304 Veterinary Medichie. 



tions from the bowels without excessive griping or painful 

 straining. 



This is a common condition attending many diseases, rather 

 than a specific disease of itself yet it is such a prominent feature 

 of these various affections, and one so very characteristic that it 

 seems well to give it a special place, even at the risk of repeating 

 much of what must necessarily appear elsewhere. 



The immediate cause of diarrhoea is a congestion of the intes- 

 tinal mucous membrane and a profuse secretion into the intestinal 

 canal. When such congestion occurs in the small intestine alone, 

 it may be counter-balanced by increased absorption in the large, 

 so that the secretion must be excessive to produce liquid alvine 

 discharges. When on the other hand it occurs in the large intes- 

 tine or in both large and small, the product is likely to escape in 

 the liquid form. 



In its turn the congestion of the intestinal mucosa may result 

 from irritants in the bowels, from the presence in the blood of 

 irritant agents which being secreted stimulate the intestinal glands 

 to excessive secretion, and from reflex nervous action, starting 

 from a distant point as in chilling or irritation of the skin or other 

 organ. 



Among direct irritants of the intestinal mucosa may be named 

 a full drink of cold water especially if the horse is trotted or 

 galloped for twenty minutes immediately after; — soft, juic)'^, 

 rapidly grown green food, to which the animal is unaccustomed, 

 as the first grasses of spring ; — cooked or pulped food or ensilage 

 in hard worked animals ; — many irritant and acid plants ; — accu- 

 mulations of hard feculent masses in the intestines ; — irritation 

 caused by intestinal worms especially the blood-suckers ; — the 

 presence in the intestines of undigested matters, and resulting 

 fermentations, the result of diseased teeth and jaws and imperfect 

 mastication, of disease of the salivary glands or ducts and imper- 

 fect insalivation, of a drink of water after a grain feed, washing 

 a part out of the stomach in an undigested condition, of disease 

 of the stomach, liver or pancreas interfering with their proper 

 functions ; unwholesome and fermenting food like spoiled grain, 

 or fodder, or decomposed potatoes, apples, turnips, pumpkins, 

 carrots, cabbages, etc. ; — stagnant and putrid water ; — tumors, 

 ulcers, volvulus, invaginations, adhesions and other serious lesions 

 of the bowels may act in the same way. 



