POISONS. 22 



aot, while they inhabit the stomach of the horse, give the animal any pain, for they 

 have fastened on the cuticular and insensible coat. They cannot stimulate the sto- 

 mach, and increase its digestive power, for they are not on the digestive portion of the 

 Btomich. They cannot, by their roughness, assist the trituration or rubbing down 

 of the food, for no such office is performed in that part of the stomach the food is 

 softened, not rubbed down. They cannot be injurious to the horse, for he enjoys the 

 most perfect health when the cuticular part of his stomach is filled with them, and 

 tiieir presence is not even suspected until they appear at the anus. They cannot be 

 removed by medicine, because they are not in that part of the stomach to which medi- 

 cine is usually conveyed ; and if they were, their mouths are too deeply buried in the 

 mucus for any medicine, that can be safely administered, to affect them ; and, last of 

 all, in due course of time they detach themselves, and come away. Therefore, the 

 wise man will leave them to themselves, or content himself with picking them off 

 when they collect under the tail and annoy the animal. 



The smaller hot, /and g, is not so frequently found. 



Of inflammation of the stomach of the horse, except from poisonous herbs, or 

 drugs, we know little. It rarely occurs. It can with difficulty be distinguished from 

 inflammation of the bowels ; and, in either case, the assistance of the veterinary sur- 

 geon is required. 



Few horses are destroyed by poisonous plants in our meadows. Natural instinct 

 teaches the animal to avoid the greater part of those that would be injurious. 



We cannot do better than abbreviate the list of poisonous agents, and the meam 

 of averting their fatal influence, given by Mr. Morton, the Professor of Chemistrj 

 and Materia Medica at the Royal Veterinary College.* It will occasionally b 

 exceedingly useful to the proprietor of horses. 



He begins with the ANIMAL POISONS. The bite of the VIPER has been occasionally 

 fatal to dogs and sheep. A horse was brought to the Veterinary College that had 

 been bitten in the hind leg while hunting. There was considerable swelling, and 

 the place of the bite was evident enough. Mr. Armstrong mentions a case in which 

 a horse, bitten by a viper, sunk into a kind of coma, from which he could not be 

 roused. The antidote, which seldom or never fails, is an alkaline solution of almost 

 any kind, taken internally and applied externally. There is no chemical effect on 

 the circulation, but the alkali acts as a powerful counter-irritant. In very bad cases, 

 opium may be added to the alkaline solution. 



HORNETS, WASPS, &c. These are spoken of, because there are records of horses 

 being attacked by a swarm of them, and destroyed. The spirit of turpentine is the 

 best external application, and, if given in not undue quantities and guarded by an 

 admixture with oil, may be useful. 



CANTHARIDES constitute a useful drug in some few cases. It is one of the applica- 

 tions used in order to excite the process of blistering. It was occasionally employed 

 as a medicine in small quantities, and, combined with vegetable tonics, it has been 

 given in small doses, for the cure of glanders, farcy, and nasal gleet. It is valuable 

 in cases of general and extreme debility. It is a useful general stimulant when judi- 

 ciously applied : but it must be given in small doses, and never except under the 

 direction of a skilful practitioner. A drachm of the powdered fly would destroy almost 

 any horse. In the breeding season it is too often shamefully given as an excitement 

 to the horse and the mare, and many a valuable animal has been destroyed by this 

 abominable practice. It is usually given in the form of ball, in which case it may 

 be detected by the appearance of small glittering portions of the fly, which are sepa- 

 rated on the inner side of the dung-ball in hot water. If the accidental or too pow 

 erful administration of it is suspected, recourse should be had to bleeding, purging, 

 and plentiful drenching with oily and demulcent fluids. 



The leaves of the Yew are said to be dangerous to the horse, as well as to many 

 other animals. "Two horses that had been employed in carrying fodder, were 

 thoughtlessly placed under a large yew-tree, which they cropped with eagerness. In 

 three hours they began to stagger both of them dropped, and before tbe harness 

 could be taken off, they were dead. A great quantity of yew-leaves were founa in 

 the itomachs, which were contracted and inflamed. "f Mr. W. C. Spooner mentions 



Veterinary Medical Association. 1836-7, p. 41. 

 r Loudon's Magazine of Natural History, vol. vm. p. 81. 



