2 It) THE HORSE. 



the passage closed, and retaining the urine, until, at the will of the animal, 

 or when the bladder contains a certain quantity of fluid, the muscular coat 

 begins to contract, and, the lungs being filled with air, the diaphragm is 

 rendered convex towards the intestines, and presses then on the bladder, 

 and by these united powers, the fluid is forced through the sphincter muscle 

 at the neck of the bladder, and escapes. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER. 



There are two varieties of this disease, the inflammation of the body of 

 the bladder and of its neck. The symptoms are nearly the same with 

 those of inflammation of the kidney, except that there is rarely a total sup- 

 pression of urine, and there is heat felt in the rectum over the situation of 

 the bladder. The causes are the presence of some acrid or irritant matter 

 in the urine, or of calculus or stone in the bladder. With reference to 

 inflammation of the body of the bladder, mischief has occasionally been 

 done by the introduction of cantharides or some other irritating matter to 

 hasten the period of horsing in the mare. The treatment will be the same 

 as in inflammation of the kidney, except that it is of more consequence that 

 the horse should drink freely of water or thin gruel, and that gruel or 

 mucilage of any kind may, by one who understands the anatomy of the 

 animal, be easily introduced into the bladder of the mare. 



In inflammation of the neck of the bladder there is the same frequent 

 voiding of urine in small quantities, generally appearing in an advanced 

 stage of the disease, and often ending in almost total suppression. There 

 is also this circumstance which can never be mistaken by him who will pay 

 diligent attention to the case, that the bladder is distended with urine, and 

 may be distinctly felt under the rectum. It is spasm of the part, closing 

 the neck of the bladder so powerfully, that the contraction of the bladder, 

 and the pressure of the muscles, are unable to force out the urine. 



Here the object to be attempted is sufficiently plain. This spasm must 

 be relaxed. The most likely means to effect this is to bleed largely, and 

 even to fainting. This will sometimes succeed, and there will be at once 

 an end to the disease. To the exhaustion and loss of muscular power 

 occasioned by copious bleeding, should be added the nausea consequent on 

 physic. Should not this speedily have effect, another mode of abating 

 spasm must be tried. A drachm of the powdered opium, made into a ball 

 or drink, may be given every two or three hours ; while an active blister 

 is applied externally. In the mare the bladder may be easily evacuated by 

 means of a catheter in skilful hands ; but owing to the curved direction of 

 the penis, a catheter cannot be introduced into the bladder of a horse, 

 without an operation to which a veterinary surgeon alone is competent. 



STONE IN THE BLADDER. 



The urine is a very compound fluid ; in a state of health it contains a 

 great many acids and akalies variously combined, which under disease are 

 increased both in number and quantity. It is very easy to conceive that 

 some of these shall be occasionally separated from the rest, and assume a 

 solid form both in the pelvis of the kidney and in the bladder. This is 

 known to be the case both in the human being and the brut«. These 

 calculi or stones are in the horse found oftener in the kidney than in the 

 bladder, contrary to the experience of the human surgeon. The explana- 

 tion of this, however, is not difficult. In the human being the kidney is 

 ■ituated above the bladder, and these concretions descend from the kidney 



