186 CONTENTS OF THE CHEST. 



the pulse quick, soft, and often indistinct; the breatl ing somewhat laborious ; but &o 

 cough, or pawing, or looking at the flanks. The animal will scarcely eat, and is 

 very costive. \V hile the state of pure fever lasts, the shivering fit returns at nearly 

 the sa .ie hour every day, and is succeeded by the warm one, and that often by a slight 

 degree of perspiration ; and these alternate during several days until local inflamma- 

 tion appears, or the fever gradually subsides. No horse ever died of pure fever. If 

 he is not destroyed by inflammation of the lungs, or feet, or bowels succeeding to the 

 fever, he gradually recovers. 



What has been said of the treatment of local inflammation will sufficiently indicate 

 that which should be resorted to in fever. Fever is general increased action of the 

 heart and arteries, and therefore evidently appears the necessity for bleeding, regu- 

 lating the quantity of blood by the degree of fever, and usually keeping the finger oc 

 the artery until some evident and considerable impression is made upon the system. 

 The bowels should be gently opened ; but the danger of inflammation of the lungs, 

 and the uniformly injurious consequence of purgation in that disease, will prevent the 

 administration of an active purgative. A small quantity of aloes may be given mom- 

 ing and night, with the proper fever medicine, until the bowels are slightly relaxed, 

 after which nothing more of an aperient quality should be administered. Digitalis, 

 emetic tartar, and nitre should be given morning and night, in proportions regulated 

 by the circumstances of the case. The horse ehould be warmly clothed, but be placed 

 in a cool and well-ventilated stable. 



Symptomatic fever is increased arterial action, proceeding from some local cause. 

 No organ of consequence can be much disordered or inflamed without the neighbour- 

 ing parts being disturbed, and the whole system gradually participating in the 

 disturbance. Inflammation of the feet or of the lungs never existed long or to any 

 material extent, without being accompanied by some degree of fever. 



The treatment of symptomatic fever should resemble that of simple fever, except 

 that particular attention must be paid to the state of the part originally diseased. If 

 the inflammation which existed there can be subdued, the general disturbance will 

 usually cease. 



The arteries terminate occasionally in openings on different surfaces of the body. 

 On the skin they pour out the perspiration, and on the different cavities of the frame 

 they yield the moisture which prevents friction. In other parts they terminate in 

 glands, in which a fluid essentially different from the blood is secreted or separated : 

 such are the parotid and salivary glands, the kidneys, the spleen, and the various 

 organs or laboratories which provide so many and such different secretions, for the 

 multifarious purposes of life ; but the usual termination of arteries is in veins. 



THE VEINS. 



These vessels c^rry back to the heart the blood which had been conveyed to the 

 liffexent parts by the arteries. They have two coats, a muscular and a membranous 

 one. Both of them are thin and comparatively weak. They are more numerous and 

 much larger than the arteries, and consequently the blood, lessened in quantity by the 

 various secretions separated from it, flows more slowly through them. It is forced on 

 partly by the first impulse communicated to it by the heart; also, in the extremities 

 and external portions of the frame, by the pressure of the muscles ; and in the cavity 

 o*" the chest, its motion is assisted or principally caused by the sudden expansion of 

 the ventricles of the heart, after they have closed upon and driven out their contents, 

 and thereby causing a vacuum which the blood rushes on to fill. There are curious 

 salves in various parts of the veins which prevent the blood from flowing backward 

 to its source. 



BOG AND BLOOD SPAVIN. 



The veins of the horse, although their coats are thin compared with those of the 

 .irteries, are not subject to the enlargements (varicose veins) which are so frequent, 

 and often so painful, in the legs of the human being. The legs of the horse may 

 exhibit many of the injurious consequences of hard work, but the veins will, with on 

 exception, be unaltered in structure. Attached to the extremities of most ot the 

 tendons, and between the tendons and other parts, are little bags containing a mucous 

 substance to enable the tendons to slide over each other without friction, and to move 

 wisily on the neighbouring parts From violent exercise these vessels are liable t 



