32 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE. 



painful disease in the horse. After the food is acted upon by the 

 juices in the stomach it changes into what is known as chyme, 

 which pass into the bowels. 



The Bowels. — They are divided into two parts — the large and 

 small. The small bowels are seventy-two feet in length and about 

 one inch in diameter, and are made up of three coats, the same as 

 the stomach, The serous coat on the outside contains small 

 glands which secrete an oily material that lubricates the outside of 

 the bowels, which comes in contact with the inner walls of the 

 belly, S3 as to prevent friction when the bowels are being jolted 

 around in the belly. The muscular coat, made up of muscular 

 fibres, is situated between the other two coats, the same as in the 

 stomach ; its action is to contract the bowels, giving it motion to 

 carry the food on through them. The mucous coat is a 

 continuation of the mucous coat of the stomach. Along this coat 

 are found small glands known as villi and lacteal ; these are to 

 absorb the nourishment out of the food as it passes along through 

 the bowels and pours it into the blood. This long bowel is found 

 to be attached on the upper side to what is known as the 

 mesentery, which is attached above to the back-bone, and can be 

 seen in any of the smaller animals upon examination. About six 

 inches from the stomach, in the bowels, are found two openings, one 

 for the hepatic duct, which is a tube used to carry the bile from 

 the liver to be poured in on the food as it passes through the 

 bowels. The other hole is for the duct of the gland known as the 

 pancreas. It secretes a clear fluid known as the pancreatic juice, 

 these act on the food in the first part of the small bowels, changing 

 it into chyle. After this, the action of the rest of the bowels is to 

 absoib the nourishment out of the food as it is passing back. The 

 small bowels and stomach, when in a healthy condition, should be 

 found empty one hour aftei food has been eaten. The small 

 bowels are situated mostly on the left side just behind the stomach. 

 Large bowels have three coats the same as the small ones. 

 The first part of the large bowels is known as the blind gut ard is 

 about three feet long ; this is generally the first thing to fly out in 

 opening a horse's belly. Its use is to act as a reservoir to hold 

 the water and fluid parts of the food ; this is where the water and 

 fluid parts are mostly taken up into the system. The next part of 

 the large bowels is known as the large colon ; it lays along the 

 floor of the belly, is about nine feet long, and is doubled on itself 

 three times. In this bowel the Jiolid part of the food is found. 



