THE BLADDER. 217 



The treatment will only vary from that of inflammation of othei parts, 

 Dy the consideration of the peculiarity of the organ atfected. Bleeding 

 must be promptly resorted to, and carried to its full extent. An active purge 

 should next be administered ; and a counter-inflammation excited as near as 

 possible to the seat of disease. For this purpose, the loins should be 

 ibmented with hot water, or covered with a mustard poultice; but no can- 

 tharides or turpentine must be used, and, most of all, must no diuretic be 

 given internally. When the groom finds this dilTiculty or suppression of 

 staling, he immediately has recourse to a diuretic ball, to force on tiie 

 urine; and by thus farther irritating a part already too much excited, he 

 adds fuel to fire, and frequently destroys the horse. When the action of 

 the purgative begins a little to cease, white hellebore may be administered, 

 in doses of a scruple three times a day, with or witliout emetic tartar. 

 The horse should be warmly clothed ; his legs well bandaged, and plenty 

 of water offered to him. The food should be carefully examined, and 

 any thing that could have excited, or that may prolong the irritation, care- 

 fully removed, 



DIABETES, OR PROFUSE STALING, 



Is a comparatively rare disease. It is the consequence, generally, of 

 undue irritation of the kidney, by bad food or strong diuretics; and some- 

 times follows inflammation of the kidney. It can seldom be traced in the 

 horse to any disease of the digestive organs. The treatment is obscure, 

 and the result often uncertain. It is, evidently, increased action of the 

 kidney, and therefore the most rational plan of treatment is to endeavour 

 to abate that action ; and nearly the same course should be pursued in the 

 early stage of diabetes, as in actual inflammation ; but the lowering system 

 should not be carried to so great an extent. To bleeding, purging, and 

 counter-irritation, medicines of an astringent quality should succeed, as 

 catechu, the powdered leaf of the whortle-berry (uva ursi), and opium, 

 in doses of two draciuns each of the two first, and half a drachm of the 

 last. Very careful attention should be paid to the food. The hay and 

 oats should be of the best quality ; and green meat, and especially carrots, 

 will be very serviceable. 



THE BLADDER. 



The urine separated from the blood is discharged by the minute vessels, 

 of which we have spoken, into some larger canals, which terminate in a 

 cavity or reservoir in the body of the kidney, called its pe his ; and thence 

 is conveyed by a duct, called the ureter, to a larger reservoir, the bladder. 

 It is constantly flowing from the kidney through the ureter ; and were there 

 not this provision for its detention, it would be incessantly and annoyingly 

 dribbling from the animal. The bladder lies in, and, when distended by 

 urine, nearly fills the cavity of the great bones of the haunch, termed the 

 pelvis. It has three coats ; the outer one covering the greater part of it, 

 and being a portion of the peritoneum ; the muscular, consisting of two 

 layers of fibres, as in the stomach ; the external, running longitudinally 

 and the inner circularly, so that it may yield to the pressure of the urine 

 as it enters, and contract again to an exceedingly small space as it runo out, 

 and by that contraction assist in the expulsion of the urine. The inner or 

 mucous coat contains numerous little glands, which pour out a mucous 

 fluid to defend the bladder from the acrimony of the urine. The bladder 

 terminates in a small neck, round which there is a strong muscle, keeping' 

 P 



