230 THE KIDNEYS. 



The dung is small and hard ; the urine highly colored ; the 

 horse languid, and the appetite impaired. If he is not soon 

 relieved, he sometimes begins to express considerable uneasiness ; 

 at other times he is dull,, heavy, and stupid. A characteristic 

 symptom is lameness of the right fore leg, resembling the pain 

 in the right slioulder of the human being in liver affections. 

 The principal causes are over-feeding or over-exertion in sultry 

 weather, or too little work, generally speaking, or inflammation 

 or other disease of the liver itself 



It is sometimes caused by the sympathy of the liver with some 

 other diseased part, and in this case, the removal of that disease 

 will remove it. If there is no other apparent disease to any 

 great extent, an endeavor to restore the natural passage of the 

 bile by purgatives may be tried, not consisting of large doses, 

 lest there should be some undetected inflammation of the lungs 

 or bowels, in either of which a strong purgative would be dan- 

 gerous ; but, given in small quantities, repeated at short inter- 

 vals, and until the bowels are freely opened. Bleeding should 

 always be resorted to, regulated according to the apparent degree 

 of inflammation, and the occasional stupor of the animal. 

 Plenty of water, slightly warmed, or thin gruel, should be given. 

 The horse should be warmly clothed, and the stable well ven- 

 tilated, but not cold. Carrots or green food will be very bene 

 ficial. Should the purging, when once excited, prove violent, 

 we need not be in any haste to stop it, unless inflammation is be- 

 ginning to be connected with it, or the horse is very weak. The 

 medicine recommended under diarrhcBa may then be given. 

 A few slight tonics should be given when the horse is recovering 

 from an attack of jaundice.^ 



THE KIDNEYS. 



The kidneys are two large glandular bodies, placed under the 

 loins, of the shape of a kidney-bean, of immense size. The right 

 kidney is most forward, lying under the liver ; the left is pushed 

 more backward by the stomach and spleen. A large artery runs 

 to each, carrying not less than a sixth part of the whole of the 

 blood that circulates through the frame. This artery is divided 

 into innumerable little branches, most curiously complicated and 

 3oiled upon each other ; and the blood, traversing these convolu- 



* Note by Mr. Spooner. — Jaundice very seldom occurs unconnected with 

 inflammation of the liver ; when it does, it is denoted by the yellowness of 

 the membranes, and the absence of any of the symptoms of inflammation- 

 It is best treated by the same internal medicines as those we advised 

 under the head of " Inflammation of the liver " (in note) ; or aloes may 

 also be giv^n in moderate quantities. 



