234 



A DICTIONARY. 



A disagreeable and in- 



on improper food, or by being kept on low, 

 marshy grounds. Cattle that arc brought 

 from a warm to a colder climate, and such 

 as are naturally of weak constitution, are 

 most liable to disease. 



Cramp. — A spasmodic affection of the 

 muscles, either of a particular part, or of the 

 whole body. In lockjaw, for example, the 

 muscles of the jaw are at first chiefly affect- 

 ed ; but, gradually, unless relief is afforded, 

 the spasm, or cramp, generally extends to 

 the neck, limbs, and at length to all parts 

 of the body. 



Crassamentum. — Red globules, or color- 

 ing matter, of the blood, mixed with coagu- 

 lable lymph. 



Cremaster. — A muscle which surrounds 

 the spermatic cord, as it passes out of the 

 belly into the scrotum. Its use is io sus- 

 pend and draw up the testicle. 



Crib Biting 

 jurious habit, which some horses acquire ; 

 it consists of laying hold of 'the manger 

 with their teeth. It generally proceeds from 

 indigestion. 



Cropping the Ears. — The ear may be 

 inclosed between the two parts of a car- 

 penter's rule, which can be adjusted and 

 held so as to give the ear any shape that 

 may be required. All that part outside the 

 rule is then cut off with one stroke of a 

 sharp knife, and then bathed with tincture 

 of myrrh. 



Crupper. — A strap affixed to the saddle, 

 with a loop at the end, for the purpose of 

 admitting the horse's tail. 



Cud. — The food contained in the first 

 stomach, or rumen, of a ruminating animal, 

 which is returned to the mouth to be chewed 

 at the animal's leisure. 



Cumin Seeds. — A carminative, or cordial. 



Curb. — A swelling of the horse's hock, 

 generally causc-d by blows or strain. 



Cutaneous Diseases. — Diseases whose 

 seat is in the skin, as the mange, for ex- 

 ample. They are generally dependent on 

 a vitiated state of the secretions, and a dis- 

 ordered state of the bowels. 



Cuticle, or Scarf Skin. — A thin, in- 

 sensible membrane, which covers and de- 



fends the true skin. It is this which forms 

 the bladder raised by blistering. 



Cutis. — The skin, or hide, which lies 

 under the cuticle. Besides the cuticle and 

 skin, horses and other large animals have a 

 muscular expansion, which lies immediately 

 under the latter, called the fleshy pannicle, 

 by which the skin is moved, so as to shake 

 off dust or flies, or anything that hangs 

 loose upon the hair. 



Cutting. — A horse is said to cut, when 

 he strikes the inner and lower part of the 

 fetlock joint, in travelling. The usual mode 

 of correcting this, is to make the outer side 

 of the shoe higher than the inside. 



Debility. — Debility may be permanent 

 or temporary. In the first, the constitution 

 is naturaUy weak, or has been rendered so 

 by improper treatment, or sickness ; the 

 second generally arises from over-exertion, 

 and, if the exciting cause be frequently re- 

 peated, terminates very commonly in a total 

 decay of the constitution. Rest and kind 

 treatment are the best cure for weakness in- 

 duced by fatigue. The greatest attention 

 should be paid to the degree of work that 

 a horse is capable of enduring, as what 

 may be salutary for him at one period may 

 greatly exceed his strength at another; and 

 this generally depends on the mode of sta- 

 ble management. The common practice 

 of working horses too early frequently 

 results in debility. 



Decoction. — The process of extracting 

 the virtues of a substance by boiling it in 

 water. The liquid so prepared is termed 

 decoction. Almost all the medicinal prop- 

 erties of plants may be extracted by pour- 

 ing boiling water over them. In boiling 

 they lose their volatile properties. 



Deglutition. — The act of swallowing. 

 The power of swallowing is often impeded 

 in the horse by sore throat, distemper, etc. 

 This impediment is only of a temporary 

 nature ; but there is another, which is of a 

 more serious kind, and interferes with mas- 

 tication as well as with swallowing. The 

 grinding teeth of horses often wear down 

 in such a manner, that the outside edge of 

 the upper grinders irritates or wounds the 



