-
sition must be present before the bowels would exhibit that inflammation
into which the colic merged; the injudicious and cruel treatment most
horses receive from those to whose service the life is devoted, may prob-
ably be accused as the root of all these evils; disease is the loudest
proof that the life is stinted in some essential particular. The same

food is placed before all horses; one animal will, however, purge upon
(165)

 
166 ENTERITIS.

exertion; labor, on the other hand, may constipate the fellow occupant
of the same stable. When the same effect has produced such opposite
causes, all the bodies cannot be alike; an old proverb asserts ‘that
which is one man’s food is another man’s poison.” The diet which sup-
ports one animal in health may loosen or constringe its companion; yet
we are too ignorant to practically use such distinctions.

Again, there is no practice more general than to load the rack and
pile the manger after any uncommon toil las been endured. The prac-
tice may originate in the best intentions; but no intention can convert
that which is evil into a positive good. The wretched animal is tempted
to cram the stomach when excessive jabor has weakened the vital func-
tions. Horses which are brought home late at night do not usually
receive much notice; the grooms are sleepy and eager for their beds.
The dressing of the animal, however much such attention might conduce
to health, is consequently left to the following morning. Rapid motion
quickens the circulation; the blood is sent to the skin, and copious per-
spiration is the result. However warm the stable may be, warmth only
promotes evaporation; cold of the lowest degree results from evapora-
tion; the consequence is, the body of the quadruped speedily shivers ;
the blood is repelled to the internal organs, the bowels are prepared for
inflammation, and thus enteritis often follows upon the midnight return
from a long journey.

Moreover, when the frame is exhausted, rest is far more essential than
food; the nourishment then should be very light, and such as can be
quickly swallowed. A quart of thick flour or of oatmeal gruel should
be first offered after the return. When the cleansing of the animal’s
body is finished, another quart should be given; these will occupy little
time in being put out of sight, and the administration need not interfere
with the repose which is desired. The gruel being swallowed, a feed of
crushed and scalded oats may be placed in the manger; no hay should
be allowed ; the wish is to sustain a debilitated body, not to blow out
an idle stomach. Then the creature should, after being fully clothed, be
left to itself, and no more nourishment be provided for that night. The
danger of introducing substances into a stomach dead to its functions
would thus be avoided ; nothing likely to irritate or to operate as foreign
bodies upon the bowels would be set before the debilitated horse.
Besides, the groom would be obliged to remain up for some space, and,
as a good servant always finds time hang heavy when without occu-
pation, the animal is more likely to be dressed before the man retires.
Moreover, the clothes would prevent the cold which ensues upon
unchecked evaporation.

Constipation, if permitted to exist for any period, is always danger-
ENTERITIS. 167

ous; hardened feces are one of the surest causes of enteritis. Disre-
garding this fact, the endeavor of the immediate age seems to be to keep
horses cheap. Strange mixtures are now substituted for wholesome
corn, in which the grain and husk are mingled, the one supporting the
strength, the other stimulating the bowels. It is folly to seek for profit
from a life, and to stint the nourishment which feeds the strength, or to
view cheapness as desirable where the service is unlimited. It is wicked
to imprison a living being and then to regard it only in connection with
our conveniences ; ‘“‘much care and no spare” is a good stable proverb.
The food makes the work; omnibus masters know this fact; their horses
perform hard work and eat of the best, however abominably the gener-
ality of these slaves were once lodged. The home of a London horse
is mostly a miserable hole: heated only by fermentation ; too often un-
drained; nearly always without sufficient ventilation, The stall of such
a building is large enough for the animal to stand in and not wide
enough for the recumbent frame to rest in; the roof is low, and the re-
fuse of the body is piled near the entrance. When will man learn that
his interest is best consulted by the proper observances due to vitality
in every form? <A horse cannot be treated as though it were a jug; it
cannot be placed upon a shelf and taken down when required. The
functions which nature has placed within a beautiful and exquisitely
framed body will, if thus regarded, soon become deranged. Sickness
will soon cost more money than health would have required for its sus-
tainment; and, in the end, he who strives to blend the animate and the
inanimate will speedily find himself possessed only of the latter descrip-
tion of property.

The predisposing cause may, in most instances, be difficult to discover ;
but the premonitory symptoms of enteritis are well marked. The animal
is dull and heavy. It may not notice aught about it, or it picks at its
food; repeated and violent shivering fits usher in the attack. When the
above characteristic signs are observed, at once take away all hay and
corn. Bandage the legs, which will be cold; clothe the body, and, if
already dressed, loosen the surcingle. Litter well the stall or remove
the horse to a loose box; give two or three drinks, one every quarter
of an hour, containing sulphuric ether and laudanum, of each one
ounce; water, half a pint; and observe the animal without disturbing it.
These symptoms are, however, generally unseen, because the groom is
between the bedclothes while his charge is suffering.

The primary symptoms of decided enteritis are termed “colic” or
“fret.” Such words simply represent bellyache; but harm is done and
valuable time lost, if the terms of the stable are accepted in any abso-
lute signification. Grooms always have some invaluable nostrum hoarded
168 ENTERITIS.

up; such people are proud of and confident in their secret knowledge ;
they will lie rather than communicate the contents of their charm. With
the best hopes the foolish servant will waste precious moments in use-
less expectation, and watch for results from an injurious or worthless
potion till the time when curative measures could have been effective
has passed. Never permit the men who clean the horses also to admin-
ister to their diseases; the poor fellows may mean well, but they can
have no knowledge which, in the presence of danger, can be beneficial.

The primary symptom, to an uninformed observer, may simply an-
nounce a mild fit of gripes. When the shivering has subsided, the
horse rolls, plunges, kicks, ete. etc., as he does in spasmodic colic. The
struggles, however, are less abandoned and far more mannered in inflam-
mation of the bowels, than in genuine spasm. The pain, moreover,
which in enteritis accompanies all movements of the diaphragm, throws
the labor of respiration upon the walls of the thorax. The ribs can
only partially dilate the lungs; nature endeavors by quickening the
motion to supply the deficiency. In colic, the breathing is at first only
excited by the exertion; it is deep and full) At the commencement of
spasm, the mouth is moist and in temperature
natural; during enteritis, the breathing is very
short and the mouth is always hot and dry.

The pulse is disturbed only as colic pro-
gresses ; in enteritis it is quick, hard, and wiry,
before the disorder is fully established. The
term ‘‘wiry” well represents the kind of pulse
which accompanies enteritis. If a thin metallic
cord were to strike the finger ends somewhat
gently, and about seventy times in a minute, it
rae rest rorentenins arta  WOUld impart the same sensation as is commu-

race NENT OF THE AT nicated by the beat of the artery during in-

flammation of the bowels. Besides, pressure in

colic seems to ease the anguish; in enteritis, the horse often cannot
bear to have the abdomen touched. The last symptom, however, is
not always present, neither is there one, save those characteristic of
general inflammation, which is invariably to be observed. In abdominal
disease, so many organs are influenced that everything becomes, in a
vast degree, mystery and confusion. Notwithstanding this, pressure, in
enteritis, never affords relief; sometimes, however, the hand placed upon
the belly will elicit the most energetic response. The horse will kick
with the hind leg, turn round the head, and violently snap the jaws
together. Then he who applied so rude a test must stand out of the
reach of the hind foot, at the same time watching the head. Thus all

 
ENTERITIS. 169

danger is readily avoided; because the ears, the eyes, and nostrils of
the horse express its intentions before these are carried into effect.

 

THE TEST OF PRESSURE TO THE ABDOMEN FOR ENTERITIS.

All the tests will, however, not warrant certainty. The heat and dry-
ness of the mouth may proceed from bodily exhaustion; the pulse,
though highly suspicious, may merely denote general disturbance rather
than declare the particular locality of a disorder. The peculiarity of
the breathing may only express temporary faintness; the resistance to
pressure is common to many horses while in health, and the restrained
method of the plunges may be consequent upon the absence of any in-
citive to greater energy; still, when all are put together, they imply a
great deal. Faintness and exhaustion are not to be reconciled with a
hard pulse; the heat of the mouth and the resistance to pressure, espe-
cially when united to the voluntary restraint
imposed upon the motion, certainly warrant
a strong inference, and sanction no belief
that colic is the sufferer’s complaint. Hap-
pily, however, there remains a mode of
assuring the most: hesitating individual.
The coat must be pulled off, the shirt-
sleeves rolled up, and the arm be well
greased or thoroughly soaped. About this
there must be no false delicacy: in human
surgery and in veterinary practice many
things have to be surmounted which do not
read well when described in cold print. In
this instance, the intention is to relieve a suffering life; the motive will
elevate the act. The fingers of the right hand are to be compressed,
while the left hand raises the tail; the position is on the left side, as near

 

A CERTAIN TEST FOR ENTERITIS.
170 ENTERITIS. 4

to the feet as may be possible. Being there, the points of the compressed
fingers are brought to bear upon the center of the anus; gentle and
equable pressure is maintained until the resistance of the sphincter mus-
cle is tired out; even then, no haste is warranted. Upon the hand
penetrating the body, a cavity is eutered; here there is generally some
dung, the removal of which constitutes what is called “back-raking.”
In enteritis, the excrement is hard, dry, offensive, in small and dark
lumps, upon the surface of which lie streaks of white mucus. This being
done, the arm must be regreased or again moistened with water, and the
hand gradually advanced to ascertain the temperature of the intestines.
If the health be undisturbed, the operator will be conscious only of a
genial glow; should inflammation exist, the augmentation of the natural
heat will be most decided.

All is then certainty; no further doubt is justifiable, and no additional
symptom need be looked for. The nature of the case is determined,
and should it be enteritis, every moment is indeed precious. Firstly,
neither bleed nor purge. A particular kind of venesection, however,
is allowed. Extract one quart of blood, and inject into the vein one
pint of blood-warm water; a profuse purgation and perspiraticu almost
immediately follows the disappearance of the fluid. Munch uncertainty
is thus spared; and two conditions, both favorable to recovery, are
induced.

For this operation a quart syringe should be employed; a fine curved
nozzle should be affixed to it for the convenience of inser-
tion down the vein; the tube connected with the handle
should be marked to show when a pint has been forced out
of the instrument.

The reason for using a larger and a less handy machine
than seems absolutely necessary to perform a delicate opera-
tion is, because nearly all syringes suck up a portion of
air, which, when the instrument is almost empty, comes
forth. Now breath or atmosphere, or gas of any kind in-
jected into a living vessel, speedily destroys life. To pre-
vent so fearful an accident the enlarged capacity of the
syringe is recommended.
eee The water being injected, should the pulse regain its

isrot 1x70 inflammatory character, mingle half a drachm of aconite

ux Dune: Toet; in powder, with every subsequent antispasmodic

draught. The ethereal drenches must be continued, be-

cause pain of the intestines is always obstinate, and we cannot be cer-

tain how far spasm may cause the agony, seeing that a form of colic
always attends on enteritis.

 
ENTERITIS. 171

Aconite root,in powder. . . . . . . . Halfa drachm.
Sulphuric ether. . 2 2 2. 2. 2)... ) .) Three ounces.
Laudanum . ....... . . . . Three ounces.
Extract of belladonna . . . . . . . ) . «One drachm.
(Rubbed down in water) . . . . . . One pint and a half.

These drinks should be administered as the pain, pulse, and the gen-
eral appearance seem to demand them; they may be employed every
quarter of an hour if requisite. When the pulse is quiet, withdraw the
aconite; should the pain subside, remove the belladonna. The ether
and laudanum may be diminished as the horse appears to be more com-
fortable.

Should the symptoms denote a dead, lingering pain in the abdomen,
after the administration of the eighth drink, procure some strong liquor
ammonia. Dilute this with six times its bulk of cold water. Saturate
a stout cloth with the dilution; lay the cloth upon several folds of rug;

 

THE APPL'CATION OF AN AMMONIACAL BLISTER IN ENTERITIS.

obtain four resolute men with not very sensitive eyes or noses, and let
them hold the cloth close to the animal’s abdomen.

The action of the ammonia must be from time to time observed. It
is a most powerful agent; in certain states it can blister in ten minutes;
in other conditions, it requires half an hour to take that effect. It is
very uncertain; but, if held too long, it may dissolve the skin and leave
behind a fearful sore, which will establish a lasting blemish. He who
employs it will understand he is using that which must not be abused.
The removal of the cloth allows the ammonia to evaporate, and, conse-
quently, at any moment effectually checks all further action.

When all is accomplished, should the progress of the disease be effect-
ually stayed, but the cure not be complete, sprinkle on the tongue the
following powder every second hour :—
172 ACUTE DYSENTERY.

Calomel . . . . . .... |... «. Halfa drachm.
Opium 2 4 2 2 & £4 4.) # se ¥ = 4 -Onedrachm.

But stop all the other medicine as soon as the subsidence of the symp-
toms will permit. The food is now of all importance: bran, in enteritis,
is positive poison; mashes are not to be thought of; linseed is too feed-
ing for an inflammatory subject. The same objection may be taken to
gruel; hay tea, or pails of boiling water poured upon a pound of flour,
must sustain the body for the first day after recovery ; on the next day,
a feed of boiled roots may be introduced, but not the whole quantity
at once; that must be divided into three meals. Then the amount may
be doubled, and thus the full bulk of provender be by degrees attained ;
afterward a few crushed and scalded oats may be mixed with the rest at
each meal; but it should be some time before hay is permitted to irritate
and distend the lately inflamed surfaces.

Enteritis is a fearful disorder; he who has witnessed one death by that
terrible malady should have received an awful rebuke. The post-mor-
tem examination best describes the violence of the affection. The in-
testines, generally the large intestines, are black and swollen; often in
color they approach to a green. Their structure is destroyed; they tear
upon a touch, and are so loaded with inflamed blood that one division
of the bowels may form no inconsiderable burden for a strong man.

The above directions, the intelligent reader will fully comprehend, are
not pronounced in any absolute sense. No two cases of any violent dis-
order are precisely similar; the forms, therefore, prescribed in these
pages admit of variations. They are given only as suited to the gener-
ality of attacks; they may be lessened or augmented, as circumstances
demand or as discretion dictates. It would be as easy to make a shoe
which should fit all feet, as to name medicines or point out the quanti-
ties which should be adapted to all maladies.

ACUTE DYSENTERY.

Diarrhea may be banished from the list of diseases to which horse-
flesh is liable. Certain animals will purge during work; others will
scour upon the smallest change of diet; such peculiarities, however,
mostly check themselves; they demand very slight or no remedial treat-
ment. Unlike diarrhea in the human subject, they never terminate in
death; but dysentery is as violent as diarrhcea is mild. The length and
size of the intestines render any disease within them a very serious
affair. There are two kinds of dysentery, the acute and the chronic;
the acute form of disease will constitute the subject of the present
article.
ACUTE DYSENTERY. 173

The cause of acute dysentery is always some acrid substance taken
into the stomach—generally aloes, combined with some preparation of
croton; other substances will, however, induce an inflammatory purga-
tion. Such a result may ensue upon the injudicious use of arsenic, cor-
rosive sublimate, tartar emetic, blue-stone, etc. ete. Many of these
substances will be eaten if mixed with the corn—the instinct which pro-
tects the lives of other animals being destroyed in the horse by ages of
domestication. Others may be ignorantly administered with the very
best of intention.

The symptoms often are obscure at the commencement; there is ab-
dominal pain; so there is in most intestinal disorders. The agony may
readily be mistaken for the pangs attendant on spasmodic colic. On
other occasions, the suffering may be slight, not even sufficient at first to
destroy the appetite. No poison acts upon two bodies in precisely the
same manner; violent purgation is generally the first marked sign which
makes known the nature of the disorder. The feces soon become mere
discolored water; the thirst is then excessive; the stench is most offen-
sive; the pulse, from being hard, shortly becomes thick and feeble, and
ultimately it is intermittent; the countenance is haggard; the position
of the body expresses abdominal pain. Perspirations break forth in
patches; tympanitis starts up, and death speedily ensues.

It is of little use to inquire, while the animal is suffering, what has

 

A HORSE SUFFERING FROM DRASTIC POISON.

provoked the superpurgation; it is then most desirable, if possible, to
remove the effect. The best chance of accomplishing this is by destroying
174 ACUTE DYSENTERY.

the pain that exhausts the strength, thereby affording nature the better
chance of vanquishing the irritation. Ether, opium, belladonna, chalk,
and catechu present the best means of doing this. These agents, when
combined, support the body, allay the anguish, and check the purgation;
blended with thick linseed tea, which will in some measure supply the
mucus lost to the bowels, they therefore form a good drink for most
occasions.

Sulphuric ether. . . . . . . . . « « . One ounce.
Latdaniim: 4.2. . « BS ss rw ce <2 Three-ounces.
Liquor potasse . . . . . . . . . . . . Halfan ounce.
Powdered chalk . . . . .. . . . . . One ounce.
Tincture ofcatechu . . . .. . . . . +. One ounce.
Cold linseed tea. . . One pint.

Give, throughout the acute stage, every quarter of an hour.

At the same time cleanse the quarters, plait up the tail, and throw up
copious injections of cold linseed tea. Expect the horse to become
greatly prostrated when amendment commences. The entire of the irri-
tating agent must be expelled from the body before improvement can be
witnessed. The subsequent recovery is announced by a pause in the
symptoms; the disease appears to be stationary, whereas previously
everything denoted a hastening termination.

That pause is one of suspense, for no one can say what will follow; some-
times the cessation of agony precedes immediate dissolution; sometimes
recovery dates from that event. The animal, upon the slightest change
being exhibited, must still be assiduously attended. Care must never
cease; and, after recovery is confirmed, the food for a week must con-
sist of linseed tea, hay tea, and gruel. On the expiration of the week,
a few boiled roots may be added, three of the drinks previously ordered
being administered every day. Do not bother about the bowels; no
matter, should the animal be constipated for a fortnight subsequent to
the thorough emptying of acute dysentery. Upon the termination of a
fortnight, stop all medicine, and allow some crushed, scalded oats and
beans; withdraw some of the slops as the solids advance; but let a full
month expire before a drop of cold water or a mouthful of hay are per-
mitted to be swallowed.

To escape the loss of so large a piece of property as a living horse,
it is imperative the notion should be abandoned which asserts that be-
cause the horse can swallow most opening medicines with impunity, a
strong purgative cannot otherwise than benefit the animal; the deduc-
tion is not fairly drawn. But not to follow up too closely so lame a
prey: aloes is the general purgative in the stable; it is a drug which
should never be intrusted to the hands of the groom. The difference
CHRONIC DYSENTERY. 195

between the necessary and the poisonous dose is too close for the un-
educated to comprehend it; more horses have been slaughtered with
aloes than have perished from all the other poisons conjoined. Yet
grooms are particularly fond of this medicine; the dangerous drug
enters into every ball which is popular in the stable; no matter how
opposite the end desired may be, in the groom’s opinion aloes must
produce it. Like the majority of the uneducated, the stable-man re-
joices in a strong purge. Tenesmus is his delight; he loves to see six-
teen or eighteen full motions, and then he cannot comprehend why the
horse is weak, since the physic passed beautifully through him!

Of all persons living, grooms generally are the most prejudiced and
the worst informed. All advice is disregarded; should the master
speak, the groom shakes his head, and, after the lecture is ended, in-
quires of himself, “what the old buffer can know about it?” Here is
the curse of horses! Gentlemen transfer them to the custody of the
uneducated. The groom is accepted as an authority; the master asks
for and is mostly governed by the opinion of an inferior. No other
servant possesses such a power; no domestic more abuses his position,
the carriage and the harness maker, the corn merchant, and the veteri-
nary surgeon all pay this person five per cent. upon the employer’s bills;
nothing comes on to the premises but the man claims a profit from it,
nothing leaves the stable but is regarded as his perquisite. He thus,
while occupying a situation of trust, has an absolute interest in the ex-
travagance of the expenditure. Wear and tear of the articles over
which he watches brings to him actual emolument; his interest and his
duty are at war, and when a weak person has to decide the battle, it is
easy to understand on which part the victory will be declared.

CHRONIC DYSENTERY.

This affliction is not so common among horses as it is with cattle;
neither is it so frequent at the present day as it appears to have formerly
been. Once it was termed “molten grease,” from an unfounded notion
that liquid fat was discharged with the feces. Now it is known that what
our ancestors took for grease is no more than the mucus, which is ex-
pelled during every form of severe intestinal irritation.

The cause of chronic dysentery among horses is not well understood.
It is said to follow diarrhea; but such an explanation seems to con-
found the commencement of one disorder with the establishment of
another disease. Horses having chronic dysentery are, generally, old
animals, which are subject to the will of a very poor or a very penurious
man. They are badly kept, and may have to grub a scanty living from
176 CHRONIC DYSENTERY.

lanes and hedgerows; also, they are goaded to hard work upon watery
food and sour grass. In such cases, disturbance of the bowels should
be early attended to. The food should be immediately changed. Good
sound oats and beans should be freely given, while the following drink is
administered thrice daily :—

Orude opium’: . +. 4s 4% » + 4 » » « Halfan ounce:
Liquor potasse . . . 2. 2. 2. 1 1...) One ounce.
Chalk 4. 2-s 4.6 & XS be ES 2 a = = ‘Onevounce:
Tincture of all-spice . 2. . . . . . . . ) . One ounce.
AdUME = A 3 Half an ounce.

Mix with a quart of good ale, stir briskly, and give.

Should the primary symptom not be attended to, profuse purgation
may ensue without excitement; but always will happen upon any exer-
tion or the drinking of cold water. Violent straining often follows;
the belly enlarges; the flesh wastes; the bones protrude; the skin is
hide-bound; the visible mucous membranes become pallid; weakness
increases; perspiration often bursts forth without occasion; the horse
will stand still for hours, not grazing, nor seemingly being conscious that
grass was within its reach.

At length a living skeleton alone remains of that which was a horse.
The eyes have a sleepy, sad, and pathetic expression; the head is often

 

A HORSE SUFFERING UNDER CHRONIC DYSENTERY.

turned slowly toward the flanks; the sight remains fixed for some
moments upon the seat of pain; the horse stands on one spot, or only
changes it when the bowels are about to act; colic at length sets in,
CHRONIC DYSENTERY. 177

though frequently it is present earlier; and the wretched quadruped then
fades speedily away.

It is a general practice to turn animals suffering from chronic dysen-
tery upon some village common. The horse is put there with scanty
food and no shelter, under a plea of humanity, or ‘to give the old ’oss a
last chance.” There can be no feeling in placing a diseased animal far
away from sight or help, where it must pine, shiver, and starve, in a
dreary solitude.

Supposing the affected life to be claimed by a generous master, either
of the following drinks may be given, thrice daily :—

Sulphurieether. . 2.4 « 2 4% « A « ~ Oneounce,
Laudanum ......... . . . . Three ounces.
Liquor potasse . . . . . . . . . . . . Halfan ounce.
Powdered chalk . .... . . =... . One ounce.
Tincture of catechu . . . . . . . . . . One ounce.
Cold linseed tea. . . . . 2... . . . . One pint.
Choloroform . ........ . . +. . Halfan ounce.
Extract of belladonna . . ... . . . . Halfa drachm.
Carbonate ofammonia .... . . . . . QOnedrachm.
Powdered camphor . ..... . . . . Halfa drachm.
Tincture of oak bark . . . 2... . .) .) . «One ounce.
Cold linseed tea . ...... =. . +. . One pint.

The above drinks may he changed, as either appears to have ceased to
operate. The food should be of the best and lightest description. Boiled
roots, boiled linseed, boiled rice, crushed and boiled malt, etc. etc.; no
hay. The body should be frequently dressed, and always clothed. A
good bed ought to be allowed. The lodging must be well drained and
roomy.

Yet, after all this trouble, a speedy cure is not to be expected; and
rarely does an old horse, should it recover, prove highly useful. How
sad, however, is that condition where the continuance of the life is made
conditional upon the service of the body—where interest is the only
motive which permits existence! No sympathy to be anticipated in suf-
fering; no pity in disease! The only feeling that actuates the custodian
is a cold regard for the gain which the jaded being can yet bring him. A
life of usefulness, years of toil, injuries sustained and accidents sur-
mounted,—all cannot win a day’s respite from the doom which attends
the creature whose exertions in man’s service have led to the disablement
of its powers. Such, however, is the fate of the horse in England, which
land specially boasts it is a “Christian country.”

Chronic dysentery is the inheritance which the horse earns from being
subjected to the dominion of man. Excessive labor, filthy lodging, and

12
178 ACITES.

innutritious diet are the causes. Each of these causes increases as the
age advances.

Prior to its domestication, the horse might not have found on every
spot an abundance of excellent fodder; but then it was at liberty to seek
a better fare in another place. Man has taken away all power of choice;
he forces the creature to toil, and obliges it to eat only that which par-
simony may afford to place before it. When so vast and so absolute a
power is claimed, it becomes a positive duty to see the mere animal
necessities are satisfied: it is cruel folly to tax the powers and to stint
the body. It is a crime to undertake a trust and then confide the fulfill-
ment of its responsibility to an ignorant inferior. It is a sin to seize on
life and to neglect the prisoner you hold in captivity. Where existence
is claimed as a property, and animation is forced to wear out being in
labor for the master’s profit, surely the least obligation the superior could
own should be the provision of ample lodging and fitting sustenance!
Both are withheld from the aged horse.

ACITES, OR DROPSY OF THE ABDOMEN.

In the horse, acute peritonitis is unknown, save as the result of oper-
ation; then its fury takes possession of the cavity and generally refuses
to yield to medicine. It is different, however, with chronic peritonitis,
which, though not a common disorder, is too often encountered to be
esteemed a rare disease. It is, when early noticed, tractable; but the
earlier symptoms are generally not understood. The first sign is a rag-
ged coat and a tender state of the abdomen; the horse, which was pas-
sive previously, now shrinks from the curry-comb; snaps and kicks at him
who dresses it. Such actions are viewed as denoting a return of spirit.
Intending to encourage the favorite quality of the stable, the flank is
violently struck or slapped by the servant; and the indication forced
from a dumb animal by agony, is by grooms regarded as the proof of
reviving animation.

Masters should, in justice to themselves if from no higher motive, visit
the stable more frequently than is their custom. The horse is all gentle-
ness and simplicity; a groom only knows less about the animal than a
child, for he has acquired notions which induce him to misinterpret plain
actions. Every owner of a stable should learn to feel and count the
horse’s pulse; he should be acquainted with the normal standard and its
healthy character; chronic peritonitis might then early be discovered.
The pulse under this disease is hard and small, it vibrates about sixty
times in a minute. The head is pendulous; the food is oftener spoiled,
rather scattered about than eaten; the membranes are pale and the
ACITES. 179

mouth is dry; pressure upon the abdomen elicits a groan, and turning
in the stall always calls forth a grunt.

When such symptoms are observed, the food should be small in bulk,
but nutritious in quality; no work should be imposed; the medicine
should be tonic and alterative.

Strychnia . . . . . . <A quarter of a grain, worked gradually up to one
grain.

Iodide of iron. . . . . Half a drachm, worked gradually up to one
drachm and a half.

Extract of belladonna . . One scruple.

Extract of gentian . . . <A sufficiency.

Powdered quassia a A sufficiency.
Make into a ball; give one at night and at morning.

Small blisters should succeed each other upon the abdomen; but as
these cases are always tedious and very much depends upon the consti-
tution of the animal, charity alone should propose such a disease for
treatment, as the general termination of the malady is incurable dropsy
of the abdomen.

Acites offers a good illustration of the loss inhumanity brings down
upon man, and of the gain which would attend a loftier conduct. Chronic
peritonitis attacks aged animals; such horses are used only for harness
purposes. Few masters inquire what propels the carriage, so the vehicle
gets over the ground. The affected quadruped cannot drag its own
body; thus more than double duty is cast upon the sound steed. The
single horse has not only to draw the entire carriage and its load, but it
also has to pull along its disabled companion. Servants frequently hide
defects, hoping that time will remedy them, or dreading the reception
proverbially given to the bearer of bad tidings; thus the sound horse
ultimately fails, while the sick animal is rendered worse by violent
exercise.

However, with the honesty which seems to prevail in and around the
stable, the diseased horse is often sent to the nearest market. The pro-
prietor, under some strange quibble of conscience, sells to another that
which he is convinced is worthless. A rich master vends and a poor
man buys; the cheatery of such a bargain is obvious, but to such results
always tend a violated contract. The natural contract between man and
horse is outraged; a conditional gift is construed to imply an uncondi-
tional bestowal. The terms are warped according to the convenience
of the receiver; the possibility of any obligation being implied is never
suspected. A few, and very few good people, from feeling only fulfill
the conditions of the bond; but kindness, when bestowed upon the horse,
is regarded as a weakness and a gratuity. From the highest to the
180 ACITES.

lowest, none think that all of animated creatures are born with rights;
no one behaves as though domesticated animals were only intrusted to
the care of man. Violation of moral conditions begins the evil, which
ends in cheatery and robbery of one another.

The symptoms which announce that the serous membrane has effused
water into the abdomen are a want of spirit; constant lying down and
remaining in one position for a long period; perpetual restlessness;
thirst; loss of appetite; thinness; weakness; enlarged abdomen; con-
stipation and hide-bound.

The enlargement of the belly has something peculiar in it; the swell-
ing lies toward the inferior portion of the abdomen. Near the loins
there is apparently an empty space; if the hamd be placed on the en-
largement, and another person strikes the belly on the opposite side, a
sense of fluctuation can be distinctly felt. If the horse be thrown upon
its back, the swelling will, with the change of position, gravitate toward
the loins. At length small bags containing fluid depend from the chest
and the inferior surface of the belly. Should the disease be suffered to
progress, the sheath and one leg generally enlarge; the hair of the mane

 

 

A HORSE WITH ACITES, OR ABDOMINAL DROPSY.

breaks off and is easily pulled out. Where once hung the tail now re-
mains little more than the dock with a few scattered hairs. Ultimately
purgation starts up, which terminates the suffering.

Of course, after effusion, all treatment is powerless—creatures in the
last stage of dropsy presenting sights which the mind shudders to con-
template; objects of this kind are sometimes to be seen on commons in
INFLUENZA. 181

the neighborhood of London. They are turned out to die miserably
under the plea of humanity; the utmost limit of cruelty is justified or
made pleasant by a pretense to sympathy. The poor horse literally
starves; were there food to eat, the remaining strength would not serve
to collect it. Still the proprietor is so very humane he cannot, endure
to destroy the property he has paid for; the poor animal is therefore
thrust forth to cheaply live, or to die without trouble to its owner.

INFLUENZA.

This affection may rage throughout the kingdom, or it may he located
upon a very circumscribed spot. In a disorder so eccentric, it is very
difficult to decide the question whether or not it is contagious; it com-
monly runs through the stable in which it appears; but it does not in-
variably attack every animal within the building. It may, in a large
edifice, first seize the horse nearest the door, then travel to the stall
farthest from the entrance; thus it skips about without regularity, and
often spares many individuals.

Occasionally influenza fixes upon an animal when in the field; but it
is a more probable visitant of the stable: this is a seeming proof that
the contagion does not reside in the air, since the atmosphere is as much
as possible excluded from every mews. We may conjecture it is not
dependent upon any vapor exuding from the earth, since the creatures
whose noses are nearly always in contact with the herbage are, of all
others, least liable to the affection.

It is terrible to contemplate the suffering and loss of life which have
been consequent upon the errors of mankind. Influenza is regarded as
a new disease; a new name deceives the world, though it is more than
probable that a disorder of a low, febrile, and typhoid character has
prevailed among animals for many ages. Nature has, for thousands of
years, been striving to enforce the self-evident truth that man is by
moral obligation bound to provide for the welfare of the animal he
enslaves. His gain or the inclination of his will can be no argument
against the fulfillment of so plain a duty; the implied contract, the com-
mon parent of all living things, has been emphasizing with sickness and
with death; all has been to no purpose. Cunning men have been
employed, and nostrums have been invented to maintain misrule; wealth
has been sacrificed and ruin endured, to uphold an unrighteous cause;
but the voice of nature pleading for her children has not been under-
stood.

Even at this day the old fault is to be met with on every hand; it is
exhibited by the rich as well as by the poor, by the highly educated and
182 INFLUENZA.

by the very ignorant. In every place exist horses of fabulous excellence
in the master’s opinion, imprisoned within walls which exclude the vital
air. The roof may not permit the animal’s head to be raised, the sides
may not allow the body to be turned; the fumes within the walls shall
oppress the lungs and sting the eyes of the man who enters the build-
ing; yet within a circumscribed space, so foul and pestilential, the horse
is doomed to exist. Then the animal’s disease is heard of with surprise,
and its death is lamented as a misfortune |

What cause is there for grief or for wonder, if impurity does gener-
ate disease and death? What need has man to ape the martyr, because
influenza starts from the contamination which by human will has been
created? The pest once originated sweeps onward, nor can mortal ex-
clamation nor mortal sorrow check the course of the destroyer; all fall
alike before the scourge. The filthy and the cleanly alike are stricken;
yet neither masters nor legislators can draw wisdom from the visitation.

In influenza there is no difficulty in pointing to the structure affected ;
it would, however, be hard to allude to the part which was not involved.
The weakness and stupidity which accompany the affection declare the
brain and nervous system to be diseased. Local swellings show the
cellular tissue to be deranged; heat and pain in the limbs and joints
announce the serous, the ligamentous, and osseous structures implicated.
The muscular and digestive functions are acutely disordered; the rapid
wasting of the flesh demonstrate the absorbents are excited. There is
no portion of the body which can escape the ravage of influenza.

Youth, or rather the approach of adultism, is the favorite season of
the attack, which is most prevalent during the spring time of the year.
There is, however, no period or any age which are altogether exempt
from its influence.

All kinds of treatment have been experimented with. Bleeding,
purging, blistering, setoning have all been tried, and each has destroyed
more lives than the whole can hoast of having saved; experience has by
slow degrees shown the inutility of active treatment. Bold measures,
as those plans are termed which add to another’s suffering, commonly
end in hydrothorax or water on the chest.

It is difficult to determine when the first symptom of influenza is
present. The author is indebted to the acuteness of Mr. T. W. Gow-
ing, V. 8., of Camden Town, for a knowledge of a marked indication
declarative of the presence of influenza. A yellowness of the mucous
membranes, best shown on the conjunctiva or white of the eye, is very
characteristic. Whenever the sign is seen and sudden weakness re-
marked, caution should be practiced, for it is ten to one that the pes-
tilence is approaching. Influenza is a very simulative disorder; it has
INFLUENZA. 183

appeared as laminitis; disease of the lungs is, perhaps, its favorite type.
Bowel complaints are apt to imitate each other; blowing generally com-
mences such disorders. But when influenza is prevalent, let the body’s
strength and the yellowness or redness of the membranes be always
looked to before any more prominent indication is particularly observed.

The other symptoms—which, however, are very uncertain, as regards
any of them being present or absent—are pendulous head, short breath,
inflamed membranes, swollen lips, dry mouth, enlarged eyelids, copious
tears, sore throat, tucked up flanks, compressed tail, filled legs, big
joints, lameness and hot feet. Auscultation may detect a grating sound
at the chest, or a noise like brickbats falling down stairs at the wind-
pipe; whenever this last peculiarity is audible there is a copious nasal
discharge. Sometimes one foot is acutely painful, and, notwithstand-
ing the weakness, the leg is held in the air. Purgation has been wit-
nessed, although constipation usually prevails, and the animal generally
stands during the continuance of the disorder.

Move the horse slowly to a well-littered, loose box; mind the door

 

CONFIRMED INFLUENZA.

does not open to the north or to the east. No food will be eaten; but
suspend a pail of well-made gruel within easy reach of the animal’s
head. Let the gruel be changed or the receptacle replenished at stated
periods, thrice daily; sprinkle one scruple of calomel upon the tongue
and wash it down with a drink composed of sulphuric either, one ounce;
laudanum, one ounce; water, half a pint; do this night and morning.
Should the weakness be excessive, double the quantity of ether and of
laudanum contained in the draughts. Watch the pulse—it always is
feeble, but at first has a wiry feeling. So soon as the character of the
pulse changes or the wiry sensation departs, which generally happens
when the nasal discharge becomes copious and cough appears, one pot
184 ABDOMINAL INJURIES.

of stout may be allowed, and some nourishing food, as bread, on which a
very little salt has been sprinkled, may be offered by hand. The horse
feels man to be its master and appreciates any attention bestowed upon
it in the hour of sickness. It will stand still to be caressed, and advance
its hanging ears to catch the accents of sympathy.

Beware of what is termed active treatment; a purgative is death dur-
ing influenza. It generally will induce the prostration from which the
animal never recovers. Formerly it was common to see four strong
men propping up a horse during its endeavor to walk. But the lower
class are fond of joking one with another. Such was the usual result of
their employment on these occasions. In the fun the horse got but par-
tial support, while the noise distressed the diseased sensibilities. Horses

ae
j :

 

A COMMON SIGHT DURING RECOVERY FROM INFLUENZA, WHEN ACTIVELY TREATED.

have large sympathies, and readily comprehend the attentions dictated
by kindness. The disregard which people too often display toward
sickness in an animal acutely pains the creature: its effects may be told
by the altered character of the pulse. Whereas the voice, when softened
by pity, often causes the heavy head to be turned toward the speaker;
and the muzzle of a diseased inmate of the stable has frequently reposed
long upon the chest of the writer.

ABDOMINAL INJURIES.

These are of various kinds. They differ materially, but they all pro-
voke inflammation of the vast serous membranes lining the abdominal
cavity; and their symptoms are therefore too nearly alike to be distin-
guished from each other. A mere list of such perils must astonish the
reader; and his pity will be excited when he learns that such accidents,
numerous as they are, generate the most violent agony. These injuries
consist of ruptured diaphragm, ruptured stomach, ruptured spleen,
ABDOMINAL INJURIES. 185

ruptured intestines, strangulation, intro-susception, impactment, and cal-
culus.

Ruptured diaphragm is attended with a soft cough, and symptoms
of broken wind—occasioned by the almost sole employment of the
abdominal muscles—with sitting on the haunches. Still, Professor

 
   
  

 
  
 

Wy

* \ A\Y AN
We
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SSS

 

AN UNNATURAL ATTITUDE, INDICATIVE OF SOME ABDOMINAL INJURY.

Spooner, of the Royal Veterinary College, mentioned in his lectures
that an animal belonging to the Zoological Society lived two years
with a ruptured diaphragm, through which the bowel protruded into
the thorax. In the horse such a lesion is speedily fatal.

A position so unnatural as that of sitting on the haunches may

 

A POSITION OFTEN ASSUMED BY THE HORSE SUFFERING FROM ABDOMINAL INJURY.

denote something very wrong to be present; but it gives no definite
direction to our ideas. Animals are known to have assumed it, and
186 ABDOMINAL INJURIES.

subsequently to have recovered. The diaphragm when it yields gener-
ally gives way upon the tendinous portion. Through the opening the
peristaltic action soon causes the bowels to obtrude; and death is pro-
duced by displacement and strangulation of the intestine. The posture
previously delineated is common to all injuries of the abdomen; so is
the opposite peculiarity—or the horse remaining upon its chest. The
last attitude may not, to most persons, appear so strange, seeing that
the creature assumes it whenever it rises or lies down. Then, however,
it is only momentary. When it denotes abdominal injury, it is com-
paratively of long continuance. At the same time the breathing and
the countenance bespeak the greatest internal anguish.

Ruptured spleen is the gentlest death of all those which spring from
abdominal injury. The spleen
is at present a mystery to veter-
inary science. It has been dis-
covered after death of enormous
size; but the symptoms during
life had not led to the expecta-
tion of any very serious disorder.
Ruptured spleen and ruptured
liver are both productive of
similar symptoms; both answer
to the same tests, and the term-
ination of each is alike.

Ruptured stomach mostly
happens with old and enfeebled
horses. Night cab-horses are very liable to it; so also are animals of
heavy draught. The drivers often neglect to take out the nose-bags.
The horse’s most urgent necessities always yield to man’s passing con-
venience; so the creature has to journey
far or to remain out till the empty stomach
grows debilitated. It is then taken home
aud placed before abundance. Elsewhere
this folly has been commented upon. It
was shown that light food and perfect rest
were the best restoratives for an exhausted
frame. The drivers, however, refuse to be

ACU DHORED SrOwONE taught. The horse eats and eats. No con-
traction of the exhausted stomach warns

the animal when to stop. The viscus is crammed. Then digestion
endeavors to commence. With rest the organ recovers some tone. The
muscular coat of the sac starts into action, and, encountering opposition,

 

TEST FOR HEMORRHAGE FROM THE SPLEEN.

 
ABDOMINAL INJURIES. 187

the vital powers exert themselves with the greater energy. The stomach
is thus burst by its own inherent force; the largest division of its vari-
ous structures always being exhibited by the elastic peritoneal covering
—the lesser rent being left upon the inelastic mucous lining membrane.
Excessive colic, followed by tympanitis, are the only general symptoms
which attend ruptured stomach. The history of the case, if it can be
obtained, is, however, a better guide; but there are too often interested
motives for distorting the facts. Vomition through the nostrils has
been thought to particularize ruptured stomach; but experience has
ascertained that vomition may be induced by any lesion which is suf-
ficiently great to cause revulsion of the system.

Intro-susception is always preceded by colic. The last-named affec-
tion causes portions of the bowels to contract. Such
contracted intestines become small, firm, and stiff.
They are, while in that condition, by the peristaltic
action readily pushed up other portions of the canal,
which are of the natural size. The entrance of the
contracted bowel acts upon the healthy tube as if it
were a foreign substance. Contractibility is ex-
cited. The displaced and intruding bowel is grasped = "8. NT»sTINE_pivipep so

A THE
as by a vice, and the accident is of that kind which ee ok am eEe
provokes its own continuance. Cure is hopeless,
while consciousness remains; the only hope is the administration of
chloroform in full and long-continued doses; thereby to arrest vitality
and chance the release of the imprisoned gut. While intro-susception
lasts, all passage is effectually stopped. Inflammation soon commences,
and the symptoms of outrageous colic are exhibited. However, such
is not always the case. Mr. Woodger,
veterinary surgeon of Bishop’s Mews,
Paddington, attended a case of this de-
scription, in which the symptoms present
seemed to denote congestion of the lungs.

Invagination is here used to express
the entrance of one entire division of the
bowels within another. In this sense it
is chiefly witnessed upon the large intes- Te cacum tyvacrnaten wrrmty THE coLoN,

AND BLACK FROM INTENSE INFLAMMATION.
tines; whereas intro-susception is mostly
present upon the smaller bowels. The mesentery must be ruptured
before such an accident can take place; but then the agony attendant
upon the previous derangement is so powerful that it is impossible for
the hugeness of this lesion to increase the violence of the torture; nor
is there any sign by which so sad a catastrophe can be predicated.

 

 
188 ABDOMINAL INJURIES.

Before strangulation can possibly occur, the mesentery must be sun-
dered. It almost always happens to a portion of the small intestines.
The bowel, freed from its support, soon involves itself with numerous
complications; or the rent membrane may twine round a knuckle of the
gut.

 

A ENUCELE OF INTESTINE STRAN-
GULATED BY THE RUPTURED RUPTURE OF THE SMALL
MESENTERY. INTESTINES,

The above illustration, however, shows one of the simplest forms in
which the accident can possibly take place; but no person, however
acute, could distinguish between strangulation from rupture of the intes-
tines. The last generally occurs upon the smaller bowels, and happens
to the interspaces upon the superior portion of the tube, between the
vessels which nourish the digestive canal. The ingesta is consequently
forced between the layers of the mesentery. The most intense anguish,
inflammation, and death are the consequences.

Calculus or stone may be present, either in the stomach or in the
canal. Those in the stomach are of small size; those within the intes-
tines may attain the weight of more than
twenty pounds. Those of the stomach are
always smooth, as also may be those of the
bowels. To the intestines, however, there
are common three kinds of, or differently
composed calculi: the triple phosphate or
the earthy; one formed of the minute hairs

which originally surrounded the kernel of

mMCALCULUS AAS QUuITED, Ware aNorare the oat; and another composed of dung,
FIRMLY GRASPED 1? as To nUPTUREIx, held together by the mucous secretion of the
os bowel. Any of these calculi may, as the
size increases, gradually stretch the intestine; thus forming a living sac
within which the stone abides. While it remains there, the food passes
over it and no injury is occasioned. But by any movement it is likely
to be dislodged and thrown into the healthy channel. There it is firmly
grasped with such force as to produce rupture of the intestine, and the
hold is only relaxed after inflammation has ended in mortification and in
death. The bowels, in trut», are impacted by calculus. The passage

 
ABDOMINAL INJURIES. 189

is stopped. However different the causes of abdominal injury may
appear, they are each generally characterized by the severest possible
abdominal pain. This symptom is often so violent that the agony con-
ceals all other indications; or if any others can be exhibited, they are
so partially shown and displayed for so very brief a space as not to per-
mit of their being rightly interpreted.

It is very desirable that every one should witness a powerful horse in
its agony. No stronger means could be found for enforcing such a les-
son than the sufferings which spring from abdominal injuries. When
this is proposed it is not intended the person should look on misery
only so long as the spectacle stimulated his feelings; but that he should
watch hour after hour and behold the afflicted life resigned under the
pressure of mighty torment. Were such a sight once contemplated—
were man fully conscious of how brimming with horrible expression
every feature of the horse’s frame can become—the thought of anguish
wrenching life out of so huge a trunk would surely compel the better |
treatment of a gentle, inoffensive, and serviceable slave. Ruptured
stomach a little forethought would prevent. The triple phosphate cal-
culus is common among millers’ horses, which are foully fed from the
sweepings of the shop. But if man will oblige duty to bow before con-
venience, or make it secondary to expense, the misery he inflicts will
surely in justice recoil upon himself.

Abdominal injuries are probably the sources of the greatest agony
horse-flesh can endure. ‘T'o account for the generality of such lesions, it
is merely necessary to regard the places in which horses are housed and
the manner in which they are fed. In the owner’s estimation a horse
seems to be a horse, in the same sense as a table is a table. Both ob-
jects are necessary to his comfort, to his pride, or to his profit. Neither
have higher claims. Both are to be used and to be flung aside. The
one is to be cleaned and repaired at the cheapest rate; the other is to
be lodged and supported at the lowest cost. When either grow old in
his service, each is equally to be discarded. The two things apparently
rank in man’s estimation as simple chattels subject to his will and made
to please his fancy. That there is a huge life, a breathing sensibility
attached to one of these articles; that it delights in its master’s pleasure,
and, if properly trained, it is capable of sharing its master’s emotions,
is so preposterous a sentimentality as to be “with scorn rejected.”

Nobody speaks of the horse as a creature enjoying man’s highest
gift—as a living animal. Everybody talks about his or her constitu-
tion; but no one imagines the horse has a constitution which can be
destroyed. All horses are expected to thrive equally. They are re-
garded as things to be used, and to be sold or packed away when not
190 WORMS.

required. They are obliged to live by man’s direction, and are expected
to display the highest spirit whenever they are taken abroad. Should
it be astonishing if the framework nature has so exquisitely balanced
occasionally becomes deranged under man’s barbarous and selfish sway ?
Is it cause for legitimate wonder if, under so coarse a rule, disease some-
times assumes strange forms, or attacks parts which are beyond the
reach of human science ?

WORMS.

Worms are of various kinds; but all, according to the notions of
ignorance, announce their presence by particular symptoms. The para-
sites, when really present, can, however, cause no more than intestinal
irritation, the continuance of which may give rise to several disorders.
Chronic indigestion is by the groom always recognized as a ‘‘wormy
condition.”

The only certain proof of the existence of such annoyances is visible
evidence. Upon suspicion, careful horse proprietors may administer
certain medicine, because some physics only cool the body and cleanse
the system. The generality of worm-powders are, however, too potent
to be safe. Like all drugs sold as ‘certain cures,” they are so powerful
that they frequently do more than remove the disorder which they pre-
tend to eradicate—for they also destroy the animals to which they are
administered.

Having premised thus much, the author will now commence to describe
the usual form of irritation to which worms of
different kinds give rise.

The parasite especially inimical to colts is
the tenia or tape-worm. It is mostly per-
petuated by the farmer’s prejudice, which pro-
cures foals from dams that are done up for
work: which starves the mother till her pro-
duce runs by her side, and which attempts to
rear young stock upon the sour grass of a pub-
lic common. Both sire and dam should be in
perfect health if a valuable colt is desired:
neither can be too good. The mare should not,
during gestation, be “turned out” to distend
the abdomen with watery provender—to have

gun TENIA on TAPE-worm, the stomach and intestines filled with bots—to

allow filth and excretions to accumulate upon
the coat and to check the healthy functions of the skin. Gentle work,
only sufficient to earn the stable-keep, will injure no animal. The mare

 
WORMS. 191

will rather be benefited by moderate exercise, and by also having all the
food and attention to which she has become habituated. But to expose
amare during the summer months, and to stint the animal during the
winter season, can produce nothing which shall repay the expense of
rearing. The little progeny before it sees the light is the inhabitant of
an unhealthy home; after birth the mother’s secretion is thin, poor, and
watery. It neither satisfies the cravings of hunger nor can nourish a
body into growth. Ill health in the young encourages parasites. The
colt soon becomes the prey of the tenia.

The young when afflicted with the above parasite may not die, but
they are reserved for a miserable
and a useless life. The develop-
ments are checked. The foal grows
up with a large head, low crest,
tumefied abdomen, and long legs.
If it be a male it cannot be oper-
ated upon before the fourth year;
even then it is cast only because
there is no hope of further improve-
ment. le Gppeeie: Cnet ee me cane wae
long time of rearing is more than
good; the ribs, nevertheless, are not covered with flesh; the dung is
not well comminuted—it is friable and sometimes partially coated with
slime; the anus projects—occa-
sionally it is soiled by adherent
strips of tenacious mucus, al-
most like to membrane; the
coat is unhealthy; the breath
fetid; the animal may rub its
nose violently against a wall or
remain straining it upward for
a considerable time; the eye
becomes unnaturally bright ;
the colt begins to pick and bite
its body, often pulling off hair

 

 

by the mouthful. ¢ AR

All this agony and the depri- Hoek =

i l A COLT PICKING THE HAIR FROM ITS LEG BECAUSE OF
vation of a life depends on the apo

parsimony of man. Women

know that the body during certain times requires extra nutriment.
Thus delicate ladies in peculiar states are accustomed to take ‘hearty
pulls” at porter or at stout. It is very general for physiologists to
192 WORMS.

4

argue from animals up to man. Why should not the custom be reversed ?
Why should not veterinary science reason from the human being down
to the horse, and thereby instruct the stolid in the necessary require-
ments of the mare during particular states? “Stint the dam and starve
the foal” is certainly a true proverb.

Tenia is best destroyed by the spirits of turpentine in the following

quantities :—

IN HORI) oo. hice ee ae os Bt: oe Soe VEWordrachms.

Three months old . . . . . . . . Halfan ounce.
Sixmonths. . . .... . . . . One ounce.

One year One ounce and a half.
Two years . . . . . .. . . . « Two ounces.

Three years . . . .. +. +s ». « « Three ounces.

Four years and upwards . . . . . . Four ounces.

Procure one pound of quassia chips. Pour into these three quarts
of boiling water. Strain the liquor. Cause the turpentine to blend, by
means of yolks of eggs, with so much of the quassia infusion as may be
necessary. Add one scruple of powdered camphor to the full drink, and
give every morning before allowing any food,

This probably may kill the worms; but as every link of the tenia is
a distinct animal of both sexes, and capable of producing itself, the eggs
must be numerous. For the destruction of these, nourishing prepared
food is essential, such as gruel, scalded oats, ete.; but little or no hay.
At the same time a tonic will be of all service. Take

Liquor arsenicalis . . . . . From one to eight drachms.

Muriated tincture ofiron . . . From one and ahalf to twelve drachms.
Extract of belladonna . . . . From ten grains to two drachms.

Ale or goodstout . . . . . Halfa pint to a quart.

Mix. Give every morning to the animal—strength being proportioned to age—
till the coat is glossy.
Lumbrici are more dreadful to contemplate than they appear to be

  

THE LUMBRICUS, A WORM NOT AN ASCARIDIS, A STRONGULUS,
PECULIAR TO HORSES. ONE- NATURAL SIZE. NATURAL SIZE.
FOURTH OF THE NATURAL SIZE.

fearful in reality; specimens are not rare which measure eighteen inches,
ASCARIDES AND STRONGULI.

This worm preys upon the weakly, be they old or young.

193

One tenia

will produce immense disturbance; whereas numbers of the lumbrici

will cause little or no effect.

Whoever has remarked the dunghill in a

knacker’s yard has seen it to consist quite as much of lumbrici as of

excrement.
pests with ease and certainty.

Mr. Woodger, of Bishop’s Road, Paddington, removes these
The above-named veterinary surgeon

gives two drachms of tartarized antimony with a sufficiency of common
mass, as a ball, every morning, until the parasites are expelled.

ASCARIDES AND STRONGULI.

These parasites inhabit the large intestines.

a. The sole opening by which
air can enter. It is placed upon
the ground and guarded by a
valve; so that air, after having
entered, cannot leave the in-
strument by this opening.

b. The box containing lighted
tobacco, through which all air
drawn into the instrument must
necessarily pass.

c. The pump.

d. The end of the tube through
which the fumes are driven.

 

They produce extraor-

To load the instrument: un-
screw the lid of the box. Fill
that with lighted tobacco. Fix
on the lid again. Rest the air
entrance upon the ground, and
move the handle of the pump
up and down. By this move-
ment the air is first drawn
through the lighted tobacco
into the pump, and is then sent
through the tube.

THE APPARATUS BY MEANS OF WHICH A TOBACCO SMOKE ENEMA IS ADMINISTERED.

dinary ravages, notwithstanding their insignificant appearance.

last is difficult to eradicate because of the extent
of bowel which it infests. The stronguli will
sometimes eat through important structures, but
the ascarides are always located within the rec-
tum. Then, most medicines being deprived of
activity, are inoperative before they reach the
last locality. For this reason it is best to com-
mence the treatment with injections of train oil.
Should these be followed by no result at the ex-
piration of a week, resort to a solution of catechu
—one ounce to the quart of water: give that
for seven mornings. Upon the eighth, give the
animal a mash, and at night administer a mild
physic ball; about four drachms of aloes and one

The

    

a] N wo

A HORSE THAT HAS RUBBED ITSELP
VIOLENTLY AGAINST A WALL.

drachm of calomel. Repeat the medicine if required; but if not, resort at
once to the arsenicalis and ale or stout, which was recently recommended.
13
194 SPASMODIC COLIC, ETC.

Tobacco smoke enemas are sometimes efficacious when all the pre-
vious measures are powerless. Frequently the posterior irritation is
distressing. It is sometimes so provoking that the horse will thereby
be induced to destroy its personal appearance by rubbing the tail and
quarter violently against the wall, or any rough surface within its reach.
In such cases the injections of train oii are most likely to prove bene-
ficial; the local itching may be in some measure removed by inserting
up the anus a portion of the following ointment night and morning :—

Glycerin; 2. «) & = @ 2 & & we = = & Halfan ounce:
SPermacetl, ac. ae Gwe a ds . . . . One ounce.

Melt the last and blend. When nearly cold, add—

Mercurial ointment (strong) . . . . . . . Three drachms.
Powdered camphor . ... .. . . . . Three drachms.

SPASMODIC COLIC.—FRET.—GRIPES.

Spasmodic colic is an affection which every loiterer about a stable,
from a posthoy to a farrier, imagines he is able to cure. Many attacks
no doubt would depart of themselves; others might be removed by sim-
ple motion. Nevertheless such possible remedies should never be trusted.
Neither should gin and pepper, red pepper and peppermint, hot beer
and mustard, rubbing the abdomen with a broomstick, kneading the
belly violently with a man’s knee, or any popular measure be permitted.
Such remedies are likely to get rid
of colic by causing enteritis. When
inflammation of the bowels thus origi-
nates, it is generally fatal, the strength
being exhausted and the powers of
nature worn out by the previous dis-
order—not to mention the preposses-

NG pnonome ous “** sion of the spectators, which prevents
aa. The healthy intestine rendered much the more serious disease from being
more vascular by the blood being spasmodically early recognized.

driven out of other portions of the tube.
b. A portion of the tube much diminished by Any cause may kindle colic. It is

the presence of abdominal spasm.
whieh pee eupearanc,denetig the Dace common after fast driving; hence
many gentlemen take colic drinks to
Epsom races. That affection which in ladies is designated spasms, in
gentlemen is called pain in the bowels, and in children is known as the
bellyache, is, in the horse, colic; and from the largeness of the animal’s
intestines, the affection probably provokes more anguish in the quad-
ruped than the same disorder does in the entire human race. Under
whatever term it may be recognized, spasmodic colic is never more than

 
SPASMODIC COLIC, ETC. 195

partial contraction of the muscular coat of the intestines. The action
so compresses a part of the tube as to expel the blood and render the
natural pink of the tissues, for some time after the disorder has departed,
a glistening white. The blood, driven from particular spots, is forced
into those parts in which no disease exists. Excess of blood predis-
poses to inflammation; hence we probably trace the reason why, if spas-
modic colic be suffered to continue, the affection is so apt to end in
incurable enteritis.

Colic most often attacks the small intestines, though the disease is by
no means confined to those parts. It first occurs on a limited space;
presently it vanishes altogether, and afterward reappears on some dis-
tant portion of the alimentary canal; or, in other words, colic dodges
about, its attacks becoming more numerous and the intermissions shorter
as the period of its commencement grows more distant. Change of
water, change of food, getting wet, fatiguing journeys, are all likely to
originate it; but, perhaps, it is most frequently exhibited when no known
cause is in operation. Aloes, however, are proved to be among the
surest provocatives of this disease. Many horses cannot swallow pure
aloes in any form, without being severely griped. For such animals,
the following drench is recommended, instead of the above-named drug
in substance :—

Sulphuric ether and laudanum, ofeach . , . .. . . . One ounce.
Compound tincture of aloes made with diluted spirits of wine . Five ounces.
Cold water ss Se So e eee a ee  e e t SOME pint

 

THE FIRST STAGE OF SPASMODIC COLIC.

If greater strength be requisite, obtain it by the addition of tincture of
gentian, every ounce of which is equal, when combined, to one drachm
of aloes.

Colic always commences suddenly; it starts into life ready armed for
196 SPASMODIC COLIC, ETC,

mischief. The animal may be apparently well and feeding. Without
visible cause the head is raised and the occupation ceases. Should the
pain last, the hind foot is lifted to strike the belly, and the fore leg
begins to scrape the pavement. The groom, who has merely left to pro-
cure a pail of water from an adjacent pump, on his return discovers his
charge exhibiting evident signs of uneasiness. As the man stares, won-
dering what can be the matter, the horse is pawing and the nose slowly
points to the flank. All then is explained. Fret is the matter, and it
would be “freé,” should the disease prove to be of a very different
nature.

While the horse is being watched, every indication of, disturbance
may disappear. The countenance tranquilizes and the nose is again
inserted into the manger. A few minutes elapse and the pangs are
renewed. The second fit may last longer and be slightly more severe.
Then another, but a shorter period of ease follows: thus the visita-
tions will ensue upon spaces of entire exemption from anguish. The
recommencement of agony usually is denoted by a disposition to lie
down. The animal crouches; next it turns round as though the inten-
tion was to stretch out the limbs; but suddenly the erect attitude is
assumed—the design, lately so nearly executed, having been forgotten.
Then pawing and striking at the abdomen quickly follow; and while
the horse looks toward the flank, a morbid fire is perceptible in the eye.

 

THE SECOND STAGE OF SPASMODIC COLIC.

No relief being afforded, the pains lengthen, while the intervals of
tranquillity become shorter. The action grows more fierce and the aspect
more wild. The pawing is more brief, but more energetic; often during
its continuance the foot is raised and violently stamped upon the ground.
The animal now does not attempt to feed, but stares for a minute at a
time, with an inquiring gaze, toward the abdomen. At length, without
SPASMODIC COLIC, ETC. 197

warning or preparation, the body leaps upward to fall violently upon
the floor. The shock is often fearful; but the animal in its torment
appears to derive ease from the violence. Being down, it rolls from side
to side and kicks about, until one of its feet, touching the wall, enables
the horse to poise itself upon the back.

Should relief not be quickly provided, colic soon passes into enteritis.
The pulse, from being unchanged at first, then simply quickened by pain,

 

THE THIRD STAGE OF S8PASMODIC COLIC.

grows harder and more wiry. The intermissions are lost, and though
the anguish may for a space be less, yet in its continuity it is more
exhausting.

On the appearance of colic, the morbid action ought to be imme-
diately counteracted. Aloes in solution is generally administered; such
a medicine, unless guarded as before recommended, is by no means ad-
visable. Sulphuric ether and laudanum should be in the possession
of every horse proprietor. One pint of each—the two being mixed
together, with one ounce of rank oil floating on the top to prevent
evaporation or mistakes—will be perfectly safe in any household. The
mixture should, however, be well shaken before it is employed: two
ounces of the combination in half a pint of water constitutes an excel-
lent colic drink. Give three of these, one every ten minutes. If no
improvement be displayed, double the quantity of the active agents
and continue the drenches at the period stated: these medicines should
be persevered with until the symptoms disappear.

Turpentine, as an enema, is an excellent adjunct. Mr. T. W. Gowing,
of Camden Town, cured a lingering fit of colic by administering a pint
of turpentine mixed with a quart of the solution of soap. The strong
liquor of ammonia, diluted with six times its bulk of water and applied
by means of a saturated cloth, held to the abdomen in a rug several
198 SPASMODIC COLIC, ETC.

times doubled, is likewise frequently beneficial. If these means, used
simultaneously, produce no amendment in two hours, watch the pulse,
for there is most probably something beyond simple colic to contend
with.

Upon the earliest symptom the horse should be removed to a loose
box amply protected by trusses of straw ranged against the walls. Into
this the animal should be immediately led—for the reader must under-

 

APPLYING AN AMMONIACAL BLISTER.

stand colic does not always observe the stages in which it has been
described. Occasionally it commences in the wildest form; and if a
loose box be not at hand, one can always be extemporized by removing
the carriage from its house, by throwing the doors wide open and by
placing a bar across the entrance.

No disease is more quickly dispelled if treated at the commencement;
nor is there one which, being left to run its course, occasions greater
agony, is more fearful to witness, or leads to more terrible results than
spasmodic colic. A single dose of ether and of laudanum may van-
quish the malady at the commencement; yet if the attack be allowed to
progress, the fit may set all skill and remedial measures at defiance.
The principal attention of the proprietor must be given to prevent the
administration of the ‘“groom’s favorite” or other ignorant nostrums.
The case, when properly treated, is cured for a few shillings; and a
horse cannot be killed with decency for less money.

Besides, let any human being, having feelings capable of impression,
regard an instance of spasmodic colic which has been aggravated by
mistaken treatment; and as he views the fibers of a living body quiver,
sees the frame bedewed in sweat and wrenched in mighty torture, con-
templates the sad condition of the companion of his pleasures, and hears
vented from its throat sounds expressive of agony,—let him, having the
FLATULENT COLIC, ETC. 199

image present to his eyes, ask himself whether any man, possessing
means at his command, has a right to make a money question of the
creature’s suffering, which exists in a state of dependence on his bounty.

Horses must be gifted with a certain amount of reason. However
furious may be the attack of colic, the mute expression of anguish is
quieted when preparation is made for the administration of medicine.
The most nauseous drenches are swallowed with a patience that speaks
a perfect comprehension of their intent. The most wonderful proof of
reason is, however, given by the manner in which the horse will recog-
nize the veterinary surgeon. The author has known animals, in the
intervals of spasmodic colic, walk close up to him, look full into his face
with an eye beaming with intelligence, and a strain upon the features
as though the creature ‘did so wish to speak;” then finding utterance
impossible, the nose has mutely directed attention to the flank.

Every assistance is, by the animal, afforded to him who displays a
desire to alleviate its distress. Where language is denied, motives
appear to be the more quickly comprehended; and he whe wishes to
mingle safely among horses, may best protect himself by treating them
gently and sympathizing with their emotions.

FLATULENT COLIC, WINDY COLIC, TYMPANITIS, ETC.

This is peculiarly the affection of old age. Horses, though not so
liable to hoven as are horned cattle, nevertheless may be blown out if
permitted to gorge upon moist, green food. Flatulent colic in the vast
majority of instances, however, is not caused by any special fodder, but

 

THE FIRST STAGE OF FLATULENT COLIC.

springs from disordered digestion; living for years upon stimulating
diet, breathing a tainted atmosphere, being now weakened by a long
fast, then distressed by a too abundant supply; next exhausted by a
200 FLATULENT COLIC, ETC.

tedious journey, and subsequently cramped by days of enforced stagna-
tion,—all of these things ultimately tell upon the strong body of our
domesticated quadruped. The stomach, as the earliest evidence of
general debility, loses its tonicity. It cannot digest a full meal; the
provender ferments, gas is released, and flatulent colic is the conse-
quence.

A traditionary belief in the stable asserts this disorder is provoked
by crib-biting, wind-sucking, etc. etc. The author is indebted to Mr.
Ernes, a most successful veterinary surgeon of Dockhead, for the earliest
comprehension of the impossibility that such causes should operate.
Let the reader endeavor to swallow air; the mouth being deprived of
all saliva, the attempt at further deglutition is fruitless; besides, to use
the words of Mr. Ernes, ‘though the stomach or the bowels do contain
a small portion of atmospheric air, flatulent colic is generated by car-
bonie acid or sulphureted hydrogen gas, the products of decomposition ;
either of which, if respired, destroys vitality.”

The horse which is to be oppressed by flatulent colie exhibits uneasi-
ness after feeding; it hangs the head; breathes laboriously; fidgets;
rocks the body, and rests first on one leg then on the other. These

 

A HORSE DYING OF FLATULENT COLIC.

symptoms are exhibited before any enlargement of the abdomen is to
be detected. With the swelling of the belly pawing commences; that
action is, however, far too leisurely displayed to be for an instant con-
founded with the same energetic movement which characterizes spas-
modic colic.
FLATULENT COLIC, ETC. 9201

W. Percivall asserts that animals roll and kick at the abdomen dur-
ing flatulent colic. Every fact requires to be respectfully considered
which is recorded by so estimable a writer; but the author has never
witnessed such symptoms in genuine flatulent colic. The horse will
stand in one spot throughout the day; even the movement of the foot,
before noticed, appears to be an exertion. The eye is sleepy, the pulse
heavy, wind frequently passes from the body, and in such a condition
the animal remains, slowly becoming worse.

Almost in the same place the horse may stand three or four days;
then the abdomen is much increased in size; the animal is restless; the
pulse is extremely feeble; the breathing is very fast; the pupil of the
eye is dilated and the sight is lost. A walk as in a mill is commenced;
obstacles are run into or upset; delirium begins; weak neighs are
uttered in reply to visionary challenges; the coat is ragged; copious
and partial perspirations break forth; the beat of the artery is lost at
the jaw; an intermittent flutter is to be indistinctly felt at the heart.
At last the limbs fail; the body falls; struggles ensue, and the creature
dies in consequence of the distended abdomen compressing the lungs,
thus preventing the breath being inhaled.

Relief should be afforded before the distress grows urgent; when the
flatulence comes on without green provender being consumed, the chances
favor recovery; even then, however, the gas may be confined to the
stomach, which obliges entire dependence to be placed upon internal
remedies. In the beginning, a ball composed
of two drachms of sulphuret of ammonia, with
a sufficiency of extract of gentian and pow-
dered quassia, may be repeated thrice, half an
hour being suffered to elapse between each ad-
ministration. No benefit ensuing, one ounce of
chlorate of potash, dissolved in a pint of cold
water and mingled with two ounces of sulphu-
ric ether, may, at the expiration of the time
named, be horned down. After another hour,
should no amendment be perceptible, two ounces
each of sulphuric ether and laudanum, half an
ounce of camphorated spirits, and one drachm
of carbonate of ammonia may be given in a
pint of cold water. Should no good effects 7" 70>AceoSMORE ENEMA. Worms.
ensue, in another hour throw up a tobacco-smoke enema by means of
the machine here represented.

As a last resort, should the previous remedies prove of no avail, pro-
cure a stick of brimstone; light it and let it fill the place with the

 
202 FLATULENT COLIC, ETC.

sulphurous fames which are the product of its combustion. However,
mind that the air is not too strongly impregnated, though, at the same
time, it should be so pungent as to allow a human being to breathe with
difficulty. This last measure ought to be continued for two hours, at
the end of which period repeat the remedies already recommended, re-
sorting to each by turns; and do not fear being active, for flatulent
colic becomes more difficult to remove as the period of its origin grows
more distant. Should the affection appear to be approaching a fatal
termination, and the size of the belly convince the spectator that the
gas has entered the intestines, a desperate remedy remains. The situa-
tion where the vapor has accumulated may be ascertained by percussion;
gently cut the skin which covers the abdomen on the left side, over

those places indicated by white

spots in the second engraving,
a A hollow sound will be emitted

when the proper point has been

A TROCAR ARMED Nea panei FOR PUNCTURING struck ; be certain of the last

fact, as mistakes made in this
operation are very awkward affairs. When assured, take a sharp-pointed
knife, and, drawing the skin tight over the place selected, nick the integ-
ument slightly; then take a fine trocar and push it through the opening
which has been made.

This being accomplished, withdraw the stilet, and the gas should rush
out with violence; be provided with a small probe to clear the can-
ula in case it should become impacted. The gas being released, the
abdomen is reduced; withdraw the canula and the skin will fly back,
effectually excluding all atmosphere.

The gas, on rare occasions, will be generated a second time; there-
fore the points where other punctures may be
made are indicated; for it is never well to in-
terfere with those openings which in the first
instance were instituted. However, should the
operation have to be repeated, pull the integu-
ment in the opposite direction, so as not to
disturb the original wounds into the abdomen.

Puncturing the abdomen for flatulent colic
nus paces warns tH: appomen 288 been practiced both in this kingdom and in

aoe en veer cone foreign lands; it is by no means a certain suc-

cess, neither is it a certain failure. It assuredly
requires boldness to perform it; but probably it is quite as beneficial
and far more speedy in its effects than the great majority of medicinal
remedies.

 

 

 
FLATULENT COLIC, ETC. 203

The duration of flatulent colic cannot be absolutely stated; it may
continue for days, it may be cured in a single hour. However, should
the abdomen be rapidly distended, then the termination will be sooner
reached; but be the attack quick or slow, neither food nor water should
be allowed during its continuance. The groom, while the disease lasts,
should occasionally sponge out the eyes, mouth, nostrils, ete. Indeed,
humanity would dictate such relief during every serious affection. Sub-
sequent to recovery, feed for’a few days on gruel and mashed oats; give
a ball night and morning, composed of extract of gentian and powdered
quassia, of each a sufficiency; of extract of belladonna and of sulphate
of copper, half a drachm. Continue this medicine and the above food
until the stomach has regained its tone.

Is flatulent colic a disease provoked by domestication? Certainly!
The wild horse would have to travel for his food; in domestication it is
placed ready gathered before the animal. Besides, the free animal being
ever with his provender, the temptation to gorge the stomach would be
absent; moreover, the untrained creature is protected by its instincts,
which the care of man destroys. Little, however, is thought of this;
the fact even may be unknown to the great majority of educated horse
proprietors. The sense of repletion is no longer indicated with such
force as to warn the stabled animal. The responsibility thus cast upon
the master has possibly never occurred to the mass of mankind. So
entirely has the notion of any duty being due to the animal been ignored
by society that, notwithstanding nature in the above fact asserts the
obligation, its announcement most probably will be received with
laughter.
CHAPTER IX.

THE URINARY ORGANS—THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.

 

NEPHRITIS OR INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.

TuE straddling gait is not peculiar to any one disorder. It denotes no
more than the region in which the affection is to be sought; but it does
not characterize any special disease. Therefore so general a trait is

 

THE GENERAL SYMPTOM WHICH ATTENDS ALL DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS.

placed at the head of the chapter treating of ailments confined to the
urinary organs, so that he who perceives the horse assume this position
may at once recognize that part of the body in which the disorder resides.

Nephritis is not so common at the present time as it used to be for-
merly; the growing information of the people has in some measure altered
the practices of the stable. The master is not quite so much the slave of
a groom’s ignorance as was once universally the case; the animal is no
longer regarded as a mysterious creature which it required a particular
education to understand. Urine balls, therefore, are no longer regularly
kept in every loft. Niter—one ounce of “sweet nitre,” or, to speak cor-
rectly, an overdose of harsh saltpeter—may, however, be still permitted,
and by particular horse proprietors regarded as a charm against every

(204)
NEPHRITIS. 205

ill. It is true that such a dose of a powerful diuretic is four times the
strength which science would, under any circumstances, approve; but
certain people in remote parts are happy in the conviction that an ounce
of “sweet niter” can possibly do no harm.

The urinary organs of the horse must be little disposed to disease ;
they must be capable of surmounting a vast quantity of ill treatment.
Were not ignorance thereby protected from the consequences which it
provokes, half the horses in England would be disabled; inflammation of
the kidneys would become the most common of equine disorders.

The horse has small need of diuretic medicine; it is much exposed in
that direction. Every purge, should it not act as intended, passes out
of the body by stimulating the kidneys; the ordinary provender of the
animal may operate in the same manner. Foxy oats, kiln-dried oats,
new oats; musty hay, mow-burnt hay, new hay; beans in particular con-
ditions; grasses, when first in season, and water of any novel kind, will
all operate energetically upon the renal glands; therefore the horse, in
its ordinary food, will possibly imbibe more than a sufficiency of a most
debilitating medicine; and the knowledge of such a liability may induce
some men to withhold “sweet niter” from the future diet of the creature.

It may be necessary to inform men and masters that a horse needs rest
when under the operation of diuretic, quite as much as when subject to
the action of purgative medicine. It is never safe to take the horse
from the stable while the animal is passing any unusual amount of water.
Excess of secretion proves the eliminating organs are excited. Before
any part can exhibit excitement, an extra quantity of blood must circu-
late within it, or it must be in a condition bordering upon inflammation.
The urine is secreted from the blood by the kidneys; therefore before a
greater bulk of water can be passed, of course more blood must flow
through the glands.

The animal in such a state is not fit for work; every step taken brings
into action muscles which pass directly under the kidneys, and which
must, therefore, when contracted, compress those organs. During labor,
in proportion to the force required must be the power of the contraction
exerted by the organs of motion; in a healthy state, such exertion is not
always free from danger. Excitement is, however, far from a healthy
state. Then the glands are gorged with blood; being squeezed for an
hour or two while thus swollen or plethoric, they are very likely to be
bruised; inflammation may thereby be engendered, or renal abscess may
possibly ensue.

Agriculturists are entreated to pause over the above statement. Such
persons often possess a well-bred and promising colt. The farmer, how-
ever, is mostly uneasy until he has, according to his own notions, “tried
206 NEPHRITIS.

the beast.” He may be a personable man, riding fully “eighteen stun.”
The colt, probably, would be taxed to carry a third that load. The
“ sweet-niter” dose is administered over night to take all fever out of
the body; and, while the kidneys are excited, the animal is saddled,
mounted, and ridden to the hunt. Everybody knows the manner in
which most farmers ride. The horse may have a hard run and be kept
out for a long day. On the return, a full rack and a heaped manger

 

A COLT BROUGHT HOME AFTER THE FARMER HAS TRIED “WHAT KIND OF STUFF IS IN 17,” BY A HARD
DAY WITH THE HOUNDS.

are placed before the overridden quadruped. Neither are touched. The
saddle is removed and the back appears to be ‘‘queerly sticking up.”
The large full eyes are repeatedly turned round; and the renter of land
is in doubt whether the creature is staring reproachfully at him or is
simply inspecting its own quarters. However, with the apathy which
too many agriculturists habitually display, the colt is left for the night.
By the next morning the animal is ruined, even should it survive an
attack of acute nephritis.

The symptoms of inflammation of the kidneys are a hard pulse,
decidedly accelerated; quickened and short breathing, suggestive of
pain; pallid mucous membranes; frequent looking toward the seat of
anguish; head depressed; back roached; hind legs straddled, and the
urine scanty. The animal almost refuses to “come round” in its stall,
seldom lies down, and crouches beneath pressure when made upon the
loins.

Subsequently, as the symptoms alter, pus or matter may subside in the
water. It is indicative of an unfavorable termination should a fetid
NEPHRITIS. 207

odor attend the secretion, and should it be deeply tinted by the blood.
Death is generally close at hand when the pulse grows quicker but more
feeble, when pressure elicits no response, when the body is covered with
perspiration, and when a urinous smell is perceptible on approaching
the animal.

The treatment of nephritis consists in applying fresh sheepskins to
the loins. Should the case be urgent, a quantity of lukewarm made
mustard may be first rubbed in and the sheepskin placed over it; or
mustard poultices in any case may be employed and covered over to
prevent them becoming
dry, till sheepskins can be
procured. Injections of
warm linseed tea should be
thrown up every hour, as
these are the nearest ap-
proach that can be made
to actual fomentation.
Two scruples of croton
farina, mixed with half a
drachm of belladonna, may
be given immediately in
the form of a ball, the bulk
of which should be made
up with crushed linseeds
and treacle. One scru-
ple of calomel, with one
drachm of opium, may be sprinkled on the tongue every hour while the
acute stage continues. A pail of good linseed tea should be kept before
the horse; but as for more substantial provender, none is requisite dur-
ing the agony of the disease.

Should the slightest doubt be entertained concerning the nature of
the affection, immediately insert the arm up the rectum. This intestine
is anatomically spoken of as “a floating gut.” It is suspended from
the spine by mesentery or a loose fold of thin membrane, and, there-
fore, is easily raised or depressed. It is situated under the kidneys,
and nothing consequently interposes between the diseased organ and
the inserted hand but the pliable coats of the bowel and the fatty sub-
stances which immediately surround the glands. The hand is not con-
scious of the soft wall of the intestine which covers it. The motion is
so free, and the fingers are so readily moved, that previous knowledge
alone assures the operator his arm is within a circumscribed canal, and
not located in a free space.

 

THE TEST FOR NEPARITIS OR INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.
208 NEPHRITIS.

By inserting the hand and moving it gradually upward, an approach
can be made to the immediate vicinity of the inflammation. Sensitive-

    

aaa, The spine. bbb. The mesentery. ccc. The rectum.
A. The extent to which the rectum may by very gradual force be depressed without injury to the
20 The rectum, with the natural length of mesentery, when not depressed.

C. The rectum raised, showing that the mesentery is very pliable.
ness will be exhibited as the seat of disease is touched. Heat will also
be felt. A fore leg should, however, be held up on the same side as the
operator stands. Should the horse strug-
gle violently and denote positive agony
when the hand is approaching the region
of the kidneys, the signs may be considered
conclusive without attempting farther ex-
ploration. Should the animal remain quiet
at first, nevertheless let the operator be
cautious, as the too near vicinity to the in-
flamed part provokes resistance, which, in
its utter heedlessness, is closely allied to
madness.

Several reasons will suggest the point at
which the hand should pause. In the first
place, pressure cannot benefit a delicately-formed and a diseased organ.
In the second place, the agony of the animal may endanger the safety of
the operator. In the last place, anything approaching to downright
resistance brings the muscles that pass under the kidneys into ener-
getic action, which circumstance is by no means favorable to ultimate
recovery

Many men can speak of the pain induced by affections of the kidneys.
The torture consequent upon disease of an internal organ appears to
be so excessive as at times to destroy reason in the human being. No

 

A CERTAIN TEST FOR INFLAMMATION
OF THE KIDNEYS.
CYSTITIS. 909

avd

one can look upon a horse suffering from nephritis, without feeling that,
in sensibilities at all events, the two creatures are alike. Sympathy
has been interpreted to mean no more than a conscious similarity of
emotion. Such a definition must be erroneous, or more sympathy would
actuate man toward his slave. The life is devoted to the service of the
master. The body is disabled before its time for the pleasure of man-
kind. The horse is such a slave as no words can express. It lives but
to obey. Its master’s whim is the animal’s joy. It is happy to exist
where and how its superior may appoint. Still there is no sympathy
felt toward its tortures, no feeling evinced for its sufferings: its life is
one long solitude, its death is the degradation of misery. Were man to
read of some wild beast capable of such sincere docility, what pains
would not be spent to secure so valuable a companion! The animal is
beside him and it is disregarded; or its goodness is converted into the
means for its mutilation.

The additional treatment of nephritis consists more in the food than
in the physic; linseed, both the seeds and the infusion, may be given for
the body’s support. The best oats should be procured upon recovery,
and the quality of the hay also should be attended to; as for physic,
that is almost limited to belladonna and to aconite. Belladonna is
administered mixed with four times its amount of opium, so long as the
pain is acute.

Extract of belladonna . . . . . . . . . Halfa drachm.
Crude opium . ....... +... . . Two drachms.

Make into a ball with linseed meal and honey; give three daily while
the symptoms require them; or, should the pain be excessive, administer
one every hour.

The aconite root is intended to lower the circulation. When the
pulse is quick and hard, a scruple of the powder may be thrown upon
the tongue every half hour, till the beat of the artery soften, or till the
animal appear to be affected by the medicine. The above measures are
to be adopted without regard to the calomel and opium previously
recommended.

A horse having survived one attack of nephritis, can scarcely, how-
ever successful may be the treatment, be restored to its original condition.
The glands which have suffered inflammation must be left in an irritable
state.

CYSTITIS—INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER.

This disorder is somewhat rare in the horse. Few cases have occurred ;
even those were not strongly marked. Besides the general indications
present during nephritis, such as quickened breathing, accelerated pulse,

14
210 CYSTITIS.

straddling gait, ete. ete., the most prominent sign concerns the emission
of the urine. The bladder is irritable at the commencement; the kid-
neys have not secreted half a pint of fluid before it is violently expelled,

and much straining, accompanied by sounds expressive of pain, follows

g,
the act. As the disease progresses, the bladder is contracted, and the
water issues drop by drop, or as a constant dribble. This particularity
marks the disease, which is also distinguished from nephritis by the
roached back being absent; the spine rather being hollowed more than
is usual in cystitis.

Most lecturers direct the student to insert the arm up a horse affected
with cystitis and to feel the compressed
bladder; this is easily accomplished, as the
engraving demonstrates; but is the opera-
tion perfectly safe? White muscular tissue,
when inflamed, becomes acutely sensitive.
The bladder possesses a thick coat of that
substance, and the hand, grasping an organ
of this formation when in a state of disease,
would probably torture the sufferer to frenzy.
It is not wise to excite a creature command-
ing so huge a strength. There is, however,
ee SE ne ee test which yields as certain a response, and,

at the same time, is far less hazardous. This
consists in placing the hand under the flank and keeping it there till all the
action which could be attributable to skittishness has disappeared; then
press the abdomen, which, should it be hard and resistant, is a convinc-
ing proof cystitis is not present; for contraction of the recti abdominis
muscles would force the contents of the cavity into violent contact with
the inflamed bladder. Should any doubt be entertained concerning the
condition of the muscle named, a little more pressure will soon ascertain
the fact. However, let the person who applies the test be prepared for
the consequence, as the application of pressure to a diseased organ

 

provokes a sudden and energetic resistance, intended to strike the tor- °

mentor backward.

The treatment for inflamed bladder and diseased kidneys is alike as
regards the administration of aconite root, extract of belladonna, calomel
and opium. The reader is, therefore, in some measure referred to the
article upon nephritis; there is, however, a difference in application of
counter-irritation by means of a rug doubled over a cloth, which last is
saturated with strong liquor of ammonia diluted with six times its bulk
of water; should this not be within reach, hot cloths retained under the
belly are the next best application; but these require constant change

US tS LS
a] al al
1€ 1e 1e
f of of
is isis
ik tk tk
1e1e 1e
ree °€
CYSTITIS. 211

and a larger supply of heated fluid than most private establishments
can command. Should both recommendations prove useless, then apply
cloths dripping wet from a cold bath, and keep renewing them so often
as they become warm.

 

A SAFER TEST FOR INFLAMMATION UF ‘tHE bLAvbDen.

The cause of cystitis is the same as produces many cases of inflamed
kidney, namely, the abuse of medicine, or new and unwholesome food ;
blows likewise may induce it. Kicks under the belly, the too common
mode of expressing impatience among carters, are very likely to provoke

 

APPLICATION OF THE AMMONIACAL BLISTER.

it. Horses are frequently seen in the streets of every town now whipped
to make them proceed; then the rein jagged to command the animal to
“stand still.” Next the whip is again applied; afterward the animal’s
212 SPASM OF THE URETHRA.

belly is spitefully aimed at with the heavy boot of the countryman. The
horses know not how to interpret these different signs: they become
confused; they turn various ways, as if they hoped by such devices to
please their chastiser. All is in vain! At length the animals burst
into perspiration and shiver violently; by their alarm they are rendered
stupid. But so disgusting an exhibition of folly and of cruelty on the
part of the driver mostly creates small indignation in the wayfarers who
behold it. The spectators generally look on with smiling countenances,
and for the most part move onward without a word of displeasure or
rebuke. To the human mind a man appears invested with absolute
authority over the life which he has bought. So also no man risks
reprobation, who keeps his animals upon poisonous provender. The hay,
oats, and beans may be of a character calculated to engender disease.
But has not the owner purchased the right to treat his property as he
thinks proper? It is true, religion teaches that life is not in the custody
of man, and that health is not at mortal command; but where horses are
involved, all restraints appear to be forgotten, and mankind seem leagued
together to inflict suffering on the dumb. For, is it not universally
agreed that heavenly precepts were intended for man alone, and do not
stoop so low as to include all the creatures the existence of which dates
prior to the origin of the human being? Animals, according to modern
interpretation, are excluded from the ample embrace of Christian charity.
An all-merciful power looks down with pity only upon one inhabitant of
earth !

SPASM OF THE URETHRA.

This affection is commonly designated spasm of the neck of the blad-
der. The part named, however, has no fiber capable of excitation; and
it is difficult to understand how the elastic tissue at the opening of the
receptacle can display a condition which is inherent only within the
contractibility of muscle. The compressor urethre muscle, however,
being morbidly excited, is more than capable of preventing all discharge
of urine.

The causes which provoke the spasm are not thoroughly understood.
The affection is mostly attributed to some acridity existing in the food
or water; else the supposed agent is said to be developed during the
process of digestion.

The symptoms are: a widely straddling gait; total suppression of
urine, or small portions forcibly ejected at distant intervals. The suf-
fering attendant on distention of the bladder is sometimes so violent
that the affection has been mistaken for phrenitis. At other times the
horse has been imagined to be griped. Both these blunders are unpar-
CALCULL 213

donable. The haggard countenance, copious perspirations, and the fre-
quent glances toward the flanks, joined to the straddling gait and to the
desperate but at the same time guarded struggles, are all opposed to
such conclusions. Were a proper examination instituted, the real nature
of the affection would at once be made apparent, beyond the possibility
of error.

