DIVISION IV. 



MEDICINES, INSTRUMENTS, AND APPARATUSES. 



MEDICINES. 



Ix this part of tlie work I shall describe all the medicines 

 used in the treatment of the diseases of the horse. I shall ex- 

 plain, as clearly as possible, their appearance, manner of prep- 

 aration, eifect when given, the size of the dose, and the way 

 it is to be given. This part of the work will be found so com- 

 plete that in it may be found from three to a dozen reliable 

 medicines for nearly every disease to which the horse is liable. 

 Many of these are articles always on hand in the farmer's 

 house, or easily obtained, so that if a horse is taken suddenly 

 sick, a safe medicine may be selected and given, without sub- 

 jecting the horse to the torture of the many ignorant fellows 

 who are always ready to throw dose after dose into his stom- 

 ach without being able to tell what effect they expect their 

 medicines will have, and who can not even tell when the dose 

 they liaA^e given is having a good or bad effect. I have known 

 dose after dose of articles given a sick horse, when the very 

 first one given would have been sufficient to have injured or 

 killed the animal. 



Medicines are classed according to the effect they produce 

 when given. I shall explain the effect of the princiiml classes, 

 namely : 



Cathartics. — These are such articles of medicine as act on 

 the bowels in such a way as to cause several or frequent opera- 

 tions, which generally take place in from three to twelve hours 



(447) 



