WORMS RUPTURE. 227 



WORMS. 



Worms of different kinds inhabit the intestines ; but, except 

 wnen they exist in very great numbers, they are not so hurtful as 

 is generally supposed, although the groom or carter may trace to 

 them, hidebound, and cough, and loss of appetite, and gripes, and 

 megrims, and a variety of other ailments. 



The long white worm much resembles the common earth-worm. 

 It is from six to ten inches long, and inhabits the small intestines. 

 If there are too many of them, they may consume more than can 

 be spared of the nutritive part of the food, or the mucus of the 

 bowels. A tight skin, and rough coat, and tucked-up belly, are 

 sometimes connected with their presence. They are then, how- 

 ever, voided in large quantities. A dose of physic will sometimes 

 bring away almost incredible quantities of ti.cm. Calomel is 

 frequently given as a vermifuge. The seldom r this drug is ad- 

 ministered to the horse the better. "When the horse can be spared, 

 a strong dose of physic is an excellent vermifuge, so far as the 

 long round worm is concerned ; but a better medicine, and not 

 mterfering vidth either the feeding or work of the horse, is emetic 

 tartar, with ginger, made into a ball with linseed meal and trea- 

 cle, and given every morning, half an hour before the horse is fed. 



A smaller, darker-colored worm, called the needle-worm, in- 

 habits the large intestines. Hundreds of them sometimes descend 

 into the straight gut, and immense quantities have been found in 

 the blind gut. These are a more serious nuisance than the foi- 

 mer, for they cause a very troublesome irritation about the fun- 

 dament, which sometimes sadly annoys the horse. Their existence 

 can generally be discovered by a small portion of mucus, which, 

 hardening, is found adhering to the anus. Physic will sometimes 

 bring away great numbers of these worms ; but when there is 

 much irritation about the tail, and much of this mucus, indicating 

 that they have descended into the straight gut, an injection of 

 linseed oil, or of aloes dissolved in warm water, will be a more 

 effectual remedy. 



The tape-worm is seldom found in the horse. 



HERNIA, OR RUPTURE. 



A portion of the intestine protrudes out of the cavity of th^ 

 belly, either through some natural or artificial opening. In some 

 cases it may be returned, but, from the impossibility of applying 

 a truss or bandage, it soon escapes again. At other times, the 

 opening is so narrow, that the gut, gradually distended by dung, 

 or thickened by inflammation, cannot be returned, and f^trangu- 



