140 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



hay, which the farmer can do nothing else 

 with. 



The complaint may supervene on other 

 long-protracted diseases, and any of the above 

 causes may produce it ; we must not forget 

 also bad grooming, by men who are too idle 

 to perform their duty, and without a degree 

 of feeling attached to them ; for the disease is 

 very painful, and at times occasions great 

 lameness. 



In all the foregoing stages, or causes of the 

 disease it is not difficult to restore the pa- 

 tient, for it is evident that it arises from the 

 debility of the absorbents to take up the 

 effused fluid, and return it into the system ; 

 therefore, we must employ tonic medicines 

 to arouse them to a new action. Bleeding I 

 do not consider here at all necessary, but 

 would recommend the following : 



Take Sulphate of iron - - 12 drams. 

 Cape aloes - - 12 do. 



Juniper berries - - 6 do. 

 Myrrh . _ - _ 6 do. 

 Soft soap to form the mass. 



Divide into six balls. Give one every morn- 

 ing. Have the Horse's legs well rubbed and 

 bandaged ; give him gentle exercise once or 

 twice a day, and these things being attended 

 »o, with good grooming and nutritious diet, as 

 sweet oats, with a little chaff and bran, and 

 occasionally a few carrots and speared barley, 

 wiU restore your Horse again. Avoid of all 



things giving beans, as when a Horse comes 

 from grass or straw yard, and you give him 

 beans immediately to force him, as it is called, 

 the heels generally after swelling, become 

 cracked. This will lead us on to those other 

 causes which occasion swelled legs, as heated 

 and foul atmosphere, standing long in his dung 

 and urine, living high in the stable, with little 

 or no work ; with coach-horses in particular, 

 where their journeys at the present day do not 

 exceed eight or ten miles a day, which is 

 generally performed in an hour, or a trifle of 

 time more, the standing in the stable twenty- 

 three hours out of the twenty-four. Hor.'^es 

 coming into hot stables with their heels wet, 

 from their having been in water or snow, and 

 not immedately attended to, in order to dry 

 them as quick as possible, in most of the 

 above cases debility locally is the cause ; but 

 I should not say general debility, and that be- 

 cause it occurs to Horses high-fed and exer- 

 cised, as well as to plethoric Horses, which 

 sometimes are neglected ; but for means of 

 cure you must proceed differently. In these 

 cases bleeding will be highly necessary, and 

 give a course of physic (according to the 

 strength and constitution) of the purging balls, 

 and after which, a dozen of diuretic balls, as 

 prescribed in the list of medicines, which see 

 at the end of the work, and proceed as in the 

 article condition, which we beg to refer the 

 reader to in the introductory part of the 

 work. 



