120 HEALTH AND DISEASE 



By the process of evaporation which is constantly going on from the 

 skin, through the respiratory organs, and in other ways, water is constantly 

 being excreted from the body, and when there is no supply from with- 

 out to repair the loss, it must ultimately happen that all the animal 

 tissues would become perfectly dried, which means that an animal weigh- 

 ing 100 lb. would be reduced to a mass weighing something under 

 30 lb. To compensate for the amount of water which is constantly 

 being thrown off, even when in perfect rest, and to a much greater 

 extent when undergoing exertion, it has been calculated that an adult 

 man would require every twenty-four hours from ^ to -^ oz. of the 

 fluid for each pound of his body weight. A man weighing 140 lb., 

 therefore, will require from 70 to 90 oz. daily, and in ordinary English 

 diet about 20 to 30 oz. of this is taken in the so-called solid food, and 

 the remainder is drunk as liquid of some kind (Parkes). The horse, it 

 is calculated, will require 8 to 12 gallons daily, a cow or small ox about 

 6 to 8 gallons, sheep or pigs J to 1 gallon (Parkes). 



Colonel Fred. Smith states that from experiments made in 1866 the 

 War Office fixed the daily supply for cavalry horses at 8 gallons, and 

 artillery at 10 gallons per horse. This quantity, however, was to include 

 all water used for stable purposes, and in the artillery was to include 

 washing carriages. From Dr. Parkes's observation, however, this quantity 

 would be quite insufficient, as he came to the conclusion that 16 gallons 

 per day per horse for all purposes was not an excessive amount. Colonel 

 Fred. Smith also remarks that in a stable of cavalry horses, doing very 

 little work, and at a cool time of the year, the amount per horse was 

 found to average 6^- gallons; and from experiments which he made in 

 India he found that during the month of February a horse consumed 

 on an average 8-| gallons daily, which was made up as follows: Morning- 

 water, 1'9 gallon; mid-day, 3'4 gallons; at evening, 3 - 15 gallons. It 

 does not appear to have been ascertained how much water a horse would 

 consume daily when water is kept constantly in the trough in the stable 

 or box, but it is generally believed that a less quantity is taken than 

 when the animal has the water supplied to him at intervals three times 

 daily. 



Granting that a very considerable quantity of water is absolutely 

 essential to keep the animal organism in a perfectly healthy condition, 

 it must also be allowed that it is quite as necessary to obtain pure water 

 as it is to supply the system with pure food. The latter requirement 

 can be complied with without much difficulty. The food of the horse 

 is so simple in its character, and undergoes so little preparation, that a 

 very moderate amount of care will secure the animal perfectly whole- 