Insert the greased arm up the rectum, and, when fully advanced,
make pressure downward; the dilated
bladder will then be under the hand.
The best remedies are sulphuric ether
and laudanum, which should be given in
large quantities. Four ounces of each
should, in a quart of cold water, be ad-
ministered by the mouth: the like quan-
tities, blended with three pints of cold
water, ought to be thrown up as an injec-
tion. The last being given, the hand
should be placed over the opening and g
pressed upon it for ten minutes. Should ove 10 DREGE Gee Hise
one dose not succeed, in a quarter of an
hour the injection may be repeated. Again and again it must be had
recourse to; till the spasm is vanquished or till the urine flows freely
forth.

Should the horse be seized where no medicine can be obtained, then
extract blood from free openings till fainting takes place. Several small
depletions are very weakening, and a large quantity of the vital fluid
drawn at different times is far less likely to overcome the disease than
one full venesection. Open both jugulars: allow the blood to flow
from both veins till the water rushes forth or the animal falls, when,
insensibility being produced, everything like spasm disappears, and the
bladder will mechanically empty itself. Should not such a relief ensue,
the greased arm may be inserted up the rectum, and gentle pressure
made upon the gorged viscus. Advantage is thus taken of the animal’s
insensibility to adopt a mode of relief which we dare not hazard while
consciousness is retained.

 

CALCULI.

Stones within the urinary apparatus are designated by various names,
that are derived from the situations in which they are found. Thus
renal calculus represents a stone which has been discovered within the
pelvis of the kidney. Uretal calculus implies a stone found within the
tubes leading from the kidneys to the bladder; but calculi of this kind
214 CALCULI.

are as yet unknown in the horse. Cystic calculus signifies a stone which
resides in the cavity of the bladder. Urethral calculus denotes a stone
which was detected within the passage leading from the bladder. Of
these the cystic are altogether the largest, and the renal, at a consider-
able distance, rank as the next in magnitude. All consist of carbonate
of lime or of common chalk, held firmly together by the secretion of the
mucous membrane.

The symptoms which characterize renal calculus are not well marked.
The urine may become purulent, thick, opaque, gritty or bloody. Exer-
tion may provoke extreme anguish, resembling a severe fit of colic; but
the attack is distinguished from genuine gripes by the back, during the
pain, being always roached. However, the most decided symptom is
of a negative nature; being the absence of stone in the bladder to
account for the diseased urine. The inference is, moreover, strengthened
if, when the hand within the rectum is carried upward, pain and alarm
are elicited; or if pressure made upon the loins causes the animal to
shrink.

Cystic calculus is denoted, as is the previous kind of stone, by certain
conditions of the urine. Added to these general signs, the water, when
flowing forth, will often be suddenly stopped,
and every emission is followed by violent
straining. Abdominal pains also are pres-
ent; but the back is rather hollowed than
roached. The point of the penis is, in par-
ticular instances, constantly exposed; and
the horse, when going down hill, sometimes
pulls up short, either to recover from torture
or to relieve the bladder.

The way to ascertain the presence of cystic
2 = calculus is to make an examination per rec-
ete ess tml, Make the investigation with all gen-

tleness. The foreign body may then be dis-
tinctly felt; even its size, form, and irregularities can by this means be
discovered.

Urethral calculus is a small stone which, during the flow of urine,
has been carried out of the bladder and is spasmodically grasped by the
muscle of the urethra. The passage is effectually closed and great suf-
fering is induced. Should the stone be impacted within the exposed
part of the canal, the precise situation is easily told. Behind the stop-
page the passage is distended by fluid; while before it all is natural.
The calculus should be cut down and removed; the wound being after-
ward dressed with a solution of chloride of zinc—one grain to the ounce

 
HEMATURIA. 215

of water. This is an easy and by no means a dangerous operation.
Any person of ordinary skill having a sharp knife may undertake it.

For renal calculus little can be done. That little, however, consists
in mingling two drachms of hydrochlorie acid with every pail of water,
and allowing the animal to imbibe as much as it pleases. Should the
medicated drink be refused, the horse must be starved into accepting it.
With this liquid, however, the stone must be small to be dissolved; but
it effectually checks the further increase of the calculus.

Lithotomy is the name given to that operation by which large stones
are removed from the bladder of the horse. It is far too complicated
and too serious a proceeding to be entrusted to any general reader. No
direction which possibly could be misconstrued shall, therefore, be at-
tempted. When an operation is required for stone in the bladder, a
qualified veterinary surgeon had better be employed. Mr. Simmonds,
of the Royal Veterinary College, Camden Town, however, deserves
praise for having invented an instrument by means of which stone can
generally be removed from the bladder of the mare without resort to
the knife being necessary.

HEMATURIA, OR BLOODY URINE.

The name fully characterizes this affection. The blood emitted may
consist of small clots; it may congeal after it has left the body; or it
may be entirely mingled with—giving a brownish tinge to—the water.
Upon the exhibition of
this disorder, always treat
the symptoms first; when
all chance of immediate
danger has disappeared,
examine the body to as-
certain whence the hemor-
rhage proceeded, because
in this affection the symp-
toms really constitute the
disease; and when the
first has disappeared, the
last is cured.

The extent of the bleeding, of course, regulates the symptoms. When
that is copious, the breathing is short and quick; the pupils of the eye
are dilated; the pulse is not to be felt at the jaw; the head is pendu-
lous; and the visible mucous membranes are cold as well as pallid.
Lifting the head produces staggering; if continued, the animal would

   

Week sSoquy Ms

A HORSE SUFFERING FROM HEMATURIA, OR BLOODY URINE.
216 HEMATURIA.

fall. The back is roached; the flanks are tucked up, and the legs widely
separated, as though the horse was aware of its inability to support its
body.

The treatment consists in disturbing the sufferer as little as possible;
in acting upon the report received, for in a case of this kind it is hardly
credible there should be any mistake. Administer, as gently as it can
be done, two drachms of acetate of lead in half a pint of cold water,
or as a ball, if one can be delivered. If this has no effect, in a quarter
of an hour, or sooner should the symptoms demand haste, repeat the
dose, adding, however, one ounce of laudanum or two drachms of pow-
dered opium. Give two more drinks or balls of the like composition;
but should these be followed by no beneficial result, change the medicine
after the administration of one ounce of acetate of lead.

When the indications are not alarming, the horse may be left for a
couple of hours, with strict orders that the animal be watched, but on
no account disturbed. Should, however, activity be required, obtain
some of the coldest water, and have several pailfuls dashed from a
height upon the loins. After this inject some of the same fluid, allow-
ing the water to flow freely forth from the anus—the object only being
to procure the advantages of excessive cold. For medicine, a trial
may be made of the ergot of rye. Pour on to four drachms of the
drug half a pint of boiling water, and, when cold, add one ounce of
laudanum and four ounces of dilute acetic acid—not vinegar, as that
always contains sulphuric acid, which would counteract the action of
the lead. Two drinks, two enemas, (each lasting twenty minutes,) and
any quantity of water upon the loins will serve for the second hour.

If these remedies have produced no change, all further treatment
must be suspended for eight hours, at the expiration of which period
the treatment may be resumed, and the previous measures repeated.

Should the hemorrhage have ceased, leave the horse undisturbed for
the night. On the following day, if no blood has been noticed, have
the animal gently led under cover. Then proceed to examine the horse
per rectum. If the kidneys are not enlarged, hardened, or sensitive,
and if the bladder is without stone, but of its natural thickness, there is
every prospect of a favorable termination.

Should the bladder be thickened, adopt the treatment laid down for
cystitis; if stone is discovered, an operation is indicated; be the kid-
neys disorganized, the case is hopeless, If none of these are present,
then any of the following medicines may be experimented with, it
always being uncertain which will prove beneficial :—

Extract of catechu. . . . . . . In one-ounce doses daily.
Strong infusion of oak bark . . . . Three pints daily.
DIABETES INSIPIDUS. 217

Alum... .... . . . « One ounce daily.
Sulphate of iron or of copper . . . One ounee daily.
Muriaticacid. . . . . . . . . Six drachms daily.

DIABETES INSIPIDUS, OR PROFUSE STALING.

In this affection, which, properly treated, is but a passing annoyance,
the thirst is enormous; but more fluid is voided than the animal drinks.
The strength and condition are quickly lost, while the flesh fades rapidly
away.

Either the horse has been tampered with by the groom, or the hay,
oats, or beans are unsound. A sudden change of water is said to pro-
duce the disorder; but that, probably, is far more a stable excuse than
an established cause. However, change both food and water. Take
into the stable two slips of blotting-paper. Dip the ends of them into
some of the urine, which will always be retained in the interspaces of
the brick flooring. Smell one piece, If it communicates a scent re-
sembling violets, that is proof positive turpentine has been administered.
Dry the other piece. Should that, when perfectly dry, and a light is
applied, prove to be touch-paper, the evidence is conclusive: ‘sweet
niter” has been secretly given to the animal. Should both these tests
fail, the groom is innocent, as other diuretics are unknown in the stable.

The horse should not be taken out while the prominent symptom
lasts; it is languid; is unfit for work or even exercise. No brutality
can quicken the body when the vital powers are exhausted; but inatten-
tion to the suggestion of mere humanity may change a slight and tem-
porary evil into a severe and critical disorder—nephritis.

A pail of good linseed tea, made by pouring boiling water on whole
linseeds, and afterward allowing the infusion to stand till lukewarm,
should be constantly before the manger. The animal may drink accord-
ing to the dictates of its condition. The linseed, when strained off and
mixed with sound bruised and scalded oats, may be given as food. No
hay or grass should be allowed. Attend to the grooming, although it
is a sick horse and does not go out. Nothing relieves the kidneys more
than the restored action of the skin. A ball may be given every day.
It should consist of—

Jodide of iron . . . . . . ee ee) )6One drachm.
Honey and linseed meal . . . . ~~... . Asufficiency.

Or, should a drink be preferred, dilute—

Phosphoric acid . . . - . + + + + « « « One ounce.
Water. gel sick te ee te One pint.
Give night and morning.
218 ALBUMINOUS URINE.

The author was once prepossessed in favor of iodide of potassium
for the cure of diabetes. He is indebted to Mr. Woodger, the excel-
lent practical veterinary surgeon of Paddington, for a knowledge of the
very superior efficacy of the drug just named. It exercises a potent
action over the kidneys, at the same time it is a first class tonic, and in
a surprising manner reduces the desire for fluids. It is in all respects
the exact medicine which could be wished for in a case of diabetes
insipidus.

ALBUMINOUS URINE.

Two cases of this description occurred in the extensive practice of the
late William Percivall, Esq. They are narrated in the admirable work
entitled “Hippopathology,” bequeathed to posterity by the estimable
author. The present writer having been honored by the friendship of
the gentleman named, is, from frequent conversations upon the subject,
the better able.to describe and to depict the disorder.

The positions of both horses were remarkable. One stretched the
fore and hind legs out,
as though it were about
to urinate; the other
roached the back and
brought the hind feet
under the body as far as
possible. Turning in the
stalls was, in each case,
accomplished with diffi-
culty; and the straddling
gait remarkable in both,
indicating the seat of the
affection.

Some urine being
caught by the groom, it
was thick but clear—like melted calves’ foot jelly—and, when cold, the
surface was uneven. Bichloride of mercury being added to a portion
of the fluid, caused a thick, colorless, opaque substance —resembling
coagulated white of egg—to be thrown down, leaving a clear straw-
colored liquor above the settlement. Another portion being first
treated with acetic acid, afterward mixed with prussiate of potash and
subsequently boiled, became in appearance like to milk. With time,
however, a white sediment occurred, leaving the fluid perfectly clear.

Mr. Percivall’s treatment was mildly depletive. He bled moderately,
gave a laxative, and applied mustard to the loins for a brief space.

 

THE POSITIONS ASSUMED BY HORSES HAVING ALBUMINOUS URINE.
, ALBUMINOUS URINE. 219

Perfect rest, strict attention to diet, and repeated doses of opium, con-
stituted the after-measures. It is also mentioned that diuretics, tonics,

  

ae
Hh wi

  
   
 

      
 

PGi
rn

   

THE TESTS FOR ALBUMINOUS URINE.

A. The appearance of the urine when cold, being partially rough on the surface. Sometimes, however,
the fluid is merely thicker than usual, appearing like water in which a portion of gum has been dissolved.

B. The white precipitate produced by the addition of a portion of the solution of bichloride of mer-
cury.

C. Some urine to which a little acetic acid was first added. A portion of the solution of prussiate of
potash was subsequently introduced. The liquid was then boiled, when it became thick, white, and
opaque, like milk. ;

and stimulants were tried, but all proved injurious. Both animals
ultimately recovered.

Those who desire ampler details are referred to ‘“ Hippopathology,”
by W. Percivall, published by Longman & Co.
CHAPTER X.

THE SKIN—ITS ACCIDENTS AND ITS DISEASES.

MANGE.

Tuts troublesome disease, which is the itch of the stable, generally
preys upon the poorly nurtured, the aged or the debilitated. Neglect
is the almost necessary associate of poverty; loss of pride attends loss
of means, for seldom can the spirit of man brave the frowns of fortune.
The want of emulation is always seen most emphatically without the

[irs $s)

TAKEN jy
TOGRASS

 

SYMPTOMS OF MANGINESS WHEN CAUGHT IN THE FIELD.

doors of the home; the garden denotes the failure of industry, and the
stable languishes under an absence of activity. The grooming is avoided;
the horse’s food is proportioned to the master’s means, and is not given
at regular hours; coarse diet and a filthy abode generate that weakness
which will assuredly breed mange.

The disease, once developed, is highly contagious; all horses standing
near the one affected, all that may touch it, or the shafts to which it was
harnessed, or anything that has been in contact with the contaminated
body, are inoculated. The very robust, to be sure, may escape; but this
circumstance is to be regarded as the most stringent test of actual

(220)
MANGE. 921

health rather than as the declaration of that state which the majority
of mankind are pleased to term perfect condition. The animal which
escapes must be of so sound a body as to afford no nutriment to the
disorder which preys upon debility. Probably not one horse in ten
thousand could resist so searching a test; the trial, however, after all,
would be no more than a negative proof; and itis to be much regretted
that science, up to the present time, has not discovered any means by
which the presence of established health can be demonstrated.

Mange depends upon the presence of an insect which is classed with
spiders, though to the uninitiated it looks, under the microscope, far
more like a deformed crab. A representation of this parasite, very
highly magnified, is here given, from Dr. Hras-
mus Wilson’s paper upon the subject; and the
reader may indulge his ingenuity by discovering
its likeness to the spider.

The parasites are, when attentively searched
for, to be recognized by the naked eye. Any
man, by scratching the roots of the hair upon
the mane of a mangy horse, may loosen a por-
tion of scurf; let this scurf be received or cast [
upon a sheet of white paper. The paper then
should be subjected to a strong light; the glare
of the noonday sun is to be preferred, as warmth
greatly influences the activity of the parasites.
Numerous very small shining points may thus
be seen moving about the mass in all directions. Those points are the
insects, and, considering the easy means we now possess of demonstra-
ting their existence, it seems astonishing that veterinary science was so
long before it recognized the true source of the contagion. Even at
the last moment, the sight was quickened by the research of a human
physician, Dr. Erasmus Wilson; but after that gentleman soon followed
Mr. Ernes, veterinarian, of Dockhead.

Mange would be far less general than it is, did not the convenience or
the prejudice of mankind predispose them to favor a “run at grass.”
The horse there placed is all at once taken from a stimulating diet,
while, the groom being relieved of his charge, foulness accumulates upon
the coat. The animal, instead of standing still and feeding upon nour-
ishing provender, has to travel far and to distend the stomach with a
watery substance before the cravings of hunger can be appeased and
satiety impress the creature with a consciousness that existence has
gathered a sufficient support. The quadruped while at grass is neces-
sitated to be eating the major portion of both day and night; little

 

THE MANGE INSECT.
999 MANGE.

leisure is left from the cravings of appetite for rest or for repose. No
comfortable bed is placed beneath the jaded limbs. There may be an
open shed under which all the inhabitants of the field are free to shelter
themselves from the storms of autumn and from the colds of early morn-
ing. That building is, however, generally taken possession of by horned
cattle, or by the victor of the steeds, and none but favorites are allowed
to share the comfort of the tyrant.

It is assuredly true that the horse, in its primitive state, must have
galloped over the plains free from human care and without a roof to
harbor it. In a similar state man also must once have existed. The
early Britons are described as walking about in painted costume, and as
living on acorns and wild berries. Which of her Britannic Majesty’s
present subjects would like for six weeks in every year to return to the
habits of our ancestors? The horse is even more artificial than man
himself. It proves nothing, therefore, that the creature has existed
upon the plain; any more than the possibility of rearing human beings
apart from civilization can establish that the latter mode is beneficial to
the body’s development. Man has lost the desire for a wild existence.
Then, why is the horse expected to be benefited by a return to the so-
called natural state, although securely fenced from that freedom and
extent of choice which primitive nature would have afforded ?

Horses, when huddled together, often commit fearful injuries upon
their companions. The creatures are unused to the society into which
they are forced, and awkwardness is apt to be rude. Any want of man-
ners in the heels of a horse is a serious business. But, to put upon one
side so weighty an argument against the grass field, as foreign to the
present subject,—all sorts of animals are there congregated. Some are
turned out “to regain condition ;” some to become “fresh upon the legs;”
and some to live cheaply till their services are required. Others are
allowed “a run,” after some virulent disorder; and others merely to
afford time for the eradication of obstinate disease. The pony, the cart-
horse, the thorough-bred, and the roadster,—all are crowded together.
All sizes and conditions meet as at a common table. Is it very wonder-
ful, or much out of the scope of ordinary probability, if one of the creat-
ures so exposed, so fed, and so tended, should engender mange? A few
years back, the children kept at Yorkshire schools were much exposed
to a similar affection. Those babes, however, had not been more accus-
tomed to cleanliness than the horse, nor were they exposed to half the
neglect which the animal at grass is obliged to endure. Is it then sur-
prising that the lower creature should breed a disease like to that which
afflicts the human being? Let mange appear in one, and the rest are
prepared by exposure and unwholesome food to imbibe the disorder;
MANGE. 223

the contagion rapidly spreads; posts and rails are loosened or over-
thrown by horses rubbing against them; or, should such things be want-
ing, constant irritation instructs instinct, and the miserable animals scrub
one against the other in the open space.

Besides the grass field, foul lodging or*filth and poor provender will
breed mange in the horse, as the same causes operating upon the human
subject will engender a like disorder. It is sad to think that with the
horse, as years increase, ailments accumulate and strength departs; it is
sad to think, that as the animal’s life becomes more hard to sustain, its
food is always the less nourishing and its labor the more exhausting ;
that as care is necessary, so is neglect encountered; that the wretched
quadruped at length is sold to some costermonger, who, when he makes
the purchase, nicely calculates how many days of labor the emaciated
life is capable of before it is turned over to the knacker. Many a noble-
man must have looked upon an animal in the last stage of a weary life
which was formerly the companion of his pleasures. The rusty, lean,
and worn-out carcass most probably was not recognized, or how must
reflection have whispered that power was not given to turn away exist-
ence into wretchedness after willfulness had rendered the body less
capable of sustaining suffering !

In the vast majority of cases this disease first appears in the mane,
among the hairs of which a quantity of loose, dry scurf is perceptible.
Before such a sign, however, is to be recognized, excessive itchiness is
exhibited. The disease, once established, soon extends to the head, to
the neck, to the withers, to the sides, to the loins, and to the quarters;
only in very exceptional cases are the legs exposed to its attacks. As
the disorder proceeds, the hair falls off, leaving vacant places upon the
body; these have a peculiar, dry, acrid, and irritable appearance; they
suggest that portions of the body have been scorched with quick-lime,
so irregular, patched, and scabby are the parts just referred to. The
integument in these places greatly thickens and is no longer soft and
pliable as a lady’s glove, but becomes corrugated or thrown into well-
defined folds.

The hairs, however, are not all removed; a few and only a few re-
main; these cling with exceeding tenacity to the surfaces which their
fellows have quitted. The force required to pull out one of these
remaining hairs is somewhat surprising, and the hair being extracted,
the roots, upon close examination, will be discovered enlarged and far
more vascular than is usual.

The above are the broad and more obvious indications of mange.
However, should the diseased locality be more minutely inspected, a
number of small pimples are discerned; these elevations are clustered
224 MANGE.

upon different spots. As they mature, the point of each contains a
very slight quantity of gelatinous fluid; the vesicles ultimately burst;
the contents exude and become dry through the absorption of the atmo-
sphere, forming incrustations upon the surface. Add to this, the irrita-
tion provokes the diseased animal to scrub itself against any irregular,
projecting surface which may be at hand. Raw places, frequently of
magnitude, are often occasioned by the friction so rudely applied; from
this source another set of crusts spring up. The places which are
denuded, therefore, may present a very varied aspect, but still the parched
appearance of the scurfy and dry skin affords the best external evidence
of the presence of mange.

An animal, which from being gray in youth has grown white with age,

 

A MANGY PIECE OF SKIN. THE HEAD OF AN OLD, MANGY WHITE HORSE.

still retains to its death the signs of its youthful color upon its skin.
The integument is dark, although the hair may have lost the last vestige
of its original hue; the checkered appearance established by mange
gives to the white horse a particularly ragged and dejected aspect.
Unfortunately, man is not, at the present moment, sufficiently enlight-
ened to recognize the
symptoms which indi-
cate an approaching at-
tack of mange; but the
animal energetically an-
nounces the malady so
soon as the contami-
nation is established.
The disorder being con-
firmed, its existence is
readily ascertained ; the fingers have only to be inserted among the roots
of the mane, and the part titillated with the nails. The horse thus
treated will stretch forth the head and neck, will compose its features

 

THE TEST FOR MANGE.
MANGE. 925

into an expression of excessive pleasure, and will continue motionless
so long as the hand remains upon the crest.

This sign, being witnessed, may be esteemed conclusive. Let such an
animal be placed in the sunshine for an hour, should the weather per-
mit; otherwise allow it to stand in the warmest house which is unoccu- '
pied; then have the coat thoroughly dressed or whisked, until all the
loose scurf and incrustations are removed; afterward have the following
ointment well rubbed in. Mind the man who whisks the horse goes
near no other animal for eight and forty hours. See that every portion
of the skin, from the tip of the nose to the point of the tail, is anointed;
mark that no crevice or irregularity escapes, from the bottom of the
coronet to the apex of the ears.

Liniment for Mange.

Animal glycerin . . . . . . . . . . . . Four parts.
Creosote . « 2. 5 6 se ee ws » + eh 6» 6alfa part.
Oilofturpentine . 2... . 1... One part.

Oil of juniper Dat tame ntctees et Half a part.
Mix all together, shake well, and use.

It is impossible to state accurately how much will be required to dress
the horse—the disease, the coat, and the size vary so materially in dif-
ferent animals. About one pint and a half is, however, the general
quantity employed for one application; every portion of the coat must
be saturated, and in that condition the animal should be left till two
clear days have expired. Thus, supposing the liniment to be used upon a
Monday, it is left on until the following Thursday. Then have the sur-
face washed with soft soap and warm water; dry the body and allow
the animal to stand in a warm spot as before, so that every portion of
moisture may evaporate. Afterward employ the whisk as has been pre-
viously directed; subsequently repeat the anointing. That operation
must be again gone through for the third and last time after two clear
days have once more expired, when the disease ought to be cured; all
the insects should have perished, and the skin have been benefited by
the stimulation to which it has been subjected.

There are many preparations employed to cure mange. All have
some repute, though all (save that already given) are attended with
some danger. The author, however, will recite two, at the same time
warning the reader that neither of those which follow can be sincerely

recommended.
Ointment for Mange.
Strong mercurial ointment . . . . . Three ounces.
Softsoap . . . . + + + + + + « One pound and a half.
Mix.
226 PRURIGO.
Wash for Mange.
Corrosive sublimate . . . . . .. . . . . . . One drachm.
Spirits of wine . . . . © } 6 4 -& gb = Oneounce.
Tobacco (niade into an snineieey ms - . . One ounce.
Hot water (which is to be poured into the Scan . . One quart.

Dissolve the corrosive sublimate in the spirits of wine. Soak the tobacco in
the boiling water. When cold, mix.

The question has been much debated, “whether man can derive the
itch from an animal?” Imaginary proofs favoring the possibility are
every now and then confidently promulgated; but all doubts seem to
have been put to rest by the investigations conducted by M. Bourguig-
non. That gentleman demonstrated the unfitness of one creature to
support the parasite generated by another. Horses may be violently
irritated by insects bred by fowls; but, remove the birds, the supply
ceases, and the irritation dies away. So an individual handling mangy
horses may get some of the acari upon him and cause vexatious itching;
but let the man keep away from the contaminated stable and the sensa-
tion is quickly lost. The repeated and repeated renewal of the pest
gives a seeming warranty to the popular belief. Certain disorders
assuredly are communicable throughout every species of life, as though
to prove to the stubbornness of mankind that all nature is akin. Such
are hydrophobia in the dog, and glanders in the horse; were all affec-
tions, however, equally interchangeable, the inhabitants of this world
would speedily become one breathing mass of disease.

PRURIGO.

This affection may lead many a gentleman to imagine his horse has
caught the mange; the lead-
ing symptom in each disorder
is the same. Excessive irrita-
bility of the skin is, in prurigo,
generally exhibited during the
spring of the year; the animal
will rub itself with a fury which
often removes portions of the
coat, but which never exposes the
dry and corrugated patches that
characterize genuine mange.

It is very annoying to behold
the horse, when in the stable, scrubbing its neck upon the division to the
stall; it is provoking to witness the animal leave its corn for the same

 

THE PROOF OF PRURIGO.
RING-WORM. 992%

employment. It excites the fancy of the master and conjures up the
dread of every cleanly horse proprietor; the symptom is, however,
easily eradicated. It only denotes heat of body; let a portion of the
hay be abstracted and a couple of bundles of cut grass be allowed each
day; let a mash be given night and morning, until the bowels freely
respond, and, without further measures, the annoyance usually ceases.
The irritation may not, however, subside so quickly as shall be desired ;

to hasten its departure, either of the annexed may be applied externally :

Washes for Prurigo.

Animal glycerin . ane: One part.

Simple water or rose-water . . . . . . . . . Two parts.
Mix.

Sulphuricacid . . . . .... . . . . . One part.

WISER en pelos st cn Se, eats SP HAS. Ghee Se aerges, Sem pants:
Mix.

CreoSsOte: <n. aleve: Wie a. Ae A ee Gi, ee ae LODE part:

Oil io Set Ghee ae ey ie es a igh parts.
Mix.

Hither of these probably will answer, but the writer strongly recom-
mends the first; at the same time it is well to try and reach the source
of the disease, or to improve the blood. For this purpose the following
drink should be given every night after the last meal :—

Drink for Prurigo.

Liquor arsenicalis One ounce.
Tincture of muriate ofiron . . . . . . . Qne ounce and a half.
Water... . . . One quart.

Mix, and give half a pint for a dose.

A week after the irritation has subsided, all medicine may be with-
drawn; but it is always well to see that a sufficiency of exercise be
given, and to allow an extra feed of oats with a pot of porter every
day. These last will restore the strength; for every form of disease is
to be regarded as the most emphatic testimony of weakness.

RING-WORM.

This affection at first is simply a disfigurement; but, if neglected, it
becomes a troublesome disorder. In the primary instance, the hair falls
off in patches, leaving visible a scurfy skin; some say there are pimples
under the scurf, but the author must confess he was unable to discern
them in those cases which he examined. The scurfy particles, however,
are somewhat large, and resemble, in no little degree, the scales which
228 RING-WORM.

form the bulk of bran. At first, these pieces or flakes of cuticle cover
the entire surface; but ultimately they congregate upon the circum-
ference, which, by their numbers, is made
to assume a raised appearance. Should
the ring-worm not be attended to, the
outward margin at last begins to ulcerate,
becoming the more difficult to eradicate
in proportion to the time of its contin-
uance and the extent of the ulceration.
For the cure of ring-worm, a rigid at-
tention to cleanliness is imperative; the
" WHE parts should, at all events, be washed night
A REPRESENTATION oF ARING-worm on a and morning with mild soap, and hot, soft
a water; to the places—these having been
rendered perfectly dry—one of the following preparations must be
applied and laid rather thickly upon the denuded spot :—

 

Oiniments for Ring-worm.

Animal glycerin . 2. 2... . . . . « « One ounce.
Spermaceth is Sa ke ae ae . . One ounce.
Todide of lead . . . . . . . . . . . . «Two drachms.

Rub the glycerin and spermaceti together, and, when thoroughly incor-
porated, add the iodide of lead, or use any of the appended :—

Nitrate oflead. . . . . . . ). ).).).).)«6Two drachms.

Simple ointment . . ..... =. =. . . Two ounces.
Mix.

Oil of tar . Half an ounce.

Simple cerate
Mix.

Creosote

Simple cerate
Mix.

One ounce.

Two drachms.
One ounce.

Oil’ of juniper One drachm.
Simple cerate . . . 2. 2 . . . . . « « One ounce.
Mix.

Besides the above, which are not one-half of the remedies in general
use, some parties are loud in the commendation of a saturated solution
of a sulphate of iron. Others are strongly prejudiced in favor of pure
liquor plumbi; another class protest they employ nothing but compound
alum-water, which invariably and speedily affords relief. There are
people who regard a strong infusion of tobacco as a charm for ring-
worm; while another set will hear of nothing for that purpose but helle-
bore ointment.
SURFEIT. 929

a

The author, however, has always employed the first preparation, which,
in his hand, has never occasioned disappointment. It has, however,
always been aided by the following drink, administered every night.
No medicine could possibly act better than those here proposed; they
seem to go directly to the skin; but as the state of the integument may
be accepted as evidence with regard to the condition of the entire body,
a most powerful alterative may not, in this instance, be out of place.

Drink for Ring-worm.

Liquor arsenicalis . . . . . . . . QOne ounce.
Tincture of the muriate of iron . . . . One ounce and a half,
Water ... : . . One quart.

Mix, and give every night half a pint for a dose.

This drink must be continued till every vestige of the disease has
disappeared. However, it frequently happens that, after the central
bare spot has been cured, ulceration remains about the circumference.
Treat this with either of the following lotions :—

Permanganate of potash ... . . . . . Halfan ounce.
Wailer > oa a ee ice Se ee a hreeounces:
Mix, and smear gently over the part six times daily. Or—
Chloride of zine . . . . . . . . . . « Twoscruples.
Watei 4% foc a Si an ed oe ce Se Oe pint
Mis.

The ulcers should be punctually moistened with the last preparation
at the periods already stated, and the horse should be thrown up during
the treatment. The food should be of the best, and a month ought to
be allowed for the cure.

SURFEIT.

Old practitioners generally entertain very false opinions concerning
the importance of surfeit; they being inclined to employ more stringent
measures for its eradication than the real nature of the disease demands.
The affection is rather annoying than dangerous; it makes its appear-
ance suddenly, and seldom involves the entire body. It is a sudden rash
or a quantity of heat spots bursting out upon the skin; the spots are
round, blunt, and slightly elevated; they resemble the blotches which,
during hot weather, often appear upon the human countenance, only the
horse’s integument being so much more active than the skin of man, the
outward affection in the animal may be regarded as proportionably the
more severe. Frequently, during the eruption, the pulse is tranquil, the
spirit aud appetite being good; when such is the case, the lumps mostly
disappear in a few hours. Still the food should be looked to; about
eight pounds of hay should be abstracted and two bundles of cut grass
230 SURFEIT.

allowed per day; the corn should be kept up or even increased, and a
handful of sound, old beans, which have been properly crushed, should
be mingled with each feed. The stable should be airy, and the following
drink should be given every day for a month :—

Liquor arsenicalis . . . . . . ~ ~ One ounce.
Tincture of the muriate ofiron . . . . One ounce and a half.
WWiateE cists os or cae Gen One quart.

Mix, and give once daily, one pint for a dose.

 

a [
WN Af

A HORSE AFFECTED WITH SURFEIT,

Should the horse be young, and have been neglected throughout the
winter, a surfeit sometimes appears which is of a different character.
The lumps do not disappear; but an exudation escapes from the center
of each. The constitution is involved in this form of disease, and the
malady, if unattended to, is apt to settle upon the lungs.

Should the attack assume the last appearance, on no account take the
animal out, not even for exercise. Attend to the perfect cleanliness of
the bed, and keep every door and window in the stable open during the
day. Feed as directed for the previous form of surfeit, and allow two
or three bran mashes whenever the bowels appear constipated; but do
not give mashes after the constipation is removed. The desire is not to
weaken the system by purgation, but simply to relieve the body; admin-
ister the drink recommended above only, giving one night and morn-
ing, but, should the appetite suffer, reduce the quantity, or withhold all
medicine.

Clothe warmly; bandage the legs, and remove from the stall to a loose
HIDE-BOUND. 231

box; if the pulse suddenly sink, two pots of stout may be given at dif-
ferent times during the day. If the appetite is bad, good gruel instead
of water must be constantly in the manger; cut carrots, if presented a
few at a time, will generally be accepted. However, with all such care,
a very speedy termination is not to be expected; nature is casting forth
something imbibed during a winter of neglect, and no art can quicken
the process. The shortest cases of this kind mostly last a fortnight,
during which time the treatment, and the entire treatment, merely con-
sists in good nursing and in liberally supporting the body.

HIDE-BOUND.

Strictly speaking, the condition signified by the above term is not so
much a disease as the consequence of exposure, of poor provender, and
of neglect. Thrust a horse which has been accustomed to wholesome
food and a warm stable, thrust such an animal into a straw yard and
leave it there through the long and severe winter of this climate. Let

 

ONE OF THE CAUSES OF HIDE-BOUND IN HORSES.

the creature which has been used to have its wants attended to and its
desires watched—let it for months exist upon a stinted quantity of such
hay as the farmer cannot sell—let it go for days without liquid, and at
night be driven by the horns of bullocks to lie among the snow or to
shiver in the rain—let an animal so nurtured be forced to brave such
vicissitudes, and in the spring the belly will be down, and the harsh,
unyielding skin will everywhere adhere close to the substance which it

covers.
232 LICE.

Straw yards are abominations into which no feeling man should thrust
the horse he prizes; and no feeling man should long possess a horse
without esteeming it. The docility is so complete, the obedience so
entire, and the intelligence so acute, that it is hard to suppose a mortal
possessing a creature thus endowed, without something more than a
sheer regard for property growing up between the master and the
servant.

Every amiable sentiment is appealed to by the absolute trustfulness
of the quadruped. It appears to give itself, without reservation, to the
man who becomes its proprietor. Though gregarious in its nature, yet,
at the owner’s will, it lives alone. It eats according to human pleasure,
and it even grows to love the imprisonment under which it is doomed to
exist. Cruelty cannot interfere with its content. Brutality may maim
its body and wear out its life; but as its death approaches, it faces the
knacker with the same trustfulness which induced it, when in its prime,
to yield up every attribute of existence to gain the torture and abuse
of an ungrateful world.

Liberal food, clean lodging, soft bed, healthy exercise, and good
grooming compose the only medicine imperative for the cure of hide-
bound. The relief, however, may be hastened by the daily administra-
tion of two of those tonics and alterative drinks which act so directly

upon the skin :—
Drink for Hide-bound.

Liquor arsenicalis . . . . . . . . . . . Halfan ounce.
Tincture of muriate of iron. 2. . . . . ) .) «One ounce.
WrateDn cr % ‘ tae Joe ay aes tes ORSapInt

Mix, and give as a dose.

LICE.

These parasites are the consequences natural to the states of filth and
debility. Insects, which have been mistaken for lice, sometimes infest
large stables and almost drive the horses frantic with the itching they
provoke. Application after application, intended to destroy lice, is
made use of. Every recognized source of contagion is exterminated.
Internal as well as external medicine is resorted to, but every endeavor
to remove the annoyance signally fails. The horses are fat and feed
upon the best; yet they seem to breed the parasites peculiar to the
opposite condition. At last some one points to the hen-roost which
leans against the stable. That building is pulled down, and with it the
nuisance disappears.

It may to the reader appear strange that the application which killed
lice did not destroy the insects derived from fowls. Those parasites
LARVA IN THE SKIN. 233

which were upon the horse doubtless perished; but the dressing being
washed off, the pests came again and again, being supplied by the source
of all the mischief.

Insects breathe through the skin. On that account, a hornet is more
readily destroyed by dropping a little oil upon the exterior surface than
by immersing the head in hydrocyanic acid. All, therefore, requisite
for the removal of lice is smearing the entire body with any cheap oil
or grease. But when the skin is washed, the business is not ended.
Generally the horse troubled with lice is hide-bound, and may have
various other affections derived from the debility which generated the
parasites.

LARVA IN THE SKIN.

These annoyances are another result of turning an animal out to
grass, the fly whence the trouble is derived never entering the stable.
The insect rejoices in the freedom of the field; and man, by turning out
his horse, finds the creature a fitting spot for the deposit of its eggs.
This body is carefully deposited upon the back or sides. The warmth

6°

a. The winter residence of the larva.

b. The summer abode of the insect.

c. A drop of tallow falling upon the center of the
abscess.

 

of the animal hatches the larva; no sooner is it endowed with life, than,
with the instinct of its kind, it burrows into the skin. The integument
of the horse, however thick it may appear, is soon pierced by the active
little maggot, which, thus snugly housed, retains its lodging until the
following spring. During the winter, a small lump denotes its abiding
place; but as the second summer progresses, a tolerably large abscess

is instituted.
The interior of the abscess, of course, contains pus. Upon that

1. The spot through which the larva breathes.

2. The insect, full size.

3. The mouth of the parasite.

4, The pus surrounding the body, and upon which
the creature lives.

5. The sac of the abscess.

6. The fat of the horse, or the adipose tissue much
swollen and inflamed.

7. The skin.

8. The superficial muscle.

9, The muscle proper to the body of the animal.

 

DIAGRAM OF THE LARVA ABSCESS, DIVIDED
THROUGH ITS CENTER.

secretion the insect lives and thrives. The inhabitant of a warm abode,
and surrounded by its food, the early period of life no doubt is, for an
234 LARVA IN THE SKIN.

inactive being, highly agreeable. A division of one of these abscesses,
when fully matured, is represented in the second cut, page 233.

Such swellings are acutely painful and prove the sources of much
annoyance. They mostly occur upon the back. The saddle cannot be
laid on one of these tumors; and, as the spine supports much of the
harness, the proprietor has the vexation of beholding his horse rendered
perfectly useless; for guffering, should service be exacted, occasions the
creature to excite displeasure; besides, the pranks thus provoked by tor-
ture often continue after the cause has been removed.

Upon the summit of the abscess appears a black spot. It is at this
spot the larva receives the air needed to support a dormant existence.
This fact being known to certain people, the knowledge is employed to
destroy the parasite. The swelling is first slightly greased, and then a
drop of melted tallow is let fall upon the breathing place. By such
means the insect is effectually suffocated, and assuredly dies.

Others employ a darning needle as the instrument of execution. The
ueedle is thrust through the central spot into the swelling for three-
eighths of an inch. The larva thereby is pierced, and the life certainly
is sacrificed.

Neither method occasions at the time the slightest pain to the horse,
and therefore may by some persons be esteemed highly humane ; but, in
the end, such plans of cure prove the very reverse. In either case the
maggot dies; but the business, unfortunately, is only rendered worse by
killing the source of evil. The dead body putrefies. A foreign and
corrupting substance beneath the skin may enlarge the abscess to many
times its original dimensions. After all, the system has to cast forth
the irritating matter, and for that purpose inflammation, with its attend-
ant fever, must be perfected. Much suffering is thus occasioned, and
the proprietor is, for several weeks, forced to forego the employment of
a valuable servant.

The safest, the surest, and the quickest manner of eradicating these
parasites is, with the point of a lancet, slightly to enlarge the central
opening, and then with the finger and thumb, applied on either side of
the swelling, to squeeze out the intruder. The abscess rapidly disap-
pears; and it only requires a few dabbings with the solution of chloride
of zine, one grain to the ounce, to close the wound. However, the best
manner to avoid such annoyances is not to endeavor at saving money
by treating a domesticated animal as though it were an untamed quad-
ruped.
WARTS. 935

WARTS.

A wart, when of a fixed cartilaginous nature, should, in the horse, be
eradicated immediately upon its appearance; being permitted to exist,
such growths always increase in number and in magnitude. By certain
people, or rather by a tradition, these excrescences are imagined to
breed, or it is thought that one can produce many. That warts are
possessed of any such inherent property science refuses to acknowledge;
but the same system which has generated one may generate several.
The faculty of casting forth such growths may even be encouraged by
allowing them to remain; and it is possible that the slight shock occa-
sioned by their removal may alter the tendency of the body. Certain
it is that, by some mysterious law, nature refuses to build up only for
human agency to destroy. Youatt asserts that it was once fashionable
to crop the ears of horses until animals were ultimately born with the
ears ready shortened.

A portrait of an extraordinary instance of warty disposition, show-
ing the imprudence of permitting such accumulations to continue, is
here given. The writer’s experience cannot at
all equal the disfigurement there represented;
the animal was the favorite saddle-horse of a
lady who could not bear the idea of the creature
being put to pain. One wart first appeared
upon the inside of the thigh; the motion of the
legs used to chafe the excrescence, and frequent
discharges of blood were the consequence. The
growth increased in size, and three times was it
“charmed.” However, the cure, said to be potent
over the human being, was inoperative upon the a
horse; housewife’s remedies were next resorted ee
to, but all of these proved equally unsuccessful.

At iength, smaller warts began to show; it would have been easy to
have removed the original excrescence, but the numerous after-growths
assumed a form which would have rendered them difficult to destroy.
Many of them came with wide bases and slight elevation; to have
attempted the excision would have almost necessitated the flaying of a
living body. The remedy, which at first was easy, was by time rendered
impossible; the horse being permitted to exist, could only see imper-
fectly. It could not move or feed without hemorrhage being provoked.
The animal, of course, became useless; but still its kind mistress could
not consent to its destruction. A country farrier, previous to the author

 
236 WARTS.

seeing the animal, had slit up one nostril to relieve the breathing, which
before was much impeded. Of course nothing could be done for such an
object.

There are three different sorts of growth, all of which are recognized
under the term ‘‘wart.” The first is of a cartilaginous nature and is
contained in a distinct sac or shell, which last is entirely derived from
the cuticle of the skin. Upon the sac being divided, the substance
drops out, leaving behind a perfectly clean cavity, which soon disappears.
Little hemorrhage and less pain attend upon this trivial operation. The
second sort also is cartilaginous, but, unlike the first, is not contained
within a cuticular sac. It adheres firmly to the skin, and is apt to grow
large; sometimes it becomes of enormous bulk, when regarded simply
in its character of a wart. The crown is rough and unsightly; the body
is vascular, and the growth, from its magnitude and uneven texture, is
apt to be injured, when it never heals, but invariably exhibits the ulcera-
tive process in a tedious form. This species of wart is often to be
found, though of a smaller development, upon the human hand. The
third variety is hardly to be esteemed a true wart, and would not here
be named, were it not universally accepted as one of these abnormal
growths. It consists of a cuticular case, inclosing a soft granular sub-
stance.

It is impossible always to distinguish the first and third from the
second; therefore, in a case of this kind, it is advisable to cut into the
excrescence as soon as it is large enough to be operated upon. When
the warts are ascertained to be inclosed in a defined cuticular shell, the
quickest and the more humane practice is to take a sharp-pointed knife
and impale them, or run the blade through each in succession. The
edge should be away from the skin, and the knife being withdrawn
with an upward, cutting motion, the sac and substance are both sun-
dered. This accomplished, the interior is easily removed; and all that
can subsequently be necessary is to occasionally touch the part with the
solution of the chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce of water.

When the growth proves of the fixed cartilaginous kind, no time
should be lost in its removal. The quickest plan—and not, perhaps,
the most painful method—of doing this is by means of the knife. The
excrescence should be thoroughly excised, being sundered at the base.
Some bleeding will follow. This may be readily commanded by having
at hand a saucepan of water boiling on a small fire. Into the heated
liquid a budding-iron should be placed, by which artifice sufficient heat
is obtained to stimulate the open mouths of the vessels when the instru-
ment is applied to the bleeding surface, without any danger being incurred
of destroying the living flesh.
TUMORS. 2937

Should excision be objected to, the next best plan is the use of caus-
tic. Strong acetic acid, only to be generally obtained as aromatic vin-
egar, is the mildest cautery; the next in strength is butter of antimony;
after that, ranks nitrate of silver, or lunar caustic; and lastly, comes a
preparation invented by Mr. Woodger, to whose perceptions the veteri-
nary profession is so largely indebted. It consists of sulphuric acid,
made into a paste with powdered sulphur, and applied by means of a
flat piece of wood.

Whichever remedy is adopted, it must be remembered that the appli-
cation will occupy time in exact proportion to the mildness of the means
employed. It may also be proper to hint to the reader that, as an
animal has no foreknowledge to alarm its anticipatory fears, and as, the
anguish past, the mind of the creature does not linger upon painful
recollections, probably the knife is to be very much preferred.

Some people remove warts by ligatures. To this custom the author
strongly objects, for the following reasons: Because the process is slow;
because the pain is great and continuous, till the removal is accom-
plished ; because the ligature soon becomes filthy, the wart, when large,
often turning putrid before it falls off; and because, when small, the
breadth of base and the slight projection render fixing a ligature an
utter impossibility.

TUMORS.

It is impossible to particularize the nature of every tumor to which
the horse is subject, such formations being so very various. Seldom
are two cases met with in which a precisely
similar structure is developed. More seldom
are two cases encountered located upon the
same part. These growths are liable to every
possible change. One may be very small, but
extremely malignant, or of that kind which
seems to resent the slightest interference. Em-
ploy the knife to this last sort, and incurable
ulceration may start up. All remedies may be
powerless and the life may be sacrificed. Such
growths are, happily, rare in the equine species;
but the author has heard of their occurrence,

 

‘ : AN ABNORMAL GROWTH UPON A
although it has not been his misfortune to en- HORSE'S CHEST.

counter one. Another shall be of such enor-

mous size as to impede the motions, yet will be perfectly bland in its
nature. <A portrait, not of the largest tumor which the writer has wit-
nessed, but of the most awkwardly situated, is represented herewith.
238 TUMORS.

It was not malignant. The horse which carried about this burden was
brought to the veterinary college during the time when the author was
attached to that establishment. The animal had previously been under
the treatment of various veterinary surgeons. All had cut and cauterized
the enlargement, but without reducing its magnitude. The wounds healed
quickly, and the constitution appeared not to be in the slightest manner
affected.

Why was not the swelling removed with the knife, when the kindly
nature of the growth had been ascertained? For good and sufficient
reasons. No operation could, with the slightest prospect of success, be
hazarded. In the first place, nature is apt to resent the loss of so large
a substance, or, in other words, although the surgery may be perfect, the
life, from some unexplained cause, is likely to depart before the operation
is finished. In the next place, most bland tumors, when of magnitude,
are of a semi-cartilaginous nature, and spring either from tendon or
from bone—usually from the latter. This tumor impeded the action;
hence it was inferred that the substance ramified among the fibers of the
pectoral muscles. Those fibers are large, and are divided; they present
interspaces, between which the abnormal growth might readily penetrate.
Now, unless every portion of the tumor were excised, the enlargement
would sprout again, and the surgeon would be disgraced. To remove
the pectoral muscle of a man, would be esteemed of little consequence,
so that the life was preserved. But the limbs of the horse constitute
the value of the creature’s existence; and to disable these from being
safely moved, would be to return a burdensome life to the proprietor.
Therefore that which is compatible with human surgery could not be
entertained in veterinary science.

A tumor may be small and soft, yet it must be respected. It may be
hard, or even ulcerated and large, still its excision may be readily accom-
plished. The majority of these growths which appear upon the horse,
however, are not malignant. Nevertheless, let every man consult some
duly qualified veterinarian of experience before he resorts to measures
which, possibly, may lead to the acutest regret.

One caution must be given before the subject is concluded. Gray
horses, which have grown paler with age, or have become white, are
liable to an incurable and malignant disease termed melanosis, which
hereafter will be fully described. The presence of this disorder is
generally testified by the appearance of some external tumor. Unless
that enlargement be of great size and admirably situated for removal,
it on no account should be interfered with. Let, therefore, every light-
gray or white horse having a tumor be submitted to some experienced
judgment, and let the owner be guided by the opinion he receives.
SWOLLEN OR FILLED LEGS. 939

SWOLLEN OR FILLED LEGS.

These are one of the most common troubles of the stable; the coach-
man is very apt to complain piteously that in the morning he is sure to
find such and such a horse with the legs filled. Commonly the hinder
limbs below the hock are thus affected; sometimes the fore legs below
the knee will be involved. The coachman mostly bandages the parts.
In mild cases this resort may answer; but in bad instances the leg

  

THE HORSE’S LEG OF A NATURAL SIZE. THE HORSE’S LEG WHEN FILLED.

above the bandage is apt to enlarge. The cloth or flannel, before ap-
plied, should be wetted; this, however, affords but a temporary relief;
the wet often causes the hair to curl, aud the uniformity of the appear-
ance is thereby spoiled. After some time, the bandage frequently leaves
its impress upon the leg, and it is astonishing how long in peculiar cases
this impress will continue.

Swollen legs mostly occur in heavy animals and in overgrown carriage
horses; such creatures are of weakly or soft constitutions. They have
a vast tendency to become partially dropsical. Fast work exhausts the
system of the carriage horse, while high food stimulates its natural dis-
position toward disease. With heavy horses, the prolonged hours of
labor are equally debilitating, and the Sunday’s stagnation generates
disorder; neither have any innate hardiness to withstand injurious in-
fluences; both, when highly fat, have the weakness inherent to their
constitutions greatly increased. The quadruped, loaded with the accu-
mulations of many months’ repletion, may please the eye of the master;
but it is rendered more subject to disease, and less capable of labor or of
activity.

Persons who require fast work, should employ light vehicles and
small horses; the creatures should be principally supported by grain—
a little hay may be allowed during certain times, when the animal’s
240 SITFAST.

attention requires to be engaged; but the chief sustenance ought to
consist of oats and beans. When the carriage is not wanted for the
day, care should be taken to see the groom gives at least four hours’
exercise.

With regard to the heavy animals, the custom of blowing them out
with chaff or hay is not to be commended. A good horse is surely
deserving of good provender, and the best manger food is not generally
deserving of any higher character than the word ‘ good” may convey.
A horse for work should be in sound flesh without being fat; when not
required, it should not be allowed to remain in the stable all day. Who,
however, ever saw a cart-horse being exercised? These animals have
to stand in the stall of a heated stable throughout the Sabbath; the
excuse is, that the creatures may enjoy a day’s rest. But four hours’
easy exercise given at different times, although it might occupy the time
of the attendant, would assuredly greatly add to the comfort of the
quadrupeds which he is paid to look after.

When a horse is troubled with swollen legs, take it from the stall and
place it in a roomy, loose box; nothing more quickly removes this affec-
tion than easy and natural motion. At grass, dropsy generally attacks
the abdomen; but the author has not heard of the legs being affected
in the field, the limbs there being in constant action. Having placed
the animal in a loose box, abstain from giving hay for some weeks; pro-
cure some ground oak-bark ; having damped the corn, sprinkle a handful
of the powder among each feed of oats. Particularly attend to the
exercise ; and should the legs still enlarge, do not allow bandages to be
employed, but set both groom and coachman hand-rubbing till the natu-
ral appearance is restored,

SITFAST.

This, whenever it occurs, provokes great vexation. Generally it
affects animals of the highest value or of fast capabilities, which are
used only for saddle purposes. The affection consists of a patch of
horn, resembling a corn upon the human foot. These patches are not
absolutely large, though of course in size they vary. Neither are they
all similar in form or in thickness. In one respect, however, a family
likeness runs throughout the kind. They are not simple corns, but their
different nature is shown by a margin of ulceration. The situation
which they invariably occupy is under the saddle-tree. Their presence,
of course, obliges the horse to be disused; and they are the more an-
noying, since there is no chance of these comparatively trifling ailments
disappearing without treatment. The treatment, moreover, cannot be
speedy. Whatever measures may be resorted to, time is necessary for
SITFAST. 941

the cure; and, during this space, the proprietor sees his horse in high
health and spirits, but is forbidden to mount it because of a petty
blemish which, in his eyes, is perfectly contemptible.

Sitfasts, though all said to be caused by the fric-
tion of the saddle, have several distinct excitants.
The saddle is without life, and cannot of itself injure
the quadruped. It is common to account for a sit-
fast by saying the saddle does not fit. Sueh may
occasionally be the case; for a saddle, if badly
made, will chafe the skin and produce a sitfast. But
this cause is in operation less often than is imagined.
A retired surgeon, whom the author had the honor
of visiting at Reigate, wore a cork leg. That 4 srrrast, as 17 appzars
gentleman stated that, whenever the leg used to Sergeant ;
chafe the stump to which it was attached, he always considered his body
was out of order. Medicine then was taken, and the symptom disap-
peared. We mortals refuse to think the horse ails anything unless the
animal is alarmingly prostrated. All smaller ills ate disregarded; yet
that derangement of the stomach which caused the stump of a man’s lee
to become painful from pressure may, if not attended to, also cause the
skin of a horse to exhibit a sitfast.

An awkward horseman is the more frequent source of the complaint.
There are gentlemen so very energetic as riders that the best of saddles
may be readily moved under them. The saddle must be well made
indeed which can, under no circumstances, be stirred upon the back to
that extent which is required to generate a sitfast. Loose girths will
likewise establish the nuisance, and so also may the saddle-cloth when-
ever it is hastily put on so as to become thrown into a fold when the
horse is mounted.

The speediest cure for a sitfast is the knife. The excrescence is
quickly removed; and the wound, if treated with the solution of chloride
of zine, one grain to an ounce of water, soon heals. A more tedious
plan of removal, and one not recommended by any proper feeling, is to
rub into the sitfast, every night and morning, a small quantity of blis-
tering ointment. Such is the usual direction; but the ointment may be
applied, for some time, to a layer of compact horn, before the true skin
or flesh beneath is affected. The unguent must therefore cover the per-
haps ulcerated margin of the sitfast; and even then it is a tedious and
a painful operation, not likely to improve the disposition of an animal
which it is so desirable to keep free from every excitement.

While the sitfast is being operated upon, the bowels should be ren-
dered pultaceous by bran mashes. Four of these per diem will usually

16

 
242 GREASE.

loosen the most constipated body in two days. That effect being gained,
while the food is liberal and the animal is led to plenty of exercise, give
one of those drinks, night and morning, which are tonic to the system,
but seem to exhaust their virtue upon the skin.

Drink for Sitfasts,

Liquor arsenicalis . . . . . . Half an ounce.
Tincture of muriate of iron. . . Three-quarters of an ounce.
Wrateras. <0 3 i & oe we ee “One-pint:

Mix, and give.
GREASE.

This filthy disorder is a disgrace to every person concerned with the
building in which it occurs; it proves neglect in the proprietor, want of
fitness or positive idleness in the groom, and culpable ignorance or the
absence of the slightest moral courage in all people entering the doors
of the stable. It is one of those disorders which it is easier to prevent
than to cure. By an ordinary regard to cleanliness, and by an average
attention to the necessities of the animal, this taint may be avoided;
wherever it is witnessed, it not only argues the human being to whom
the building belongs to be in the lowest stage of degradation, but it also
testifies to the sufferings endured by the poor creatures which are com-
pelled to drag out life in such custody.

The grease is, in the primary instance, inflammation of the sebaceous
glands of the legs; but it soon extends beyond the limits of its origin,
and involves the deeper-seated structures. A white leg is more subject
to the disorder than one of another color, and the fore limbs are almost
exempted from the ravages of grease. The reason of that exemption is
found in the greater proximity of the anterior extremities to the heart
or to the center of the circulation. Consequently the vitality in the fore
legs is more active, and the flow of blood much more energetic; hence
the anterior extremities can resist that ailment which fixes with impunity
upon the posterior limbs. Added to this, in the fore legs the vessels
describe almost perpendicular lines, whereas in the hind members the
arterial current is impeded by numerous angles; these conditions doubt-
less operate upon the health of parts, but, above everything else, ranks
the fact that the front legs are not subject to the same external causes
as are the members more backwardly located. The stalls are drained
from the manger to the gangway; consequently all the contamination
of the space in which the horse is confined flows toward the hind feet;
there are, moreover, other reasons, which the intelligence of the reader
will not require should be particularized.
GREASE. 243

Grease is banished from every decent stable; it may, however, be occa-
sionally encountered in situations very much secluded ; there yet remain
places whence so foul a disgrace is never absent. The wretched animals
which are employed in brick-yards, in dust-carts, and in drawing canal
boats are hardly ever free from this loathsome disorder. These creatures
labor incessantly, and are removed far from the wholesome check which
brutality receives from public opinion; they are resigned to the mercies
of men who, as a class, are certainly not the most refined, and are seldom
inconvenienced by any excess of feeling. The places, not stables, into
which the miserable quadrupeds are thrust can rarely be entered without
the peculiar smell which announces the existence of grease almost over-
powering the stranger. The fact is unpleasant to human sense, but it is
only right that the probable effect upon the creature, which is doomed
for the duration of its weary life to inhale such an atmosphere, should
be considered.

Smell is perhaps the most acute sense with which the equine race are
endowed; the horse can appreciate that in which the human being vainly
endeavors to detect even the slightest odor. Not only is the scent far
more acute than that of man, but the two beings have to be compared
as regards their habits; the animal is most cleanly in its tastes. Flesh
it abhors, and all fatty substance it shrinks from; men eat such things
with appetite. Then, the human subject can dwell, and even labor, in a
tainted atmosphere with comparative impunity. A quadruped may be
forced to toil in such a place; but those who cblige the creature to do
this kind of work know the certain consequences of the act. They buy
cheap and old horses—animals which have suffered much, and have but
a year or two longer to exist. Were younger or dearer quadrupeds
purchased, in which an energetic constitution would render disease more
malignant, and were such animals obliged to breathe such contamination,
the loss in every way would be fearful.

There is, at present, a great fuss made about sanitary laws; but the
attention of those to whom such subjects are confided seems to be en-
grossed by man and his excretions. No one yet appears to have imagined
that the subject involves life in all its varieties; the horse cannot exist
in the air which human lungs have exhausted; man cannot live in the
atmosphere in which the horse has perished. The two creatures are
not, therefore, entirely distinct; but the open nostrils and huge lungs
of one horse can consume the oxygen which would support many men.
Then, the dung of the horse, which is always exposed, gives off fumes
only slightly less dangerous than those which emanate from the human
body. Yet officers pry into alleys and into courts; they enter the hab-
itations of the poor, and count the number of those who sleep in each
244 GREASE.

room. The impacted people are pointed to as the source of certain dis-
eases, and society shudders as the medical report is circulated. No one,
however, visits the stable; no one inquires whether horses live in the
space which affords sufficient atmosphere to support existence; no one
has yet traced disease in man as probably originating in the close and
contaminated fumes of nearly every London mews. Still, if the over-
crowded rooms of the poor merit an elaborate report as so very danger-
ous to society, may not the stifling and reeking condition of the stables
deserve a passing comment in its relation to the same effect ?

Cutting the hair from, and thereby exposing the hinder heels to the
operation of cold and of wet is no unfrequent cause of grease. Such
is a common practice with lazy horsekeepers when not stimulated by the
proprietor’s eye. In winter, when the legs most require warmth and
protection, the heels are deprived of the covering which nature intended
should protect them; and parts where the blood flows most tardily are
laid bare to the effects of evaporation and of frost. When the animal
returns soiled from work, most grooms will sluice a pail of cold water
over the legs; the dirt is thereby washed off, but the legs are suddenly
chilled, and soon become more cold, because of the moisture which they
retain and of the evaporation which ensues; for very few stablemen,
finding the appearance pleasing to mortal perceptions, think about the
comfort of the creature which is principally concerned.

Sudden chill striking a part, and followed by gradually-increasing
cold, will certainly induce congestion; the foundation of disease is thus
laid. The better plan would be to instruct the groom that appearance
is secondary to the welfare of his charge. Order the man not to mind
about leaving his horses so very clean and tidy; never allow the hair,
which grows long and luxuriant about the heels, to be cut off. Leave
strict orders that, when the animal returns with dirty legs, the stableman
is to take several wisps of straw and rub them until the surface is quite
dry. The absence of wet will greatly add to the comfort of the horse,
while the friction will increase the circulation and prove the very best
preventive to disease. With the moisture, of course, much of the dirt
must be removed ; any which is left behind will readily fall out on the
following morning, upon the hair being carefully hand-rubbed and
combed. However, mind and see this is done, for it entails some
trouble; and, if you are content with merely giving orders, the “old
buffer’s megrims” are sure to be laughed at and disobeyed.

Turning out to grass, especially during the colder months, when the
wet is particularly abundant, and the bite peculiarly short, is another
fruitful source of this affection. If a well-bred, aged animal, which has
done its work, after a life spent under the protection of the stable and
GREASE. 245

in the enjoyment of its carefully-prepared diet, is, from mistaken mo-
tives, turned into the field, life may be prolonged, but it is at the expense
of much suffering, with the almost certain visitation of grease in a
virulent form.

The earliest symptom of approaching grease
is enlargement of the legs, accompanied by con-
siderable heat of the skin. If the animals be
now observed, they will be seen to be uneasy in
their stalls; the hinder feet are occasionally
noisily stamped upon the pavement. Should
the hair be examined, it will be discovered loaded
with scurf about the roots, while one hind foot
will be frequently seen employed to scratch the
back of the opposite leg. =

Should these indications attract no attention, 4 nonse scrarcaina onE LEG
the hairs soon begin to stand on end or to pro- fu cr THE FaRLInsT ApPEane
ject outward, as though each was actuated bya — 4*°# OF GRPASE.
separate purpose, and each desired nothing so much as to avoid its fel-
lows. At the same time, the part begins to exude a thick, unctuous
moisture, from which the disease derives its name. This hangs upon all
the hairs of the heel in heavy drops. It is an offensive secretion. It
emits a remarkably pungent and a very peculiar odor, which, once
inhaled, is never afterward to be forgotten.

Should no regard be now bestowed upon the sufferer, and should the
horse be worked on despite the lameness which it now exhibits, the skin

 

 

FIRST STAGE OF CONFIRMED GREASE. THE SECOND STAGE OF CONFIRMED GREASE.
EXUDATION. CRACKS.

swells, while cracks, deep and wide, appear upon the inflamed integument.
The lines of division ulcerate, sometimes very badly; a thin, discolored,
and unhealthy pus mingles with the discharge; the odor grows still more
abominable, while the wretched animal becomes yet more lame.
246 GREASE.

Should, even at this period, no proper remedy be applied to check
the disease, the leg enlarges. Proud flesh, or fungoid granulations,
sprout from the lines of ulceration. The granulations grow in bunches,
aud have a ragged surface. Often the masses are
of great size, and shake, as though about to fall,
with every movement of the foot. The points,
from exposure, become dry and hard; their na-
ture, from that of fungoid granulations, changes
to a substance resembling horn, like which, they
are without sensation. These bunches have been
named ‘“ grapes,” which they are vulgarly thought
to resemble. The likeness, however, is very dis-
tant—the one being pleasant to look upon, the
other forming a painful and disgusting spectacle.

 

THE THIRD STAGE OF CON-

FIRMED GREASE. HORNY However insensitive the points of the bunches
BUNCHES WAICH ARE COM- . . .
MONLY CALLED GRAPES. may become, the limb itself, throughout the disor-

der, possesses a morbid sensibility. The gentlest
touch occasions exquisite torture, and the animal will tremble lest the
agony should be repeated. Upon the slightest impression, the leg is
instantly snatched up, nor is it trusted again upon the earth until fatigue
necessitates rest or till the cause of suffering has departed. Horses
have even suppressed their urine, lest the fluid, splashing upon the seat
of disease, should provoke any access of the infliction. Few greasy
animals ever have a bed under them, the straw of which might arrest
the liquid in its flight. Indeed, such a luxury might save them from one
source of torture, but assuredly would start up another. The ends of
the straw, pricking or even touching the disorder, would cause such
agony as must occasion the animal constantly to stand in terror.

One peculiarity, witnessed during grease, has not been indicated in
the above illustrations. It has been purposely omitted, because, though
invariably attendant upon the disorder, it in reality forms no part of the
malady, being only a sympathetic effect. The cutis is continuous with
the coronet and lamina, which secrete the outward horn of the hoof.
Any disease fixing upon the one, of course cannot but affect the other.
The irritation which involves the skin of the leg, therefore, necessarily
stimulates the growth of the foot. The hoof of a greasy leg, from this
cause, often becomes of enormous dimensions; but this peculiarity has
not been noticed, because it was desired to keep the attention of the
reader fixed wholly upon the more immediate symptoms of the loathsome
affection.

The remedy for grease is simple enough. Indeed, did not a sense of
duty oblige it to be resorted to, the smell would, in the majority of per-
GREASE. 244

sons, induce it to be employed. In the first place, clip off the hair—if
any remains to be cut off. The natural protector of the heels now can
conserve nothing. It can only heat the skin and retain the discharge.
This being accomplished, if the leg merely be hot and scurfy, have it
thoroughly cleansed with curd soap and warm water. Then a cloth,
saturated with the lotion for the earliest stage of grease, should be
laid upon the inflamed integument. This should be removed so soon
as it becomes warm, and another, also dripping, should immediately
supply its place. Thus a wet, cold cloth should constantly cover the
part till the heat is destroyed, or at all events is greatly mitigated.

For this purpose, two men are required, one to remove and the other
to apply. Four old cloths will be necessary. These, when removed,
should be flung over a line, so that as large a space as possible may be
exposed to the cooling action of the atmosphere. There is nothing so
disagreeable in performing this office as might at first appear. The
active agent of the lotion is a powerful disinfectant and deodorizer.
The first cloth removes almost all the fetor, and hanging the wrappers
subsequently over the line effectually purifies the atmosphere. The
part being reduced to a comparatively natural temperature, the after-
treatment consists in renewing the cloths so often as the heat returns;
and in otherwise moistening the limb with some of the subjoined lotion
thrice daily :—

Lotion for the earliest stage of Grease.

Animal glycerin . . . . . . . . . . ). . «Halfa pint.
Chloride of zine . . . . ..... +. +. . Half an ounce.
Water... . . . . Six quarts.

To be employ ed aes fie: manner meade directed.

When the cracks, with ulceration, appear, the previous lotion is too
weak to be of much service; but the same treatment must be adopted:
only one of the lotions subsequently given should then be used :—

Lotion for the ulcerative stage of Grease.

Permanganate of potash or phosphoric acid . . . . . One pint.

Waters 4, 4) a se: ei en Sb Bre Se oe Se ke A a Si quarts:
Or—

Chloride of zine . . . . . . ee ee ee ee) One ounce.

Creosote .. . ly ue aes a 24) « +o Hourountces:

Strong solution of Gab ake See oS One gallon.

Both to be used after the manner of the previous ceiaioe.

Should the spurious granulations have begun to sprout, lose no time
in having the horse cast. Have near at hand a small pot, with a char-
coal fire beneath it. Let the vessel be full of boiling water. Within
the fluid, previous to the casting, insert several irons; then throw the
248 GREASE.

animal. With a keen knife excise the external bunches of proud flesh.
As each lump is removed, much bleeding will ensue; therefore, before
using the knife again, take an iron and lay it flat upon the raw surface.
Should one not check the hemorrhage, return the first to the saucepan
and apply a second. It is necessary to operate with as small a loss of
blood as possible; for horses having grease are always old and debil-
itated. In this manner proceed till all the external growths are cut
away. Then let the animal rise. Enough has been suffered for one
occasion; more agony the exhausted system of the animal might not
sustain. Besides, with every attention concerning the irons, the bleed-
ing, generally, will not permit more to be accomplished.

One thing has been forgotten. When removing the fungoid excres-
cences, it is always well, for the comfort of the operator, to have the leg
previously saturated with chloride of zinc; also to have a man, with a
sponge and a quart of the solution, ready to bathe the limb as fresh sur-
faces are exposed. Subsequently wet the leg frequently with the lotion
last recommended.

In another three days the animal may, a second time, be cast. The
operation being again confined to the crop of growths which on the
former occasion were exposed; all the previous directions should also
be strictly carried out. After three days have once more been suffered
to elapse, the horse, if necessary, should be thrown for the last time, and
the knife once more employed. The after-treatment will depend much
upon circumstances. If the ulceration predominates, employ the last
lotion. Should the granulations appear likely to grow, make use of the
first solution of chloride of zinc—only it should be double the strength
which was originally recommended. When both ulceration and granu-
lation appear equal, the first and last lotions may be alternated.

Such are the chief remedies necessary for the cure of grease. The
other measures are: the removal to a loose box thickly bedded with
refuse tan; the food should be liberal—old beans are now of every ser-
vice; each feed of oats should be rendered damp, and a handful of
ground oak-bark ought to be thoroughly mixed with it. For medicine,
those excellent tonic and alterative drinks may be thus prepared, and
given daily :—

Drink for Grease.

Liquor arsenicalis . . . . . . . . One ounce.
Tincture of the muriate ofiron . . . . One ounce and a half.
Porter or stout . . . . . . . . One quart.

Mix, and give one pint night and morning.
Chopped roots, speared wheat, hay tea, and a little cut grass, should
it be in season, are all proper in this disease. At the same time, walk-
MALLENDERS AND SALLENDERS. 949

ing exercise is much to be commended. Motion quickens the circula-
tion; but in grease it seems, in a manner which is not understood, also
to allay pain. A horse having grease will be led out of the stable
limping lame; but after an hour’s exercise it may return walking firmly
and almost soundly. After cleanliness, good food and medicine, nothing
is so beneficial to grease as moderate exercise.

MALLENDERS AND SALLENDERS.

These names are to be traced to no derivation, but in their arbitrary
signification they denote a certain condition of the parts situated on the
points of principal flexion in either limb. Mallenders appear upon the
back of the knee; sallenders are located in front of the hock. Both,
in the first place, are scurfy patches exhibiting a roughened state of hair
and suggesting considerable irritability. Hither, if neglected, will degen-
erate into a troublesome sore from which a foul discharge will issue.

  

MALLENDERS, OR A SCURFY PATCH AT THE SALLENDERS, OR A SCURFY PATCH IN FRONT
BACK OF THE KNEE. OF THE HOCK.

With ordinary care they neither do much harm; but are rather regarded
as proofs of idleness and as eyesores, than as actual diseases, to which
importance they now seldom attain. For their relief it is essential to
pay scrupulous attention to cleanliness; as, when the coat suffers from
neglect, it is very probable the same cause may likewise influence the
constitution. Therefore, always begin the treatment with the tonic
alterative drinks described on the previous page; at the same time
applying with friction a little of the annexed ointment thrice daily :—

Ointment for Mallenders and Sallenders.

Animal glycerin) . . - - - «© « + «= + « One ounce.
Mercurial ointment . ... =... . . . Two drachms.
Powdered camphor ...... . . . - Two drachms.
Spermaceti . . . . One ounce.

Incorporate all choroushly: togetlien, fae acyl as directed.
When the scurf, through neglect, degenerates into a sore, treat after
250 CRACKED HEELS.

the manner subsequently advised for cracked heels. But in every case
of this kind always begin the treatment with a change of stable attend-
ant; for where certain diseases appear, these are conclusive proof that
duty is neglected. No remonstrance, no chiding, can amend the habits
of the groom, who has, from drink or other indulgence, lost pride in the
stable over which he should reign supreme.

CRACKED HEELS.

This is, save where very wrong-headed measures are pursued, the affec-
tion peeuliar to the cold and wet months of the year. Even during the
inclement weather of the summer, however, the horse may, if badly man-
aged, exhibit this form of disease. Should the hair, which nature with
kind intention placed upon the fetlock, be ruthlessly cut away, the animal
is thereby rendered liable to cracked heels. The wet very rarely pene-
trates that designed defense. When it does, the ample covering of hair
falling over the skin prevents evaporation, and the
moisture rather promotes warmth than causes any
excess of cold. The dirt of the road always lodges
upon the surface of the hair, and if the horsekeeper
exercise only ordinary care it can never soil the flesh.

The liability induced by removal of the natural
covering exemplifies the folly of those practices
which have lately become so very fashionable as at
the present time to be almost universal. But there
has always appeared to exist in the human mind a
restless desire to improve the beauty of the horse.
Now the tail has been docked; then the ears have
eee een oe onmnes * been cut, A short space prior to these amend-

ments, the skin was tampered with to produce a star,
as a white spot upon the forehead was termed. At the passing hour
almost every man who owns a horse must have the body clipped or
singed. The length of hair is given in this climate as a necessary pro-
vision. Nature never forms anything without its use; though man in
his ignorance may not always be able to comprehend her intention.
Were finer coats desired, it would probably be wiser to obtain them by
warming the stable, increasing the clothing, and avoiding those long
stagnations during which the animal has to remain motionless before
street doors. A long coat is a defense against a cold winter; and unless
man provides against the consequences of our climate, it is evidently
flagrantly wrong to deprive a dumb creature of the protection which
nature has bestowed.

 
CRACKED HEELS. 251

Shortening the coat, if anywhere justifiable, is certainly most pardon-
able among hunters. Animals used for this purpose always have, or
should have, plenty of attendance; these creatures also are mostly re-
quired during the autumn and early winter. Removing the coat cer-
tainly does stimulate the body. The horse assuredly is capable of greater
exertion immediately after the deprivation. At the same time, however,
a greater susceptibility to disease is engendered, and often the deprived
animal falls a victim to man’s fancy, notwithstanding all the care and
attention which the hunting-stable can command. A burst and then a
check, when a piercing wind blows from the northeast, invariably pro-
duces sad effects among the horses, especially at the commencement of
the season. A gentleman who prizes the animal he rides should take
it to ‘‘the meet” unclipped; and, perhaps, should the run be long, the
quadruped may hold a better place at the death than horses adorned
after the prevailing fashion.

The folly of the custom is shown in the animals attached to London
vehicles. These horses are mostly wanted for spring service. The
stimulant of the autumn is purchased at the cost of debility during the
spring. The coat is shed the later because of the previous deprivation.
When the summer hair is growing, the creature presents a very uneven
and ragged appearance in consequence of the points of the new and the
roots of the old coat being of opposite colors. The gentleman who,
therefore, has his nag and carriage horses shorn of their natural cover-
ings at the time when hunters are thrown up, beholds the objects of his
pride deficient in animation and beggarly in aspect, while the animal
that has been allowed to wear its native garments dashes past him in
all the briskness of the season and the smartness of new apparel.

The question of clipping and of singeing is simply this. Do you
require your servant’s services all the year round, or do you want its
utmost exertions for a comparatively short space immediately subsequent
to the removal of the outer hair; and, at how great a hazard are you
prepared to purchase your wish ?

Were the legs of horses allowed to retain that adornment which
nature gave, and were the parts not shorn of their shaggy beauty—
were men not inclined to confound the different breeds of horses, and,
because the thorough-bred has clean legs, to imagine the cart-horse can
be artificially made to display members equally fine—were masters more
resolute in resisting the selfish suggestions of lazy grooms, who love to
have the bushy heels clipped—were the stable-keeper not afraid of doing
his duty, but would go down upon his knees and rub the fetlocks dry,
instead of drenching them with water, and then leaving them to chap in
moisture and in cold,—were these things attended to, there is no reason
252 CRACKED HEELS.

why cracked heels should not speedily become a thing which has been,
but no longer is.

However, if animals are exposed throughout the wintry season, under
the pretense of being placed in a straw-yard, the proprietor must expect
to take the creatures up with some defect. The worst case of cracked
heels the author ever looked upon, was produced after the last-men-
tioned method; the skin was much thickened and deeply marked by fis-
sures. In places it had sloughed, and where the integument was absent
fearfully deep ulceration was established. Fortunately, the absorbing
process had reached none of those important structures which are situ-
ated about the heel of the horse; and the animal, after lengthened
treatment, was cured.

For cracked heels, if bad, the animal must rest, at all events till the
parts are improved. When slight, always wash them with tepid water
and mild soap, upon the animal’s return to the stable; dry them thoroughly
with a soft leather; then damp them with the following :—

Wash for Cracked Heels,

Animal glycerin . . . . . . . . . . . Halfa pint.
Chloride of zing. . 2 2 1. 1...) «Two drachms.
Strong solution of oak-bark . . . . . . . One pint.

Dissolve the zinc in water, then mix, and use thrice daily.

Should sloughing and ulceration have commenced, that condition
claims the first attention as being the most dangerous.

Forbear all exercise while such a state exists. Throw up the animal.
Allow it to rest in the stable. Give a few bran mashes or a little cut
grass to open the bowels; but do not take the horse out even for exer-
cise while such an unhealthy action is in existence. Ulceration is too
dangerous and morbid a process not to be treated with every consider-
ation; and it is far too irritable and painful a state not to necessitate
perfect inaction for its relief. Apply the following to the heels :—

Wash for Ulcerated Cracked Heels.

Animal glycerin or phosphoric acid. . . . . Two ounces,
Permanganate of potash or creosote . . . . Half an ounce.
Water. . . - . . . . Three ounces.

Mix, and apply six times daily.

Upon the ulceration being arrested, the last prescription may be dis-
carded, and the former recipe resorted to; with these, however, it is
always well to attend to the constitution. A drink, each day, composed
of liquor arsenicalis, half an ounce ; tincture of the muriate of iron, one
ounce; water, half a pint, should be given every night. This compo-
sition has been often recommended, but the author knows of none which
CRACKED HEELS. 253

is more beneficially tonic to the general system, and which, at the same
time, acts so directly upon the skin.

Stablemen are fond of urging various excuses to hide their disineli-
nation for exertion. Thus it is common for such people to assert that
the horse’s heels cracked while the animal was out on a cold, a wet, or
a windy day: this is nonsense. Stablemen, of course, do not desire the
creatures which they look after to be exposed to that soil which it is
their duty to remove; but nature, that ordained the climate, formed the
animal to endure it.

Were not the heels clipped, nothing short of extreme stable neglect
could occasion those parts to crack. If the hair is removed, nothing but
excessive good fortune will prevent this affection. The groom in the
last case is not to blame, should the heels become sore. However, the
best method of avoiding this affection, where the hair is cut short,
experience has proved to be the following: Upon return to the stable,
wash the feet scrupulously clean with cold water; then dry them thor-
oughly. Use several cloths to effect the latter purpose, and do not
relinquish the object while the slightest moisture remains; nor cease to
rub them until the parts are in a glow. Subsequently, smear over the
heels a little glycerin; but even this will not in every instance prevent
the affection. No care can render safe that which human folly has ex-

posed.
CHAPTER XI.

SPECIFIC DISEASES—THEIR VARIETIES AND THEIR TREATMENT.

 

BROKEN WIND.

Broken wind in the horse approaches very nearly to dry asthma in
the human being. Man, however, can suit his work to his capabilities ;
but all horses have only one employment, which, to be sure, may differ

Hy" yl *

   

CONVULSIVE SPASM, INDUCED BY FATIGUE, IN A BROKEN-WINDED HORSE.

in its intensity; still, the most afflicted animal always has to perform the
severest kind of draught. Let any person propose that individuals
having dry asthma should pull loaded trucks, to earn their bread or to
purchase a right to live; the cruelty of such a proposition would be
apparent to the dullest sense. Yet is it the horse’s doom that, no matter
with what disease it may be afflicted, the animal must work or die. Old
or sick, weak or disabled, still the body’s toil must earn the creature’s
food and the master’s profit. Spasm or agony can excuse no pause ; let
the sufferer even slacken the space sufficiently to mitigate in some degree
the pangs it endures, and the long whip, aided by the harsh voice of the
driver, will urge the flagging cripple onward. The horse has no words
to plead with; the signs of its distress are not understood; the law

(254)
BROKEN WIND. 955
which assumes to protect it is a delusion; the animal is given up, help-
less, friendless, and unpitied, to the almost unrestrained barbarity of its
master. It is born doomed to live in solitude, to wear its life out under
the goad, and to yield up existence in a knacker’s yard.

“ Broken wind” is a sad affliction ; it is the more sad because no men
but the very careless or the very poor will keep an animal thus diseased.
The author has known it to be a frequent reason given by the better
class of horse proprietors for having the life destroyed; which decision
may have been quickeved by the fact that the horse is generally old
before this disease appears. In the knowledge of the writer there is
no recorded instance of a colt having ‘‘broken wind.” The malady is
usually witnessed after the adult age has been attained, or during the
latter period of life, whether the affection has been naturally induced or
aggravated by the cruelty of man

It is said to have been produced suddenly; thus a man has been
reported to have ridden an untrained horse after the hounds, and so have
provoked the disorder. Another is asserted to have galloped a nag with
a stomach loaded either with food or water, and thus to have broken the
wind. Doubtless the seeds of the disorder may by either process have
been sown; but that the disease was fully developed after either incident,
is more than doubtful.

The seat of this affliction is not confined to any one organ; its ravage
is universal. No part escapes; that the entire animal economy can
change all at once, like a trick in a Christmas pantomime, is a circum-
stance which has yet to be established. The malady is most general
among the agricultural districts; the farmer’s poor team, in many parts
of England, seldom tastes much of that which can be taken to market.
Cut grass constitutes its chief summer food; the coat is rarely groomed ;
the stable often left open, and only cleaned when manure is wanted.
During the winter months the animals have to luxuriate in the straw-
yard; the body’s abuse, in such horses, may readily lead to the body’s
degeneration. Green-meat will not support the strength, though upon
it the life may be sustained. The occupiers of the soil would find it to
their account, could the class be brought to bestow a little more atten-
tion upon their living property. The years of labor would be prolonged,
and the activity of the laborer be quickened; fewer horses need then be
kept, and the anxieties of the farmer would be lightened. Agricultural
teams would not then be encountered slowly creeping along the high-
way, and sleeping as they journeyed. Care naturally begets pride, and
worth generally resides where pride is exhibited. Increased value would
reward the farmer, whose animals would not then so often present the
spectacle of horses doing slow work, being touched in the wind.
256 BROKEN WIND.

Broken wind is evidently a disorder of slow and of long growth; any
abuse may lay the foundation of such an affliction. Where abuse of life
is possible, there folly is too often habitual; thus repetition may hasten
the development of broken wind, but no one act could provoke so
lamentable a consequence.

There is some dispute whether broken wind originates in the stom-
ach or in the lungs. The mass of evidence would favor the opinion that
originally it was a disease of the digestive organs; but, as the disorder
proceeds, all parts of the body appear to be involved.

The symptoms of broken wind are a short, dry cough, which is
described as “hacking,” and which may be readily imitated by any
person making a coughing noise while he withholds from enlarging the
mouth, moving the lips, or employing the tongue, but at the same time
endeavoring to pronounce the word “hack.”

The cough arises from irritability of the larynx, the mucous membrane
of which is directly continuous with that proper to the lungs, and is
joined to that of the stomach, any disease of which organ is frequently
accompanied by cough.

The appetite is ravenously and unscrupulously morbid; the thirst is
insatiable; the flatus is most abundant; the dung is but half digested;
the abdomen is pendulous; the coat is ragged, and the general aspect
is dejected.

The leading symptom, or that which is looked for as indicative of
broken wind, is found in the breathing. Respiration is accomplished by
a triple effort: inhalation is quick and single, expiration is slow and
double. The air is drawn upon the lungs as by a gasp. This being
quickly accomplished, the ribs commence to expel the vapor, and move
laboriously to their utmost extent without being able to effect the pur-
pose. The movement of the chest and the inhalation are counted as
two efforts. Then ensues the third. The abdomen begins to rise, with
an evident desire to aid in emptying the lungs by driving forward the
diaphragm, and thereby diminishing the capacity of the thorax. These
two last efforts are comparatively laborious; but the double effort is only
partially completed before a sense of suffocation forces the animal to
gasp once more for breath.

There certainly are several circumstances which favor the opinion that
broken wind is a disease of the digestive organs. In the first place, the
great majority of broken-winded horses are to be found in those stables
where the animals are badly fed; moreover, it is no unusual thing for a
gentleman to turn his nag out to grass, or into the straw-yard, and to
take it up broken winded. Then, again, low dealers, who frequent fairs
and public houses, have a method of what they term “setting broken
BROKEN WIND. 257

wind ;” this consists in pouring into the stomach various substances
which cause the indicative symptom of the disease to be for a time con-
cealed. Grease, tar, shot, and many filths are used for this purpose—-
anything which seems to induce nausea appears capable of producing
such an effect. These things may conceal, but they cannot destroy, the
characteristic cough; a copious draught of cold water, by refreshing
the stomach, will induce the restoration of all those signs natural to the
disorder.

Formerly there was very generally accepted a supposed cure for
broken wind. The flatus is one of the most marked and troublesome
symptoms of the disease; that, when coaches had possession of the
roads, rendered a broken-winded animal unsuited to run in such vehicles.
To master the objection, and also, by relieving the intestines, to enable
the broken-winded horse to live through the pace, a hole was bored into
the rectum from without by means of a heated iron; into this hole a leaden
tube was inserted, and by that the flatus found egress without the outside
passenger being unpleasantly aware of its perpetual escape.

For broken wind, prevention is far more easy than cure; in fact,
the utmost which science can at present accomplish is to relieve the dis-
tress. To effect this, water should be given only at stated times, and
never immediately before work. Four half pails may be allowed each
four and twenty hours; one the first thing in the morning, another the
last thing at night, and the other two at convenient times during the
day. Into every drink of water it is likewise well to mingle half an
ounce of dilute phosphoric acid, or half a drachm of dilute sulphuric
acid.

Besides this allow oats and beans, five feeds each day, with only five
pounds of hay; two pounds in the morning, when being dressed, and the
remainder in the rack at night. Crush the oats and beans; thoroughly
damp all the food before it is presented to the horse, and also scald the
corn.

Remove all bed by day, and muzzle when littered down for the night.
Place a lump of rock-salt at one end of the manger, and at the other
put a block of chalk.

Such is the little science can propose for the alleviation of an incapaci-
tating disorder. All other recommendations rather concern the owner
than the stable. A horse thus afflicted should never be pushed hard or
called upon for any extraordinary exertion. Fatigue, when severe,
is apt to provoke alarming spasm; a spectacle which the author once
witnessed, of an animal which had journeyed far, pulling a heavy load,
is represented at the head of this article. The horse had only paused
while the carter took his beer, and had received nothing but hay upon

17
258 BROKEN WIND.

the road. It had traveled all night, and it was still in the chains when
the writer beheld it on the afternoon of the succeeding day.

After death, the body which has suffered from the disease declares the
ravage of the malady. The lungs are larger than usual, and always
pallid; small bladders containing gas are upon their surface, and when
taken from their cavity the organs do not collapse as do the healthy
lungs, nor can the air by compression be entirely driven forth. The
hand being forced upon the surface elicits crepitation, or provokes a
crackling sound, induced by the vapor passing out of one cell into
another; for broken wind causes the terminations of the bronchial
tubes to give way or to freely communicate one with another. Now, it
is within these air-cells that the blood absorbs the oxygen from the
inhaled atmosphere, and purifies itself by yielding up carbonic acid.
How much must the destruction of their integrity, therefore, affect the
entire body! Impure blood cannot nourish a healthy life; and the
reader, after the above explanation, will easily account for the ragged
and dejected aspect of the horse with broken wind.

