COMMON AILMENTS. 21 



the cold does not yield to this treatment, give a mild aperient 

 ball, and continue the mashes, with warm gruel. Should the 

 throat become sore, and there be a diflSculty experienced in 

 swallowing, give no medicine beyond small doses of aloes, 

 and not even that unless you are quite sure the disease has 

 not touched the lungs. Apply the following embrocation to the 

 inflamed parts, viz. : Oil of turpentine, hartshorn, and cam- 

 phorated spirit (equal parts), mixed with a little laudanum. 

 This will not destroy the hair or disfigure the animal, as 

 some of the stimulating lotions are apt to do. If the cold 

 develops into inflammation of the lungs, pleurisy, or any 

 other of the more serious evils affecting the respiratory 

 organs, the experienced practitioner can alone determine, in 

 each individual instance, the proper course of treatment to 

 be pursued. 



Strcmg.'es will often supervene upon a bad cold. This is an 

 inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat and 

 nose, coupled with a swelling of the glands situate about the 

 jaw. Very many years ago, Gervase ^larkham gave the 

 following quaint description of the disease : " It is a great 

 and hard swelling between a horse's nether chaps, upon the 

 rootes of his tongue, and about his throat, which swelling, 

 if it be not prevented, will stop the horse's windpipe, and so 

 strangle or choake ; from which effect, and none other, the 

 name of this disease took its derivation." The disease (which 

 bears a strong resemblance to mumps in the human being) 

 rarely attacks horses that are "past mark," and usually occurs 

 before they reach the age of five years. The animal gulps 

 his water, is feverish, the glands swell up sometimes to a 

 great size — whilst the nose discharges a thick, opaque matter ; 

 the cough is of a spasmodic nature. The treatment indicated 

 here is plain. The swollen glands must be encouraged to 

 form matter, and the best plan for effecting this is to blister, 

 having previously clipped the hair round them as closely 

 as possible. In a few days the swelling produced by the 

 blister abates, and hot fomentations, applied three or four 

 times a day, will soon bring the abscess to a head. If it 

 does not break and discharge naturally, it must be lanced. 

 Keep the part clean, and apply a little Friars' balsam daily. 

 Should the patient be feverish whilst the abscesses are form- 

 ing, a mild aperient must be given, with cooling food, such 

 as carrots, bran, and green meat — tares L r choice. A tonic 



