184 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



same to the horse as hands are to man. Without their 

 aid it could not collect its food in the field, nor even 

 convey the corn down its throat. To prove this the 

 writer will give an account of an experiment which was 

 tried with an ass, to ascertain the extent of the use of 

 these important organs. The nerves which give feeling 

 and sensation to the lips were divided, and instantly it 

 was perceived that it was not aware when it touched its 

 food with them. They were entirely divested of motion, 

 and it was in consequence unable to convey the oats with 

 which its manger was filled to his teeth, and by hunger it 

 made a violent effort to lick up a few with its tongue, 

 but they were nearly all rubbed off before they could be 

 conveyed to its mouth. 



THE EYE 



of the horse is certainly the most important organ 

 possessed by that animal, yet how little we know of it 

 with its multitude of nerves and muscles. We fre- 

 quently meet with cases of disease of the eye which are 

 a great trouble to cure. The most common is inflam- 

 mation, which generally makes its appearance un- 

 expectedly, accompanied by considerable swelling of the 

 eyelids, partially closing them, and causes a discharge of 

 watery matter or tears. The lids exhibit inflammation, 

 and some of the vessels of the eyeball are gorged with 

 blood ; there will also be a dimness in the cornea. This 

 usually accompanies a catarrh, but is also caused by 

 substances getting into the eye, such as a hay seed, or it 

 may be the result of a blow. When inflammation occurs, 

 the eye should be carefully examined to ascertain if any 