The diaphragm is also disintegrated; the fibers of its tendinous por-
tion are separated. The stomach is distended and thin; the bowels are
enlarged and blown out with gas; the muscle of the anus is flaccid; the
visible mucous membranes are of an unhealthy tint; the lining of the
windpipe and the bronchial tubes is greatly thickened; the muscles are
soft and deficient in color; and, where fat should have been, is only
found a gelatinous fluid.

Having related the living and the morbid changes which characterize
the malady, it remains now to inform the reader how so terrible a scourge
may he avoided. The horse is so valuable a
helpmate that it merits, for its own sake,
man’s greatest care. Never, for any reason,
therefore, drive the animal from the shelter
of the stable to the exposure of the field;
never turn the steed which has thriven upon
prepared food to the starvation of a ‘run
at grass,” or rankness of the ‘“ straw-yard.”
Never, for cheapness, buy damaged proven-
der; never load a famishing stomach; be
generous in all provision for those creatures
which devote their lives to your service.
Never, where such a thing is possible, per-
mit the groom to ride or exercise the nag out of your sight. Be very
attentive that the times of watering are rigidly observed. Never suffer
an animal to quit the stable soon after it has drank or eaten. Be very

 

HOW TO HEAR THE SOUND MADE WITHIN
THE HORSE’S WINDPIPE.
MELANOSIS., 259

attentive to all coughs; accustom yourself to the sound of the healthy
horse’s windpipe, that when the slightest change of noise indicates the
smallest change of structure, you may be prepared to recognize and to
meet the enemy before disease has had time to fix upon the membrane.

Having laid down the above rules, it may, to the ignorant, appear
that every possible movement of the proprietor has been interfered with;
that, in fact, the horse owner has been left no freedom of action. To
the informed, however, it will seem that nothing more than every gentle-
man should observe has been proposed; and the horseman will smile
when he learns that by such trivial matters can so heavy an affliction as
broken wind be avoided.

MELANOSIS.

A quantity of black deposit, accumulated in large quantities upon
certain parts of the frame, and contained within an
increased amount of cellular tissue, constitutes this “ze
disease. At an early period swellings may be
detected externally; they may be as small as a
millet-seed, or as large round as a plate. These
may remain dormant for years, or, if cut into before
they start into activity, are almost white, and very
glistening in parts, much resembling cartilage. SRO GHEE Ue ee
As time progresses, however, all the white disap- MIDPLE stacr oF prvezor-
pears, and its place is filled by a material not unlike
lamp-black when thoroughly incorporated with water. These growths
increase both in number and in size. Should one be cut into after it is

 

 

THE SPLEEN OF A HORSE LOADED WITH MELANOTIC TUMORS. THE BLACK SPOT TOWARD THE RIGHT HAND REPRE-
SENTS ONE OF THE GROWTHS DIVIDED.

fully matured, an inky fluid follows the knife. The disease is not con-
fined simply to external tumors; the coverings to nerves, the coats of
arteries, and the recesses of the closest bones, are each found to bear
minute evidences of a melanotic tendency. The deposit, however, seems
principally to attack the internal organs. The interior of the sheath is
not unfrequently clogged to that degree which forbids the passage of the
260 MELANOSIS.

natural emission; while the preceding engraving of a loaded spleen by
no means represents an extreme case.

A tumor should be admirably placed for operation, and its removal
should be almost imperative, before the surgeon presumes to meddle
with it. Asa general rule, the best treatment for melanosis is to let
it alone. Our present knowledge points to no medicine which can pre-
vent or disperse such deposits, and the tumors appear to resent the
slightest interference. The integrity of one swelling being violated
seems to start off the disease with enraged intensity. If let alone,
melanosis may exist for years, and cause little inconvenience to the
body in which it resides. The horse is, by its daily service, exposed to
various accidents. The large majority of the tribe perish before their
youth has passed. The animal may, therefore, cease to live by other
causes than disease, or die before disease has become formidable. But
irritate the system by employment of the knife, and a lamentable malady
may speedily render the knacker’s office an act of charity.

Above all, let the master not permit any man to blister, seton, rowel,
fire, stimulate, or slough out the tumor; such deeds are cruel folly.
Bleeding is worse than useless. Purging weakens the body which dis-
ease is sapping. All medicines used in ignorance are probable hazards.
Let such things, therefore, be discarded ; but if something must be done,
let the animal have daily an eight-ounce dose of any bland vegetable
oil. Some linseed may likewise be mingled with the corn, or a decoction
of the whole linseed may be presented as drink before the seeds them-
selves are given with the oats.

It is but natural to connect melanosis with the changed aspect of the

 

THE COLORED HORSES WHICH ALONE ARE EXPOSED TO MELANOSIS. TO THE LEFT IS THE OLD HORSE, WHICH
HAS BEEN GRAY; TO THE RIGHT IS THE YOUNG ANIMAL, WHICH WILL WITH AGE BECOME WHITE.

skin. A young gray horse seems to be exempt; but as the dark hairs
disappear from the coat, and the animal with age turns white, a black
MELANOSIS. 261

deposit accumulates upon various parts of the body. Creatures of other
colors are not liable to so terrible a scourge; and seeing that the disease
is in some manner connected with a change in the skin, probably some
attention to the integumental covering might be of service.

All use of the curry-comb should be forbidden. The dressing should
be long continued, only with the brush; but it cannot, at the same time,
be too gentle. Twice a week the body should be anointed with the
following :—

Animal Sly cern a. 250s Se det Gok Soe ae a, LOne parts
Roseswater ios gon & woe Sk Boe e- « 4 Twoparts:
Mix.

A brush should be moistened with the liquid, and the hair of the body
should be rendered thoroughly damp, not wet, with the fluid. The after-
dressing should consist in the long employment of the brush, so as to
carry the glycerin from the hair and to lodge it upon the cuticle.

Glycerin has the peculiar property of destroying scurf; therefore, if
glycerin be used, the curry-comb may be dispensed with. It likewise
renders soft and moist the cuticle, which invariably becomes harsh and
dry with age. Acting thus, it will, in the human subject, so far restore
the color to the hair as to conceal the presence of the gray or white ones
common to advancing years. The effect on one animal argues favorably
for its action in another direction.

A dappled gray is perhaps the most beautiful covering in which boun-
teous nature could invest a graceful body. Creatures so clothed are
usually the favorites of their owners, as well as generally the pets of the
stable. ‘Therefore the author may assert there are more than a few
horse proprietors who would not bestow a thought upon any expense
which could secure to them the services of their much-prized steeds.

When melanosis threatens, a tumor no larger than an egg generally
appears upon some part of the body. It may show on any locality. It
has no fixed abode. It is hard to the touch, and apparently devoid of
sensibility. In this state the disease may remain for one, or it may
continue stationary for six, years. When the next and the more active
stage commences, the tumor suddenly enlarges. It becomes soft in
places, and will fluctuate under the pressure of the fingers. The horse,
at the same time, grows slothful. The tumor, which previously seemed
in no way to affect the animal, by its enlargement marks the departure
of all spirit. This sluggishness rapidly increases till the poorest owner
becomes dissatisfied with the perpetual use of the goad.

The body, when opened, generally displays a condition which, from
the outward signs, was far from expected. The internal organs are
covered with tumors. Numberless morbid growths, of various dimen-
2962 WATER FARCY.

sions and in every stage of development, crowd upon every part. These
readily account for that disinclination to move which characterized the
latter days of existence.

There is one test for melanosis which does not invariably meet with
a response, but which, when successful, seldom deceives. This is a pim-
ple near to the root of the dock; it is very
rarely of magnitude ; there may only be one or
there may be several, and the largest may not
exceed the dimensions of half a pea. When,
however, such an indication can be detected
upon a gray horse which is turning white, the
evidence is almost conclusive. The author does
not know an instance, where it has suggested
the presence of melanosis, that the post-mortem

 

THE SIGN THAT TELLS OF THE a < . . . .
EXISTENCE OF MELANOSIS. examination has contradicted the indication.

With regard to the ultimate termination of
this disorder, the author has no experience. Horses thus affected are
always slaughtered when the second stage interferes with their utility ;
but, judging from the similarity of the disease in man and in the animal,
it is conjectured the last stage in each would be alike.

WATER FARCY.

Water farcy, like so many equine disorders, is the offspring of weak-
ness. Man,-having a servant willing to work and incapable of complain-
ing, too often proportions the toil only to the master’s desire or the
master’s convenience. Many horses—which perform slow labor—are in
harness eighteen hours out of the four and twenty; their rest is while
the carter drinks, eats, and sleeps. No, not even can they enjoy such
brief respite as is afforded by avarice to the laboring fellow-being; often
is one of the drivers seen soundly sleeping on the top of the load which
the stiff and jaded animals are compelled to draw. Thus the horse’s
toil is almost constant ; wagoners are well aware that many horses sleep
while in the shafts or in the chains. Overcome by fatigue, the animals
doze, but continue to walk and to pull the burden onward. Who, know-
ing such a fact, can wonder that a living frame thus abused should often
bow beneath its yoke, and, through death, set torture at defiance ?

Water farcy is a warning which nature gives to human selfishness;
it is, when rightly viewed, an intimation that, if the owner does not use
the life intrusted to him more gently, the common parent will speedily
take the sufferer to its rest. The complaint proceeds from debility ;
should the cause of exhaustion be continued, the affection soon changes
WATER FARCY. 263

its character. Water farcy is dropsy of one hind leg; very rarely does
the malady involve two members. Such is the form of the admonition ;
but the labor undiminished, or the dropsy removed by means of coarse
and drastic medicines, the local affection speedily becomes a constitu-
tional disorder; and true farcy releases an ill-used slave from custody
of the tyrant who has abused his power.

Horses that are liable to water farcy are mostly of the heavy breed,
or are animals which perform slow work. It is usual, on a Saturday
night, for the driver to throw much provender before such creatures, and
then to lock the stable door, satisfied he has discharged his duty.

Often he does not visit them on the Sunday; the creatures pass “the
best of all the seven” confined in a close atmosphere, and eating food
which they have contaminated by breathing upon. The man observes
the day of rest himself, and takes his ease; for the “brutes” he has
heaped up rack and man-
ger—so they have to eat; Bs ees Sock SS
what more can dumb an- ;
imals require? Upon
opening the door on Mon-
day morning, he may see
one horse with a swollen
leg. The drudge general-
ly, not invariably, is lame,
and holds the enlarged
member in the air; the

coat stares; the aspect is

. . THE CARTER’S FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE STABLE ON A
dull; and much of the DSTA ra

   

ae sae

SRS

abundance which was

placed before the animal remains untouched. The poor creature was
too tired and in too much pain to eat; but agony has created a con-
suming thirst, and it will drink the foulest water.

The horse doctor is sent for. In the opinions of veterinary surgeons
there are two kinds of water farey—one springs from debility, the other
is accompanied with irritable symptoms. It, however, requires no vast
knowledge of physiology to recognize debility and irritability as the chil-
dren of one parent; indeed, most veterinarians admit the sameness in
practice, however much they may dispute it in theory. They bleed, purge,
and send in half a dozen diuretic balls, when, the swelling having been
removed by such coarse measures, the horse, still further weakened, is
once more put to its work.

Let every man who keeps cart-horses view a case of water farcy as a
caution, proceeding direct from nature, that the management of his stable
264 WATER FARCY.

requires immediate change. The work is too heavy; pecuniary loss will
soon follow, if the system be not amended; true is it, the writer has
known men rated “good” in the world’s report, and who were very
“professing Christians” in their own esteem; he has known these men
never to give more than ten pounds for a horse, and, at the time of pur-
chase, the premeditated sin was to work out the life over which money
had established authority. It is the most offensive feature of what is
termed modern civilization that, rarely as individuals, never as a society,
do mankind entertain the slightest sympathy for the animals by which
they are surrounded. Most men are only eager for the services of the
horse; they do not regard its ailments with the smallest feeling; they
seek a veterinary surgeon merely to restore their animal to labor, and
care only for a fellow-creature’s sufferings as these disable it from toil-
ing for their profit.

Water farcy is, however, an admonition which all men should under-
stand; the horse, when thus attacked, announces that farcy hovers over
the stable. Let the work of the team be made less prolonged and less
exhausting; let the provender be improved. Green food is no sufficient
sustenance for a working horse; it may fill the stomach, but it brings
down the belly, and it impoverishes the blood. The team may not travel
fast, but they are out for many hours; generally they cover more ground
than horses of a quicker pace; they also pull weights before which none
but a cart-house would be harnessed. On the appearance of water farcy,
therefore, let the distances be shortened and the loads lightened.

Then, for remedial measures, let the diet be nourishing, the bed cleanly,
the house drained and airy. As for exercise, let the horse, so soon as it
can bear the motion, be gently led out morning, noon, and night, for
one hour each time. Do not turn the creature from the stable to the
field. Grass may be the cheapest food; but it never yet did a domesti-
cated animal good ‘to blow itself out” upon such a diet.

As for medicine, when the limb can bear friction, let it be well and
often hand-rubbed; the oftener and the longer the better. Every morn-
ing saturate it with pails of cold water; wipe it dry immediately, and
then set to work hand-rubbing the leg. This is all that is absolutely
necessary, save that if the lameness continues longer than the first day,
a few punctures may be made through the skin. These should be equally
distributed, each being about three-eighths of an inch deep, and one
inch long, so as to divide the skin but not to wound the muscles beneath.
Through these incisions the fluid, by which the limb is distended, will
escape. As for physic, the following ball should be given every morn-
ing, if the proprietor can think a sick servant merits such trouble and
expense :—
PURPURA HEMORRHAGICA. 965

Iodide of iron. . . . . . . . 0 6 One drachm.
Powdered cantharides . . . . . . . . . . Two grains.
Powdered arsenic . . . . 1. ww... «One grain.
Cayenne pepper. . . . . . . «©. «One scruple.
Sulphate of iron. 2. 2. 2. 2. 1. 1 1...) One drachm.
Treacle and linseed meal . . . . . . . . . <A sufficiency.

Make into a ball, and give.

This should be made as it is wanted, for, by keeping, the ingredients
become hard, and are apt, when given in that state, to cause injury to
the animal.

By such slight and simple means, water farcy has generally been re-
moved; but no delay should occur in having recourse to them, as some
cases will set all endeavors at defiance, and delay is always dangerous
where health is concerned. A few days of neglect will often permit the
limb to become organized. It ceases to pit on pressure. Fibrin has
been effused under the skin. The swollen leg is even harder than is the
healthy member. Then the horse, should it escape true farcy, will carry
about an enlarged member for the duration of its remaining life.

PURPURA HEMORRHAGICA.

This disease formerly was unknown, though at present it appears to
be rather common. What is there can shut up the sight of man like
ignorance? It is but fair to conclude that purpura was as frequent in
past times as it now is; yet men, having professional zeal to quicken their
recognitions, could not read what was before their eyes, because they
had not been tutored to know and to understand it. It was so with our
forefathers, and, we may not deny, it is so with the
existing generation. Science begets an infatua-
tion. Men, because they have learned much, imagine
nature has no more lessons to enforce. At all
events, they act as though such were their convic-
tions; else why is it that genius every now and then
startles pedantry, by widening the sphere of human
perceptions?

The cause of this terrible affliction is a mystery. p
The horse has worked, fed, and looked well, when A HORSH'S HEAD DEFORMED
locked up for the night. The next day the animal is
discovered breathing with difficulty, and having several parts of the body
greatly enlarged. The creature appears, by the disorder, to be rendered
stupid rather than insensible. It stands erect, but seems not to be
acutely conscious of its condition. Not only are several portions of the
horse’s frame swollen beyond all recognition, but through the skin there

 
266 PURPURA HEMORRHAGICA.

issues streams of serum fearfully variegated by the admixture of blood.
The openings to the nostrils and the lips soon enlarge; then the tongue
likewise increases in size, a portion of it hanging out of the mouth.
The appetite is never entirely lost, though the affliction prevents deglu-
tition. In this lamentable state the wretched horse may continue for
several days, or the disorder may reach its termination in a few hours.

As the horse begins to recover, extensive sloughs occur, generally in
those parts which have been much enlarged.

Recovery appears to restore the consciousness in some degree, and
the life is prolonged at the expense of much suffering. The appetite
remains. The power to eat is, nevertheless, slowly attained. The desire
for fluids, however, appears to exist throughout the attack, and should
be taken advantage of to nourish the patient, by presenting thin gruel in
the place of water.

Purpura hemorrhagica is universal congestion. If the body of an
animal which has succumbed to this disease be examined, the cellular
tissue will be found distended with serum and with blood of a dark
venous character. In this case, therefore, a blood-letting judiciously
managed may be beneficial. No pulse can be felt, nor is any needed to
guide the surgeon. So soon as the heaviness is ameliorated, the can is
to be withdrawn, and the orifice is to be pinned up. The smaller the
quantity taken the better, as the patient has no strength to spare.
Should the congestion return, a second venesection may be imperative
to relieve the vessels; such a resort, however, should be practiced only
upon the conviction of its absolute necessity.

Mr. Gowing, of Camden Town, in two cases reported in ‘Blain’s
Veterinary Art,” gave turpentine with success. Turpentine is, however,
a potent diuretic to the horse, and therefore, the writer thinks, not the
best diffusible stimulant in these cases. Preference would, by him, be
given to sulphuric ether or to chloroform. Half an ounce of the last,
blended with a pint of linseed oil, should be given in the earliest stage.
Half an hour having elapsed, the dose may be repeated. No amend-
ment being witnessed, discard the chloroform and administer two ounces
of sulphuric ether in one pint of cold water. After a little space, as in
the previous instance, more diluted ether may be administered, though
it will seldom be required.

It is imperative to be speedy in adopting the measures intended to
relieve purpura; for the disease rapidly attains its termination. For
that reason, if the breathing is distressed, as is pretty certain to be the
case, at once perform tracheotomy. Impure oxygenation of the blood
is one of the most active causes of congestion; indeed, that state
appears only possible during impeded respiration.
STRANGLES. 264

The tongue often becomes infiltrated, and, hanging out of the mouth,
renders the appearance of the head most unsightly. It is, when thus
enlarged, a fixture, and is in danger of being injured by the teeth. So
soon, therefore, as the member is protruded, several free incisions should
be made through its integument. The organ should then be manipu-
lated, so as to cause the fluid to exude. These processes should again
and again be had recourse to so often as they are required to return the
tongue to the mouth.

The sloughing of the skin is a serious matter. It is treated by the
solution of the chloride of zinc—one grain to the ounce of water—
applied by being squeezed from a sponge on to the denuded part. This
lotion will not only promote healing, but it will also destroy the fetor
which results from decomposition.

After all, however, these cases are mostly very unsatisfactory. They
would prove less so were tracheotomy more generally resorted to; but,
in some instances, the horse seems to be ren-
dered stupid by the disease. Instead of court-
ing man’s assistance and yielding up itself to
his will, it appears to resent every effort made
for its relief, as though all it desired was per-
mission to die in peace. The beautiful resig-
nation and the pleading solicitude for human
sympathy appear to be lost. The brain evi-
dently is affected; and when it is known the
purpura hemorrhagica consists in universal con-
gestion, no wonder will be expressed that an

organ so sympathetic as the brain is affected = mvp 10 or 4 Horse ENpuR-
ING PURPURA HEMORRHAGICA.

 

during this disease.

The condition of the animal suffering from this terrible disorder is
indeed dreadful. If the brain be oppressed, the body is deformed out
of all recognition. The beauty of the animal is lost, and the carcass
becomes so misshapen as to be commonly compared to a hippopotamus.
The legs share with the trunk the general disorder; and.from these, as
from other parts, blood and serum will exude.

STRANGLES.

Strangles, in its effects upon the body of the horse, is similar to
measles in the human being. Both are diseases peculiar to the young;
both sometimes occur after the attainment of maturity; and both are
dangerous in proportion as their advent is delayed. Both, also, are
attended with evil consequence if driven inward, or if any irregularity
warps the even tenor of their course.
268 STRANGLES.

Here, however, the similarity ends. Strangles is developed as an
abscess under the jaw; measles appears as a rash all over the body.
Both, however, are eruptive, and both are cast outward at some expense
to the system.

Strangles is peculiarly the property of the rich man’s horse. It is
spoken of as relieving the body of some matter prejudicial to the after-
health. The author has known several poor men’s horses which never
exhibited strangles. Those animals certainly seemed none the worse
for escaping the disorder. Nevertheless, it may relieve the body of the
high-bred and tenderly-nurtured animal of something which might prove
injurious if retained, although every quadruped does not appear to need
such a cleansing. And the man must have some extraordinary faculty
who would enter a certain stable, and point out the creatures which had
suffered and which had escaped the strangles. Still, it may be, and
probably is, an effort of nature to adapt the body to a sudden change of
circumstances, though whether these circumstances are natural or induced
remains to be proved.

Highly-bred horses are cared for from the moment of their birth. Up
to a certain period—varying in different parts of the country and in
different animals—the colt is allowed to roam the field. All at once,
however, it is taken up, and its education commences. From the dew,
and from the grass under its feet and within its mouth, the colt is sud-
denly removed to dry food, and is imprisoned inside a hot and fetid
stable. Nature rebels against such treatment. The strangles is the
consequence, after which the poor captive becomes better adapted to its
unnatural situation.

Strangles is ushered in by slight general indisposition, which, how-
ever, does not pass away. Sickness rather hovers over the colt than
plumps directly upon it. The ani-
mal is then, in stable phraseology,
“breeding strangles.” After a few
days, a stiffness of the neck is con-
spicuous ; subsequently an enlarge-
ment can be perceived. It is, at
first, very hard, hot, and tender. A
discharge from the nose appears.
The symptoms of general disease
become aggravated. The throat is
sore; the breathing is oppressed ;
the discharge is copious; the coat stares; the appetite is lost; the
ereature stands, with eyes half closed, the picture of mute distress,

At length the tumor softens. It becomes prominent at a particular

 

THE HEAD OF A HORSE WITH STRANGLES.
STRANGLES. 269

spot. Upon this place the surgeon makes an incision. A pint or more
of pus escapes, and the animal quickly recovers.

Such is the history of a case of strangles, as the disorder generally
develops itself. Of course it will vary in degree, though in every instance
a sufficient similarity will be apparent to guide the student.

With regard to treatment: never purge or bleed a colt when it ex-
hibits a dubious sickness. It may be ‘breeding strangles,” and the
strength then will be needed to cast off the disease. Give all the nour-
ishment the animal can imbibe. If food should be rejected, whitened
water, or boiling water into which some flour has been stirred, or thin
gruel, is useful for that purpose. A little green-meat is generally rel-
ished. But, if the colt is not frightened at the approach of a stranger,
the food should be offered, little at a time, by the hand—not forked into
the rack or cast upon the ground, for the animal to breathe upon and
then turn from with disgust. Corn, crushed and scalded, may be allowed,
if it can be eaten. No grooming must annoy the feverish body; the
clothing must be light; the bed should be ample, and scrupulously clean ;
the loose box ought to be large, perfectly well drained, with every door
and window open during the day, and only partly closed at night.

Some persons blister the abscess, and then apply a poultice over the
blistered part: to this practice the author objects. In the first place,
sufficient friction cannot be employed to insure the effects of a blister.
In the second place, a blister is said to be endowed with the properties
of bringing forward or of dispersing a tumor. In strangles, one of these
processes alone is desirable, the dispersion being much to be dreaded.
In the third place, though oil and water are in their natures antagonistic,
yet water will creep through a coating of oil, and warm water, especially,
thickens the cuticle. This action may possibly prevent the vesicatory
from reaching the cutis, should the emollient be applied immediately
after the blister. In the last place, the weight of the poultice is likely
to stretch the cloth in which it is applied; when, being removed from the
skin, the cold air of course finds its way between the poultice and the
tumor. Cold is not desirable where we seek to promote suppuration ;
but cold is increased by damping a surface, and allowing it to be swept
by a current of air. Evaporation then takes place, and the warmth is
decreased by many degrees.

The writer prefers gently stimulating with the following mixture :—

Spirits of turpentine . . . . . ~~... « « Two parts.
Laudanum . . . . . + + e+ 6 © «© © « © « One part.
Spirits of camphor . . . . . - . - «~~. « One part.

This may be applied, by means of what cooks term a “paste brush,”
270 STRANGLES.

morning, noon, and night, until soreness is produced. It will, at first,
seem cool, and be grateful to the part. After every application, have
ready three pieces of flannel—no
house-cloth, no open and thin stuff,
which some economical housewives
presume to think is good enough
for the stable, but soft, thick, and
warm, new flannel, such as any feel-
ing person would bind around a
sore and inflamed part. Put these
over the embrocation, and bind all
on with a flannel eight-tailed band-

 

A HORSE WITH STRANQLES WEARING AN EIGHT-
TAILED BANDAGE: age. An eight-tailed bandage is

simply a long piece of flannel having
three slits at either end. Its use, and the manner of applying it, is
shown in the above illustration.

When the tumor points, the surgeon takes with him two assistants
into the box where the horse is confined. One proceeds to apply the
twitch; this twitch is an instrument of torture—it is a strong stick,
having a short loop of cord at one end. The sensitive upper lip of the
horse is grasped by the assistant’s left hand, which has previously been
thrust through the loop of the twitch. The loop is next slid over the
left hand, and with the right hand placed upon the lip, while the fellow-
assistant, by twisting the stick round and round, tightens, and thus pinches
into a ball this most sensitive lump of imprisoned flesh ; for in the upper
lip of the horse resides the sense of touch—anatomy shows us it is more
largely supplied with nerves than any other part in the body.

The attendant, who had first put on the twitch, gives the stick to his
companion, and lifts up one of the animal’s legs. The horse, with its
attention engrossed by the agony of its lip, is rendered disinclined to
motion, and is comparatively powerless while standing on three legs.
The surgeon then takes an abscess knife, not a lancet, which is a coarse
and clumsy instrument—the lancet simply punctures, whereas in an
abscess more is desirable. A free opening is always wished for; and
where living flesh is to be operated upon, it is, for very many reasons,
preferable to do all the cutting at once. The knife is held lightly in the
hand, with the thumb resting on the back of the blade. The horse,
when it feels the incision, is apt, spite of the twitch, to drag suddenly
backward. Thus it pulls against the back of the knife, and no injury
can occur; whereas, with a double-edged lancet, an ugly and a danger-
ous wound has, by the motion of the animal, been inflicted. The thumb,
in this situation, also serves another purpose. It allows only so much
STRANGLES. 971

a

of the blade to enter the abscess as is above the nail of the member—
this is usually about three-quarters of an inch. The thickness of the
skin, increased by disease, requires so much; and if not, the pus, accu-
mulated beneath the skin, will save the more important parts from being
injured.

The leg being raised and the head guided upward by the elevation of
the twitch, the operator approaches the horse. He looks well at the

 

OPENING THE ABSCESS OF STRANGLES.

part he has to open, and mentally determines where to make his incision.
Ile also ascertains the extent of the tumor. This is necessary; for if
the swelling be to one side, a single incision will be sufficient; but if
this extend (as is usually the case) from right to left, two incisions are
requisite. In either case the surgeon seizes the left rein with the left
hand, and, placing his right hand in a proper position, by a short and
simple motion of the wrist the knife is driven through the skin.

The horse, during every operation, is usually blinded. Darkness
invariably increases terror, and is unnecessary, since the horse cannot
see what is being done under its jaw; nevertheless, the creature is obvi-
ously amused by watching the people about it. From the behavior,
we have no reason to imagine the animal draws any conclusions. To
blind the horse is, therefore, to increase to fears of excessive timidity.
It is easily accomplished. Double a handkerchief into close longitudinal
folds; then tie either end to the sides of the bridle, so that the handker-
chief may rest upon the eyes, and the object is attained.

Every case of strangles will not be settled so readily. Occasionally
the soreness of the internal throat will cause much annoyance. The
animal is continually gulping its saliva. When it attempts to drink,
the fluid flows back through the nostrils. The animal will not eat, and
the strangles or tumor may threaten to be absorbed. In such cases the
272 STRANGLES.

food must be carefully prepared. No mashes, made by merely pouring
hot water into a pailful of bran, stirring it round once or twice and
splashing the mess into the manger, will now do. Even malt mashes
will not answer the purpose. Good gruel must be carefully prepared
and frequently changed. The drink must also be varied, so as to tempt
the sick stomach,—as a general rule, equal parts of grits, (not oatmeal, )
linseed meal, bean or pea flour, may constitute the ingredients. Let the
drink be always just warm when placed before the animal. Sometimes
clover-hay, or simple hay tea, may form the basis of the drink; some-
times one or other of the constituents may be withdrawn. Too much
care cannot be taken of the horse at this period. Good nursing is now
the most effectual, as well as the cheapest medicine; and all warranted
expense at this time is a saving in the end. The breathing also is fre-
quently most acutely distressed. In severe cases the symptoms are so
alarming as to demand the immediate performance of tracheotomy.
This the surgeon is forced to have recourse to, although at the time he
knows it will only be temporarily required. When, though distressing,
the disease is not of so fearful a character, relief may be sometimes
obtained by mingling steam with the air which the animal inhales, and
casting upon the source of vapor ten or fifteen drops of the etherial
tincture of phosphorus. This last artifice may be renewed every quar-
ter of an hour should it appear to afford even the slightest relief.

Avoid physic as much as possible. In strangles, purge and kill is the
rule. Open the bowels, if it be imperative, by green-meat; if that should
not answer, let them alone, however confined they may be. Let the fever
rage, but do not potter with one drug and another ‘to cool” the body.

Some horses suffer terribly when they have strangles. The reasons
for such a difference have not hitherto been ascer-
tained; but doubtless science will one day dis-
cover them. In bad cases the tumor appears
under the throat, but it is larger than usual, and
longer in maturating than is customary. Tears,
frequently mingled with pus, flow from the eyes;
a copious discharge runs from the nose; the pen-
dulous lips are disfigured by long bands of thick
saliva; the coat is dull, erect, and rusty; the
heavy lids close the sight; often the nostrils
become dropsical; the breathing is fearful; the
tumor presses against the larynx, and a roaring
sound is audible at each inspiration.

For this case no more must be done than was
directed for the milder form of the disease. The animal may be gently

 

A BAD CASE OF STRANGLES.
STRANGLES. 273

cleansed, but this office must be tenderly performed; for the filth will
do far less harm to the horse than the provocation of irritability.
Gruel, repeatedly changed, should always be within easy reach of the
mouth; the pail should be hung upon a hook, so that the head may
not be necessarily raised to reach the nourishment. A little of the sed-
iment, strained from the gruel, should be placed in the manger, as some
quadrupeds will only eat; others will only drink; a third class will be
content with such nourishment as they can suck up from the more solid
form of slops; afourth may all but starve, yet no coaxing will induce
the sufferers to look at aught but the dry, hard food, which they dare
not swallow. Most, however, will feed on green-meat, and this should
always be at hand. Should the animal become worse, tracheotomy may
be necessitated. Then stout and treacle should be liberally horned
down—half a pound of treacle being mingled with the quart of stout,
and the whole mixed with a quart of good thick gruel. However, give
at one time only so much as can be taken without distress being occa-
sioned.

Such cases, bad as they may appear, are not to be despaired of; nor
are the tumors, on any account, to be opened before they have thoroughly
maturated. Hasty incisions may throw the abscesses back upon the
system. When that is the case, real danger is provoked; the horse sel-
dom thrives afterward.

In some instances the tumor will burst internally. It may find egress
through the nostrils; but if it burst into the large guttural pouches of
the animal, the pus may be there imprisoned until it becomes inspissated,
and, by the motion of the jaws, kneaded into numerous distinct masses,
resembling small sea-side pebbles. Such has been witnessed, but should
hardly now occur; since Professor Varnell, of the Royal Veterinary
College, has invented an instrument by means of which these cavities
can be effectually injected, and even washed out. ;

Besides those varieties already mentioned, there is yet another form
of strangles: that is, where no tumor appears beneath the jaws, but
several form on other parts of the body. The greatest number of
abscesses the author has heard of, being developed on one body, is seven.
They generally contained about a pint of pus; and, if the direction
given for the treatment of strangles be observed, the animal will usually
recover upon these being opened.

The great danger of strangles is in the disease fixing upon any inter-
nal organ; the horse is of no use afterward. It sinks from bad to
worse, till it resembles the illustration appended to “ Chronic Indiges-
tion.” The best thing which can happen in such a case is the death of
the wretched creature. To prevent so lamentable a termination to a

18
274 GLANDERS.

generally mild affection, nurse with every possible care, and begrudge no
expense which can add to the comfort of the patient.

GLANDERS.

This is the most loathsome disease to which the horse is subject. It
is provoked by stimulating food combined with exhausting labor. It
was formerly very common in posting stables; long stage teams were
seldom free from it. The London omnibuses, by night, are said to drive
glandered horses, and the proprietors of those vehicles are reported to
keep glandered stables.

In all of such cases the food is of the best and most stimulating
description—twenty pounds of oats and beans with five pounds of hay,
per day, are needed to keep a glandered horse in working condition.
Gentlemen formerly used to fee the post-boy to ‘push along.” We well
remember the quivering forms of gasping flesh which were unharnessed
whenever the old coach changed horses.

Omnibuses are very heavy; the constant stoppages make the draught
still more severe. The animals which appear in front of these vehicles
are small in size, rarely sixteen hands high, but the best and strongest
their proprietors can afford. A little breed is desirable, as a coarse
horse would lack the courage to take the collar and to persevere. The
age of these horses is generally three years when first bought in. Some
animals have worked through many seasons, but such instances are ex-
ceptions. Numbers annually yield to the drag upon the constitution.
These are sold for what they will fetch. But several, either from weakness
or some other cause which our science yet lacks perception to discover,
annually become glandered.

Youth and high feeding, conjoined with excessive labor and damp
lodging, will certainly produce glanders. Age, starvation, and ceaseless
toil generally induce farcy. The glanders and the farcy, however, are
one and the same disease, modified by the cause which originates them.
Glanders is the more vigorous form of the disorder; farcy is the slow
type, fastening upon general debility.

These disorders have heen the scourges of horse-flesh. They still are
the inheritance which man’s willing slave gains by service to a harsh and
eruel master. Men, to their fellow-men, sometimes confess, without any
sense of shame, that they buy cheap horses to work them up. It is, in
some cases, esteemed more economical to exhaust the life than to pur-
chase and to maintain that number of animals which would be equal to
the labor. This horrible system is in daily operation in a country
professing Christianity !
GLANDERS. Qn5

Glanders is provoked by human depravity. Had people common
feeling for the life over which they are given authority—would they only
admit, in its largeness and its truth, that “the laborer is worthy of his
hire”’—the disease might, in one year, become a tradition.

At present the affection exists as the dread of every horse proprietor.
It is highly contagious—all owners of horses know this. The stable
may be scrupulously clean, yet the poison may have been lodged there
by the last inhabitant. It is not only contagious to horses, but it is
equally dangerous to men. ‘Three sad instances of this fact have come
to the author’s knowledge. Two respectable gentlemen, moving in good
society, were each contaminated, and both pitiably perished of this terri-
ble disease. They were no stable-helpers, moving and living among
suspicious beasts, but individuals whose avocations did not oblige them
to mix with horses—gentlemen of professional standing, who were inoc-
ulated they knew not how. Mr. Gowing, of Camden Town, informed
the writer, of a boy who once went from a shop to stand at the head of
a pony the master of which wished to make a purchase. The animal,
while the boy was so placed, cleared its nostrils, and a portion of the
ejected matter flew into the lad’s eye. The handkerchief removed the
soil, and the accident was soon forgotten. However, the poor youth
was glandered, and became a patient in the University Hospital.

Such facts sufficiently prove all men have an interest in opposing any
conduct likely to generate so horrible a scourge. Man, as a community,
is answerable for the comfort of every creature intrusted to his charge.
He may refuse to accept the conditions of the trust, but he cannot escape
the responsibility. In proof of the truth of this conclusion, glanders is
now recognized as one of those incurable diseases, generated by neglect,
to which the human being is liable, in every hospital throughout the
kingdom.

Why is the legislature behind the medical profession in the extent of
its recognitions ? Any man may now, according to law, drive or ride a
glandered animal through the crowded streets of any town in the three
kingdoms. He may, without fear of punishment, endanger the lives of the
unsuspecting wayfarers, whom it is the especial province of the Parlia-
ment to protect. Why should not the glandered stable be detected, and
the animals, dangerously diseased, be slaughtered? Why should any
man be allowed to retain, and openly use as property, that which is per-
ilous to society; and wherefore should law protect him, when harboring
pestilence for the sake of profit ?

That the foregoing observations are correctly based, is proved by the
pest becoming less common as the public have morally improved—only,
why leave so immediate an evil to be cured by so slow a process? Years
276 GLANDERS.

ago, an affected horse, led through the streets, was an almost hourly
occurrence. Since that time we have improved, and such sights are no
longer common. Therefore the morality here alluded to is not of limited
meaning. It implies improvements in drainage, and all those innovations
by which life has been made more secure. He is the truest benefactor
of mankind who lessens the ills to which existence is exposed.

Glanders is the phthisis of the horse. Phthisis is, in some countries,
esteemed even more dangerously contagious than glanders and farcy are
in England admitted to be. Man, however, employs a handkerchief;
the plates off which he feeds are washed. The manger is never cleansed ;
and the discharge soils the boards on which the corn reposes.

The lungs of very many horses, however, which have perished of the
pest, will exhibit numerous tubercles; these, in the human subject, are
considered conclusive evidence as to the existence of phthisis.

 

THE LUNGS OF A HORSE WHICH HAD PERISHED FROM GLANDERS.
(A portion of the left lung has been excised, to show the ravage of the disease.)

By some practitioners glanders is esteemed a purely local disorder.
In books, schools, and elsewhere, the running from the nose has been
pointed out as the disease itself; and the situation of the affection is
said to be the frontal sinuses—hence the dependence placed in various
caustic injections forced up the nostrils.

A very little reflection will, however, enable the reader to take a more
extended view of the malady. When glanders exists, a staring coat
generally declares the skin affected; and the customary termination of
the disorder—farcy and dropsy—proves more than the surface of the
body to be implicated. The lungs—or, at all events, the air-passages—
never escape. Loss of flesh and swelling of the glands demonstrate the
absorbent system to be involved. Absence of spirit and inability to work,
toward the close of the affection, are evidence the nervous system does
not escape. The secretions are derived from the blood; and the blood,
it has been shown, by a silly experiment, is capable of generating the
malady. ‘Their pallid aspect, after death, convinces us the muscles were
far from healthy. Of all parts, perhaps, the abdominal contents are least
diseased, though the marked decay of appetite does not favor such an
opinion. What disease, then, can be considered a constitutional disor-

 
G@LANDERS. 217

der, if one which involves so many and such various structures is to be
regarded as a strictly local affection ?

A horse, full of corn, and in the prime of health, if unfortunately
inoculated with the virus of glanders, gencrally has the disease in its
acutest form: the animal may be dead by the expiration of a week.
Other quadrupeds, in which the disorder is provoked by natural causes,
may, on the contrary, exhibit glanders in the most chronic shape. If
the exciting cause has a strong con-
stitution to act upon—especially
if the horse, soon after imbibing
the poison, be removed to easier
work or a more dry abode—the
malady may exist for years in a
subtle, undeveloped form. A thin
discharge only may run, irregu- ee GeMIsaREReD FOR GUGIDEREL
larly, from one nostril. At times 3: Zhe lvmnlatie gland cylsead, hard, and edher.
no fluid may appear, nor is the
liquid ever copious. One of the kernels, or lymphatic glands, situated
between the branches of the channel, may be more or less fixed. But,
otherwise, the horse is active, full of fire, and exhibits nothing to excite
suspicion. During all this time the creature may be endowed with a
fatal power of communicating the disease. Horses, having received the
taint from such a source, may die within the week, while the cause of
the mortality eats well, works well, delights the master’s eye by its
thriving appearance, and in such a condition even may exist for years.

In the early stage it is difficult to pronounce positively upon a case of
glanders. Ulceration of the nasal membrane would be confirmation of
the worst doubt; but the ulceration may be situated so high up as to
defy all our efforts to distinguish it. Yet running from the nose may
be perceptible, and the gland may he fixed to the jaw. Both of these
symptoms, although lawfully provoking our fears, are frequently attend-
ant upon aggravated or upon prolonged colds. The only lawful test,
in such cases, is the administration of three doses of solution of aloes,
eight ounces to the dose—allowing three days to elapse between each.
If the horse be glandered, before the last purgative has set the real
nature of the malady will be apparent in the aggravation of the symp-
toms. If glanders be not present, a little careful nursing will generally
remove all effect of the medicine.

The glanders is mostly ushered in by febrile disturbance. The appetite
is bad, the coat stares, and the pulse is quickened. A mash or two,
however, apparently sets all right, and the matter is forgotten. Soon
afterward a slight discharge may issue from one nostril; but it is so very

 
278 GLANDERS.

slight, it excites no alarm. One of the lymphatic glands, on the same
side as the moist nostril, alters in character. It may remain loose and
become morbidly sensitive. Usually, however, it grows adherent to the
jaw, turns hard, insensitive, and, from being wholly imperceptible in the
healthy animal, enlarges to about the size of half a chestnut.

  

THE PRIMARY DISCHARGE OF GLANDERS. THE SECONDARY DISCHARGE. A THICK AND COPIOUS
SIMPLY A SLIGHT WATERY DE£FLUXION. BUT STILL TRANSPARENT EXCRETION, CONTAINING
PIECES AND THREADS OF MUCUS.

Ata later period the discharge, retaining its clear appearance, becomes
more consistent, and, to a slight degree, the hairs and parts over which
it flows are incrusted. It subsequently adheres to the margin of the
nostril, and then, in the transparent, albuminous fluid
may be seen opaque threads of white mucus. This
marks the second stage.

The next change takes place more rapidly. The trans-
parent fluid entirely disappears, and in its place is seen a
+ full stream of unwholesome pus. At this time there is

     

f
ae ye some danger of glanders being mistaken for nasal gleet.
a avntre» =©A little attention will, however, rescue any person from
so imminent a peril. The smell of glanders is peculiar.
It is less pungent but more unwholesome, suggesting a more deep-
seated source, than characterizes the disease with which it has been con-
founded. The ejection of glanders, moreover, is obviously impure;
whereas that of nasal gleet generally flows forth in a
fetid stream of thick and creamy matter.

When the third stage is witnessed, the disease is
rapidly hurrying to its termination. The membrane of
the nose changes to a dull, leaden color. The margins
of the nostrils beeome dropsical, and every breath is
drawn with difficulty. The defluxion exhibits discolora-
tion. Scabs, masses of bone or pieces of membrane,
mingled with patches of blood, next make their appear-
ance; and the internal parts are evidently being broken
up by the violence of the disorder.

The above description of filthy facts is, probably, sufficiently explicit;
but to render the foregoing more clear, the following diagram is ap-
pended. The reader will perceive there are two kinds of tubercles—

 

THE FOURTH, OR LAST
STAGE OF GLANDERS.
GLANDERS. 249

the large and the small. One is no bigger than a grain of sand; the
other is as large as half a pea. The disease which follows both is the
same,—is equally contagious and is equally fatal. It will also be re-
marked, the membrane appears swollen and partially discolored in the
case of glanders. It loses its bright, fleshy, or healthy hue; and it
assumes a dull, heavy, and dropsical aspect. It will likewise be
observed that comparatively few blood-vessels are ramifying upon the
affected membrane, which sign, in a well-marked case, is often so obvious
as to become a leading indication of the disorder.

 

THE SEPTUM NASI OF AN OLD HORSE, SHOWING THE DIFFERENT KINDS AND STAGES OF GLANDERS.

1. A large tubercle,

. The same in the ulcerative stage, pale in the center and dark at the edges.

. The same ulcers after they have united, slouzhed in one another, or become confluent.
. The roughness which announces granular tubercles to be beneath the skin.

. The slightly elevated condition of the membrane when granular tubercles appear.
Granular tubercles in the vesicular stage.

. Granular tubercles in the ulcerative stage.

. Granular tubercles after they have ulcerated and assumed the confluent form.

DAD MP oto

It is usual for low dealers, when a tubercle in the vesicular stage is
detected, to assert that it is only a piece of mucus. To test such asser-

tion, wrap a portion of tow, or anything soft, round a small stick, and
wipe the place. If it be mucus, it will be removed; but if it remains,
the reader may rest assured as to its nature. When an ulcer is seen,
the dishonest salesman will laugh, and ask if that is all the inspector

 

THE TURBINATED BONES OF A YOUNG HORSE WHICH WAS FREE FROM GLANDERS, SHOWING THOSE APPEAR-
ANCES A GLANDERED NOSTRIL IS OFTEN ASSERTED TO EXHIBIT.

1. A punctured wound, the skin removed, but darkest toward the center.
2, A lacerated wound, with a flap of pendant membrane.
3. A scratch—long and rough—having the edges slightly raised.

can discover—declaring the horse recently hurt itself against a nail.
The interior of the nostril is a very sheltered part, and, therefore, very
unlikely to be wounded. Yetso that the reader may be prepared to
280 GLANDERS.

recognize such reality, in spite of the hard swearing and loud jocularity
which is designed to confuse him, a diagram of a portion of the nostrils,
covered with healthy membrane and showing the veins natural to the
part, also displaying the shapes and appearances of wounds—when they
occur—is inserted.

The reader has been told what constitutes glanders. He has been
instructed how to recognize its more marked indications. There, how-
ever, remains to teach him the manner in which a suspected horse should
be handled or examined.

The animal’s head should be turned toward the strongest light obtain-
able; if toward the blaze of the noonday sun, so much the better. The
examiner should then place himself by the side of the creature’s head,
uot in front, but in a situation where, though the animal should snort,
he is in no danger of the ejected matter falling upon him. With one
hand the upper and outer rim of the nostril should be raised; when,
grasping this part between the finger and thumb, no fear need be enter-
tained. The case would be something more than suspicious, were any
risk of contamination incurred.

The wing of the nostril being raised, the examiner must note the
appearances exposed; this he will best do by knowing where to look
and what to expect. His eye has nothing to do
with the skin nor with the marks that appear
upon it. The opening of the lachrymal duct often
challenges observation by being well defined and
particularly conspicuous; but that natural devel-
opment does not concern him; to that no atten-
tion must be given. The inspection must be
concentrated upon the membrane more internally
situated than the skin seen at the commencement
of the nostrils. The skin, moreover, suddenly

eee pet, and is obviously defined by a well-marked
rymal duct—a natural devel. margin; there is, therefore, no difficulty in dis-
Me Acctdeglnned eenbions tinguishing the membrane by its fleshy and moist-
putes Ee SS Serie. aspect, as well as by its situation. If, on
this membrane, any irregular or ragged patches

are conspicuous, if these patches are darker toward their edges than in
their centers, and if they, nevertheless, seem shallow, pallid, moist, and
sore, the animal may be rejected as glandered. Should any part of the
membrane—after being wiped as before directed—seem rough or have
evidently beneath its surface certain round or oval-shaped bodies, the
horse assuredly is glandered. The membrane may present a worm-eaten
appearance, or be simply of a discolored and heavy hue. In the first

 

THE PROOF OF GLANDERS.
GLANDERS, 981

case, the animal ought to be condemned; in the second, it is open to
more than suspicion.

No animal should be permitted to slowly perish of glanders. The
disease, as it proceeds, affects the fauces, pharynx, and larynx; all
become ulcerated. Not a particle of food can be swallowed; not a
drop of saliva can be deglutated; not a breath of air can be inspired,
without the severest torture being experienced. As the disease pro-
ceeds, the obstruction offered to the breathing grows more and more
painful. Farcy breaks forth, and, as a consequence, superficial dropsy is
added to the other torments. The edges of the nostrils enlarge; the
membrane lining the cavities bags out, while the fauces and larynx con-
tract: the discharge becomes more copious and the breathing is impeded.
Thus the difficulty of respiration is increased, just as the condition of the
lungs renders the necessity of pure air the more imperative. Ultimately,
however, laborious breathing induces congestion of the brain, and the
wretched sufferer falls insensible—it is hoped—to die of actual suf-
focation.

Such is a brief description of glanders, to cure which every now and
then pretenders arise. No medicine, however, can restore the parts
which disease has disorganized. There is no cure for glanders, which is
essentially an ulcerative disorder. Every horse being thus contaminated
should be at once destroyed: it is now lawful to do this when animals
are taken in Smithfield market; but what is just in one place is surely
not unjust in another. Moral rectitude resides on no particular spot.
The blackguards who deal in contagion, driven from the public market,
now reap a rich harvest by private sales. A chronically-glandered horse
is an actual property to these rogues. It is sold. No sooner is the
money paid and the vendor out of the way, than an accomplice appears
and points out the nature of the bargain. The unfortunate purchaser
seeks advice, and finds his worst fears confirmed. The accomplice offers
to buy the horse at a knacker’s price. It is obtained; and again it is
advertised as ‘a favorite horse, the property of a gentleman deceased.”

Any person ought by law to be empowered to give any man, driving
or riding a glandered horse, into custody. There should be appointed
certain qualified practitioners who should have authority to enter any
stable at any time. Those abominations, where numbers of glandered
horses are now stived together, whence they only are taken out to draw
public vehicles by night, would then soon cease to exist. Were glan-
dered horses by law condemned, men, from mercenary motives, would
goon cease buying cheap life for the purpose of working disease to utter
exhaustion. Such proprietors, were glanders declared just cause for
slaughtering any horse wherever found, would soon discover their cheap
282 FARCY.

purchases to be dear bargains. It is terrible now to witness animals, in
almost the last stage of a most debilitating malady, goaded through the
public streets with cruel loads behind them. It is horrible, when we
reflect that every citizen in a large town is, by the avarice of unscrupu-
lous people, exposed to a most loathsome disease, and to a most tortur-
ing death.

FARCY.

When the horse, which has been the pampered favorite in its youth,
vrows old, it generally becomes the half-starved and over-worked drudge
of some equally half-starved proprietor. In the fullness of its pride
and the freshness of its strength, it had to canter under the airy burden
of my lady’s figure. When the joints are stiff—when accident, disease,
and sores, have rendered every movement painful; and when its energy
is poorly fed upon the rankest provender—then the wretched animal is,

 

THE OLD FAVORITE AND THE NEW PET.

by the whip of a thoughtless hireling, forced to toil between the shafts
of some creaking cart. It is sad to watch the vehicles on a London
road, and speculate upon what has been the past fortune and will be the
future fate of the animals which propel them!

Farcy is peculiarly the lot of the poor man’s horse. It is the conse-
quence of utter exhaustion. It is the horrid friend—the last and dread-
ful rescuer of the thoroughly wretched. No one cause will produce it.
To generate farcy, there must be a congregation of evils: the constitu-
tion must be weakly ; the grooming must be neglected; the food must
be stinted; the bed soiled; the dwelling small; the drainage bad; the
master unfeeling, and the work excessive. All of these things, or so
many of them as nature can endure, must exist before farcy can be
generated.
FARCY. 983

It is true the disease can be communicated by inoculation. But that
source of farcy is of very small importance. Not one case in a thousand
thus originates. Farcy is essentially a skin disease. It commences with
specific inflammation of the superficial absorbents.
This inflammation leads to suppuration and to ul-
ceration. Abscesses first appear. They may come
on any part of the body. They seem to be, in the
primary instance, lumps or hard enlargements.
Something of the annexed form is first observed.
There may be one of these, or there may be many.
Ultimately they burst or are opened. Apparently
healthy matter then issues from the interior. But
the first discharge being released, the wound does A FARCY BUD.
not heal. The edges grow rough, the center of
the sore becomes pale, and moistened by a thin, semi-transparent fluid.
Then, if the neighborhood of the sore be felt, cords, more or less thin,
will be discovered running from it toward some other lumps on the
body.

Such is the distinguishing sign by which to recognize farcy. Lumps
appear, which prove to be abscesses. They, after discharging, do not
heal; they become ulcers. From them run certain cords, which are the
swollen lymphatic or absorbents. Till the enlargement of the absorbents
is discerned, a man, from the other signs, may suspect, but he cannot
pronounce with certainty, the disease to be farcy.

If a recent case of farcy be slaughtered and dissected, the affection
appears to go no deeper than the skin. The cellular tissue will exhibit
indications of dropsy, which invariably is present. The muscles will be
pallid and flabby, suggesting bodily debility; but, to most observers,
such signs will be all that is discernible.

Is farcy, then, strictly, a local disorder? Can such be asserted of a
malady which appears to beso constitutional in its origin? Is there
nothing continuous with the skin? Yes, there is. Intimately connected
with the outward covering of the body, imperceptibly blending with it,
and capable, after exposure, of assuming its appearance, is the mucous
membrane. Mucous membrane lines the interior of the body, and is
very abundantly supplied with absorbents. The French, who are far
more minute observers and more accomplished dissectors than the gen-
erality of English surgeons, have, in cases of farcy, detected signs which
assure us the disease is not strictly an external affection. It has an
internal and a deep-seated origin, as is evidenced by the discovery of a
few tubercles upon the mucous membrane of the interior.

The course of the disease would likewise teach us to arrive at this

 
984 FARCY.

conclusion. The appetite often fails; sometimes it becomes voracious.
The matter is, by pressure, to be squeezed through the skin. The thirst
becomes torturing; the horse will cry for water. All it drinks, however,
passes quickly through the body, and the desire for fluid cannot be satis-
fied. At last—as though to prove the correctness of our opinion con-
cerning the constitutional nature of farcy—glanders breaks forth.

Glanders and farey seem to be the same disease, modified by certain
circumstances to which the animal is exposed. Thus a horse, inoculated
with the matter of glanders, may become farcied ; or an animal, infected
with the taint of farcy, may exhibit glanders. These results, together
with the fact of a glandered horse displaying farcy prior to death, and
of a farcied animal exhibiting glanders previous to decease, are pretty
conclusive evidence.

Farcy is of two kinds, the large and the small. The large may appear
as one or more abscesses. Generally it is dis-
posed to select, in the first instance, those places
where the skin is thin and the hair all but ab-
sent. It breaks, and becomes shallow ulcers,
which, however, may heal upon the application
of any escharotic. The abscesses are not, in
every instance, of one absolute figure. They
vary in such respect, and have a tendency, if
neglected, to generate large ulcers, from which
spring unsightly bunches of fungoid granulations.

The smaller description of this disorder has
no preference for any particular locality. It
appears, like surfeit, in small lumps all over the
yancy ow tHe ineme or tne DOUY: These lumps, from their size and uni-

Horse's mutGH Ware tHe sev formity, have been likened to buttons—hence
ABSENT. the term “button farcy.” Cords soon connect
them; they maturate and burst, like the larger sort. The “button
speme wa! farcy,” however, leaves a deeper and a more
sf painful ulcer. It yields less readily to
treatment, and seems to exhibit itself be-
fore the body is utterly exhausted.

How very numerous the absorbents of
the skin are, may be conjectured from the
subjoined engraving of a prepared speci-
men—and not a very successful one either
MOnaOn, —of a piece of farcied skin, when deprived
‘A PORTION OF SKIN, TAKEN FROM A of hair. In this case, the animal suffered

ecauhee ee under the large or common form of the

 

        
FARCY. 985

disease. In the button variety, the tumors would only be smaller, of a
more even size, and far more numerous.

Farcy is, by the generality of practitioners, regarded as a more tract-
able disease than glanders. Certainly the course of the disorder is
arrested much easier; but, to cure the malady, there is a constitution
to renovate and a virus to destroy. Is it in the power of medicine to
restore the health and strength, which have been underfed, sapped by a
foul atmosphere, and exhausted by overwork? Tonics may prop up or
stimulate for a time; but the drunkard and the opium-eater, among
human beings, can inform us that the potency of the best-selected and
the choicest drugs, most judiciously prescribed and carefully prepared, is
indeed very limited. What, then, can be hoped for in an animal whose
treatment is generally an affair of pounds, shillings, and pence? Sul-
phate of copper or of iron, oak-bark, Cayenne pepper, and cantharides,
probably, are the chief medicines the practitioner will give. With such
the horse may be patched up; it may even return to work. But at what
arisk! It carries about the seeds of a disorder contagious to the human
species, and in man even more terrible than in the quadruped. Is it
lawful, is it right, to save an avaricious master the chance of a few shil-
lings, and to incur the risk of poisoning an innocent person? The
author thinks not. Therefore he will give no directions how to arrest
the progress of farcy. The horse, once contaminated, is, indeed, very
rarely or never cured. The animal, after the veterinary surgeon has
shaken hands with the proprietor and departed, too often bears about
an enlarged limb, which impedes its utility, and, at any period, may
break forth again with more than the virulence of the original affection.

 

 

A GENTLEMAN’S SERVANT OUT OF PLACE.
CHAPTER XII.

LIMBS—THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.

OSSEOUS DEPOSITS—SPAVIN.

“Ong horse could wear out two pairs of legs,” is an old jockey’s
phrase. Most men, when purchasing a dumb slave, pay great attention
to the lower extremities. If an animal be used up or has performed
hard work, the indications are sure to be found on those parts; but
what a comment does the language and the act referred to pass upon
the conduct of those masters, the history of whose treatment, or rather

 

A PARK NAG WITH BONE SPAVIN LED OUT OF THE STABLE.

whose abuse of a living creature, is thus sought for and often found
upon a breathing frame!

Before the strength has departed, or the legitimate number of years
are exhausted, cruelty deprives a most obedient drudge of its power to
serve. The history of almost every horse in this kingdom is a struggle
to exist against human endeavors to deprive it of utility. Nature, when
she made the animal, formed a creature hardly second to her master-piece
in anatomical perfection; the legs are strong, but, in his impatience and
in his blind obedience to the dictates of fashion, man wil? put them to

(286)
SPAVIN. 98%

their fullest use before their structure is confirmed. Racers go into
training when one year old. Carriage horses, omnibus machiners, cart
horses, nags, roadsters, may-birds, and park hacks generally come into
work about the third year, The animal, however, does not cut all its
teeth till the completion of its fifth birthday. It requires to look upon
eight seasons before its adult period is entered upon; and yet at the
third year, or before that period, it is put to such work as only a horse
can or does perform.

When the horse was designed to be only matured, the frivolity of
mankind pronounces the creature to be aged. The life is, indeed, gener-
ally worthless before the eighth year is entered upon. The young flesh,
bones, and sinews, long before that time arrives, are made the seats of
poignant diseases. Work, not in the first instance laborious, but sud-
den and energetic beyond what the frame of the young horse can endure,
casts it out of the gentleman’s stable. Once removed from that place,
its descent is rapid. From the carriage to the cab is a leap often cleared
in equine history; but every change adds misery to its lot. It fares
worse, lodges worse, and works harder with every new proprietor, till
at length, as its years and wretchedness accumulate, Nature interposes
and takes the sufferer to herself.

At the head of this article stands an engraving of the mildest form
of reward which docility reaps by service unto cruelty. When will this
land, which so loudly boasts its Christianity, apply in its fullness and its
strength the sacred maxim—‘“ Do unto others as you would others should
do unto you”? When will churchmen teach that the religion which does
not enlarge the heart toward every breathing life upon the earth, is un-
worthy of the Christian title? Men who would rage to hear their faith
called in question, nevertheless feel no shame when they urge the young
steed to that act which probably will cripple the animal for the short
remainder of its life.

Spavin, splint, or ring-bone are no more the legitimate consequences
of equine existence, than nodes and anchylosis are the natural inherit-
ances of human beings; yet what would the world look like, if men
had their motions impeded and their joints firmly locked by bony
deposits in anything like the proportion which such misfortunes are
witnessed in the inferior life? The most useful, the most trusting, and
the most joyous of animals is the one toward which man acts as though
his study was to abuse the authority intrusted to him. Its utility lies
in its legs; its play also is a canter; but before its body is set, its limbs
are disabled. Kindness can subdue the creature, which, however, is
never taken out of its prison without the whip; it is treated as a thing
without feeling: but its body is not more impressible to brutality than
288 SPAVIN.

a

its feelings are sensitive to gentleness. The one is often injured, and
the others are frequently vitiated by the master it too literally obeys.

Spavin and splint both are the change of ligamentous structure into
bone: spavin occurs at the inner and lower part of the hock; splint
also may be sometimes found at the same part of the knee. The name
splint is likewise applied to any bony enlargement upon
the shins or below the hocks and the knees.

Splints in the fore leg are mostly seen on the inner side.
On the hind limb, however, such growths principally
favor the outer side. The advent of splint, when near
the knee, is generally accounted for by saying the inner
' side of the joint lies more under the center of gravity,
ee ce and, therefore, is the more exposed to injury. Such an

eee ae interpretation, however, leaves the preference for the outer

pe pet of locality—when splints are witnessed on the hind leg—
unexplained. Perhaps the reader will—after having con-

templated the two following engravings, and subsequent to having
observed that the artery of the hinder limb crosses the inferior part of
the hock, to take its course down the outer side of the leg, while in
the fore extremity the vessel continues along the inner side of the shin-

 

  

rae inside OF THE FORE LEG, SHOWING THE THE outside OF THE HIND LEG, DISPLAYING
VESSELS PROPER TO THAT PART OF THE THE VESSELS NATURAL TO THAT PART OF
LIMB GENERALLY AFFECTED BY OSSEOUS THE LIMB WHICH IS COMMONLY THE SEAT
DEPOSITS. OF OSSEOUS DEPOSITS.

bone—conclude with the author that, in splint, the distribution of the
blood is more to be regarded than the weight, which, originally conveyed
through a ball-and-socket joint, can hardly afterward affect one part to
the release of the rest.

Having explained the peculiarity attending some bony tumors on the
SPAVIN. 989

hind extremity, it now becomes our duty to explain what actually con-
stitutes a spavin. Any bony growth or bony enlargement, however
small, which is to be seen or felt upon the inner side of the hock, is a
“spavin.” But of spavins there are three kinds. The low sort, or the
“Jack” of the horse-dealer’s phraseology. This answers to the splint
of the fore leg, and originates in the top of the splint bone.

  

A SHIN-BONE HAVING AN OSSEOUS DEPOSIT UPON THE INNER SIDE OF THE HOCK AF-

ITS HEAD AND ON TIE INNER SIDE, WHICH FLICTED WITH HIGH OR INCUR-
MIGHT BE A SPLINT OR A SPAVIN, AS IT OC- ABLE SPAVIN.

CURRED UPON THE FRE OR HIND LEG.

The bony enlargement, should it be located comparatively high upon

the joint, often produces acute and incurable lameness. When low
down, the granules of bone have little to interfere with. Being placed
higher up, the tendons have to play over the osseous deposit; and, when
that happens, the cure is hopeless.
_ The above form of disease, however, does not ensue upon every case
of spavin. Many good racers, and most seasoned hunters, have spavins,
which do not in any way detract from their speed, however much these
growths may interfere with their action.

Bony spavin does, when the quadruped starts, sensibly deteriorate that

  

THE NATURAL POSITION OF THE HEALTHY FOOT THE FOOT, INCAPABLE OF BEING FREELY
WHEN RAISED FROM THE EARTH DURING AN RAISED FROM THE GROUND, BY A HORSE
EASY TROT, WHICH 18 BADLY SPAVINED.

grace of motion which should characterize the action of the perfect
horse. During the trot, the leg should be lifted clear of the earth,
19
290 SPAVIN.

while, by an involuntary movement within the hock-joint, the hoof is in-
clined outward. This peculiarity is exhibited in the engraving on page 289,
which supposes the spectator to be standing by the side of the animals.

Exostosis, formed on any part, locks together the bones which the
deposit may involve, or it unites the several distinct parts into one
osseous mass. By the bones of the hock being thus joined, all movement
of the shin is effectually prevented; the foot of a spavined horse is, to
a spectator who is laterally situated, always presented in a side view.
Moreover, when severe spavin is present, the entire flexion of the lower
portion of the limb is rendered impossible.

The toes being moved along, instead of being lifted from the ground,
occasions the hoof and shoe to suffer wear. The hoof
generally presents a toe blunted by perpetual friction ;
while the shoe of a spavined horse is, in front, worn to
a state of positive sharpness. These indications of dis-
ease should always be sought for, and, when present,
they are so obvious as hardly to be mistaken.

Another test for spavin consists in observation made
MiNED IMB, showixna upon the manner of going. A horse thus affected comes

THE WEAR OF THE : .
gonortHanoorann OUt of the stable always stiff, and sometimes lame.

SHOE; BOTH ARE CON- : : aa
sequent upon prac- Exercise, by warming the body, seems to soften the

Ubon tne gnouxy, stubbornness of the disease ; and the same animal, which
left the stable in a crippled condition, may return to it

in a state which, to the generality of gentlemen, would represent sound-
ness. So well are dealers acquainted with this fact, that it is a custom
with these folks for a spavined horse to be warmed before it is shown to
a probable purchaser. No person, however, should hazard an opinion
on any quadruped which is not perfectly cool, especially when there is a
motive to be suspected of the slightest desire for a favorable judgment.
The horse which, after exercise, should trot past with no obvious sign
of spavin, having stood for an hour in the stable, would come forth a
decided cripple, or, at all events, with such faulty action that a novice
would immediately detect something wrong about the legs. This
peculiarity is illustrated by the engraving which heads the present

 

chapter.

Should the dealer refuse to exhibit the animal when cool, such refusal
would be convincing evidence as to the condition of the horse. The
sale should, under such circumstances, be at once repudiated.

However, when judging of disease, it is always well to divest the mind
of every kind of prejudice. Animals of a certain kind of conformation
are said to be disposed, or to be more than ordinarily subject, to spavin.
Creatures of the foregoing sort show what are denominated sickle-hocks
SPAVIN. 991

or cow-hocks. A sickle-hock is not a diseased joint, but it is one
which the majority of horsemen have stigmatized as very liable to
become diseased. Weakness, it
it is only natural to imagine, such
a malformation indicates; but,
so far as the author’s experience
goes, creatures thus formed often
continue sound when limbs of
model shape give way.

It is now our duty to inform the
reader how to examine a horse for
spavin. In this operation there
are four points of view to be taken
—hbehind the animal, though al-
ways at asafe distance from the
heels; in the front, but not close
to the horse, yet so near that the
examiner must bend to view the
hocks between the fore legs; and
from both the sides. In all these positions, it is prudent now to elongate
the distance and now to approach nearer; then to move the head about,
and occasionally to step to the right or to the left. In short, it is advisable
to get as many different points of sight as possible; for in one, and only
in one, may a spavin be detected on the hock, which, seen from any other
spot, shall look perfectly clean. At the same time, from every point
care should be taken to compare one hock with the other; if the slightest
difference in point of size can be detected, it is fair to suppose one is
enlarged by the commencement of disease. Any indication of this sort
is always to be sought for. The disease may have just begun, but it is
impossible to say where it may stop. The spavin may be very small ;
yet who can assert its growth is perfected? In the examination for
spavin, however, allowance should be made for the age of the horse.
Spavins, in young horses, may be regarded with alarm; in old animals,
they generally are perfected, and, however large they may be, probably
they will grow no bigger—on the contrary, as the years increase, they
are usually diminished, being absorbed; but the bones, once locked
together, are never subsequently unloosed, although all the swelling
should entireiy disappear.

The examination having been up to this point properly performed,
there is yet another test to be adopted before the animal is trotted forth ;
here a well-trained and attentive groom is of every value—one who will
keep on the same side as you may be upon, and who will follow your

 

A SICKLE-HOCKED OR COW-HOCKED HORSE.
292 SPAVIN.

footsteps whenever you change from right to left. The duty of this
groom is to hold up the front leg; the more stress is placed upon his

attention, because no horse can kick with the hind foot of that side upon

 

THE POINTS OF VIEW WHENCE TO LOOK FOR SPAVIN IN A ILORSE.

which one fore leg is off the ground. The attempt would deprive the
body of all lateral support, and a fall would ensue; whereas many quad-
rupeds can, for a short time, balance themselves upon two legs, each
being on opposite sides of the body: therefore the examiner, probably
engrossed in his occupation, would be in considerable danger, should the
groom forget to follow his movements.

Most horses are averse to having the hocks fingered; such liberties
are apt to call up vehement indignation; it is necessary, therefore, to
guard him who undertakes to inspect them. This the groom does most
effectually; but the examiner should also take some caution—he should
stand as close to the foot of the horse as may be convenient. Thus,
should the animal kick out, he may escape, or, at most, be very rudely
pushed on one side. The horse’s kick is only severe after the heels have
reached some distance, or have obtained power by propulsion ; for that
reason is the advice given to stand as near the hind foot as may be
convenient.

Being in this situation, one hand is laid upon the top of the hock, and
the entire weight of the body is brought to
bear upon that part. The object is three-
fold—to obtain, by this means, the earliest
intimation of any design on the part of the
animal to use the limb; to impede in some
measure the extension of the leg; and to
gain a point of rest on which to lean, while
the head is bent forward to inspect, the free
hand being employed to feel the part ap-
propriate to spavin. Afterward comes the
trot, the peculiarities to be detected in which
THE MANNER a Loe TO FEEL FORA have been anticipated.

Now we encounter the important ques-
tion, What can be done for a spavined horse? If the animal be not

 
SPAVIN. 293

lame, let it alone. However large, however unsightly the deposit may
be, do not run the chance of exciting a new action in a part where
disease exists in a quiescent form.

The regular treatment is to purge, give diuretics, bleed, blister, rowel,
seton, periostoteomy, neurotomy, fire, and punch. The bleeding may be
great or small, local or general; the blister, mild or severe, applied over
half the joint at a time, or rubbed in after the limb has been scored by
the iron. Rowels and setons may also be simple, or they may be smeared
with irritants, which are made of different strengths. Periostoteomy
may be single, or may be made compound by the addition of a seton
and a blister. Neurotomy is very unsatisfactory, and very often a most
tedious affair when employed to cure spavin. The fire may be down to
the true skin; it may be through the skin, and on to the tumor; or it
may be inflicted by means of a blunt-pointed instrument, which, when
heated, burns its way into the bone itself. The punch also admits of
variety ; it may be with or without a blister; it may be holes made in a
living body, which holes are filled with a curroding paste. Or the oper-
ation may consist of the exposure of the bone, and cutting off the offend-
ing portion with a saw, or knocking away part of a breathing frame
with a chisel and a mallet.

All these tortures have for centuries been inflicted; they have been
practiced upon thousands of animals, only for men, at this day, to doubt
whether the cruelty has been attended with the slightest service. Flesh,
as capable of feeling as our own, has been cut, irritated, burnt, and
punched for hundreds of years; and now, at the twelfth hour, such
operations are not discarded, but their efficacy is mildly questioned.

Reader, if you have a horse which is lame from spavin, and your cal-
culations tell you it will not pay to nurse the cripple, have it slaughtered.
Do not consent to have it tortured for a chance; do not sell it to the
certainty of a terrible old age and of immediate torment.

The cure for spavin is good food and rest — perfect rest: such
rest or stagnation as a healthy horse submits to in the stable. This,
enjoined for months, with the occasional application of a mild blister,
with the best of food, to enable nature to rectify man’s abuse, will do
more good, cost no more money, and occupy no more time than the
devilries usually adopted, and very often adopted without success. As
an additional motive on the side of humanity, it may be stated that the
horse suffers much more when disease is located in the hind than when
it is exhibited upon the fore leg. The ravages which, in the first case,
would endanger the life, in the last would be borne with comparative
tranquillity. The posterior parts of the animal seem to be endowed
with exquisite sensibility; yet, in spite of this, the so-called cure for
294 SPLINT.

spavin, and the boasted treatment for ages, only consists in torturing the
hocks of the animal.

While inflammation exists, apply poultices, and well rub the part with
a mixture of belladonna and of opium—one ounce of each drug rubbed
down with one ounce of water. Or place opium and camphor on the
poultices; or rub the enlargement with equal parts of chloroform and
camphorated oil. The pain having subsided and the heat being ban-
ished, apply, with friction, some of the following ointment. It may
reduce the disease by provoking absorption; at all events, it will check
all further growth by rendering further deposit almost an impossibility.

Todidesofilead: <2 ee me ee oh a aw “Onesouace:
Simple ointment . . ..... =. . . . Hight ounces.
Mix.
SPLINT.

The horse, could it only speak, would have sufficient cause to over-
whelm man with its injuries. It is to be hoped that He who heeds not
language, but reads the heart, will not peruse the horror written on that
of the most contented and sweetest-dispositioned of man’s many slaves.
It is true, colts have spavin and splints. Creatures, whose days of bit-
terness are as yet to come, exhibit exostoses; but these blemishes are
the sad inheritances of the cruel service exacted by thoughtless masters
from the progenitors of the deformed. Nature gave the horse a fibro-
cartilaginous or elastic union to particular bones, so that all its motions
might be bounding and graceful. The animal, thus formed, was pre-
sented to man; but the gift was not prized by him to whom it was given.
The authority possessed was abused. The capability of the horse was
only measured by what it was able, at the risk of its life, to perform.
The most humane of modern proprietors is an ignorant tyrant to his
graceful bond-servant. The most meek of owners likes his horse to
possess high action. The consequence is, the leg, lifted from the ground
to the highest possible point, is forcibly driven again to the earth. This
pace is imposed upon a creature so docile, it only seeks to learn that
which pleases its master, and, in the entirety of its confidence, never
mistrusts its instructor. The lesson is learned. The animal soon
becomes proud to exhibit its acquirement. High action, however—
especially that kind of action the horse is taught to exemplify—soon
deranges the system. It breeds inflammation in the fibro-cartilaginous
tissues, upon which its chief strain is felt. The union between the splint
bones and the cannon, or between the shin-bone and the accessories, one
on either side, speedily becomes converted into osseous matter.

However, man cannot say to nature, “ Thus far shalt thou go, and no
SPLINT. 995

farther,” otherwise the alteration of structure, if unseen, might distress
the horse, but would little affect the owner. A diseased action, once
started up, is apt to involve other parts than those in which it originated.
Thus, a splint is strictly an exostosis or bony tumor on the inner and
lower part of the knee-joint; but there are found to be others which this
definition will not embrace. Here, for instance, are the ordinary kinds
of splint to be seen, more or less, in every animal subject to man’s usage.

Number 1 is unsightly. Moreover, it gives an unpleasant jar to
the rider of the poor horse thus deformed; and few men, when they
state this fact, ever think of what sensation that which jars
the equestrian must occasion to the steed. It will produce
lameness at first; but, this surmounted and the tumor fully
formed, it causes no inconvenience beyond a loss of elasti-
city when in motion; and because it provokes no lameness,
man says it is unattended by feeling.

Figure 2 is a splint on the side of the leg. It also is
unsightly, and produces a disagreeable sensation to the
person in the saddle. Moreover, it is exposed to accidents.
If the horse has high and close action, the tumor may be , ;
struck when the foot is being raised. Such a possibility is ne pirreneyr
not altogether free from danger. The horse, having grazed);

1. A high

the swelling, will often fall down as though it were shot. splint, near the

That circumstance warrants the supposition that these ,? Alowsplint,
far from the

i i ibili knee.
growths are not quite so devoid of sensibility as most Knee)

horse owners are pleased to assert they are. bony growth on
the front of the

The slight enlargement, opposite which stands figure ea.
8, denotes a growth of small size. It may be of no
great consequence, if it appear on a vacant part of the bone, or on
a place over which no tendon passes; but it is of serious import, if
situated beneath a tendon, as then it causes incurable lameness.

Man having provoked these blemishes, Nature generally strives to
remove the effects of his stupidity. She will smooth the top of the
tumor by the interposition of cartilage and of ligament, that the skin
may not be irritated when passing over these enlargements. She will
also develop a false bursa on the top of each, thereby causing the integ-
ument to move with an approach to ease.

Yet there are other sorts of splints which often are very serious
affairs. That the reader may comprehend these, let him attend to the
next engraving.

1—Represents a splint which has involved the bones of the knee, and
which has left the horse only the joint formed by the lower end of the
radius to progress with. This is a sad business. The action is injured

 
296 SPLINT.

for life; and death, or a cart, is the lot of the wretched animal so
diseased. :
2—Shows fine points of bone, so placed that they would impinge upon
the suspensory ligament, if not upon the flexor
tendons. Lameness, in its acutest form, would
thereby be caused wherever the limb was bent.
The lameness, probably, would last till death, as
splints in this situation are rarely discovered dur-
ing life.

3—Denotes an enlargement, probably produced
by a blow received during a leap, or given by an
impatient groom. It is placed directly under one
of the extensor tendons. In consequence of this
minute substance, the severest agony is endured,
SPLINTS oF A sertous xixp. oY the most marked lameness exhibited, whenever

 

1. A splint involving the the leg is advanced.

bones of the knee-joint. soit %
2. A splint interfering with The great majority of these maladies may result

ee onc aolhat sitetei from the present rage for high action, and the too
sree ueee en efanexten- eneral practice of pushing the horse beyond his
speed. Racers and hunters commonly have splints :
almost every roadster exhibits them. Few draught-horses are without
them: they are all but universal. It may be easy to detect or to feel a
full-sized splint; but it is rather difficult to discover these tumors when
they are small, or when they are just beginning to develop themselves.
At that period they are most painful. They may be mere deformities when
fully formed; but, when growing, though not to be
seen, they are apt to cause decided lameness.

The cause of such failing action very often can
only be guessed at. To detect a fully-developed
splint, stand at the side of the animal’s leg and
grasp the posterior part of the shin; then, by run-
ning the thumb down on one side and the fingers
on the other, in the groove formed by the junction
of the two small splint-bones with the cannon-
bone, the examiner may recognize enlargement or
feel heat, should either exist. By making pressure
Auorse “pisnive,” on car- Where the heat or swelling is perceived, he may

Wand, WHEN on Tue tor, cause the leg to be snatched up. Should nothing

result from this trial, the animal is trotted gently
up and its action is observed. Horses with splints, when lame, gener-
ally ‘‘dish” or turn the leg outward, when it is raised from the ground.
That is done because the bending of the limb pressed the splint-bone

 
SPLINT. 297

downward, the outward carriage of the shin being an endeavor to lessen
the pain which attends upon the natural action.

Should no “dishing” be remarked, next observe whether the leg is
fully flexed or advanced; and, after the hints thus received, the inves-
tigation may be resumed with a better prospect of success.

The treatment of splint is conveyed in the old maxim, ‘time and
patience.” Rest will do more than physic. A man, therefore, may as
well let his horse rest in his own stable, as pay for rest, lodging, and
useless treatment in another place. Splints, moreover, if only subjected
to rest, accompanied with liberal feeding, are likely the sooner to attain
their maximum magnitude. If they are interfered with under the pre-
tense of treatment, the irritation may cause them to increase; thus the
proprietor, through his impatience, may purchase an injury.

When they are acutely painful, a poultice, on which one drachm of
opium and one drachm of camphor is sprinkled, will frequently afford
relief. They may also, at such times, be rubbed with a drachm of chloro-
form combined with two drachms of camphorated oil. These measures,
however simple, aim at mitigating the present symptoms—they do not
even infer the possibility of curing the disease. Periostoteomy pre-
tended to do something of that sort; but has failed so often, it is now
seldom recommended by practiced veterinarians.

When, however, a particle of the bone interferes with a tendon, the
lameness is so acute that often the choice lies between cure and death;
for some, even of present proprietors, scorn to sell a favorite horse which
has become sick in their service. In these cases, it is lawful to open the
skin, and with a fine saw, a chisel or a sharp knife, to remove the offend-
ing growth; after the operation, leave the skin open and dress the wound
with a lotion made of chloride of zinc one grain, to water one ounce,
This application has the great merit of keeping down granulations; but
employ nothing irritating to the bone, or the result may be worse than
the injury which has been removed.

Splints sometimes occur on the outer side of the hind leg; there, how-
ever, they are little thought of. The hind leg propels the horse, but
does not support its body; therefore, splints of this last sort are less
unpleasant to the rider. The hind leg, not bearing much weight, splints,
when situated on that member, do not occasion very severe lameness,
and the enlargement being located upon the outside of the shin, is thereby
removed from the possibility of being struck by the opposite hoof. For
these reasons, splints of the foregoing nature are considered trifles, and
are rarely esteemed worthy of much notice.

To check the further enlargement of a splint with a fair chance of also
removing the deformity—though with no hope of releasing the parts
298 RING-BONE.

locked together by bony union—employ the ointment already recom-
mended for spavin :—

Jodide oflead. . . . s «© «© = @ » » « » One ounce.
Simple ointment . . . . . Hight ounces.
Mix, and apply with eta thrice fale:

RING-BONE.

The whole soul of the horse seems devoted to man’s will; who has
not seen a team of small but sturdy horses contrive to drag a heavy load
up a steep hill, as though nothing could afford them such content as to
leave their hoofs behind them! What Londoner
but has witnessed the cart-horse dig its toes into
the stones of Ludgate Hill, and make the muscles
bulge out upon the glossy coat as though life had
but one object, and to that object the animal was
straining every nerve!

a A sight such as this, when properly contemplated,
A HORSE srraininc To = cannot otherwise than teach man to esteem his fel-
Ces eo low-laborer; for what creature on earth toils so

willingly in the service of humanity as the horse? At any hour it is

ready—in health it is willing, and in sickness it is obedient; even when
worn out, entirely used up and driven to the slaughter-house, it looks
upon its slayer with large placid eyes, stands quietly in the place
where it is bid, with no mistrust in the kindness of its abuser, and ends

a life of devotion by accepting the blow almost as a favor. It is the

only animal which lives but to more than share the burden of its owner;

yet, of all existing quadrupeds, the horse is the most ill treated.

Ring-bone is an osseous deposit; so far it resembles splint and spavin:
it differs, however, in the kind of horses it attacks. Splint and spavin
are principally witnessed upon quadrupeds of speed. Ring-bone is all
but confined to the cart-horse. It is caused by those violent efforts this
animal makes, in obedience to the voice of the driver, when dragging a
heavy load up some sharp ascent. The entire force is then thrown upon
the bones of the pastern; inflammation ensues; lymph is effused; the
lymph becomes cartilage, and the cartilage is converted into bone. Then
an exostosis is established, and a ring-bone is the consequence.

The disease may implicate one or more bones; it may involve one or
more joints; it may also be confined to one bone; it may be either par-
tial or complete. It may exist as a slight enlargement in front of the bone,
or it may quite encircle it. On page 299 is a specimen of the disease.
The exostosis, as in this case, was prominent during life. The disease

 

 
RING-BONE, 299

did not quite encircle the bones, and though, when the preparation was
dried, the different parts could be slightly moved one upon another,
yet, during life, the joints were firmly locked.

  

THE PASTERN AND PEDAL BONE OF A HORSE THE FOOT OF A LIVING HORSE WITH
AFFECTED WITH SEVERE RING-BONE. AGGRAVATED RING-BONE.

1. The joint between the pastern bones, showing The animal, from which the above sketch
the groove in which the tendon of the extensor was taken, although used to propel a cart,
pedis muscle reposed. was by no means of a cart breed. The crea-

2. The joint between the lower pastern and the ture rather hobbled than went lame; but all
bone of the fout. flexion was entirely lost in the pastern bones.

One of the above sketches depicts this disease as it appeared
prior to death. The reader has now to consider the consequences of
such a deformity; it materially interferes with the value. The hind
limbs are the instruments of propulsion in the horse; these are much
incapacitated by the presence of ring-bone. An animal thus affected
might move an easy load upon even ground; but when the weight had
to be drawn up hill, the creature would obviously be unable to use the
toe; the foot, placed flat upon the ground, or so shod as to have an even
bearing, would perceptibly be of comparatively little use in such a case.
So, also, in descending an inequality, the horse with severe ring-bone
will be unable to bite the earth. Ring-bone, therefore, does incapacitate
the animal for many uses, besides interfering with the free employment of
the muscular energy; no persuasion or brutality can induce a maimed ani-
mal to cast its full weight upon a diseased limb. The pace may be quick-
ened by the lash; but the horse will, nevertheless, continue to hop when
the affected member touches the earth.

Let mankind, therefore, reflect that the horse is given as their fellow-
laborer. The life of the quadruped is the property of the master; but
who, being sane, would abuse his own property? The being who should
destroy chairs and tables—although such things can be mended—would
be speedily confined as mad. Yet it has not entered the mind of man,
as a reasonable idea, that to deface a living image—to destroy the value
or to deteriorate the property which is present in the animal—deserves
more than the very mildest of punishments. The breathing creature,

 
300 STRAIN OF THE FLEXOR TENDON.

when defaced, cannot be made sound again. Horse property is noto-
riously hazardous. It should be the care of men to use a tender thing
with a greater gentleness. Instead of which, horses are galloped till
they become blind, and lashed to drag weights beyond the proper limits
of their strength. Men, who never think in whom the fault really lies,
complain that Providence has not suited the horse to purposes such as
would derange most iron-wrought machines !

When a horse first shows ring-bone, seek to allay the pain. Apply
poultices, on which one drachm of powdered opium and one of camphor
has been sprinkled. Rub the disease with equal parts of oil of camphor
and of chloroform. The pain having ceased, have applied, with friction,
to the seat of enlargement and around it, some of the following oint-
ment, night and morning :—

Iodide oflead . 2. . . . ws es a ss | « One ounce.
Lard Stk Seyor. oe os hen hee Ae Ge So eeeloht-ounces:
Mix.

Continue treatment for a fortnight after all active symptoms have dis-
appeared, and allow the animal to rest—being liberally fed for at least
a month subsequent to the cessation of every remedy. When work is
resumed, mind it is gentle, and be very careful how the horse goes to its
full labor.

STRAIN OF THE FLEXOR TENDON.

The flexor tendons of the legs are liable to a variety of accidents.
Injuries to these structures, according to their severity, are denominated:
strain of the flexor tendon, clap of the back sinews, sprain of the
back sinews, aud breaking down.

The first accident is common enough, and springs from the horse being
forced to perform extraordinary work on uneven ground. Else it is
caused by the irritability of the rider; tugging now at one rein, then at
the other; forcing a timid animal into strange contortions, and at the
same time elevating the head, thereby throwing all the strain upon the
muscles. This is a spectacle repeatedly presented to him who walks
about town. An angry rider is seen sawing, without compunction, at
the mouth of some patient horse. The spectators look on complacently.

There is nothing offensive to them in an enraged man venting his
anger on an unoffending creature. Were the act generally reprehended,
it would not be so frequently exhibited; but the only emotion the con-
templation of another’s brutality appears to elicit, is a desire in the pas-
sengers to provide for their own security.

The main cause, however, of the most prevalent of these sad deform-
ities is that of the shaft-horse descending a steep declivity with a load
STRAIN OF THE FLEXOR TENDON. 301

behind it. The weight would roll down the descent: this the horse has
to prevent, and the chief stress is then upon the back tendons. The in-
juries to such parts are generally of a chronic character. The strain
seldom occasions decided lameness. But the horse being harnessed to
the shafts, the cause is in daily operation. The part injured is being
constautly excited. Thus, without the development of a single acute
symptom, the tendons are stretehed—a low kind of inflammation is
generated—and this action being kept up, the sinews gradually lose
their elasticity, and shorten.

