PECULIAR TO HORSES. 103 



hydrogen that are thrown, as waste material, into the blood by the 

 destruction or decomposition of textures containing these elements. 

 The waste carbon, and a considerable portion of the waste hydrogen 

 of the body, are separated by the liver from the returning venous 

 blood, and are then thrown out into the bowels in the form of bile. 



Bile can be converted into a sort of soap by the addition of soda, 

 which fact indicates that we should use soda, or salt, in the treat- 

 ment of liver diseases. The reader is probably aware that common 

 salt is nothing more than soda combined with chlorine, and that soap 

 is merely oil mingled with potass or soda. 



Salt is considered as a specific for " rot" in sheep. The disease 

 known as rot, originates in a diseased condition of the liver, which 

 gives origin to parasites known as flukes {distoma hepaticum), hence 

 it is good policy for sheep raisers to see that their flocks have free 

 access to salt. 



Very many unnecessary cases of liver disease, and premature 

 deaths, in consequence, are constantly occurring, which may often 

 be traced to errors in diet, therefore I advise all persons having 

 charge of domestic animals, not to over-feed. This part of the 

 United States in which I am now located is the great corn-bin of the 

 country, and there is great danger of men (who love to see their 

 animals in good condition), dipping their hands too deep into the 

 pile of corn, to the sure and certain ruin of many fine specimens of 

 the horse kind. 



Gall Bladder. I presume that most of my readers are acquainted 

 with the fact that the liver of the horse is destitute of a gall bladder; 

 yet on the upper and inner edge of the right lobe is a small duct, 

 just large enough to admit of the introduction of a common sized 

 pencil ; this duct receives many small ducts from tubes from the 

 interior of the liver, and through them the bile finds its way into the 

 main duct, and from thence into the duodenum. 



Treatment of Functional Disease of the Liver. — The indi- 

 cations to be fulfilled, in the treatment of this aflection, are to admin- 

 ister agents which are likely to have a tonic and alterative efiect, 

 and in this view I recommend the following : 



Podophyllum Peltatum 1 ounce. 



Carbonate of Soda \ " 



Chloride of Sodium 1 " 



Goldenseal 1 *' 



Mix. Divide into 8 parts, and give one night and morning. 



ON THE MODES OF PERFORMING OPERATIONS. 



Securing the Horse. — In performing most of the minor opera- 

 vions on horses, the Rarey strap on one fore leg, and a twitch on the 

 nose, are the means needed to insure submission. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, when performing operations about the region of the throat, 

 and the patient being unruly, it will be necessary to blindfold him, 

 so that if he should strike with the fore feet he cannot take aim ; 

 in this way the operator may escape a very severe blow. 



