MEDICAL TREATMENT OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 451 



" evident that the above treatment, which is stimulating, would be 

 " probably fatal, as it would aggravate all the worst features, in a 

 " case of inflammation, which must be treated, as near as possi- 

 " ble, on the opposite plan — that is, antiphlogistically. 



" Inflammation of the Bowels. — The first step, in decided 

 " cases where the extremities are cold and the pulse very quick and 

 " very feeble — observe here that fifty-five is very quick, indicating 

 *' considerable fever, and seventy-five perilously quick — is to take 

 " eight or ten quarts of blood as soon as the malady appears, for 

 " there is no other malady that so quickly runs its course. If this 

 " do not relieve the pain and render the pulse more moderate, and 

 "fuller, and rounder, four or five quarts more may be taken with- 

 " out any regard to the weakness of the animal. That weakness 

 " is a part of the disease, and when the inflammation is subdued by 

 *'the loss of blood, the weakness will disappear. We have said 

 " that most of the acute diseases of the horse and the man are 

 "closely similar, and their treatment analogous. In acute inflam- 

 " mation of the bowels there is an exception. The human prac- 

 "titioner properly uses strong purgatives in cases of acute inflam- 

 " mation of the bowels. The irritability of the horse's bowels will 

 " not allow their exhibition. The most that can be done is to throw 

 " up copious injections — they can hardly be too copious — of thin 

 " gruel, in which half a pound of Epsom salts, or half an ounce of 

 " Barbadoes aloes, has been dissolved. The horse should be en- 

 " couraged to drink freely of warm, thin gruel, and he should have 

 "a draught every six hours of warm water, with from one to two 

 " drams — never more — of aloes dissolved in it. Above all, the 

 " whole belly should be blistered as quickly as possible after the 

 ** nature of the disease is fully ascertained, with tincture of can- 

 *'tharides well rubbed in. The legs should be well bandaged, to 

 "restore the circulation ; and the horse should be warmly clothed, 

 *' but the stable kept cool ; no hay or oats must be allowed during 

 " the attack, but merely bran-mashes and green meat ; of the latter, 

 "especially, as much as he will eat. As the horse recovers, a little 

 " oats may be given, a handful or two at a time, twice or thrice a 

 " day, but not more ; and they should be increased sparingly and 



