THE POLL-EVIL, I53 



part with tho lialter ; or from the unfrequent and painful stretching of thfl 

 ligaments and muscles, by unnecessary tight reining, and occasionally, wt 

 fear, trom a violent blow on the poll, carelessly or wantonly inflicted, 

 inflanmaation comes on, and a swelling appears, hot, tender, and painful. 

 We have just stated, that the ligament of the neck passes over the atlas, or 

 first bone, witliout being attached to it, and the seat of the inflammation is 

 between the ligament and the bone beneath ; and, being thus deeply situ- 

 ated, it is of course serious in its nature, and consequently very difficult of 

 treatment. 



The first thing to be attempted is to abate the inflammation by bleeding, 

 physic, and the application of cold lotions to the part. By these means 

 the tumour will sometimes be dispersed. This system, however, must not 

 be pursued too far. If the swelling increases, and the heat and tender- 

 ness likewise increase, matter will form in the tumour ; and then our 

 object will be to hasten its formation by warm fomentations, poultices, or 

 stimulating embrocations. As soon as the matter is formed, which may be 

 known by the softness of the tumour, and before it has time to spread 

 around and eat into the neighbouring parts, it should be evacuated : and 

 now comes the whole art of treating the poll-evil; the opening into ths 

 tumour must be so contrived that all the matter shall run out, and continue 

 afterwards to run out as it is formed, and not collect at the bottom of the 

 ulcer, irritating and corroding it. This can be effected by a seton alone. 

 The needle should enter at the top of the tumour, penetrate through its bot- 

 tom, and be brought out at the side of the neck, a little below the abscess. 

 Without any thing more than this, except frequent fomentation with waroj 

 water, to keep the part clean, and to obviate inflammation, poll-evil, in its 

 early stage, will frequently be cured. If the ulcer has deepened and 

 spread, and threatens to eat into the ligaments of the joints of the neck, it 

 may be necessary to stimulate its surface, and perhaps painfully so, in 

 order to bring it to a healthy state, and dispose it to fill up ; and, in extreme 

 cases, even the scalding mixture of the farrier may be called into requisi- 

 tion. This, however, will be ineffectual, except the pus or matter is enabled, 

 by the use of setons, perfectly to run out of the wound ; and the application 

 of these setons will require the skill and anatomical knowledge of the vete- 

 rinaiy surgeon. In very desperate cases, the wound may not be fairly 

 exposed to the action of our caustic applications, without the division of the 

 ligament of the neck, by which we have described the head as being almost 

 entirely supported. This, however, may be done with perfect safety, for 

 although the ligament is carried on to the occipital bone, and some strength 

 is gained by this prolongation of it, the main stress is on the second bone ; 

 and the head will continue to be supported, although the ligament should be 

 divided between the second bone and the head. The divided ligameat 

 will soon unite again, and its former usefulness will be restored when the 

 wound is healed. 



The second bone of the neck is the dentata, having a process like a tooth, 

 by which it forms a joint with the first bone. In the formation of that 

 joint, a portion of the spinal marrow, which runs through a canal in the 

 centre of all these bones, is exposed, or covered only by ligament ; and by 

 the division of the marrow at this spot, an animal is instantly and humanely 

 destroyed. The operation is called pithing, from the name (the pith) given 

 by butchers to the spinal marrow. 



The other neck, or rack bones, as they are denominated by the farrier, 

 B. p. 63, are of a strangely irregular shape, yet bearing considerable resem- 

 blance to each other. They consist of a central bone, perforated for the 

 L 



