20 On the Use ami Abuse of Piir^ative^. 



cough attended ^vith laborious breathing-, forbid the use of Purga- 

 tives. For though in these cases the Inflammation is commonly con- 

 fined at first to the chest, or to the mucous membrane of the throat 

 or trachea, there is an astonishing tendency in the inflammatory 

 diseases of the chest to be propagated to some part of the intestinal 

 canal, and whenever this happens to be the case, the efiects of an 

 Aloetic Purgative will operate like poison upon the inflamed 

 Bowels. 



In every case after physic, the Horse should be used very mode- 

 rately for three or four days ; lest in the weakened state of his 

 bowels, the Purgative effect should be reproduced, which would be 

 attended with danger. 



I have thus detailed all the circumstance which appear to me to 

 be of moment on this important subject. — To many I may seem to 

 have treated it with more attention to minuteness, than the nature of 

 it required, and some of my observations will perhaps be deemed 

 superfluous, if not altogether unnecessary, — but I am not conscious 

 of having justly laid myself open to this diarge, and I would rather 

 prefer that I should be subjected to it, than to the opposite one of 

 having omitted any thing, which long- experience has convinced 

 me is really of importance, although it may have been altogether 

 overlooked, or considered as of no moment by those whose exclu- 

 sive province it has thitherto been to direct the medical, as well the 

 general treatment of the Horse. 



