82 DISEASES OF THE HOESE. 



Treatment. — Attention must be paid to the condition of the bowels; 

 they should be soft, but purging is to be avoided. The tumors 

 should be washed in warm water and thoroughly cleansed, after 

 which scarify them and gently but firmly squeeze out the liquid that 

 will be seen to follow the shallow incisions. After thus squeezing 

 these tumors and before replacing through the anus, bathe the parts 

 with some anodyn wash. For this purpose the glycerite of tannin 

 and laudanum in equal parts is good. Mucilaginous injections into 

 the rectum may be of service for a few days. 



HERNIA, OR RUPTURE. 



There are several kinds or hernias that require notice, not all of 

 which, however, produce serious symptoms or results. Abdominal 

 hernias, or ruptures, are divided into reducible, irreducible, and 

 strangulated, according to condition; and into inguinal, scrotal, ven- 

 tral, umbilical, and diaphragmatic, according to their situation. A 

 hernia is reducible when the displaced organ can be returned to its 

 natural location. It consists of a soft swelling, without heat, pain, 

 or any uneasiness, generally larger on full feed, and decreases in size 

 as the bowels become empty. An irreducible hernia is one that can 

 not be returned into the abdomen, and yet does not cause any pain 

 or uneasiness. Strangulated hernia is one in which the contents of 

 the sac are greatly distended, or when from pressure upon the blood 

 A'essels of the imprisoned portion the venous circulation is checked or 

 stopped, thereby causing congestion, swelling, inflammation, and, if 

 not relieved, gangrene of the part and death of the animal. Accord- 

 ing to the time or mode of origin, hernias may be congenital or 

 acquired. 



Congenital scrotal hernia. — Not a few foals are noticed from 

 birth to have an enlarged scrotum, which gradually increases in size 

 until about the sixth month, sometimes longer. Sometimes the scro- 

 tum of a six-months-old colt is as large as that of an adult stallion, 

 and operative treatment is considered. This is unnecessary in the 

 great majority of cases, as the enlargement often disappears by the 

 time the colt has reached his second year. Any interference, medic- 

 inal or surgical, is worse than useless. If the intestine contained 

 within the scrotum should at any time become strangulated, it must 

 then be treated the same as in an adult horse. 



Scrotal hernia is caused by dilatation of the sheath of the testicle, 

 combined with relaxation of the fibrous tissues surrounding the in- 

 guinal ring, thus allowing the intestine to descend to the scrotum. 

 At first this is intermittent, appearing during work and returning 

 when the horse is at rest. For a long time this form of hernia may 