When strain of the fore leg is received, the animal goes oddly, but is
not lame. However, if put into the stable and taken out the next morn-
ing, the horse is found to be stiff and apparently very cramped. The
halting action may disappear upon exercise; but assuredly it will again
be present on the following dawn. The proprietor may resolve to work
“the brute” sound. Such a speculation with disease may occasionally
answer; but, on the large scale, it is a losing game, for it more often
fails than succeeds: the limb, on work, commonly does not amend. The
symptoms are aggravated in every way; and what was curable in the
first stage is apt, after the lapse of time, to degenerate into an intracta-
ble malady. The many horses to be seen in the London cab ranks, with
the fore limbs permanently contracted, are evidences as to the result of
such very knowing treatment.

When a horse slightly strains the flexor tendon, do not expect to
discover the seat of the affection till several hours have elapsed. Then
pass the hand gently down the injured limb. A small swelling may be
detected. The enlargement may feel soft, slightly warm, but hardly
tender. Bind a linen bandage round the leg rather tightly, and keep
this constantly wet with cold water. For the three first nights, have
men to sit up in the stable and perform that operation. After that time,
if everything goes on well, wet the limb only during the day.

Throw up the horse till more than recovered, and do not put it to full
work till some period after that event. Give immediately four drachms
of aloes. Allow only two feeds of corn per day; but do not turn out
to graze, under the idea that it saves cost and gives a chance that the
animal may be taken up sound. At grass, the horse must walk many
miles to eat poor food, sufficient to support life. This kind of motion
will not suit a strain, which does best with absolute rest. Keep, there-
fore, in a stall, and do not begrudge the necessary meat to support the
life which has suffered injury, and is now enduring pain, in consequence
of exertion made in your service.

 
302 CLAP OF THE BACK SINEWS.

CLAP OF THE BACK SINEWS.

When the accident is more severe, and the sprain more decided, it is
spoken of as “clap of the back sinews;” this is a serious affair. The
usual fate of the wretched animal thus maimed is to be sold to the
highest bidder. It passes from a carefully-tended stable to some wretched
out-shed; and its new master is made happy, if the crippled horse can
only limp, and somehow get through a day’s labor. No pity is wasted
upon agony; “the beast,” as it is now called, has to live worse, work
harder, and drag out a miserable existence with the heavy burden of an
almost useless limb.

Clap of the back sinews results from exertion; it may be the work of
an instant. The horse sometimes is pulled up, or,
in severe cases, it falls. If it be pulled up, it refuses
to move at a quicker pace than a hobble, and stands
still again so soon as whip or spur are not applied
to the sufferer’s body. The maimed limb is flexed,
and rests upon the toe of the injured leg. There
can be no mistake now about the seat of lameness ;
the foot of the affected limb will hardly be put to
the ground. The seat of the malady is soon de-
clared. In a short space a tumor displays itself; it
aHE EARLIEST syuproy or 28 Small, hot, tender, and soft, in the first instance,

ee en though it soon enlarges, and grows very hard. The
OF THE TENDON. animal does not exhibit much constitutional distress,
for it requires excessive pain to call forth such a dis-

play in the patient and most enduring horse.

Physic is necessary in this case; a gentle blood-letting,
even, may be required, followed by a few doses of febrifuge
medicine; but the treatment should be carried no further
than is necessary to reduce the pulse to fifty-five degrees.
The leg should be wrapped in a stout linen bandage; day
and night the part should be saturated with the coldest
possible water until the primary symptoms have abated.
Cut grass should be the food while any fever rages, but no
longer, for the wish is not to destroy the powers of repara-
tion by weakening the body. The cold water should be
continued till recovery appears confirmed; but it will be

many months before the horse, thus disabled, will again be
“irr sr car fit for full or energetic work. Commonly, however, this

anew. accident takes place in the hunting-field ; and sportsmen,

 

 
SPRAIN OF THE BACK SINEWS. 8303

silly as may be their amusements, are no niggards. If they occasionally
injure a horse, they will spare no expense that can aid its restoration ;
and a summer’s rest may not be thrown away upon the favorite which
has met with such a mishap. However, the mark will remain for life—
an obvious swelling will, during existence, denote the place where clap
occurred to the back sinews.

SPRAIN OF THE BACK SINEWS.

Sprain of the back sinews of the hind legs is very general among ani-
mals which have to perform slow work upon hilly roads. People in the
carrier trade can afford to bestow small attention upon
the lameness which does not incapacitate. Every jour-
ney, however, aggravates the disease. The horse works
on till his owner is told by the blacksmith the animal’s
legs are contracting, and higher calkins are given as
a cure.

At length, however, calkins become of no use. The
work continues, and the disease progresses. The posi-
tion of the foot is now so altered, that the smith dis-
covers his office is unable to render the animal useful.
Perhaps these circumstances would little affect the
owner, but the horse evidently loses power. At first it |, Ml UM" an
is longer on the road. The passengers grumble at the oe
delay, (for country carriers reap no little profit by car- os of the hind
rying passengers ;) and the driver, flog as he may, can
oblige the horse to move no faster. Excessive beating is apt to provoke
pity; and every word of pity which is lavished on the evidently eager
animal is distasteful to the carrier, who vents his anger
upon the wretched cause of all ‘this rumpus.”

At last the horse cannot guide the cart down hill,
even when lightly loaded. Assistance is at first pro-
cured ; but very soon the assistant has to do all the labor.
The proprietor cannot imagine what ails his horse; it
keeps getting worse and worse. He takes the animal
to a farrier. Remedies—oils and blisters—are applied
to no effect. A veterinary surgeon is consulted, and
the master learns that the only hope left him lies in

division of the tendons of the hind leg.—(See oper- ous surs resurr oF
‘ CONTINUED WORK AF-
ation.) TER STRAIN OF THE

When a cart-horse’s heel heightens, always attend to — *°¥ 7#NPONS:
the back sinews. Feel them gently, to discover if one place is more

 

HIGH CALKINS.

 
304 BREAKING DOWN.

tender, harder, softer, or slightly warmer, than the rest. Should this
not succeed, pinch them hard, and run the fingers down them, marking
the part at which the animal flinches. Healthy tendon will endure any
amount of pressure; diseased tendon is acutely sensitive. Having dis-
covered the locality of the injury, order the hair to be cut short. Puta
linen bandage round the lesion, and see that it is constantly kept wet;
but do not expect a speedy cure. Those structures which are slow to
exhibit disease are always tardy in resigning it. Bone and tendon are
of this kind.

Therefore do not expect any relief before three months have expired,
and it will certainly be six months before the horse is fit to resume labor.
Do not blister, bleed, seton, or fire: these things are expensive, and
occupy much time. Have patience. Grant the time which the supposed
specifics would employ, and the effect, with or without their use, is very
likely to be the same. The only remedy for a badly-contracted tendon
is an operation, and to that subject the reader is referred.

The horse, however, which has been subjected to such a remedy will
never be fit for its former uses. No art can restore the primary strength
of nature, although human intelligence may arrest the progress of dis-
ease. The thought, that the consequences of ill treatment are not always
to be eradicated, should surely induce greater care of that property
which, once lost to man, can never be replaced.

When a tendinous structure is injured, the best treatment is gentle-
ness and patience. Blisters, setons, etc. can only change an acute dis-
order into a chronic deformity. ‘Entire rest, with such applications as
ease the attendant agony, and a sympathy that can afford to wait upon
a tardy restoration, are better than all pretended specifics.

BREAKING DOWN.

Breaking down is the severest injury which the tendons can endure.
In proof of this may be cited the general notion that, when a racer
breaks down, some of the back sinews are ruptured. This, however,
does not often occur; but though the tendons are, generally, only se-
verely sprained, some of the finer tissues, which enter into the composi-
tion of the leg, are in all cases actually sundered.

The animal is at its full pace—doing its utmost, and delighting its
rider, who feels confident of coming in first. Instantaneously the horse
loses the power of putting one fore leg to the ground. The jockey
knows what has taken place. He flings himself from the saddle, and
hastily glances at the animal’s foot. It probably is distorted; or, per-
chance, the accident may have taken effect higher up, and the injury
BREAKING DOWN. 305

merely be severe clap of the back sinews. Be it which it may, with a
heavy heart at loss of money and credit, thus suddenly snatched from
him, the jockey leads the horse toward the stand, or, by the shortest
road, to the stable.

 

Many horses, after encountering this accident, are instantly shot. The

poor animals, by such a proceeding, are saved from a painful cure and
a crippled existence. Such conduct is, however, seldom actuated by
thoughts of mercy. Nevertheless, to an animal of motion,
whose every feeling is displayed by means of its limbs, and
which is instinctively more perfect in action than the most
accomplished ballet-master, the incumbrance of a leg mis-
shapen, callous, and unwieldy, must be a serious affliction.
The limb is spoiled for life in the horse which has broken
down. The pain in time departs; the breathing becomes
quiet; the pulse sinks to the normal point; the appetite
returns, and the spirits grow to be as high as ever. But
no art can replace the structures which have been disorgan-
. . . . . THE CONSEQUENCE
ized; and the limb, after everything approaching to inflam- or “sreaxtne
mation has subsided, remains a huge, unsightly object—an ee
affliction to its possessor.

The treatment of breaking down has not been much experimented
with. However, constitutional measures are, at first, imperative. At
the same time, a bandage should be applied to the injured limb, and this
bandage should be kept constantly wet with cold water. A high-heeled

20

 
306 CURB.

shoe should be put on as soon as may he possible; but no treatment can
hope to restore the horse to its departed agility, or even to fit it for
ordinary usefulness. However, should it be a stallion or a mare, it may
be as valuable as a sounder animal for stud purposes. Accidents are
not hereditary; nor is there any reason why the foal of a horse which
has broken down should not excel the progeny of a more fortunate sire.
Among racers, emasculation not being the general practice, this opinion
may probably save many a favorite from the doom which a disappointed
proprietor now too often inflicts.

CURB.

This is one of the evils which chiefly are the property of the better
breed of horses. Man delights to show off the animal he is mounted
upon. Be it male or female, old or young, the equestrian is always
pleased by the prancing of the horse. The creature seems to compre-
hend, and to derive gratification from obeying the wish of its superior.
It enters into the desires of its dictator, without a thought of prudence
or a care for its personal safety. In hunting or in racing, the simple
horse more than shares the excitement of its rider, and often encounters
the severest accidents in consequence of these amusements. That which
is pastime to man frequently proves death to his amiable servant. Often
is the animal so maimed by these sports as to necessitate its life being
taken upon the course or in the field.

These reflections are very painful to any body who appreciated the
loving and devoted character of the quadruped. Among
the least of its sufferings probably may be reckoned curb,
although the mark of the affection nearly always remains
for life, and the misfortune sometimes quite disables the
horse which incurs it. It consists of an enlargement,
or a gradual bulging out, at the posterior of the hock.

There is some dispute about the seat of curb. The
author examined a hock which had chronic curb, and
found the perforan tendon disorganized. The late Mr.
W. Percival (the respected originator of the very best work upon the
horse and its diseases which is extant in the English language) also
inspected a hock, and found the sheath of the tendon more involved than
the tendon itself. However, a slight acquaintance with the mystery of
anatomy assures us that the tendon must have been stretched when the
sheath was injured, since the first invests and is inserted into the last.
It is well known that synovial membrane is far more sensitive than ten-
don. It is therefore probable that the membrane would exhibit disease

 
CURB. 307

before the tendon displayed the slightest symptom of being affected.
The membrane is also capable of displaying the signs of injury long
after every trace may have disappeared from the tendon itself.

The effect of the treatment at present adopted is to confirm the
enlargement, or to change the swelling into a lump of callus, which will
accompany the sufferer to its death. Curbs are said to be the inherit-
ances of animals of a certain conformation. Horses born with what are
termed curby hocks are asserted to be much exposed to this kind of
accident. The author has, for many years, particularly inspected animals
of this description; and he never recollects to have seen a curb upon a
hock of that peculiar conformation. To be sure, no man is likely to
select either a hunter or a racer from a tribe thus bearing upon their
limbs the signs of weakness. The creatures are consequently exempted
from the great provocatives of the accident. However, that the reader
may fully comprehend what is meant by a curby hock, one is here repre-
sented, together with a sound or naturally-formed, clean joint.

  

A CLEAN HOCK. A CURBY HOCK, SLIGHTLY
BULGING OUT BEHIND.

The custom of blistering a horse the instant a curb appears is most
injurious. Harm is done, in every point of view, by
such a habit. The animal should have a high-heeled
shoe put on immediately, so as to ease the overstrained
tendon. The part ought then to be kept constantly wet
with cold water, so as to lower or disperse the inflam-
mation. It should not be blistered, to heat and increase
the vascularity of the structures. A cloth, doubled sty
twice or thrice, is easily kept upon the hock by means nN 1NDia-nuueer
of an India-rubber bandage, of the form delineated in ING WET CLOTHS
the accompanying engraving. Such a cloth, so placed, eee
is afterward to be made constantly cool and wet.

This treatment should be continued; the animal being confined to the
stall and made to move as little as possible, until the heat and swelling
are diminished and the leg is almost sound. The part being quite cool,
a blister should then be rubbed all over the joint; and with that this
treatment, in the great majority of cases, is ended. On no account

   
308 OCCULT SPAVIN.

should any man allow his horse’s hock to be fired for curb. This is
avery general practice; but the author has never witnessed any good
result therefrom. He has, however, seen much
agony ensue upon the custom. The form of the
marks perpetuated upon the skin of a living creat-
ure is shown herewith, and were plainly visible in
the case of curb, which the writer dissected.
Pulling horses up on their haunches is asserted
to be a frequent cause of curb; yet curb is not an
tHE LINES Mane, ror son accident commonly met with among those animals

PO MATED Ikow_ cow tug Which drag London carriages. These creatures are

HOCK OF A HORSE HAVING
CURB.

 

  
 

being constantly thrown upon their haunches, it
being, by ladies, considered ‘very pretty and very
dashing” to make their servants tug at the reins, regardless of the living
mouths on which these operate.
Pulling suddenly up, however
objectionable for other reasons,
does not seem to induce curb,
as London carriage horses are
all but free from that affection.
The disease is mainly caused
by uneven ground wrenching
the limb; by galloping at the
topmost speed; by prancing
when mounted, or by leap-
ing when after the hounds.
Perhaps more curbs are to be
seen in a district on which
several packs are kept, than in any other part of the country.

 

THE SUREST MANNER OF PRODUCING CURB.

OCCULT SPAVIN.

The horse is subject to many fearful maladies, but to none which is
more terrible than ulceration between the bones composing the joints.
Synovial membrane, cartilage, and bone are without sensation during
health. The author hopes his reader is not conscious of a bone in his
body ; it is also wished that he may read with surprise, that the ends of
bones are covered with cartilage, and that many are invested with syno-
vial membrane. As has already been observed, these structures in health
are not sensitive; but when disease starts up, be it only the slightest
blush of inflammation, the acutest anguish is thereby occasioned.

Ulceration of the joints is, unfortunately, rather common among
OCCULT SPAVIN. 309

horses; the animal, while being ridden, usually drops suddenly lame.
It has trodden on a rolling stone, or made a false step, or put its foot
into some hole, and injured the bone. After a little time, continuance
of the impaired gait causes the rider to dismount; nothing is to be
found in the foot, yet the animal is taken to the stable decidedly lame.
The foot is searched, the limb is examined, pressure, even of the hardest

 

THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE LEG IS CAUGHT UP WHEN OCCULT SPAVIN EXISTS; ALSO THE VIEW OF THE FOOT
PRESENTED TO THE SPECTATOR WHO IS PLACED AT THE SIDE OF THE HORSE, WHEN, DURING THIS DIs-
EASE, THE LEG IS IN MOTION.

kind, is endured with provoking complacency. No heat or swelling can
be discovered; but one thing is to be discerned, the lameness is most
emphatic. After some time, a peculiarity in the trot may be remarked;
the lame foot hardly touches the earth before it is snatched up again,
and that very energetically. Then, closer observation notes that the
leg, when flexed, is always carried in a direct line, as it is when display-
ing the symptoms of bony spavin. The hoof is never even partially
turned outward. Still, neither of these traits is always displayed in
so prominent a manner as to force attention; frequently, a conclusion is
to be drawn only from negative testimony—as the duration of the lame-
ness, the soundness of the foot, and the perfect condition of the tendons;
these evidences, taken with the suddenness of the complaint, cause the
practitioner to comprehend he has a case of occult spavin under treat-
ment.

Such is the origin of the disease: some authors assert the synovial
membrane has been ruptured; some, on the contrary, say the bone has
been injured. The author, knowing nothing, cannot tell how the disease
begins, but he knows that from the date of its origin the horse is lame;
very bad one day, but better, probably, the next. Generally improved
after rest, and always badly limping subsequent to work; never to be
depended upon, for proprietors say the animal is sure, wherever its ser-
vices are required, to be obstinately lame.

Usually the wretched horse is blistered; setoned; blistered again;
and, at last, fired. All failing to do the smallest good, the horse is next
turned out for three months; while at grass, the poor animal, with an
acutely diseased joint, which is enlarged and stiffened by mistaken treat-
310 OCCULT SPAVIN.

ment, has to take one step for every morsel it bites of poor and watery
food. It is forced to travel long and far, or literally to starve; its body
must rest upon the ulcerated bone, and the weight even be increased by
the pendulous head before enough herbage can be cropped to sustain the
life. At every step two ulcerated surfaces grate upon each other and
are forced violently together; while anguish consumes the flesh, the
nature of the food may keep in the life, but cannot otherwise than
depress the spirits. Besides, the horse has been turned from a sheltered
stall where it was daily groomed, into a field where it has to brave the
utmost stress of the elements, uncared for and unnoticed.

At the end of three months the horse is taken up: to the master’s
disgust, it is found to be not looking smarter and not to be going
sounder. More routine treatment is now permitted, and the diseased
limb undergoes further torture; another three months is passed, and the
lameness becomes worse than ever. The proprietor is loath to part with
his property; but he often says “he wishes the animal were dead.” At
last, losing all patience, and never having possessed any care for the life
which had suffered injury in his service, the horse is lent to some carter,
who undertakes to “work it sound.” This process never, in occult spavin,
succeeds; the wretched quadruped gets worse day by day, till neither
oaths nor lashes can prevent misery from limping on three legs.

At length, worked to a skeleton, the horse is returned to its propri-
etor, who, inviting pity upon hzs misfortune, that life will feel, and that
horse-flesh is subject to the ailments affecting all creatures which breathe,
orders his servant to take ‘‘the beast” to the knacker’s and to get what
he can for it.

Such is the history of ulcerated joint. All joints are exposed to
ulceration; every bone in the fore and hind leg may be thus affected.
The small bones of the hock are those most commonly diseased; when-
ever this is the case, the only termination which can reasonably be hoped
for is that the inflamed surfaces may be united. The bones are then
bound together by osseous union, and are, of course, firmly locked;
they are no longer capable of the slightest movement one upon the
other; but this is no vast evil: many animals are now at work having
the smaller bones firmly united by osseous deposit. Horses in that con-
dition are far from useless, even for the highest purposes.

The man whose animal gets ulceration of the hock-joint ought to
allow the injured quadruped even twelve months of uninterrupted rest.
The first thing is to get the sufferer into slings; the earlier this is done
the better; it takes off the weight from the affected joint, relieves the
pain, and gives the system full opportunity to rectify the lesson. To
draw blood to the part and so promote deposit, rub in, once every two
OCCULT SPAVIN. 311

days, some of the embrocation recommended in the article on “ Rheu-
matism,” which is thus composed: of soap liniment, sixteen ounces;
liquor ammonia, tincture of cantharides, and of laudanum, of each two
ounces. There need be no fear of applying friction; the utmost press-
ure made upon an ulcerated joint can call forth no response. When
the joint is embrocated, wrap the part loosely in flannel, using an elastic
webbing to fasten the portion above and below the hock, and not tying
any fastening around the painfully-diseased member; give three feeds of
corn, a few old beans, and sweet hay for each day’s support, while the
treatment lasts.

The improvement will be denoted by the animal bearing upon the
affected limb; after three months or longer, the slings may be removed;
in another three months, the horse, should the pace be sound, may per-
form gentle work. However, the first three months must be reckoned
from the date when the animal commenced to bear continuously on the
ulcerated joint; in short, the slings are not to be removed until long
after the quadruped has, by its carriage, declared them to be useless.
Then, for the three subsequent months, the work must not be violent;
time should be allowed for the union to be confirmed, for, among the
many diseases the horse is exposed to, there is not one more treacherous
or more liable to relapse than occult spavin.

Such is all that is necessary for the treatment of this disorder; rest—
perfect rest, with food capable of supporting nature in the reparative pro-
cess—is everything which is absolutely necessary. A loose
box even does injury, so entire must be the rest, which
should be as near to stagnation as it is possible to make
it. The embrocation is simply recommended to draw
blood to the part, and promote the required deposition.
One caution only is necessary—give no purgative; keep
the bowels regular by means of cut grass and bran
mashes.

If the above measures fail, as in the majority of cases
they certainly will, nevertheless good will have been done
by abating the violence of the ulcerative process. Before
the last resort of all is adopted, another chance remains,

 

which, as an experiment, is justifiable. Puncture the
joint—a very small incision will be required; have the "Soyus or rie
limb forcibly retracted or pulled backward; then inject, Pert wurecnn
with a syringe having a fine point, about one ounce of = NUM THE Ul
dilute spirits of wine, in which is dissolved half a drachm —*X9 *ORWARP-
of iodine. Immediately afterward place the animal in slings, and apply
cold water to the hock by means of the India-rubber bandage described
312 RHEUMATISM.

in the preceding article. Keep the horse liberally so soon as the pulse
becomes quiet, and do not allow it to leave bondage till the tread is
firm; as exercise is endured, work may be very gradually resumed.
Remember, the above is proposed only as a last experiment; the
design is to change the ulcerative action to one of a secretive character,
and thereby promote union of the diseased bones. A trial of this kind
has never been instituted ; but, certainly, judging from the result of a
similar operation upon the human subject, there are the best grounds for
anticipating good effects. That it may be known where to make the
puncture, a drawing made from the bones of a diseased hock is inserted
on page 311; the darker line marks the place where the ulcerated sur-
faces existed, and into which the fluid should be injected. This, how-
ever, is so nice an operation that, although unattended with any imme-
diate danger, none but a skilled anatomist should undertake it. In
proper and judicious hands it is perhaps as safe, and more likely to be
accompanied with benefit than the great majority of veterinary remedies.

RHEUMATISM.

This form of disease in the horse is commonly known as following
more serious affections. After influenza it is very frequent; it is not
rare as coming in the train of thoracic disorders; most important organs,
being acutely affected, will leave it behind them. On rare occasions it
may appear without any forerunner.

Its advent is announced by swelling about the joints, accompanied by
the most painful lameness; the animal may not dare to put its foot to
the ground. Often the disease flies about, now seizing upon one or two
joints, next attacking the hitherto free members, and generally clinging
to similar parts, as the hocks, knees, etc. Then it will return to its
former abode—thus shifting about, to the torture cf the animal and the
confusion of him who may undertake its relief.

One almost constant symptom is an increase of synovia. For synovial
membrane, whether in the sheaths of tendons or on the heads of bones,
rheumatism always displays a marked partiality. This structure is, as
has been already noticed, without sensation during health; in disease,
however, its involvement communicates extreme agony. The afflicted
horse stands with difficulty ; its pulse and its breathing declare its suf-
ferings—both are quick and jerking; the limbs may be greatly swollen;
and the parts secreting joint-oil bulged out, soft, and puffy, from the
increase of their contents.

No disease is accompanied with such long and extreme pain as rheu-
matism; the remedies, therefore, should be quick and effective. Procure
RHEUMATISM. 313

the steaming apparatus recommended for bronchitis ; fill the warm, loose
box, into which the horse should be brought, with vapor; while that is
being accomplished, get ready the slings;
put the belly-piece under the animal, and fix
them so as not to take the entire bearing
from the ground, but so as to relieve the dis-
eased joints of some portion of their burden,
and allow the horse to rest its body when it
is disposed to repose.

Keep up the steam for one hour; at the
end of that period, have several men ready
‘with dry cloths—wisps would be too excit-
ing; let the men wipe the horse quite dry, ,
with as little noise and as much speed as THE STEAMING APPARATUS USED IN

BRONCHITIS.
possible. This over, order some of the as-
sistants to put on the hood and clothing, also wrapping the sound limbs
in flannel; the disengaged helpers are to go upon their knees and rub
into and about the seat of disorder a liniment thus composed :—

 

 

Compound soap liniment . . . . . . . . Sixteen ounces.
Liquor ofammonia . . . . .. . . . . Two ounces.
Tincture of cantharides . . . . . . . . Two ounces.
Tincture of opium . . ... . . =. . . Two ounces.

When the liniment has been applied, incase the affected limbs in
warm flannel.

Many persons are at a loss to comprehend this last direction; it is
easily accomplished. Have ready some rings of elastic webbing to fasten
over the members; also procure four pieces of flannel, each rather more
than the length of a limb, To the small ends of two pieces of flannel,
one yard and a half long, attach a band of broad, elastic webbing, and
fix a buckle and strap at the other terminations; at similar points of the
other two pieces of flannel, only these last are to be two yards long, like-
wise fix broad elastic bands, and also append a buckle and strap. Place
the long pieces of flannel by the hind limbs; put the shorter flannels by
the fore legs; buckle the straps, the fore ones over the withers, and the
hind straps over the loins. This will keep the flannel up to its proper
height; fasten it with the rings of elastic webbing to the hoofs, while
the assistants are wrapping it loosely round the limbs.

The horse being in the slings, no surcingle can be put on, nor is any
needed. The animal with acute rheumatism is certain to stand quiet
enough. So much being accomplished, give the horse a bolus formed
of powdered colchicum, two drachms; iodide of potassium, one drachm;
simple mass, a sufficiency.
314 RHEUMATISM.

These measures are to be taken regardless of the condition of the
body ; if the attack, however, follow another disease, the bodily support
must not be too low. It should be all prepared or softened by the
action of heat and water; the oats should be of the best description ;

 

A HORSE DRESSED FOR RHEUMATISM.

they should be crushed and boiled; a few old beans, also boiled, may be
added, and a malt mash occasionally will do no harm. To open the
bowels, and likewise to allay excitement, give green-meat when required;
but do not make a practice of allowing this sort of food in quantity, as
it blows the animal out, weakens the digestion, and soon loses all laxa-
tive effect.

Next morning repeat the steaming, etc., and give a ball composed of
a scruple of calomel and two drachms of opium; allow only five pounds
of hay during the day. At night, again steam, etc., and give the ball
which was recommended on the first occasion.

When the horse begins to bear upon its legs, should the liniment not
have blistered the joints, the following may be applied with a soft brush,
but without friction :—

Tincture of cantharides . . . . . . . . . One ounce.
Camphorated oil . . . . . . . . . . . Halfan ounce.
Tincture of opium . . . . eo. . . . « Halfan ounce.

The horse may be of a full habit when affected; in that case, pursue
the measures already recommended, but do not give the food before
advised; instead, allow bran mashes twice a week, and a bundle of green-
meat once a day, and sweet hay must make up the sustenance for twenty-
WIND-GALLS. 315

four hours. Should the horse, however, appear to lose flesh and spirit,
boiled corn must form a portion of the diet, and the quantity can be
regulated only by him who has charge of the case.

One caution must be given before concluding this article. A sick
animal is very sensitive as to noises; a door banged to will excite the
terror of the poor creature, which, probably, was half asleep, with the
head hanging down. <A loud word or an energetic action will not unsel-
dom call forth symptoms of such alarm as may threaten, through their
utter recklessness, to demolish the structure in which the horse is con-
fined. For these, if from no purer motives, respect the sufferings and
wisely try to soothe the animal. As the creature is devoid of reason to
shape its fears, approach it noiselessly; speak softly at first; ascertain—
although the eye be closed—by the motion of the ears, whether your
voice is heard. Then lay the hand upon the neck and gently caress the
sick body; after that you may do what you please, so nothing be very
sudden or very loud.

Such slight considerations will not be thrown away, even in a medical
point of view. A moment of excitement may do the injury which no
physic will remove; nay, in critical stages, many a life has been lost
from want of thought in the attendants about a diseased horse.

DISTENTION OF SYNOVIAL MEMBRANE—WIND-GALLS.

Man treats the horse after a strange fashion. He buys the animal for
a large sum, because it possesses some particular quality; but, hardly
has he obtained it, before he behaves as though he desired only to
destroy the property he has so dearly purchased. A horse, for private
use, is generally bought for its beauty; in a short time afterward it is
sold as having become too deformed for its master’s service. A year or
two commonly suffices to spoil the most perfect animal. Many are
ruined in their colthood ; many more are made worthless by the trainer.
Of all creation, the horse is most abused. So universal is this custom
that the marks of ill usage are in the market even regarded as if they
were natural consequences. Those affections designated wind-galls are
generally lightly esteemed by most horsemen when the animal is required
for actual service—as hunting, racing, coaching, etc.

Such marks, however, are evidences of hard work having been per-
formed. They are not natural formations; but are blemishes, which
man, in his consideration for a dumb servant, is pleased to make light
of. They do not generally impede the action—and lameness is the only
fact a true horseman cares to notice. He will not stay to inquire what
must have been the kind of work which could occasion the synovial
316 WIND-GALLS.

membrane to bulge out upon a living body. He does not care to ask
whether Nature, when deformity first appeared, instituted the fact with-
out intention. He will not condescend to question whether every un-
natural appearance is not designed to be a warning. But he views wind-
galls rather as a proof that the poor animal exhibiting them is a seasoned
horse, and, therefore, is bettered by the distortion of a sensitive structure.
Wind-galls are the result of severe work. The back sinews are incased
in a fine sheath which contains synovia, or, as it is commonly termed,
‘joint oil.” The use of the synovia is to facilitate the motions of the
two great flexor tendons one upon the other; so, when the pace is too
fast or the labor too energetic, the delicate membrane which secretes the
synovia becomes irritated. The consequence of irritation is increased
secretion. More joint oil is poured forth than the natural sac can con-
tain. The membrane, therefore, bags out at those parts which are
weakest. Two such places are situated above the fetlock and one below
it. The localities, with the size of the tumors, as they generally are
exhibited, the reader will find delineated in the following engravings.

  

THE SITUATIONS AND SHAPES OF WIND-GALLS. WIND-GALLS, AS THEY APPEARED TO THE
AUTHOR, UPON DISSECTION.

Wind-galls generally appear on the hind leg. They used to be re-
garded as swollen burse; but Mr. Varnell, Assistant Professor at the
Royal Veterinary College, by careful dissection, first pointed out their
real character. He proved them to be synovial enlargements; and the
writer, benefiting by Mr. Varnell’s instruction, has verified the fact.

Very slight physiological knowledge was required to detect they were
not burse. Burs are little round sacs, secreting a fluid like synovia,
but always placed so as to facilitate motion. Now, wind-galls appear
close to a synovial sheath ordained to serve the same purpose. They,
moreover, start up in the hollow between the flexor tendons and the
suspensory ligament, in which arteries, veins, nerves, and absorbents
reside. The merit in discovering they had been misnamed was, per-
WIND-GALLS. 317

haps, small; but the credit of demonstrating what they actually were—
which demanded a more elevated talent—remains with Mr. Varnell.
Wind-galls are fond of the hind leg; or rather, the hinder limbs do
the heaviest portion of the horse’s work; there-
fore these deformities are commonly found on
those members. There may be one or three
on both sides of each leg: they generally are
quiescent; but occasionally they prove wind-
galls to be something more than the simple
blemishes which man is pleased to esteem them.
After a hard run it is not unusual to hear a
huntsman complain that the wind-galls have
disappeared and the back sinews of his hunter
have become puffy. When that occurs, the
entire sheath suffers excessive irritation, and
has enlarged, The horse is then very lame,
but a day or two of rest reduces the sudden

 

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WIND-GALLS

enlargement, and the animal recovers its sound- AND ™E purriNess oF THE SYNO-
VIAL MEMBRANE, PROPER TO THE
ness. FLEXOR TENDONS, WHICH ENSUES

. . . . UPON EXCESSIVE LABOR.
Sometimes, however, repeated irritation starts

up a new action; the secretion becomes turbid, displays enormous float-
ing threads of cartilage and occasional sanguineous infiltration; the sac
enlarges; the walls begin to thicken; the tumor feels less pulpy and more
firm; it grows harder. First becomes cartilage, and ultimately may be
converted into bone. Mr. Gowing, of Camden Town, has a fine spe-
cimen of this species of disease.

During these changes the animal is very lame; yet wind-galls are so
lightly esteemed by horsemen as scarcely to lessen the price of a steed;
they are, in general, accounted hardly worth mentioning, although men
have been known to be strangely anxious to have them removed. This,
however, is not easy to bring about; all the common methods are worse
than useless; the only treatment which promises any benefit is the appli-
cation of pressure. Fold a piece of soft rag several times; saturate the
rag with water; lay upon the wetted rag one drachm each of opium
and of camphor; put these upon the enlargement. Upon the moistened
rag place a piece of cork big enough to cover the wind-gall, and of such
a thickness as may be necessary; above the cork lace on a vulcanized
India-rubber bandage. Constant and equal pressure will by these
means be kept up; however, mind the groom be strictly ordered to
take the bandage off the leg the last thing when the horse leaves
the stable, and to put it on again immediately on the animal’s return;
otherwise, the proprietor may chance to enter the building and find his
318 BOG SPAVIN.

steed without an application, which, to be beneficial, should be per-
petually worn.

Such is the history and the occasional termination of wind-galls. What
kind of man is he who, when purchasing a horse, can confidently assert
the animal will not exhibit the worst stage of the affection? A horse
displaying wind-galls is prepared for the advent of the more serious form
of disease; still, horsemen will persist in deeming synovial enlargements
a trivial affair, when seen in the body of a creature whose utility resides
in its power to move the limbs with agility.

BOG SPAVIN.

Bog spavin is a mark which man makes to signalize his authority over
breathing flesh ; man, in his stupidity, will form notions of what animals
should be; he will not learn from nature. Thus the horse, which is
made up of timidity and affection, he loves to chronicle as fierce, fiery,
noble, and courageous; he talks largely of having mastered such or such
a creature; he boasts highly of having laid whip and spur to a “brute”
which, had he courted with gentleness, and wooed with sympathy,
might not have been subdued so quickly, but assuredly would have been
attached to him for life.

The hocks suffer severely through such erroneous opinions. These
convictions are widely spread and influence every horseman; they con-
trol the breaker, who acts as though he had a wild beast to conquer into
a show of submission, not to train a living animal which is naturally
willing, only afraid to submit. Instead of courting such a being, the
bit, the lash, and the cold steel are brought to bear upon a frame every
fiber of which already quivers with alarm; many a colt, consequently,
is ruined by the breaker. The creature is pulled up with a tug at the
reins; and pain never yet enlightened an understanding; the horse is
forced to do what he would cheerfully perform, if man
would only take necessary trouble to communicate his
wishes to a creature which, not comprehending words,
is naturally somewhat slow to interpret heavy chas-
tisement.

The breaker, however, is considered equal to his

office, if he be a light weight and a very resolute man.

Sap ementy, Lhe young colt is sprained and jarred in every possible
SYNOVIAL | MeMPRANE manner; it is at last returned to its master more than
half broken—in the literal sense—for the seeds have been

sown which, in time, will assuredly crop into a host of virulent diseases.

This affection is an increase of synovia in the upper or chief joint of

 

  
THOROUGH-PIN. 319

the hock; it lies upon the most inward and forward portion of that part.
The increase of the contents causes the membrane to bulge out after the
manner represented in the wood-cut on page 318.

It is produced by repeated shocks to the limb, and in this respect
resembles wind-galls; though situated in a different locality, it is also
liable to the same changes. In short, the affections are the same, and
are dissimilar only with regard to their relative situation.

Bog spavin is thought slightly of by professed horsemen; however,
the reader must ask himself, if it be viewed as no deterioration, can it
be also regarded as a recommendation? Is a blemished leg, or a limb
with disease, which is liable to assume an aggravated type, properly
considered a sound member? The writer thinks not. Bog spavin does
not, in its ordinary stage, lame the horse; but can such an unnatural
enlargement add to the pleasure of the animal’s existence? Were pain
in man judged of entirely as it affected the walk of the human being, the
disorders of how many people would the doctor esteem of little conse-
quence! Such a@ standard of agony is ridiculous. It is most difficult
to say when no anguish is felt by the life which is denied the faculty of
announcing its sensations through the medium of speech.

THOROUGH-PIN.

This disease is so called, because in some cases it pierces right through
the thinnest part of the hind leg, or appears on either side immediately
before the point of the hock. It, however, is often
single. It is rarely present without bog spavin; and
in every instance which the author has examined, it
communicated with the large synovial articulation of
the joint.

It is provoked by the same causes as generate bog
spavin; it is similar to that disorder in not being
generally accompanied by lameness, and in being liable
to the same fearful changes. Pressure and rest are the
best remedies; pressure, applied after the manner recommended for
wind-galls, may in some cases answer. The bog spavin and the
thorough-pin, however, should not in every case be treated at the same
time; as a general rule, it is prudent only to attack one affection by
means of an India-rubber bandage. This should be so cut as to release
the bog spavin from all pressure; and where the slightest uneasiness is
evinced, all bandages should be instantly removed, while the corks and
cloths—employed as for wind-galls—are taken off the thorough-pin.

It is never well to attempt to cure the bog spavin first; the treatment

 
320 THOROUGH-PIN.

ought always to commence with the thorough-pin; therefore, for a horse
which will not endure the bandage, a truss must be procured from the
instrument-maker. The truss is of the ordinary description, only adapted
to bear upon the parts. This will probably act with efficacy equal to
the bandage. When the truss has performed its office, then a perfect
India-rubber bandage may be safely applied. Only, mind and also
employ with the last the corks and cloths; else, when endeavoring to
remove one disorder, you may reproduce another. Watch the animal
while wearing the bandage; on the slightest change, either in habit or
appearance, remove the India-rubber. Should the pressure affect the
skin, (as it will in certain cases,) rags, thoroughly wetted, should be
wrapped round the hock before lacing the bandage up. If the rags
appear to be of no avail, it is better to forbear for a time, and to renew
the attempt hereafter.

The horse which exhibits bog spavin and thorough-pin also gener-
ally shows wind-galls on the hind legs. Let the reader consider the
hard usage the limb must have undergone before
it could have become thus deranged. Here is a
specimen, demonstrating the connection which ex-
ists between thorough-pin and bog spavin. It was
made in consequence of Mr. Varnell having in-
formed the author that thorough-pin was a bulging
out of the synovial sheath, proper to the flexor
i tendon; and was not, as is generally taught and
PESOS EEN credited, an enlarged bursa. The author found

STRATING THE JuNoTIONOF them to be in accordance with the description he
un nee had received: the enlargement called thorough-
pin, and the synovial membrane of the hock, had united, and free com-
munication existed between them, in the joint which the writer examined.

Nature formed the synovial cavity of the joint as a distinct and
separate part. It is usual for teachers to promulgate a maxim that
Nature is all-wise. Man, however, it appears, can violently disarrange
her provisions; yet, by his fellow-men, he is accounted to have done no
wrong who destroys the harmony of Nature. Thorough-pin is not, in
popular estimation, essentially unsoundness. A horse thus disfigured is
believed, nay, professionally pronounced to be, perfect, although two dis-
tinct parts are battered into one. If two are beneficial, why was one
only created? The horse may not be lame; but, granting Nature to be
all-wise, must not the uses for which the limb was designed be injured ?
The question is not, whether an animal trots sound; but it is, whether
it really is sound. What sane man would assert such to be the case,
where the anatomical structures have been disorganized ?

 
CAPPED KNEE—CAPPED HOOK. 391

CAPPED KNEE,

Capped knee, in the fore limb, answers to bog spavin in the hind leg;
the diseases are alike in most respects. Both affect the principal ar-
ticulation of a complicated joint; both may be provoked by the like
causes; but the fore leg, being less exposed to shocks than the hinder
member, must have been much abused before it could become thus
deformed.

Blows, also, are common originators of capped knee. This disorder
is likewise peculiar for a course it takes. The fluid within
the swollen joint is, upon excitement, secreted in such
quantity as to tighten the enlargement. Ultimately it
lames the horse, and at length bulges ont, or points, after
the manner of an abscess. If let alone, it would burst.
Much of the surrounding parts would have to be absorbed
or would be effectually destroyed before such a termina-
tion could ensue. The life would be endangered, or a mae et Ne
lasting blemish would be left behind. To prevent this, ee ae
the surgeon draws the skin to one side, and, holding the
point of his lancet upward, opens the capped knee upon its lower sur-
face. A quantity of synovia, more or less in a turbid state, escapes,
and an open joint remains. For the treatment of this contingency, the
reader must turn to “ Open Joint.” (Injurtes.)

Capped knee is, by certain persons, viewed as a trivial accident. Gen-
erally, however, it is regarded in a more serious light, because it is more
conspicuous than bog spavin. We also should object to it, because,
while liable to the same changes as wind-galls, etc., it is also likely to
expose the horse to an open joint. It is, like wind-galls and bog spavin,
to be reduced by pressure, though sometimes pressure will call up aggra-
vated symptoms. Rest is the best treatment; during the rest pressure
may be safely applied. Pressure does not answer, however, while the
limb is exposed to the irritation of work. The horse must be thrown
up during treatment, and gently used after the animal has been patched

up or “cured.”

 

CAPPED HOCK.

When an injury is formed near an important part, Nature is so
conservative of her creature’s welfare that she always has some means
ready to preserve the utility of the structure. Thus when, from exter-
nal violence, the hock becomes capped, or a swelling like to that rep-
resented in the following engraving ensues, to prevent the joint being

al
329 CAPPED HOCK.

thrown out of use Nature allows the skin to enlarge. The cap of a hock,
originally, was a bursa. A bursa is a little bladder or round sac, formed
of the finest possible membrane, and filled with a fluid similar to joint
oil: Its use is to facilitate motion; hence it eases the tightened skin
over the points of the bony hock. But when it becomes deranged and
swollen, the skin, which was dense, hard, and solid, stretches so as to
cover the increase of bulk.

The tumor, however, having been produced, may in time subside, should
the injury which provoked it not be repeated. Too often, however, the
cause springs from motives over which the animal has no control; and
the violence being renewed again and again, the swelling enlarges, and
that which was soft and pulpy at first becomes hard to the feel, while all

  

CAPPED HOCK. THE LARGEST SPECIMEN OF CAPPED HOCK WHICH
THE AUTHOR HAS MET WITH.

sensation of fluid disappears. The provocative being repeated, the part
first grows firm, then solid, while its bulk also enlarges to a fearful mag-
nitude. There appears to be no limit to the size; but the largest the
author has encountered was nineteen inches in its greatest circumference,
and seriously interfered with progression. Above, on the right hand, is
a portrait of the tumor.

These unsightly growths have two causes—the ignorance of the groom
and the timidity of the animal. To speak of the last first: Dogs will
dream; often, as they lie before the fire, théy work their legs and utter
suppressed noises, being at the time soundly asleep. Dogs also have
imagination. Almost everybody must have remarked the dog slink away
from some object which is to be indistinctly seen in the dusk of evening.
Nobody, however, seems to have credited the horse with either of these
faculties. Because it is of service to man, it is appropriated, and the
attributes belonging to the creature are overlooked; the groom locks
the stable door, and, having bedded the horses down, leaves them in the
dark, “comfortable” for the night. One dreams—awakens in terror,
similar to that which causes children to start out of their sleep with
terrible crying. The hind legs are the means of defense with the horse ;
it has no other, for it seldom, and not habitually, employs its teeth. The
animal, in alarm, begins kicking, for terror becomes powerful as the
CAPPED HOCK. 393

reason diminishes. Animals have passions; these man can, in himself,
subdue with reason; but the poor horse has no reason to restrain its
emotions. Fear, once awakened, unopposed, possesses it; it begins to
kick before it knows why. Bodies of men are exposed to panics. Can
we wonder, therefore, at a timid and unreasoning animal being subject
to the same influences? The kicking commenced, terror spreads; and a
whole stable full of horses, each chained to its stall, each alone, forbid-
den the consolation of society, and prevented from scampering from the
unknown horror, takes up the action; thus ‘thirty or forty horses may be
heard, in the depth and darkness of a night, kicking at the same time.
The hind legs, when forcibly projected, are apt to hit the point of the
hock ; the bursa there developed is injured by the blow, and a capped
limb is the consequence.

Another cause is kicking while in harness. This habit is always
attributed to vice: to speak of vice as associated with the ideas of a
simple animal is purely ridiculous. Fear is a much more probable cause,
if man would only expand his understanding to comprehend the motives
likely to actuate an unreasoning creature; vice is far too heroic an
impulse, far too human a failing, for the horse to embody. Fear is
essentially an animal passion; that some mighty influence agitates the
quadruped, when it begins to kick in harness, is proved by the serious
accidents the horse encounters through this habit. No life can be care-
less of its own existence; all creatures are conservatives where their
own being is concerned. Would mankind only admit this fact, and seek
to gain the confidence of, as they now labor to establish authority over,
the horse, gentle words, spoken when the impulse was awakened, might
reassure the animal, and would thus frequently save the owner from
impending danger.

A third cause is lazy drivers riding on cart-horses, when unhooked,
as leaders of the wagon; the poles, called spreaders, which keep the
chains asunder, frequently hang so low that, at every movement of the leg,
they strike the point of the hock. The uneven paving of some stables
is likewise said to produce the disease; in short, anything which may
cause the point of the calcis to suffer violence will produce a capped hock.

The cure for capped hock has been differently directed. Some hobble
the hind legs of the horse, to prevent its kicking in the night; some
fasten a chain and a log to one hind limb, for the same purpose; others
suspend a piece of loose cloth at the back of the horse; but the best
plan is always to leave a lantern lighted in the stable. The power to
see around reassures timidity, while darkness is an awful instigator of
terror; horses often fly back in their stalls, but never kick, during
daylight.
824 CAPPED ELBOW.

Then, as to the cure: Such a tumor, when recent, is hot and somewhat
painful; at this time, keep it wet with cold water or with a lotion formed
of spirits of wine and water in equal parts; when the tenderness has
subsided, procure some men who want employment and have strong
arms ; set these fellows to rub the cap of the hock constantly, and the
tumor, in three or four days, or in less time, will have disappeared.

Should the enlargement, however, have become hard, the knife then
must be employed; the horse must be cast, and the substance must be
carefully dissected out without opening the sac. This
being done, remove none of the skin; leave that bag-
ging about the hock; simply treat it with a lotion
composed of chloride of zinc one grain, to water one
ounce, and the integument will contract. Ultimately
there will remain no more than will be required to
cover the part, whereas, if any be taken away, the
et rrom enzarn Wound, which in these cases never heals quickly, will

cappnp Hock His neew pe very long before it closes, and, in proportion to
REM eee the skin which has been removed, there will remain a
lasting blemish.

There is another caution we have to give the reader before leaving
this subject ; let no advice persuade, no temptation induce him to punc-
ture, seton, or merely to open capped hock. The membrane lining the
swelling is, when diseased, so extremely sensitive that the writer has
known the lives of animals endangered by these so-called remedies. The
author, moreover, never knew the enlargement to be much reduced by
these means; neither has it been the author’s lot to witness much good
follow the application of blisters. No; extirpation is the only remedy,
and it should be accomplished without puncturing the sac; this is as
safe an operation as there is in the entire range of veterinary surgery.
There is neither nerve, muscle, membrane, vessel, nor any important
structure to avoid; with ordinary care, the removal is most easy. There
is but one thing annoying connected with the business, and that is, the
length of time which the healing of a necessary wound, made upon a
point of motion, almost invariably occupies.

 

CAPPED ELBOW.

This is very common, especially among cart-horses; it is attributed to
the calkin of the fore foot; to the point of the hind hoof; or to a
stable floor, thinly bedded, and composed of sharp stones. So, like-
wise, blows with the butt-end of the whip will induce it; but the harness
probably guards the elbow, which therefore can be struck only in excep-
tional cases.
LUXATION OF THE PATELLA. 325

It consists of a bursa, which, as in the former instance, has been
injured, and has consequently enlarged; in appearance and in its subse-
quent course it greatly resembles capped hock, from
which it differs only in a greater liability to ulcerate
and become sinuous when allowed to remain until it
is of extreme magnitude. It is said to derive that
unenviable peculiarity from being situated nearer to
the center of circulation. Capped hock is so little
disposed to take on such a form of disease that the
author cannot remember having seen a case of the
kind; with a tumor on the elbow, however, ulceration is unfortunately
too common. That probability should forbid the owner to allow the
tumor to attain any great size; when large, moreover, it is apt to encir-
cle the elbow-joint, and then its size seems to render the removal appar-
ently impossible. It, however, may be extirpated. All said of capped
hock applies to capped elbow. :

 

A CAPPED ELBOW.

LUXATION OF THE PATELLA.

That is displacement of the whirl-bone of the stifle, (which answers
to the knee-cap of the human being.) Such an accident, fortunately,
few horses incur; there are many veterinary surgeons who, during a
practice extending over many years, have not encountered a single case;
whereas other gentlemen will have hardly started in their profession
before luxation of the patella is submitted to their notice. It is not
peculiar to any district, it is not confined to any special breed; it may
affect all kinds of horses in all sorts of places; for it is produced more
by the parsimony or the uncharitableness of mankind than by any fault
in the structure of the animal.

In several localities throughout the country agriculturists, under the
notion of saving money, determine to rear horses on short grass. The
creatures are out in the fields during all kinds of weather; the body
becomes debilitated under such a starvation system; those parts which
are naturally weak become weaker, while those structures which were
originally endowed with strength grow comparatively stronger. The
beautiful balance of nature is overthrown, and each portion becomes at
discord with all the rest; any trivial disease may destroy the life thus at
war within its own dominion. Colts frequently exhibit luxation of the
patella before they are broken; but it is always provoked by weakness,
and commonly only seen where the management is faulty or the food is
stinted.

When the whirl-bone is displaced, it is always found as an unnatural
326 LUXATION OF THE PATELLA.

lump upon the outer side of the thigh; it cannot, for three sufficient
reasons, be drawn to the inner part of the leg. The inner condyle of
the humerus, over which the patella plays, is sufficiently large to oppose
any unnatural motion in that direction; the inner ligaments are the
weakest, and are, therefore, most readily stretched in the outward direc-
tion; the circumstances permit the bone to be displaced from the inside
of the leg. Then, moreover, the muscles are altogether more powerful
upon the outer side. Any force acts more energetically as debility
increases, and, to favor it, there is less resistance in the direction oppo-
site to which the force pulls; for these reasons the bone is invariably
luxated upon the outer side of the animal’s haunch.

The symptoms denoting luxation of the patella are: the leg thrust out
behind, and remaining fixed; the horse’s entire frame is affected; the
head is erect; the muscles quiver; the
pastern of the protruded leg is violently
flexed; there is an unnatural swelling
upon the outer and lower part of the
buttock. If the animal be forced to
move, it can only imperfectly hop upon
three legs; such an accident may occur
at any time, and never be repeated. It
may, however, become so common as to be
mistaken for a species of habit; for lux-
Oke ation of the patella, when by frequency
THE PATELLA, OR WHIRL-BONE DISPLACED. gnfirmed, will take place upon the

slightest possible cause.

In stinted colts the most trivial motion will often give rise to this
accident; the creature can hardly move without its leg being thrust out
behind it. The cure is, in these cases, anything which may flurry the
animal. A noise, made by moving the hand quickly and rather ener-
getically from side to side within a hat, the crack of a whip, or any
sudden and loud sound, will occasion the bone to return, with apparent
ease and the utmost rapidity, to its natural situation. The colt, however,
may the next moment exhibit the misfortune which, in young life, can
only be cured by kindly treatment and liberal sustenance.

Probably the author will best describe the nature of the affection in
old animals, by narrating a case which a few years ago happened to
himself.

At the request of a friend he visited one of those auction marts for
the sale of horses which in London are somewhat notorious. The object
of his visit being, if possible, to purchase, his attention was directed to
certain animals. As usual, a glance enabled him to pass by all the

     
LUXATION OF THE PATELLA. 827

marked “lots,” and he had reached the third stable, when his eye rested
on a horse which seemed wrongly placed among such companions. It
was lively, young, clean legged, short backed, well ribbed up—in fact,
one of those rare creatures every inch of which seems made for serv-
ice. The height was fifteen hands three inches; the color was a dark
brown. The author tried in vain to discover if it had any “vice.” It
appeared perfectly quiet. He examined the feet; he could detect no
unsoundness. He went to the office and ascertained the price—twenty-
four guineas! It was too cheap! Such an animal would be thrown
away if sold for fifty guineas. ‘Would they give a warranty?” “It
was not their custom to give any warranty.” ‘Had the horse megrims?”
“No.” “Would they grant a trial?” ‘It was contrary to their rules.”
Still the author wanted to buy; he would ‘deposit the cash, and if all
proved right take the horse.” ‘They never granted trials; but there
stood the owner—the writer could talk to him.”

The person alluded to was lounging close to the writer’s elbow, and
was habited in that half-blackleg, half-blackguard costume which charac-
terizes the low London dealer. The contemplation of this individual
did not improve any previous opinion of the matter. However, the
man’s eye was firmly fixed upon that of his would-be customer, and,
rather than encounter a disturbance, the author approached the fellow,
to whom he repeated his request. The answers given were too similar
to those received from the clerk for the likeness to be purely accidental.
The dealer nevertheless saw a trial was imperative to convert the inquirer
into a purchaser; and, rightly judging from appearance that there was
little of the jocky in the writer’s attainments, reluctantly consented to
afford the demanded test.

The horse was specdily between the shafts of a very light gig. The
man took the reins, placed the whip behind him, and we moved off at
the gentlest of possible trots. No objection was taken to the pace; it
gave the better opportunity of examining into the soundness. All was
right in that particular. The steps were loud and even. After some
time, during which the man frequently inquired if “I had had trial
enough now?” we left the paved streets, but no entreaty could cause the
pace to be improved. At length we came to a rise in the ground, and,
as it was approached, my companion turned sulky. Hardly had the
horse began to ascend the inequality, before it suddenly stood quite
still. The gig was brought to with a jerk, which almost threw both of
its occupants upon the footboard. The author was the first out of the
vehicle; there stood the horse—the leg out, the foot flexed, the head
erect—displaying the evident symptom of luxation of the patella.

An inn was fortunately near the spot. To the yard of the hostelry
328 BLOOD SPAVIN.

the animal was with difficulty led. Being sheltered in an unoccupied
building, a groom was placed at the horse’s head. A long rope, thrown
over a beam, was fastened to the fetlock of the protruded limb. By
this rope the owner stood; and while he pulled the leg upward and for-
ward, the writer was by the quarters, with both hands pushing the luxated
bone inward. The patella soon slipped into its situation; and the horse
was afterward sold by auction for four guineas more than the author had
refused to pay for it.

Mr. Spooner, in his lectures at the Royal Veterinary College, always

 

THE MANNER OF RETURNING THE PATELLA OF AN ADULT ANIMAL.

recommends his hearers, after this bone has been returned, to place an
assistant by the horse’s side, with strict orders to hold the patella in its
situation for some hours. Such advice is most excellent; to which we
can only add, perfect rest, and as much strengthening food as the animal
can consume. If such measures are pursued, and the horse be not used
for six weeks subsequent to the accident, there need be little fear enter-
tained of a second luxation of the patella.

BLOOD SPAVIN.

This disease is, happily, with the past: the writer has not seen an
instance. Neither had the late Mr. Percival—the highest veterinary
authority—after a life laboriously passed in scientific research. It is
described to have existed as varicosity of the vena saphena, where the
vessel crosses the hock. The cause is said to have been bog spavin
when of magnitude: this, it is asserted, opposed circulation within the
vessel; but the author conjectures the swelling must have assumed the
callous state, before it could have offered sufficient resistance to the
flow of blood to occasion the vessel to enlarge or to become varicose.
BLOOD SPAVIN. 329

There is no cure for such a disease. The knife may remove the
deformity; but a larger blemish was often left as the consequence of
the operation. Should such a case be known to any of the present
readers, the author would advise the enlargement should be left alone,
and trust placed in the absorbing powers of nature for its removal,

 

A BLOOD SPAVIN, AS IT IS REPORTED TO HAVE ONCE EXISTED.
CHAPTER XIII.

THE FEET—THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.

 

LAMENESS.

OF all inventions intended to mitigate the sufferings of the horse,
uone, perhaps, is so generally useful as the foot-bath; certainly, not
one is so decidedly beneficial in its operation. It consists merely of a
wooden or iron trough, one foot deep; the shoes of the animal should,
if possible, be taken off before the hoof is allowed to tread within the

 

EN EE PTE}
BE ele PPPS

A READY MEANS OF S80FTENING THE HORN, WHERE PRESSURE OF THE HOOF AGGRAVATES THE LAMENESS.

bath; or, if such a measure be not possible, then the burden of the
horse’s body should be counterpoised by means of weights. This pre-
caution is always prudent, for, should the shod horse occasion fracture
or breakage, an alarm might be excited which probably would ever after
prevent the employment of the foot-bath with the same quadruped.

The water should always be mixed without the building; it is never
well to excite an animal’s fears by allowing it to witness unnecessary
preparation. The author is fully aware that most people assert the
horse has a very limited comprehension: so it may have; but it has an
active terror, which is apt to misconstrue the simplest of motives. Who- .

ever has seen the busy eye of the quadruped watching all that takes
(330)
LAMENESS. 331

place around it, and noting every triviality whenever any unusual move-
ment gives intimation to the animal that something is about to be at-
tempted, will readily allow the need there is for excessive caution. The
horse may comprehend nothing, but it is not, therefore, the less to be
propitiated. Its terror has to be soothed and its confidence has to be
gained; the last is soonest won by avoiding anything which possibly
might excite the first.

Always have the heat of the water ascertained by a thermometer.
Sensation is only a relative test with regard to the presence or absence
of warmth; were it not so, the coarse hand of a groom, nevertheless,
might easily endure that degree of temperature which should pain the
foot and leg of a horse. Let the fluid in the first instance stand at 70°;
after the animal has entered the bath, gradually and without noise in-
crease the temperature up to 90°.

At that standard the water ought to be maintained; the hoof should
remain soaking from four to six hours at each operation; the groom,
doubtless, will complain of having frequently to fetch warm water, and
when not so employed, of being obliged to watch a thermometer; but
the present book is not written to please the likings of any individual.
To contribute to the welfare of the horse is the object of the writer;
that he has not unnecessarily imposed an irksome duty upon any human
being, the purpose for which the bath is introduced into the stable should
be sufficient evidence.

The horse’s hoof is of considerable thickness; it is far from unusual
with stablemen to saturate the healthy hoof with various greasy prep-
arations; therefore it will require some time before the heat and water
can soften that which is, as it were, prepared to resist their action. The
hoof should be rendered perceptibly soft when the object is to relieve a
painful lameness; the warmth and moisture should not only saturate
the covering to the foot, but should also soothe the internal structures.
The pressure of the horn may thus be mitigated, and the deep-seated
inflammation likewise be ameliorated.

When the bath is removed, the foot should not be left exposed to the
air, as the horn then quickly dries; it soon becomes harsh and brittle.
In this condition, it is likely to do more injury to the sensitive parts
than good was anticipated as the consequence of its immersion. The
hoof, when taken from the water, should be incased in warm and air-
proof bandages—the intention being to retain the heat, while evapora-
tion ig prevented. The bandages likewise answer another purpose;
they protect the foot, which, being without a shoe, and covered by horn
that has been deprived of its resistant property, is therefore much ex-
posed to accidents.
339 LAMENESS.

To obtain the full benefit of the bath, the foot should enter it night
and morning; the animal should be subjected to its operation for at least
four hours each time, and the ingenuity ought to be exerted to prevent
the hoof from becoming dry in the interim. Perhaps nothing is better
for this purpose than the leather case, which is lined with sponge, and
which can be procured of most tradesmen who deal in veterinary instru-
ments; it is made to fit the foot, also to envelop the pastern. The bot-
tom portion is formed of the stoutest leather, and will afford all desirable
protection; while the sponge will retain the moisture, which this material
permits to be renewed, should circumstances, such as the heat of the
hoof or the warmth of the weather, cause the fluid to evaporate. How-
ever, such additions must always be made with warm, cold water being
unsuited for the purpose.

These particulars have been thus fully detailed because lameness con-
stitutes no inconsiderable portion of equine misery, and because such
ailments are more frequently encountered than special forms of disease.
To judge quickly and surely of such affections proves in no small degree
veterinary proficiency; in every shade of lameness, the gentleman, unless
more than usually practiced in such ailments, had better be guided by an
educated opinion. Where it is possible to mistake another’s misery, it
displays no boldness to risk chances upon our own judgment.

Lameness is simply the difference of bearing cast, during progression,
upon the several legs. Pain in the joints, bones, or tendons is most
severe. It is even more terrible when inflammation of such structures
is confined within the horny hoof; of this torture man can know nothing
—he may rest the angry limb, may recline the body, or may seek conso-
lation in friendly converse and in mental diversion. From all the higher
pleasures the horse is excluded. It cannot rest the leg; and the instinc-
tive dread which the sick animal displays of being unable to rise again
prevents the quadruped seeking that relief a change of posture might
afford.

The horse always stands when seriously diseased; often the erect
position is continued to the last, for the sufferer ceases to maintain it
only with the relinquishment of life. During severe lameness in one
foot, the animal seldom lies down; it stands and stands, often for months.
How the limbs must ache! Yet the relief which the slightest motion
might induce is avoided with the tenacity which pain begets when oper-
ating upon excessive timidity. Often one spot is occupied for months!
During this tedious period one foot is held from the earth. The mind
shrinks from conjecturing the torture which could prompt such an act;
the reason retreats from contemplating the agony by which the deed can
alone be occasioned; we shudder as the imagination remotely pictures
LAMENESS. 333

the pains by which it must be accompanied! Yet who has been much
among stables, and has not witnessed many such sights ?

It requires small knowledge to recognize those lamenesses to which
the heavy breed of horses is particularly exposed. Agony, being ex-
cessive, always obliges this species of animal to indicate the limb, or
to attract the attention of the spectator toward it. These creatures,
when thus affected, if compelled to move, hop onward upon three legs ;
the weight is never thrown upon the foot which has been severely
injured.

Illustrating this subject is the annexed
figure of a horse which has been hurt
upon the off fore foot; the figure is sup-
posed to be desirous of progressing, or to
be in the act of bringing the hind limbs
forward. The entire weight having for
a certain space to rest upon a single sup-
port, some time is spent in accurately
balancing the body before this action is
hazarded. The slightest mistake would
necessitate a fall, of which it has been observed the sick horse is endued
with a particular dread. Therefore, after a certain time spent in prep-
aration, the legs are, with much muscular exertion, lifted from the ground,
and the sufferer hops onward.

The wretchedness of the quadruped, however, is not complete until
one or both hind legs are implicated. From some hidden cause, the
anguish of the animal, great as it may be, is not perfected while the
lameness resides in front. The horse, suffering in a fore limb, has even
laid on flesh during the period of enforced idleness. But when the pos-
terior extremities are injured, the constitution is involved. The body
wastes rapidly, and every fiber within the huge framework seems to quiver
with sensibility.

If the creature, thus disabled in one
leg, is obliged to advance, the chief
difficulty is to so place the sound limb
upon the earth that the balance shall
not be destroyed. There are the two
fore legs to rest upon, and the head to
act as a kind of counterpoise; there-
fore there is little impediment to rais-
ing of the trunk; but the obstacle con- — ""{pnswasy owe vostenion root 18 INJURED,
sists in the peril to be surmounted when
the sound member reaches the ground. A certain shock has then to be

 

THE MANNER IN WHICH THE HORSE PRO-
GRESSES WHEN ONE FORE LEG IS INCA-
PACITATED,

 
334 LAMENESS.

sustained, and the fear apparently is lest the slightest want of prepara-
tion should bring the body to the earth.

The next motion delineated necessitates the greatest care and the
mightiest exertion. There are several signs which declare such to be
the case. To advance the two sound
fore legs is an effort of despair always
preceded by a pause. During the time
the feet are from the earth, the entire
weight, unrelieved by the slightest coun-
terpoise, must be supported by one sound
limb. The muscles on that side have
to raise the trunk, or to perform double
} labor, for the step invariably is a species
‘Ai: of leap. The body has not only to be
yg LOO lifted, but the strain must be maintained
A HORSE, HAVING sea ae LEG RENDERED to continue or rectify the balance. A

THE FORE UMS pause of more than ordinary length de-

clares the magnitude of the approaching

struggle. The teeth are clinched; the head is thrown backward; a deep

inspiration is inhaled; the muscles are powerfully excited; and, with a
spasmodic suddenness, the feet are projected onward.

The step accomplished, the breath is released in a kind of heavy sigh;
the animal remains quiescent for a brief space, as though the greatness of
the late effort had partially deprived it of consciousness. It is, however,
an exceptional case for a horse of the lighter breed to be thus “hopping
lame.” In all animals, nevertheless, lameness is a heavy affliction; in
all, the manner of progressing is characteristic of pain. Suffering, more
or less intense, is declared every time the injured foot touches the
ground.

One fore foot being affected, the head and body drop, or slightly sink,
whenever the sound member rests upon
the earth. This peculiarity a little re-
flection will readily account for. Of
course tke desire of a lame animal is to
spare the disabled foot as much. as pos-
sible. The injured part scarcely touches
the earth, before, with an effort which
raises the head and body, it is lifted
Me GH? UPON THE S30xb Dour coe = «again into the air. The least possible

burden is thrown upon the disabled foot.
However, the weight must be cast somewhere; and by how much less
one leg has to carry, so much more must the other support. Conse-

  

 

 
LAMENESS. 8335

quently, when the sound hoof comes to the ground, the extra burden
rests upon it; the head and body perceptibly drop, and the footfall emits
an emphatic sound, the accent of which is increased by the all but in-
audible tread of the opposite member.

The indication, however, is in some measure reversed when the lame-
ness is situated behind. The movements of the head no longer accom-
pany those of the fore legs; for, al-
though the head be not steady, it
evidently is not influenced by the for-
ward members. If, however, the mo-
tion be closely observed, it will be
found to be regulated by the move-
ments of the posterior extremities,
only with adifference. When the sound
hind limb rests upon the earth, the
head is raised ) but the sinking or ele- A HORSE, BEING LAME IN ONE HIND FOOT, RESTS
vation of the whole body is never so iat ake ek acc ie eae a
marked as it is in the previous case
of anterior injury. The movements characteristic of posterior lameness
are, however, well shown in the haunches. When the sound limb reaches
the ground, the hind portion of the body obviously drops upon that side;
when the painful member is caught up, that side of the haunch on which
resides the disabled foot is also jerked upward.

There are other sorts of lameness to be described. A horse is some-
times returned by the smith lame allround. The gait is peculiar, because
it is caused by the shoes being too small or tight. It has been likened
to skating ; and the author thinks the term so applicable that he has no
desire to change it. There can, however, be then no difficulty in detect-
ing the cause of the affliction. The horse was, a short time before, sent
to the forge a sound animal, and it has been returned a positive cripple.

It is lamentable to remark the number of horses which are driven
through the streets of London in a disabled condition. People appear
to be without feelings or recognitions when the sufferings of horse-flesh
are before them. An animal with scarcely a sound limb, or else “ hop-
ping lame,” may frequently be seen, in broad daylight, attached to some
gentleman’s carriage or tradesman’s cart, to a hired vehicle or a coster-
monger’s “all sorts.” From the highest to the lowest, all are equally
disgraced ; the toil of a life seems incapable of purchasing a day’s com-
miseration. A little forbearance might be a profitable investment in
these cases; but no person seems able to keep a horse and to allow the
animal a day of rest. So long as it can crawl, so long must patience
work |!

 
336 LAMENESS.

Other forms of suffering than those confined to the feet affect the pro-
gression of the horse; the “whirl-bone” or hip-joint is sometimes visited
by ulceration. The symptoms then in a degree resemble those exhibited
when occult spavin is present; the affected limb is, however, after touch-
ing the earth, caught up more sharply when the hip is diseased. The
hoof, moreover, is presented more fully during motion in the last-men-
tioned affection. The best method, however, to ascertain the existence
of the ulceration, is to hold some soft
substance over the joint, then to strike
it with a mallet; the shock will be
communicated to the seat of lameness,
and elicit an energetic response.

Nothing can be done for such a con-
dition; certain barbarities are pro-
posed as experiments by continental

eee ao ice ee nee ae veterinarians ; but man obviously has

WITHIN THE HIP-JOINT. no right to run chances with cruelty
practiced upon breathing life. Hip-
joint disease is decidedly incurable, and renders every step a separate

 

agony.

The shoulder is a very favorite seat of injury with those who pretend
to a knowledge of equine ailments; with such simple folk, if a horse be
lame behind, the cause is always traced
to the whirl-bone; should an animal
have partially lost the use of an ante-
rior limb, the injury is invariably found
in the shoulder. The proof of their
correctness is always exhibited in the
lessened bulk of the parts referred to;

a : E but throw a limb out of use, as lame-

DN ae center ann OO ness in the horse always does, and the

absorption of the whole extremity,
from want of exercise, naturally ensues.

The shoulder-joint is occasionally ulcerated; but more often disease
is found upon the tendon of the flexor brachii, a muscle which, arising
from the shoulder-joint, is of service in flexing the radius. In both cases
the seeming length of the arm is remarkable; so also is the fixedness of
the shoulder, and the obstinate refusal to advance or to flex the arm.
The consequence is, that a horse with disease of the shoulder drags the
limb, and never lifts the toe from the ground.

Ulceration is sometimes, though rarely, witnessed within the elbow-
joint ; a case of this description is recorded by the late W. Percival.

 
LAMENESS. 337

The chief symptom indicated subacute laminitis; the affection appeared
gradually, and, without intermission, proceeded from simple bad to the
very worst. The foot was, however,
neither hot nor tender; by this sign
the affection was distinguished from
every form of fever in the feet, al-
though the animal endeavored to bear
only upon the heels of the fore ex-
tremities, and brought the hind legs
as far under the body as was possible.

Disease of the knee-joint is far from THE MANNER IN WITCH A HORSE HAVING ULCER-

ATION OF THE ELBOW-JOINT ENDEAVORS TO PRO-
unusual. Mr. Cherry first directed GRESS.
attention to this fact; for, although
dissection had frequently exhibited the carpal bones united, no one prior
to Mr. Cherry drew any inference from the obvious indication.

Mr. Cherry describes the symptoms of the affection to be a stiffened
protrusion of the fore leg, a long step, and an entire want of flexion in
the diseased limb.

The author is unable to corroborate the above observations, possibly
from his attention only having been directed to a few cases, and those
not of a very acute character. The writer has, however, remarked, in
certain instances, a perpetual knuckling over, without deposit in the knee
or contraction in the tendons being present to account for the assump-
tion of so uncomfortable an attitude. A want of power to bend the
leg was noted in a few animals. Such horses either placed the limb
outside the body when they lay down, or rested upon their sides; and
lameness, though always present, was never witnessed in an aggravated
shape.

No human lamentation could embody the deep sorrow which the crip-

 

  

THE HEALTHY LEG WHEN THE HORSE IS THE NEAREST APPROACH MADE BY THE
LYING DOWN. HEEL TO THE ELBOW IN CERTAIN CON-
DITIONS OF THE KNEE-JOINT.
pled condition of one leg occasions to the horse. The creature thereby
is left a clog upon the earth. Its existence is deprived of the power
which alone made it pleasant. Progression is laborious, and even rest
is painful. The quadruped, thus disabled, stands motionless on one
22
338 LAMENESS.

spot; the head is lowered; the eyes are dejected; the breathing is fit-
ful; and the entire frame is apparently resigned to a huge sense of
degradation. All the pride of life is lost. Every trace of animation
has fled. The animal evidently is, in its own conviction, useless and
disgraced. A horse in such a state is, indeed, a melancholy spectacle;
and the feelings of that man who, understanding the image, can con-
template it unmoved are not to be envied. Still, for how many years
has such a sight been before the eyes of mankind, without any individual
possessing the heart to interpret it!

Surely in all life there exists no other creature so willing to obey—
so happy in its labor, and so entirely obedient under command—which
is equally subjected to abuse! All the horse demands, in requital for its
manifold services, is food and shelter: kindness it does not insist upon,
and even bad usage it submits to. For permission to live, it mildly
pleads; and in return for the liberality which merely supports the
strength, it contentedly resigns its body and relinquishes its intelligence.
Yet the natural wants are often stinted, although the toil is always bit-
terly exacted. Surely in all life there exists no other creature equally
subjected to abuse!

The patience of the reader is solicited, while the author notices a
circumstance connected with the present subject, which has repeatedly
come under his observation. Nothing can so entirely subdue the spirit
of a horse as an acute lameness: the suffering must be intense. Toa
distant conception of the agony endured man cannot excite his imagina-
tion. Still, all of the effect upon the quadruped is not to be attributed
to that cause. Other diseases are painful, but by them the constitution
is affected. Lameness, generally, is a local affliction—it is not a general
involvement; it leaves the constitution healthy. Yet a high-mettled, or
even a savage animal, is often quieted as by a charm when the foot is
disabled. The intractable of the species has, by a sudden visitation of
this nature, been rendered passive. The existence seems then to be
given up to misery, and the horse becomes disregardful of whoever
approaches it. On such a sufferer expend but a little time striving to
convince it of your intent. It is astonishing how quick affliction is to
comprehend humanity; and the painful foot is given up to man’s desires
—nay, sometimes it is even advanced for his inspection.

The writer has applied to the crippled feet of horses certain remedies
which must have augmented what previously appeared to be the extreme
of anguish. The author has been painfully conscious of the agony
attendant on the operation; but to his surprise the animals have not
flinched, neither have the feet been withdrawn. The quadruped appeared
to suffer torture with the patience of stoicism, influenced by the aban-
PUMICE FOOT. 839

donment of utter confidence. The most caustic dressings have been
freely employed upon the most sensitive part; yet the creature which,
when in health, seemed made up of the acutest sensibilities, has sub-
mitted to the torture with more than mortal fortitude. Once win the
reliance of timidity, and so beautiful, so entire, so self-nugatory is its
confidence.

Little can be said concerning the cure of lameness. The causes are
various, and, of course, the remedies are as numerous as the provo-
catives. One thing may, however, be advised: have the shoe taken off
and the foot searched. Never mind the horn being pared away—many
a horse limps upon a whole hoof; and it is astonishing upon how small
a portion of horn an animal may go sound. The seat of the injury
being ascertained, and so much of the inorganic covering removed as
may be necessary to afford some relief, always soak the foot in the bath
before permitting the final use of the knife. The water cleanses the
part, favors the discharge of pus, lowers the inflammatory action, soft-
ens the anguish, and destroys the harsh character of the dry horn. This
last substance, as was observed, by the united action of warmth and
moisture loses its resistant property. It cuts easily when newly re-
leased from the bath; and if the knife be sharp, it may be excised with-
out any of that dragging sensation which frequently provokes the animal
to snatch away the member while it is being operated upon.

PUMICE FOOT.

Pumice foot is a deformity produced by hard work; it does certainly
appear strange, when we regard the beauty and strength united in the
frame of the horse, that man’s barbarity should exceed Nature’s inge-
nuity. A more captivating present—heightening human pleasures,
lessening human toil—than the horse, it is impossible to imagine; but
its beauty seems only given for man to deface. A stronger helpmate,
when speed is considered, it appeared beyond the most excited imagin-
ation to fancy. But the cruelty of the master found it easy to incapa-
citate the power so exquisitely endowed. The speed was too slow for
the eagerness of the rider; the docility was not apt enough for the im-
patience of the possessor; in every particular the servant seems to have
been at fault; and now we hear men gravely lamenting the invention of
railroads, because these will interfere with the breeding of horses. Let
us hope the establishment of railroads may supply a deficiency which the
willingness of flesh and blood was unable to gratify.

Animals bred on a marshy land, and of a loose habit of body, are
apt to have weak feet, a specimen of which is given on next page, though
340 PUMICE FOOT.

not of one belonging to the heavy cart-horse. All the delineations in-
serted in this book are necessarily extreme cases; it is easy for the
imagination to soften the evil when the mind is impressed with charac-
teristics of the thing which is depicted; but not always so free from
difficulty for an untutored imagination to magnify a reduced portrait.

A weak foot has a long, slanting pastern; the hoof is marked by
tings, showing the irregularity of the horny secretion, and the crust is
broken in those places where nails have been driven to fasten on the
shoe, proving the brittle nature of the hoof.

Such are the outward signs of a weak hoof; but if the person behold-

  

A WEAK FOOT. THE SOLE OF A WEAK FOOT.

ing that sort of foot be in any doubt, let him lift it from the ground and
inspect the sole. That part will also present peculiarities which can
hardly fail to attract attention.

The sole of a weak foot has a thin and irregular margin of crust; a
flat surface; well-developed bars, and a healthy frog. Creatures with
this kind of hoof, when brought to work upon hard roads or London
stones, are apt to throw the foot down with heedless force at every step,
and thereby soon to bruise the sole. These horses generally have high
action, and this circumstance lends additional force to the blow; the
injury reaches the coffin-bone, which begins to enlarge, and ultimately
forces the horny sole outward. A pumice foot has the appearance of
the member represented on the next page, though the reader must not
anticipate the illustration will accurately indicate every stage of the
disorder.

Feet of the above description generally have very weak and brittle
crusts; but the frog almost invariably is large and prominent; there is
no kind of foot which so generally exhibits a healthy frog, and the next
page shows an engraving of the ground surface of a pumice foot, in
illustration of the fact.

There are many methods proposed for amending a pumiced foot.
One is the removal of the shoe; then allowing the deformed foot to
stand a certain portion of time upon flat flag-stones. But as stamping
the foot upon stones produced pumice foot, prolonged stress thereon
PUMICE FOOT. 341

does not seem calculated to remove the deformity. A pumice foot is
not a lump of pudding, to be flattened by simple pressure. In the
horse’s hoof there is bone and flesh to operate upon. Even supposing
the standing upon flag-stones was beneficial, what immediate result
could be anticipated from a medicine which was to be administered
once in three weeks, and for half an hour only at each application ?

  

THE SIDE VIEW OF A PUMICED FOOT. THE SOLE OF A PUMICED FOOT.

Showing the swollen or rounded state of the aole, Displaying a ragged wall, and exhibit-
with the brittle and uneven condition of the ing avery healthy frog and a bulging
crust. sole.

Another artifice is to draw a hot iron over the sole at every shoeing.
The intention is to stimulate the horn and thus render the sole of greater
thickness. But that which may affect the secreting membrane of the
foot may also stimulate the bone to which that membrane is attached.
Thus the intended remedy may turn out to be a positive aggravation.

  

A PUMICED FOOT DIVIDED. A DISH SHOE.
Showing the altered state of the internal structures. Employed in cases of severe pumice foot.

There are also other methods of intended relief, but all are equally
useless.

The only means of real benefit lies in the treatment of the hoof and
in the mode of shoeing. For the last, select what is denominated a
“dish” shoe; that is, a bar shoe, having the web hollowed out like to
the sides of a pie-dish. The only part of this shoe which touches the
ground is the rim of the inner circle.

This kind of shoe will protect the bulging sole, and if shod with
leather, the protection will be greater, though the shoe will, in that
case, be more difficult to retain. The flat surface at the posterior part
of the shoe presents a point for the bearing of the frog, which can
342 SANDCRACK

afford almost any amount of pressure. The many nail holes made
around the shoe denote the difficulty the smith encounters when fixing
a protection of this sort upon the pumiced hoof. The crust of the foot
is always brittle, and the weight of iron employed being greater than
usual requires an extra number of nails to fasten it securely. The
smith consequently, in such cases, has no choice. He must drive a nail
wherever he can find the horn which will sustain one.

With regard to the horn, keep that continually dressed with equal
parts of animal glycerin and tar. Moisten the hoof with this mixture
twice a day. No improvement may be remarked in a week; but in two
or three months the crust will have become perceptibly less brittle, and
the labor of the smith will be rendered far less perplexing. For the
abnormal condition of the foot—that is permanent and nothing can be
done beyond employing such artifices as are calculated to relieve the
affliction.

SANDCRACK.

Any cause which weakens the body of the horse by interfering with
the health of its secretions may induce sandcrack. Treading for any
length of time upon ground from which all moisture is absent, by render-
ing the horn hard or dry, may cause the hoof to be brittle and give rise
to sandcrack. However, this last provocative seldom operates in this
country; when sandcrack occurs in an English horse, it is generally
generated by debility, which leads to the secretion of faulty horn. So
far, however, is this from being the prevailing opinion, and so little
sympathy does the horse receive in its diseases, that the endeavor, in-
deed the custom, of all veterinary surgeons is to continue at work the
horse having a division running completely through the hoof.

Sandcracks are of two sorts. Quarter crack, which chiefly happens
among the lighter breed of animals; toe crack, which occurs prin-
cipally with cart-horses, and mostly with those which work between the
shafts.

Quarter sandcrack is of the least importance of the two. It is oftenest
seen upon the inner quarter of the hoof, where the horn, being thinnest,
is most subjected to motion. Usually it commences at the coronet,
extending to the sole, and also to the sensitive lamine.

A horse thus affected should be thrown up; should be placed in a
large, loose box, and receive soft, nutritious food, such as boiled oats,
boiled linseed, and scalded hay. A little green-meat occasionally should
be allowed to regulate the bowels; greased swabs should be placed over
the hoof and under the sole. A bar shoe should be worn upon the affected
SANDCRACK. 343

foot. This treatment should be continued till the horse has recovered
from its debility.

With regard to the crack itself, take a fine knife and gradually scrape
off the sharp edges till the division assumes the
appearance of a groove. If the crack does not
reach through to the flesh, no fear need be enter-
tained concerning the lower edges of the crack,
because the horn secreted by the lamine is of a soft
nature, and will most readily yield. Besides, par-
ing the outer horn often prevents the inner layer
being cracked by the motion of the foot; this being Glesidial ty ape wdeticiny fast
done, should the division not descend the entire horses, upon tho inner
length of the hoof, or reach from the ground to the
coronet, with a firing-iron, heated to redness, draw a line at each ex-
tremity of the fissure. The line need not be made so deep as will occa-
sion pain; it is only necessary that the mark should go through the
hard outer crust of the foot to prevent extension of the division.

Should the separation be the whole way down the hoof, it is as well
to adopt either the plan followed by the late Mr. Read, or the mode
pursued by Mr. Woodger, the clever practical veterinarian, well known
in Paddington. Mr. Read used to make a semicircular line near the
coronet with the hot iron: Mr. Woodger has for years been accustomed
to draw lines from the coronet to the crack in the shape of a V, with
the same instrument. Both methods have a like intention, namely, to
cut off the coronet from the inferior portion of the hoof, thereby pre-
venting the movements of the foot from operating upon the newly
secreted horn. However, Mr. Woodger’s plan being the easiest, and
quite as effective as that of the late Mr. Read, is certainly the best.

 

QUARTER SANDCRACK.

  

A PARTIAL QUARTER SANDCRACK DRESSED THE METHODS OF ERADICATING A SANDCRACK:
AND SHOD. EITHER THE SEMICIRCULAR OR THE ANGULAR
LINES ARE EQUALLY EFFECTIVE,

Sandcrack, when it occurs at the toe, usually extends the entire length
of the foot, and leaves a portion of bleeding flesh exposed. The lamine,
being opened to the stimulating effects of the air, are very apt to throw
out a crop of luxuriant granulations. These, of course, are pinched
between the two sides of the division. They bleed freely; often, from
344 SANDCRACK.

the pressure, they turn black, and then smell abominably. The putrid
action, having once commenced, is apt to extend, and portions of the
coffin-bone are likely to exfoliate.

Now to prevent this, so soon as the horse is
brought in with a sandcrack, wash the part
thoroughly with the chloride of zinc lotion,
one grain to the ounce of water. The bleed-
ing having ceased, pare down the outward
edges of the separation, and put on a bar shoe,
eased off at the toe, and with a clip on either
side of the division. If the injury has not ex-
tended the length of the hoof, you must make
a line at each extremity with a heated iron, as

A FOOT WITH TOE SANDCRACK. in quarter crack, than which it is also of more
Illustrating the mode of shoeing Consequence that the coronet should be isolated ;

with clips, and of easing off at 3 ji
the toe; also exemplifying the because the external horn being thickest at the

manner of paring down the : : °
hoof, and ahewing the part toe, 18 the more likely by its movements to be

Peenpeernuations are Hisel¥ influential upon the new and plastic horn of the
coronet.

Should, however, the granulations have appeared, and the horse, with
appetite lost and the head dejected, the pulse thumping and the injured
foot held in the air, appear the picture of a living misery, first cleanse
the wound thoroughly with the chloride of zine lotion. Then apply a
firing-iron, of a black heat, to the hoof, near to the crack. The inten-
tion, in doing this, is to warm and thus to soften the horn. This effect
being accomplished, pare down or scoop off the edges—using the heated
iron again, if necessary. Do all this leisurely, and with every consider-
ation for the animal, which endures intense agony; for anything like
violence or impatience tells fearfully upon the sufferer’s system.

The horn being lowered, take a very sharp drawing-knife, and, with
one movement of the wrist, excise the granulation. Set down the foot,
and leave it to bleed; the loss of blood will lower the inflammation and
will benefit the internal parts. Give a little green-meat to cool the sys-
tem and act upon the bowels. Then, with the constant use of the lotion,
enough has been done for one day.

The following morning you may again apply the lotion, and con-
tinue to use it afterward thrice daily. Any further lowering may
also be accomplished to the edges of the crack, as well as the coronal
portion of the horn be separated from the lower part of the hoof, by
means of lines drawn as before illustrated.

If the horse must go to work, remember, it should not be in the shafts,
upon long journeys, or with a heavy load behind it. Before the animal

 
FALSE QUARTER. 345

quits the stable, lay a piece of tow saturated with the lotion within the
crack, and bind that in with a wax-end; tie a strip of cloth over all;
give this bandage a coating of tar; and, when the
horse returns, be sure to inspect the part. Should any
grit have penetrated, wash it out with the lotion, and
do not begrudge a minute or two to remove that which,
if allowed to remain, may cause the animal much ad-
ditional anguish. Then give the suffering creature a
nice, deep bed, some scalded hay, and a mash made of Se
bruised oats, into which has been thrown a handful 4 nonses roor prassep
each of linseed and of crushed beans; moisten these coat oe
last constituents with the water drawn from the scalded —~ whicti it should he
hay, and, if the horse should not appear hungry, throw Heine nas ies
among the hay half a handful of common salt.

The poor man may have some excuse for working an animal with
sandcrack ; such a person cannot afford to keep the horse in idleness for
the months which the cure will occupy. But the worst cases of this kind
the author ever beheld have always been in quadrupeds helonging to
wealthy tradesmen, who had ample means to gratify their desires, but
wanted the heart to feel for mute affliction.

 

FALSE QUARTER.

