A DICTIONARY. 



241 



invariably or exclusively affected. All I 

 wish to contend for is, that both idiopathic 

 and symptomatic fevers exhibit the same 

 form, character, and species, and the same 

 general means of cure ; and that, were it 

 not for the local affection, it would be 

 difficult or impossible to distinguish them. 

 When we come to examine the accounts 

 of different authors on fever, and compare 

 them one with another, we can hardly re- 

 frain from coming to the conclusion that 

 their descriptions were originally derived 

 from human medicine, and have been but 

 variously modified to suit the prevailing 

 doctrines of the day ; they have gone through 

 a system of imaginary fevers, and regularly 

 transferred the observations and language 

 of ancient authors upon diseases of the 

 human species to the constitution of quad- 

 rupeds.'' 



In the treatment of disease, and when 

 fever is present, manifested by a determina- 

 tion of blood to the head, the object is to 

 invite the blood downward and outward; 

 or, in other words, equalize the circulation 

 by warmth and moisture externally, as in 

 lockjaw. 



In neat cattle, should fever be present, 

 the eyes appear dull and watery, the muzzle 

 dry, and rumination has ceased; then the 

 blood, for want of room in the nutritive tis- 

 sues, is forced upon the lungs, liver, spleen, 

 brain, or other glandular tissues, and men 

 have named the disease congestive fever. 

 The author advises the reader not to feel 

 alarmed about the fever, but set to work 

 and relieve the congestion. Disease of the 

 bowels, garget of the teats and udder, will 

 require fomentation and stimulants to the 

 parts. 



Filly. — A name given to a mare until 

 she is two or three years old. 



Film. — Opacity of the cornea. 



Filtration. — Straining liquids through 

 unsized paper ; also through sand or porous 

 stone. 



Firing. — A severe operation, often per- 

 formed on horses, for spavins, curbs, ring- 

 bones, etc. Such barbarity should never be 

 practised : it is a disgrace to this age of im- 



31 



provement. When discoveries are leaping 

 on discoveries, and medical reform has ger- 

 minated, shall we not permit the poor dumb 

 brute to share the benefits of our investiga- 

 tion? Every man who loves a horse, or 

 wishes well to the cause of horse-manity, will 

 say that a more safe and effectual system of 

 veterinary practice is necessary to rescue 

 from the torture of the firing iron one of the 

 noblest and most valuable quadrupeds in 

 the world. 



" The rage of firing is very generally, and 

 much too frequently, adopted, and no doubt 

 upon most occasions, hurried on by the 

 pecuniary propensity and dictation of the 

 interested operator, anxious to display his 

 dexterity, or, as Scrub says, 'his newest 

 flourish ' in the operation ; and when per- 

 formed, and the horse is turned out to grass, 

 if taken up sound, I shall ever attribute 

 much more of the cure to that grand speci- 

 fic, rest, than to the effects of his fire." 

 (See Taplin's Farriery, p. 83.) Hence the 

 firing iron, like all other destructive agents, 

 excites the system to rally her powers and 

 resist the encroachments of disease ; yet the 

 process is like taking a citadel by storm ; 

 the breaches that are made by the weapons 

 of warfare (such as the firing iron, scalpel, 

 lancet, and poison) can be traced, and leave 

 unmistakable evidences of their encroach- 

 ments. Instead of provoking the vital 

 powers to action by such destructive en- 

 ginery, we should afford Nature all the aid 

 we can, but never interfere with her opera- 

 tions. 



Fistula op the Withers. — "An ob- 

 stinate disease of the horse's withers, or 

 points of the shoulder, commonly produced 

 by a bruise of the saddle." No wonder 

 Dr. White calls it "obstinate," when the 

 following treatment is recommended by 

 him: "The scalding mixture — it consists 

 of any fixed oil (as lamp or train oil), spirit 

 of turpentine, verdigris, and corrosive sub- 

 limate. These are put into an iron ladle, 

 and made nearly boiling hot ; and in this 

 state the mixture is to be applied to the 

 diseased parts, by means of a little tow 

 fastened to the end of a stick ! It is neces- 



