22^ 



THE MODERN SYSTExM 



general are those practices, that we meet 

 uitli but few horses whose stomachs are in a 

 perfectly healthy condition. So numerous are 

 the degrees of morbid condition of the sto- 

 mach, between the healthy state and that 

 extreme degree of derangement, when the 

 appetite becomes depraved, inordinate, and 

 even voracious ; that it is difficult, if not im- 

 possible, to bring each of them under a dis- 

 tinct head. It will be sufficient for the pur- 

 pose I have in view, to notice them, as they 

 relate to the organs of respiration ; that is, 

 to treat of those diseases of the lungs and its 

 appendages, which arise fi-om a morbid con- 

 dition of the digestive organs. These diseases 

 are commonly known by the names of chronic 

 cough, roaring, and broken wind. To ac- 

 complish this in a manner sufficiently clear 

 and intelligible, it is necessary to give a con- 

 cise description of the organs of respiration, 

 and those of digestion. 



The mouth, the tongue, the throat, and the 

 passages to the stomach and lungs, are co- 

 vered with cuticle, but of various degrees of 

 thickness ; so that the sensibility of the differ- 

 ent parts is nicely adapted to the purpose 

 for which they are designed. These purposes 

 are : gathering the food, masticating it, mois- 

 tening it with saliva, and swallowing it. The 

 first is effected by the front teeth, the second 

 by the grinders ; the saliva is separated from 

 the blood by three pair of glands; named, 

 parotid, sublingual, and submaxillary. 



The latter have always been described as 

 lymphatic glands ; but there is no difficulty in 

 demonstrating that they secrete saliva, and 

 their excretory ducts may be seen near the 

 tonsils. The parotid glands pour out t.icir 

 saliva through an opening between tiie second 

 and third grinder, on each s-ide, and the sub- 



lingual by two small tubular papillae under 

 the tongue ; and it is by the motions of thi.i 

 organ that the saliva is necessary, not only to 

 facilitate mastication and swallowing, but 

 serves likewise a very important purpose ia 

 the stomach, being necessary to digestion. 



The masticated food is placed by the mo- 

 tions of the tongue into the upper part of the 

 gullet, or oesophagus, which is named pha- 

 rynx. The pharynx is large, and capable of 

 considerable dilatation, but soon contracts into 

 a small, but strong muscular tube, named 

 oesophagus. The part where the oesophagus 

 begins, is so contracted as to have the ap- 

 pearance of a stricture ; and it is here that 

 the strong cuticular, or as it is commonly 

 named, insensible coat, of the stomach begins. 

 When the food gets into the pharynx, it is 

 swallowed into the cesopliagjs, and fiom 

 thence into the stomach, by the muscular 

 contraction of those parts. There is a glandu- 

 lar cavity on each side of the throat, named 

 tonsil, which secretes a mucous fluid, wliich 

 is retained in the cavity until wanted by a 

 semi-cartilaginous flap ; this has been de- 

 scribed as the opening of the eustachian tube ; 

 but this opening is situated immediately 

 above it. The mucous fluid is forced out by 

 the action of gaping, at those times when it is 

 wanted. The tonsil is the part affected in 

 strangles, and the matter formed in this glan- 

 dular cavity passes down through the excre- 

 tory duct of the submaxillary gland, inflames 

 it, and causes it to become an abscess. This 

 abscess is commonly, but erroneously sup- 

 posed to be tlie seat of strangles. The Horse's 

 tstomacii has nearly one half of its surface 

 lined witn that strong cuticular membrane 

 Wiiich lines the oesophagus ; it terminates 

 abrupt.y, and l)y a fringe-.ike edge. It ie on 