False quarter is the partial absence of the outer and harder portion
of the hoof; the consequence is, that the sensitive lamine, in the seat
of the false quarter, are only protected by their own soft or spongy horn.
This is frequently insufficient to save the foot from severe accident ; it is
apt to crack, being strained by the motion of the hoof. The fleshy parts
are then exposed; bleeding ensues, and fungoid granulations sometimes
spring up; these are often pinched by the two sides of the divided horn,
between which they protrude. When such occurs, the treatment should
be the same as that recommended for sandcrack.

  

FALSE QUARTER, OR A DEFICIENCY OF THE ONLY POSSIBLE RELIEF FOR FALSE
THE OUTER WALL. QUARTER.

No art can cure a false quarter; a portion of the coronary substance
has been lost, and no medicine can restore it. All that can be done is
346 SEEDY TOE.

to mitigate the suffering ; a bar shoe with a clip at the toe may be used,
the bearing being taken off at the seat of false quarter. The portion of
crust near to the weakened part should be beveled off, so as to join the
soft horn with an inseusible edge. Some persons recommend a mixture
of pitch, tar, and rosin to be poured over the exposed quarter; the
author has not found this compound to answer; it peels and breaks off
upon the horse being put in motion. <A piece of gutta-percha, of pro-
portionate thickness, fastened over the place, has sometimes remained
on for a week, and answered to admiration.

SEEDY TOE.

It appears not to have occurred to writers upon veterinary subjects
that the horse, which breathes but to work—for the instant its ability to
toil ceases the knacker becomes its possessor—that an animal which
exists under so severe a law, should occasionally be “used up ;” that a
creature which is sold from master to master, all of whom become pur-
chasers with a view only to “the work” each can get out of the “ thews
and muscles,” should occasionally be debilitated to that stage which
might interfere with the healthiness of its secretions, is a notion that
seems to have been beyond the reach of those writers who have hitherto
composed books upon the equine race. <A separa-
tion between the union of the two layers of horn
which compose the crust has been long known; it
has been much thought about, and the fancy has been
somewhat racked to account for its origin. Still,
although the human physician has recorded the brit-
SECTION oF anonse’s oor tle state and abnormal condition of man’s nails in

Apppotep witH BSEPY peculiar stages of disease, no one seems thence to

have argued that a certain condition of body might
possibly affect the hoofs of our stabled servant.

The method of cure which the author adopted, led thereto by the
admirable lectures of Mr. Spooner, and the success it met, soon made
apparent the fact of its origin; but, before describing this, it may be as
well to inform the reader in what consists a seedy state of the horse’s
toe.

The wall of the foot is composed of two layers—the outer one, the
hardest, the darkest, and the thinnest, is secreted by the coronet; the
inner layer, the softest, thickest, and most light in color, is derived from
the sensitive lamine. These different kinds of horn, in a healthy state,
unite one with the other, so that the two apparently form one substance.
The junction makes a thick, elastic, and strong body, whereto an iron

 
SEEDY TOE. 347

shoe can be safely nailed, and whereon the enormous bulk of the horse’s
frame may with safety rest.

But when overwork affects the natural functions of the body, the two
kinds of horn do not unite; their division invariably
begins at the toe, as it always commences in the nail of
the human being at the outer margin. If the seedy toe
be tapped or gently struck, it emits a hollow sound;
and if the shoe be removed, there will be found a va-
cant space between the two layers of horn; into this
space a nail, a piece of broom, or a straw is commonly
pushed, to ascertain the depth of the lesion. THE APPEARANCE PRE-

Mr. Spooner advised that the whole of the detached nen ee ee
horn should be cut away. The writer, however, insists Peis ie cs ce
that the horse should be thrown up—not turned out to oe ee
grass, but placed in an airy, loose box, and liberally
fed, or otherwise so treated as its condition may require. Once every
fortnight, for two months, the smith should inspect the
foot, and should cut away so much of the outer wall as
may still be disunited. It commonly takes three or
four months for the hoof to grow down or to become
perfect; and rest, with liberal feeding, during this time,
is sufficient to renovate an exhausted frame. A new
and sound covering for the hoof of the invigorated
horse is secreted by the expiration of the period named; "ta ‘noor arren THE
nor has it reached the knowledge of the writer that any  Removen wits THE
animal, after such a mode of treatment, has been liable “"™
to a second attack.

The ordinary method of cure is to cut away the hoof; then, having
nailed a shoe on, to send the disfigured horse to resume labor. Under
this form of treatment, the seedy division, once confined to the toe, has
extended to the quarters; the structure of the hoof being destroyed, the
horn was unfitted for its purposes. The weight of the body forced the
sensitive lamine from the coronary secretion, and the foot, after long
treatment, became a deformity. The author has never belreld so lament-
able a termination; but it is described by writers upon seedy toe with a
complacency which seems to regard so grievous a result as the natural

consequence of an intractable disorder.

 

 
348 TREAD AND OVERREACH.

TREAD AND OVERREACH.

Tread is a very rare occurrence with light horses; the author has met
with but one instance. Then, from the horse being a good stepper, and
from the accident happening toward the end of a long journey, as well
as from certain indications of the wound itself, it was conjectured to have
occurred in the manner depicted below.

  

TREAD IN LIGOT HORSES. TREAD UPON THE HIND FOOT

The hind foot, from fatigue, not being removed OF CART-HORSES.
soon enough, is wounded by the heel of the The animal become unsteady from exhaustion;
fore shoe being placed upon its coronet. the feet cross, and a wound results.

However, among cart-horses such a form of injury is more frequent;
these poor animals have to drag heavy loads, at a slow pace, it is true,
but to long distances; they are generally badly fed. Farmers’ horses,
especially during the spring and summer months, being supported upon
green-meat, the watery nourishment impoverishes the blood, and the
exhausting labor undermines the system. Often the load has to be taken
down hill, toward the end of a tedious journey; the whole burden then
rests upon the shafts, and the wretched horse which is between them
rocks under the weight like a drunken man. The legs cross, till at last
the calkin belonging to the shoe of one hind foot tears away a large lump
of the opposite coronet. A piece of flesh is commonly left upon the
ground; the hemorrhage is extreme, and the wagon is brought to a
stand.

The worst case of the kind the writer ever saw occurred after the pre-
ceding fashion; and the carter—who, by-the-by, was proprietor of the
sufferer—left the poor horse in a forge, giving orders that the smith was
to do what he could, or to have it killed, as he pleased. The smith con-
sulted the writer, and he treated the wound after the method recom-
mended for open joint, or by bathing it thrice daily with the solution of
chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce of water. In a week a large
slough took place; this opened the coffin-joint, and left a portion of the
extensor pedis tendon hanging from the orifice. The treatment was
continued ; the lameness, which at first was excessive, gradually grew
CORNS. 349

less; the piece of tendon sloughed out, and the wound began to heal.
It had closed when the animal was fetched away by the owner; but the
writer was unable afterward to learn whether false quarter ensued upon
the injury. This, from the extent of the wound, the writer would con-
jecture to have been probable; indeed, false quarter and quittor are the
general consequences of severe tread.

Overreach is confined to fast horses; it happens to those which are
good steppers. When tired, the fect are apt to be moved irregularly ;
thus, one foot is often in its place before the other has
been lifted; the result is, that the inner part of the
hind foot strikes the outer side of the fore coronet. +
A wound, and frequently a severe one, is the conse-
quence. False quarter or quittor is likely to ensue;
the treatment must be the same as was before de-
scribed. No poultices are required; these only add
to the weight of the injured limb, and augment the gvenrescu ocovrnrne
distress of the animal. No harsh measures should be VING THe pwmaue
allowed; the horse has enough to bear; a slough has
to take place. This is a severe tax upon the strength; all the good
food and prepared water the animal can consume will not now be thrown
away; the treatment is materially shortened by the nourishment being
sustaining of its kind, and liberal in quantity; but the injury should be
treated only with the knife, and the chloride of zine lotion described in
the course of this article.

  

CORNS.

Corns are of four kinds—the old, the new, the sappy, and the suppu-
rating ; all are caused by bruises to the sensitive sole. The shoe is the
passive agent in their production, when they occur in large, fleshy feet ;
the thick, unyielding, horny sole is the passive agent, when they are
present in contracted feet. The coffin-bone, in both cases, is the active
agent; the wings, or posterior portions of this bone, project backward
nearly as far as the bars, or immediately over the seat of corn. When
the horse is in motion, the coffin-bone can never remain still; it rises, or
rather the wings are drawn upward by the flexor tendon, every time the
foot is lifted from the earth, and sinks, because of the weight cast upon
it, every time the foot touches the ground. The wings of the bone, thus
in constant action, when the horny sole is weak, often descend upon the
fleshy sole, and bruise that substance upon the iron shoe; what is called
a corn is the consequence. In contracted feet, where the sole is high,
thick, and resistant, the horny sole does not descend, even when the
immense weight of the horse’s body rests upon it. It remains firm and
350 CORNS.

fixed during every action of the animal—not so, however, the coffin-bone,
which is in continuous motion. The result, of course, is, the imposed
burden forces the wings of the coffin-bone downward. The horny sole

 

DIAGRAM DIAGRAM

Showing the position of the hindermost Illustrating the relative positions of the

part of the coffin-bone when in a pas- wings of the coffin-bone, and the thick,

sive state; also portraying the shoe in concave, horny sole of the contracted
the fleshy or flat foot. foot when not in motion.

will not yield, and the fleshy sole is therefore bruised between the wings
of the coffin-bone and the horn bottom of the hoof; acorn is thereby
established.

Corns in a horse do not answer to those excrescences found upon the
feet of man; being bruises, they consist of effusion in every instance.
The effusion may either be of blood or of serum; blood constitutes the
old and the new corn, serum gives rise to the sappy corn. The suppu-
rative corn is an after-consequence of either of those just named; when
the effusion has been so large as to defy absorption, a new action is
started up—pus is secreted, and a suppurative corn is then created.

An old corn is the least serious, especially when it is easily cut away;
it appears as a black mark upon the surface of the horny sole, and is
little thought of when it can be speedily removed by the knife, because
this shows the horse had a corn, but at present is free from such an
annoyance. When, however, a superficial corn cannot be scooped out

  

THE SITUATION AND ASPECT THE DEEPLY-SEATED AND SMALL,
OF AN OLD CORN UPON A SCARLET SPOT WHICH DECLARES
LARGE, FLAT FOOT. THE PRESENOE OF A NEW CORN.

with the drawing-knife, but becomes brighter and brighter as more and
more horn is cut away, till it assumes the scarlet aspect of a new corn,
CORNS. 351

the matter is rather grave, because it denotes the horse to have had, and
not to have been free from, corns during the growth of the present sole.

The new corn, as has been just intimated, consists of a portion of
blood effused into the pores of the horn, and is of a bright-scarlet color.
The size is of some consequence, as it best intimates the extent of the
injury ; if the stain be small and deep seated, it is of least moment.

The sappy corn is the consequence of a more gentle bruise, when serum
and lymph only are effused—the horn being thereby merely rendered
moist, not discolored. This species of corn is not very common, and by
proper shoeing is readily removed.

The suppurating corn is the worst of all; it engenders heat in the
foot, and causes excessive lameness; it creates all that anguish, a shad-
owy taste of which the human being endures when pus is confined beneath
the substance of the finger-nail. The foot cannot be put to the ground;
the arteries of the pastern throb forcibly; the countenance is dejected ;
and every symptom of acute suffering in a large body is exhibited.

Corns, which in man are found on the lower members, in the horse
are generally witnessed only upon the fore feet. The writer bas rarely
seen an instance of their presence behind; but in whichever foot they
appear, they must be the production of an instant, though, probably,
the suppurative may be an exception; yet from these always being sud-
denly observed, even this species are said to be of instantaneous origin.
A horse, when progressing, makes a false step; a sanguineous or sappy
corn is by that faulty action established. The same horse may trot
home perfectly sound, and be put into the stable for the night a healthy
animal; but on the following morning it may be discovered standing on
three legs. Pus may, in the interval, have been secreted, and the corn
may have assumed the suppurative character.

The manner to examine for corn.is, in the first place, to mark the age
of the horse; then observe if, in the trot,
either leg is favored. The animal being
young, splint is the common cause of un-
even action; if old, corns are more gener-
ally expected; the horse is brought to a
stand and the smith sent for. The man
raises the fore foot, and, taking a portion
of crust and sole between the teeth of the
pincers, gradually increases the pressure; uly
he thus proceeds till he has by successive 7H Sol OF THE nonss’s root nEINa
trials squeezed the sole all round. If the
leg, while undergoing the operation, be withdrawn near either of the
nails, the ideas take a different direction to that of corn; but if the foot

 
352 CORNS.

be held steady, the seat of corn is lastly squeezed. Should no flinching
be witnessed, the examination is not esteemed satisfactory until the smith
has, with a small drawing-knife, denominated a searcher, cut away a por-
tion of the sole at the seat of corn.

The sensibility will be extreme should suppurating corn be present;
in that case the sole must be gradually removed until the pus is released.
That being done, the shoe should be taken off and the foot put into a
bran poultice. By this means the horn will be rendered more soft and
the wound cleansed. The smith, on the following day, must again cut
the foot, every portion of detached horn being very carefully excised.

The horn is itself a secretion, and, in a healthy state, is intimately
united with the source of its origin. When, however, pus is effused,
this always lies between the secreting membrane and the horn, which
has been already secreted. The horn so displaced by the presence of a
foreign substance is called under-run or detached; and all horn, so
under-run or detached, must be removed. When this operation is prop-
erly performed, all signs of lameness will have generally disappeared.
It is usual, however, to tack the old shoe on again; and having dressed
the injury with chloride of zinc and water—one grain to the ounce—
there remains only to examine the foot from time to time till new horn
covers the surface; merely taking precaution for the present to shield
the wound with a little tow, fastened in its place by a couple of cross
splints. ;

When sanguineous or sappy corns are found, the method is, firstly to
thin the sole, so as to render it pliable, especially over the seat of corn.
Should a sappy corn have rendered the horn moist for any space, or
should the discoloration caused by sanguineous corn be of any size, it
is as well always to open the center of the part indicated: no matter
should the cut release only a small quantity of serum or a little blood.
Take away a small portion of horn; pare the sole till it yield to the
pressure of the thumb. When such a proceeding is necessary, the bars
may be entirely removed, and the wounds should be covered with some
tar spread upon a pledget of fine tow. As soon as the orifice is pro-
tected by new horn, the horse may be shod with a leathern sole and
returned to its proprietor.

Such a course would occupy little time—a week at most. Yet the
great majority of horse proprietors appear to have “‘flinty hearts,” as
nearly all of them begrudge the necessary day of rest to the maimed
animal which has been injured in their employment. The cry, where
the horse is concerned, is ‘‘toil, toil!” The veterinary surgeon is often
asked “if absolute rest is imperative.” He is frequently solicited to
patch up the poor animal, so that it may do a little work. As day after
CORNS. 353

day passes onward, the tone becomes more and more authoritative. The
horse is at last too often demanded from the hospital, and taken to re-
sume ordinary labor before the injury is effaced. Should no evil effect
ensue on such a culpable want of caution, the proprietor is apt to
chuckle over his daring with another’s sufferings, and to blame the
science which would not incur risk, even to propitiate an employer.

Corn is not generally reckoned unsoundness. If a horse be lame
from corn, the lameness renders the horse unsound; but the corn does
not. Such is the beauty of horse logic when pronounced in a court of
justice! A corn may suppurate, or may provoke lameness at any
moment. Still the corn, in the bleared eye of the law, is no sufficient
objection to the purchase of a horse. The
suppurated corn may lead to quittor—still,
corn is not legal unsoundness. It is a pity
such is the case, since it leads men to neglect
that which is removable. When the sole is
high, the shoe should always be accompanied
by a leathern sole. Liquid stopping should be
poured into the open space at the back of the 7 rosmpnion or 4 monsr’s
foot; and at every time of shoeing, the smith ee

. Bs A The central angular mark indi-
should pare the sole quite thin, even until drops cates the place into which the
of blood bedew the surface of the horn. When ee rae
corns appear in flat or fleshy feet, as shoeing
time comes round, only have the very ragged portions of the frog taken
away. Have the web of the shoe narrowed so as to remove all chance
of pressure against the iron. Lower the heels of the shoe, or try a bar
shoe with the bearing taken off over the seat of corn; should that not
answer, next put on a three-quarter shoe: many horses, however, will
go sound in tips, that cannot endure any other sort of protection to the
foot. By resort to one or the other of these measures, that injury,
which in the learned eye of the law is of no consequence, but which,
nevertheless, may lead to terrible lameness, or even lay the foundation
for a quittor, may be greatly mitigated.

Bruise of the sole is an accident leading to effusion of blood—so far
it resembles corn; but it is dissimilar in not occurring on a part subject
to the same degree of motion, and, therefore, is not so severe in the con-
sequences to which it leads. It is caused by treading on a stone, and
is removed by paring off the horn which has been discolored or lies
immediately beneath the injury. It seldom leads to great lameness or
gives rise to serious results. It is treated after the manner directed for
corn; but it is always advisable to shoe once, with leather, the horse
which has suffered from bruise of the sole. The difference between

23

 
354 QUITTOR.

corn and bruise of the sole is simply this: the first is an injury pro-
duced by a cause which is always within the control of the proprietor,
and which, if neglected, is likely to lead to the most disastrous mala-
dies; the last is purely an accident, to which any horse at any time is
liable, and with ordinary care is not likely to give rise to any serious
consequences.

Prick of the foot is an injury incurred while the horse is being shod.
There are two sorts of this accident: one, when the nail penetrates the
fleshy substance of the sensitive lamine and draws blood; the other
is when a nail is driven too fine, or among the soft horn which lines the
interior of the hoof, and consequently lies near to, the sensitive lamine.
The first is of the more immediate importance; but the last may be
equally serious in its effect. As the horse works, the strain upon the
shoe bends the nail fixed into soft horn. It thus is made to press upon
the sensitive lamin, and may provoke suppuration.

To detect whether the smith is at fault, the foot should be first
squeezed between the pincers as for common
corn; then have the nails withdrawn one by
one, and mark each as it is removed. If one
appears moist or wet, have the hole of that nail
freely opened. Let the shoe be replaced, leay-
ing that nail ont. Put a little tow, covered
with tar, over the wound, and shoe with leather.
If, however, lameness should still be present,
the shoe must again be taken off and the in-

PRICK OF THE FOOT AND PRUISE jury treated as recommended for suppurating

 

The smaller opening represents corn.

prick of the foot: the larger g . enc ie i,
Wace dadicates bruise’ 6f the Blame the smith who pricks a horse and con

sole. The extent to which 2 ape ; 5 .
ee be ee ceals the fact; punish the fellow to the extent
the generality of cases, isalso of your power. But the man who pricks a foot
indicated. >
and acquaints you with the circumstance, de-
serves civility. The last enables you to take proper measures, such as
paring out, etc., and thereby you avoid all unpleasantness. The first
braves chances with your living property, and deserves to suffer if the

hazard go against him.

QUITTOR.

This is a severe and painful disease. Many a horse is, at the present
moment, working with a suppurative wound above the hoof, within the
interior of which run numerous sinuses. The police arrest the driver
of the horse when the condition is so bad as permits the collar to wring
QUITTOR. 355

the shoulders. Of all other shapes of misery they seem ignorant. Ani-
mals limp over the stones, every step being an agony; but the police-
men look on at such pictures with placid conntenances. Horses are
driven at night in a state of glanders which renders them dangerous to
mankind; yet no officer thinks of looking at the head of an animal for
the sign of suffering or the warning of public peril. Creatures, in every
stage of misery, may be seen openly progressing along the streets of the
metropolis; but so the shoulders be sound, the brute who goads them
forward performs his office with impunity. Still, it is something gained,
that the law has recognized the want of man’s absolute power over the
feelings of those creatures intrusted to his care. Let us hope, as knowl-
edge extends, the legal perceptions will be quickened. It is partly with
this view that the present “illustrated work” is published.

Quittor is a terrible disorder. To comprehend thoroughly the pain
which accompanies it, the reader must understand the structures through
which it has to penetrate, and the substances it has to absorb. All parts
are slowly acted upon in proportion as they are lowly organized. Car-
tilage is the structure into the composition of which no blood-vessels
enter. Next to cartilage is bone, which, though supplied with vessels,
is, on account of its mixture with inorganic matter, exposed only to
slow decay, and the exfoliation of which is effected at a vast expense to
the vital energy. These substances mainly compose the foot of the
horse. In addition, there is ligament, almost as slowly acted upon as
bone; disease in which substance is accompanied by the greatest
anguish. Horn is an external protection; but that material, though
an animal secretion, is strictly inorganic: when cut it does not occasion
pain—neither does it bleed. If a portion of horn should press upon
the flesh it must be removed by the knife; for, unlike the more highly-
gifted structures, there is no chance of its being absorbed.

The hoof, therefore, being the external covering to the foot of the
horse, and not being liable to the same action as organic secretions,
serves to confine pus or matter when generated within its substance.
Pus could work through the largest organized body; but it cannot
escape through the thinnest layer of horn. Now, most of the other
substances which enter into the composition of the horse’s foot are such
as slowly decay; but those parts which slowly decay being without
sensation during health, occasion the most extreme agony when diseased.

The cause of quittor always is confined pus or matter, which, in its
effort to escape, absorbs and forms sinuses in various directions within
the sensitive substances of the hoof. In the hind feet of cart-horses
quittor generally commences at the coronet; the coronet is wounded or
bruised by the large calkins or pieces of iron turned up at the back of
356 QUITTOR.

the hind shoes, which are universally worn by animals of heavy draught.
Any one who has punctured or cut the coronet of a dead horse knows
this structure is as difficult to penetrate and as hard to divide as carti-
lage itself; the consequence of an injury to such a part is, the bruise
produces death of some deep-seated portion of the compact coronet.
Nature, after her own fashion, proceeds to cast off that which is with-
out vitality, or, in other words, she divides the dead from the living tis-
sues by a line of suppuration; but the matter thus located cannot
readily escape through the harsh material of the horse’s coronet. It is
confined and becomes corrupt, while the constant motion of the foot
and the higher organization of the secreting membrane of the horn in-
clines the pus to take a downward direction. However, it is more dif-
ficult for pus to pierce the horny sole than to penetrate the coronet; so
the effort is renewed above; numerous pipes or sinuses are thus formed
upon the sensitive lamine; the fleshy sole is often under-run, and this
mischief goes on until the coronet, which becomes of enormous size, at
last yields to the increasing evil.

Another cause is pricking the sensitive part of the foot with a nail
during shoeing; the wound generates pus, the pus cannot penetrate the
horn, and the motion of the coffin-bone causes it to absorb upward,
until after some time it breaks forth at the coronet.

  

DIAGRAM. DIAGRAM.

Which supposed the outward covering of the The covering of the coronet and horny crust
coronet and the horny wall of the hoof supposed to be absent, and exposing the
removed, to expose the ravages of quittor, manner in which any suppurating injury
when commencing in the coronet of a heavy to the sole of the foot ultimately causes a
horse. wound above the hoof.

Another cause is corn; the horse’s corn is nothing more than a bruise;
the bruise, in some instances, is severe, and takes on the suppurative
action. The pus, as before, is confined, and by the motion of the coffin-
bone it is propelled upward till it breaks forth at the coronet, which, as
before, enlarges to deformity; in short, any injury done to the sole of
the foot or to the coronet above it may produce quittor.

The leading sign of quittor, before it breaks, is a large swelling at
the coronet, attended with heat and excessive lameness. In cart-horses,
it is usually present in the hind feet; but in the lighter species it more
frequently occurs in the fore feet. It generally appears upon the inner
QUITTOR. 357

side of the hoof, though, of course, it has often been witnessed upon
the outer coronet. Quittor becomes a huge swelling before it breaks.
The amount of tumefaction symbolizes the amount of anguish; it is,
indeed, a most painful disorder.

  

A QUITTOR, AS IT DENOTES ITS EXISTENCE A QUITTOR, AFTER THE PUS HAS FOUND AN
BEFORE THE PUS ABSORBS ITS WAY EXIT AT THE CORONET.
THROUGH THE CORONET.

The animal, after the pus has found vent, becomes easier; fever
departs; the appetite returns, and the enlargement greatly diminishes.

In the cure of a quittor, all depend upon the time during which the
disease has been allowed to exist; if brought under notice at first,
and from an examination a belief is confirmed that the sinuses are
wholly superficial, no treatment is comparable to the plan of slitting
them up, the method of doing which will be described in a subsequent
chapter; this at once affords relief. The horse, which was limping
lame, upon getting up puts the foot fearlessly to the ground, and trots
sound.

If we have reason to believe the matter has burrowed inwardly, and
that one or more sinuses have penetrated the carti-
lages and threaten the deeper-seated parts, still we
should settle with the knife all those pipes which
are superficial, This gives a better view of the
structures supposed to be diseased; then, if among
the matter thrown out by the healing wounds there
is seen a speck or two of fluid, which, being gelatin-
ous and transparent, looks dark among the opaque, %,*ttoupt to depict the

creamy pus, be sure there remains further work to be — Bivayiultindleiting

7 when it appears at the
accomplished. wound whence issues

Cut a small twig from the stable broom; this is  {hestrramofthickand
pliable, and, where a sinus is concerned, makes the
best possible probe. With a knife, render it perfectly clean, as well as
round or blunt at one end; then, while an assistant holds up the foot,
insert it in the center of the dark fluid. If it should not at first detect
an opening, you must not give up the trial; the probe must be moved
about, and even a smaller one procured. A sinus does exist; of that
you have positive proof; the pipe being found, mix some powdered

 

DIAGRAM.
358 CANKER.

corrosive sublimate with three times its bulk of flour; then wet the probe ;
dip the probe into the powder and afterward insert it into the sinus.
Do this several times till you feel certain that every portion of the pipe
is brought in contact with the caustic.

The horse, subsequently, will become very dull; the foot will grow
very painful: thus it will continue for two days. About the third day,
a white, curd-like matter is discharged from the orifice. The lameness
(lisappears, and the spirits are regained.

It is against our inclination to publish such directions; but the author
has knowledge of no gentler or more speedy measure. The better plan
for the gentleman who is tender of his servants’ feelings, and infinitely
the cheaper for the person who is regardful of his pocket, is to have
every animal inspected by a qualified veterinary surgeon so soon as it
displays acute Jameness. Were such the practice, corn, prick of the foot,
or wound of the coronet need not run on to quittor. That is an affec-
tion which loudly pronounces man to utterly disregard the welfare of his
most willing slave. It always originates in neglect. It always requires
time for its development. It springs from that idle and silly maxim
which, when a horse falls lame, treats the circumstance as though the
honest animal were shamming, and teaches a hard-hearted proprietor to

g,
work the poor drudge sound again.

CANKER.

Thrush is a disease that causes a certain liquid to be secreted which
has the property of decomposing the horn. Canker is a disease which
not only is attended with a liquid having a like property, but the last-
named affection also causes fungoid horn to be secreted. Canker, there-
fore, appears to be an aggravation of thrush; and anybody who has
been much among the animals of the poorer classes may have observed
these diseases lapse into each other: thrush will, through neglect, become
canker,

Thrush appears to be the commencement of the disorganization of the
food. Canker is the total perversion of the secreting powers belonging
to the same organ. In thrush, a foul humor having a corruptive prop-
erty is poured forth. In canker, something is superadded to this. The
horn itself is sent forth in large quantity as a soft, unhealthy material,
totally divested of elasticity and devoid of all healthy resistance.

Auy animal, being exposed to the exciting cause, may exhibit thrush;
but, before canker seems capable of being produced, poor living must
have undermined the constitution. Old horses—pensioners, as they are
humanely termed—when turned out to grass, frequently have canker,
CANKER. 359

which otherwise should be confined to the animals of poverty, on which
bad lodging, no grooming, stinted food, and hard work produce sad
effects. The stable in which a case of canker occurs is lamentably dis-
graced. Every attendant in it ought to be discharged, as the surest
evidence of a gross want of industry is thereby afforded.

A horse, perhaps once the pride of the favorite daughter, may descend
to be the hack of some bawling dust collector. Its wants increase as
age progresses; but with the accumulation of years its hardships aug-
ment. It is sad, very sad, to stand within the shed of some corn-chand-
ler, and witness, as the day draws in, ragged boys advance and shout
out, “Three pen’orth o’ ’ay bunds.” Upon those hay-bands it is even
more sad to reflect what creature will be obliged to subsist—probably the
darling once of some aristocratic children! Now, cramped and diseased, it
may receive no other food between this time and the following evening.
The diet being meager, all the rest is on a parallel. The wretched ani-
mal is purchased only for such a space as it may pull through before it
passes to the knackers. Every day of life is looked upon as a clear gain,
for the carcass may be sold for very nigh the price which has been paid
for the living body. The commonest attention is denied; its bed is filth,
and its nightly hay-bands are cast upon the flooring.

What, the humane reader may inquire, can be done to prevent such a
state of things? Something surely might be accomplished. To make
men good, it is first necessary to educate them by communicating knowl-
edge and also by preventing the commission of wickedness. Were the
sanitary laws enforced in their spirit, no man would keep an animal who
had not proper accommodation for the creature he possessed as a prop-
erty. A horse or a donkey consumes much more air than any human
being. The air ejected from the lungs of a quadruped is deprived of all
life-sustaining qualities. The filth of a stable is as corruptive as any
cess-pool connected with a laborer’s cottage. The atmosphere which
can in the horse engender disease cannot promote health in the superior
animal. Yet how does it happen that, while sanitary reports are elo-
quent upon filth and fluent about cess-pools—while they descant learnedly
upon foul abodes, and enter into all particulars concerning corrupted
atmosphere—the close, contaminated stables in which all costermongers,
and some gentlemen, shut up their drudges when the labor of the day is
over, are never alluded to, are altogether abjured, as though such nui-
sances had no existence ?

Canker, like thrush, is not generally attended with much lameness.
It often astonishes us that, with a foot in such a condition, the animal
can progress so soundly. It invariably commences at the seat of thrush
or in the cleft of the frog. A liquid more abominable than that of thrush,
360 CANKER.

and rather more abundant, issues from that part. Likewise it frequently
exudes from the commissures, which unite the horny sole to the frog.
The horn, also, becomes not only disorganized, but more ragged than in
thrush. It bulges out at first, and ultimately flakes off, exposing a sub-
stance not much more resistant than orange-peel. The substance is horn
in a fungoid state. Its fibers run from the center to the circumference ;
and between the space of each fiber is lodged a clear liquid, which be-
comes tainted and dark colored by mingling with the horn that it dissolves
and corrupts.

The fungus is secreted in quantity, and always is most abundant when
located about the edge of the sole. Here the papille are largest, and

 

THE PRIMARY ESTABLISHMENT OF CONFIRMED THE SECOND STAGE OF CANKER.
CANKER. Showing the great abundance of fungoid horn
The horn turned back, so as to display the altered secreted around the margin of the foot. No
state of the frog, which indicates a severe attack notice is purposely taken of the frog in this
of the disease. illustration.

here the granulations attain their greatest magnitude. The unresistant
horn of canker becomes somewhat hard upon the surface of the sole, and
large flakes peel off. Cut into, it displays no sensation; and this is for-
tunate, inasmuch as it considerably reduces the difficulties surrounding
the treatment of a badly-cankered foot.

Concerning treatment, when the disease is confined to one hind foot,
or even affects both posterior feet, the case may be undertaken with some
degree of confidence. When it has involved one or more of the fore
feet, it is always difficult to eradicate ; and, in the majority of cases—
being guided by the age of the animal—a cure had better not be
attempted.

When a horse is cankered all round, the disease is apt to seem capri-
cious. It may be cured in three feet; but it will linger in the fourth,
resisting art’s resources. Suddenly measures before tried in vain seem
to be endowed with marvelous efficacy. The diseased member, which
hitherto no treatment could touch, now heals as by its own accord.
However, before we can express the full of our satisfaction, canker once
CANKER. 361

more breaks out again in one of the feet which had been cured; thus
the affection dodges about till patience is exhausted.

Canker has hitherto been reckoned an intractable disorder. It is
mostly seen in heavy horses, with weak, flat feet. These creatures pro-
verbially receive but little grooming. They are esteemed only for their
labor, and honored with small attention, which does not decidedly fit
them for their work. Their stables are seldom to be cited as examples
of what a horse’s home should be. Their beds are never too clean; and
a number of foul disorders, as thrush, grease, etc., are located among
them. Their food is generally measured by the scale of profit and loss;
for few cart-horses, in the generality of establishments, can boast of any
extraordinary care being lavished on their comfort.

For the treatment of canker, the first thing is to attend to the stable.
See that the building is lofty and well drained; that the ventilation is
perfect, and the bedding unexceptionable. Then inspect the water, the
oats, and the hay. Allow the horse a liberal support, and with each
feed of oats mingle a handful of old beans. These things being arranged,
order the animal into the forge. Cut away every portion of detached
horn. When that is done, pare off carefully so much of the soft, diseased
horn as the knife can readily separate. Then apply a dressing of the
following strength to the diseased parts :— |

Chloride of zine . ..... +. +. +. +. . Halfan ounce.
Common flour ........ .... . . Four ounces.
Mix, and apply dry on the foot.

To the sound parts use—

Chloride of zine . . . . . . . . . . . Four grains.
lout: Greist. eos GP ake ae) ee 4, “OheVOUNCe:

Cover over the sound parts before you begin to dress the fungoid gran-
ulations.

Afterward tack on the shoe. Pad well, so as to obtain all the pressure
possible; and fasten the padding on the foot by means of cross pieces
of iron driven firmly under the shoe. Let the horse be carefully groomed,
and receive four hours’ exercise daily.

On the second day remove the padding. Cut off so much of the gran-
ulations as appear to be in a sloughing condition. Repeat the dressing,
and continue examining and redressing the foot every second day.
When some places appear to be in a state of confirmed health, an appli-
cation of the following strength should be employed to such parts; but
where the granulations continue to sprout, or the horn appears to be of
a doubtful character, the caustic mixtures of the original strength must
be used :—
362 CANKER.

Chloride of zine . . . . 1 ee «Two grains.

BOURY A aie pes Bee ah ca She Sick Gee. S)-Onenounces
After some time, the dressings may be lengthened to every third day,
but should not be carried to the distance which some practitioners rec-
ommend. When so long a period elapses between each examination,

  

THE BOTTOM OF A HORSE’S FOOT
WHICH HAS BEEN DRESSED FOR

AN IMPROVEMENT IN A CANKERED FOOT.

CANKER, SHOWING HOW THE 1. That portion of a canbered foot which is advancing
CROSS PIECES ARE PLACED AND towardin healthy condition, :
FIXED. 2. Canker in a mitigated form, but still present.

the foul and irritating discharge, being confined, does more injury than
the delay can possibly produce good.

In the plan of treatment here proposed, the chief reliance is placed
on the action of chloride of zinc. It is the peculiar property of that
agent to suppress fungoid granulations. The author has some experi-
ence in the use of this salt. Whenever he gave it to a groom to apply,
and subsequently he found the wound clogged with proud flesh, the man
was accused of having neglected to employ the lotion. The evidence on
which the charge was made never, in a single instance, proved erroneous.
To suppress fungoid granulation is to cure canker.

The application here advised is, moreover, cleanly. It is the most
powerful disinfectant. It does not discolor, like the messes now in gen-
eral use. It is more gentle in its action than undiluted sulphuric acid,
ete. etc. It will cause none of those terrible fits of agony, during which
all applications have to be removed, while the foot has to be bathed and
poulticed. Notwithstanding all authors agree that the absence of water
and the presence of pressure are indispensable to the cure of canker, the
frequent dressings will not endanger the life, nor leave the foot in that
condition which entails a deformed hoof upon the horse for the remainder
of its existence.
THRUSH. 363

THRUSH.

Veterinary writers are very fond of splitting hairs about words.
Thrush, therefore, in most books, becomes “ frush ;” notwithstanding, if
the reader should consult any professional authority, or
a professor at either of the colleges, the person so ap-
pealed to will decidedly designate the disease as it is
here spelled. The disorder therefore bears, in these pages,
the name it carries in ordinary speech, and all far-fetched
distinctions are discarded.

Thrush is a foul discharge issuing from the cleft of the J
frog, and attended with disorganization of the horn, It  1vsm rw tae rore
is derived from two causes—either internal disease or bad crust, a concave
stable management. When internal disease gives rise to gs
thrush, it is present in the fore foot. The quarters of the
hoof are strong and high; the sole is thick and concave; the frog small
and ragged. When bad stable managemert provokes the disorder, it
shows itself in the hind foot, which may be of any shape; but the frog
is generally large, while the discharge is more copious than in the former
instance.

It is sad to think that the creature which lives but to toil, and whose
existence is a type of such slavery that its greatest freedom is to labor,
should be begrudged the bed whereon it reposes, or be doomed to stand
in filth which will generate disease. The horse’s foot is not very suscep-
tible to external influences. It is incased in a hard and inorganic, yet
elastic substance. Thus protected, it appears like praising the ingenuity
of man when we say such a body is not proof against his neglect. The
hoof is made to travel through mud and through water ;
it is created to canter over sand and over stones. It is
capable of all its purposes; but it only seems not fitted
to be soaking days and nights in the filth of a human
lazar-house. The drainage of the stable is too often
clogged; the ventilation bad; the bedding rotten, and
more than half composed of excrement. All that passes
through the body, from the inclination of the flooring, rusia IN THE BIND
tends toward the hind feet. Over this muck the animal ;
breathes. In it the creature stands, and on it the victim reposes.

No wonder the horn rots when implanted in a mass of fermenting filth.
The fleshy, secreting parts, which it is the office of the hoof to protect,
ultimately become affected ; they take on a peculiar form of irritation ;
from the cleft of the frog a discharge issues; it becomes colored and

 

 
364 THRUSH.

offensive through being mixed with the decaying horn; the smell is most
abhorrent ; frequently it taints the interior of the place, and to the edu-
cated nose thus makes known its presence.

The first thing is to clear the stable, then to cleanse it thoroughly.
Bed down the stalls with new straw, and attend to the
animals themselves. Wash,the feet well with water, in
every pint of which is dissolved two scruples of chlo-
ride of zinc. The fetor will thus be destroyed, and the
animal be made approachable. Place some of the fluid,
to be used as required, near the smith, while the man
cuts away the diseased frog. All the ragged parts
are to be excised. The knife is to be employed until

all the white, powdery substance is effectually removed.

fen ante or, The knife must then be used fearlessly. Every par-

pane trove, §6“¥® ticle of the colorless investment of the frog must be

excised. This is absolutely necessary toward the cure.

It must be accomplished, although the flesh be exposed, or a large,

bulging frog be reduced to the dimensions indicated
in the annexed engraving.

Then the shoe is to be nailed on, and the horse to
be returned to a clean stall.

The cause being removed, the effect will soon cease.
No ointments are required. A little of the chloride
of zinc lotion, three grains to the ounce of water, may
be left in the stable, and the keeper should receive
directions to bathe the frog with this once a day, or oftener if required.
A piece of stick, having a little tow wrapped round one end, should also
be given to the man, so that he may force the fluid between the cleft of
the frog. No greasy dressing need be employed. The ordinary shoe
is to be used. The diseased part is to be left perfectly uncovered, so
that it may be the more exposed to the sweetening effects of pure air,
while the earliest indication of any further necessity for the knife may
be readily perceived. When the stench has disappeared, a little of the
liquor of lead, of its original strength, will perfect the cure; and all that
is requisite to prevent a return of the disorder is a reasonabl@ attention
to the cleanliness of the stable.

At this place, however, the reader may well reflect that, if the filth of
the stable is capable of rotting the resistant and insensitive horn of the
horse’s foot, how much more is it likely to affect some of those delicate
structures of which the bulky frame of the animal is composed! The
air in which a man might object to live is altogether unfit for a horse to
inhale. It is true, animals have breathed such an atmosphere, and con-

 

AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE
ABUNDANCE OF WHITE
POWDER INVESTING DE-
CAYED HORN, AND OFTEN

 
THRUSH. 365

tinued to exist. So, also, is it true that men have been scavengers, and
have followed that calling on account of what they esteemed its extraor-
dinary healthfulness. Neither case establishes aught. The animal is
by nature formed for large draughts of pure air. All other sustenance
is as nothing, if the primary necessity of life be withheld. Tainted
atmosphere is the source of more than half the evils horse-flesh is ex-
posed to. Glanders, farcy, inflammation of the air-passages, indigestion,
bowel complaints,—in fact, all diseases save those of a local character
may spring from such a parent. Let every horse-keeper, therefore, if
from no higher motive, at all events to conserve his property and to
promote his pecuniary interest, be especially careful about the purity of
his stables.

When thrush occurs in the fore feet, it is generally significant of
navicular disease, and is most frequent in horses which step short or go
groggily. The hoof feels hot and hard; a slight moisture bedews the
central parting of the very much diminished frog. No odor may be smelt
when the foot is taken up; but by inserting a piece of tow into the cleft
of the frog, the presence of the characteristic symptom will be made
unpleasantly apparent.

In this case, it is best to remove the ragged thrush and unsound horn,
doing so, if required, even to the exposure of the sensitive frog. After-
ward, simply wash the part with a little of the chloride of zine and
water, previously recommended. Repeat the cleansing every morning;
the intention being, not to remove the thrush, as the horse mostly goes
lame the instant that is stopped, but merely to correct the pungency of
the morbid discharge, and thus prevent it in some measure from decay-
ing the horn.

Clay, cow-dung, and other favorite filths, employed for stopping the
horse’s feet, if long continued, will produce thrush.

The worst specimen of the affection the author has encountered, was
in a horse which had been turned into a moist straw-yard and neglected.
The thrush generally witnessed in the hind feet may be present in all
four; but the writer knows of no instance in which the thrush peculiar
to the fore feet was also observed in the posterior limbs.

Thrush does not generally provoke lameness. In its more aggravated
forms, however, it interferes with the pace; and the horse having only
incipient thrush is liable to drop suddenly, if the foot be accidentally
placed upon a rolling stone. Now, knowing our roads are made of
stones, and that the bottom of the horse’s foot is, in the ordinary man-
ner of shoeing, entirely unprotected, it is curious to state that this dis-
ease is commonly not esteemed unsoundness. Any thrush, when present,
may lead to acute lameness; then the lameness would be unsoundness;
366 OSSIFIED CARTILAGES.

if thrush simply interferes with the action, although it endanger the
safety of the rider, it is, by the code of veterinary legislation, esteemed
no reasonable objection to the soundness of a horse. In the author's
opinion, any animal should be esteemed unsound which has suffered
from loss of or from change of any structure that ought to be present,
or has any affection which reasonably could subject it to remedial
treatment.

OSSIFIED CARTILAGES.

This signifies a conversion into osseous structure of the cartilages
naturally developed upon the wings of the coffin-bone, or the bone
of the foot. Here is a drawing of the largest specimen of this trans-
formation which the writer ever witnessed.
This was borrowed from the museum of
T. W. Gowing, Esq.; and, from the mag-
nitude of the disease, the writer should
imagine the posterior of the pastern must
have been in the living animal somewhat
deformed.

SPRUE? RAMA GES: In heavy horses, working upon London
eee ene, eae mal bree Stones, so certain are the cartilages to be-
eo ee the come ossified that several large firms pay
no attention to this defect. They prefer

an animal with a confirmed disease to a sound horse, which will be cer-
tain to be ill during the change, and the extent of whose subsequent
alteration no one can predicate. So far these purchasers act wisely;
but, in horses designed for fast work, ossified cartilages are a serious
defect. They frequently occasion lameness, and always interfere with
the pleasantness of the rider’s seat. When accompanied by ring-bone,
ossified cartilages give rise to the most acute and irremediable lameness.

Ossified cartilages are incurable. No drugs can force Nature to re-
store the original structure which has been destroyed. Once let a car-
tilage become ossified, and it remains in that condition for the creature’s
life. There is little difficulty in ascertaining when this change has taken
place. The hand grasps the foot just above the coronet; the fingers are
on one side, and the thumb upen the other. The cartilages lie at this
place, immediately under the skin. Cartilage is soft, pliable, and semi-
elastic. It yields very readily to pressure. However, when the thumb
and fingers forcibly press the part, if, instead of feeling the substance
under them yield, the hand is sensible only of something as hard as stone,
or any way approaching to such a character, that is proof positive the

 
ACUTE LAMINITIS. 367

cartilages are ossified, or are approaching change. If the horse has
recently gone lame, and the seat of cartilages feels of a mixed nature—
partly soft and partly hard—apply a
blister to the coronet, so as to convert
that which is a subacute process into an
acute action, and with the cessation of
activity hope to stop the deposit. Re-
peat the blister if absolutely necessary ;
but there is no occasion to subject more
than the coronet, and a couple of inches
above that structure, to the operation of
the vesicatory. Indeed, blisters act more
effectually upon eonfined spaces. This
is all that can be accomplished, save by good feeding and liberal usage:
these are essential, because every abnormal change denotes a deranged
system; and this is, in the animal, soonest mended by generous diet.
Perfect rest and two pots of stout per day may even be allowed, should
the pulse be at all feeble.

 

THE CERTAIN TEST FOR OSSIFIED CARTILAGES.

ACUTE LAMINITIS, OR FEVER IN THE FEET.

This term implies that the disease is confined to the laminw; the
word certainly warrants an inference that the other secreting surfaces
within the hoof are not implicated; such a meaning is generally con-
ceived to be intended. The name, by inducing erroneous opinion, does
much injury; the old appellation of fever in the feet is, therefore, much
more characteristic and altogether more correct.

The entire of the fleshy portion of the foot is involved in this terrible
affliction; any man, who has had an abscess beneath some part where
the cuticle is strong, or who has endured a whitlow, may very distantly
imagine the pain suffered by the horse during fever of the feet. Such
an individual, if his creative powers be very brilliant, may vaguely con-
jecture the torture sustained by the quadruped; but no power possibly
can realize to the full the anguish sustained by the animal. Man does
not, like the horse, rest upon his finger’s end, and, if he did, the pain he
would then suffer could not be likened to the terrible affliction borne by
the animal, for the following reasons: What is the weight of any man
to that of a quadruped? What is the thickness of his skin or the sub-
stance of his nail to the hardness and stoutness of the horse’s hoof?
The human skin is elastic, and the end of the finger permits some swell-
ing of its fleshy portion; but the secreting membrane of the horse’s foot
lies between two materials almost equally unyielding. Bone is within,
368 ACUTE LAMINITIS.

and horn is without; the heat soon dries the last and deprives it of its
elasticity; the first is naturally unyielding; thus the secreting substance,
largely supplied with blood, because of inflammation, and acutely en-
dowed with sensation when swollen and diseased, is compressed between
the two bodies as ina vice, To conceive the amount of anguish and to
imagine the violence of the disorder, we have only to recognize the
pathological law, that Nature is conservative in all her organizations ;
she protects parts in proportion to their importance to the welfare of her
creatures, and reluctantly allows injury to be inflicted on any vital organ,

“though she may even permit deprivation of those members which are
not essential to the animal economy.

A man may lose a leg; he can live, enjoy life, and to a certain extent
effect progression with a wooden substitute. Touch the heart of a man,
however, and being ends. The heart is guarded by the ribs, and so
securely is it protected that, even in battle, the organ is seldom punc-
tured; the hoof of the horse is almost as important to the animal as is
the heart to the human being. In a free state progression is necessary
to the support of the body; when domesticated, the horse is valued
according to its power to progress.

Yet, the member so important to the creature is, by the nature of
laminitis, frequently disorganized, and a valuable quadruped, by the
affliction, may be reduced from the highest price to a knacker’s purchase
money.

There is some dispute about the kind of hoof most liable to this dis-
ease. English authors incline toward the weak or slanting hoof. Con-
tinental writers, however, suppose the strong or upright hoof is most
exposed to the affliction. Neither party, however, assert any kind of
hoof to be exempt; therefore, it may be supposed, were all circum-
stances similar, every kind of foot would be equally subjected to
laminitis.

There is but one cause for acute laminitis—man’s brutality. Horses
driven far and long over hard, dry roads, frequently exhibit the disease.
Cab and post, as well as gentlemen’s horses, after a fine day at Epsom
or at Ascot, not unfrequently display the disorder. Animals which have
to stand and strain the feet for any period, as cavalry horses upon a long
sea voyage, if, upon landing, they are imprudently used without sufficient
rest, will assuredly fail with this incapacitating malady. Any extraor-
dinary labor may induce laminitis. Hunters, after a hard run, and racers,
subsequently to heats, are liable to be attacked; especially should the
ground be in the state we have before intimated.

Acute laminitis does not immediately declare itself; the pace of the
animal, when its work is drawing to a close, may be remarkable; but
ACUTE LAMINITIS. 369

this is attributed to the effects of exhaustion. The creature reaches the
stable; the surface of the body is rubbed over; the manger and the rack
are filled; a fresh bed is quickly shaken down, for, in the opinion of
grooms, quiet does horses extreme good. The animal is left for the
night, under the impression that it has everything one of the race could
require.

The next morning the horse is found all of a heap, and the food un-
touched; the flesh is quivering; the eyes are glaring; the nostrils are
distended, and the breath is jerking. The flanks are tucked up, the
back is roached, the head is erect, and the mouth is firmly closed; the
hind legs are advanced, to take the bearing from the inflamed fore mem-
bers; the front feet are pushed forward, so as to receive the least pos-
sible amount of weight, and that upon the heels; but the fect thus placed
are constantly on the move. Now, one leg is slightly bent; then, that
is down and the other is raised; the horse is, according to a vulgar
phrase, ‘‘dancing on hot irons.”

The first indications—food untouched, glaring eyes, etc.—represent
only excessive agony; the position of the body is symptomatic. The
hind feet are thrust under the
body in order to take the weight
from the front, or the diseased
organs; the fore feet are thrust
forward and the head held erect,
that the inflamed parts may be
as much as possible beyond the
center of gravity. In this atti-
tude the wretched quadruped
will stand, its sides heaving and
its flesh creeping with the pain
within the hoofs, and with the
fire that burns within the blood.
The teeth are occasionally heard
to grind against each other; ex-
pressive sounds sometimes issue from the throat, and partial perspirations
burst forth upon the body; it is a horrible picture of the largest agony!

The fore feet are mostly the seat of the disorder; all four may be in-
volved, but the author has only witnessed the two front affected. The
implication of the others are rather recorded wonders than general facts.
The writer, in his professional experience, has met no one to whom a
case of laminitis involving all four hoofs has been submitted.

Everything concerning laminitis is in confusion. It is not yet author-
itatively ascertained whether horses lie down or stand up—whether the

24

sities

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Ba
aa

 
  
        

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“PONT IF Lie -
ACUTE LAMINITIS, OR FEVER IN THE FEET.

 
8370 ACUTE LAMINITIS.

shoes should be taken off or left on—and what kind of treatment it is
proper to adopt. Any dispute about general facts pronounces both
parties wrong; it assures us that the experience of the disputants is
somewhat limited. The circumstances cannot be very marked where the
recognition is not universal: the treatment can only be not confirmed,
because none attended with conspicuous benefit has been proposed.
Horses do often lie down in laminitis; but they more generally stand.
When down, they should be suffered to remain; and when up, the first
thing done should be the employment of slings. Place the cloth under
the belly with the least possible noise; the man the horse is accustomed
to, with orders to soothe the animal when alarm is excited, should be
stationed at the head. The men who are arranging the slings should
pause on the slightest sign of fear, and only resume their labor when

 

A HORSE IN SLINGS, WITH THE FORE FEET IN HOT WATER, FOR ACUTE LAMINITIS.

confidence is restored. The ropes, however, must not be drawn tight
and fixed. The ends of the cords should, by means of two extra pul-
leys, be carried to some distance from the animal. To the end of each
rope ought to be fastened a stout ring, and on this, by means of hooks,
weights should be suspended. As the weights are added, the man should
caress the sufferer till sufficient counterpoise be attached to take the
principal bearing from the feet without offering much obstacle to the
breathing.

With regard to the shoes, we should first soften the hoof by allowing
the feet to soak in warm water in which a portion of any alkali has been
dissolved. The slings being applied, the fore feet are to be placed in a
trough of hot, soft water, and allowed to remain there till the hoof’ is
quite pulpy. Then one foot is to be gently raised and the trough par-
ACUTE LAMINITIS. 371

tially removed. All this must be done very quietly—not a word being
spoken—and all operation suspended at the appearance of the smallest
alarm. The man at the head must not for an instant quit his post.

The foot being released from the water, a sharp-pointed knife is to be
employed and the horn cut, so as to free every nail, till the shoe drops
off; but the iron should not be allowed to clatter on the ground.

This method is infinitely better than the common practice of taking
off the horse’s shoe. The smith removes the
shoe by a wrench, using his pliers for the pur-
pose of gaining extra power. No doubt the
metal had much better remain on than be thus
rudely displaced. But, in removing the shoe
from a softened foot, no smith is necessary, and
no smith should be employed: the veterinary

 

THE MANN OR IN WHICH THE
NAILS, WHICH FASTEN ON

+ i ils: THE SHOE, ARE TO BE RE-
surgeon should himself cut out the nails; and Fai eRe TRE) aoRaeS
no matter if an hour or two be occupied over EO UREN G ACUTE EOE

NITIS.
each foot. In laminitis there must be no hurry.

Before the shoes are removed, half a drachm of belladonna and fif-
teen grains of digitalis should be placed in the horse’s mouth. Both
drugs should be gently introduced, not as a draught or a ball, but in
substance, or in the smallest possible bulk. These medicines should be
repeated every half hour, till the breathing is easier and the pulse some-
what altered in character. Then some additional weight may be added
to the slings; and, by taking advantage of similar opportunities, the
animal may be eventually lifted almost off the ground without display-
ing any inclination to resist.

When the horse is in this position, open the jugular vein with a lan-
cet, making the least possible flurry. Abstract one quart of blood,

 

THE SYRINGE TO BE EMPLOYED TO INJECT BLOOD-WARM WATER INTO THE VEINS DURING ACUTE LAMINITIS.
THE MARK ON THE ROD DENOTES HOW FAR THE HANDLE IS TO BE PUSHED DOWN. (See Enteritis, p.170.)

which may be obtained with the greatest ease. Have ready a quart
syringe filled with water; inject one pint into the orifice whence two
pints of blood have been abstracted. The effect will be produced in a
few minutes. Copious purgation and perspiration will ensue, and the
fever will be greatly abated. Clothe the horse well up. Place before
him a pail of thin gruel with a bundle of green-meat, and enough has
been done for one day. But mind and leave two men to watch in the
stable throughout the first three nights.
372 ACUTE LAMINITIS.

On the following morning give a dose of ether and laudanum—two
ounces of both in a pint of water. Let the horse take his own time in
swallowing: do not care if half the drink should be lost. In fact, if
the attempt to give the physic should call forth much opposition, abstain
from administering it: quiet is of more importance than medicine. On
that account, strict orders should be given to admit no visitors, and the
strictest injunction concerning silence should be enforced.

The pulse and breathing must be watched; and, as either appear to
augment, the drugs before recommended must be introduced. Should
the artery on either side of the pastern throb, that sign indicates the foot
to be congested. This condition must be relieved. With a lancet open
both pastern veins, which are sure to be in a swollen state, and plunge
the foot up to the fetlock in warm water. A little blood abstracted by
this method does more good than the ample venesections so generally
advised, but which, from their tendency to lower the system, are apt to
prepare the way for the worst terminations to acute laminitis. Our
object should be to conquer the disease without reducing the strength ;
had the horse ten times its natural vigor, such an affliction as acute lam-
initis would more than exhaust it all. The failure of former practition-
ers has been chiefly owing to their inattention to this fact.

While the affection lasts, these measures must be pertinaciously
adopted; the fect, the entire time, must be repeatedly put in warm water,
not only to soften the horn, but because the chief pain is caused by the
congested or swollen condition of the secretive portion of the foot; con-
gestion, likewise, induces the terminations to be most feared; heat or
warmth is perhaps the best means of relieving loaded vessels. Cover
over the water or blind the horse’s eyes while in the slings, because acute
disease is likely to disorder the vision, and a sick, imprisoned animal is
too apt to be startled by the reflection of its own image. The author
has had reason to lament the neglect of such necessary precaution.

The termination to be feared is disorganization—either from the cast-
ing of the hoof or the descent of the coffin-bone from its natural situa-
tion. The first result is preceded by chronic suppuration. A slight
division is observed between hair and horn; and from the opening thus
occasioned a small quantity of unhealthy pus issues, mingled with much
bloody serum. Ultimately the entire hoof loosens and drops off, exposing
the fleshy parts beneath. Now, all these fleshy parts must have been
diseased before they could have separated from their secretion, and such
fleshy parts are not the lamine only, but all those represented in the
engravings on page 373.

The sudden exposure of parts which, during health, are covered and
protected, cannot otherwise than cause an extraordinary effect upon the
ACUTE LAMINITIS. 373

€

body of the sufferer. Persons who have lost a nail seldom have that
substance renewed in all its original integrity. Deformity or an imper-

  

THE SENSITIVE LAMINA AND CORONET DIVESTED THE SENSITIVE SOLE—FROG AND BARS DI-
OF THEIR HORNY COVERING. VESTED OF THEIR HORNY COVERING.

fect secretion is generally retained to mark the deprivation. Nature
appears averse to the restoration of any of her original structures.

Such a catastrophe is denominated sloughing of the hoof. After that
has occurred it is useless to prolong the suffering by
permitting the horse to live. Doubtless in time a sort
of new hoof would be produced, but it would only be a
deformity. It would want the toughness and strength
of the original formation.

Such was the hoof which used to succeed sloughing
under the old plan of treatment; the author is happy
to state he has not witnessed such a misfortune since — The new horny cover-
he has followed the practice which he here recommends. sae eee

The suppuration just spoken of was not of the copious eta eae
kind, but was a tardy secretion mingled with bloody “““ see
serum; it is astonishing such a fact should not have warned veterinary
surgeons against following depletive measures. ‘he effusion, however,
of which the writer has next to speak is entirely the result of weakness.
It does appear most strange that exhausting treatment should have been
pursued as with infatuation, despite of so evident a warning. The parts
which in health only secrete horn, during exhaustion throw out serum, or
the thinner portion of the blood. This separates the coffin-bone from
its attachments, while the imposed weight forces the loosened bone from
its natural position. To make this more clear, diagrams of a natural
foot, and of one which has suffered distortion from acute laminitis, are
represented on page 374. In the natural foot, the pedal bone is situated
close to the outer crust; in the laminitic foot, the bone is forced down-
ward toward the sole, which it ultimately penetrates. There is an artery
running around the lower edge of the coffin-bone; upon this artery the
animal, if suffered to live, would, after displacement of the coffin-bone,
be obliged to tread. The consequence is that a horse, having a foot
thus distorted, cannot by any possibility take a sound step; it lives in
torture and moves in anguish.

 

DIAGRAM.
374 ACUTE LAMINITIS.

This formation has been too generally spoken of as pumice foot,
whereas that peculiarity is altogether distinct. Pumice foot does not

  

 
 

DIAGRAM. DIAGRAM.

A section of the horse’s foot, showing the A section of the horse’s foot after one of
natural and relative situations of the the terminations to acute Jaminitis, ex-
bones which enter into the formation posing the interior of the hoof when
of the horse’s foot when io a healthy the coffin-bone has fallen from its orig-
state. inal situation.

entirely incapacitate the horse for labor; it is a chronic disease leading
to a very opposite species of distortion, or to a bulging of the sole such
as is here illustrated.

  

A SECTION OF THE HORSE’S FOOT, ILLUSTRATING THE THE DEFORMITY WHICH ENSUES UPON
DISTORTION WHICH CONSTITUTES PUMICE FOOT. DROPPING OF THE COFFIN-BONE.

After dropping of the coffin-bone has taken place, it is commonly said
that the hoof, struck upon the spot once occupied by the coffin-bone,
emits a hollow sound; such is not the fact.

The space supposed to be empty is immediately filled by an impure
horn—a soft, transparent substance, which, if the animal be permitted
to live, dries, or diminishes in bulk, and the front of the hoof falls in.
The author once beheld, working in a lime-pit near Reigate, an aged
animal which, some time previous, had suffered dropping of the coffin-
bone; the animal was shod with leather, and had a shoe lifted from the
ground by means of large calkins both before and behind. The hoof,
however, was terribly misshapen; it hardly admits of such a description
SUBACUTE LAMINITIS. 375

as would be readily understood; therefore the hoof is represented from
a sketch made upon the spot.

The other terminations to acute laminitis are metastasis and mortifi-
cation.

Metastasis is when the fever leaves the feet to fix upon some other
and remote part, as the lungs, bowels, brain, eyes, etc. Or, fever of the
feet is frequently asserted to be caused by the inflammation “dropping”
from those parts into the hoofs; when such changes ensue, the body
being already weakened, the attack is seldom of a very acute type; but,
nevertheless, it may be attended by disorganization, by distortion, or
even by death.

It is a bad symptom should no change be observed in the course of
the disorder before the expiration of the fifth day; some sad ending may
then be expected, but it does not invariably follow. The animal should
be watched night and day; all that can possibly be done to alleviate
its suffering should be put into practice. For that end, the writer has
found nothing equal in its soothing effects to perfect quietude, and good
gruel made with a portion of linseeds and of beans mixed with oatmeal.
But be sure that laminitis has departed from the feet before the slings
are removed; then, even supposing no metastasis to have occurred, do
not suddenly take all support from the horse, but remove a weight every
day, so that the restored parts may become gradually used to their orig-
inal functions. On the first sign indicative of a return to the disorder,
restore the full counterpoise and recommence treatment; for acute lami-
nitis is somewhat treacherous. Very cautiously exercise the invalid
upon a piece of meadow land; and, as the health appears restored,
gradually return to the usual method of treatment.

SUBACUTE LAMINITIS.

This is a variety of the former disease; the characteristic differences
between the two are thus stated by the esteemed late William Percival :—

“Tn neither form is laminitis the disease of the unbroken or unused
horse. Now and then acute laminitis will appear in the four or five year
old horse when newly taken into work; more commonly it is witnessed
incapacitating the horse when at work, and during the middle period of
life. Subacute laminitis, on the other hand, is very apt to select the
aged and worked animal. Secondly, acute laminitis is the immediate
effect of labor, hard either from its distressful character or its endurance.
Subacute laminitis, on the contrary, will make its appearance in the
stable where the horse has been for some time living in a state of idle-
ness or absolute rest. Thirdly, acute laminitis makes its attack directly
376 SUBACUTE LAMINITIS.

or shortly after the application of the exciting cause; subacute laminitis
approaches so gradually that it is often present some days before its
existence is discovered. Fourthly, acute laminitis is marked by great
suffering and accompanied by raging fever; in subacute laminitis fever
is not to be detected, and the mode of progression alone indicates suffer-
ing. Fifthly, acute laminitis may terminate in metastasis, suppuration,
and mortification; in subacute laminitis neither of these issues is to be
dreaded, for, if we do not succeed in producing resolution, dropping of
the coffin-bone is the customary ending to the disorder.”

The above, quoted from memory, presents a graphic contrast and an
admirable portrait of the disorder. It is so eloquent in its brevity that
it leaves nothing to be added; therefore the author will at once proceed
to state his views of the subject.

Subacute laminitis is always first noticed in the manner of progress-
ing. The master complains that the horse has become slower; that the
whip has lost influence over the body; and that the animal, when pro-
gressing, appears to jolt more than usual. This last observation indi-
cates the kind of horses to which subacute laminitis is principally con-
fined. Acute laminitis is almost the property of fast saddle-horses; the
subacute variety more especially belongs to harness-horses. The author

 

THE MANNER OF PROGRESSING WHEN SUFFERING UNDER SUBACUTE LAMINITIS.

has lately seen specimens of the subacute disease tugging those vehicles
which were once fashionable and which were called “cabriolets.” The
animal suffering this disorder endeavors to bring the heels only to the
ground. All its fumbling gait, its supposed sluggishness, and want of
appreciation for the whip are to be attributed to this desire—to take the
weight as much as possible from the seat of agony.

The success of treatment, in a great measure, depends upon the disor-
der being early detected. Get the horse immediately into slings, as was
directed for acute laminitis, and proceed in the same manner with the
NAVICULAR DISEASE. 377

removal of the shoe. Omit all bleeding. If the bowels are costive,
allow a portion of green-meat until the evil is removed; but do not
produce purgation. All medicine of a debilitating character must be
withheld. Give, night and morning, a quart of stout; allow two drinks,
each containing one ounce of ether, in half a pint of water, during the
day. This, with half-drachm doses of belladonna as needed to allay any
symptoms of pain, will constitute the whole of the treatment.

As regards food, it should consist of sound oats previously ground,
and a moderate allowance of crushed, old beans. The water should be
whitened, and all hay strictly withheld. The animal should not be left
night or day, and gentleness should be enjoined upon its attendant. The
food, however, should not be without limit; five feeds of corn are enough
for one day, if the horse will eat so much.

Should dropping of the coffin-bone end the attack, it is only charity
to terminate the existence. In Mr. W. Percival’s admirable work the
reader will find described at length a method proposed for restoring the
bone to its original position. The author has seen that plan tried more
than once, but never beheld any good result. The knacker has, in every
case, been called in to finish the unsuccessful experiment.

The horse, however, which recovers from an attack of laminitis, either
in the acute or subacute form, should ever after be shod with leather ;
and were this admirable practice universal, probably, by deadening con-
cussion, it might altogether eradicate the disease. The expense is the
objection to its adoption; but against the cost, the horse proprietor has
to ask himself, What are a few shillings extra, at each shoeing, to secure
immunity from that horrible disorder to which the servant of his pleasure
is exposed ?

NAVICULAR DISEASE.

This is the scourge of willing horse-flesh ; it is the disease from which
favorite steeds mostly suffer; it is not less fatal in its termination than
vexatious in its course and painful during its existence.

The malignancy of the disorder is expended upon the substances which
in health are without feeling, but which occasion the most acute anguish
when affected by disease—namely, bone, tendon, and synovial membrane.
Strictly confined to these structures, and frequently limited to a space
not half an inch in diameter, the suffering it occasions is such as often
provokes the sacrifice of the life, and invariably renders the animal next
to useless.

It is confined to the interior of the foot, being, as its name implies,
strictly located upon the navicular bone. The navicular bone is a small
bone attached to the posterior portion of the os pedis, and resting upon
378 NAVICULAR DISEASE.

the perforans tendon, which is inserted into the inferior surface of the
coffin-bone. A synovial sac is placed between the navicular bone and
superior surface of the tendon, on which the ossoeus structure reposes.
Synovial sacs are only found in places where motion is great and almost
incessant; thus the existence of this formation apprises us that the bone
and tendon, in a healthy state, are designed to move freely upon each
other. They do this while unaffected by dis-
ease; the foot, indeed, cannot be flexed, ex-
tended, retracted, or placed upon the ground
without this busy little joint being put into
motion. It is, perhaps, as essential a part—
though of small size—as any of the larger
structures which enter into the horse’s body.
Or RE Eat paEtaES Navicular disease, however, affects only the
a. The perforans tendon running lower surface of the bone; the upper surface

beneath the bone, and on

Reich itive oneizcposes: shares another synovial sac, which lubricates
b. The comparative size and rela-

oe eee the articulation of the coffin-bone with the
oy ae ee ey lower bone of the pastern. This upper surface

or eiondens Sao aee is never affected; the navicular bone may di-

lar disease is alone exhibited. minish or wither through disease, still the affec-

tion remains confined to its original situation ;
disease may lead to fracture of the bone or to rupture of the perforans
tendon, still the superior portion of the navicular bone to the last
exhibits a healthful condition.

This most annoying and terrible disorder springs from two causes.
The first was a very favorite crotchet of the late Professor Coleman, who
was always theorizing to the injury of the animal it was his office to
cure. The disease is now largely distributed through that gentleman’s
favorite maxim concerning the absolute necessity that there should be
pressure upon the frog. Every smith thus instructed tried to bring the
frog as near the ground as possible, and the consequence was the spread
of navicular disease. It is true, the frog, in a state of nature, was de-
signed to hear pressure; but surely it is folly to talk about the natural
condition of the horse when nothing like a wild horse exists. Here was
Coleman’s error; he legislated for the most artificial of living creatures,
which consumes only prepared food, and which moves only over labori-
ously manufactured roads, as if it had been in an undomesticated con-
dition, gamboling upon the untilled earth.

The second cause is, the parsimony of most horse proprietors. Would
these gentlemen have their favorites shod with leather, the smith would
be obliged to slightly raise the frog; while the leather—if good, stout,

3)
sole leather—and the stopping would protect the seat of navicular dis-

 

  
NAVICULAR DISEASE. 379

ease from injury. With regard to the first cause, it was recognized by
the late W. Percival, one of Coleman’s most enthusiastic pupils; and,
as concerns the last, its efficacy as a preventive needs no pleading nor
any reference to establish its merits.

The horse, when attacked, commonly has a good open foot—in fact,
before disease commences, the foot is healthy. An animal in this con-
dition is being ridden or slowly led out of the stable. In the last case
it, being fresh, may rejoice to feel and sniff the cool air of heaven. It
may prance about, and we may admire its attitudes; but in an instant
it becomes dead lame. So a horse may be mounted by a kind master;
the creature may be going its own pace, when, of a sudden, the move-
ment shall change, and the rider will be made conscious that his steed is
lame.

In either case the foot is examined. It is cool, quite cool; no stone
appears to have injured it—nor is any pebble sticking between the web
of the shoe and the sole. Yet the lameness is acute and does not pass
off. Now, to explain this, let the reader turn to the illustration which
was last presented.

The portion of the foot, immediately under the navicular bone, has
been placed upon a stone; the stone has been forced against the foot by
the immense weight of the horse imposed upon it. The stone, under
this impulse, has bruised the navicular bone. But the fleshy frog and the
perforans tendon would have to be passed before this effect could reach
the bone. Are neither of these also hurt? Doubtless they are. But
the fleshy frog is a highly organized, secretive organ, and probably, by
its innate energy, soon recovers from the effect. The tendon is, on the
contrary, too soft and yielding to retain any harsh impression. The
bone is firm and solid; and thus that which failed to act upon either of
the intervening parts, leaves a lasting injury upon the osseous structure,
which, moreover, is held stationary by the coronary bone, and which is
disposed to display injury, being covered by synovial membrane.

The navicular bone belongs to a peculiar class called ‘“sesimoid, or
floating bones.” These are more highly organized than the generality
of osseous structures—in short, quite as much, or rather more, than the
human tooth. Everybody must be acquainted with the anguish occa-
sioned by unexpectedly biting upon a hard substance. The tooth, how-
ever, is coated with crystalline enamel. The bone is covered by delicate
synovial membrane. The impression is, therefore, more likely to be
lasting with the last than the first.

After the expiration of a week, however, the lameness disappears, and
the proprietor fondly hopes all is over. The animal may work soundly
for months—sometimes it never fails again. Generally, however, after
380 NAVICULAR DISEASE.

some period, extending from six to nine months, the lameness reappears.
This time the treatment occupies a longer space; and the subsequent
soundness is of shorter duration. Thus the malady progresses; the
period occupied in curative measures lengthens, while the season of use-
fulness diminishes; till, in the end, the horse becomes lame for life.

The worst of it is, that the pain in the lame foot occasions greater
stress to be thrown upon the sound member; the result generally is that
both legs ultimately become affected with the like disease: such is ordi-
narily the case. The horse with a tender foot will always bring it
gently to the earth; but this circumstance obliges the animal to cast the
other foot to the ground with heedless impetuosity. The consequence
is, the sound foot is sooner or later forced upon some stone or other
inequality; from the law of sympathy, the disease subsequently makes
rapid strides; for at death both feet are usually found in a similar
condition.

The effect of these repeated attacks is soon shown. The anguish has
been likened to toothache, only it must assuredly be a toothache twenty

    

Nd SL

A HORSE, WITH NAVICULAR DISEASE, POINTING IN THE STABLE.

times magnified. All people know “there never yet was philosopher
who could withstand the toothache;” but think of the poor horse with
twenty toothaches compressed into one agony! The man can seek a
thousand changes to divert his suffering; the simple horse cannot even
drink intoxicating fluids, and has hitherto not learned to smoke. The
suffering, therefore, continues. And as man strives to spare a decayed
tooth by masticating on the other side of the mouth, the horse endeavors
to ease an aching foot by leaning all its weight upon a sound limb.
Thus it learns to point in the stable or to advance one leg beyond the
center of gravity, leaving the healthy member to support the entire
weight of the body.
NAVICULAR DISEASE. 381

A foot thrown out of use decreases in size. Nature has given certain
parts for certain purposes; and if these purposes are avoided, those
parts diminish in bulk. Wear the arm in a sling
for any extended period, and the arm will sensibly
grow smaller, or become withered. So the horse’s
foot, spared in progression and pointed in the
stable, obviously changes its shape. The quarters
draw inward; the heels narrow; the frog hardens
and decreases; the sole thickens and heightens; gy. yernr pasteRN AND
the crust becomes marked by rims and grows con- BARD, USTIELDING HOOF
siderably higher. In fact, the foot, from being — AYICUIAR DISEASE.
an open, healthy foot, becomes a strong, contracted, or diseased member.

The effect of the disease is speedily shown by the animal progress-
ing entirely upon the toe, whereby the front of the shoe becomes much
worn, as shown in the following engraving. Indeed, it is not unusual to
see shoes taken from horses having navicular disease with their front
edges worn positively to a cutting sharpness. When the animal is in

 

 

THE TROT, PECULIAR TO NAVICULAR DISEASE, GENERALLY TERMED GROGGINESS.

this stage, the mode of progression is usually what is termed grogey—
that is, the hind feet, which are never affected, step out as boldly as
ever; but the fore feet are limited in their action, They cannot be
advanced far, because extension causes the perforans tendon to press
upon the navicular bone; the leg cannot be bent, because flexion moves
the perforans tendon upon the navicular bone. The animal, thus doubly
disabled, endeavors to make up by quickened movement for that which
it lacks in perfect action. It dare not bring the heel to the ground or
take long steps. It therefore progresses upon the toes, and indulges in
very short but quick movements of the fore feet; and a horse thus
affected may be challenged, though unseen, by the “pater, patter! clat-
ter, clatter!” which it makes.
382 NAVICULAR DISEASE.

Navicular disease appears to the author to have been entirely mistaken
as regards its treatment. It is administered to as though it consisted in
violent and acute inflammation, whereas it is caused by a different pro-
cess—namely, ulceration. Inflammation excites the whole system, and
occurs in strong bodies: ulceration is a diseased condition peculiar to
the aged and to the weakly. Navicular disease is, so far as the writer’s
knowledge extends, unknown in the unbroken animal. It mostly affects
the adult or the aged. It is not inflammatory; for the foot, in the first
instance, exhibits no heat, and, in the after-stages, never becomes more
than warm. Often the warmth is so very slight that practitioners have
to adopt a kind of stratagem to determine which is the more hot of the
fore feet. A pail of water is brought forward, and sufficient to thor-
oughly wet both hoofs is thrown over the feet. The parts are then
watched ; and that which becomes dry the sooner is reasonably consid-
ered the warmer hoof of the two.

Moreover, the consequences of this disease are absorption, which it
takes years to effect—not deposition, which is accomplished in a few
days. The bone lessens in size, sometimes grows thin, till ultimately it
may fracture; the tendon loses in substance, and its fibers separate, till
at length they may rupture. All internal structures which enter into
the composition of the foot grow less and less, till the hoof becomes
obviously small or contracted; for it is a law of nature that, in the living
creature, the contents should govern the covering: thus the brain con-
trols the skull, the lungs regulate the chest, etc. etc. The horn alone
increases ; but it is a curious fact that Nature always endeavors to pro-
tect the part she allows to suffer from disease: thus in rickets, with
children, the bones of the legs frequently curve;
but Nature, true to her principles, strives, by
extra deposition, to strengthen the parts which
threaten to break through weakness.

All tokens declare the navicular disease to
be a chronic affection, attended by symptoms
of bodily weakness. The accompanying exam-
ple of the disorder, taken from the body of a

horse which was killed for incurable lameness,
A MORBID PREPARATION, KINDLY

LENT To THe Avtuor BY 7. w. Will illustrate fully this fact.
GOWING, ESQ.

 

In this specimen, the navicular bone occupies
The diseased surface of the na- E : 4
vicular bone exposed, and the its natural situation between the wings of the
affected tendon turned back up- mS , ¥
onthe lower part of theospedis. og pedis. That portion of the tendon which
once shared and concealed the disease is turned
back upon the sole of the coffin-bone. What does the inspection dis-

close? Three small holes within the bone, and a few stains of blood,
NAVICULAR DISEASE. 383

which denote irritation upon the tendon. For, as the disease progresses,
synovia ceases to be secreted, the navicular joint becomes dry, and is
subject to the most torturing irritation every time the leg is moved.

That the one presented may not by the reader be supposed an extreme
case, produced to support the writer’s opinions, another specimen of the
disease is given; but, on this last occasion, both sides of the navicular
bone shall be exhibited. The upper surface appears perfectly healthy ;
the lower surface only displays a large clot of blood, and a small but
comparatively a deep hole.

 

THE SUPERIOR SURFACE OF THE NAVICULAR BONE. THE INFERIOR SURFACE OF THE SAME BONE,

Supposing the reader to be convinced of the justness of the writer’s
views, the treatment which these recommend shall be stated. Ulceration
in any form proves the body to be weak or exhausted. Feed liberally,
chiefly upon crushed oats and old beans. Attend to any little matter in
which the horse’s body may be wrong; but do little to the foot beyond,
every other night, soaking it one hour in hot water, for the first fortnight.
Afterward apply flannel bandages to the leg, put tips upon the hoofs,
and wrap the feet up in a sponge boot, having first smeared the horn
with glycerin. This, with a very long rest, is all it is in our power to
accomplish. The rest, however, should be proportioned only to the pro-
prietor’s pocket or to his powers of endurance. In the first instance,
six months’ rest in a well-aired stable, and three subsequent months at
slow agricultural employment, will not be thrown away, but will be likely
to prevent future annoyances. After one relapse, the treatment is all
but hopeless. The horse may be again restored to soundness; but the
disease, which has with time gained strength, will be all but certain to
reappear.

This, probably, may be the fittest place for stating the writer’s reason
for objecting to the treatment generally adopted.

Bleeding from the toe is decidedly objected to, because there never
are any signs of inflammation present, but rather those symptoms which
favor the belief that too little blood circulates within the foot. Blister-
ing the coronet is more likely to augment the crusts than to reach the
disease ; and the tendency of navicular derangement is to thicken the
horn. The same reasoning applies to paring out the foot and placing
the hoof in poultices; it is more likely to act upon, and lead to activity
in, the secreting membrane, which is near the surface, than to operate
384 NAVICULAR DISEASE.

beneficially upon a remote joint. Objection is taken to the feet standing
in clay, because the cold produced by evaporation is disposed to drive
blood from the parts, which already have too little.

In extreme cases, neurotomy, or division of the nerve, is the only
resort. For a detailed account of that operation the reader is referred
to the next chapter. It permits the horse to be of some service to the
master, and allows the animal an escape from the agonies of a cruel dis-
ease ; it is, however, not final. It conceals the lameness; it rarely cures
the disorder. The internal ravages may still go on; and, though the
nerve of the leg has been properly divided, yet at an uncertain period
nerves generally reunite, and the part which was deprived of sensation
may become once more sensitive to pain. Moreover, no eye can look
upon the internal ravage. Sensation destroyed in a foot tempts the
horse to throw even more than its proportion of weight on a part weak-
ened by disease. The bone has fractured, or the tendon has ruptured,
under too sudden a test of their integrity.

For the above reasons, neurotomy is always most successful when
early performed. In the primary state of the disorder, a restoration
of the foot to its healthy functions has seemed to banish the affection.
Pressure being given to the neurotomized organ, health has occasion-
ally returned; and when the time has arrived for the reunion of the
nerve, that event has been signalized by no reappearance of lameness.

But when the disorder has continued so long as to weaken the struc-
tures of the foot, operation is always attended with hazard. The nerve
may be properly divided; the operation shall be admirably performed ;
still the parts, weakened by the joint actions of active disease and of
long rest, have become disorganized. Pressure being suddenly restored,
the debilitated structures could not sustain the restoration of that burden
they were originally formed to endure. Rupture or fracture was the
result; and the veterinary surgeon, despite his admirable talent, is dis-
graced by being obliged to order the immediate destruction of that
animal which it was intended he should have benefited.

For the above reasons, and because the sound member is always dis-
posed to exhibit the disorder which incapacitates one foot, never delay
adopting the only chance of certain relief. If from pecuniary motives,
or from better but mistaken feelings, the proprietor hesitates to subject
his dumb companion to the surgeon’s knife, never afterward should he
repent of such a resolve. With delay the opportunity of benefit has
passed ; the operation, to be successful, should be resorted to upon the
second appearance of acute and decided lameness.
CHAPTER XIV.

INJURIES—THEIR NATURE AND THEIR TREATMENT.

 

POLL EVIL.

Poll evil consists of a deep abscess, ending in an ulcerous sore which
has numerous sinuses. The situation of the affection is the most for-
ward portion of the neck, near the top of the head, which part is pecu-
liarly liable to injury, especially in agricultural horses.

The gentlemen who superintend the laying down of stable floors always
make the pavements of the stalls to slant from the manger to the gang-

 

THE POSITION OF THE HEAD BEFORE AN ENLARGEMENT ANNOUNCES THE EXISTENCE OF AN ABSCESS ON
THE POLL.

way. They either know nothing about the habits of the horse, or they
disdain to think about so trivial a matter as the convenience of an ani-
mal. Their stables are built for men; and it is sufficient if the places
will hold whatsoever man chooses to put into such out-buildings.

The horse is most at ease when the position takes the strain off the
flexor tendons. That end is accomplished when the hind legs are the
higher portion of the body, or when. the ground slants in precisely the
opposite direction to which the flooring of all present stables incline.
The animal, finding the slope which is most convenient for the builder’s
purposes adverse to its comfort, endeavors to compound the matter by

25 (385)
386 POLL EVIL.

hanging back upon the halter, thus getting the hind feet into the open
drain which always divides the stalls from the gangway.

The rope should be stout which has to sustain the huge weight of the
horse; in proportion to that weight, of course, must be the pressure
upon the seat of poll evil. Pressure, as a natural consequence, stops
circulation. Upon circulation being freely performed, health, secretion,
and even life itself is dependent. The flow of blood to any part of the
body cannot be long prevented without unpleasant sensations being en-
gendered. Numbness and itching are the first results. The horse tries
to master these by rubbing its head violently against the trevise or divi-
sion of the stall. Friction, when applied to an irritable place, is never
a soothing process; when instituted by the huge strength of a horse, its
probable ill effects may be easily surmised. It is, therefore, no legiti-
mate cause for wonder if some of the fleshy substances, compressed
between the external wood and the internal bones of the neck, become
bruised, and deep-seated abscess is thus provoked.

This, however, is not the sole cause; there are others equally potent
and generally springing from the same source—namely, from human folly.
How much of animal agony might be spared if man, in the pride of
superiority, would deign to waste an occasional thought upon the poor
creatures which are born and live in this country only by his permission
and to labor in his service! Stable doors are commonly made as
though none but human beings had to pass through them. The tallest
of mankind, probably, might enter a stable without stooping; but does
it therefore follow that a horse can pass under the beam without assum-
ing a crouching position? Many horses learn to fear the doorway.
They shy, rear, or prance, whenever led toward it. Man, however,
refuses to be instructed by the action of his mute servant; those symp-
toms of fear, which are the bitter fruits of experience, are attributed to
the patient and enduring quadruped as exhibitions of the rankest vice.

Low doors, such as usually belong to stables, are among the most
frequent causes of poll evil. The horse, when passing through them,
is either surprised by something it beholds outside the building, or
checked by the voice of the groom. The sudden elevation of the head
is, in the animal, expressive of every unexpected emotion. Up goes the
crest and crash comes the poll against the beam of the doorway. A
violent bruise is thereby provoked, and a deep-seated abscess is the sad
result.

The horse likewise suffers from the representatives in brutality of him
for whose benefit it wears out its existence. Carters display their
ignorance by getting into violent passions with their teams. “Whooay”
and “kum hup” are shouted out; the huge whip is slashed and snaffle
POLL EVIL. 384

vo

jagged, till mute intelligence is fairly puzzled. Were mortals in the like
position, subject to the same terrible chastisement, and, at the same
time, forbid to inquire the wishes of their commander, they would be
in no better condition. The panting, sweating, and starting of the poor,
confused quadrupeds announce their terror. The driver, too enraged
to understand himself, and too impatient to delay punishment upon the
objects of his wrath, resorts to the butt-end of his heavy whip. Some
wretched animal is struck upon the poll, for the head is always aimed at
when stupidity quarrels with its own ignorance, and a dreadful disorder
is established.

All the causes of poll evil may, however, be reduced to one—namely,
to external injury. The first result of such a cause is pain whenever
the head is moved. Motion enforces the contraction of the bruised
muscles; and the agony growing more and more acute, the sufferer
acquires a habit of protruding the nose in a very characteristic manner
long before the slightest symptom of the malady can be perceived.
When forced to bend the head toward the manger, it generally hangs
back to the length of the halter; for although so doing occasions pain,
the position renders the necessary angle of the head upon the neck as
little acute as possible. The anguish attendant upon the earlier stages
of the disease is exemplified by the length of time occupied in emptying
the manger. At this stage nothing is apparent; at this period also
great cruelty is too often exercised when the collar is forced over the
head regardless of the struggles of the acutely-diseased animal.

Should the seat of poll evil at this stage of the disease be par-
ticularly examined, the most lengthened inspection, when prompted by
expectation, may fail to detect even an indication of probable enlarge-
ment. Pressure, or enforced motion of the head, excites resistance. <A
few weeks in some cases, and the swelling becomes marked or prominent.
In others, the enlargement is never well developed: instances of this
last kind invariably are the most difficult to treat, for in them the seat
of the disorder is always most deeply seated. The size of the tumor is
therefore always to be hailed as a promise that the injury is tolerably
near the surface, and, consequently, more under the influence of remedial
measures.

After pressure has been made, the agony occasioned causes the animal
to be difficult of approach. The common method of examination is,
however, very wrong. No good is done by inflicting torture. Some-
thing, on the contrary, is concealed. Place the fingers lightly on the
part, aud allow them to remain there till the fear, excited by a touch
upon a tender place, has subsided. Then, and not till then, gradually
introduce pressure. The more superficial the injury, the more speedy
8388 POLL EVIL.

will be the response. The longer the time and greater the force requi-
site to induce signs of uneasiness, the deeper, as a general rule, will be
the center of the disease.

In either case there is little good accomplished by those applications
which are recognized as mild measures. Fomentations and poultices
commonly waste valuable time, and, at last, prove of no avail. There-
fore, blister over the place. Obviously, the employment of more active
treatment is at present forbidden. Do not, however, give the carter so
much liquid blister, to be rubbed in by his heavy and coarse hand; but
lightly paint over the seat of the supposed hurt with spirituous or
acetous tincture of cantharides. Do this daily till copious irritation is
produced, and, before that dies away, repeat the dressing. Keep up
the soreness, but do no more. Never apply the tincture upon active
vesication, otherwise a foul sore, ending in a lasting blemish, may he the
result. Make the poll merely painful. An additional motive will thereby
be instituted to keep the head perfectly quict, for constant motion pro-
vokes the worst consequences of poll evil, causing the confined pus to
burrow, or to form sinuses.

