26 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



tion takes place, so that the economy of the 

 whole system becomes obstructed, and cannot 

 perform their several functions ; the stomach 

 cannot digest its contents, the lungs become 

 oppressed, and have not that free expansion 

 they require ; consequently, if timely relief be 

 not given, a catalogue of disorders must ensue, 

 for nature always strives to unburthen herself 

 in some way or other. When any symptoms 

 of approaching illness or disorder appears, 

 which may discover itself in various ways, 

 such as refusing his food, languor or dullness, 

 heaviness of the eyes, heat in the mouth, 

 swelling of the legs, itchings, breakings out in 

 various parts, &c., it then will, in general, be 

 proper to bleed, as a check, and also to lessen 

 the irritability of the system, which will arrest 

 the advancing malady ; in these cases bleed 

 according to size, constitution, and nature of 

 the Horse's foreboding attack. If a Horse be 

 very fat, you must not take the quantity from 

 him as if in good working condition ; for his 

 fat, in the first place, debilitates him, and then 

 taking blood in large quantities still increases 

 the debile state. I have frequently known fat 

 Horses fall, in consequence of five or six 

 quarts of blood being taken from them at a 

 time, the idea impressed having been, that 

 because he was fat, he could lose so much 

 more blood. If, on showing any of the pre- 

 ceding named symptoms, and he happens to 

 be over-loaded with fat, be exceedingly cauti- 

 ous of bleeding, as to abstracting too great a 

 quantity ; but with Horses in condition for 

 work, you may take five or six quarts without 

 the least fear. In bleeding, sometimes, after 

 pinning up the orifice, you may perceive the 

 Horse shake himself; you then may be assured 

 you have gained your object, as when this 

 occurs, it is a favourable omen that you have 



reduced that inflammatory action that tvas 

 going on in the system. 



But if you compare symptoms and circum- 

 stances together, to account for, if possible, 

 trie cause of complaint; if the Horse has been 

 well kept, consequently full of flesh, and little 

 or no work; for 1 do not call walking a Horse 

 about to stretch his limbs (which lazy grooms 

 will do, and are afraid of sweating them, be- 

 cause of the trouble of cleaning them), sufficient 

 to keep a Horse in health ; you may reasonably 

 conclude, the blood-vessels are prevented from 

 performing their natural functions, and evacu- 

 ations must relieve them. In this case, I 

 prefer a course of alteratives to violently phy- 

 sicking Horses ; it being less dangerous, and 

 more compatible with the opinion of my late 

 respected friend, John Abernethy, who used 

 to observe, '' 1 do not like bullying any man's 

 guts into good order." 



It may so happen, that a Horse over-fed 

 and too little worked, may not discover any 

 symptoms until after a day's riding, and work 

 as some would call it, and from that circum- 

 stance, you might at first not attribute it to 

 the want of exercise ; but in this you deceive 

 yourself, for disease, or the seeds of disease, 

 might have been lurking in the Horse, and 

 could not develope themselves until the Horse 

 was put to unusual exertion, which might 

 cause the discovery sooner than otherwise it 

 would. 



if the Horse has been in regular work or 

 exercise, young and tender constitutions will 

 sicken at unusual exertion, which is termed, 

 taking too much out oj him; in this case, the 

 loss of a little blood, with two or three days 

 rest, will restore him. But, sometimes taking 

 too much blood, and, at the same time, when 

 the Horse is very hot, suffering him to cool too 



