136 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



action of the Horse in breathing, and even in 

 his method of standing, straddling wide with 

 his fore legs, and not unfrequently in breath- 

 ing he does it with a jerk, and if you pay 

 attention, you may hear the water in his chest 

 make a sudden noise, as if disturbed. This 

 arises from the lungs taking in air, and in 

 consequence they become dilated, and occa- 

 sion the rumbling noise in the chest with the 

 water. Horses will sometimes have dropsy of 

 the chest, when little or no inflammatory 

 action has been going on, and this principally 

 from bad keep, and bad or worse masters. 

 Horses that have it from these causes, may 

 work at slow work for some time without the 

 disease being discovered, in consequence 

 either of the unwillingness, or the poverty of 

 the masters not enabling them to procure 

 assistance in time, whereby producing poverty 

 in the Horse, and the consequent debility, 

 until nature takes compassion on the poor 

 animal, and finishes his career in death. On 

 opening the animal, a quantity of yellowish 

 serous fluid is found floating about his chest, 

 the lungs contracted and become smaller, in 

 consequence of the fluid interfering with them 

 in the cavity, and the Horse is then pro- 

 nounced 1-0 1 fen. 



As we observed in our preceding remarks, 

 it is seldom that we can detect the disposition 

 to inordinate secretion sufficiently early to 

 attempt any means to restrain it; and ^^hen 

 formed, we have seldom power enough over 

 the absorbents to effect its removal tiiroug-h 

 their agency. 



It, however, becomes a duty of ours to 

 attempt it, and as Nature frequently will set 

 up a natural cure, we may occasionally assist 

 her efforts ; but, in doing this be careful how 

 you determine on bleeding ; for in this case, 



never bleed though the pulse may be quick^ 

 for the quickness is in consequence of debility, 

 not arising from fever ; for when the affection 

 is formed, it is seldom or never that any in- 

 flammatory action remains ; consequently, 

 blood-letting would be highly injurious, and 

 the result would prove we had mistaken cause 

 for effect. 



Medicines to promote nausea are frequently 

 said to have a good effect ; but I never could 

 discover that, though I have tried them 

 several times, such as white hellebore, in two- 

 dram doses, every five hours, but I have 

 succeeded by administering the following, be- 

 yond my most sanguine expectations. 



Take Sulphate of iron - - 2 oz. 

 Juniper berries - - 2^ do. 

 Myrrh - - - - 2 do. 

 Antimony - _ - 1 lb. 



Sulphur - - - 8 drams. 



Form into a mass with soft soap, 



x\nd divide into twelve balls. Give the Horse 

 one of the balls night and morning. Rowels 

 and setons sometimes do good, but they are 

 so long; in acting, that I would recommend 

 blistering the sides and chest in preference. 

 Give the most nutritious food you possibly 

 can ; oats, with a few beans in them for corn, 

 and the best old hay you can procure, and 

 for water, let oatmeal or rice be first boiled 

 in it. The last resource you have, if the 

 above remedies fail, is puncturing, or tap- 

 ping the chest ; though this operation is 

 driven off almost to the latest period of the 

 disease, and very unfrequently succeeds ; still 

 I have succeeded in a cure, when driven to 

 this extremity ; but the earlier it is performed, 

 the greater the probability of its having tlie 

 desired eflect. 



