170 



CATTLE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



cordial drink of the cow-leech must be 

 avoided as a dose of poison. 



The farmer or the attendant must not 

 be deceived by the passage of a little 

 liquid dung in a small stream, for that 

 shows that there is yet much hardened 

 faeces clinging round the intestines, and 

 which must be removed, and, therefore, he 

 must pursue the measures recommended 

 until the dung is expelled in considerable 

 quantities, and in a large, full stream, 

 and without much straining. There has 

 generally been something more than usual 

 wrong in the food or management when 

 this sad constipation is observed. Either 

 the animal has been kept too much 

 and too long on dry food, or he has been 

 turned into fresh pasture (and particularly 

 in the antumn) in which there are oak- 

 trees or some astringent vegetables. The 

 cause must be removed, or the disease 

 will return. 



The state of the bowels of a beast that 

 has once been sapped, should be observed 

 for some time afterward, and gentle aperi- 

 ents occasionally administered ; cold water 

 should not, for a little while, be permitted, 

 and strict attention should be paid to the 

 diet. 



Inflammation of the bowels, however, 

 will in a few cases occur without all this 

 costiveness, and yet produced by nearly 

 the same causes. The other symptoms 

 .are the same, but the danger is not so 

 great. The beast should be bled and 

 physicked, kept moderately warm, and 

 have warm water with bran mashes. 



CATTLE, The Blain, Etc., Etc.— This 

 is by no means an unfrequent disease, and 

 is commonly known by the name of blain, 



HAWKES, or GARGYSE. 



The animal appears dull and languid, 

 the eyes red and inflamed, with tears 

 trickling from them. A swelling begins 

 about the eyes, and occasionally appears 

 on other parts of the body; but the 

 characteristic symptom is, that there are 

 generally blisters under the tongue, or at 

 the back part of the mouth ; the pulse is 

 quicker than natural; there is more or 

 less heaving of the flanks ; and the bow- 

 els are sometimes constipated. When the 

 complaint is not checked at the outset, 

 there is often a copious flow of saliva 

 from the mouth, mixed often with a puru- 

 lent, bloody, stinking discharge ; the beast 

 becomes extremely weak and reduced, 



and is in danger of being suffocated by 

 the great and rapid enlargement of the 

 tongue. 



Causes. — Those cattle are the most 

 subject to this complaint that are in high 

 condition, and feeding on rich pasture 

 grounds. It appears in many cases to be 

 brought on by a redundancy of blood in 

 the system, or from the beast taking cold 

 while in that state. It is most prevalent 

 in the summer months, especially when 

 the weather is hot and sultry, but it occurs 

 at all times of the year, and in pastures 

 of every kind, yet oftenest in low, marsby 

 situations. 



This is a disease which must not be 

 trifled with for a moment. We have known 

 it prove fatal in the course of one day ; 

 and when neglected at the beginning it 

 has speedily assumed a malignant char- 

 acter, which baffled every attempt to ar- 

 rest its progress. 



The remedy, ancLoften a very expedi- 

 tious one for this disease, is to cut deeply,, 

 and from end to end, the bladders that 

 will be found along the side of and under 

 the tongue. They will appear to be filled 

 with a glutinous matter, and, although 

 there may not be much bleeding from 

 them at first, considerable bloody fluid 

 will gradually ooze out, the swelling of 

 the mouth and head will subside, and the 

 beast will be very much relieved. All the 

 curious operations of thrusting sticks and 

 tar down the throat have this for their 

 object, to break these bladders, but which 

 is most easily and completely effected by 

 the knife. 



If, however, much fever has accom- 

 panied the enlargement of the tongue, it 

 will be prudent to take away five or six 

 quarts of blood, and to give a physic 

 drink, and particularly if, on the day fol- 

 lowing the operation, the beast should 

 continue to be feverish. The mouth may 

 likewise be washed with a solution of the 

 chloride of lime in water, in the propor- 

 tions of one drachm of the chloride to a 

 quart of water, while the mouth is very 

 offensive ; and with equal parts of tincture 

 of myrrh and water afterward, in order to 

 promote the healing of the ulcer. 



If the fever continues, the Fever Drink 

 No. 1 may be given morning and night, 

 and the bowels kept open by the Purg- 

 ing Drink No. 2, or Sulphur Purging 

 Drink No. 7. 