The foregoing treatment has been proposed because the tincture,
when applied by means of a brush, penetrates the hair more quickly,
acts quite as energetically, and is less likely to run down upon other
parts than the oil of cantharides, which the heat of the body always
renders more liquid. It is advised to be used, because it establishes an
external inflammation. Inflammations in living bodies, like fires prey-
ing upon inanimate substances, have
an attraction for each other. All
injuries which lead to suppuration
likewise have a tendency to move
toward the surface; and these two
laws, acting together, very probably
may tend to the speedier develop-
ment of poll evil, thereby shorten-
ing the sufferings of the animal.
Should they not have that effect,
the vesicatory is beneficial. About
the head of the horse are numerous
layers of thin tendon, which are termed fascia. Through this substance
matter absorbs its way with difficulty. It is, therefore, almost impris-
oned, and motion always disposes the pus to seek new outlets. Thus
pipes or sinuses are formed; these constitute one of the worst symp-
toms attendant upon poll evil.

As soon as the swelling appears, watch it attentively. Wait till

 

POLL EVIL DURING THE FIRST STAGE.
POLL EVIL. 889

some particular spot points, or till it feels softer, if it be not more
prominent than the surrounding substance. Then have the animal cast.
Being down, take a keen knife and open the spot before indicated. That
being accomplished, pause while the secretion flows forth. Afterward
insert into the cut a small, flexible probe. When its progress is impeded,
employ the knife with a director. Continue doing this till the seat or
center of the disease has been gained.

Remember, however, you are not hacking at the family loaf; it is
living and sensitive flesh you are wounding. Therefore, be very careful
your knife is thoroughly sharpened, and is of sufficient size; mind, also,
that all the cuts run smoothly into one another, so as to leave clean sur-
faces for the healing process to unite. Having reached the heart of the
disorder, proceed to empty out all the conercte matter. That done, wash
out the part with a syringe and the coldest spring water. Afterward
examine the cavity. Excise any loose pieces of tendon or of ligament,
and cut until a healthy aspect is everywhere presented. Then rub the
sides of the deep-seated wound with lunar caustic. Let the horse rise,
giving orders that the sore is to be thoroughly moistened thrice daily
with the solution of the chloride of zine, one grain to the ounce of water,
and, placing a rag dipped in a solution of tar over the wound to keep
off the flies, return the horse to the stable.

If the disease be left to run its course, the swelling generally increases,
while numerous openings at last disfigure the enlargement. From such
drain a glairy discharge. This adheres to the surrounding parts, and,
joined to the miserable expression of the countenance, gives to the horse
a peculiarly unpleasant appearance. The flesh wastes under the per-
petual anguish, and the half-conscious aspect of the creature justifies a
suspicion that the brain is affected.

In that case, proceed as before directed concerning casting the horse
and the knife with which you operate. Have the blade rather too large
than too small. Most veterinary instruments are mere adaptations of
those employed by the human surgeon. The author never remembers
to have seen anything approaching to the magnitude of a proper horses
operating knife in the hands of his fellows. A small blade compels
numerous small cuts. The part is rather snipped asunder than divided
by one clean incision. The recovery is thereby materially delayed; and
the lengthened operation greatly deteriorates from its chances of success,
not to dwell upon the increased suffering occasioned to the quadruped.

The horse being down, do not attempt any display of your proficiency.
Look well and long at the part intended to be operated upon. Decide
in your own mind the course in which the knife is to move. That course
should be influenced by the direction in which you may probably sepa-
390 POLL EVIL.

rate the greater number of sinuses. In the engraving inserted below there
are four holes, each indicating the presence of a sinus. The supposed
direction of the knife is laid down by dotted lines. The primary and
lower incision includes three of the pipes. That made, another connects
the other sinus with the longer incision ; the after-labor necessitates the
cleaning of the central sac, removing all the hanging pieces, also probing
the sinuses, and making sure
all are fairly opened. If any
are found unopened, a director
should be inserted, and the
channel should be connected
with the chief wound by means
of a smaller knife.

Two cautions are necessary
sas to be given with regard to the

POLL EVIL IN ITS SECOND STAGE, OR WHEN READY FOR treatment of poll evil: Never
OPLRATION, . . .
permit the knife to be applied
upon the root of the mane. Underneath the hair which decorates the
neck of the horse lies an important ligament, by means of which the
head is chiefly supported. All the evils which might be anticipated
may not spring from the division of that development; but it is well to
spare it, although the prostrate animal should have to be turned over,
and the operation have to be continued on the other side. Also, when
working the creature subsequent to its recovery, never use a collar.
Wounds, although perfectly healed, are apt to remain morbidly sensitive ;
serious accidents, over which the reader would deeply grieve, may occur
from the harness touching the part which once was diseased. A breast
strap is, therefore, to be much preferred.

There are several popular methods of treating this disease. All,
however, are cruel; one is barbarous; when properly conducted, none
are efficient under the direction of a person possessing the smallest feel-
ing. The injection of potent caustics in solution, or violent compression
upon an exqnisitely tender swelling even until the force employed amounts
to that power which can bring the sides of a distant internal cavity to-
gether, drive out the corruption, and hold the part in that position while
healing is established, have been largely advocated. Whoever could
increase the suffering of a mute and patient life to that degree which the
last method necessitates would merit a much severer punishment than
the writer can afford space to detail. Of these modes of cure the author
can profess no experience. He has, however, seen injections used; in
no instance have they been successful. The time which they occupied
was enormous, and the expense with which they were attended by no

 
FISTULOUS WITHERS. 391

means small. The man who hopes to eradicate this disease should never
have recourse to them.

Another process, formerly very popular, consisted in slicing the living
flesh in a very coarse and vulgar manner; that, however, was merely
preparatory. The chief dependence was placed in boiling liquor, which
was inhumanly poured into the wounds. After such a method were all
sinuous sores treated by an ignorant and uneducated quack, who espe-
cially delighted in eradicating such forms of disease. The writer has
heard terrible descriptions given of the agony produced, and equally
revolting has been the picture of the filth employed by this unqualified
horse doctor. While, however, the course which has been mentioned is
reprobated, our heaviest condemnation should alight upon those persons
who could so violate the sacredness of their trusts as to surrender any
creature to the torments of so horrible a remedy.

In poll evil, the only certainty reposes on the knife. When properly
employed, the operation is brief; the temporary agony bears no propor-
tion to the years of subsequent relief thereby secured. To be properly
employed, however, it should be used as though the person invested with
it was, for the time, divested of all feeling. He who accepts it must
think only upon what he is about to perform, and must summon resolu-
tion to do it quickly. In surgery, hesitation is positive cruelty; the
knife, to be curative, should be gracefully moved through the living flesh.
All notching and hacking are tortures, and worse than folly; the blade
should sweep through the substance; and, to prevent the struggles of
the quadruped from interfering with the intentions of the surgeon, all
that will be necessary is for some person to sit upon the cheek of the
prostrated animal.

FISTULOUS WITHERS.

This disease, in its chief characteristics, closely resembles poll evil.
It, however, differs from that disorder in one fortunate particular; poll
evil must come to maturity before its cure can be attempted with any
hope of success. Injury to the withers is easiest eradicated when
attacked upon its earliest appearance; both, however, in their worst
periods, proceed from pus being confined, from it decomposing and its
establishing numerous sinuses. When disease has reached this stage,
he only certain cure is the free but skillful use of the knife.

Fistulous withers, in the first instance, is an injury to one of the
superficial bursee which nature has provided to facilitate the movement
of the vertebral, points spinal under the skin. The hurt is occasioned
by badly-made saddles, but more especially by the ladies’ saddles.
Some fair equestrians delight to feel. their bodies lifted into the air, and
399 FISTULOUS WITHERS.

“a

enjoy the trivial shock of the descent; such movements, however, neces-
sitate the weight should be leaned upon the crutch and stirrup. This kind
of exercise is never indulged in by good female riders, as no saddle,
however well constructed, can resist the constant strain to one side.
Friction is produced; a bursa is irritated, and the animal will, under
the best treatment, be rendered useless for a fortnight. Rolling in the
stalls is also reported to have occasioned this affection; so likewise is
the heavy hammer of the shoeing smith, intemperately employed to
chastise the transient movement of an observant horse.

When first produced, the remedy is certain and easy. <A swelling
about the size of an egg appears near the withers, upon the off side of
the body. Go up to the horse upon that side; have with you a keen-
edged and sharply-pointed knife of pocket dimensions. Stand close to
the animal; then impale the tumor, and, having the back of the blade
toward the quadruped, cut quickly upward and outward. Mind, and
stand very close to the center of the body, as the pain of this trivial
operation is apt to make the creature
lash out and prance. At the spot in-
dicated a person is perfectly safe;
neither hoof nor leg will touch that
particular place, or even come near
it. Rest one hand on the back, and
by your voice reassure the startled
creature.

The swelling being divided, ex-
change the knife for a lunar caustic
case; smear over the interior well
with the cautery, and all the business
is over. Never, however, attempt to

 

THE SLIGHT ENLARGEMENT WHICH, BADLY
Pear ae ae UNE ne ees Tes MRE ND pass by the heels of a steed which has

IN FISTULOUS WITHERS,
been pained. The animal may sus-

pect your motives, and the hind feet of the horse are the most powerful
weapons of offense and of defense. Have the creature backed from the
stall ere you attempt to quit it. Subsequently keep the wound moist
with the lotion composed of chloride of zinc—one grain to the ounce
of water; also have the part covered with a rag, moistened with solu-
tion of tar. In nine or ten days the incision will have healed, and after
the lapse of a fortnight the animal may return to its ordinary employ-
ment.

Should this remedy be neglected, pus is soon formed within the en-
largement, and the formation is accompanied by swelling, heat, and
pain. The horse is useless, and continues thus till the affection is
FISTULOUS WITHERS. 393

eradicated. The animal cannot wear a collar; it cannot endure a sad-
dle ; at length numerous holes are formed upon the enlargement. These
are the mouths of so many sinuses, and from each exudes a foul dis-
charge. The poor quadruped evidently suffers greatly; it will almost
stand still aud starve rather than brave agony by violent motion.

The only remedy is by operation; make an incision so as to embrace
the greatest number of holes. Then cut from the other openings into
the main channel ; this done,
have the sides of the wound
held back, while the center
of corruption is cleaned out.
Such is a very filthy and un-
pleasant office; if the bones
are affected, all the diseased
parts must be removed.
When slight, the tainted por-
tions may be scraped away;
when of long standing, the
spines of the vertebra have
been sundered with the saw and thus taken from the body. At any
risk, none but healthy bone must be suffered to remain; all discolored
or white portions of the bony structure must be extirpated, and none
but that which is of a healthy pink color suffered to continue. If a
particle of unhealthy, osseous growth is left behind, the wound may
close, but it will break out again, and the disease become as bad as
ever.

The cleansing being accomplished, apply the cloth over the wound,
and keep wet with the lotion formerly directed to be used.

Sometimes the sinuses will take a dangerous direction, and, favored
by the action of the shoulder, will burrow from the withers to the chest
or elbow. Then the knife cannot be employed. Should a pipe incline
to this course, but be of comparatively short extent, insert a little
bichloride of mercury down the channel. This is best done by powder-
ing some of the salt. Dip the elastic probe, which has recently been
down the sinus, into the powder. Reinsert it, and continue to repeat
this action till all the bichloride is expended.

If the sinus should have run its entire course, but not have found an
exit below, then employ a long guarded seton needle, such as can be
purchased at all veterinary instrument makers. Insert this in its
guarded state, and, having pushed it as far as it will go, give, upon
the end of the handle, a moderately sharp blow; this will force out the
cutting edge and drive the point through the flesh. Pass a long tape,

 

A HORSE WITH FISTULOUS WITHERS IN THE WORST STAGE.
394 FISTULOUS PAROTID DUCT.

with a knot at the farther end of it, through the opening near the point,
and withdraw the instrument, leaving the tape in after another knot has
been tied at the other extremity.

Thus a seton is established, and a depending orifice is instituted.
The tape will act as a drain to the morbid secretion, while the irritation
produced by it will also remove the callous lining of the pipe. A
healthy action will thereby be established; and so soon as the inferior
wound discharges a full stream of thick, creamy pus, the seton may be
cut out, with a conviction that its office is fulfilled.

 

Tis SETON NekbLi PROTRUDED, AND SECURED WITHIN THE HANDLE BY MEANS OF A SCREW.

The screw being loosened, the button is struck, and the sharp needle shoots forward, cutting its way
through any interposing obstacle.

However, never turn animals afflicted with fistulous withers or with
poll evil out to grass. In the last disease, the motion of the head, the
outstretching of the neck, and movement of the jaws occasion agony;
and in the first instance, the necessity for perpetual action entails so
much misery as soon renders the life worthless. The horse which is
not worth the best of food in the best of stables, should not be doomed
to a life of starvation and of torture. It is the shame of society that
rich men are tempted by a few pounds to dispose of the creature which
has been maimed in their service. Wounds endured when obeying the
wishes of the master should endear the slave unto his lord. In the case
of the willing steed, the law is reversed. The owner blemishes; and
instead of nursing the wounded life, he disposes of it. The injured
animal is sold to the first purchaser for so much as the damaged article
will fetch.

FISTULOUS PAROTID DUCT.

This is a most serious evil, rather than a quickly-killing disease. The
animal which is thus afflicted may endure for years; but each meal con-
sumed and each day survived rates as a period of misery. When it is
considered how much the happiness of the lower order of beings de-
pends on merely feeding and living, it will be at once apparent how
much the horse has lost when all enjoyment has departed from eating ;
when mere existence is embittered by being a prolongation of the suf-
fering. The digestion becomes deranged, because the saliva, or a
FISTULOUS PAROTID DUCT. 395

valuable secretion imperative to the proper performance of the function,
is absent; while every movement is a pain occasioned by the agony of a
diseased stomach and the anguish attendant upon a fistulous sore. The
wretched creature, in this condition, speedily becomes an object of dis-
gust to the most humane master; and, according to the convenient
morality of modern times, is therefore sold to the highest bidder. Pur-
chased only for the work which remains in the carcass, a fearful doom
lies before: the sick and debilitated quadruped. It rapidly sinks lower
and lower, at each stage of its descent the food growing more scanty
as the labor becomes more exhausting.

The parotid duct is the tube by which the saliva secreted by the
gland is, during the act of mastication, conveyed into the mouth and
mingled with the food. The parotid gland lies at the spot where the
neck joins the jaw; within the interior of that body numerous fine
hollow vessels connect and unite. These at each junction become larger
and fewer in number, till at length they all terminate in one channel,
which is the duct immediately about to be considered. It leaves the
gland and travels for some space upon the inner side of the jaw; after
which it curls under the inferior border of the bone and runs in front of
the large masseter muscle of the horse’s cheek.

Its injury is frequently occasioned by hay-seeds or particles of food,
during the process of comminution, entering the open mouth of the
duct; these, subsequently becoming swollen, prevent the free egress of
the saliva. The secretion, nevertheless, goes forward and accumulates
within the tube, which it greatly distends. A confined secretion pro-
duces the most exquisite agony. The
motion of the jaw stimulates the gland to
pour forth its fluid; thus every mouthful
which the animal is forced to eat not only
is the cause of suffering, but likewise occa-
sions additional pressure to a channel
already enlarged to bursting, and which
at length bursts.

Another provocative is calculus, or
stone, which is sometimes taken from the

 

cheeks of horses, they being of enormous tm veins Sen Siineiben 43 A SAL
comparative magnitude ; the natural tube , 2

would not admit a pea. Concretions have been removed from this nar-
row passage as large as a pullet’s egg. Such an obstacle not only
impedes the flow of saliva, but produces additional anguish by the dis-
tention it occasions, and by the hinderance so hard a substance offers to

every motion of the animal jaw during the necessary period of mastication.
396 FISTULOUS PAROTID DUCT.

Every puncture made into the substance of the duct, and every rup-
ture of the canal, speedily becomes fistulous sores. The saliva constantly
pours through the opening thus instituted; the healing process is thereby
prevented, aud the edges of the wound rapidly become callous. It is,
however, painful to be obliged to state that the stable fork, in the hand
of an intemperate groom, is the instrument by which these punctures are
too frequently occasioned.

Gentlemen when engaging people to attend upon their animals should
always be very particular concerning temper. An irritable person, how-
ever smart he may appear, is obviously disqualified for such an oceupa-
tion. A man of an evil temper should never be engaged. Still, the great
majority of present grooms are rather conspicuous for an exuberance of
conceit, than remarkable for any openness of countenance. Smartness
may gratify the pride of the master; but it is difficult to comprehend in
what manner it possibly can benefit his horse.

There is an old proverb which, being ‘the condensed wisdom of
ages,” teaches that ‘the master’s eye fattens the steed.” Most of
modern masters dislike nothing so much as trouble. The stable is given
over to the servant. No Eastern despot is so absolute as the groom in
his dominions: he kicks and abuses its inhabitants at his pleasure. If
the free exercise of his will occasions injury, a lie is easily invented and
readily believed by the lazy superior. All that comes into or passes out
of the building pays toll to the invested ruler. Five per cent. is levied
upon the hay and corn merchant; the dung is sold as a legitimate per-
quisite; the bills of the harness and the
coach makers are taxed one shilling in the
pound by the most ignorant groom, and
often much higher by the properly initiated.
Thus the idle man pays dearly for his ease.
There is no luxury so expensive as a want
of wholesome energy. ‘

The process of mastication causes the
saliva to be secreted. At each motion of
the jaw it is squirted forth with violence;
every drop of the fluid passes through the
false opening—no portion finds its way into

the mouth. The running of the stream
- Reg Ee ak GROMER down the cheek wears away the hair,
while the absence of a valuable constitu-
ent toward perfect digestion occasions the diet not to nourish the body.
The animal loses flesh, and quickly assumes a miserable appearance,
which makes the proprietor long to rid his sight of so pitiable an object.

 
FISTULOUS PAROTID DUCT. 397

The cure for this disease was aptly illustrated by Mr. Gowing, the
excellent veterinary surgeon of Camden Town. ‘That gentleman made
an adhesive fluid, by either saturating the strongest spirit of wine with
gum mastic, or dissolving India-rubber in sulphuric ether. Then, when
the horse was not eating, he pared off the hardened edges of the wound
till blood issued therefrom. He subsequently allowed the bleeding to
stop, and placed over the orifice a piece of strained India-rubber.
Over that he put a thin layer of cotton; fastened one end of the cotton
to the hair of the cheek by means of the adhesive preparation. That
being dry, he tightened the cotton and glued down the opposite ex-
tremity. Next he attached another layer of cotton, and subsequently
another. Afterward he fastened more cotton, some of it crossways;
and, having added as many layers as would make a good body, saturates
the whole with the adhesive solution before alluded to.

The hair affords a good ground to which any other substance can he
fastened; but it is rendered better by being thoroughly washed with
soft soap and warm water. The ablution deprives the skin of the horse
of its naturally unctuous secretion, and permits the adhesive application
a better chance.

The horse should be allowed no food which necessitates mastication.
The head should he fastened to the pillar-reins during the process of
cure. Thin gruel only should be presented while treatment is progress-
ing, and that should: be continued until the covering falls off. Should
the wound not be healed, allow a couple of days to elapse; but give no
solid food. Permit the horse to rest on refuse tan—not straw, which
might be eaten—during all this time. Afterward renew the attempt,
and repeat it again if necessary—though the first trial generally suc-
ceeds.

Before concluding, it may be well to arm the reader against those
practices generally adopted by horse doctors. These practices consist
in the use of the red-hot budding iron, which is among them a very
popular application to a fistulous parotid duct. The theory which in-
duces this resort is, a belief that the heated iron induces an eschar, and
the wound closes before the crust falls off. Red-hot iron is, however,
far more disposed to destroy substance than to favor growth; and,
probably, its curative properties could have gained faith among no other
class. Possibly there exists no other body which would credit that, to
burn a hole larger, was the best way to close it. Another artifice is to
inject caustic lotions up the duct, and thereby occasion the gland to
slough out. Against such cruelty the author is pleased to think little
need be said. The operation, when successful, causes so much irritation
as endangers the life; for the body of the gland is permeated by so
398 PHLEBITIS.

many and such important vessels as render the termination always very
dubious.

PHLEBITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE VEIN.

Formerly it was the custom to bleed horses for everything and for
nothing. It was not even suspected that a creature which exists only to
labor unto the limit of possibility is far more likely to be the victim of
debility than of repletion. It never occurred to any master that his
wretched animal wanted blood putting into it rather than abstracting
the smallest quantity of blood from it. However, formerly bleeding
was a favorite resort with the apothecary, and the old veterinary
surgeon seems to have followed the bad example. Aged people have
informed the writer that they remember the time when, on a Sunday
morning, a long shed was filled with agricultural horses standing in a
row. These victims were all waiting to be bled. The veterinary sur-
geon’s assistant used to take the fleam, and to open a vein in the first
animal’s neck. Then he would proceed to the second; and thus, in
turn, he would open the jugulars of the entire number. No account
was taken of the quantity of blood lost; that flowed forth till the last
had been operated upon, when all the creatures stood simultaneously
draining forth their lives.

The veterinary surgeon’s assistant subsequently returned, and pinned
up the orifice of the first horse; then he went and performed that office
for the succeeding animal. Thus he, a second time, progressed down
the row, pinning up as he proceeded; and the poor horses often tottered
before he came. All this was done for a human fancy: man thought
the loss of blood, at spring and autumn, beneficial to all kinds of life.
The writer has heard of old ladies who were very skillful in bleeding
cats. Most cats, however, resist such an application of medical talent ;
not so the horse: this animal submits itself patiently to the master’s will.
The creature seems to recognize that it has no right to exist except by
the permission of its owner. There is no living being which acknowl-
edges so abject a dependence.

In return it is made a sport of the idlest whims. Hence horses, after
bleeding, were all thought to be much benefited. They were expected
to perform greater labor and to continue in sounder health. In vain did
the disease visit the stable more frequently ; to no purpose was dimin-
ished capability displayed. The ungrateful bodies of the “ plaguy beasts”
were blamed, which would go wrong even after mortal science had ex-
pended its wealth upon them. Man never doubted his own wisdom; he
never questioned his own conduct; and it is astonishing the quantity of
PHLEBITIS. 399

prejudice which is from year to year perpetuated for the want of a small
amount of so cheap an article as mental inquiry.

The worst of the’ evil still remains to be told. The creatures, being
bled, were esteemed so greatly benefited as to require no subsequent
attention. Phlebitis was consequently, in other days, a rather common
affection. If neglected, the disease may terminate in death. In cases
aggravated by mistaken measures, the disorder mounts to the brain, and
occasions awful agonies. Taken early and properly administered to, this
disposition is easily arrested. It was formerly wrongly treated, and was
traced to an erroneous origin. Phlebitis was, to the perfect. satisfaction
of learned judges seated on the bench, attributed to the surgeou’s want
of care. So serious an evil was imagined to be caused by culpable neg-
lect during a trivial operation. It was thought to have been provoked
by the use of a foul instrument, or by employing anything else to strike
a fleam than a properly-made blood-stick.

Experiments, however, which were instituted at the Royal Veterinary
College, have proved that no want of care, during the performance of
bleeding, can provoke the disorder. Wretched horses, in that establish-
ment, have been punctured with dirty, rusty, blunt, and jagged fleams ;
all manner of blood-sticks have been employed in every description of
way. These have been struck violently and tapped in the gentlest
fashion. Every possible sort of pinning up has been adopted; but the
utmost endeavor of intentional perversion could not produce inflamma-
tion of the vein. There appears to be only one ascertained cause: that
is, bleed; do not tie up the head, but turn it into a field, or present fod-
der to be eaten off the ground, and the animal will have phlebitis. The
pendulous position of the head and the motion of the jaws alone seem
capable of starting inflammation in the jugular vein. Therefore, should
the reader ever permit a horse to be bled—which, save in extreme cases,
is perfectly unnecessary—let him remember to place the animal subse-
quently in the stable, to tie the halter to the rack for twenty-four hours,
and, during the same space, to abstain from allowing any food. These
injunctions, however, do not refer to the bleedings sometimes adopted to
counteract acute disease.

There is one circumstance which should always be well cousidered
before any horse is bled: Certain animals have a constitutional predis-
position toward this peculiar form of disease. The horse whose vein
shall inflame no man can, by sign, mark, or investigation, pick from a
herd. It is, however, an ascertained fact that particular animals, of no
fixed breed, and apparently characterized by no recognized state of body,
have a mighty tendency to exhibit this particular disorder. The horse
may appear unexceptionable as regards health; but, nevertheless, strike
400 PHLEBITIS.

it with a fleam or puncture it with a lancet, and phlebitis will undoubt-
edly be generated; none of the usual precautions can always prevent
the misfortune. Such predisposition evidently depends on a determinate
condition of system which science has hitherto failed to recognize.

This fact, or eccentricity in the constitutions of isolated horses, ought
to be generally known. Men have recovered heavy damages in courts
of law, and blameless veterinary surgeons have been ruined, by circum-
stances over which the utmost stretch of human precaution could possi-
bly exercise no control. However, a more extended knowledge concern-
ing the real origin of this disorder may do some good, since it will guard
juries from delivering wrongful verdicts, and may tend to check that
love of venous depletion which is still too prevalent with ignorant horse
owners,

There was formerly a great diversity of opinion concerning a supposed
eccentricity in the facts observed during this disease. If a horse was
bled in the neck, and subsequently exhibited phlebitis, the brain became
affected. If an animal was depleted from the fore leg, and displayed
the disease, the heart became involved. In one case, the disorder pro-
ceeded from the center of circulation; and in the other, it mounted
directly toward the organ. A great many hynotheses were published to
explain or to account for this imaginary peculiarity. Much nonsense
was spoken, and more was written, to point out the real cause of an
imaginary difference. Yet, calmly viewed, the seeming diversity appears
to agree with the commonest law of nature. Phlebitis always closes the
vessel at the seat of injury. The disease, therefore, in each case, is pre-
vented from descending, and consequently ascends above the orifice—
the only peculiarity being the relative situations of the structures in-
volved.

This affection is most common after blood has been taken from the
neck. That seeming preference for a particular part may, however, be
nothing more than a circumstance dependent upon the greater number
of animals which have their jugulars opened. Were the brachial or the
saphena veins punctured as frequently as the vessel which carries the
blood from the brain, the apparent difference might appear in the oppo-
site direction. However, from whichever vessel the depletion is effected,
always tie the quadruped’s head up, and present no food. A stall is to
be preferred to a loose box, as the confined space is more likely to pre-
vent action. Motion is the source of all danger. This fact was aptly
illustrated by an anecdote which used to be related by the late Mr. Lis-
ton, the eminent surgeon. In his lecture, that gentleman surprised his
class by stating that the last person whom he bled perished of phlebitis.
Bleeding is the most simple operation in human surgery. Most surgeons
PHLEBITIS. 401

leave this office to the apothecary ; consequently it was rather a conde-
scension in one who deservedly ranked so high in his profession to stoop
to such an act. What, therefore, could possibly cause disease to follow
the operation, when performed by him who was accustomed to surgery
upon its grandest scale ?

The cause was soon explained. The person operated upon chanced
to be a lunatic. This insane individual embraced the notion that the
healing process was much favored by constant motion; consequently he
kept on flexing and extending his arm with all the violence which is
natural to the demented. In vain was every effort made to persuade
him from so mad an action. He clung with extraordinary pertinacity to
his unwholesome theory. On the following day, Mr. Liston was sur-
prised to find his patient in bed, but still moving the arm in which disease
had already declared itself. Measures were taken to seep the limb quiet,
but it was found impossible to accomplish this in a satisfactory manner ;
and when Mr. Liston again called, the patient was no more!

A vein being about to inflame, the earliest intimation of the fact is
given by the separation of the lips of the wound, while through the
opening drains a small quantity of a thin discharge. Should this warn-
ing excite no attention, a round and hard swelling appears. That may
be like a hazel-nut in size, or it may resemble half a chestnut in magni-
tude; and this is soon followed by a swollen state of the vein superior
to the orifice.

Then supervenes the sec-
ond stage of the disorder.
Unhealthy abscesses are
formed along the course of
the vein. As these mature,
they burst, and send forth
an unsightly and filthy liquid
resembling thin, contamina-

 

ted pus. On examination, A HORSE WITH PHLEBITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE VEIN, IN
these tumors are found to Pete

be united. They penetrate to the interior of the vessel, and are joined
together by numerous si-
nuses. They literally con-
stitute so many holes in the
neck.

If no attention be now
paid to the aggravated
symptoms, worse speedily

 

ensues. In the direction THE THIRD STAGE OF PHLEBITIS.

26
402 PHLEBITIS.

formerly indicated the vessel feels hard under the skin. Supposing this
sign to be neglected, unhealthy pus issues in quantity from the wounds
and soils the neck. This secretion is soon converted into a dark, impure,
and fetid discharge resembling decayed blood. The horse grows dull
and stupid; the inflammation ultimately affects the brain, when the suf-
fering and the life are extinguished in the violent agonies of phrenitis.
The cure is easy, but everything depends upon the energy of him who
undertakes it. When the lips of the wound which have been brought
together by means of the twisted suture—as the “pin with tow wrapped
’ round it” is professionally termed—display a tendency
to separate, and, instead of being dry, appear moist,
let no prejudice incline toward the ancient practice of
fomenting and poulticing the injury. Without the loss
of a moment in hesitation, withdraw the pin; remove
the substance which was twined round it, and apply a
moderate-sized blister immediately over and around the
puncture. Should the disease have ascended up the
neck, still rub in a blister; only a proportionate amount
ioe aera of surface must then be acted upon. If the case be
through the lips of as bad as possible, and yet the animal is alive, still a

the wound; a por-

tion of tow, thread, ; P ja j ]
Sey aan ae blister is indicated.

ec With the progress of the disease a larger space
ishautiy clipped ox ~—- ShOuld always be subjected to irritation, so as to cover

every part the most active imagination could suppose
to be involved. One blister, moreover, will not suffice; another, and
another, and another must be employed, till every sign of disorder has
vanished. They must, however, be applied in quicker succession as the
symptoms are more urgent, while a greater interval may be allowed
between each when the affection is less serious. In the worst stage of
phlebitis, another blister must be put over the part upon which the irri-
tation of the first has not entirely ceased to act. In the second stage,
the surface must have been barely healed before another vesicatory is
resorted to. During the primary symptom, a single application fre-
quently is sufficient; or, at most, two blisters generally suffice.

When the vessel assumes the corded state, a blister can effect no more
than to check the progress of the disorder; no agency, however, which
science has placed at the disposal of man can restore the uses of the vein.
The vessel is lost, and lost forever. If a foul and black discharge issue
from the openings, insert a director and enlarge the wounds, joining the
holes by slitting up the sinuses which unite them; but do not cut the
entire extent of the hardened vessel, as in that case you may be deluged
in blood. The employment of the knife and the free use of blisters

 
PHLEBITIS. 403

constitute the chief means toward the cure of phlebitis. The sinuses
must be laid open. The probe should then be most patiently employed,
for every sinus must be slit up. This may be done at once, when the
hardness indicates the vessel to be closed above the part which the in-
cision interferes with. To such an extent the knife may always be
employed, while blisters after blisters are used, regardless of the severe
wounds over which they are applied.

Much relief is afforded by the large and pendulous incision, through
which the corruption freely finds an exit. Some horses, however, from
the pain occasioned by the raw and inflamed condition of the neck, will
not allow the blister to be rubbed in after the ordinary fashion, especially
when the irritation caused by the former application has not thoroughly
subsided. In cases of this sort, do not employ the twitch or resort to
greater restraints. Exercise your reason. Regard the painful aspect
of the wounds. Ask yourself how you should enjoy the hard hand of a
groom violently scrubbed over such a part, were the soreness upon your
own body. Act upon the response. Procure a long-haired brush, such
as pastry-cooks use to egg over their more delicate manufactures. Go
then into the next stall. Speak kindly to a sick inferior that is at your
mercy. Have the creature led forth, and, with the brush just described,
smear the part with oil of cantharides or liquid blister. The extract of
the Spanish fly does not occasion immediate agony, and the application
of oil will cool or soothe the anger of the wounds.

With the jugular vein inflamed, the horse, during the period of treat-
ment, should consume no solid food. Hay tea, sloppy mashes, and well-
made gruel should constitute its diet. However, the gruel must not be
given in such quantities or made so thick as the same substance would
be allowed to a healthy horse. Gruel may not be very sustaining to the
human being, but it is nothing more than the oat divested of the shell
or refuse part. To the equine species such food, whether given dry or
boiled in water, is highly stimulating; and, as fever invariably accompa-
nies inflammation, oats in any form evidently are contraindicated. Should
the animal, however, become ravenous, a portion of potatoes, being first
peeled, may be boiled to a mash. Some water and a sufficiency of pol-
lard ought to be added, and the whole presented in such a state as requires
no mastication, but in a condition that will allow the mixture to be drawn
between the teeth. The same thing may be done with carrots and with
turnips, only all mashed roots, except potatoes, should be passed through
a colander, and moistened with some of the water in which they are
boiled.

Any animal, during treatment, should be placed in a loose box. No
creature should be turned into the field. It is cheaper to pasture than
404 BROKEN KNEES.

to stable a horse; but the constant motion of the legs, as the field is
traversed, is injurious to the punctured vein of the limbs, while the pen-
dulous state of the head and the perpetual movement of the jaws are
most prejudicial when venesection has been performed upon the neck. The
stable is, in every point of view, the cheapest and the best residence
The head of the animal must be tied to the rack throughout the day;
while, at night, the halter may be lengthened, permitting the creature
to lie down; but the floor should be littered with tan, as straw might
be eaten.

Let the horse remain thus for six weeks subsequent to the completion
of a cure. Then give gentle exercise to the extent which it can be
borne—the quantity being small, and the pace very slow at first, but
gradually augmented. This exercise should be maintained for three
months. The animal may afterward return to slow work; but if the
neck is the place affected, it must not wear a collar or be harnessed to
the shafts for the next six months. At the end of that time the horse
may return to its customary employment; but, if ridden or driven, it is
always well to bear in mind the late affliction, and to grant more than
the usual time for the performance of the journey. At the expiration
of the year, the smaller veins, having become enlarged, have adapted
themselves to the loss which the circulation has sustained, and the horse
may resume full work.

For the first year, gruel, crushed and scalded oats, with two bundles
of cut grass per day, should constitute the diet. The manger should be
heightened, and the halter be so arranged as to prevent the head being
much lowered. Do all in your power to render useless violent mastica-
tion; and, as the horse never chews when the operation is unnecessary,
the animal will obviously second your endeavors.

At the expiration of twelve months the animal which has lost a vein
may be sold, and, 7n law, has been accounted sound. Such a blemish,
however, is far from a recommendation; in this case Jaw and common
sense may be at variance. The reader, therefore, is advised never to
purchase a nag in such a condition without insisting upon a special war-
ranty, in which it is provided that the animal is to be taken back should
the loss of a vessel be productive of any evil effects within the space of
one twelvemonth.

BROKEN KNEES.

These accidents affect the exterior of the central joint of the fore legs.
They may be very trivial or very serious: they may simply ruffle the hair
or scratch the cuticle covering the integument; the same cause may,
however, remove the hair and lay bare the cutis. Moreover, the wound
BROKEN KNEES. 405

is often aggravated by the nature of the road on which the animal is
traveling. A fall upon a very rough surface might even destroy a por-
tion of the skin, and deprive more or less of the cellular tissue of vitality.

BROKEN KNEES OF VARIOUS DEGREES OF INTENSITY.

   

The hair ruffled and the The hair removed and the The skin destroyed and the
cuticle scratched. true skin exposed, cellular tissue injured.

Accompanying such accidents there is generally some amount of con-
tusion. When it falls, the horse is in motion, and the impetus lends
violence to the descent. Probably the animal is being ridden when it
comes to the ground. The weight of the blow is not only then pro-
portioned to the heavy body of the horse and the rate at which it is
progressing, but its effect is augmented by the load upon its back. These
considerations render broken knees the proper dread of every horse
proprietor. An animal may stumble and come down which, prior to the
mishap, would have been sold cheap for several hundreds. It may be
raised from the ground with almost all its worth demolished. The nature
of the hurt is not, however, always shown at first. The chief danger,
in broken knees, lies in the accompanying contusion. The horse which
rises without a hair ruffled, but which fell with violence, is always, with
informed persons, a cause of considerable anxiety. Contusion is to be
more dreaded in its consequences than is the largest wound when devoid
of anything approaching to a bruise.

The reason why contusion is thus gravely regarded is because, when
that occurs in severity, the vitality of all the coverings to the knee is
destroyed, and, in very bad cases, even the bones are materially injured.
All dead parts must be cast from a living body; and no man can pred-
icate how deep may be the injury, or how important may be the structures
which shall be opened, when the slough takes place.

Proprietors of horses thus injured are commonly very earnest in their
solicitations for a professional opinion as to the extent and probable
consequences of the accident. No certain judgment can, however, be
pronounced, nor should one be given. Any surgical calculation, not-
withstanding it may be most prudently qualified, is apt to be miscon-
strued by the anxiety of distress. The most guarded hint at a proba-
406 BROKEN KNEES.

bility of recovery is too likely to be seized upon as a positive guarantee
of perfect restoration; and the possible evils which may have been
alluded to, confusion causes the individual not to remember. Therefore
silence is wisdom in these cases, however slight the broken knee may
appear in the first instance.

Broken knees are principally caused by the imprudence of him in whom
authority is invested. Certain people imagine the public admire the man
who chastises a horse. Such persons slash away for every trivial error.
Every imaginary fault is punished with the whip, which too often curls
around parts that should be respected. The animal, pained and fright-
ened, thinks only of the slasher behind it, and entirely disregards the
path upon which its eyes should be directed. The cutting is incessant,
and the horse’s pace is incautiously fast. An impediment is encountered ;
the animal trips; it is cast to the ground with violence, while the man
is probably rendered fitter for a hospital than for the continuance of his
travels.

Other riders and drivers always visit with severity the slightest indica-
tion of weak limbs. A sudden drop or a false step is, to such people, the
signal for the reins to be jagged, the voice to be raised, and the whip to
be freely exercised upon all parts of the animal’s body, but mostly about
the face and ears. The man likes to behold the poor creature shake its
head, and loves to imagine he is then teaching the terrified quadruped
to be careful. Equine pupils, no more than human scholars, are to
be tutored by barbarity, which may slay the reason long before it can
instruct the mind. Composure is imperative to the acquirement of any
knowledge. Thrashing calls forth terror, and alarm is synonymous with
confusion of mind. The horse is susceptible of a fear which humanity,
happily, finds it difficult to conceive; and how far such a creature is
calculated to be educated by cruelty, the intelligent reader is left to infer.

Could the animal argue, it might plead that the weakness objected to
was caused by exertion made in man’s service; that the stumbling gait
was consequent upon no negligence on its part; that it afforded the
beaten wretch no pleasure to have the knees broken, but, if the quadru-
ped might profess a choice, it would prefer not falling down, etc. etc. If
such pleas were properly considered, they perhaps might still the turbu-
lence of the punisher.

The great majority of these injuries are consequent upon the prejudice
or thoughtlessness of mankind. Popular admiration is, in this country,
much in favor of a good crest. Every animal, no matter how nature
may have formed the neck, must carry a good head. The rider, there-
fore, drags upon the bridle, while the form of nearly every gentleman’s
harness-horse is distorted by the bearing-rein. The constraint thus
BROKEN KNEES. 407

enforced not only obliges additional muscular action, but it disqualifies
the animal to see the ground. In England there should be no objection
to a blind horse, since such of the species as have eyes are, by the preju-
dices of society, seldom permitted to use them. The horse, being urged
on when virtually blindfold, must of necessity stumble upon any unusual
impediment being encountered. Such an accident shows no fault in the
quadruped; but the man is truly responsible for those consequences which
his folly has induced.

When a horse stumbles, never raise your voice—the creature dreads
its master’s chiding; never jag the reins—the mouth of the horse is far
more sensitive than the human lips; never use the lash—the horse is so
timid that the slightest correction overpowers its reasoning faculties.
Speak to the creature; reassure the palpitating frame; seek to restore
those perceptions which will form the best guard against any repetition
of the faulty action. When the legs are weak, the greater should be the
care of him who holds the reins. No cruelty can restore the lost tonicity
of the limbs; therefore all slashing is utterly thrown away. If the
reader regard his own safety, let him not, when riding, hold the head up,
or, when driving, sanction the employment of a bearing-rein. No inhu-
manity can convert an animal with a ewe neck into the creature with a
naturally lofty crest. The disguise of such a defect as a head badly
placed on the neck is an impossibility. Therefore, if you are desirous
of a well-carried head, think of it when making the purchase. Pay
something more, and any kind of quadruped is obtainable ; but be above
the meanness which purchases for a low figure, and then endeavors to
palm off its cheap article as a jewel procured at the highest price.

When a horse has been down, never judge of the
injury by the first appearance. While the animal
stands in the yard, order the groom to fetch a pail,
with milk-warm water and a large sponge. With
these he is to clean the knees—not after the usual
coarse and filthy fashion now universal; not by first
sopping the part, and then squeezing the soiled sponge
into the pail whence more fluid is to be abstracted.
The dabbing and smearing a wound simply irritates
it; and the dirt, having all entered into the pail, the
fluid is rendered unsuited to after cleanly purposes.

To perform the office properly, the knee should
not be touched. The sponge should be saturated,
then squeezed dry above the seat of injury. The  "® PROPER way 70 WASH
water thus flows in a full stream over the part, and,
by the force of gravity, carries away any loose dirt that may be upon

 
408 BROKEN KNEES.

the surface. Sopping, dabbing, wiping, and smearing occasion pain,
and can remove nothing which may have entered the skin and which is
protected from the action of the sponge by a covering of hair; whereas
by the plan recommended the dirt is removed, the part is not debilitated,
neither is its natural energy destroyed. The last drop of water, more-
over, is as clean as was the first, and the animal is not irritated immedi-
ately prior to a surgical examination.

The wound being cleansed, a certain time should be allowed to elapse
for the horse to recover its composure. It should return to the stable,
have a feed of corn, and be watered. Then the real business com-
mences. The animal should be gently approached; its condition should
be observed. If any nervousness is exhibited, the person ought to re-
tire, and a further pause should be allowed. If, on the second visit,
any unusual symptoms are displayed, have the quadruped led into the
yard aud blindfolded. Let a man take up the other fore leg, when the
knee may be examined with safety.

Place the palm of the hand over the joint. Hold it there to aseer-
tain if any heat or swelling is to be detected. Should there be swell-
ing, make gradual and gentle pressure upon it with the thumb or one
finger. If, upon suddenly removing the hand, an indent is conspicuous,
it argues considerable effusion, and justifies fear as to the result. Should
neither heat nor swelling be remarked, further pressure is to be made
with the thumb upon the knee, The force should be gentle at first and
gradually increased. If the action is sustained well, or even moderately
endured, it allows of hope being entertained. But should the horse
attempt to rear upon the first impress of the thumb, the result is very
dubious. The absence of agony is far from anything approaching to a
positive proof, as bone and synovial membrane, tendon and ligament, do
uot take on acute inflammation when first injured; but, from the response
thus elicited, a fair inference as to the probability may be drawn.

Should the skin be lacerated, the probe must be employed. Such
injuries are very deceptive. They may be much more extensive than
the size of the wound would indicate. The probe being of metal, ought
not to be thrust violently against every exposed part. This kind of
proceeding can effect no good. The probe should be held lightly be-
tween the thumb and fore finger; no pressure should be made upon it
—the instrument ought rather to fall of its own gravity than be forced
into the flesh. A thin piece of wire can be readily driven into soft
structures; but where an actual division exists, no opposition necessi-
tating force will be encountered.

Broken knees always happen when the horse is in motion. The
onward impulse is not by the fall immediately destroyed; but after the
BROKEN KNEES. 409

horse is down there always exists an impetus which has a tendency to
propel the body forward. Should the skin of the knees be divided by
the fall, the after-force obviously cannot affect the upper line of such
division; but the lower edge of skin will present an acute obstacle to
the roughened ground, and will, by the grating of the body, in all prob-
ability be rent from its attachments. When the animal rises, the action
and the elasticity natural to the integument will occasion the torn por-
tion of the skin which has been driven backward to once more assume
its original position. By this means a kind of bag or purse is formed
upon the knee. Grit, mud, and all kinds of impurities may be retained
and concealed within this pouch. These will be disposed to irritate the
structure with which they are in contact; suppuration is certain to be
established, and sad consequences have followed such sacs not being
early detected.

Such a cavity having been discovered, the next object is to ascertain
its dimensions. That is done by gradually moving the probe along its
sides. Should it be small, it will be sufficient that a hole be made
through its most depending portion with a sharp seton needle. If it
be large, the needle should be armed with a piece of tape knotted at
one end. The sac being punctured, the needle is to be drawn through
the opening, the tape being left in the cavity, and a seton is thus formed.

  

PROBING THE SAC OF A BROKEN KNEE. A SETON BEING INSERTED THROUGH
THE SAC OF THE KNEE.

The seton should be knotted at the other end, and moved its entire
length every night and morning. It will prevent all premature attempts
to heal, will stimulate the soft parts to suppuration, and will remove the
dirt, as the tape affords a guide to the secretion. When inserting a
seton into the knee, always use a large curved needle. The size of the
instruments should never be regulated by any foreign standard, but
should always be proportioned to the magnitude of the patient and the
intention of the operator.
410 BROKEN KNEES.

Three days subsequent to the full establishment of suppuration, cut
off one of the knots, and, laying hold of the other knot, withdraw the
seton. Its advantages by this time are gained, and its longer stay, by
hardening the opening through which it passed, would occasion lasting
blemish.

The reason of its insertion is thus explained. Where foreign matter
is confined, no wound will heal; the orifice may close, but soon after
abscess forms. This process is repeated until the suffering is long pro-
tracted. Danger is generally proportioned to the duration of the evil,
where wounds not of a mortal character are concerned. By the agency
of the seton, the foreign matter is removed and the healing process
thereby considerably expedited. After the above plan, all blemish may
be lost by the expiration of the third month, and the once injured knee
restored to its uses, being as fine as any other part of the body.

Everything being accomplished as it is here directed, no attempt must
in the first instance be made to poke out any particle of dirt which the
probe may touch. The bagging skin being divided by the seton having
been established in the sac, no further thought need, for the present, be
given to a common but most vexatious attendant upon the customary
treatment for broken knees.

The animal should be returned to its usual stall and have the head
“racked up.” Some cold water should then be procured, with every
quart of which two ounces of tincture of arnica should be blended. A
portion of this fluid ought, with a clean sponge of moderate size, to be
poured into a saucer; the groom must have strict orders to take the
sponge, and, having saturated it with the fluid, to squeeze it quite dry,
allowing the liquor to run over the injured knee—after the manner pre-
viously illustrated, as washing the wound. Two men are required for
this office, which should be performed every half hour throughout the
day and night for half aweek. The injury being thus made continuously
wet, the cold produced by evaporation keeps down inflammation, while
the arnica is a potent remedy for bruises and all kinds of contusions or
lacerations.

If at the expiration of the period named no swelling appears, and sup-
puration seems to be thoroughly established by means of the seton, the
halter may be released to a great extent, a cradle being merely fixed
upon the horse’s neck; the animal will thereby be permitted to lie down
and to enjoy its natural rest.

But should the joint be much enlarged, should the part have become
acutely sensitive, while the horse resolutely refuses to bear any weight
upon the injured limb, then withdraw the seton, give the animal two
pots of stout per day, and all the oats mingled with old beans which it
BROKEN KNEES. 411

will consume. Untie the head and place the horse in slings; employ
the arnica lotion night and day, until the slough is thrown off, which,
having taken place, change the liquid application for the solution of
chloride of zinc—one scruple to the pint of water—and continue to
employ this last lotion after precisely the same manner as has been pre-
viously directed.

Probabilities, however remote they may seem to be, are here endeav-
ored to be anticipated; although the author’s experience cannot recall
a single case where the arnica lotion has been used with proper assiduity,
and any but the most happy results have followed. When an animal has
fallen violently to the earth, and has been, in the first instance, shown to
the writer with much tumefaction and excessive tenderness, a slough has
in exceptional cases followed; but never has the enlargement or the
sensitiveness increased under the proper use of the arnica lotion. The
slough, moreover, in such instances, has been superficial, only entailing
loss of hair, and never occasioning open joint.

All horses are exposed to these accidents for the reasons already
stated. Whenever such misfortunes occur, employ the arnica lotion.
Should the skin be divided, still use the arnica lotion until copious sup-
puration is established. The secretion once seen, resort to the lotion
formed of chloride of zinc and water—one grain to the ounce—which
operates most marvelously upon all suppurating wounds.

No absolute period can be stated which a case of broken knees, when
severe, ought to occupy. The danger, however, is generally passed by the
expiration of a week, and the cure commonly entails loss of services for
a couple of months.

  

AN ORGANIZED KNEE, ENSUING AFTER THE APPEARANCE OF THE KNEE SUBSEQUENT
A LONG COURSE OF THE ORDINARY TO THE HEALING OF THE WORST CASE THE
TREATMENT. AUTHOR EVER HAD UNDER HIS CARE.

When adopting the foregoing mode of treatment, no bandages are to
be employed. Such wrappers only augment the heat inherent in every
species of inflammation. They dam up the pus and speedily become
foul and offensive rags; cleanliness is one of the primary requisites
toward good surgery.
412 OPEN SYNOVIAL CAVITIES.

No caustics of any kind are imperative or even necessary. The two
lotions, if used with proper zeal, will accomplish all that can be desired.
The arnica lotion should, however, be in all cases applied night and day
during the early stage; the chloride of zine lotion ought to be employed
only during the time man is usually out of bed.

The wound, in ordinary cases, should not be washed or touched.
Should proud flesh start up, such is positive proof of the negligence
of the groom, whose duty it was to apply the chloride of zine lotion.
If the mode of treatment here laid down be strictly pursued, the author
can with confidence promise a satisfactory and a speedy cure. To
enforce the value of the measures recommended, the portraits of two
knees, which were subjected to the opposite processes, have been pre-
sented. Both were copied from living subjects in the sixth week after
the misfortune had occurred.

OPEN SYNOVIAL CAVITIES.

The primary cause of these fearful accidents is the pride of mankind;
gentility is always striving to impose upon credulity. It loves to be
mistaken for something better than it really is. After all, this vice of
society is nothing more than the child’s game of “ Lords and Ladies,”
played by grown-up persons. A horse having a naturally defective neck
is obtained; no barbarity is too abhorrent to repress the hope of mak-
ing people believe the steed thus deformed is a creature of extremest
value. The animal, if ridden, has the chin pulled in close to the neck;
if driven, the free carriage of the body is prevented by the cruel bear-
ing-rein. The horse progresses in agony, while gentility sits smiling at
the result of its artifice. The horse cannot see the ground before it,
because of the constraint imposed upon the head; it cannot fix atten-
tion upon its duty, because of the agony which the cunning of gentility
inflicts upon the lips. The pace is always rapid; the action is high as
in the case of blindness; and the animal generally comes to the earth with
violence. The skin upon the knees is divided, and the structures beneath
are penetrated. One or more synovial sheaths are opened, while the
cavities formed by the junction of the separate bones may be lacerated.

Sheath or joint may not be immediately opened by the fall, but either
may have their integrity destroyed through the slough induced hy the
contusion consequent upon a broken knee. Moreover, various acci-
dents will occasionally happen—misfortune is of infinite variety. The
synovial burse, sheaths, or cavities of the hind legs are occasionally
punctured by the quadruped kicking violently while in harness. The
capsule, embracing the tendon of the flexor brachii upon the point of
OPEN SYNOVIAL CAVITIES. 413

the shoulder, has been opened by the animal drawing a vehicle being
run into; or by the horse running away and coming in contact with
some obstacle. Any synovial cavity within the body may be penetrated
by an unfortunate combination of circumstances; or by the unbridled
passion of the groom, who may have a pitchfork near at hand. So
also they have been cut into by the arrogance of unskillful operators.
However, it matters not how the misfortune may arise, the mode of
treatment and the manner of cure is in all such cases exactly the same.

Neither, as regards the primary effect, is it of subsequent importance
whether air be admitted into an opened bursa or sac, a synovial sheath,
or the interior of a joint. All of these structures are formed into blad-
ders or closed cavities. They all contain a similar secretion, which is a
transparent, albuminous fluid, resembling white of egg. They all are
of one use, or all serve to facilitate motion. The bursa is the smallest ;
the synovial sheath is the next in magnitude; and joints may be much
the largest. The secondary effects are proportioned to their size, but
in the first instance much constitutional disturbance will attend the
opening of each.

These structures are not formed to endure the presence of atmosphere ;
air is admitted a short time after each displays inflammation. This
creates symptoms of irritability, and air will enter before we see the
wound. The secondary effect is, however, most to be dreaded. Burs
are small bladders, or closed sacs, distributed over the body, and located
wherever the natural motions possibly might originate friction. Sheaths
always embrace tendons, being essentially closed sacs. The secondary
effects of tendinous sheaths are so much the more to be dreaded than
those attending punctured burse, because the last generally lie loosely
between highly-organized parts; whereas a sheath is partly fixed upon
a tendon, and tendon, being lowly organized, is more difficult to cure
when it is diseased. However, joints are much worse than the preceding
two; because in these the synovial membrane is partly spread over the
cartilage, which lies upon the articular surfaces of bones. Now, carti-
lage is the most lowly organized substance in the entire body. When
disease fixes upon it the morbid condition is so slow, so irritating, and
so difficult to eradicate, that science almost despairs of the issue.

The results indicated show that every effort should be made to ward
off the secondary effect. Therefore, when an accident of this nature
occurs, proceed with the utmost gentleness. Having procured a large
sponge and a pail of milk-warm water, saturate the sponge and squeeze
it dry, above the injury. Do not touch the sore, but allow the fluid, as
it gravitates, to wash off all or any foreign matter. With regard to
the wound, dirt seldom enters that. When it does, the suppuration which
414 OPEN SYNOVIAL CAVITIES.

must ensue upon the accident will more effectually remove it than could
hogsheads of water, however unfeelingly it might be employed.

The part having been rendered clean, the wound is to be attentively
observed. When nothing but blood or serum, or thin, discolored fluid
can be seen, this argues the more important structures are entire. Should
there be among, and yet distinct from, those discharges, a transparent,
glairy liquid flowing forth, such is absolute proof some synovial mem-
brane has been severed. The size of the current and the abundance of
the secretion are also evidences not to be despised. Probabilities may
be inferred from these circumstances. If the amount of the synovia be
small, there is hope that a bursa only has been interfered with; when the
amount is large, it demonstrates that either a sheath is punctured or the
joint itself may have been opened. Synovial cavities between bones
may be larger, and are much more active than the sheaths of tendons;
therefore the magnitude of the current should be observed; although,
when the integrity of many parts has been destroyed, little absolute
dependence will be placed upon the comparative quantity of the syno-
vial secretion.

Anatomy is, under the circumstances, a fair guide. Where numerous
structures are involved, a well-grounded learning is requisite for accu-
rate judgment; but as regards the knee of the horse, the spot whence

  

THE TENDONS WHICH CROSS THE OUTSIDE OF THE THE TENDONS WHICH CROSS THE INSIDE OF THE

KNEE-JOINT. KNEE-JOINT.
Explanation of No 1. Explanation of No. 2.
1, The extensor metacarpi tendon. 1. The extensor metacarpi tendon.

The extensor metacarpi obliquus tendon.
. The flexor metacarpi internus tendon.

2. The extensor metacarpi obliquus tendon.
3. The extensor pedis tendon.

gets

4, 5, 7. Connecting and restraining bands between 4. The back sinews.

the tendons. The letter a denotes the only spot where
6. The extensor suffraginis tendon. the knee-joint could probably be opened
8. The flexor metacarpi externus tendon. by a fall without lacerating a synovial
9. The back sinews. heath or injuring a tendon.

the synovial discharge issues is of all importance. The incision must
either be very deep and gaping, (all subjacent structures being divided
before the knee-joint can be exposed,) or else the wound must affect a
very circumscribed place. The reader, by consulting the above ana-
tomical engravings of the horse’s knee, will remark how closely it is laced
OPEN SYNOVIAL CAVITIES. 415

about with tendon. Each of the tendons, when crossing the joint, is
embraced in a synovial sheath. From such information, it will instantly
be seen how far more likely a sheath is to be lacerated than the joint is
to be punctured.

The single point where the joint could be entered without severing
tendon, lies rather on one side than directly in the center. The vulner-
able spot is therefore not exposed to the full force of the blow. To lay
bare the joint by an ordinary fall several parts must be divided. Rarely
is an accident witnessed of so fearful an extent. Generally that which
is spoken of as open joint proves to be no more than
punctured sheath, the presence of synovia being
commonly accepted as the proof. But when the
joint is really laid open, the immense flow of syno-
via—so many sheaths being severed—should at once
prove the fact.

The probe must next be used. In the first in-
stance it should be employed to ascertain whether
the fall has left any purse or sac at the inferior part
of the joint. All which was enforced respecting
the use of metallic wire to a raw wound must here
be observed. The probe had better be altogether
discarded than employed with the smallest approach to rudeness.

The suspected sac having been discovered, a large spatula is placed
below the knee. A knife with a keen point, but with the edge only
sharpened for one-third of its length, is
to be used. Upon the cutting point of
the knife a piece of beeswax is firmly
moulded. The wax answers the pur-
pose of a temporary probe; the blade,
thus guarded, is cautiously inserted he-
neath the loose flap of skin. When the
bottom of the pouch is reached, a cer-
tain amount of resistance will be encoun-
tered; through this the knife is driven.
The force cuts in twain the wax, and GR
pushes through the integument the blade, ee eee
which the spatula guides from the leg. JOINT.

This operation should be performed

quickly; the hand should simply be carried downward, and then brought
upward when all is concluded; care, however, being taken that the
withdrawal of the knife does not injure any part save those it was
designed to cut.

 

PROBING BROKEN KNEE.

 
416 OPEN SYNOVIAL CAVITIES.

Should the horse be nervous, it is desirable to blindfold the animal
and order the groom to hold up the sound leg; the creature can then
only rear, When thus disabled, that movement is rendered difficult, and
it is proportionably slow. The operation, if properly performed, should
be over before action can be prepared for; and by the knife a consider-
able incision is made in the bottom of the sac, through which all grit or
dirt can, with the pus, readily pass.

The examination concludes with a second resort to the probe. The
instrument is in surgery of great use; but as it is commonly employed,
reason may donbt whether injured life has been much benefited by its
invention. It generally is raked and poked about as though the person
holding it was determined, at all hazards, to ascertain the length,
breadth, and every irregularity of the wound he is asked to cure; much
harm is thereby done. Delicate attachments which, if not interfered
with, might induce speedy reunion, are thus broken down, and the injury
ageravated; while the operator thinks he ought to know all about the
lesion he is to treat, and supposes that he can possibly do no harm with
an instrument which the best schools order to be employed. ,

A good surgeon has no curiosity to gratify; all he desires to know is
so much as will enable him to benefit the patient
placed under his care. Therefore never abuse the
probe in cases of open synovial cavities. Imagine
the distance the bones are from the surface; and,
if the probe can enter a very little beyond that
distance, such a fact demonstrates the cavity to be
exposed. When a horse is before you with syno-
via running from a wound upon the knee, have the
leg slightly flexed; look for the most free space,

vrourva Ay ovey gorxn, 2nd into that insert the probe. The bones of the

knee-joint are directly under the skin; and, when

no opposition is encountered for three-quarters of an inch, be sure the
joint is exposed,

 

Most of the cases narrated as opened joints were simply punctures
into synovial sheaths; as such, they were sufficiently serious, but not of
so important a character as is assumed for them. Synovia is placed
between the ends of bones, its use being to prevent the friction which
otherwise would be occasioned by the movement of one hard body upon
another. Being confined in a circumscribed sac and incapable of much
compression, the liquid performs all the uses which could appertain to
the most solid substance. When the fluid—which, from its thick appear-
ance and unctuous feel, was formerly termed “joint oil”—has escaped,
the bones grate against each other, inflammation ensues, all neighbor-
OPEN SYNOVIAL CAVITIES. 417

ing parts sympathize, and the constitution suffers from intense irri-
tation.

Something of this kind happens when a synovial sheath is punctured.
The tendon comes in contact with its investing synovial membrane; but
there are reasons why that circumstance is not so serious as when the
lubricating fluid is released from the cavity of a joint. Tendons support
no weight, and their motion is, with the sick, almost optional. The
bones are the pillars on which the body rests; even while the frame is
prostrated, a certain degree of pressure is upon them; for that reason,
and also because tendon is more highly organized than cartilage, the
first-mentioned substance is endowed with the greater renovating energy.
An open joint is consequently far more serious than a punctured sheath.

Notwithstanding the serious nature of these ac-
cidents when wrongly treated, few injuries yield
more kindly to proper measures than open joint.
However, should the ordinary treatment of caustics
and bandages be adopted, the entire limb, before
the expiration of a week, will be hot, hard, and
tense. The health of the animal will be seriously
affected by the continued irritation, and the body
will rapidly become emaciated. The foot of the
limb will with evident difficulty be held from the
ground. Should not death interpose—the animal
being unable to lie down, and the entire weight
being cast upon the sound limb—the foot attached —_
to the healthy member frequently becomes affected 5 Et en on
with the worst form of incurable laminitis. mph fecalepeai aa Ber

Even should such a misfortune as laminitis not — J Up:clovs EmpLorment or
occur, the after-deformity and blemish renders the
horse almost worthless. The bones sympathize in the general disease,

   

  

OSSEOUS STRUCTURE HAS BEEN THROWN OUT, EXTENSIVE LOSS OF HAIR, GENERAL ENLARGEMENT OF
CAUSING ENLARGED KNEE AND PERMANENT THE KNEE, AND ORGANIZED THICKENING OF THE
BLEMISH—THE RESULTS OF USING BANDAGES, SCAR—RESULTING FROM THE USE OF BANDAGES.

and a large osseous deposit is engendered to mark the surgical inapti-
tude. When bony growth does not follow, the parts lying immediately

27
418 OPEN SYNOVIAL JOINTS.

over the knee thicken; the skin sloughs, and, the integument never being
restored, a full knee with a lasting blemish is the consequence.

OPEN SYNOVIAL JOINTS.

The more favorable terminations are never to be anticipated when the
harbarity of bandages and the cruelty of caustics are sanctioned. The
horse which recovers from such treatment is, by an enlarged and blem-
ished limb, rendered an object painful to contemplate, and is entirely
unsuited to any gentleman’s uses, while the life of the creature is ren-
dered burdensome. There is nothing in the proper treatment which a
child might not safely apply. The measures create no pain and require
no force; they rather soothe than irritate, and therefore are always sub-
mitted to with complacency.

  

OPEN JOINT ENSUING UPON BROKEN ENEE, THE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF AN OPEN
AND SOLELY CAUSED LY THE ABUSE OF JOINT WHEN FIRST SUBMITTED TO THE
BANDAGES. NOTICE OF THE SURGEON.

The animal, when first brought in, never displays symptoms indicating
the full extent of its injury. The part which has been wounded gener-
ally presents something like the aspect represented in the engraving on the
right. Commonly there is an evident flow of synovia, but the most care-
ful examination can seldom detect positive evidence of an open joint.

The full extent of the evil cannot be known before the slough takes
place. This is certain to follow upon the customary bleeding, physick-
ing, low diet, bandages, and caustics being employed. As recovery is
wished for, all such aggravations must be rejected. Proceed, in the first
iustance, as has been directed for broken knee; and these things being
done, give the following drink :-—

Sulphurieéther,, . 2 «. 4 4 6 2 2 & « « » Onecounce:
Laudanums « } 4 b= 2 & 2% & &» poe » ‘Onesounce:
Water... .. . . . Half a pint.

Give this without noise or violence.
Treat the frightened animal with even more gentleness and patience
than would be bestowed upon a sick child. A harsh word may now,
OPEN SYNOVIAL JOINTS. 419

when the system is shaken and every nerve unstrung, do that harm which
no medicine can repair.

Having given the drink, look at the animal and take the pulse. Should
the appearance denote inward comfort, should the pulse be natural, give
no more drinks; but if the eye is in constant motion, if the horse breathe
hard and start at sounds, if the head is held high and the ears are active,
repeat the ethereal draught, and continue repeating it every hour until
the foregoing symptoms abate.

The object of the medicine being gained, have the horse quietly led
into a stall; the stall it has been used to is the best, and the favorite
neighbor need not be removed. But all other quadrupeds which might.
disturb the sick animal should be taken out of the building. A good,
clean bed should be shaken down, and the diet must be suited to the
symptoms. If the pulse is at all low, no hay should be allowed till it
amends; should the arterial beat denote oppression, a rather large pro-
portion of beans may be blended with the oats. If the breathing is
short, the countenance unhappy, and the eye sleepy, while a very quick
and feeble pulse only is to be detected, give four of the ethereal drinks
in the twenty-four hours. Also allow two quarts of stout daily.

All horses should be accustomed to drink beer; with very little teach-
ing they abandon their teetotal habits, and will by very expressive action
signify delight at the sight of a pewter pot. The best means of intro-
ducing the beverage to their notice is, in the first instance, to break a
penny loaf into pieces, to soak the pieces in the beverage, and then to
offer them, one by one, from the hand of the master or the favorite at-
tendant. Animals quickly learn to recognize their owners. The dog
will bestow such a welcome upon its proprietor as is never lavished
upon any stranger. The horse also learns to recognize the individual
whose property it has become. See the animal which has carried the
groom without excitement to the door, and which has walked before the
house with pendant head and listless ears: the moment the door opens
and the master appears, all dejection is cast off; the creature cannot
stand still when the foot is in the stirrup; and, immediately the weight
is felt upon the back, the happy quadruped prances gayly off, often at
the risk of unseating him who has provoked this demonstration of ex-
cessive pleasure.

The master who is unknown has earned his fate by his neglect, and
probably may live to repent his inattention to the duties which Provi-
dence has intrusted to his charge. The affections of the meanest
creature that breathes are blessings which the highest and the proudest
may well stoop to gain. The love of a horse is not to be despised;
the noble quadruped is easier controlled by its uncultivated impulses
420 OPEN SYNOVIAL JOINTS.

than by all the restraints which brutes have invented or fools have
adopted. It should enter into the considerations of every life assurance
company, whether the man who takes out a policy is of a nature likely
to be loved by the animals which he possesses.

Beer is everywhere procurable, and it is not to be altogether con-
temned as a medicinal stimulant. Many a horse which is now lost upon
every hard field-day would have been saved if the animal had been
pulled up at the nearest public house to be presented with a slice of
bread and a pint of beer. Such nourishment would
not load the stomach; but it would serve to keep off
that utter exhaustion from which too many steeds
fail.

The animal being in its stall, then apply the lotion,
composed of tincture of arnica, two ounces; water,
one quart. Use this by means of a sponge and saucer.
Pour some of the liquor into the receptacle. Satu-
rate the sponge and squeeze the fluid upon the leg,
but above the injured knee. Do this after the man-
ner which is illustrated as the proper mode of wash-
ing the wounded part.

Continue with the arnica lotion, night and day, for
nae Manner iw warcrto- halfaweek. No periods can be named for applying

qe ae ope rn” the sponge, as inflammations, and therefore the dry-

ing powers, vary in different individuals; but the
knee should be always wet. This should be attended to for the first
three days and a half, during which the halter should be tied to the
rack. At the end of that time turn the horse very gently round. Re-
member the condition of the limb, and allow time for the performance
of an action which is always an effort to the most agile of the equine
species, as few stalls are a single inch too wide.

The animal being with its face to the gangway, and fastened by the
pillar-reins, place the slings before it. Leave the creature to contem-
plate the apparatus for half an hour. Then take the cloth and hold it
up to the inspection of the quadruped. Afterward place it between
the fore and hind legs—pausing and speaking kindly should alarm be
displayed. Thus by degrees fix it to the pulleys and bring it near to
the abdomen, which, however, should by no means be touched. Then
caress the creature’s head, and present some of its favorite food: eating
generally tranquilizes the mind of an animal. So much being done,
proceed to fix the straps upon the chest and withers. Then fondle the
sufferer again, and it will permit the hind tackle to be arranged.

When all is fixed, leave a pail of water suspended from one pillar,

 
OPEN SYNOVIAL JOINTS. 421

and put an elevated trough, charged with favorite provender, in front
of the horse. Let it be watched till a week from the date of the injury
has expired, and never left during that period even for an instant. If
any restlessness is exhibited, the attendant should approach and caress
the creature. Quadrupeds—though none comprehend the precise mean-
ing of the language—love to be praised. The hand, fondly applied to
the skin, and the human voice, modulated by kindness, seem to convey a
purport to animals which they will suffer pain to deserve. The writer
lately had a favorite dog, whose aversion was dry bread. It would hold
the detested morsel in its mouth for hours, looking most uncomfortable,
but making no attempt at mastication. Yet, upon praise being lavished,
the eye would brighten, and, rather than prove unworthy of so much
commendation, the hardest and stalest crust would be chewed and swal-
lowed.

Watching is necessary, because many horses when thus imprisoned,
being left alone, grow terrified and injure themselves by struggling their
bodies out of the slings. The presence of any human being assures
the timidity and checks the active imagination of a solitary animal. The
author well knows that the learning of the present time denies imagina-
tion to animals. Shying, is only the creature imagining something
which is not actually before it. What are dreams but positive evidences
of imagination? All people
have heard the suppressed
bark and seen the excited
limbs of the dog as it slept
upon the hearth rug. How
many grooms have been
surprised, upon their ear-
liest visit, to see the stable
knocked to pieces and the
horse prostrated amid the
ruin it has created! How is
this to be explained if imag-
ination be not present in the
animal? This is the author’s
interpretation of the mystery.
Dreams are active, in pro- =
portion to the immaturity of A HORSE IN SLINGS FOR OPEN JOINT.
the reason. Children often
wake up in tears, and continue screaming in terror for long periods if
unattended to. The horse starts out of a fearful vision; darkness is
about it; the fear augments; the animal begins kicking; the sound

 
429 OPEN SYNOVIAL JOINTS.

made by its own feet increases the creature’s alarm; it lashes out
frequently until it has pounded part of its dwelling into atoms and dis-
abled itself to that degree which makes the highest punishment the
greatest mercy.

A high trough is required to guard against the effects of that itching
which attends the healing process, and provokes the animal to strike its
knees. This it would do against the manger were its head in the cus-
tomary position. Were a wall before it, the knees might still be laid
open; but with a high trough nothing is within the reach of its injured
joint. Even supposing one of the slender supports, by the cunning of
excitement, to be struck, the substance should be too light to offer any
dangerous resistance, the blow being far more likely to overturn the
machine than to lacerate the limb.

When the quadruped has remained sufficient time in the slings to have
become familiar with them, pull up the cloth so that it may slightly
touch but not press against the belly. Then well secure it, and leave
the animal to rest its wearied limhs, or not, as it pleases. Its suffering
joints will soon teach the horse to bear the entire weight upon such a
support, and to sleep comfortably in the contrivance. With a few, and
only a few examples, living in slings has induced such confirmed consti-
pation as necessitated a daily resort to bran mashes. Most horses,
however, speedily accept and grow fat, enjoying the relief thus afforded.
Only one caution need be given—look well to the tackle. The horse is
very heavy, and should a single fastening prove insecure, the result
might convert a healing wound into a hopeless injury.

With the employment of slings, change the lotion for one composed
of chloride of zine, one scruple; water, one pint; this need he applied
only during the day. It is too weak to occasion
pain, and should be used with the saucer and
sponge, after the manner of washing a broken
knee or open joint, which has been previously
illustrated. The strength, nevertheless, is suf-
ficient to coagulate the albumen of the synovia.
Thus it forms a species of natural bandage
which excludes the air, while at the same time
gue ALpuMINous Bat, waren It stimulates the flesh and causes that to heal

FORMS IN SHAPE OF AN OPEN 2 . : i.
Joint? WHEN treaten wirn Under the protection of its own ‘albuminous

ane OF CHLORIDE OF secretion.
The coagulated albumen frequently accumu-
lates in front of the knee. The author has seen it attached to the part
quite of the size and very near to the form of the largest apple. It

must on no account be touched, however large it may grow or however

 
WOUNDS. 423

insecure it may appear. Respect it, and it will fall off when its service
is accomplished. The cure is nearly completed when the white ball
falls. Shortly after the wounds being closed, and pressure made with
the fingers—not with the thumb—can be endured, the slings may be
removed; though the healing should be further confirmed before the
horse is allowed to stand opposite to any substance against which it
may strike what recently has been a fearful open joint.

WOUNDS.

To this species of injury the horse is much exposed from the reckless-
ness or incompetence of those who assume to hold the reins of authority.
Occurrences which are politely termed “accidents,” generally entail
suffering upon the blameless animal. The common provocatives of such
accidents are either the drunkenness of man or his utter ignorance of
the mental attributes of the quadruped he has possession of. The first
cause shall be passed over in disgust; the second merits some consider-
ation, being rather a universal than an individual fault.

When a horse pauses, always endeavor to ascertain the motive; the
reason may be groundless. By gentleness, convince the creature that
its fears are without foundation, and you earn a supremacy as well as
win a gratitude which will always be cheerfully acknowledged. Never
employ the whip to correct ‘the obstinacy of the brute.” The horse
is naturally very fearful; were it not so, man would never have obtained
that mastery which is imperative for domestication. Elderly gentlemen
should never thrust their heads out of carriage windows and shout to
the driver to “go on.” Such implied chiding may urge the coachman
to display severity, and the horse is dangerous when alarmed. So long
as the animal continues calm, the superiority of man is submitted to;
but once excite the terror of the quadruped, and all earthly restraint
is powerless. Dread assumes the form of the wildest fury, and the
horse tears onward, insensible to mortal punishment and blind to every
danger.

It is in this manner the most terrible wounds are produced. Such
injuries, in surgical language, are defined to be ‘solutions of continuity,”
or “separations of the skin and soft parts underneath.” Neither of
these definitions, however, includes a bruise or a contused wound. There-
fore, for the present purpose, a wound will be interpreted an injury in-
flicted by external violence.

A lacerated wound may be too trivial to attract the surgeon’s notice,
as a scratch. It may also be a very serious affair, as when a cart-wheel
runs against a horse’s thigh, tearing the flesh asunder. Laceration is
424 WOUNDS.

generally accompanied by contusion, though contusion forms no neces-
sary part of a lacerated wound. When such injuries are inflicted, they
are mostly followed by little hemorrhage; yet it is
far from unusual for an animal thus hurt to perish.
Shock to the system is the most serious of the pri-
mary effects. Beyond that the immediate conse-
quence appears to be insignificant. Little blood is
lost, for the vessels are stimulated by the violence
which rends these tubes and the soft structures
asunder. Stimulation causes the torn mouths of
the arteries and veins to close or to retract. The
ragged coats of the vessels, the loose fibers of the
{ 3 flesh, and the jagged cellular tissue likewise fall over

praqram or a severn the orifices, and help to stay the flow of the vital
LACERATED WOUND. current.

    

Le

The dangers attending lacerated wounds spring,
in the first instance, from collapse. This possibility being overcome,
the immediate peril has been surmounted; all injuries of this nature
are commonly attended, however, with more or less contusion. The
force necessary to tear open a portion of the body will, of necessity,
bruise or kill some part of the flesh. Any animal substance, when
deprived of vitality, must be cast off by a living body; a slough must
follow. Now that process is attended with hazard in proportion as it
is tardily accomplished. The period of its occurrence is always one of
anxiety; for when this process takes place, the stimulation that orig-
inally caused the vessels to retract no longer exists. All mechanical
opposition to hemorrhage is, with the loss of the dead matter, generally
removed. Everything, therefore, depends upon the fibrinous deposit—a
sort of glutinous material secreted by the body, which is commonly
Jargely poured forth when any slough by natural and speedy action is
effected. Should the frame be so far debilitated as to prevent all secre-
tion of fibrin, the most frightful bleeding must ensue.

The horse which has not recovered from the original injury will then
sink under the terrible depletion. Therefore, it is impossible to form
any opinion of the injurious effects or of the consequences likely to
follow a lacerated wound before some time has elapsed.

An incised wound implies a division, more or less deep, of the soft
parts. This form of injury produces less shock to the system, and
generally heals more quickly than any other. The principal danger is
encountered at the moment when the wound is inflicted ; vessels may be
sundered, and they are cut in twain with the least possible irritation to
the parts within which they are situated. The veins and arteries, there-
WOUNDS. 425

fore, do not generally retract any more than do the soft structures. A
gash into a fleshy substance always produces a gaping wound, which is
wide in proportion to the depth and length of
the injury. From that hurt the dark-colored
venous blood drains in a stream, while the bright
scarlet or arterial blood is propelled forth in
jets, sometimes to a considerable distance.
These jets correspond with the pulsations of the
heart; but as syncope or fainting takes place,
the emission ceases with the beating of the cir-
culatory center.

 

The danger consequent upon an incised  j,¢ram or ay incisep wouxp.
wound is ever measured by the extent of the
hemorrhage. When large arteries are divided, that fact is easily told
by the size and the force of the jets sent forth. A strong horse may,
from that cause, be dead in ten minutes. To enforce the difference
between a lacerated and an incised wound, the reader is reminded of
those painful cases, frequently recorded in the newspapers, where a
limb is by machinery torn from a poor man’s
body, and scarcely a drop of blood marks the
deprivation; also of death by severing a throat,
when sensation ceases ere the stream has flowed
forth. The last is an incised, the first is a
lacerated wound.

An abraded wound, in its mildest form, is
simply a graze. The reader will, however,
remember how acutely painful such accidents
always are. The horse’s sufferings are not
highly estimated by the generality of people;
nevertheless, an injury of this description is
not to be despised, even when witnessed on
the animal. A broken knee, as it generally is
exhibited, is nothing more than an abrasion.
An abraded wound may simply mean that the
insensible outer covering of the skin has been injured; it may also
imply that the soft structures beneath have been sundered. Wounds
of this kind are not free from danger when of magnitude. Little blood
may flow, but the cutis is the most sensitive structure of the entire
body. A needle’s point cannot enter any part of the skin without sen-
sation warning the person of a puncture. In human operations, divi-
sion of the skin, or separation of the cutis, is known to constitute the
major portion of the patient’s agony.

 

DIAGRAM OF AN ABRADED WOUND.
426 WOUNDS.

The suffering attendant on the latter class of injuries is increased by
almost every abrasion forcing grit or dirt into the substance of the cutis.
This, of course, is generally washed out. The torture accompanying a
large abraded surface is, therefore, very great; and horses when suffer-
ing from accidents of such a nature sometimes sink from the irritation
consequent upon the injury. When the animals survive, the roots of
the hair too often have been destroyed, and a perpetual blemish is the
result.

A punctured wound is always dangerous; the hazard in this, as in
every species of injury, is greatly increased
when inflicted on parts liable to any vast
amount of motion. Thus, punctures occur-
ring over the stifle-joint too often set our
best surgery at defiance. The muscles of
the hind leg contract with every move-
ment of the body. Added to that, the
part abounds with fascia.

The majority of these wounds heal by

suppuration. Fascia is a substance no pus

creat of Rein th te ce «call penetrate, and which is more easily

paratively small opening 3M rent than punctured. ‘The exit of the

secretion, therefore, is opposed in many

directions, while the ceaseless motion occasions the matter to burrow.

The sinuses thus produced are by the fascia guided to the stifle-joint;

und, when once the synovial cavity is polluted by the intrusion of the
unhealthy pus, all the best efforts of science are useless.

When a punctured wound occurs, the skin, being elastic, stretches
before the instrument by which the wound is inflicted. The soft parts
beneath the skin, not being elastic to the same degree as the integument,
break down before the penetrating force. They are torn or lacerated;
for generally the muscles receive a larger injury than would be cal-
culated from the size of the instrument by which the blow was inflicted.
The rent flesh must be cast off by a slough—corruption generally at-
tends that process. Much of the pus secreted cannot find an exit
through the opening in the skin; a large portion of it is confined
within the puncture. There it decays, and, being impelled by the
motion of the limb, readily finds its way in all directions save the
upward one.

No judgment approaching to accuracy can be formed at the first sight
of a punctured wound. The probe may ascertain the depth of the injury,
hut it cannot tell the extent of damage done to the interior of the body.
Therefore, whether the hoof is pierced by a nail, or the muscles are lacer-

 

DIAGRAM OF A PUNCTURED WOUND.

The engraving supposes the soft parts
to have been divided, in order to
WOUNDS. 424

4

ated by the shaft of a cart—be the instrument large or small—the conse-
quences likely to follow upon the injury cannot be foretold.

A contusion, in its mildest form, is simply a bruise. Injuries of this
class, when of magnitude, are very deceptive; the surface is unstained
by blood, and there is no flesh exposed. For these
reasons the ignorant are apt to disregard such acci-
dents, and to express surprise when they terminate
otherwise than kindly. When a bruise happens, blood
is effused in smaller or larger quantities according to
the extent of the injury. A small quantity of effused
blood, sufficient to discolor the human skin, may be
absorbed; but when the amount is large, the powers
of nature are defied. The blood thrown out, not up
being taken up again, congeals, and ultimately cor-
rupts. Then an abscess or a slough is necessitated ; both are attended
with danger: the first may be deep seated or superficial; either form is
attended by much weakness. That generates considerable irritation, and
may even be the cause of fatal hemorrhage; or it may lead to sinuses,
the direction, the number, or extent of which, when they do occur, is not
to be predicated. A bruise is, consequently, not to be judged of hastily.
The amount of pain which it provokes is even unworthy dependence, as
the injury may have hurt the bone or the tendon; and then, though the
accident is rendered very serious, in the first instance no sign of agony
announces the extent of the evil.

With regard to treatment, when a lacerated wound occurs, the first
attention should be paid to the system, which has always been much
shaken. Give, therefore, the drink composed of one ounce each of laud-

 

anum and sulphuric ether, with half a pint of water; repeat it every
quarter of an hour till the shivering natural to the horse on these occa-
sions has disappeared, and the pulse has recovered its healthy tone.

Avoid all poultices of the ordinary kind; one composed of one-fourth
yeast and three-fourths of any coarse grain, excepting bran, may he
applied. So also may a lotion thus composed :—

Lotion for Lacerated Wounds.

Tincture of cantharides . .. . . . =. =. . One ounce.
Chloride of zinc . . . . . . . . . . « . Two drachms.
Water Three pints.

Mix. Keep a rag constantly wet over the part.

Hither will stimulate the parts, and probably prevent any tendency to
unhealthy action. The yeast poultice produces this effect by giving off
carbonic acid; the lotion accomplishes this intention by both its active
498 WOUNDS.

“4

ingredients. Each is stimulating, also disinfectant, and will counteract
any filthy odor which may attend the sloughing process; but the lotion
is perhaps to be preferred, as it is more easily applied. When the slough
has taken place, should hemorrhage ensue, dash upon the part jug after
jug of the coldest water; or, should no very cold water be at hand, drive
upon the mouths of the vessels a current of wind from the nozzle of the
bellows. Continue to do this till the bleeding ceases, or until a surgeon
can be obtained to take up the arteries.

The after-treatment is simple: apply frequently the solution of chlo-
ride of zinc, one grain to an ounce of water; that lotion will cleanse the
wound and prevent unpleasant smells.

As respects feeding, this must be regulated by the character of the
pulse. Should tke beat of the artery be quick and feeble, no hay should
be given; good, thick gruel should constitute the only drink excepting
in extreme cases, when two pots of porter may be allowed each day.
Good oats and old beans, both crushed and scalded, should then consti-
tute the food, and the utmost gentleness should be exercised toward the
animal.

Should the pulse be natural, allow three feeds of oats each day, as, in
every kind of injury to the horse, more danger is to be apprehended
from debility than from any excess of energy.

Incised wounds.— When these happen, always dash the part with plenty
of cold water or blow upon them with the bellows. Place the horse in
the nearest shed; motion promotes hemorrhage, therefore a walk is not
to be hazarded. The bleeding being arrested—for, in severe accidents
of this kind, there is no time to send for assistance—let the animal
remain perfectly quiet until the exposed surface has become almost dry,
but on being touched by the finger feels sticky. Then draw the edges
together, and keep them in that position by means of sutures.

The best means of inserting these sutures is
with a curved needle fixed into a handle. The
handle is wanted to obtain the necessary power,
and the needle’s point should be sharp to pen-
etrate the hide of the horse, which in places
is of considerable thickness. The needle is
thrust through the integument about one inch
and a half from one margin of the incision; it
: is brought out about the same distance within
FIXED SUTURE NEEDLE: VERY USE- the divided soft parts. It enters the opposite

cruar bert. side of the sundered flesh even with the place

whence it came forth, and afterward it appears
through the skin about equally distant from the opposite edge of the

 
WOUNDS. 429

wound. There is a hole near the point of the needle; through this
opening a piece of strong twine or narrow tape is threaded; when, the
instrument being withdrawn, the twine or tape is pulled into the punc-
ture which has been made. The needle is then released, the suture being
left in.

So many sutures as may be necessary are thus inserted —in small
wounds, these being about two inches asunder, but in larger injuries,

 

THE MANNER OF USING THE FIXED SETON NEEDLE.

A second person pushes the wound together, and, when the point of the needle appears, threads it with
a piece of zinc wire or soft string. The needle is then retracted, and released from the wire or string,
whereby a suture is left in the wound.

three inches apart. All are duly placed before any are tied; the whole
being ready, the wound is forced together by an assistant, while the
strings are fastened—care being exercised
not to bring any of them actually tight,
lest the motion of the body or the swelling
of the part should drag the sutures through
the flesh and thereby tear them out.

A wound thus united may possibly heal DIAGRAM OF SUTURES WHEN TIED AND
by first intention, or the divided parts, when eres
brought together, may join, and give no further trouble to the surgical
attendant.

Union by first intention is, however, somewhat rare in the horse; and
should not that take place, suppuration will be established. So soon as
the pus flows freely forth, and the sutures appear to tighten or drag, cut
them out by snipping the twine; but allow the strings to loosen before
you attempt their withdrawal.

If this is not done, the sutures will speedily find an exit for themselves
by causing the flesh against which the tension acts to be absorbed ; thus
the original injury will be rendered more complicated, and the ultimate
blemish must be altogether greater.

All that is required after the establishment of suppuration is to bathe

 
430 WOUNDS.

the part with the solution of chloride of zine, one grain to the ounce of
water. This lotion will suppress any fetor, and gently stimulate the
healing process, as well as prevent the sprouting of fungoid granula-
tions; it is necessary also to attend strictly to the directions laid down
for feeding during the curing of wounds.

  

TWO KINDS OF SUTURES RARELY EMPLOYED UPON THE HORSE.

No.1. The continuous suture, which is employed for sewing up portions of bowel when the intestines
are jnjnred and exposed.

No.2. The deep suture or the quill sntnre. In the horse pieces of wood are substitnted for quills. ‘The
wood is notched in the center; and upon the indentations the sutures are fixed, to prevent the
movements of the animal from displacing them. It is sometimes employed to bring the sides
of deep and gaping wounds closer together.

The treatment of an abraded wound chiefly consists in cleansing the
surface with plenty of cold water, which should be allowed by its own
weight to wash off any loose particles of dirt. No cloth or other aid
should be employed to scrub the living flesh as though it were an insen-
sitive board. The matter which cannot be removed by simply sluicing,
had better remain to be expelled by the secretion of pus. The horse,
especially when terrified, endures pain very badly; indeed, the animal is
so timid and so delicately framed that it is always good surgery to spare
all unnecessary suffering.

Support the body with laudanum and ether drinks, one ounce of each
to the pint of water, as often as they may be needed. Let the food be
generous, unless fever should arise, when the directions already given
must be attended to.

Punctured wounds require only one kind of treatment, whether a nail
be driven into the flesh of the foot, or the shaft of a cart be forced into
the substance of the thigh. Here the knife must be employed; and,
unless the animal shows evident symptoms of excessive weakness, it is
better, perhaps, to operate while the parts are partially numbed by the
WOUNDS. 431

shock, than to wait until a morbid sensibility is provoked. Always en-
large the opening; do this in the foot by cutting away the horn of the
sole around the small puncture left by the nail. When the soft parts are
penetrated, probe the wound first; then, if possible, insert a knife to the
bottom of the puncture, and, with the edge downward, draw it forth.
By this means a wound resembling a subverted < will be instituted. It
will be narrowest toward the extremity, and widest at the mouth. A
free opening affords a ready egress for all sloughs and pus. It materi-
ally aids the healing process, and effectually prevents the establishment
of sinuses; while the clean incision left by the knife is of small import,
when taken into consideration with the other consequences of a punc-
tured wound.

Support the animal if necessary, or regulate the food by the symptoms.

A contused wound, when slight, may be rubbed with the iodide of
lead ointment, one drachm of the active agent to the ounce of lard;
when all enlargement will sometimes subside, and the effused blood may
be absorbed. However, the horse commonly receives injuries of magni-
tude. In the last case, take a sharp knife and draw it along the entire
length of the swelling. Make a long gash, only through the integument,
at every eighth inch, and be careful to carry the knife through the integ-
ument, or to the lowest portion of the detached skin. Any sac that
may be left is certain to retain corruption, and may produce fearful after-
consequences. The attendant measures consist in bathing the contusion
with a lotion composed of chloride of zinc, one grain, water, one ounce,
and diminishing the food or supporting the body as nature demands such
treatment.

The after-treatment of all injuries consists in keeping any external
orifices open till all sloughs and pus have disappeared. In surgery, a
large and depending opening, by means of which the intcrior may drain,
is always to be preserved, and the knife, to this end, may be employed
so often as the healing process threatens to prematurely close the
wound,

Formerly it was the practice to bleed after every injury; this was done
to prevent fever. However, observation has shown that the vital powers
are more often weakened than increased by the shock attendant on severe
accidents. Whenever the contrary happens, it is far better to lower the
pulse by repeated doses of aconite, than to abstract that which will sub-
sequently be necessary to repair injury.

It was also once the custom to fill wounds with tents or lumps of tow,
and to bandage every injured part. These habits only served to confine
that which nature was striving to cast out. They consequently did much
harm, and are now happily discarded.
432 WOUNDS.

A piece of loose rag, saturated in the oil or the solution of tar,
should, during summer, be suspended over the mouth of every wound, to
keep off the flies. The only tent which the author approves of is when
an incised wound happens where assistance is far away, and difficult to
procure. Then, to arrest the hemorrhage, let the horse rug, a man’s
coat, or anything else be violently thrust into the gash, and forcibly held
there until proper assistance can be obtained.

Such is the present method of treating wounds; this to the reader
may appear very cruel; but could he have walked through and have
inhaled the atmosphere of the wards in hospitals appropriated to such
injuries as they existed in former times, he would thoroughly under-
stand that apparent want of feeling is, in reality, the
height of charity.

To conclude this part, the author lays before his
readers the following bandage, intended to meet an
inconvenience hitherto experienced when a horse has
the walls of the abdomen punctured. The constant
motion of the part renders ordinary sutures of no avail,
and for that reason bandages, unless so tight as to
Apanpace pesiaxenror Check circulation, are of little use. The annexed is

veep tote ~6omade like a broad belt, and is buckled round the body.

The bars are composed of vulcanized India-rubber;
they wilt yield to the movements of the abdomen, and yet serve as sutures
supporting any pendant flap, while at the same time they will allow the
wound to be dressed without disturbing the bandage. They also offer
the advantage of permitting the attendant to pull one support aside
without removing the whole.

Every part in the horse subjected to much motion when wounded,
should have an adhesive plaster placed over it, and retained there until
the suppurative action is confirmed. By this means is excluded the
atmosphere, which, when this precaution was neglected, has entered the
wound, penetrated between the muscles, and by distending the body
increased the suffering, as well as led to the worst of consequences.

Wounds in veterinary surgery rank among the most formidable cases
with which the practitioner has to contend. They are not so because
the flesh of the horse is slower to heal than that of the human being.
Indeed, the scale in this respect inclines toward the animal; but they are
rendered slow to heal and difficult to cure by two causes. The horse is
always impatient of restraint; any effort to confine the creature is more
likely to provoke dangerous resistance than to induce the slightest symp-
tom of amendment. The quadruped naturally delights in motion. It
was formed for activity. Even when in its stall the body is never abso-

 
WOUNDS. 433

lutely still; the position is being changed; the legs are frequently
stamped; the head, eyes, ears, and tail are never quiet. This innate
quality retards the union of sundered flesh. It favors the gravitation of
pus between the muscles, and thus generates sinuses. These are the tor-
ments of veterinary surgery. Could the sinus be anticipated, or in all
cases eradicated, the principal difficulty would be removed; but intelli-
gent as the horse is, it proves impossible to make the animal compre-
hend the necessity for quietude. Hence any trivial accident may lead to
injuries of so extensive a character and so malignant a nature as will set
the best endeavors or the most consummate skill at defiance.

28
CHAPTER XV.
OPERATIONS.
Tue veterinary art is by no means rendered more successful by the

cunning of its stratagems. Many of its objects are accomplished after
the rudest and the most primitive methods. Not one, perhaps, is more

 

THE PRESENT MANNER OF CASTING A HORSE FOR OPERATION.

coarse than the present method of casting or throwing an animal previ-
ous to an operation. The reader has only to ask himself what condition
the body must be in when, with the sight blinded, it is suddenly jerked
to the earth; and how far it is fitly prepared by so violent a practice to
be submitted to the knife of an operator?

There are few operations in veterinary surgery which a person of
moderate nerve and average intelligence might not himself perform.
The author has seen gentlemen with titles, and others holding high rank
in the army, indulge in the strange pleasure of singeing living flesh with
the heated iron. But he has never beheld horsemen handling the knife.
The latter would better become their hands than the first severe and dis-
figuring instrument, which, however useful it may have been found in

(434)
OPERATIONS. 435

certain cases met with in human surgery, nevertheless would be well abol-
ished from veterinary practice, because of its indiscriminate abuse. Firing
is employed for every and for no reason. Now recourse is had to it because
the joints are weak. Then it is adopted because a gentleman is fond of
seeing his horses scored. Next, it is used to gain time, and thus proloug
the treatment. Generally it is brought forward because the practitioner
does not know what else to do. Lastly, it is esteemed the crowning
measure of routine practice.

The author, however, has never been necessitated to resort to so vio-
lent an agent. It is a most unseemly ornament in unprofessional hands ;
in this book, which is intended for the general public, the use of the
firing-iron is altogether omitted.

The knife, especially to the animal, is the most humane of remedies.
It often affords instant or immediate relief. The animal seems to suffer
more from the restraint imposed than from the wounds inflicted. The
chief sensation, with all forms of life, resides in the skin; so that the
integument be quickly and effectually divided, the soft parts underneath
have but little feeling. The interference with these last rather produces
faintness or sickness than acute suffering; the knowledge of which fact
will embolden many a humane person, though the writer trusts it will
not be credited by all who are of an opposite character, since boldness,
unrestrained by humanity, only renders the individual a savage without
the savage’s excuse.

Such operations as embriotomy, castration, and lithotomy are inten-
tionally omitted, from a conviction that no gentleman would undertake
them; and because, in every instance, they had better be intrusted to a
regular veterinary surgeon.

Before undertaking any operation, always reflect on what you are
about to do, and make up your mind how you design to do it. Irreso-
lution causes more suffering than the most perverted determination can
inflict. It is always well (however much in practice the operator may
consider himself) to first perform the intended operation upon the dead
subject. This is a custom which the writer invariably adopted; and
frequently it has supplied his memory with a refresher which, in the
hurry of practice, was found a most timely warning.

Never use small knives. Such things look pretty. The sight of a
large blade may appear very ugly; but it does at one movement that
work which an instrument of notching smallness would not in twenty
hacks accomplish. Understand thoroughly that which you are about to
perform, and always choose the tool likely to get through the business
quickly. Periosteotomy cases were formerly sold by veterinary instru-
ment makers which contained a knife of moderate doll’s dimension. The
436 OPERATIONS.

writer, to accomplish the purpose which that little knife was specially
made for, was accustomed to employ a bistoury larger than those in
ordinary use among gentlemen of his profession.

Where you anticipate much bleeding, always endeavor, if possible, to
divide the main artery with the first incision. This is by far the most
humane, and therefore the safest practice. The vessel, being divided,
can be taken up, and all further flow of blood thereby checked. But if
the artery be left to the last, it remains to fill the smaller branches.
These are of necessity frequently severed. Each, as it is cut, bleeds
more or less freely; thus the hemorrhage is far greater, and the opera-
tion far more difficult, than if the main trunk had been secured at the
earliest possible period.

Always tie both ends of an artery; because, though the main stream
flows through that portion of the vessel nearest the heart, yet the other
half, being fed by the smaller trunks, and the current having a tendency
to regurgitate, a considerable quantity of the vital fluid may flow out of
the mouth, which, in general opinion, has no medium of supply.

If, during an operation, you make an accidental incision into a vessel,
either take it up, (which is the better way,) or cut it short off when there
is a chance of its retracting and of the bleeding being thus arrested.
Vessels of large size may, when requisite, be excised and tied; the
vital current being afterward carried on by the dilatation of the lesser
ducts.

To tie an artery it is imperative to secure the end of the vessel; this,
if possible, should be accomplished with the forceps. When the mouth
of the vessel is much retracted, it may be necessary to employ the knife ;
but that practice should be viewed only as the last resort of the profi-
cient surgeon.

The end of the artery being fixed and drawn forth, a piece of strong
silk, thrice twisted, (after the method represented in
the inferior circle of the annexed illustration,) is
passed over the vessel. The silk is then drawn tight,
and will generally remain fixed. However, sad acci-
dents have occurred by operators trusting to so
( doubtful a security; for that reason it is always

advisable to make another twist, (as shown in the
smaller circle of the illustration,) which will render

—_, the knot secure.

 

 

THR LOUP BY MEANS OF Even a vessel of the second magnitude may be
WHICH THE ENDS OF AR- . es . . .
TERIES ARE SECURED. obliterated, as the carotid artery or the jugular vein,

without life being necessarily sacrificed. However,
it is always well to spare these parts, or when either is lost to arrange so
OPERATIONS. 437

that the absence of them may entail the least possible inconvenience upon
the animal. Thus, if the carotid artery be lost, place the food low down,
and thereby aid the flow of blood to the head. If the jugular vein be
destroyed, then put the fodder high up, that the curreat from the head
may be facilitated.

Never, on any account, remove any portion of skin which is not
involved in some fearful injury, or separated from its attachments by the
action of disease. ,

Skin is the part of the body which is never reproduced, and even the
place whence it is absent always heals slowly. However loose the skin
may appear, however disproportioned it may seem after some tumor has
been removed, respect every particle of it. Before the wound can heal,
inflammation must set in. That process ended, the skin, under its action,
will have contracted, and in the end there will be only sufficient integu-
ment to cover the part; whereas, if the slightest amount be excised, to
such an extent there will for a long time remain a gaping sore.

Never spare the knife. Think well before you touch that tool; but,
having it in hand, assure yourself its edge is sharp, and never do at two
cuts that which might have been accomplished in one.

Always slit up a sinus where such a proceeding is possible. When
the sinus is too long, supposing the pipe to take an internal direction,
as from the withers to the chest, insert a seton with the guarded seton
needle, a representation of which is given below.

  

THE GUARDED SETON NEEDLE.

The blade of this instrument is generally about two feet long. Before
using it, the cutting head is always retracted by pulling back the nut at
the extremity, and securing it in its place by means of the screw situated
on the middle of the handle. The blade then reposes upon a blunt
companion, and may with impunity be inserted down any sinus or false
canal. Having reached the bottom of the pipe, and all important vessels
being passed, the screw is loosened, and the projecting end of the blade
at the extremity of thé handle is struck forcibly, when the sharp point
is driven forward, and this pierces the flesh.

   

THE SETON NEEDLE PROTRUDED, AND SECURED WITHIN THE HANDLE BY MEANS OF A SCREW.

Behind the cutting head there is a free space. Through that opening
along piece of tape is threaded, and the instrument is withdrawn, pull-
438 OPERATIONS.

ing the tape into the sinus, in which it remains. A knot is made at either
end of the tape; thus a seton is with safety placed in situations where
the depth to be penctrated would defy ordinary measures, and the vessels
to he passed would render such measures more than doubly hazardous.
The use of a seton is to act as a drain, or to stimulate an unhealthy
canal—to provoke a sinus to secrete healthy pus, instead of a thin and

often a foul discharge—and thus to cause the diseased pipe to heal or

 

to become obliterated.

When operating, always make your first incision through the skin
rather too large than in the least too small; remember, the division from
within outward occasions much less pain than the separation, made after
the ordinary fashion, from without inward.

Never spare hair; the substance is readily reproduced. It can be
wished to be spared only to conceal the fact of an operation having been
performed. Always refuse to become a party to dishonesty. Do what
is necessary for the proper performance of your office. The removal of
hair, which may otherwise interfere with your sight, is essential: there-
fore cut it off, regardless of any wish to the contrary.

Instruct your assistants beforehand how to cast the horse; leave that
business to them: never meddle yourself. The writer has seen veterinary
surgeons, in their operating dresses, push and haul with the utmost en-
ergy. Such silly people have doubtless thought themselves exalted by
this exhibition of violence. It would have been more to their credit
had they devoted half the energy to teaching their people beforehand.
But in what condition must their hands and temper be after having taken
a lead in a struggle with a horse for mastery !

A surgeon should always be cool. His head should direct his hand ;
his knife should be held lightly ; his eve should be quick, and his mind
prepared to meet any accident. He should do his office neatly, and, if
possible, without soiling his person. The ripping cut and the bloody
hands alone distinguish the ignorant butcher from the scientific operator.

During every operation enjoin the strictest silence upon the specta-
tors. The horse is never vicious, but it is always timid. Sounds have
a powerful effect upon animals which cannot understand speech. Every
word uttered, even in a whisper, should be of assurance to the sufferer ;
for the horse is only to be feared in its efforts to escape from some sup-
posed peril. It becomes mad inits alarm. It then puts forth its strength
and exerts it without regard to consequences. Man has everything to
hope from the fortitude and noble forbearance of the creature. It re-
sponds to kindness with something more than submission; it answers
sympathy by the most entire confidence and utter dependence. The life,
the feeling, the natural powers are all subservient to the great love which
OPERATIONS. 439

is embodied in a horse’s attachment. There is not among created beings
one which has so large a sympathy; the horse must attach itself to
something ; to love seems essential to its being. The stable in which it
is captive the patient prisoner learns to regard, as it were, a palace.
The pace is always more willing when returning to captivity; freedom
has no charm; the field has no allurement to the horse which has lived
any time in the most crimped, confined, and uncomfortable of stalls. It
will quit the spring grass to be fastened once more in the place to which
it has been accustomed and has grown attached.

Then, however much removed from itself, it must pour the richest of
its affections on some animal, should man, in pride, refuse to accept the
offering. Creatures the most opposite have been the horse’s favorite.
How often do we hear of the liking formed between a goat, a dog, a cat,
and the horse! Love has a strange freemasonry of its own; how else
can we account for the larger creature being*able to make its longing
understood by the smaller life? There may, however, be between ani-
mals some substitute for language; but we can hardly suppose any rec-
ognized signs exist between birds and the equine species. Yet a famous
animal-painter had a pony which formed a violent and lasting affection
for a bantam cock. These two used to march side by side up and down
the field in which the larger animal was confined; for so very expansive
is the horse’s love that it will embrace not only its abode, but some life,
however distant apparently from its own.

The voice of the person who is accustomed to groom and feed the
animal, if he has been only ordinarily humane in the performance of his
office, will at all times reassure the beating heart of a prostrated horse.
But vast injustice to the animal’s better qualities is done by the mode
of casting it. It is violently jerked off its legs; by a sudden pull it is
thrown “with a burster” upon its side. There it struggles. If mastery
sides with the animal, then let the men be speedy in their flight. The
quadruped, in its fear, designs no harm to any person. It means only to
escape from the terrible danger which encompasses it. Still, it is re-
gardless in its alarm, and may do more injury than the most evil inten-
tion could accomplish. There is an engraving of the method of casting
horses commencing this chapter. Let the capable reader imagine the
effect produced upon the timid quadruped when it is violently flung upon
the earth with a sound well denominated “a burster.”

The horse is much better made to lie down gently, after the method
adopted by Mr. Rarey. Half, and far more than half, the terror excited
by an operation may thus be avoided. The confusion and bustle, con-
joined with violence, which naturally attend “casting,” must make a
lasting impression upon the retentive mind of the animal, and, we may
440 OPERATIONS.

suppose, must aggravate the pain, thus materially endangering the result
of an operation. The hobbles may be fixed quite as readily when the
horse is down as when the animal is standing. Nay, they may be fixed
more readily, as the horse, when down, has lost three-fourths of its
power.

Mr. Rarey’s method of throwing the most unruly animal is thus
described by that gentleman :—

“Fiverything that we want to teach the horse must be commenced in
some way to give him an idea of what you want him to do, and then be
repeated till he learns it perfectly. To make a horse lie down, bend his
left fore leg and slip a loop over it, so that he cannot get it down. Then
put a surcingle around his body, and fasten one end of a long strap
around the other fore leg just above the hoof. Place the other end
under the surcingle, so as to keep the strap in the right direction; take
a short hold of it with your right hand; stand on the left side of the
horse, grasp the bit in your left hand, pull steadily on the strap with
your right; bear against his shoulder till you cause him to move. As
soon as he lifts his weight, your pulling will raise the other foot, and he
will have to come on his knees. Keep the strap tight in your hand, so
that he cannot straighten his leg if he rises up. Hold him in this posi-
tion, and turn his head toward you; bear against his side with your
shoulder—not hard, but with a steady, equal pressure—and in about ten
minutes he will lie down. As soon as he lies down he will be completely
conquered, and you can handle him as you please. Take off the straps,
and straighten out his legs; rub him lightly about the face and neck
with your hand the way the hair lies; handle all his legs; and, after he
has lain ten or twenty minutes, let him get up again. After resting him
a short time, make him lie down as before. Repeat the operation three
or four times, which will be sufficient for one lesson. Give him two les-
sons a day; and when you have given him four lessons, he will lie down
by taking hold of one foot. As soon as he is well broken to lie down
in this way, tap him on the opposite leg with a stick when you take hold
of his foot, and in a few days he will lie down from the mere motion of
the stick.”

What prevents the hobbles being buckled on? What prevents all
necessary arrangements being carried out? What, indeed, but the stub-
bornness inseparable from ignorance! Veterinary surgeons, as a rule,
are not an educated class. In proportion as their information is limited,
so is their adherence to established custom likely to be intractable.

There are, besides the hobbles, two other inventions designed to limit
the capability of resistance. One is the side line. A soft collar is put
over the horse’s head and a hobble is fastened to the foot it is desired

’
OPERATIONS. 44]

to have elevated. From the collar is dependant a metal loop, ring, or
other contrivance. By the side of this a strong rope is attached. The
cord is then passed through the D
of the hobble; afterward it is
brought back and ran through the
side ring or loop. A man then
takes hold of the end of the rope,
and, by gradual traction, causes the
leg to be advanced. It is neither
wise nor humane to drag the foot
off the ground. A horse which will
stand quiet with both feet resting
on the earth, is rendered restless
when one leg is fastened in the air.

The occasion which makes it imperative to apply the side line is,
when the hocks or hinder parts are examined. Many unbroken horses,
though quiet in other respects, will not allow these portions of the body
to be touched. By causing one leg to be advanced, the other is deprived
of all power as a weapon of offense. The horse would obviously fall,
if he were to project the only free hind member; and the timidity of the
creature indisposes it to incur so vast an indignity.

The other invention is the double side line. A rope is fixed to a loop
on either side. The loop or ring is attached to a soft collar. The rope
is afterward threaded through
a hobble on each pastern. Both aS |
legs are then gently pulled for- eet
ward, and the animal, having its
posterior supports drawn from
under it, comes to the earth.
The ropes are held tight while
the horse is turned upon its
back. The instant it is in that,
position, somebody seats himself
upon the head, while the body of
the animal is propped up by
numerous trusses of straw.

This last is but an imperfect
method of casting. In general
it is rendered still more cruel by the abuse to which it is subject. The
ropes are commonly pulled with an utter disregard to the living body
upon which they operate. The hind legs are often drawn to the shoul-
ders, and frequently additional cords are employed to make the poor

 

THE SIDE LINE.

 

   

THE DOUBLE SIDE LINE.
442 OPERATIONS.

creatures more distorted and more fixed. Has man any cause to wonder
at a horse being occasionally what is called “vicious,” when the un-
reasoning creature is thus fearfully operated upon? Is it not rather a
proof of the horse’s intelligence that it can recognize the cause of its
suffering, and study ever after to repel its tormentor ?

Let the horse be thrown down after the admirable method introduced
by Mr. Rarey. Let it then be hobbled, and never, during the operation,
hear any sound but soothing accents. Animals do not understand words,
hut they are quick readers of characteristics. The language itself these
creatures may not be able to literally interpret; but they comprehend
all which the manner conveys. When kindness is expressed, the mean-
ing is felt, though the verbiage be lost: it is astonishing how animals
will enter into the intention of speech! How home kind language
seems to go to the ignorant heart, and how true it is that a gentle word
is never thrown away! It is surprising to observe the affection by which
the human race is surrounded; they live and walk among animals eager
for permission to adore them, anxious to love and to serve them; but it
is lamentable to see how an evil spirit repels the feeling which pervades
all nature.

There is another point upon which the writer presumes to offer ad-
vice. Veterinary surgeons display ignorance in nothing more than in
being servile copyists. They do not view their sphere of science as a
separate and distinct branch. They always will strive to follow the
example of human practitioners even to particulars. There is no dif-
ference in the dissecting knives used at the King’s College and the Royal
Veterinary establishment, though bodies of different bulks are studied
in each school. The operating knives of most veterinary surgeons are
ridiculously small for such purposes. The consequence is, the animal
is much longer down than is absolntely necessary. The author has
known one hour employed in dressing a quittor; whereas six sinuses
ought to be laid open and dressed in less than five minutes. A vast
deal of time is thus wasted; although the opposition to Mr. Rarey’s
method of throwing will, doubtless, be the length of time it would
occupy. However, granting the objection; which is the surgeon bound
to consider—the welfare of his patient or his own convenience? It is
not every day that the gentleman who enjoys the largest practice has to
cast a horse. It is, in fact, a somewhat rare and an exceptional occur-
rence. Could not the most engaged man devote an occasional half hour
to the benefit of his profession ?

When operating upon living flesh, always have your knives rather too
large than in any measure too small. The work is performed quicker;
besides, the hands are kept at some distance from the wound, and the
OPERATIONS—TRACHEOTOMY. 443

eyes thereby are enabled to direct their movements. The probability
of mistakes is thus lessened, and no man, with a knife in his hand and
bleeding flesh under his eyes, has a right to expose himself to the pos-
sibility of an error which, of course, is not to be erased or atoned for.

Should a horse, when under the knife, struggle, do not attempt to
contend with the animal. Immediately leave hold of your instruments,
and withdraw your person out of danger. Allow your knife, ete. to
remain; it will seldom be displaced, or, if cast out of the wound, can
be easily reintroduced; whereas, did you endeavor to snatch away or
to retain your hold, the most lamentable consequences might be the
result.

Another caution, and this part of the writer’s office is concluded.
When you operate upon a leg, have that limb uppermost, unless your
incision is made upon the inner side. Have the foot placed upon a
pillow or sack stuffed with straw, and a strong webbing put around the

 

hoof. The webbing give to a man who is to pull at it. The dragging
sensation renders the horse inclined to retract the member; therefore
place yourself in front of the limb, or on the same side as the man who
holds the webbing. The fore leg, when advanced, cannot he readily
employed as a weapon of offense, and the hind limb is always, when

used in defense, projected backward.

OPERATIONG—TRACHEOTOMY.

This operation is, perhaps, the most humane recourse of veterinary
surgery. Neurotomy may save the horse from greater and longer suf-
fering; but tracheotomy is performed, unlike the former operation,
upon an animal in an unconscious state. Difficult respiration, either
from tumor pressing upon the larynx, infiltration upon the lining mem-
brane of the larynx, or choking from various causes, produces imperfect
444 OPERATIONS—TRACHEOTOMY.

oxygenation of the blood. The vital current being impure, of course
the brain which it nurtures is not in a condition of health or activity.
The consciousness is impaired or altogether destroyed; and immediate
relief is experienced after the performance of the operation. The re-
covery is as rapid as the previous symptoms were alarming. The altered
aspect of the animal is as though the body were resuscitated. In certain
cases, where every breath is drawn in pain, the ease afforded by trache-
otomy is most marked. It makes little difference to Nature, by what
means the air is inhaled, so that a sufficiency of diluted oxygen come in
contact with the absorbing membrane of the lungs. This, when the
larynx is closed or diseased, tracheotomy permits to be accomplished.
It is equally beneficial, safe, and humane. However ugly its description
may read, it is in practice to be strongly recommended.

The general fault with veterinary sugeons is the delay which com-
monly pushes off the operation to the last moment. In this delay the
proprietor is, perhaps, equally or even more at fault. Hope leads the
owner on to the very last, and even then it is with reluctant horror that
consent is given “to cut the horse’s throat.” Such is the term by which
certain practitioners characterize tracheotomy; and though it is uttered
merely as a joke, yet it creates an impression which acts against a harm-
less operation.

In agricultural districts, the veterinarian is frequently knocked up at
night by a messenger, who announces “Farmer Hodges’s horse be a
dying.” The farmer may live several miles off in the country; and the
reluctant sleeper hurries on his clothes to obey the implied summons.

In due time the pair reach farmer Hodge’s homestead. It needs no
finger to point out the stable. The sound of laborious breathing effect-
ually notifies it. However, the practitioner, upon entrance into the
place, is horrified to find himself there with no better company than
a boy and a rapidly-sinking animal. The circumstances demand other
assistance. The horse doctor cannot help giving voice to his require-
ments. The lad hearing this, says hastily he will fetch somebody very
soon—hangs up the lantern and vanishes into the darkness.

Minutes pass and no footfall greets the ear. The divisions of the
hour are struck by the village church, and still no sound of returning
steps. The animal becomes worse and worse. In its disabled state it
fears to lie down, as that position impedes the breathing. In its efforts
to stand, it reels about—now falling to one side and then to the other.
Yet the departed messenger does not return. The veterinarian finds
the limits of delay are passed: ten minutes more and the quadruped
will be down. He takes out his lancet. One foot from the breast-
bone, and as near the center of the neck as the rocking motion of the
OPERATIONS—TRACHEOTOMY. 445

horse or the flickering light of the lantern will allow him to aim, he
plunges the blade deeply into the flesh, if possible at one cut dividing
the cartilages of the trachea. He has little control over the incision.
Frequently a gash results from the tottering of the animal. Mostly he
divides more than he would have done had daylight and assistance been
afforded him.

The incision being made, the fingers are thrust into the wound to
keep the division open. At first this may be difficult; but as time

  

SS
TRACHEOTOMY, AS PERFORMED UNDER DIFFICULTIES—A COMMON OCCURRENCE.

proceeds, the standing of the horse becomes firmer and the breathing
less noisy. The veterinarian is, however, impatient at the delay and
his enforced position. He is just beginning to despair, when the mes-
senger returns, accompanied by a sleepy companion. Both are sur-
prised at the condition of the horse, and, not observing the wound,
imagine the animal has been cured by magic. However, to the demands
of the equine medical attendant, nothing like a tracheotomy tube is to
be invented. At last the spout of the tea kettle is thought of; and the
good dame awakens in the morning to find her kettle demolished and
its spout thrust into the ‘plaguy horse’s throat.”

It is the curse of veterinary surgery, that nobody appears to under-
stand when an operation is required. The practitioner, therefore, is
seldom prepared for its performance. The circumstances allow him
little time to think, and none to return or to fetch the necessary instru-
ments.

However, when he has proper time and choice, he should always
make a free incision through the skin and panniculus carnosus. Make
this opening about one-third up the neck, measuring from the chest. It
446 OPERATIONS—TRACHEOTOMY.

is more general to open the windpipe at a similar distance from the jaw,
and, assuredly, the superior incision has this advantage, that there is
less to cut through. But where no important nerves or vessels are en-
dangered, surgery cares little about the depth of a wound, the chief
attention being given to the probable after-consequences.

The superior portion of the neck is especially the seat of motion; it
varies with every turn and movement of the head. Hence the end of
the tube is apt to be brought into constant contact with the lining mem-
brane of the trachea, and horses have been slaughtered with huge
tracheal abscesses, to all appearance produced solely by wearing the
tracheotomy tube.

To avoid this danger the author chooses for incision a spot nearer to
the chest, where the motion is less constant and not so varied. Even
at this last place all danger is not entirely surmounted, in consequence
of which a horse, while wearing a tracheotomy tube, should never be
permitted to feed from the ground.

  

DIAGRAM, SHOWING THE STRUCTURES TO BE THE MANNER IN WHICH THE CARTILAGES
INTERFERED WITH DURING THE PERFORM- OF THE TRACHEA ARE TO BE EXCISED.
ANCE OF TRACHEOTOMY.

1.1. The sterno-maxillares muscles—a pair—have to be separated, being joined by fine cellular tissue.
Hasna sterno-thyro-hyoidei muscles, lying under the first pair, also have to be divided, being similarly
38. The trachea, which is fully exposed when the above muscles are disunited.

At the commencement, when the operator has leisure, he generally
does not cut too deep. The first incision fairly divides the skin and
panniculus carnosus quite in the middle of the neck, and is rather louger
than a by-stander would deem to be absolutely necessary. The elasticity
of the skin will somewhat shorten the opening, while the torture of
OPERATIONS—TRACHEOTOMY. 447

repeated enlargements will be avoided, and the more important struc-
tures beneath the skin will be fairly brought into view.

In the center of your division will appear two long muscies, joined
together by a fine cellular union; that union you are to separate; it
consists only of cellular tissue, and will necessitate more care than ex-
ertion. Underneath the divided muscles will be found two others,
smaller and paler, but also joined together by means of fine cellular
tissue. These are also to be sundered, and then the trachea lies
exposed. There is neither nerve, nor artery, nor vein to avoid, nor to
take up in the performance of tracheotomy. All consists in making
your primary incision large enough, and, subsequently, in not attempt-
ing more than the division of two pairs of muscles.

The commencement of the incision should be made at the spot already
indicated. After the skin is cut through and the muscles are divided,
two assistants should be obtained to hold them back, while a circular
piece is excised from the cartilages of the exposed trachea.

The trachea is formed of numerous cartilaginous rings each half an
inch wide, but so united by elastic tissue that the whole forms one con-
tinuous tube reaching from the head to the chest of a horse. If possi-
ble, only two of these rings are to be interfered with; that is, a half
circle should be cut out of each, which, with the elastic connecting
medium, will make an opening of one inch in diameter. Both the rings,
however, should be perfectly divided ; but a half circle should be excised
from one, leaving a portion of cartilage to keep the remainder in its
place. This matter, probably, may be made more clear by the engraving
on the opposite page.

After the first half circle is made, or when a portion is eut off the first
cartilage, that piece should be bent outward. The elastic connecting
substance will readily permit this to be done, and the current of fresh
air admitted will considerably refresh the animal. The cartilage being
bent outward, it should be leisurely transfixed by means of a sharp
needle armed with strong twine. The string may be fastened to the
button-hole of the operator’s waistcoat, and afterward the circle be
leisurely completed.

The twine is necessary because the spasmodic breathing has drawn the
excised portion of cartilage upon the lungs, and thereby done as much
mischief as the operator designed to do good. By bending the half
circle outward, some relief is afforded to the breathing, and the charac-
ter of the respiration partially benefited. The process is, however, ren-
dered more safe by the employment of the loop; but care should be
taken, when subsequently using the knife, not to cut the string. There-
fore, before the circle is completed, the cartilage should be bent back-
448 OPERATIONS—TRACHEOTOMY.

ward, as shown in the previous engraving, then laid hold of, and, when
firmly grasped, the excision ought to be perfected.

A tube has to be worn afterward; this is put into the opening, and
fastened in by means of a strap or tape passed round the neck. There are
many tubes sold by the instrument makers for this purpose; the majority,
however, are far too large. None should be beyond one inch in diame-
ter. The horse only requires to inhale part of the air through the can-
ula, the remainder coming, as before, through the larynx. A free space
of one inch is, therefore, plenty to admit the deficient oxygen; for no
auimal could live through an operation, were air, previous to its com-
mencement or during its continuance, altogether excluded.

The best instrument for hasty and temporary tracheotomy is the
invention of Mr. T. W. Gowing, of Camden Town. To insert this can-
ula no cartilage need be excised; a puncture is made with a knife

 

MR. T. W. GOWING’S TRACHEOTOMY TUBE.

A. The canula, with a shifting shield, armed with the pointed trocar.

B. The trocar withdrawn from the canula. showing its peculiar construction.

C. The canula fitted into the horse’s trachea, showing how the movable shield may be adapted, by
means of a screw, to the size of the horse or the swollen condition of the parts,

through the connecting medium of the tracheal rings, and through this
puncture the tube is driven. It is of all use for temporary or immediate
service, but obviously would not do for a continuance.

The objection to tracheotomy, when designed to last for any period, is
that the canula, by irritating the lining membrane of the larynx, is apt
to provoke abscess, which impedes the breathing to a degree that destroys
the life. The author has seen some fearful instances of this effect; but
of all tubes, that invented by the French seems to be least open to this
objection.
OPERATIONS—PERIOSTEOTOMY. 449

OPERATIONS—PERIOSTEOTOMY.

This operation was first applied to the horse by the late Professor
Sewell. It is intended to relieve the lameness consequent upon exostosis

  

A PAIR OF ROWELING SCISSORS, FOR A SETON NEEDLE ARMED WITH A TAPE, A, AND FIXED INTO
MAKING SMALL INCISIONS THROUGH A HOLLOW HANDLE BY MEANS OF A SCREW, B.
THE HORSE’S SEIN.

situated on the shin-bone. <A pair of roweling scissors are first employed
to snip the skin above and below the tumor. Then a blunt seton needle,

  

A BLUNT SETON NEEDLE. A TUMOR BEING CUT WITH A PROBE-POINTED KNIFE.

being fixed into a hollow handle by means of a screw, and armed with a
tape knotted at one end, is to be used. The needle is violently driven
through, and breaks down the cellular tissue which attaches the skin to
the tumor. The point is forced to enter at one snip and come out at
the other, after which the needle is withdrawn by the first opening. <A
probe-pointed knife is then introduced into the space thus made; the tu-
mor is sliced into as many pieces as may please the operator or the nature
of the growth will admit of. The knife is afterward retracted, and the
needle, released from the handle, is passed through the openings, or in
at one snip and out at the other. The knot at the end of the tape pre-
vents that being drawn after the needle. The unknotted end is next
withdrawn from the needle and tied into a large knot—the whole form-
ing a seton. The operation is occasionally varied by smearing the tape
with terebinthinate of cantharides, and sometimes by blistering over
29
450 OPERATIONS—PERIOSTEOTOMY.

tumor, seton and all. This last practice may add to the severity of the
operation, but it seems calculated to do little good. Breaking down
the attachment of the skin and slicing the tumor appear
designed to deprive the growth of blood, while a blister
seems calculated to draw to the part an excess of that
which the operation was intended to dispel.
Periosteotomy is not very highly esteemed by the
vast majority of practitioners. It is, however, some-
times very successful. A horse is thrown, being dead
lame; the animal gets up from the hands of the surgeon
and trots sound. It is difficult, however, to predicate
the quadruped on which it will thus act. Certainly the
operation is best adapted to young horses; but even to
a sorse’s wa win 1 cof these it will not prove beneficial. It is therefore
ae ont on wane looked upon as a surgical experiment, quite as apt to

¢ ¢c, OUT OF WHICH
TANG OD eps e ~6©6 disappoint as to please. The seton, moreover, is dis-

KNOTTED ENDS OF
asgeTON) DD: posed to cause the edges of the holes through which it
passes to indurate. A blemish which it takes some
months to eradicate is the consequence; and this, added to the expense
attendant upon treatment, is not apt to prove pleasing to horse proprie-
tors, especially when the operation altogether fails.

A modification of periosteotomy might perhaps be tried. Omit the
seton altogether; make an inferior snip with the scissors; introduce a
sharp-pointed needle, and cat a channel. Then insert a probe-pointed
bistoury, and incise the tumor. If periosteotomy were to prove suc-
cessful, it probably would be so in this shape. The author has seen small
benefit result from the after-use of the seton, and by operating in the
manner proposed all the subsequent blemish would be avoided. The
cut would soon heal and leave no scar behind: thus the grand objec-
tion to the performance of periosteotomy, as it now stands, would be
removed.

The motive for the above proposal is to spare the suffering of the
animal. If the hair is cut short previously, and pressure made above
the snip of the scissors, the wound need occasion little pain. A sharp
point cutting its way through the cellular tissue would not cause one
tithe of the agony which follows the use of a blunt instrument necessa-
rily tearing, stretching, and breaking a passage through a living body.
Cartilage or bone in a state of health has small sensibility. The em-
ployment of the knife would therefore provoke no struggle, while all
the after-torture of a seton applied directly to the surface of a wound
would be avoided.

Perhaps it would be best to bind a broad tape, with a cork under it

 
OPERATIONS—NEUROTOMY. 451

and upon the vessels, round the leg before the operation, thereby press-
‘ing on the nerve and cutting off the supply of blood. This would prob-
ably deprive the leg of all sensation. The most severe part of this
method of periosteotomy would be the after-consequences. The incised
tumor would inflame; the vacant channel would have to unite. The
ane would occasion agony, the other be probably attended with violent
itching. The limb, therefore, should be bandaged, even though a wound
upon the horse’s body does not do so well when covered up. The band-
age, however, will prevent the animal from injuring the sore leg with the
opposite shoe, which a horse may be provoked to attempt by that irrita-
tion which attends the healing process.

OPERATIONS—NEUROTOMY.

Neurotomy is the division of the nerve which supplies the hoof of the
fore leg with sensation. The foot of the horse being moved through
tendons by muscles from above, and having in itself no muscular power,
obviously has no occasion for a motor nerve. Consequently the nerve
running to the foot is wholly sentient. It is the means of communica-
tion through which pain or pleasure is transmitted from the hoof to the
brain.

To take away a portion of this nerve is evidently to separate the
medium of such communication. Feeling can no more travel along a
divided nerve than electricity can along a broken wire. The knowledge
of this fact has led to a portion of the nerve being excised; and the
doing of this has been named neurotomy.

A nerve is a very compound structure. It is composed of numerous
fine filaments or small threads bound together by a cellular sheath called
neurilema. Healthy nerve feels firm, and has a brilliant white appear-
ance; unhealthy nerve is of a yellowish tint, and is of a less solid texture.

The operation of neurotomy is certain relief, but that relief is of un-
certain duration. The divided nerve, after a time, reunites. The junction
thus formed carries on all the functions of the perfect structure; but a
bulb is left behind at the place of union. This bulb is to be easily felt
by pressing upon the seat of neurotomy externally with the points of
the fingers; and the bulb being felt leads to a knowledge that the horse
has been subjected to the operation. Neurotomy, therefore, can never
be concealed, if pains are bestowed upon its detection. The operation,
however, is not successful in every case.

In some animals, the wound has just closed when junction seems to
be formed between the divided ends of the nerve. The lameness then
returns as acutely as ever.
452 OPERATIONS—NEUROTOMY.

In others, the horse will proceed to work, and continue sound ever
after—the restored power to use the foot having, in the last case, seem-
ingly destroyed the affection.

Some animals are subjected to operation so late that disease has had
time to weaken the pedal structures. The consequence is that no sooner
does the absence of feeling tempt the horse to throw his entire weight
upon the foot than the navicular bone fractures or the perforans tendon
ruptures.

Certain horses, from a tingling sensation in the neurotomized foot—
similar to that felt by men in the imaginary fingers of an arm which has
heen amputated—will stamp violently till they injure it and provoke
suppuration ; while other feet are so irritable that the head is bent down-
ward and large pieces from the hoof literally bitten off. To account for
this last circumstance the reader must remember that, though the foot
scems to itch, it in reality has no sensation to preserve it from the teeth
of the provoked animal.

Cases occasionally happen of horses having picked up nails, or having
incurred wounds in the foot, which, being deprived of feeling, the animal
wanted the power to recognize. No lameness was exhibited, and the
injury was necessarily unattended to. The foot has been left alone till
the hurt has induced mortification.

Weak feet have not been able to endure the consequences of opera-
tion. They have sustained no external injury, but the heaviness of tread
uttendant on a loss of sensation has so battered the senseless member
that suppuration has been induced. The hoof has therefore been cast
off and the horse been destroyed, although it was discovered in the stable
standing with the utmost composure upon the bleeding and exposed
flesh.

These are a few of the disagreeables attending a most humane and
successful operation. The first requisite for the performance of neurot-
omy is a sound knowledge of anatomy. A familiar acquaintance with
the course of the nerve is essential. It descends in two main branches
from the knee, one on either side of the leg. It travels in company with
and behind the artery and vein on the inner side of the fore limb. On
the outer side it is accompanied by no vessel. About the center of the
leg, however, the two nerves are united by a branch which travels over
the perforans tendon, connecting the sentient fibers of either side. It is
therefore essential, in the performance of neurotomy, to make the pri-
mary incision rather low down, especially if it is meant that the high
operation should be accomplished, or that all sensation should be de-
stroyed on one side by a single division.

At the pastern the nerve divides; the posterior branch runs direct to
OPERATIONS—NEUROTOMY. 453

the frog. The anterior branch travels in front of the artery for some
distance, when it takes a more forward course, dividing into several
separate branches.

The generality of operators remove about an inch of the main trunk
before the nerve divides, or above the pastern; and the result certainly
confirms the soundness of such a practice.

The nerve of the frog is, however, frequently ex-
cised. The objection to this is the junction of a
filament of the anterior branch with the nerve below
the excision. That union should deprive the opera-
tion of all effect; but, notwithstanding, the division
is sometimes beneficial. The operation is, however,
never certain; and to that circumstance the propri-
etor must make up his mind when he sanctions its
performance.

Always examine minutely any horse submitted to
you for neurotomy. Do this to discover if the op-
eration has been previously performed—the object
being that you may thereby be prepared for some
trouble in mastering the retentive consciousness of wie GOUREE: OP ERD
the animal; likewise, that by such inquiries you Sacer
may decide upon the benefit likely to result from PUP tr rent
the operation; also, that you may be warned of a
bloody and tedious job. The leg which has previously been subjected
to neurotomy becomes doubly vascular. We know of no reason to
account for this phenomenon, excepting it may denote the cost at which
nature repairs her higher order of structures.

 

  

MN
A HORIZONTAL INCISION, WITH THE HAIR A PERPENDICULAR INCISION, WITH THE HAIR OUT OFF
CLIPPED ABOVE THE OPENING. ABOVE AND ON THE SIDES OF THE WOUND.

Before you consent to operate upon any animal, examine the feet. If
the hoof is weak or even weakly, refuse at once. If the hoof be strong
and thick, the wall upright, and the frog small, you may consent, with
the best hopes of success. Have such a horse put into the stable, and
454 OPERATIONS—NEUROTOMY.

the diseased foot or feet kept wet for a week prior to the operation.
This frequently has the effect of constringing the arteries, greatly de-
priving the part of blood. That result renders the use of the knife more
cleanly and more easy. Two days prior to the important one have the
hair cut short over the place or places where you design to make your
incisions. By so doing, all chance of hair getting into and irritating
the wound will be effectually destroyed. This may happen, and, should
the hair be left on, much delay will be occasioned, while the animal’s
sufferings must be augmented if the hair be clipped after the horse is
down for operation.

Never operate upon a horse with the hair uncut—leave that to parties
who league with the lowest class of horse-cheats. Cut off hair two
days beforehand. Make an incision
through the skin about three-quarters
to one inch long. Have a needle and
thread ready—a strong surgeon’s needle
and a stout twine. Pierce the divided
skin from the inside to the outside, leav-
ing a moderate piece of twine hang-

ing out of the wound. Carry the twine

ee ey A pERoeworecLan wouny ——suunder the leg, and pierce the integument

on the other margin of the wound—also

from the interior to the exterior. Then bring the piece of twine left

hanging out of the first puncture and the needle together, at the back

of the leg. Slightly tighten the twine; fasten these two ends in a bow,
and the effect will be to keep the sides of the incision asunder.

If you design to perform the high operation, choose a spot a little
above the pastern, and incise the skin at one cut, if possible. The high
operation is most approved of for general purposes, and, as before re-
marked, destroys sensation in the entire hoof. Some proprietors think
it well to leave a little feeling in the forward portion of the foot, which
is free from disease. This is done to escape those results that have
already been enumerated as the effects of total insensibility. The high
operation is, therefore, performed only on one side, and the posterior or
low division on the other. There are two spots at which the low oper-
ation may be accomplished. The author has given the reader a repre-
sentation of the anatomy of the leg. He presents a view on page 455,
of the places where the incisions can be made.

Either of the lower operations, regarded by itself, is very uncertain
in its effect; and, if taken both together, they present no advantage
over the superior opening.

These remarks may he better comprehended, by comparing this

 
OPERATIONS—NEUROTOMY. 455

engraving with the course of the nerve shown in the previous illus-
tration.

When the skin is divided—supposing the horse is neurotomized for
the first time—nothing is visible but white-looking cellular tissue. This
must be carefully dissected away with a pair of forceps and a scalpel.
Dissect on until the nerve and artery are exposed plainly to view.
Then take a crooked needle and thread. Pierce the nerve—this you
may do fearlessly. The author has not known it to produce pain.

 

The superior opening represents the place where one side of the foot may be deprived of sensation by
a single division.

The two middle incisions denote the part where either the fore or after portion of the foot may, per-
haps, be rendered void of sensation.

The two inferior cuts suggest the situations where, probably, the parts of the foot toward which the

incisions point may be made insensible.

The fibers composing the nerve are so fine that the needle’s point is
blunt when compared with them. It, therefore, glides through them
without pricking any of the filaments.

If the horse has been operated upon before, you must expect a tedious
and sanguinary business. It is then of all importance to obtain a very
attentive and equally nimble man to take the sponge. Blood will fol-
low every movement of the knife. However, with each cut you must
retract the hand, and the man who has care of the sponge must quickly,
surely, and forcibly cleanse the wound. When the sponge is withdrawn,
for an instant, and for an instant only, is there a clear view of the part.
The operator must be ready to make the most of that glimpse; for, the
next moment, blood flows over the lips of the orifice and all is concealed
from view. Thus we proceed, rather snipping than cutting, taking
away particles instead of flakes of cellular tissue, till the nerve is ex-
posed. ‘Then it is fixed with the needle as before directed.

The nerve being caught, withdraw the needle, leaving the thread
456 OPERATIONS—NEUROTOMY.

behind. Tie both ends of the thread together, and insert the first finger
of your left hand into the loop thus formed. By gentle traction raise
the nerve a little, and with the
knife release its inferior attach-
ments. Then let the man who
held the sponge make pressure
with all his force upon the
artery and nerve above the in-
cision. After this has been
done about a minute, and by
the stoppage of the circulation
you may conclude the sensation
to be in some degree numbed,
insert the blade of the knife
under that portion of the nerve which is nearest the body, and cut
boldly upward.

A spasm mostly follows the division; but it is of short duration.
Afterward dissect about one jnch of the nerve from its attachments,
and remove this inch from the main trunk. No sign of feeling will
follow the excision when made lower down. All communication with
the brain has been cut off by the previous division, and the sensorium
no longer takes notice of any violence offered to that part of the body
which has been isolated.

Next, having sponged the part, close the wound by means of a pin
forced through the lips of the orifice. Then
twist a little tow round it in the form of a
figure of 8. That being finished, so much of
the point as protrudes is to be removed with a
pair of wire nippers; a bandage is then put on;
and, if both sides of the limb are to be neu-
rotomized, the horse is turned over. All being
| accomplished, return the horse to the stable,

Pe but watch the pin which fastens the wound. If

THE BEST WAY To cLosE THE wound the incision continues dry, the pin may not be

cee EES wero’ Hill: ate days have expired; but if the

slightest appearance of pus be suspected, immediately withdraw the pin,

and remove the tow, treating the part with solution of chloride of zinc,
as though it were a common wound.

There are various knives invented for the performance of neurotomy.
That the writer most approves of was the invention of Mr. Woodger,
the admirably practical veterinary surgeon of Bishops Mews, Padding-
ton. The author has used this instrument himself, and seen it guided

 

THE LOOP RAISING THE NERVE WHILE THE KNIFE LOOSENS
ITS INFERIOR ATTACHMENTS.

aM Hy
Lh
na ini it )

uy
Co

     
OPERATIONS—DIVISION OF THE TENDONS. 457

by other hands. In every case it has expedited the operation and
thereby shortened the period of the animal’s suffering.

The after-treatment of neurotomy consists in letting well alone, if all
goes on rightly. Should pus make its appearance, bathe the wounds,
thrice daily, with the solution of chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce
of water. Remove the bandages from the legs after the horse has

 

MR. WOODGER’S NEUROTOMY KNIFE.

To use this instrument.—After the nerve is raised, insert the crooked point, with the edge toward the
body of the horse; then drive the knife forward. By this simple means the cutting portion of the blade
is brought violently in contact with the nerve, which is excised at the proper point, and about an inch is
left hanging out below the incision.

entered the stable. The incisions heal more readily when exposed to
the stimulating effects of the air. Place a cradle round the horse’s neck,
and feed liberally. Avoid all pur-
gative medicine; you now want an
injury repaired, and do not desire to
reduce the vital energy.

When the wounds have healed, the
horse may be gradually taken once
more to work, but it should not be
fully used. Excessive and too early
labor is the cause of the many serious
objections taken to a merciful oper-
ation. The horse for some period

 

é THE AWKWARD TREAD OF A HORSE WHEN
does not feel his foot. He does not NEWLY NEUROTOMIZED.

flex the pastern as the hoof nears the

ground. The foot is placed flat upon the earth, and with a kind of sen-
sible jar, as though the animal had made ‘“‘a false step.” This pecu-
liarity unfits the quadruped to trot upon stones, or hard roads, until it
has learned “to handle its feet,” or to accommodate the tread to the
new condition of the hoof.

OPERATIONS—DIVISION OF THE TENDONS.

Many horses when standing knuckle over to such an extent as threatens
to throw them upon their knees. Others can only put the toe of the
hind leg to the ground. The natural use of the limb is equally injured
in each ease: the fore legs of the horse support the body and the burden;
the hind legs propel the carcass and the load. Both are deformed by
458 OPERATIONS—DIVISION OF THE TENDONS.

contraction of the perforans tendon; and both deformities are generally
produced by excessive labor, inducing strain, though a few cases have
come to the author’s knowledge of animals being born thus afflicted.
When we contemplate the huge frame of the horse, it seems more than
fitted for all man’s ordinary purposes. But country carriers have vans
proportioned only to the extent of their custom; their carts are enlarged
as their trade increases; but very seldom is the power which draws the
load augmented in the same proportion. The horse, so agile and so
beautiful, as long as it can move the cart is esteemed to be not over-
weighted. It labors up hill, and then the carrier congratulates himself
that the worst of the work is over; it may be for him, but it is not for
his horse. All the stress in going down hill lies upon the back sinews;
the animal has to put forth all its strength to check the downward
impetus of the load. It is the same with other horses in the shafts of
other vehicles. Three or four animals—according to the usual English
fashion—may be attached toa load; but the weight which three strengths
can draw upon level ground, when descending an inequality, then, never
bears equally upon the leaders.

Clap of the back sinews is a common accident with all horses. The
equine delight is the pleasure of the master. So entirely is the horse
the slave of man, that it, by instinct, puts forth its utmost strength to
attain anything in which its owner takes enjoyment. It does so regard-
less of its own probable sufferings. In racing, in hunting, in all kinds
of pastime the horse will strain every nerve and even burst its strong
vessels laboring to gratify an ungrateful proprietor. Who does not
remember the old coaching days? The animals then appeared happy in
their vocation. A well-appointed coach, trotting by the White Horse
Cellar, was a sight to contemplate. However, follow the vehicle to the
termination of the first stage. See the poor panting carcasses un-
harnessed—the perspiration lathering their sides, their veins swelling,
their tails quivering, their nostrils jerking, and their limbs stiffened.
Who then could regret that railroads were invented to indulge man’s
desire for speed? See, as the coach leaves the metropolis behind it, the
cattle deteriorate. At last, behold life with swollen legs, stiff joints, and
diseased feet made to propel the loaded vehicle. Who, properly regard-
ing such a spectacle, and having a heart to feel, does not rejoice that a
method of traveling has at length been invented which renders the
employment of the lash to overcome the agonies of breathing flesh no
longer imperative ?

These fast abuses induced contraction of the perforans tendon in the
front legs. There is, however, this difference between contraction
in the anterior and posterior extremities—one hind leg only may be
OPERATIONS—DIVISION OF THE TENDONS. 459

affected; but the author remembers no instance of one fore leg being
alone involved.

When a tendon is sprained, it is usual to apply stimulating or fiery
mixtures to that part, winding up the treatment with blisters and the
heated iron. Notwithstanding such measures are very seldom success-
ful, man seems incapable of learning anything where another has to
bear the torture, and he will often endure a great deal of agony him-
self before an obvious idea can be awakened.

Such slowness is, however, very lamentable in the case of the horse.
Division of the tendons was borrowed from the human surgeon by the
veterinary practitioner. The operation, however, till very lately, re-
mained as it was originally adopted. Human surgery had advanced ;
but veterinary practice stood motionless. At length, Mr. Varnell came
from America, and instructed veterinarians in an improved mode of
operating, which at this date should be universally practiced.

 

THE KNIFE EMPLOYED BY MR. VARNELL, THE POSITION OF THE LEG WHEN THE
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT THZ ROYAL KNIFE IS INSERTED.
VETERINARY COLLEGE.

A stout knife with a probed point, a curved blade, and a smooth,
rounded back, is first obtained. Before the blade is inserted, the skin is
divided, at the point selected for the operation, by the slight puncture
of a lancet.

The leg is then flexed; the tendons are, by the position of the limb,
rendered flaccid. The knife is next inserted sideways, behind the nerve
and artery, under the tendons. This last act is not, however, in prac-
tice, very easy or very safe.
460 OPERATIONS—DIVISION OF THE TENDONS.

The edge of the knife is now toward the shoulder or haunch, and the
vessels lie upon that side of the blade which is nearest to the bone. The
operator now, by a simple motion of the hand, turns the cutting edge
of the knife toward the posterior part of the limb. A man at the same
moment takes hold of the leg and forces it
straight; the perforans tendon is thus dragged
against the knife, while the suspensory ligament
and vessels are safe at the back of the blade.
If the tendon be nat divided without any effort
on the part of the operator, he makes a sawing
motion as he withdraws the knife. <A slight
sensation or a feeble sound often testifies the
separation of the structure.

Often, if the contraction be not chronic, the
strength of the extensor pedis muscle, when
released from its opponent’s force, is sufficient
to straighten the fetlock. When the disease,
however, has existed for any time, it requires
some violence to break down the false attach-
ments which have been formed. For this purpose the knee of a strong
mah is placed in front of the fetlock-joint, and the horse’s foot is, by
pulling hard, drawn forward.

The wound is then closed with a pin and twisted thread, as in neu-
rotomy, and the animal, till junction is perfected, should be kept in the
stable, as the shoe to be worn afterward is not favorable to progression.
One week after the operation, a shoe, with a projecting piece at the toe
about one inch and a half long, is to be put on the foot of the diseased
limb. Five weeks after this, the shoe is to be replaced by one having
the projecting point twice as long; and this last is to be worn till union

 

THE TENDON DIVIDED.

  

THE SHOE TO BE WORN ONE WEEK THE SHOE TO BE PUT ON SIX WEEKS AFTER
AFTER DIVISION OF THE TENDON DIVISION OF THE TENDON, AND TO BE WORN
HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. UNTIL UNION IS PERFECTED.

is supposed to be perfected —till the expiration of three months at

least.
The horse, after having the tendon divided, is said to be as strong as
OPERATIONS—DIVISION OF TIIE TENDONS. 461

ever. The author would, however, object to such an animal being put
into the shafts with even a light load behind it, or to its being again
used for saddle purposes. The animal, though forbidden these uses,
has still a large field of service open to it.

This operation is alike effectual and humane. That the last assertion
may not appear based upon a single opinion, the author presents the
reader with an engraving taken from a park near Lewes. That animal
seemed to have all four limbs contracted, or the hind limbs were flexed
and much advanced, to take the weight off the fore members. <A foal
ran by the side of the creature thus crippled; though it would be sup-
posed no sane person would select such a dam to breed from.

 

Now had this mare been operated upon, slight pain would have been
inflicted. Tendon; unless in a state of inflammation, has no sensation.
Relief would have been afforded for the remainder of the life, and
though, from her make and shape, the animal might never have held a
high station among her breed, still, with straight legs she must have
been worth as much for work as with bent limbs she could be valuable
for stock purposes.
462 OPERATIONS—QUITTOR.

LAYING OPEN THE SINUSES OF A QUITTOR.

Give no opening medicine to any horse previous to this operation.
Every member of the equine race is more likely to be too low from
excess of work, than in any degree inflammatory from over-indulgence.
Therefore, discard the general practice of preparing the horse with a
dose of compound aloes. If the bowels are costive, get them open.
But before employing the drastic drug, try what bran mashes and green-
meat can effect. The entire strength will be needed to repair the injuries
effected with the knife.

Give tonics and high feeding where the symptoms declare the body to
be enervated. It is at all times better to operate upon a system having
a superabundance of vital energy than upon one in which the powers
are at all tardy. Collapse is the greatest enemy the surgeon has to
dread. It is true, animals do not, like men, often “shut up” or die
while under the operator; but frequently the most skillful surgery is
defeated by the horse, after it has been released from the hobbles, never
thriving. There may be no disease to be detected; but the body seems
to want the strength requisite for recovery. To make this apparent to
the reader—two gentlemen shall each perform neurotomy. One shall]
bungle, yet his patient shall do well. The wounds shall heal by the first
intention, and the horse in a fortnight be again delighting its owner.
The other shall display the perfection of scientific attainment; yet the
horse shall never thrive. The wounds shall ulcerate, and the animal
either gnaw the foot or cast the hoof. How can such differences be
accounted for but by believing the horse is subject to a peculiar species
of chronic collapse?

Rasp the quarter of the horse’s foot which has quittor, until the soft,
light-colored horn of the laminz is exposed. Then let the hair be cut
off around the opening on the coronet, and the foot be carefully cleansed.
Afterward throw the horse. Release the quittored leg from the hob-
bles, and with a steel director probe each sinus. So soon as the instru-
aent is well in, take a sharp-pointed knife and run it carefully down the
groove of the director. Then ascertain, with a grooved probe, whether
the sinus decreased in diameter, or whether the whole extent of the pipe
be laid open. If the smallest portion remains, to which the knife has
not reached, use the groove of the probe as a director, and slit it up.
Do this to as many sinuses as may exist.

Next place in each sinus a small piece of tow. These pieces of tow
should be already divided into short and thin skeins. They should be
OPERATIONS—QUITTOR. 463

saturated with chloride of zinc dissolved in spirits of wine, one scruple
to the ounce. Put one of these into each sinus, and let the horse up.
In three days such of the pieces of tow as have not been removed by
the sloughing process may be taken from the wounds, and the foot sim-
ply dressed with chloride of zinc and water, one grain to the ounce,
squeezed from a sponge, as in the case of open joint.

  

THE QUARTER RASPED BENEATH THE OPENING OF THE SINUSES OF A QUITTOR BEING OPERATED
A QUITTOR, UPON.

This operation, when described, reads abhorrent; but it is really most
humane. It is a common thing for a horse to be three, or even six
months under treatment, on account of an ordinary quittor. During
the entire space, the foot—the tenderest part of the horse’s body—is
burned with violent caustics, and has had heated wires thrust down its
sinuses. By the operation proposed, the affair is settled in a few
minutes. The horse seldom evinces much sensibility while the knife is
being employed; in three days the animal is so far recovered as to
allow the diseased member almost to be left to nature. The horse
should, however, on no account do any work before the hoof is in some
measure restored. Until the outer covering of dark horn has grown
down, a bar shoe, well eased off the diseased quarter, should be worn.
When the hoof is reproduced, instead of false quarter or other deform-
ities, the usual results of quittor, it is all but impossible to decide which
has been the affected foot, and which was operated upon.

The author has now stated at length that treatment which the horse
for its own sake deserves, and which, for the honor of the being whom
it serves, the animal should receive. He has, designedly, rather appealed
464 OPERATIONS—QUITTOR.

to the reason of his readers than sought to enlist their feelings. The
subject was, indeed, a wide one. Man has hitherto been too content to
consider animals as something given absolutely to him to be treated
according to his sovereign will or merest pleasure. He has not reflected
that, when he was created lord of this earth, he was invested with a
title which had its responsibilities as well as its privileges.

 
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

30 (465 )
A BRIEF SUMMARY

OF THE FOREGOING MATTER,

ARRANGED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

 

Tuts abbreviation is made for the purpose of hasty consultation, when
the symptoms exhibited by the horse are so urgent as will not allow the
owner to refer to the body of the book. That, however, he is earnestly
recommended to do after the first anxiety has subsided; because what
follows is to be regarded only as notes of cases, and by no means to be
viewed as a substitute for the more detailed descriptions of diseases and
their treatment.

ABSCESS OF THE BRAIN.

Cause.—Some injury to the head. ;

Symptoms.—Dullness; refusal to feed; a slight oozing from a trivial
injury upon the skull; prostration, and the animal, while on the ground,
continues knocking the head violently against the earth until death
ensues.

Treatment.—None of any service.

ABDOMINAL INJURIES.

Ruptured Diaphragm generally produces a soft cough; sitting on the
haunches or leaning on the chest may or may not be present; the coun-
tenance is haggard.

Ruptured Spleen answers to the tests described under “ Hemorrhage
of the Liver.”

(467)
468 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

Ruptured Stomach is characterized by excessive colic, followed by
tympanitis.

Introsusception possibly may he relieved by the inhalation of a full
dose of chloroform; but the result is always uncertain.

Invagination is attended with the greatest possible agony.

Strangulation is not to be distinguished, during life, from invagina-
tion.

Calculus causes death by impactment; but however different the causes
of abdominal injury may be, they each produce the greatest agony, which
conceals the other symptoms, and makes all such injuries apparently the
same while the life lasts.

ACITES, OR DROPSY OF THE ABDOMEN.

Cause.—Chronic peritonitis.

Symptoms.—Pulse hard; head pendulous; food often spoiled; mem-
branes pallid; mouth dry. Pressure to abdomen elicits a groan; turn-
ing in the stall calls forth a grunt. Want of spirit; constant lying
down; restlessness; thirst; loss of appetite; weakness; thinness; en-
larged abdomen; constipation and hide-bound. Small bags depend
from the chest and belly; the sheath and one leg sometimes enlarge; the
mane breaks off; the tail drops out. Purgation and death.

Treatment.—When the symptoms first appear give, night and morn-
ing, strychnia, half a grain, worked up to one grain; iodide of iron, half
a drachm, worked up to one drachm and a half; extract of belladonna,
one scruple; extract of gentian and powdered quassia, of each a sufli-
ciency; apply small blisters, in rapid succession, upon the abdomen: but
if the effusion is confirmed, a cure is hopeless.

ACUTE DYSENTERY.

Cause.—Some acrid substance taken into the stomach.

Symptoms.—Abdominal pain; violent purgation; the feces become
discolored, and water fetid; intermittent pulse; haggard countenance;
the position characterizes the seat of anguish. Perspiration, tympanitis,
and death.

Treatment.—Give sulphuric ether, one ounce; laudanum, three ounces;
liquor potasse, half an ounce; powdered chalk, one ounce; tincture of
catechu, one ounce; cold linseed tea, one pint. Repeat every fifteen
minutes. Cleanse the quarters; plait the tail; inject cold linseed tea.
The whole of the irritating substance must be expelled before improve-
ment can take place.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 469

ACUTE GASTRITIS.

Cause.—Poison; generally given to improve the coat.

Symptoms.—Excessive pain, resembling fury.

Treatment.—Give, as often and as quickly as possible, the following
drink: Sulphuric ether and laudanum, of each three ounces; carbon-
ate of magnesia, soda, or potash, four ounces; gruel, (quite cold,) one
quart. Should the pulse be sinking, add to the drink carbonate of am-
monia, one drachm. If corrosive sublimate is known to be the poison,
one dozen raw eggs should be blended with each drench. If delirium
be present, give the medicine as directed for tetanus, with the stomach

pump.
ACUTE LAMINITIS.

Cause.—Often man’s brutality. Horses driven far and upon hard
roads are exposed to the disorder Any stress long applied to the foot,
as standing in the hold of a ship, may generate the affection.

Symptoms.—The pace seems odd toward the end of the journey; but
the horse is placed in the stable with plenty of food for the night. Next
morning the animal is found all of a heap. Flesh quivering; eyes
glaring; nostrils distended, and breath jerking; flanks tucked up; back
roached; head erect; mouth closed; hind legs advanced under the
belly; fore legs pushed forward; fore feet resting upon the heels, and
the limbs moved as though the horse were dancing upon hot irons.

Treatment.—Fut on the slings in silence. To the end of the cords
append weights. Soak the feet in warm water, in which a portion of
alkali is dissolved. Cut out the nails from the softened horn. Before
the shoes are removed give half a drachm of belladonna and fifteen grains
of digitalis, and repeat the dose every half hour until the symptoms
abate. When the slings are up, open the jugular vein; abstract one
quart of blood, and inject one pint of luke-warm water. Clothe the
body; place thin gruel and green-meat within reach, and leave two men
to watch for the first three nights.

Next morning give sulphuric ether and landanum, of each two ounces,
in a pint of water. Should the pastern arteries throb, open the veins
and place the feet in warm water. While the affection lasts, pursue these
measures; and it is a bad symptom, though not a certain one, if no
change for the better takes place in five days.
470 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

ALBUMINOUS URINE.

Cause.—Unknown.

Symptoms.— These consist of the positions assumed by the horse.
The legs are either stretched out or the hind feet are brought under
the body. Straddling gait, and much difficulty in turning within the
stall. Some urine being caught, it is thick, and answers to certain
chemical tests.

Treatment.—Bleed moderately; give a laxative, and apply mustard
to the loins. As after-measures, perfect rest, attention to diet, and
repeated doses of opium.

APHTHA.

Cause.—Unknown.

Symptoms.—Small swelling on the lips; larger swellings upon the
tongue. As the disease progresses, a clear liquid appears in each
swelling. The bladders burst, crusts form, and the disease disappears.

Treatment. — Soft food, and the following wash for the mouth:

Take borax, five ounces; honey or treacle, two pints; water, one gallon.
Mix.

BLOOD SPAVIN.

A disease never encountered at the present time.

BOG SPAVIN.

Cause.—Brutality of some kind.

Symptom.—A puffy swelling at the front of and at the upper part of
the hock.

Treatment. — Pressure, maintained by means of an India-rubber
bandage.

BOTS.

Cause.—Turning out to grass.
Treatment.—No remedy. Wait till the following year, and the para-

sites will be ejected naturally.
BREAKING DOWN.

Cause.—Violent exertion; generally when racing.
Symptoms.—The horse, when going, suddenly loses power to put one
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 471

leg to the ground, The foot is turned upward; pain excessive; breath-
ing quickened ; pulse accelerated ; appetite lost. In time these symp-
toms abate, but the leg is disabled for life.

Treatment.—Bleed and purge, or not, as the symptoms are severe.
Place a linen bandage round the injury, and see that this is kept con-
stantly cold and wet; put on a high-heeled shoe, and leave the issue to
nature. The animal is afterward serviceable only to breed from.

BROKEN KNEES.

Causes.—Terrifying a horse, or rendering alive only to fear. Pulling
in the chin to the breast, or driving with a tight bearing-rein.

Symptoms.—The horse falls; the knee may only be slightly broken,
but deeply contused. A slough must then take place, and open joint
may result. Or the animal may fall, and, when down, be driven forward
by the impetus of its motion. The knee is cut by the fall, and the skin
of the knee may be forced back by the onward impulse. This skin will
become dirty; but the removed integument will fly back on the animal’s
rising, thus forming a kind of bag containing and concealing foreign
matter.

Treatment.—Procure a pail of milk-warm water and a large sponge.
Dip the sponge in the pail, and squeeze out the water above the knee.
Continue to do this, but do not dab or sop the wound itself. The water
flowing over the knee will wash away every impurity. Then with a probe
gently explore the bag. If small, make a puncture through the bottom
of the bag; if large, insert a seton, and move it night and morning until
good pus is secreted: then withdraw the seton. ‘ Rack up” the horse’s
head, and get some cold water, to every quart of which add two ounces
of tincture of arnica. Pour a little of this into a saucer, and then dip
a sponge into the liquid. Squeeze the sponge dry above the joint. Do
this every half hour for three and a half days, both by day and night.
If at the end of that time all is going on well, the head may be released;
but should the knee enlarge and become sensitive, while the animal
refuses to put the foot to the ground, withdraw the seton; give no hay,
but all the oats and beans that can be eaten, with two pots of stout each
day. Place the quadruped in slings; apply the arnica lotion until a
slough takes place; then resort to the chloride of zinc lotion, one scru-
ple to the pint, and continue to use this as has been directed.
472 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

BROKEN WIND.

Causes.—Old age, prolonged work, and had food.

Symptoms.—Short, dry, hacking cough, caused by irritability of the
larynx; ravenous appetite; insatiable thirst; abundant flatus. Dung
half digested; belly pendulous; coat ragged; aspect dejected. Res-
piration is performed by a triple effort; inspiration is spasmodic and
single; expiration is labored and double. The ribs first essay to expel
the air from the lungs; these failing, the diaphragm and abdominal mus-
cles take up the action. Broken wind can be set or concealed for a time
by forcing the animal to swallow quantities of grease, tar, or shot. A
drink of water, however, will always reproduce the symptoms.

Treatment.—No cure. Relief alone is possible. Never give water
before work. Four half pails of water to be allowed in twenty-four
hours. In each draught mingle half an ounce of phosphoric acid or half
a drachm of sulphuric acid. Remove the bed in the day; muzzle at
night; put a lump of rock-salt and of chalk in the manger. Never push
hard or take upon a very long journey.

BRONCHITIS.

Causes.—Riding far and fast; then leaving exposed, especially to the
night air; neglect and constitutional liability.

Symptoms.—Appetite often uot affected; sometimes it is increased.
A short cough, in the first instance; breathing only excited; legs warm;
mouth moist; and nasal membrane merely deeper color during the early
stage. When confirmed, the appetite is lost; the horse is averse to
move; the cough is sore and suppressed; the breathing is audible; the
membranes are scarlet; the mouth is hot and dry; the legs are cold;
the body is of uneven temperatures.

Treatment.—Do not deplete. Place in a large, loose box; fill the
place with steam; apply scalded hay to the throat; fix flannels wet with
cold water to the back and side by means of a Mackintosh jacket. When
the flannel becomes warm, change it immediately. Do this for two
hours. After that space the flannel may remain on, but must not become
dry. Prepare half a pound of melted Burgundy pitch, and stir into it
two ounces of powdered camphor, with half a drachm of powdered cap-
sicums. Apply the mixture to the throat. To restore tone to the pulse,
give, every half hour, sulphuric ether and laudanum, of each one ounce;
water, one pint. If no effect be produced by three of these drinks, sub-
stitute infusion of aconite, half an ounce; extract of belladonna, half a
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 473

drachm, rubbed down in water, a quarter of a pint. When the pulse has
recovered, resume the former physic, only adding half a drachm of bella-
donna to each dose. Support with gruel. Introduce food gradually ;
“chill” the water; be careful of hay, and mind, when given, it is thor-
oughly damped.

BRONCHOCELE.

Symptom —An enlargement on the side of the throat.

Treatment.—Give the following, night and morning: Iodide of potas-
sium, half a drachm; liquor potassz, one drachm; distilled water, half a
pint. Also, rub into the swelling the accompanying ointment: Iodide
of lead, one drachm; simple cerate, one ounce.

BRUISE OF THE SOLE.

Cause.—Treading on a stone or some projecting body.
Symptom.—Effusion of blood into the horny sole.
Treatment.—Cut away the stained horn, and shoe with leather.

CALCULI.
Causes.—Unknown.

Symptoms of Renal Calculus. — Urine purulent, thick, opaque,
gritty, or bloody; back roached. Pressure on the loins occasions
shrinking; the arm in the rectum and the hand carried upward provoke
alarm.

Treatment. — Two drachms of hydrochloric acid in every pail of
water; but the result is dubious.

Symptoms of Cystic Calculus.—Same states of urine as in renal cal-
culus. The water, when flowing forth, is suddenly stopped; every emis-
sion is followed by straining; the back is hollowed; the point of the
penis is sometimes exposed ; and, when going down hill, the animal often
pulls up short.

Treatment of Cystic Calculus.—Examine per rectum. An operation
for the horse, or Mr. Simmonds’s instrument for the mare, is imperative.
When the stone is small, hydrochloric acid may be tried.

Symptoms of Urethral Calculus —Suppression of urine; great suf-
fering. If the urethral calculus is impacted in the exposed portion of
the urethra, the passage is distended behind the stoppage.

Treatment of Urethral Calculus.—Cut down upon and remove the
substance.
474 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

CANKER.

Cause.—Old horses, when “turned out” for life as pensioners; aged
and neglected animals will also exhibit the disease.

Symptoms.—Not much lameness. The disease commences at the cleft
of the frog; a liquid issues from the part, more abundant and more
abominable than in thrush; it often exudes from the commissures joining
the sole to the frog. The horn firstly bulges out; then it flakes off, ex-
posing a spongy and soft substance, which is fungoid horn. The fungoid
horn is most abundant about the margin of the sole, and upon its surface
it flakes off. This horn has no sensation. The disease is difficult to
eradicate when one fore foot is involved. When all four feet are impli-
cated, a cure is all but hopeless, and the treatment is certain to be slow
_and vexatious.

Treatment.—See that the stable is large, clean, and comfortable;
note that the food is of the best; allow liberal support; pare off the
superficial fungoid horn, and so much of the deep seated as can be
detached. Apply to the diseased parts some of the following: Chlo-
ride of zinc, half an ounce; flour, four ounces. Put on the foot without
water. To the sound hoof apply chloride of zinc, four grains; flour,
one ounce. Cover the sound parts before the cankered horn is dressed ;
tack on the shoe; pad well and firmly. When places appear to be in
confirmed health, the following may be used: Chloride of zinc, two
grains; flour, one ounce. At first, dress every second day; after a time,
every third day, and give exercise as soon as possible.

CAPPED ELBOW.

Cause.—Injury to the point of the elbow.

Symptom.—lIt is often of magnitude, and is liable to ulcerate and
become sinuous.

Treatment.—The same as capped hock.

CAPPED HOCK.

Cause.—Any injury to the point of the calcis.

Symptom.—A round swelling on the point of the hock, which, should
the cause be repeated, often becomes of great size.

Treatment.—If small, set several men to hand-rub the tumor con-
stantly for a few days. Should the capped hock be of magnitude, dis-
sect out the enlargement, without puncturing it. Remove none of the
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 475

pendulous skin. Treat the wound with the lotion of chloride of zinc—
one grain to the ounce of water—and it will heal after some weeks.

CAPPED KNEE.

Cause.—The same as the previous affection.

Symptom.—A soft tumor in front of the knee.

Treatment.—If let alone, it would burst and leave a permanent blem-
ish. Draw the skin to one side, and with a lancet pierce the lower sur-
face of the tumor. Treat the wound as an open joint.

CATARACT.

Cause.—Looking at white walls, or receiving external injuries. Spe-
cific ophthalmia generates a permanent cataract.

Symptoms.—When partial, shying; if total, white pupil and blind-
ness.

Treatment.—Color the inside of the stable green, as cataract, when
not total, is sometimes absorbed.

CHOKING.

Causes.—Something impacted in the gullet, either high up or low
down.

Symptoms—High Choke.—Raised head; saliva; discharge from the
nostrils; inflamed eyes; haggard countenance; audible breathing; the
muscles of neck tetanic; the flanks heave; the fore feet paw and stamp;
the hind legs crouch and dance; perspiration; agony excessive. Low
Choke.— The animal ceases to feed; water returns by the nostrils;
countenance expresses anguish; saliva and nasal discharge; labored by
seldom, noisy breathing; roached back; tucked-up flanks, while the
horse stands as though it were desirous of elevating the quarters.

Treatment.—Make haste when high choke is present. Perform tra-
cheotomy to relieve the breathing; insert the balling-iron, or, with a hook
extemporized out of any wire, endeavor to remove the substance from
the throat. If the choking body is too firmly lodged to be thus re-
moved, sulphuric ether must be inhaled to relax the spasm. The ether
not succeeding, an egg is probably impacted. Destroy its integrity with
a darning-needle carefully inserted through the skin; then break the
shell by outward pressure. Low choke is seldom fatal before the expi-
ration of three days. Give a quarter of a pint of oil every hour; in
the intermediate half hours give sulphuric ether, two ounces; laudanum,
476 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

two ounces; water, half a pint; and use the probang after every dose of
the last medicine. Should these be returned, cause chloroform to be
inhaled; then insert the probang, and, by steady pressure, drive the
substance forward.

Subsequent to the removal of impactment feed with caution.

CHRONIC DYSENTERY.

Cause.—Not well understood; generally attacks old horses belonging
to penurious masters.

Symptoms.—Purging without excitement, always upon drinking cold
water; violent straining; belly enlarges; flesh wastes; bones protrude;
skin hide-bound; membranes pallid; weakness; perspiration; standing
in one place for hours. At last the eyes assume a sleepy, pathetic ex-
pression; the head is slowly turned toward the flanks; remains fixed
for some minutes; the horse only moves when the bowels are about to
act; colic; death.

Treatment.—Give, thrice daily, crude opium, half an ounce; liquor
potassz, one ounce; chalk, one ounce; tincture of all-spice, one ounce;
alum, half an ounce; ale, one quart. Should the horse belong to a gen-
erous master, give one of the following drinks thrice daily, upon the
symptoms being confirmed: Sulphuric ether, one ounce; laudanum,
three ounces; liquor potasse, half an ounce; powdered chalk, one
ounce; tincture of catechu, one ounce; cold linseed tea, one pint. Or,
chloroform, half an ounce; extract of belladonna, half a drachm; car-
bonate of ammonia, one drachm; powdered camphor, half a drachm;
tincture of oak-bark, one ounce; cold linseed tea, one pint. Feed
lightly; dress frequently; give a good bed and a roomy lodging.

CHRONIC GASTRITIS.

Symptoms.—Irregularity of bowels and appetite; pallid membranes;
mouth cold; a dry cough; tainted breath; sunken eye; catching res-
piration ; pendulous belly; ragged coat, and emaciation. Sweating on
the slightest exertion; eating weod-work or bricks and mortar.

Treatment.—Do not purge; administer bitters, sedatives, and alka-
lies. Give powdered nux vomica, one scruple; carbonate of potash,
one drachm; extract of belladonna, half a drachm; extract of gentian
and powdered quassia, of each a sufficiency. Or give strychnia, half a
grain; bicarbonate of ammonia, one drachm; extract of belladonna,
half a drachm; sulphate of zinc, half a drachm; extract of gentian and
powdered quassia, of each a sufficiency. Give one ball night and morn-
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 477

ing; when these balls seem to have lost their power, give half an ounce
each of liquor arsenicalis and tincture of ipecacuanha, with one ounce
of muriated tincture of iron and laudanum, in a pint of water; damp
the food; sprinkle magnesia on it. As the strength improves, give sul-
phuric ether, one ounce; water, one pint, daily. Ultimately change that
for a quart of ale or stout daily.

CHRONIC HEPATITIS.

Cause.—Too good food and too little work.

Symptoms.—Cold mouth; pallid membranes; white of eyes ghastly,
displaying a yellow tinge; looks toward the right side; the right side
may be tender for a long time, with generally repeated attacks of this
nature, although the horse may perish with the first fit.

Treatment.—Hold up the head, and if the horse staggers, this proves
hemorrhage from the liver. Give sufficient of nutritious food, but only
enough of it, plenty of labor, and the following physic: Iodide of
potassium, two ounces; liquor potasse, one quart; dose, night and
morning, two tablespoonfuls in a pint of water.

CLAP OF THE BACK SINEWS.

Cause.—Extra exertion.

Symptoms.—The maimed limb is flexed; the toe rests upon the ground.
In a short space a tumor appears; it is small, hot, soft, and tender, but
soon grows hard. Great pain, but attended with few constitutional
symptoms.

Treatment.—Administer physic, and bleed gently; then give a few
doses of febrifuge medicine, but go no further than to reduce the pulse
to fifty-five degrees. Put a linen bandage on the leg; keep this con-
stantly wet until the primary symptoms abate. Cut grass for food while
fever exists; continue the cold water till recovery is confirmed. The
horse will not be fit to work for many months.

COLD.

If mild, a little green-meat, a few mashes, an extra rug, and a slight
rest generally accomplish a cure.

Symptoms of severe cold are dullness; a rough coat; the body of dif-
ferent temperatures; the nasal membrane deep scarlet, or of a leaden
color; the appetite is lost; simple ophthalmia; tears; the sinuses are
clogged, and a discharge from the nose appears.
478 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

Treatment.—Give no active medicine. Apply the steaming nose-hag
six times daily; allow cut grass and mashes for food, with gruel for
drink. If weak, present three feeds of crushed and scalded oats and
beans daily, with a pot of stout morning and evening. Good nursing,
with pure air, warmth, and not even exercise, till the disease abates, are
of more importance than “doctor’s stuff” in a case of severe cold. Cold,
however, often ushers in other and more dangerous diseases.

CONGESTION IN THE FIELD.

Cause.—Riding a horse after the hounds when out of condition.

Symptoms.—The horse, from exhaustion, reels and falls. The body
is clammy cold; the breathing is labored; every vein is turgid.

Treatment.—Bleed, if possible; cover the body; lead gently to the
nearest stable; keep hot rugs upon the animal; bandage the legs and
hood the neck; warm the place, either by a fire or tubs full of hot water.
Give, without noise, every half hour, one ounce of sulphuric ether, half
an ounce of laudanum, half a pint of cold water. Should no chemist be
at hand, beat up two ounces of turpentine with the yolk of an egg; mix
it with half a pint of water, and repeat the dose at the times stated.
Allow an ample bed, and place a pail of gruel within easy reach of the
horse. Do not leave the animal for thirty hours, as in that time its fate
will be decided.

CONGESTION IN THE STABLE.

Cause.—A debilitated, fat horse, unused to work, being driven fast
with a heavy load behind it.

Symptoms.—Hanging head; food not glanced at; blowing; artery
gorged and round; pulse feeble; cold and partial perspirations ; feet
cold; eye fixed; hearing lost; and the attitude motionless.

Treatment.—Give immediately two ounces each of sulphuric ether and
of Jaudanum in a pint of cold water. Give the drink with every caution.
In ten minutes repeat the medicine, if necessary. Wait twenty minutes,
and give another drink, if requisite; more are seldom needed. Take
away all solid food, and allow gruel for the remainder of the day.

CORNS.

Cause.—In a flat foot, the heels of the coffin-bone squeeze the sensi-
tive sole by pressing it against the shoe. In a contracted foot, the sen-
sitive sole is squeezed between the wings of the coffin-bone and the thick,
horny sole. A bruise results; blood is effused; and the stain of this left
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 479

upon the horny sole—generally upon the inner side and anterior to the
bars—constitutes a horse’s corn, which is mostly found on the fore feet.
Symptom.—If the stain is dark, and is to be removed with the knife,
this indicates a corn has been, but no longer exists. The smallest stain
of bright scarlet testifies to the existence of a new and present corn.
Corns are of four kinds—the old, the new, the sappy, and the suppura-
tive. The old and new are produced by the blood, and are judged by
the scarlet or dark-colored stain. The old is generally near the surface,
the new is commonly deep seated. The sappy is when the bruise is only
heavy enough to effuse serum. The new corn alone produces lameness.
The suppurating corn may start up from either of the others receiving
additional injury. It causes intense pain and produces acute lameness.
Treatment.—Cut out the stain. Ifa suppurating corn, place the foot
in a poultice, after having opened the abscess. Then, the horn being
softened, cut away all the sole which has been released by the pus from
its attachment to the secreting surface. Tack on an old shoe, and dress
with the solution of the chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce. <A fter-
ward shoe with leather, and employ stopping to render the horn plastic.

COUGH.

Causes.—Foul stables; hot stables; coarse, dusty provender; rank
bedding ; irregular work; while the affection may attend many diseases.

Treatment.—Crush the oats; damp the hay; give gruel or linseed
tea for drink. Clothe warmly, and give, thrice daily, half a pint of the
following in a tumbler of water: Extract of belladonna, one drachm,
rubbed down in a pint of cold water; tincture of squills, ten ounces ;
tincture of ipecacuanha, eight ounces. No change ensuing, next try—
Barbadoes or common tar, half an ounce; calomel, five grains; linseed
meal, a sufficiency: make into a ball, and give one night and morning.
This being attended with no improvement, employ—Powdered aloes,
one drachm; balsam of copaiba, three drachms; cantharides, three
grains; common mass, a sufficiency. Mix, and give every morning.

A daily bundle of cut grass is good in the spring of the year. A lump
of rock-salt has been beneficial. If the animal eats the litter, muzzle
it. Roots are good. Moisten the hay; and, above all things, attend
to the ventilation of the stable.

CRACKED HEELS.

Cause,—Cutting the hair from the heels, and turning into a straw-yard
during winter.
480 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

 

Symptoms.—Thickened skin; cracks; and sometimes ulceration.

Treatment. Wash; dry thoroughly; apply the following wash:
Animal glycerin, half a pint; chloride of zinc, two drachms; strong
solution of oak-bark, one pint. Mix. If ulceration has commenced,
rest the horse. Give a few bran mashes or a little cut grass to open the
bowels. Use the next wash: Animal glycerin, or phosphoric acid, two
ounces; permanganate of potash, or creosote, half an ounce; water,
three ounces: apply six times daily. Give a drink each day composed
of liquor arsenicalis, half an ounce; tincture of muriate of iron, one
ounce; water, one pint.

CRIB-BITING.

Cause.—Sameness of food and unhealthy stables, or indigestion.

Symptoms.—Placing the upper incisors against some support, and,
with some effort, emitting a small portion of gas.

Treatment.—Place a lump of rock-salt in the manger; if that is not
successful, add a lump of chalk. Then damp the food, and sprinkle
magnesia upon it, and mingle a handful of ground oak-bark with each
feed of corn. Purify the ventilation of the stable before these remedies
are applied.

CURB.

Causes.—Galloping on uneven ground; wrenching the limb; prancing
and leaping.

Symptom.—a bulging out at the posterior of the hock, accompanied
by heat and pain, often by lameness.

Treatment.—Rest the animal. Put on an India-rubher bandage, (see
page 307,) and under it a folded cloth. Keep the cloth wet and cool
with cold water. When all inflammation has disappeared, blister the hock.

CYSTITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER.

Causes.—Kicks and blows under the flank. Abuse of medicine, and
bad food, with the provocatives generally of nephritis.

Symptoms.—Those common to pain and inflammation. Urine, how-
ever, affords the principal indication. At first, it is at intervals jerked
forth in small quantities. Ultimately it flows forth constantly drop by
drop. A certain but a dangerous test is to insert the arm up the rec-
tum, and to feel the small and compressed bladder. A safer test is to
press the flank, which, should cystitis be present, calls forth resistance.

Treatment.—Give scruple doses of aconite, should the pulse be ex-
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 481

cited ; the same of belladonna, should pain be excessive ; and calomel
with opium, to arrest the disease. Place under the belly, by means of a
rug, a cloth soaked with strong liquor ammonia diluted with six times
its bulk of water. Or apply a rug dipped into hot water or loaded with
cold water; change when either becomes warm.

DIABETES INSIPIDUS, OR PROFUSE STALING.

Causes.—Diuretic drugs or bad food.

Symptoms.—Weakness ; loss of flesh; loss of condition.

Treatment.—Do not take from the stable; keep a pail of linseed tea
in the manger; give no grass or hay; groom well. Order a ball com-
posed of iodide of iron, one drachm; honey and linseed meal, a suf-
ficiency. Or a drink consisting of phosphoric acid, one ounce; water,
one pint. _ Give the ball daily; the drink, at night and at morning.

ENTERITIS.

Causes.—Greatly conjectural. Prolonged colic may end in it. Con-
stipation may induce it.

Symptoms.—Dullness ; heaviness ; picks the food; shivers repeatedly ;
rolling; plunging; kicking, but more gently than in spasmodic colic;
quickened breathing; hot, dry mouth; wiry pulse. Pressure to the
abdomen gives pain. Remove your coat; insert the arm up the anus;
if the intestines are very hot, all is confirmed.

Treatment.—Extract one quart of blood from the jugular, and inject
into the vein one pint of water at a blood heat. Give aconite in powder,
half a drachm; sulphuric ether, three ounces; landanum, three ounces ;
extract of belladonna, one drachm, (rubbed down in cold water, one pint
and a half.) As the pulse changes, withdraw the aconite; as the pain
subsides, discontinue the belladonna. The other ingredients may be
diminished as the horse appears to be more comfortable. Should the
pain linger after the administration of the eighth drink, apply an am-
moniacal blister. Sprinkle on the tongue, if any symptoms declare the
disease vanquished but not fled, every second hour, calomel, half a
drachm; opium, one drachm. Feed very carefully upon recovery, avoid-
ing all things purgative or harsh to the bowels.

EXCORIATED ANGLES OF THE MOUTH.

Cause. —Abuse of the reins.
Treatment.—Apply the following lotion to the part: Chloride of zinc,
two scruples; essence of anise seed, two drachms; water, two pints.
31
482 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

FALSE QUARTER.

Cause.—Injury to the coronet, producing an absence of the secreting
coronet of the crust from the hoof.

Symptoms.—No lameness, but weakness of the foot. The soft horn
of the lamine, being exposed, is apt to crack. Bleeding ensues. Some-
times granulations sprout when the pain and the lameness are most
acute.

Treatment.—In cases of crack and granulations, treat as is advised
for sandcrack. Put on a bar shoe, with a clip on each side of the false
quarter. Pare down the edges of the crack, and ease off the point of
bearing on the false quarter. A piece of gutta-percha, fastened over the
false quarter, has done good.

FARCY.

Causes.—Excessive labor, poor food, and bad lodging operating upon
old age.

Symptoms.—It is at first inflammation of the superficial absorbents.
Lumps appear on various parts. If these lumps are opened, healthy
matter is released; but the place soon becomes a foul ulcer, from which
bunches of fungoid granulations sprout. From the lumps may be traced
little cords leading to other swellings. The appetite fails, or else it is
voracious. Matter may be squeezed through the skin. Thirst is tor-
turing. At length glanders breaks forth, and the animal dies. There
is a smaller kind of farcy called button-farcy; the smaller sort is the
more virulent of the two.

Cure.—There is no known cure for the disease.

FISTULOUS PAROTID DUCT.

Causes.—Hay-seeds or other substances getting into the mouth of the
duct during mastication. Stones being formed within the canal. The
stable-fork in the hand of an intemperate groom.

Symptoms —The duct greatly enlarges behind the obstacle, which,
becoming swollen, prevents the secretion from entering the mouth.
Great agony is occasioned by every mouthful masticated. The duct
bursts, and a fistulous opening is established, through which the saliva
jerks at each motion of the jaw. From the absence of a secretion im-
portant to digestion, the flesh wastes, and the animal soon assumes a
miserable appearance.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 483

Treatment.—Make an adhesive fluid with gum mastic and spirits of
wine, or with India-rubber and sulphuric ether. When the horse is not
feeding, pare the hardened edges from the wound; cover the orifice with
a piece of strained India-rubber; over this put a layer of cotton; fasten.
one end to the horse’s cheek by means of the adhesive fluid; that having
dried, fasten the other end tightly down. Place other layers of cotton
over this, allowing each layer to cross the other, and fastening all to the
cheek. Fasten the head to the pillar-reins; allow the horse to remain
till the cotton falls off, and give only gruel for food. Put tan under
the feet; and should the first trial not succeed, repeat it,

FISTULOUS WITHERS.

Cause.—External injury, generally by the lady’s saddle, which bruises
one of the burs placed above the withers.

Symptoms.—When first done, a small, round swelling appears on the
off side. If this is neglected, the place enlarges, and numerous holes
burst out, which are the mouths of so many fistulous pipes.

Treatment.—In the early stage, go to the horse’s side, impale the
tumor and divide it. Touch the interior with lunar caustic; keep the
wound moist with the chloride of zinc lotion, one grain to the ounce of
water, and cover it with a cloth dipped in a solution of tar. If the
sinuses are established, make one cut to embrace as many as possible.
Clean out the corruption. Scrape or cut off any black or white bone
which may be exposed. Cover with a cloth, and keep wet with the solu-
tion of chloride of zinc. Should there exist a long sinus leading from
the withers to the elbow, insert a seton by means of the guarded seton
needle. This seton should be withdrawn so soon as a stream of creamy

pus is emitted.

FUNGOID TUMORS IN THE EYE.

Cause.—U nknown.
Symptoms.—Blindness ; a yellow, metallic appearance to be seen in

the eye.
Treatment —None of any service.

GLANDERS.

Cause.—Bad lodging, stimulating food, and excessive work operating

upon young life.
Symptoms. —Staring coat; lungs or air-passages always affected ;
484 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

flesh fades; glands swell; spirit low; appetite bad. A lymphatic
gland adheres to the inside of the jaw; the membrane inside the nose
ulcerates ; a slight discharge from one nostril. This becomes thicker,
and adheres to the margin of the nostril, exhibiting white threads and
bits of mucus; then it changes to a full stream of foul pus; next the
nasal membrane grows dull and dropsical; the margins of the nostrils
enlarge; the horse breathes with difficulty; the discharge turns discol-
cored and abhorrent; farcy breaks forth, and the animal dies of suffo-
cation.
Treatment.—There is no known cure.

GREASE.

Causes.—Age; debility; excessive labor; neglect; filth. Cutting the
hair off the heels; turning out to grass in the cold months.

Symptoms.—Scurfiness and itchiness of the legs. Rubbing the leg
with the hoof of the opposite limb; hairs stand on end; moisture ex-
udes, and hangs upon the hairs in drops. Smells abhorrently; lameness ;
cracks on the skin; swelling; ulceration; thin discharge; odor worse.
Lameness increases; leg enlarges; granulations sprout in ragged bunches;
their points harden and become like horn; pain excessive; horn of hoof
grows long.

Treatment.—Cut off all remaining hair. If hot and scurfy, cleanse
with mild soap and hot, soft water; saturate a cloth with the following
lotion: Animal glycerin, half a pint; chloride of zinc, half an ounce;
water, six quarts. Lay it upon the leg. When this cloth becomes
warm, remove it, and apply another, also wet with the lotion; thus con-
tinue applying cool cloths to the limb till the heat abates; afterward
moisten the leg thrice daily. When cracks anc ulceration are present,
adopt the wet cloths; but subsequently use one of the following to the
sores: Permanganate of potash or phosphoric acid, one pint; water, six
quarts. Or, chloride of zinc, one ounce; water, one gallon: employ
thrice daily. If the granulations have sprouted, remove them with a
knife, in three operations, (full directions are given in the book ;) like-
wise always place in a loose box. Feed liberally; allow old beans;
give a handful of ground oak-bark with each feed of oats. Night and
morning exhibit liquor arsenicalis, one ounce; tincture of muriate of
iron, one ounce and a half; porter or stout, one quart: one pint for the
dose. Chopped roots; speared wheat; hay tea; cut grass, and exer-
zise are all good for grease.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 485

GUTTA SERENA.

Cause.—Over-exertion.

Symptoms.—Fixed dilatation of the pupil; a greenish hue of the
eye; total blindness. Active ears; restless nostrils; head erect; high
stepping; occasionally a rough coat in summer and a smooth coat in
winter.

Treatment.—No remedy is possible.

HEART DISEASE.

Symptoms.—Auscultation. The beat of the heart to be seen ex-
ternally ; haggard countenance; pulse feeble; heart throbs; the beat
of the carotid artery is to be felt; the regurgitation in the jugular is to
be seen. The appetite is sometimes ravenous—often fastidious; the
breathing is not accelerated excepting during pain; lameness of one
leg; dropsical swellings; stopping short when on a journey; averse to
turn in the stall; noises; yawns; sighs. Death always unexpected.
No treatment is of any use.

HEMATURIA, OR BLOODY URINE.

Cause.—Unknown.

Symptoms. — Discoloration of the fluid. When the bleeding is
copious, breathing is oppressed; the pupils of the eyes are dilated.
Pulse is lost; head is pendulous; membranes are pale and cold.  Lift-
ing up the head produces staggering. Back roached; flanks tucked
up; legs wide apart.

Treatment —Be gentle. Act upon the report given. Give acetate
of lead, two drachms, in cold water, one pint; or, as a ball, if one can
be delivered. In a quarter of an hour repeat the dose, adding laudanum,
one ounce, or powdered opium, two drachms. Repeat the physic till
one ounce of acetate of lead has been given. Leave the horse undis-
turbed for two hours, if the symptoms justify delay. If not, dash pail-
fuls of cold water upon the loins from a height. Give copious injec-
tions of cold water. Pour half a pint of boiling water upon four
drachms of ergot of rye. When cold, add laudanum, one ounce, and
dilute acetic acid, four ounces. Give two of these drinks, and two cold
enemas, of twenty minutes’ duration. Suspend all treatment for eight
hours, when the measures may be repeated. (For after proceedings, see
the article which ts presented in the body of the book.)
486 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

HIDE-BOUND.

Cause.—Neglect, or turning into a straw-yard for the winter.

Treatment.—Liberal food, clean lodging, soft bed, healthy exercise,
and good grooming. Administer, daily, two drinks, composed of:
Liquor arsenicalis, half an ounce; tincture of muriate of iron, one
ounce; water, one pint. Mix, and give as one dose.

HIGH-BLOWING AND WHEEZING.

Habits which admit of no remedies.

HYDROPHOBIA.

Cause.—Bite from a rabid dog or cat.

Symptoms.—The horse is constantly licking the bitten place. <A
morbid change takes place in the appetite. Eager thirst, but inability
to drink, or spasm at the sound or sight of water is exhibited. Nervous
excitability; voice and expression of countenance altered. More rarely
the horse—when taken from the stable—appears well. While at work,
it stops and threatens to fall. Shivers violently, and is scarcely brought
home when the savage stage commences. The latter development con-
sists in the utmost ferocity, blended with a most mischievous cunning,
or a malicious pleasure in destruction.

Treatment.—No remedy known. Confine in a strong place and
shoot immediately.

HYDROTHORAX.

Cause.—Pleurisy or inflammation of the membrane lining the chest.

Symptoms.—The horse is left very ill. The next morning the animal
is looking better; the pain has abated; the eye is more cheerful; but
the flanks heave. A man is procured; he is told to strike the chest
when the person listening on the other side says ‘‘now.” The word is
spoken, and a metallic ring follows. The pulse is lost at the jaw; the
heart seems to throb through water. The horse has hydrothorax!

Treatment.—The first thing is to draw off the fluid. A spot between
the eighth and ninth ribs is chosen, and the skin is pulled back; a small
slit through the skin is made; into that opening an armed trocar is
driven. When there is no resistance felt, the thorax has been entered;
the stilet is withdrawn and the water flows forth. Use a fine trocar;
take all the fluid you can obtain. Should the horse appear faint, with-
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 487

draw the canula, and in two hours again puncture the chest. Afterward
the food must be prepared, and a ball administered night and morning,
consisting of iodide of iron, one drachm; strychnia, half a grain; sul-
phate of zinc, half a drachm; extract of gentian and powdered quassia,
a sufficiency.

IMPEDIMENT IN THE LACHRYMAL DUCT.

Cause.—A hay-seed or other substance getting into and becoming
swollen within the duct.

Symptom.—Swollen lid and copious tears.

Treatment.—Inject, forcibly, a stream of water up the duct.

INFLUENZA.

Cause.—Unknown; but suspected to be generated by close stables.
It is also episotic.

Symptoms.—Weakness and stupidity; local swellings; heat and pain
in the limbs. Loss of appetite; rapid wasting; every part of the body
is diseased. Youth most exposed, but no age exempt. Spring-time
the general season, but an attack may ensue at any period of the year.
The following symptoms are somewhat uncertain: Pendulous head;
short breath; inflamed membranes; swollen lips; dry mouth; enlarged
eyelids; copious tears; sore throat; tucked-up flanks; compressed tail;
filled legs; big joints; lameness and hot feet. Auscultation may detect
a grating sound at the chest, or a noise like brickbats falling down stairs,
within the windpipe. When the last is audible, there is always a copious
discharge. Sometimes one foot is painful; purgation has been seen;
but constipation is generally present, and the horse usually stands
throughout the disease. Always suspect influenza when it is in the
neighborhood, and the membranes are yellow or inflamed.

Treatment.—Move to a well-littered, warm, loose box. Suspend a
pail of gruel from the wall; change the gruel thrice daily; sprinkle on
the tongue, night and morning, calomel, one scruple; wash this down
with sulphuric ether, one ounce; laudanum, one ounce; water, half a
pint. If weakness increases, double the quantity of ether and of
laudanum. When the pulse loses all wiry feeling, and the discharge
becomes copious, give from the hand some bread, on which there is a
little salt; when the cough appears, give a pot of stout daily. Beware
of purgatives or active treatment.
488 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

INJURIES TO THE JAW.

Causes.—Pulling the snaffle; abuse of the bit; too tight a curb-
chain.

Symptoms.—Discoloration before or behind the tush; bruise under the
tongue or upon the roof of the mouth; tumor and bony growth upon
the margin of the lower jaw.

Treatment.—Cut upon the discoloration till the knife reaches the bone ;
if fetor is present, inject the chloride of zine lotion; keep the wounds
open, that the injured bone may come away.

LACERATED EYELID.

Causes.—Nails in the gangway, or the horses playfully snapping at
each other.

Treatment.—Bathe with cold water till the bleeding ceases; allow the
separated parts to remain until the divided edges are sticky; bring to-
gether with sutures; place the horse in the pillar-reins till the healing is
perfected.

LACERATED TONGUE.

Causes.—Sticking to a horse when giving physic; making a “‘chaw”
of the halter-rope.

Treatment.—Insert no sutures; if the arteries are excised, cut off the
hanging portion of the tongue; should the vessels have escaped, allow
all to remain; feed on gruel and soft food; after every meal wash out
the mouth with the solution ordered for aphtha, or with the chloride of
zinc lotion.

LAMPAS.
A groom’s fancy.

LARYNGITIS.

Cause.—Foul stables.

Symptoms.—Dullness; enlargement over the larynx; stiff neck; short
and suppressed cough; breathing hurried and catching; pulse full; nasal
membrane almost scarlet.

Treatment.—Give drachm doses of tincture of aconite, in wineglasses
of water every half hour, to amend the pulse. Refrain from bleeding.
Put on a steaming nose-bag, and keep it almost constantly applied, to
amend the breathing. Fix some hay, soaked in boiling water, upon the
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 489

throat, by means of an eight-tailed bandage. Give, very carefully, the
following drink, thrice daily: Infusion of squills, two ounces; infusion
of ipecacuanha, two ounces; infusion of aconite, half an ounce; extract
of belladonna, one drachm, rubbed down with a pint of warm water.
Place in a cool, well-aired, thickly-littered, loose box; bandage the legs,
clothe the body; give only gruel for food, changing it thrice daily. On
improvement, a little moist food may be allowed. When improvement
is confirmed, put a seton under the throat. Blister the throat; pick and
damp the hay; sift, bruise, and scald the oats. Employ no lowering
agents.

LARVA IN THE SKIN.

Causes.—Turning out to grass. The fly lays its egg upon the hair,
the warmth of the body hatches it, and the larva enters the skin. The
next summer a tolerably large abscess is established, the insect occupy-
ing its center.

Treatment.—With a lancet open the abscess, and squeeze out the
larva. Dab the wound with a lotion made of chloride of zinc, one
grain; water, one ounce.

LICE.

Causes.—Filth and debility.
Treatment.—Rub the skin with some cheap oil or grease. Wash, and
then look for other diseases, as hide-bound, mange, etc.

LAMINITIS, (SUBACUTE.)

Causes.—Age; long standing in the stable; over-work, and stinted
diet.

Symptoms.—First noticed by the manner of going upon the heels of
the fore feet.

Treatment.—Get into slings. Remove the shoes. Do not bleed. If
costiveness is present open the bowels with green-meat, but do not purge.
Give a quart of stout, night and morning. Allow two drinks per day,
each consisting of one ounce of sulphuric ether and half a pint of water;
half-drachm doses of belladonna, to allay pain; sound oats and old
beans, both crushed, for food; water to be whitened; no hay. No limit
to this food, but five feeds to be given if the horse will eat so much.
490 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

LUXATION OF THE PATELLA.

Cause.—Bad food and constitutional weakness.

Symptoms.—The horse stops short, and has one of the hind legs ex-
tended backward. A swelling upon the outer side The pastern is
flexed, the head raised, and the animal in great pain. In colts it will
sometimes appear on the slightest cause.

Treatment.—For colts, any flurry may restore the bone; but feed
well, to eradicate the weakness. For horses, get into a shed, and, throw-
ing a rope, one end of which has been fixed to the pastern, have the leg
dragged forward while some one pushes the bone into its place. A man
should be put to keep the bone in its situation for some hours. Give
strengthening food, and do not use for six weeks subsequently.

MALLENDERS AND SALLENDERS.

Cause.—Neglect.

Symptoms.—Scurf upon the seats of flexion; mallenders at the back
of the knee, and sallenders at the front of the hock.

Treatment.—Cleanliness. Give the liquor arsenicalis drink, recom-
mended for grease; change the groom; rub the parts with this ointment:
Animal glycerin, one ounce; mercurial ointment, two drachms; pow-
dered camphor, two drachms; spermaceti, one ounce. If cracks appear,
treat as though cracked heels were present.

MANGE.

Causes.—Starvation; bad lodging and no grooming; turning out to
grass,

Symptoms.—Scurf about the hairs of the mane; the hair falls off in
patches; the skin is corrugated; a few hairs remain upon the bare places,
and these adhere firmly to the skin; scrubbing the body against posts ;
sores and crusts. To test its presence, scratch the roots of the mane
and the horse will exhibit pleasure.

Treaiment,—Place the horse in the sunshine, or in a heated house, for
one hour; then whisk thoroughly, to remove scurf and scabs; then rub
in the following liniment: Animal glycerin, two parts; oil of tar, two
parts; oil of turpentine, half a part; oil of juniper, half a part. Mix
Leave on for two days; wash; anoint again; wash; anoint and wash
once more, always leaving the liniment on for two clear days.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 491

MEGRIMS.

Cause.—Unknown.

Symptoms.—The horse suddenly stops; shakes the head; strange
stubbornness may be exhibited, followed by a desire to run into danger-
ous places. Then ensues insensibility, accompanied by convulsions.

Treatment.—Throw up on the first fit. Give a long rest, and try to
amend the constitution.

MELANOSIS.

Cause.—Unknown. The disease only attacks gray horses which have
become white.

Symptoms.—It appears as a lump of uncertain form, size, and situa-
tion. The swelling, if cut into, discloses a cartilaginous structure, dotted
here and there with black spots. Do not use the knife unless the swell-
ing impede the usefulness, or should be peculiarly well placed for opera-
tion. Feel the tail. A pimple on the dock is an almost certain sign of
melanosis, which disease affects the internal organ even more virulently
than it attacks the external parts. As melanosis proceeds, all spirit
departs, and the animal is at length destroyed as utterly useless.

Treatment.—Let the tumor alone. Forbid all use of the curry-
comb. Dress very long and very gently with the brush only. Twice a
week anoint the body with animal glycerin, one part; rose-water, two
parts.

NASAL GLEET.

Causes.—Decayed molar tooth; kicks from other horses; injuries to
the frontal bones.

Symptoms.—Distortion of the face; partial enlargement and soften-
ing of the facial bones; irregular discharge of fetid pus from one nostril.
The discharge is increased, or brought down by feeding off the ground,
or by trotting fast.

Treatment.—Surgical operation, with injection of a weak solution of
chloride of zinc. Also give daily a ball composed of balsam of copaiba,
half an ounce; powdered cantharides, four grains; cubebs, a sufficiency.
If the foregoing should affect the urinary system, change it for half-
drachm doses of extract of belladonna, dissolved in a wineglass of
water. Give these every fourth day, and on such occasions repeat the
belladonna every hour, until the appetite has been destroyed.
492 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

NASAL POLYPUS.

Symptoms. — An enlarged nostril; a copious mucous discharge;
sigus of suffocation, if the free nostril be stopped; a cough generally
forces down the growth.

Treatment.—Surgical operation, which removes the tumor.

NAVICULAR DISEASE.

Causes.—_Frog pressure, and not shoeing with a leathern sole. The
unprotected foot treads on a rolling stone, and navicular disease is the
result.

Symptoms.—Acute lameness; this disappears, but may come again
in six or nine months. Acute lameness is then present for a longer time,
while the subsequent soundness is more short. ‘Thus the disease pro-
gresses, till the horse is lame for life. The pain in one foot causes
greater stress upon the sound leg, and from this cause both feet are
ultimately affected. The foot is pointed in the stable. The bulk
diminishes, while the hoof thickens and contracts. The horse, when
trotting, takes short steps, and upon the toe, going groggily.

Treatment.—Feed liberally upon crushed oats and old beans. Soak
the foot every other night in hot water. Afterward bandage the leg,
fix on tips, and having smeared the horn with glycerin, put on a sponge
boot. Rest very long—six months in the first instance—and then give
three months agricultural employment. In bad cases resort to neu-
rotomy, but do so upon the second attack of lameness; because con-
tinued disease disorganizes the internal structures of the hoof, and also
occasions the sound foot to be attacked by navicular disease.

NEPHRITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.

Causes.—Bad provender, or niter in a mash, and long or fast work
upon the following day.

Symptoms.—Hard, quick pulse; short breathing; pallid membranes;
looking at the loins; depressed head; roached back; hind legs strad-
dling; scanty urine; refusing to turn in the stall; and crouching under
pressure on the loins. Subsequently, pus is voided with the water. If
the urine has a fetid odor, if blood be present, if the pulse grows
quicker, if pressure gives no pain, and if the perspiration has a
urinous smell, death is near at hand. To be certain of nephritis, insert
the arm up the rectum and move the hand toward the kidneys.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 493

Treatment.—Rub mustard into the skin of the loins. Cover it over
to prevent it becoming dry. Apply fresh sheepskins as soon as these
can be procured. Inject warm linseed tea every hour. A ball com-
posed of Croton farina, two scruples; extract of belladonna, half a
drachm; treacle and linseed meal, a sufficiency, should be given imme-
diately; one scruple of calomel; one drachm of opium should be
sprinkled on the tongue every hour. A pail of linseed tea may be
placed in the manger. Feed on linseed tea, and mind the oats—when
allowed—are very good. While the pain is acute, give, thrice daily, a
ball composed of extract of belladonna, half a drachm; crude opium,
two drachms; honey and linseed meal, of each a sufficiency. When
the pain is excessive, repeat the above ball every hour. Should the
pulse increase and become wiry, a scruple of aconite should be thrown
upon the tongue every half hour until the artery softens, or the animal
becomes affected with the drug.

No cure is to be expected; the disease may be arrested, but the kid-
ney must be left in an irritable state.

OCCULT SPAVIN.

Cause.—Treading on a stone.

Symptoms.—Sudden lameness, which never departs, but in the end
becomes very bad. The disease is always worse after work, and better
after rest. The foot is without disease, and the leg is not hot or pain-
ful; yet the lameness continues and gets worse. The leg is snatched
up in the walk, and the foot is not turned outward.

Treatment.—Get the horse into slings. Rub the front of the hock
with an embrocation composed of compound soap liniment, sixteen
ounces; tincture of cantharides, liquor ammonia and laudanum, of each
two ounces. After the joint is embrocated, wrap it round with flannel,
held upon the hock with elastic rings. Give three feeds of corn, a few
old beans, and sweet hay daily. After the horse bears upon the dis-
eased limb, allow the slings to remain for three months. Three months
after it has left the slings, put to gentle work, but mind the labor is not
in any way exhausting. The work must not be full till six months have
elapsed. Keep the bowels regular with bran mashes and green-meat.
If all treatment fail, cast the horse; retract the injured limb; make a
small puncture, and inject one ounce of dilute spirits of wine, in which.
half a drachm of iodine has been dissolved. Place the horse in slings,
and apply cold water to the hock. When the pulse is quiet, feed very
liberally.
494 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

OPEN SYNOVIAL CAVITIES.

Causes.—The pride of gentility, which apes what is not, and tries to
pass off a horse with a ewe neck for an animal with a lofty crest. The
quadruped, being in pain and constraint, necessarily trips, and cannot
save itself from falling. Kicking in harness; running away and being
run into

Symploms.—Air being admitted creates inflammation; inflammation
causes constitutional irritability. Burse are attended with least danger
when punctured; sheaths of tendons are more dangerous; joints are
by far the most serious. Judge which is opened by the extent of the
wound and the quantity of synovia released.

Treatment.—Exercise gentleness toward the injured animal. Wash
as was directed for broken knees. Examine if there be any sac or bag
into which dirt could have entered. If one exists, place a large spatula
under the knee; then take a knife with a sharp point, but with its edge
blunted the two posterior thirds of its length; guard the point with a
lump of beeswax; introduce this into the sac and drive the point
through the bottom of the bag. An opening will thereby be created,
through which the pus and dirt will gravitate. If the probe enters the
knee of the flexed leg, unopposed, three-quarters of an inch, push it no
farther; be satisfied the cavity is opened.

OPEN SYNOVIAL JOINTS.

Treatment.—Proceed in the first instance as for broken knees. Then
give a drink composed of sulphuric ether and laudanum, of each one
ounce; water, half a pint; look to the comfort. Should the eye rove,
the breathing be hard, ears active, and the horse start at sounds,
hourly repeat the drink before recommended, till these symptoms abate.
Then place in a stall and allow four drinks and two pots of stout daily.
Use the arnica lotion as for broken knees, during the first three and a
half days. At the end of that time turn the horse gently round in the
stall, and let it stand with its head toward the gangways. Place the
slings before the horse and leave the animal to contemplate them for
half an hour. Then, with extreme gentleness, fix them; but do not
pull the cloth up to the abdomen. Leave a pail of water suspended
from one pillar, and feed from a high trough, supported upon light legs.
Let the horse be watched night and day for the remainder of the week.
When the animal is at ease in the slings, these may he heightened till
the cloth lightly touches, but not presses, against the belly. With the
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 495

slings change to the chloride of zinc lotion, one scruple to the pint of
water; have this frequently applied during the day. It will coagulate
the albumen and promote the healing of the wound. The albumen will
accumulate as a large ball in front of the injury; do not touch it.
Allow it to fall off The cure is nearly perfect when it falls. When
pressure can be endured, the slings may be removed; though the heal-
ing process should be confirmed before the animal is allowed to stand
near anything against which it could strike the knee.

OPERATIONS.

Admit of no abbreviation; they should never be hastily undertaken:
they should be only resorted to after time has been allowed for thought,
and opportunity has been afforded for more than one perusal of the
directions detailed in this book.

OSSIFIED CARTILAGES.

Cause.—Battering the foot upon hard roads.

Symptoms.—Of little consequence in heavy horses unless accompanied
with ring-bone. The disease causes lameness in light horses used for
fast work.

Treatment.—Rest; liberal food; and small blisters to the foot imme-
diately above the sides of the hoof.

OVERREACH.

Cause.—When a good stepper is very tired, this accident sometimes
happens—the coronet of the fore foot upon the outer side being severely
wounded by the inside of the hind shoe.

Symptom.—A severe wound and a large slough, probably followed by
a false quarter.

Treatment.—Feed liberally, and bathe the injury thrice daily with the
chloride of zinc lotion, one grain to the ounce of water.

PARROT-MOUTH.

Cause.—Natural malformation.
Symptoms.—Projecting upper teeth; an inability to graze or to clean
out the manger.
496 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

PARTIAL PARALYSIS.

Cause.—V iolent exertion.

Symptom.—One hind leg gets in the way of the other, and threatens
to throw the animal down.

Trealtment.—A loose box; warm clothing; good grooming ; warmth
to loins; regulate the bowels with mashes and green-meat; absolute rest.
Give the following ball night and morning: Strychnia, half a grain,
(gradually work this medicine up to one grain and a half;) iodide of
iron, one grain; quassia powder and treacle, a sufficiency

PHLEBITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE VEIN.

Cause —Motion. Bleeding in the neck and turning out to grass; or
from either of the limbs, and then forcing the animal to walk.

Symptoms.—The earliest indication is a separation of the lips of the
wound and the presence of a small quantity of thin discharge. A small
swelling then takes place, and the vein hardens above the puncture.
Then abscesses form along the course of the vessel. These mature,
burst, send forth a contaminated pus. The abscesses are united by
sinuses. If these signs are neglected, a dark discharge resembling de-
cayed blood issues from the numerous wounds and soils the neck.
Dullness ensues; the brain becomes affected; and the horse perishes
phrenitic.

Treatment.—Remove the pin and apply a blister. Another may be
required. In bad cases, blister must follow blister, but not be rubbed
in. A little oil of cantharides should be put over the sore with a paste-
brush. Place in a loose box and litter with tan; feed on slops, which
require no mastication. Let the horse remain there and be so fed for
six weeks subsequent to the cessation of all treatment. Then give a
little exercise at a slow pace, gradually augmented. At the end of three
months the horse may do slow work. But the horse should not wear a
collar or go into the shafts before the expiration of six months.

PHRENITIS.

Cause.—Unknown.

Symptom.—Heaviness, succeeded by fury in excess, but without any
indication of malice.

Treatment.—Bleed from both jugulars till the animal drops. Then
pin up, and give a purgative of double strength. Follow this with
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 497

another blood-letting, if necessary, and scruple doses of tobacco; half-
drachm doses of aconite root; or drachm doses of digitalis—whichever
is soonest obtained. But whichever is procured must be infused in a
pint of boiling water, and, when cool and strained, it ought to be given
every half hour till the animal becomes quiet. But the probable result
is by no means cheering, even if death is by these means avoided.

PLEURISY.

Causes.—Over-exertion ; blows; injuries; cold.

Symptoms. — These are quickly developed. The pulse strikes the
finger; pain continuous; agony never ceases; horse does not feed.
Body hot; feet cold; partial perspirations. Muscles corrugated in
places; cough, when present, suppressed and dry; auscultation detects
a grating sound and a dull murmur at the chest. Pressure between the
ribs produces great pain or makes the animal resentful. The head is
turned very often toward the side; the fore foot paws; the breathing is
short and jerking.

Treatment.—Should be active. Bleed, to ease the horse; place in a
loose box; bandage the legs; leave the body unclothed. Give, every
quarter of an hour, a scruple of tincture of aconite in a wineglass of
warm water. When pulse has softened, give, every second hour, sulphuric
ether and laudanum, of each one ounce; water, half a pint. Do not
bleed a second time. When the pulse and pain are amended, introduce
the steaming apparatus. Do nothing for the bowels. Place luke-warm
water within easy reach of the head, and give nothing more while the
disease rages. When the disease departs, return with caution to full
food. After the affection subsides, blister throat and chest. If the
horse is costive, administer enemas; or a bundle of cut grass may be
presented with the other food.

PNEUMONIA.

Causes.+-Fat; irregular work; and sudden exertion.

Symptoms.—Breathing labored; oppressed pulse; partial conscious-
ness; giddiness. Standing with outstretched legs; head and ears de-
jected; coat rough; extremities and body cold; visible membranes
discolored ; bowels costive; feeling half dead; and general oppression.

Treatment.—Bleed but once; take only blood sufficient to restore
consciousness ; do not attempt to obtain blood, if the liquid flows black
and thick. Place in a loose box strown with damp tan; take off the

shoes; place water within easy reach; no food. If winter, clothe; then
32
498 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

introduce steam; when the steam is abundant, take off the clothes. Give
solution of aconite root, half an ounce; sulphuric ether, two ounces;
extract of belladonna, (rubbed down with half a pint of water,) one
drachm. Repeat the drink three times each day. When the pulse
improves, withdraw the aconite; when the breathing amends, abstract
the belladonna; or increase either as pulse or breathing becomes worse.
Allow only hay tea, with a little oatmeal in it, until the disease abates.
On amendment, cautiously increase the food. Lying down is the first
sign of improvement. Do not disturb the animal: it must require rest,
having stood throughout the attack.

POLL EVIL.

Causes.—Hanging back in the halter; hitting the poll against the
beam of the stable door; blows on the head; and any external injury.

Symptoms.—The nose is protruded and the head kept as motion-
less as possible; the animal hangs back when it is feeding from the
manger. Pressure or enforced motion excites resistance. Swelling:
the swelling bursts in several places, from which exude a foul, fistulous
discharge. Pus has been secreted; confinement has caused it to decay;
while motion and fascia have occasioned it to burrow.

Treatment.—Paint the part lightly with tincture of cantharides, or
acetate of cantharides. Do this daily till vesication is produced; then
stop. When the swelling enlarges, open the prominent or soft places.
Allow the pus to issue; then cut down on the wound till the seat of the
disease is gained. Use a proper knife, and include as many pipes as
possible in one clean cut. All others should join this. Empty out all
concrete matter. Wash the cavity with cold water. Excise all loose
pieces of tendon and all unhealthy flesh. Moisten the sore with the
chloride of zinc lotion, one grain to the ounce, and cover the wound
with a cloth dipped in the solution of tar. If the disease has burst,
still include the pipes in one smooth incision; clean out the concrete
pus, and treat as has been directed. Spare the ligament which lies
under the mane; and work in a breast-strap after recovery.

PRICK OF THE SOLE.

Cause.—Generally the smith’s carelessness when shoeing the horse.

Symptom.—Great lameness.

Treatment.—Withdraw the nails of the shoe. If one is wet, cut
down on that hole until the sensitive sole is exposed. If not very
lame, treat with lotion of chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce of
water. If very lame, treat as if the injury were a suppurating corn.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 499

PRURIGO.

Cause.—Heat of body.

Symptom.—lItchiness. The horse rubs off hair; but never exposes a
dry, corrugated surface.

Treatment.—Take away some hay. Give two bundles of grass per
day. Allow two bran mashes each day till the bowels are open. Apply
either of the following washes: Animal glycerin, one part; rose-water,
two parts. Or, sulphuric acid, one part; water, ten parts. Or, acetic
acid, one part; water, seven parts. Drink: Liquor arsenicalis, one
ounce; tincture of muriate of iron, one ounce and a half; water, one
pint—half a pint to be given every night. Withdraw the drink a week
after the disease has disappeared. Allow a pot of porter and an extra
feed of oats each day.

PUMICE FOOT.

Cause.—An animal reared on marshy land, having high action, bat-
ters the feet upon London stones.

Symptoms.—Bulging sole; weak crust; strong bars, and good frog.

Treatment.—The only relief possible is afforded by a bar shoe of the
dish kind, and a leathern sole. The constant use of equal parts of
animal glycerin and tar is also beneficial to the hoof.

PURPURA HEMORRHAGICA.

Cause.—Unknown. Universal congestion.

Symptoms.—The attack is sudden. The body, head, and limbs en-
large; consciousness is partially lost. The horse stands, and the breath-
ing is quickened. Through the skin there exudes serum with blood.
The nostrils and lips enlarge, and part of the swollen tongue protrudes
from the mouth. The appetite is not quite lost, although deglutition is
difficult. Thirst is great.

Treatment.—Bleed till the animal appears relieved. A second vene-
section may be demanded, but it should be adopted with caution. Give
half an ounce of chloroform in a pint of linseed oil, in the first stage.
Repeat the dose in half an hour. No amendment following, give two
ounces of sulphuric ether in one pint of cold water. In half an hour
repeat the dose if necessary. Perform tracheotomy to ease the breath-
ing. Incise the protruding tongue. Squeeze out the fluid and return
the organ to the mouth. Should the skin slough, bathe the part with
solution of chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce of water.
500 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

QUITTOR.

Causes.—Confined pus from suppurating corn; or prick of the sole;
matter results, and this issues at the coronet. Or from injury to the
coronet, generating pus, and this burrowing downward, as it cannot
pierce the coronary substance. The secretion may also penetrate the
cartilage, and thus establish sinuses in almost every possible direction.

Symptoms.—The horse is very lame. The animal is easier after the
quittor has burst. Probe for the sinuses. If, after the superficial sinuses
are treated, among the creamy pus there should appear a dark speck of
albuminous fluid, make sure of another sinus, probably working toward
the central structures of the foot.

RHEUMATISM.

Cause.—Generally follows other disorders, as influenza, chest affec-
tions, and most acute diseases. Very rarely does it appear without a
forerunner.

Symptoms.—Swelling of particular parts, generally the limbs; heat
and acute lameness. The disorder is apt to fly about the body. The
synovia is always increased when the joints are attacked. The pulse
and breathing are both disturbed by agony.

Treatment.—Lead into a loose box; fill the place with steam. (See
page 313.) Get ready the slings; put the belly-piece under the horse,
but do not pull it up so as to lift the legs from the ground. Keep the
steam up for one hour. Then have several men with cloths ready to
wipe the animal dry; mind they are perfectly silent. Next rub into the
diseased parts the following: Compound soap liniment, sixteen ounces;
tincture of cantharides, liquor ammonia, and laudanum, of each two
ounces. Afterward incase the limbs in flannel. (See page 314.) Then
give a bolus composed of powdered colchicum, two drachms; iodide of
potassium, one drachm; simple mass, a sufficiency. Should the attack
succeed upon other diseases, the diet must be supporting, everything
being softened by heat and water. Next morning repeat the steaming,
and give calomel, a scruple; opium, two drachms. At night steam
again, and repeat the first bolus. Should the horse be fat, withdraw
all corn, if the strength can do without it.

RING-BONE.

Cause.— Dragging heavy loads up steep hills.
Symptoms.—A roughness of hair on the pastern and a bulging forth
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 501

of the hoof. A want of power to flex the pastern. An inability to
bring the sole to the ground only upon an even surface. Loss of power
and injury to utility.

Treatment.—In the first stage apply poultices, with one drachm of
camphor and of opium. Afterward rub with iodide of lead, one ounce;
simple ointment, eight ounces. Continue treatment for a fortnight after
all active symptoms have subsided, and allow liberal food and rest; work
gently when labor is resumed.

RING-WORM.

Symptoms.—Hair falls off in patches, exposing a scurfy skin. The
scurf congregates on the bare place about the circumference, which is
apt to ulcerate.

Treatment.—Be very clean. Wash night and morning, and afterward
apply the following ointment: Animal glycerin, one ounce; spermaceti,
one ounce; iodide of lead, two drachms. Many other things are popular.
For a detailed list of these, see the body of the book. A drink is like-
wise of use when employed with the ointment. Liquor arsenicalis, one
ounce; tincture of muriate of iron, one ounce and a half; water, one
quart. Mix, and give every night half a pint for a dose. Should the
ulceration prove obstinate, apply permanganate of potash, half an ounce;
water, three ounces. Or, chloride of zinc, two scruples; water, one
pint. Moisten the parts with a soft brush six times daily. Feed well,
and do not work for one month.

ROARING.

Causes.—The bearing-rein; the folly of fashion.

Symptom.—A noise made at each inspiration.

Treatment.—No remedy. The cabman’s pad is the only alleviation :
that conceals and does not cure the disease.

RUPTURE, OR STRICTURE OF THE GSOPHAGUS.

Cause.—The use of the butt-end of a carter’s whip, which either
rends the lining membrane of or ruptures the gullet.

Symptom of Rupture.—The body becomes distended with gas, and
death ensues. Of René Membrane.—This induces a disinclination to
feed, as the first symptom. A stricture is formed. Excessive hunger.
Distention of the tube. A large sac is developed out of the stretched
membrane above the stricture. Then, after feeding, the animal fixes the
502 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

neck, and returns the masticated food through the mouth and nostrils.
Accompanying loss of condition and failure of strength.

Treatment.—Feed on prepared soft food: though the horse is gener-
ally not worth its ordinary keep at the stage when this is required.

SANDCRACK.

Causes —Bad health, provoking imperfect secretion. Treading for
any length of time upon a very dry soil.

Symptoms.—(Quarter crack occurs on light horses upon the inner side
of the hoof. It usually commences at the coronet, goes down the foot,
and reaches to the lamine. Toe crack happens in heavy wheelers, and
is caused by digging the toe into the ground when dragging a load up
hill. From the sensitive lamine, when exposed, fungoid granulations
sometimes sprout, which, being pinched, produce excessive pain and
acute lameness.

Treaiment.—Always pare out the crack, so as to convert it into a
groove. When the crack is partial, draw a line with a heated iron above
and below the fissure. If granulations have sprouted, cleanse the wound
with chloride of zinc lotion, one grain to the ounce of water, and then
cut them off. Afterward place the foot in a poultice. Subsequently
pare down the edges of the crack while the horn is soft. Use the lotion
frequently. Draw lines from the coronet to the crack, so as to cut off
communication between the fissure and the newly-secreted horn. Shoe
with a bar shoe, having the seat of crack well eased off and also a clip
on either side. If the horse must work, lay a piece of tow saturated
with the lotion into the crack: bind the hoof tightly with wax-end. Tie
over all a strip of cloth, and give this a coating of tar. When the horse
returns, inspect the part. Wash out any grit with the chloride of zinc
lotion. Feed liberally on prepared food.

SCALD MOUTH.

Cause.—Powerful medicine, which burns the lining membrane of the
mouth.

Symptom.—aA dribbling of saliva, with constant motion and repeated
smacking of the lips.

Treatment. — Give soft food, and use the wash recommended for
aphtha.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 503

SEEDY TOE.

Cause.— Weakness, inducing an imperfect secretion of horn.

Symptom.—A separation between the crust of the coronet and the
soft horn of the lamin, commencing at the toe of the foot.

Treatment.—Remove the shoe Probe the fissure, which will be ex-
posed. Cut away all the separated crust. Throw up until the removed
portion has grown again. Feed liberally.

SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA.

Causes.—Slashing with the whip over the head; hay-seeds falling into
the eyes; horses biting at each other in play; blows, etc.

Symptoms.—Tears ; closed eyelid; the ball of the eye becomes en-
tirely or partially white.

Treatment.—Remove any foreign body; fasten a cloth across the
forehead ; moisten it with a decoction of poppy-heads to which some
tincture of arnica has been added. If a small abscess should appear on
the surface of the eye, open it, and bathe with chloride of zinc lotion.
Should inflammation be excessive, puncture eye vein, and place some
favorite food on the ground.

SITFAST.

Causes.—Ill health; badly-fitting saddle; too energetic a rider; loose
girths ; ruck in the saddle-cloth.

Symptom.—Like a corn on the human foot, but the hard, bare patch
is surrounded by a circle of ulceration.

Treatment.—The knife should remove the thickened skin. Chloride
of zinc, one grain; water, one ounce, to the wound. Attend to the
bowels. Feed liberally; exercise well; and give, night and morning,
liquor arsenicalis, half an ounce; tincture of muriate of iron, three-
quarters of an ounce; water, one pint. Mix, and give.

SORE THROAT.

Causes.—In colts, change from freedom to work, from the field to the
stable, is the cause. Sore throat, however, may be caused by close sta-
bles, or be an indication of some greater disease.

Symptoms.—Perpetual deglutition of saliva; want of appetite; ina-
bility to swallow a draught of liquid—the fluid returning partly by the
nostrils, and each gulp being accompanied with an audible effort.
504 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

Treaiment.—Forbear all work; clothe warmly; house in a large,
well-littered, loose box. Gruel for drink; green-meat, with three feeds
of bruised and scalded oats, also beans, daily. If the bowels are obsti-
nate, administer a drink composed of solution of aloes, four ounces;
essence of anise seed, half an ounce; water, one pint. Should the throat
not amend, dissolve half an ounce of extract of belladouna in a gallon
of water; hold up the bead: pour half a pint of this preparation into
the mouth, and in thirty seconds let the head down; do this six or eight
times daily. No improvement being observed, try permanganate of pot-
ash, half a pint; water, one gallon: to be used as directed in the pre-
vious recipe. Still no change being remarked, prepare chloride of zine,
three drachms; extract of belladonna, half an ounce; tincture of capsi-
cums, two drachus; water, one gallon.

All being useless, give two pots of stout daily, and blister the throat.

No alteration ensuing, cast the horse, and mop out the fauces with a
sponge which is wet with nitrate of silver, five grains ; water, one ounce.
Give a ball daily composed of oak-bark and treacle.

If none of these measures succeed, the throat must be complicated
with some other disease.

SPASM OF THE DIAPHRAGM.

Cause.—Imprudently riding too far and too fast.

Symptom.—Distress, and a strange noise heard from the center of the
horse.

Treatment.—Pull up; cover the horse’s body; lead to the nearest
stable. Give as soon as possible a drink composed of sulphuric ether,
two ounces; laudanum, one ounce; tincture of camphor, half an ounce;
cold water or gruel, one pint. Give four drinks, one every quarter of
an hour; then another four, one every half hour, and then at longer
intervals as the animal recovers. When first brought in, procure five
steady and quiet men; give a bandage each to four of them, and order
them silently to bandage the legs; give a basin and sponge to the other,
and bid him sponge the openings to the body. This done, and sweat
and dirt removed, clothe perfectly after the skin is quite dry.

SPASM OF THE URETHRA.

Cause.—Acridity in the food or water.

Symptoms.—Small and violent emissions; straddling gait. Roached
back ; pain; total suppression of urine.

Treaiment.—Insert the arm up the rectum, and feel the gorged blad-
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 505

der. Give, by the mouth, four ounce doses of sulphuric ether and of
Jaudanum mixed with a quart of cold water, and, as injection, mixed
with three pints of cold water. Repeat these medicines every quarter
of an hour until relieved. If no physic be at hand, open both jugular
veins, and allow the blood to flow until the horse falls. Should not the
urine then flow forth, insert the arm and press upon the bladder.

SPASMODIC COLIC—FRET—GRIPES,

Causes.—Fast driving; change of water; change of food; getting
wet; fatiguing journeys; aloes; and often no cause can be traced.

Symptoms. 1st Staye.—Horse is feeding; becomes uneasy; ceases
eating ; hind foot is raised to strike the belly; fore foot paws the pave-
ment; the nose is turned toward the flank, and an attack of fret is rec-
ognized. 2d Slage.—Alternate ease and fits of pain; the exemptions
grow shorter as the attacks become longer; the horse crouches; turns
round; then becomes erect; pawing, etc. follow; a morbid fire now
lights up the eyes. 3d Stage.—Pains lengthen; action grows more wild;
often one foot stamps on the ground; does not feed, but stares at the
abdomen ; at last, without warning, leaps up and falls violently on the
floor; seems relieved; rolls about till one leg rests against the wall;
should no assistance be now afforded, the worst consequences may be
anticipated.

Treatment.—Place in a loose box, guarded by trusses of straw ranged
against the walls. Give one ounce each of sulphuric ether and of laud-
anum in a pint of cold water, and repeat the dose every ten minutes if
the symptoms do not abate. If no improvement be observed, double
the active agents, and at the periods stated persevere with the medicine.
A pint of turpentine, dissolved in a quart of solution of soap, as an
enema, has done good. No amendment ensuing, dilute some strong
liquor ammonia with six times its bulk of water, and, saturating a cloth
with the fluid, hold it by means of a horse-rug close to the abdomen. It
is a blister; but its action must be watched or it may dissolve the skin.
If, after all, the symptoms continue, there must be more than simple
colic to contend with.

SPAVIN.

Cause.—Hard work.

Symptom.—Any bony enlargement upon the lower and inner side of
the hock. Prevents the leg being flexed. Hinders the hoof from being
turned outward. Causes the front of the shoe to be worn and the toe
of the hoof to be rendered blunt by dragging the foot along the ground.
506 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

Leaves the stable limping ; returns bettered by exercise. Sickle hocks,
or cow hocks, are said to be most subject.

Treatment.—View the suspected joint from before, from behind, and
from either side. Afterward feel the hock. Any enlargement upon the
seat of disease, to be felt or seen, is a spavin. Feed liberally, and rest
in a stall. When the part is hot and tender, rub it with belladonna and
opium, one ounce of each to an ounce of water. Apply a poultice. Or
put opium and camphor on the poultice. Or rub the spavin with equal
parts of chloroform and camphorated oil. The heat and pain being
relieved, apply the following, with friction: Iodide of lead, one ounce;
simple ointment, eight ounces.

SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.

Cause.—The fumes of impure stables.

Symptoms.—A swollen eyelid; tears; a hard pulse; sharp breathing ;
a staring coat; a clammy mouth; the nasal membrane is inflamed or
leaden colored; the lid can only be raised when in shadow. The ball
of eye reddened from the circumference; the pupil closed; the iris lighter
than is natural. The disease may change from eye to eye; the duration
of any visitation is very uncertain; the attacks may be repeated, and
end in the loss of one or both eyes. If one eye only is lost, the remain-
ing eye generally strengthens.

Treatment.—Remove from the stable and place in a dark shed. Open
the eye vein, and puncture the lid if needed; put a cloth saturated with
cold water over both eyes. If the horse is poor, feed well; if fat, sup-
port, but do not cram; if in condition, lower the food. Sustain upon a
diet which requires no mastication. Give the following ball twice daily:
Powdered colchicum, two drachms; iodide of iron, one drachm; calo-
mel, one scruple; make up with extract of gentian. So soon as the ball
affects the system, change it for liquor arsenicalis, three ounces; muri-
ated tincture of iron, five ounces. Give half an ounce in a tumbler of
water twice daily. See the stable is rendered pure before the horse
returns to it.

SPLINT.

Causes —Karly and hard work; blows, kicks, etc.

Symplom.—-Any swelling upon the inner and lower part of the knee
of the fore leg, or any enlargement upon the shin-bone of either limb.
On the knee they are important, as they extend high up. On the shin
they are to be dreaded, as they interfere with the movements of the ten-
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 50T

dons. All are painful when growing, and in that state generally cause
lameness.

Treatment.—Feel down the leg. Any heat, tenderness, or enlarge-
ment is proof of a splint. If, on the trot, one leg is not fully flexed,
or the horse “dishes” with it, it confirms the opinion. Time and liberal
food are the best means of perfecting them. When they are painful,
poultice, having sprinkled on the surface of the application one drachm
each of opium and of camphor. Or rub the place with one drachm of
chloroform and two drachms of camphorated oil. Periosteotomy (see
Operations) is sometimes of service. When a splint interferes with a
tendon, the only chance of cure is to open the skin and to cut off the
splint, afterward treating the wound with a lotion composed of chloride
of zinc, one grain; water, one ounce. To check the growth of a splint,
rub it well and frequently with iodide of lead, one ounce; simple oint-
ment, eight ounces.

SPRAIN OF THE BACK SINEWS.

Cause.—Cart-work upon a hilly country.
Symptom.—Gradual heightening of the hind heel.

Treatment.—The only possible relief is afforded by an operation—
‘division of the tendons.”

STAGGERS.

Sleepy Staggers and Mad Staggers are only different stages of the
same disorder.

Cause.—Over-gorging.

Symptoms.—Excessive thirst ; dullness or sleepiness; snoring ; press-
ing the head against a wall. Some animals perish in this state; others
commence trotting without taking the head from the wall, and such gen-
erally die, but sometimes recover. Other horses quit the sleepy state ;
the eyes brighten; the breath becomes quick. Such animals exhibit the
greatest possible violence, but without the slightest desire for mischief.

Treatment.—Allow no water. Give a quart of oil. Six hours after-
ward give another quart of oil, with twenty drops of croton oil in it,
should no improvement be noticed. In another six hours, no amendment
being exhibited, give another quart of oil, with thirty drops of croton
oil init. After a further six hours, repeat the first dose, and administer
the succeeding doses, at the intervals already stated, until the appear-
ance changing indicates that the body has been relieved.

For the full development of the mad stage no remedies are of the
slightest avail.
908 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

STRAIN OF THE FLEXOR TENDONS.

Cause.—Hard work on uneven ground, or the rider punishing a horse
with the snaffle and the spurs.

Symploms.—The animal goes oddly, not lame. The defective action
will disappear upon rest, but stiffness is aggravated by subsequent labor.
Any attempt to work the horse sound induces incurable lameness or
contraction of the tendons.

Treatment.—Allow several hours to elapse before any attempt is made
to discover the disease. A small swelling, hot, soft, and sensitive, may
then appear. Bind round it a linen bandage, and keep it wet with cold
water. Have men to sit up bathing this for the three first nights; after-
ward apply moisture only by day Throw up the horse. Give four
drachms of aloes. Do not turn out, but allow two feeds of corn each
day. Keep in a stall, and do uot put to work till more than recovered.

STRANGLES.

Cause.—Something requiring to be cast from the system, so as to suit
the young body to a sudden change.

Symploms.—A slight general disturbance, which, however, remains.
The colt continues sickly. After a day or two, the neck becomes stiff,
and a swelling appears between the jaws. The enlargement at first is
hard, hot, and tender. A discharge from the nose comes on. The
symptoms increase; the throat becomes sore. Breathing is oppressed ;
coat stares; appetite is lost; tumor softens, and, being opened, the
animal speedily recovers.

Treatment.—Neither purge nor bleed. Give all the nourishment that
can be swallowed. If all food is rejected, whiten the water, and a little
cut grass may tempt the colt. Corn, ground and scalded, may be offered,
a little at a time from the hand. No grooming; light clothing; ample
bed; door and window of loose box should be open. Gently stimulate
the throat with the following: Spirits of turpentine, two parts; lauda-
num, one part; spirits of camphor, one part. Apply with a paste-
brush morning, noon, and night, until the throat is sore. After every
application, take three pieces of flannel, place these over the part, and
bind on with an eight-tailed bandage. So soon as the tumor points,
apply the twitch, and have one fore leg held up. Then open the swell-
ing with an abscess knife. It may be necessary to make another inci-
sion. There are other occasional varieties of strangles, for which
consult the substance of the work, pages 272, 273.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 509

STRINGHALT.
Cause.—Over-exertion.
Symplom.—Raising both hind legs, one after the other, previous to
starting.
Treatment.—None is possible.

SURFEIT.

Cause.—Heat of body.

Symptom.—An eruption of round, blunt, and numerous spots.

Treatment.—If the pulse is not affected, the symptom may disappear
in a few hours. Look to the food. Abstract eight pounds of hay, and
allow two bundles of cut grass per day. Even increase the oats, but
with each feed give a handful of old crushed beans. The following
drink will be of service: Liquor arsenicalis, one ounce; tincture of
muriate of iron, one ounce and a half; water, one quart. Mix. Give
daily, one pint for a dose.

Symptom.—If a young horse has been neglected through the winter,
the surfeit lumps do not disappear. An exudation escapes; the consti-
tution is involved, and the disease is apt to settle upon the lungs.

Treatment.—Do not take out. Keep the stable aired, and attend to
cleanliness. Feed as previously directed, and allow bran mashes when
the bowels are constipated. Administer the drink recommended above,
night and morning. Clothe warmly; remove from a stall to a loose
box. Should the pulse suddenly sink, allow two pots of stout each day.
If the appetite fail, give gruel instead of water, and present a few cut
carrots from the hand. The shortest of these cases occupy a fortnight.

SWOLLEN LEGS.

Cause.—Debility.

Treatment.—Place in a loose box. No hay for some weeks. Damp
the corn, and sprinkle a handful of ground oak-bark on each feed. At-
tend to exercise. If the legs continue to enlarge, hand-rub them well
and long.

TEETH.

Cause.—A thickening of the membrane sometimes conceals the upper
tushes and provokes constitutional symptoms.

Treatment.—Lance the membrane.

Symptoms of Toothache.—Head carried on one side, or pressed
510 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

against the wall; saliva dribbles from the lips; quidding or partial
mastication of the food, and allowing the morsel to fall from the mouth.
Appetite capricious; sometimes spirit is displayed-then the horse is
equally dejected. The tooth dies; the opposing tooth grows long.
The opposite teeth become very sharp, from the horse masticating only
on one side. The long tooth presses upon the gum and provokes nasal
gleet.

Treatment.—Chisel off projecting tooth; file down the sharp edges
of the opposite teeth, and look to the mouth frequently.

TETANUS.

Causes.—Cold rain; draughts of air; too much light; wounds.

Symptoms.—The wound often dries up. ‘The horse grows fidgety.
Upon lifting up the head, ‘‘the haw” projects over the eye. The tail is
raised; the ears are pricked; the head is elevated; the limbs are stiff;
the body feels hard. Any excitement may call up a fearful spasm.

Treatment.—Give a double dose of purgative medicine. Place in
solitude and in quiet. Put a pailful of gruel and a thin mash within
easy reach of the head. Let nobody excepting the favorite groom
approach the place; and allow him to enter it only once a day.

THOROUGH-PIN.

Cause.—Excessive labor.

Symptom.—A round tumor going right through the leg, and appear-
ing anterior to the point of the hock. It is nearly always connected
with bog spavin.

Treatment.—Never attack thorough-pin and bog spavin at the same
time. Relieve the thorough-pin first by means of rags, cork, and an
India-rubber bandage, cut so as not to press on the bog spavin. If the
corks occasion constitutional symptoms, use a truss to press upon the
thorough-pin, which, being destroyed, apply a perfect bandage and
wetted cloths to the bog spavin. When attempting to cure bog spavin,
however, continue the remedy to the thorough-pin, or the cure of one
affection may reproduce the other.

THRUSH.

Cause.—Standing in filth, when it appears in the hind feet; navicular
disease, when seen in contracted feet.
Symptoms.—A foul discharge running from the cleft of the frog.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 511

This decomposes the horn. The surface of the frog becomes ragged,
and the interior converted into a white powder. The affection does not
generally lame; but should the horse tread on a rolling stone, it may fall
as though it were shot.

Treatment.—Pare away the frog till only sound horn remains, or
until the flesh is exposed. Then tack on the shoe and return to a clean
stall. Apply the chloride of zinc lotion—three grains to the ounce of
water—to the cleft of the frog by means of some tow, wrapped round a
small bit of stick. When the stench has ceased, a little liquor of lead
will perfect the cure. For contracted feet pare the frog, and every
morning dress once with the chloride of zinc lotion; but do not strive
to stop the thrush.

TREAD.

Cause.—Fatigue and overweight.

Symptom.—In light horses it occurs toward the end of a long jour-
ney. The hind foot is not removed when the fore foot is put to the
ground. The end of the fore shoe consequently tears off a portion of
the coronet from the hind foot. In cart-horses, after the horse is
fatigued, the load has to be taken down a steep hill; the animal, being
in the shafts, rocks to and fro; the legs cross, and the calkin of one
shoe wounds the coronet of the opposite hoof.

Treatment.—Bathe the sore with the chloride of zine lotion, one
grain to the ounce of water. Continue to do this thrice daily; feed
liberally. A slough will take place, and the animal be well in about a
month; the only danger being the after-result of a false quarter.

TUMORS.

These are so various and of such different natures, that in every case
a surgeon should be consulted.

WARTS.

Cause.—Unknown.

Symptom.—There are three kinds of warts. Ist. Some are contained
in a cuticular sac, and, upon this being divided, shell out. 2d. The
second are cartilaginous and vascular. These grow to some size, and
are rough on the surface. They are apt to ulcerate. 3d. Consists of
a cuticular case, inclosing a soft granular substance.

Treatment.—When of the first kind, slit up, and squeeze them out.
The second kind, excise and apply a heated iron to stop the bleeding.
The third kind are better let alone.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

on
—
bo

WATER FARCY.

Cause.—Overwork and coarse feed, succeeded by periods of stagna-
tion. It is the warning that true farcy threatens the stable.

Symptoms.—Load less and work less.

Treatment.—Improve the diet, and never allow the horse to remain a
day in the stable without exercise. Saturate the swollen limb with cold
water every morning, and have it afterward thoroughly hand-rubbed
until it is perfectly dry. Should lameness remain after the first day, a
few punctures may be made into the limb, but only through the skin.
Give the following ball every morning: Jodide of iron, one drachm;
powdered cantharides, two grains; powdered arsenic, one grain;
Cayenne pepper, one scruple; sulphate of iron, one drachm; treacle
and linseed meal, a sufficiency. Mix. The delay even of a day in
treatment is attended with danger in this disease.

WIND-GALLS.

Cause.—Hard work.

Symptoms.—Small enlargements, generally upon the hind legs and
below the hocks; no lameness; two wind-galls appear above the pastern,
one beneath that joint; after extraordinary labor, the round swellings
disappear and the course of the flexor tendons becomes puffy. Some-
times continued irritation will cause the wind-galls to greatly enlarge,
and ultimately provokes their case to change into bone. During these
changes the horse is very lame.

Treatment.—Fold pieces of rags; wet them; put these on the wind-
galls; place on the rags pieces of cork, and over the cork lace on an
India-rubber bandage. Mind this bandage is constantly worn, save
when ridden or driven by the proprietor. Rest is the only alleviation
for the change of structure.

WINDY COLIC.

Causes.—Gorging on green food; but more commonly impaired
digestion, consequent upon severe Jabor and old age.

Symptoms. —Uneasiness; pendulous head; cessation of feeding.
Breathing laborious; fidgets; rocking the body; enlargement of the
belly; pawing. Standing in one place; sleepy eye; heavy pulse;
flatulence; the abdomen greatly enlarged. Breathing very fast; pulse
very feeble; blindness; the animal walks round and round till it falls
and dies.
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 513

Treatment.—Three balls of sulphuret of ammonia, two drachms,
with extract of gentian and powdered quassia, of each a sufficiency,
may be given, one every half hour. Next, one ounce of chloride of
potash, dissolved in a pint of cold water, and mingled with sulphuric
ether, two ounces, should be horned down. In an hour’s time, two
ounces each of sulphuric ether and of laudanum; half an ounce of
camphorated spirits; one drachm of carbonate of ammonia may be
administered. No good effect being produced, throw up a tobacco-
smoke enema. As a last resort, procure a stick of brimstone and light
it. Remain in the stable while it burns, or the sulphureous fumes may
become too powerful for life to inhale them. Continue this measure for
two hours; then repeat the remedies previously recommended. All
being fruitless, a desperate resort may be adopted. Puncture the
abdomen with a trocar; but this operation can only be named here;
the reader must turn to the substance of the book for its description.

WORMS

Are of four kinds: the Tenia, the Lumbrici, the Strongulus, and
the Ascarides.

The Tzxnia mostly affect the young.

Cause.—Starving the mare when with foal, and breeding from old
animals.

Symptoms.—Checked development; large head; low crest; long
legs, and swollen abdomen. Appetite ravenous; body thin; coat un-
healthy; breath fetid. The colt rubs its nose against a wall, or strains
it violently upward; picks and bites its own hair.

Treatment.—Give spirits of turpentine. To a foal, two drachms; to
a three months’ old, half ‘an ounce; six months, one ounce; one year,
one ounce and a half; two years, two ounces; three years, three ounces;
four years and upwards, four ounces. Procure one pound of quassia
chips; pour on them three quarts of boiling water. Cause to blend
with the turpentine a proportionate quantity of the quassia infusion, by
means of yolks of eggs; add one scruple of powdered camphor, and
give first thing in the morning. Good food is essential afterward.
Subsequently give every morning, till the coat is glossy, liquor arseni-
calis, from one to eight drachms; muriated tincture of iron, from one
and a half to twelve drachms; extract of belladonna, from ten grains
to two drachms; ale or stout, from half a pint to a quart.

The Lumbrici prey upon the old and the weakly.

Treatment.—Tartarized antimony, two drachms; common mass, a
sufficiency to make one ball. Give one every morning.

33
514 ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY.

The Strongulus, during life, is generally not known to be present.

The Ascarides cause great itching posteriorly, which provokes the
horse to rub its hair off against the wall.

Treatment.—Try injections of train oil for one week. Then use in-
fusion of catechu, one ounce to one quart of water. On the eighth
morning, give aloes, four drachms; calomel, one drachm. Tobacco-
smoke enemas are sometimes useful, and the following ointment may be
placed up the rectum night and morning: Glycerin, half an ounce;
spermaceti, one ounce; melt the spermaceti, and blend; when cold, add
strong mercurial ointment, three drachms; powdered camphor, three
drachms.

WOUNDS.

A lacerated wound is generally accompanied by contusion, but with
little hemorrhage. Shock to the system is the worst of its primary
effects. The danger springs from collapse. A slough may probably
follow. The slough is dangerous in proportion as it is tardy. The
horse may bleed to death if the body is much debilitated.

Treatment.—Attend first to the system. Give a drink composed of
sulphuric ether and laudanum, of each one ounce; water, half a pint.
Repeat the medicine every quarter of an hour if necessary, or till shiver-
ing has ceased and the pulse is healthy. A poultice, made of one-fourth
brewer’s yeast, three-fourths of any coarse meal; or a lotion, consisting
of tincture of cantharides, one ounce; chloride of zinc, two drachms;
water, three pints, may be employed. When the slough has fallen,
apply frequently a solution of chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce
of water; and regulate the food by the pulse.

An incised wound produces little shock. The danger is immediate,
as the horse may bleed to death.

Treatment.—Do not move the horse. Dash the part with cold water,
or direct upon the bleeding surface a current of wind from the bellows.
When the bleeding has ceased and the surfaces are sticky, draw the
edges together with divided sutures. When the sutures begin to drag,
cut them across. After copious suppuration has been established, bathe
frequently with the solution of chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce
of water.

An abraded wound generally is accompanied by grit or dirt forced
into the denuded surface. The pain is so great, the animal may sink
from irritation.

Treatment.—Cleanse, by squeezing water from a large sponge above
the wound, as was directed for broken knees, and allow suppuration to
ALPHABETICAL SUMMARY. 515

remove any grit that is fixed in the flesh. Support the body, and use
the chloride of zinc lotion.

A punctured wound is dangerous, as the parts injured are liable to
motion. On this account those above the stifle are very hazardous.
Sinuses form from the torn fascia opposing the exit of the pus; also
because the small hole in the skin generally bears no proportion to the
internal damage.

Treatment.—Always enlarge the external opening to afford egress to
all sloughs and pus. Regulate the food by the symptoms, and use the
chloride of zine lotion.

A contused wound, when large, causes more congealed blood than
can be absorbed. This corrupts, and a slough must occur or an abscess
must form. Hither generates weakness, produces irritation, and may lead
to fatal hemorrhage. Or sinuses may form. Wherefore, such accidents
are not to be judged of hastily.

Treatment.—When the contusion is slight, rub the part with iodide
of lead, one drachm of the salt to an ounce of lard. When large, divide
the skin, every eighth inch, the entire length of the swelling. Bathe the
injury with the chloride of zinc lotion, and support the body, as the
symptoms demand liberality in the matter of food.

In all wounds, gain, if possible, a large depending orifice, and cover
the denuded surfaces with a rag saturated with oil of, or in solution of,
tar.

The author, having now concluded his labors, cannot forbear from
repeating the advice which was given to the reader at the commence-
ment of the present Summary—always appeal to the body of the
work so soon as the first danger has subsided. Many hints are therein
contained which could not be embodied in anything deserving to be
entitled an abbreviation. Ampler space there enables the writer to
describe certain precautions and to suggest various stratagems which,
of course, would be out of place in the pages where condensation was
the professed characteristic. For these reasons the reader is most
earnestly recommended never to depend longer upon the contents of
the Summary, than the pressure of immediate danger shall render im-

perative.
INDEX.

Abdomen, diseases of, 165.
Abdominal injuries, 184, 467.
ruptured diaphragm, 186.
ruptured spleen, 186.
ruptured stomach, 186.
intro-susception, 187.
invagination, 187.
strangulation, 188.
ruptured intestines, 188.
calculus, 188.
Abraded wounds, 425.
Abscess of the brain, 19, 467.
symptoms of, 20.
Acites, 178, 468.
symptoms of, 178.
treatment of, 179.
Acute dysentery, 172, 468.
cause of, 173.
symptoms of, 173.
treatment of, 174.
Acute gastritis, 147, 469.
causes of, 147.
treatment of, 148.
symptoms of, 149.
Acute laminitis, 367, 469.
cause of, 368.
symptoms of, 369.
treatment for, 370.
Albuminous urine, 218, 470.
All kinds of treatment have been tried
for tetanus, 32.
Alphabetical summary, 465.
Alteration in shape consequent upon
tetanus, 31.
Aphtha, 73, 470.
treatment of, 73.
Attention to the feeding of horses most
important, 20.

Back sinews, clap of, 302, 477.
sprain of, 803, 507.

Bandage for punctured abdomen, 432.

Best treatment for megrims, 26.

Blood spavin, 828, 470.

Bloody urine, 215, 486.

Bog spavin, 318, 470.

 

Bots, 152, 470.
causes of, 152.
Brain, abscess of, 19.
and nervous systems: their acci-
dents and diseases, 17.
disease of, 17.
Breaking down, 304, 470.
cause of, 804.
treatment for, 305.
Broken knees, 404, 471.
contusion generally accompanies,
405.
cause of, 406.
proper mode to wash, 407.
how to probe, 408.
treatment for, 410.
Broken wind, 254, 472.
cause of, 255.
symptoms of, 256.
treatment for, 257.
Bronchocele, 119, 473.
remedies for, 119.
Bronchitis, 125, 472.
symptoms of, 126.
remedies for, 127.
Bruise of the sole, 353, 478.
Buying a captain, 84.

Calculi, 213, 473.
Canker, 358, 474.

cause of, 359.

symptoms of, 359.

treatment for, 361.
Capped elbow, 324, 474
Capped hock, 821, 474.
Capped knee, 821, 475.
Cartilages, ossified, 366, 495.
Cataract, 54, 475.

kinds of, 54.

preventive for, 54.

no remedy for complete, 56.

use of belladonna in, 56.

no medicine can cure, 57.
Cavities, synovial, open, 412, 494.
Chest, the diseases of, 121.
Choking, 110, 475.

(517)
518 INDEX.

Choking, causes of, 111.
different kinds of, 111.
high, most important, 111.
remedy for, 112.
low, 113.

Chronic dysentery, 175, 476.
cause of, 175.
symptoms of, 176.
treatment of, 177.

Chronic gastritis, 150, 476.
symptoms of, 150.
treatment of, 151.

Chronic hepatitis, 158, 477.

Clap of the back sinews, 302, 477.

Cold, 84, 477.
its causes, 84.
symptoms of, 85.
treatment of, 85.

Colic, windy, 199.
spasmodic, 194, 505.
cause of, 194.
symptoms of, 196.
treatment for, 197.

Congestion in the field, 121, 478.
remedy for, 122.

Congestion in the stable, 123, 478.
remedy for, 125.

Corns, 849, 478.
causes of, 349.
old and new, how to distinguish, 350.
treatment for, 352.

Contused wounds, 427.

Cough, 99, 479.
symptoms of, 99.
treatment for, 100.
medicines for, 101.

Countenance of a horse with hydro-

phobia, 27.

Cracked heels, 250, 479.
cause of, 250.
symptoms of, 252.
treatment for, 252.

Crib-biting, 162, 480.
symptoms of, 163.
treatment of, 164.

Curb, 306, 480.
cause of, 308.
treatment for, 307.

Curb-chain may injure the jaw, 72.

Cystic calculus, 214.

Cystitis, 209, 480.
causes of, 211.
symptoms of, 210.
treatment for, 210.

Diabetes insipidus, 217, 481.
causes, 217.
treatment for, 217.
Diaphragm, spasm of, 145, 504.
Disease of the heart, 143.
Division of the tendons, 457.

 

Division of the tendons, the necessity for,
how provoked, 458.

how to perform, 459.

after-treatment required for, 460.
Do not whip a runaway horse, 19.
Dropsy of the abdomen, 178.
Dysentery, acute, 172.

chronic, 175.

| Enteritis, 165, 481.

causes of, 165.

symptoms of, 167.

mode of making sure that it is pres-
ent, 169.

treatment of, 170.

Excoriated angles of the mouth, 64, 481.
causes of, 64. ;
treatment for, 66.

Expression of a horse changed by re-

peated attacks of megrims, 25.

Exurpation of the eye, 59.

Eye, fungoid tumors in, 57.

Eyes, the diseases of, 42.

Face of a horse with hydrophobia, 27.
False quarter, 345, 482.
cause of, 345.
treatment for, 346.
Farcy, 282, 482.
cause of, 282.
symptoms of, 283.
Feeding a horse with chronic tetanus, 3°.
Feet, their diseases, 330.
Fever in the feet, 367.
Filled legs, 239.
Fistulous parotid duct, 394, 482.
its causes, 395.
symptoms of, 396.
treatment for, 397.
Fistulous withers, 891, 483.
its causes, 391.
symptoms of, and treatment for, 392.
Flatulent colic, 199.
Foot, prick of, 354, 498
pumice, 339, 499.
Fret, 194, 505,
Fungoid tumors in the eye, 57, 483.
symptoms of, 57.
horrible alternatives left by, 58.

Gastritis, acute, 147.
chronic, 150.
Glanders, 274, 483.
cause of, 274.
symptoms of, 276.
Gleet, nasal, 91, 491.
Grease, 242, 484.
prevention of, 242.
nature of, 242.
cause of, 244.
symptoms of, 245.
INDEX.

Grease, treatment for, 247.
Gripes, 194, 505.
Gutta serena, 88, 485.
causes of, 88.
symptoms of, 39.
peculiarities of, 40.
effect upon the optic nerve, 40.

Harness horses most subject to megrims,
Hay rack, evils of its general position, 44.
Heart, disease of, 143, 485.
Heels, cracked, 250.
Hematuria, 215, 485.
symptoms of, 215.
treatment for, 216.
Hepatitis, chronic, 158.
causes of, 158.
treatment for, 160.
Hide-bound, 231, 486.
treatment for, 232.
Highblowing, 94, 486.
Horse quickly learns to recognize the
voice of its owner, 19.
How to treat a runaway horse, 19.
Hydrophobia, 27, 486.
symptoms of, 27.
treatment for, 28.
Hydrothorax, 139, 486.
symptoms of, 140.
treatment of, 141.

Incised wounds, 424.
Idiopathic tetanus, 29.
causes of, 30.
Impediment in the lachrymal duct, 61,
487.
causes of, 62.
treatment for, 62.
Inflammation of the kidneys, 204, 492.
of the bladder, 209, 480.
of the vein, 398, 496.
Influenza, 181, 487.
probable cause of, 181.
symptoms of, 182.
treatment of, 183.
Injuries, 385.
of the abdomen, 184.
to the jaw, 69, 488.
the snaffle may cause, 70.
but often does produce, 70.
treatment for, 71.
produced by London stables, 35.

Jaw, injuries to the, 69, 488.
Joints, synovial, open, 418, 494.

Kidneys, inflammation of, 204, 492.
Knees, broken, 404.

Lacerated eyelid, 60, 488.

 

519

Lacerated eyelid, cause of, 60.
treatment for, 61.
Lacerated tongue, 74, 488.
causes of, 77.
treatment of, 77.
Lacerated wounds, 423.
Lameness, 330.
treatment for, 330.
mode of progression when in differ-
ent feet, 333.
Laminitis, acute, 367.
subacute, 875, 489.
Lampas, 67.
an imaginary disease, 67.
Larva in the skin, 233, 489.
cause of, 233.
cure for, 234.
Laryngitis, 101, 488.
cause of, 101.
symptoms of, 102.
treatment of, 102.
Lash, effect of on the eye of the horse, 43.
Laying open the sinuses of a quittor, 462.
how to accomplish, 462.
intention of, 463.
Lice, 232, 489.
Limbs, the diseases of, 286.
Liver, the diseases of, 145.
London stables, 35.
Luxation of the patella, 325, 490.

Madness, 27.

Mad staggers, 20.

Mallenders and sallenders, 249, 490.
treatment for, 249.

Mange, 220, 490.
causes of, 221.
symptoms of, 223.
treatment for, 225.

Megrims, 24, 491.
a form of epilepsy, 24.
when the attacks may appear, 24.
symptoms of, 25.

Melanosis, 259, 491.
symptoms of, 259.
treatment for, 260.

Mode of feeding a horse with chronic

tetanus, 33.

Mouth, the, its accidents and diseases, 64.
excoriated angles of, 64.
roof of, may be injured by the bit, 71.
the disease of, 64.

Nasal gleet, 91, 491.

its causes, 91.

its treatment, 92.
Nasal polypus, 88, 492.

its nature, 88.

its treatment, 88.
Navicular disease, 377, 492.

seat of, 377.
520 INDEX.

Navicular disease, causes of, 378.
symptoms of, 379.
treatment for, 382.
Nephritis, 204, 492.
causes of, 205.
symptoms of, 206.
treatment for, 207.
Nervous system, its accidents and its
diseases, 17.
Neurotomy, 451.
its results, 451.
manner of performing, 452.
Nostrils, the diseases of, 84.
their accidents and their diseases, 84.

Occult spavin, 308, 493.
cause of, 309.
symptom of, 309.
treatment for, 310.
Open synovial joints, 418, 494.
primary treatment for, 418.
general treatment for, 419.
Open synovial cavities, 412, 494.
cause of, 412.
nature of, 413.
what is generally spoken of as, 415.
treatment for, 415.
Operation of no use in abscess of the
brain, 20.
Operations, 434, 495.
aids to fetter the horse for, 440.
Ophthalmia, simple, 42, 503.
specific, 46, 506.
Optic nerve, the effect of gutta serena
upon, 41.
Osseous deposits, 286.
Ossified cartilages, 366, 495.
Overreach, 349, 495.
treatment for, 349.

Parotid duct, fistulous, 394
Parrot-mouth, 66, 495.

evils of, 67.

no cure for, 67.
Partial paralysis, 36, 496.

symptom of, 36.

the disease of fast horses, 37.

generally past all cure, 37.

the only hope of remedy for, 37.
Patella, luxation of, 825, 490.
Periostevtomy, 449.

the intention of, 449.

its advantages considered, 450.
Phlebitis, 398, 496.

experiment with regard to, 399.

cause of, 400.

symptoms of, 401.

treatment for, 402.
Phrenitis, 17, 496.

seldom is perceived approaching, 18.

symptoms of its approach, 18.

 

Phrenitis, remedies for the early symp-
toms of, 18.
Physic of no use in abscess of the
brain, 20. :
Pleurisy, 136, 497.
symptoms of, 137.
treatment of, 138.
causes of, 139.
Pneumonia, 1380, 497.
doubts concerning, 131.
symptoms of, 131.
treatment of, 132.
Poll evil, 385, 498.
its causes, 386.
symptoms of, 387.
treatment for, 888.
Polypus, nasal, 88, 492.
Prick of the foot, 354, 498.
Profuse staling, 215, 481.
Prurigo, 226, 499.
symptoms of, 226.
treatment of, 227.
Pumice foot, 339, 499.
causes of, 339.
symptoms of, 340.
treatment for, 3841.
Punctured wounds, 426.
Purgative and quiet, best remedies for
tetanus, 32.
Purpura hemorrhagica, 265, 499.
symptoms of, 265,
treatment for, 266.

Quarter, false, 345.
Quidding, 79.
Quiet and a strong purgative, the best
remedies for tetanus, 32.
Quittor, 354, 500.
cause of, 355.
symptoms of, 355.
treatment for, 357.
sinuses of, laying open, 462.

Rack, hay, evil of its general posi-
tion, 44.
Rheumatism, 812, 500.
cause of, 312.
symptoms of, 812.
treatment for, 313.
Ring-bone, 298, 500.
cause of, 298.
symptoms of, 298.
treatment for, 300.
Ring-worm, 227, 501.
symptoms of, 227.
treatment for, 228.
Roaring, 106, 501.
chronic, is a serious affair, 106.
causes and effects of, 106.
remedy for, 109.
INDEX. 521

Roof of the mouth may be injured by
the bit, 71.
Rupture of cesophagus, 115, 501.
how caused, 116.

Sallenders, 249, 490.
Sandcrack, 342, 502.
causes of, 342.
symptoms of, 342.
treatment for, 343.
Scald mouth, 82, 502.
causes of, 82.
symptoms of, 83.
treatment of, 83.
Seedy toe, 846, 503.
treatment for, 347.
Shying, 42.
Simple ophthalmia, 42, 503.
nature of, 43.
causes, 43.
treatment of, 45.
symptoms of, 45.
Sinuses of a quittor, laying open, 462.
Sitfast, 240, 503.
cause of, 241.
treatment for, 241.
Skin, diseases of, 220.
Sole, bruise of, 353, 498.
Sore throat, 96, 503.
symptoms of, 97.
treatment for, 97.
Spasm of the diaphragm, 145, 504.
symptoms of, 145.
treatment of, 146.
Spasm of the urethra, 212, 504.
causes of, 212.
symptoms of, 212.
treatment for, 213.
Spasmodic colic, 194, 505.
causes of, 194.
symptoms of, 196.
treatment for, 197.
Spavin, 286, 505.
cause of, 287.
symptoms of, 288.
treatment for, 293.
how to examine for, 291.
occult, 308, 493.
Specific diseases, varieties of, 254.
Specific ophthalmia, 46, 506.
eyes supposed most subject to, 47.
small stables the cause of, 47.
symptoms of, 48.
contrasted with simple ophthalmia,
49.
treatment for, 50.
preventive for, 51.
- terminations of, 51.
Splint, 294, 506.
cause of, 294.
symptoms of, 296.

 

Splint, treatment of, 297.
Sprain of the back sinews, 303, 507.
cause of, 803.
treatment for, 304.
Staggers, 20, 507.
treatment for, 22.
origin of, 20.
sleepy, 22.
Strain of the flexor tendon, 300, 508.
Strangles, 267, 508.
cause of, 268.
symptoms of, 268.
treatment for, 269.
a bad kind of, 272.
Stringhalt, 33, 509.
symptom of, 83.
cause of, 35.
Stomach, the, diseases of, 145.
Stricture of cesophagus, 116, 501.
its effects, 117.
Subacute laminitis, 375, 489.
W. Percival’s account of, 375.
treatment for, 376.
Summary, alphabetical, 465.
Surfeit, 229, 509.
treatment for, 230.
a severe kind of, 230.
treatment for, 230.
Swollen legs, 239, 509.
symptoms of, 239.
treatment for, 240.
Synovial cavities, open, 412, 494.
joints, open, 418, 494.

Tapping the chest, 141.
Teeth, disease of, 78, 509.
symptoms of their disease, 80.
treatment of, 81.
Tendons, division of, 457.
Tetanus, 28, 510.
Thorough-pin, 819, 510.
Throat, its accidents and diseases, 96.
sore, 96, 503.
the diseases of, 96.
Thrush, 363, 510.
cause of, 863.
treatment for, 364.
Toe, seedy, 346, 503.
Toothache, 80.
Tooth, components of, 79.
Tracheotomy, 443.
how to perform, 445.
Traumatic tetanus, 29.
causes of, 29.
test for, 30.:
Tread, 848, 511.
causes of, in
horses, 3848,
treatment for, 348.
True cause of stringhalt, 35.
Tumors, 237, 511.

light and heavy
522

Tumors, natures of, 238.
Tushes, a cause of sickness, 78.
Tympanitis, 199.

Universal spasm is tetanus, 30.
Urethra, spasm of, 504.

Urethral calculus, 215.

Urinary organs, diseases of, 204.

Vein, inflammation of the, 398, 496.

Warts, 235, 511.
kinds of, 236.
treatment for, 286.

Water, certain death, after over-gorg-

ing, 21.

Water farcy, 262, 512.
cause of, 262.
symptoms of, 263.
treatment for, 264.

Wheezing, 94, 486.

Wind-galls, 315, 512.

THE

 

INDEX.

Wind-galls, symptoms of, 316.
treatment for, 317.
Windy colic, 199, 512.
causes of, 199.
symptoms of, 200.
treatment for, 201.
Withers, fistulous, 391.
Worms, 190, 513.
cause of, 190.
symptoms of, 191.
treatment for, 192.
Wounds, 423, 514.
lacerated, 423.
their treatment, 427.
incised, 424.
their treatment, 428.
abraded, 425.
their treatment, 430.
punctured, 426.
their treatment, 430.
contused, 427.
their treatment, 431.

END.
 

 

 

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194

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

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