A DICTIONARY. 



253 



glands under the jaw are named sub-max- 

 illary glands. 



Mediastinum. — A duplicature of the 

 membrane, named pleura, by which the 

 cavity of the chest is divided into two 

 parts. 



Medicine. — Mr. Clark, veterinary sur- 

 geon of Edinburgh, says : " Medicine is often 

 given to the poor brutes unnecessarily, and, 

 of course, mischievously. If a man, or 

 horse, be in a state of health, what more is 

 required, or how can they be rendered bet- 

 ter ? Health is the more proper state of 

 the animal body, and it is not in the power 

 of medicine to make it better, or to preserve 

 it in the same stated 



Dr. White says : " The custom of giving 

 medicines too frequently, is a bad one ; the 

 constitution adapts itself to it, which cir- 

 cumstance renders medicine inefficacious 

 when necessary, or, at least, it greatly re- 

 duces the effects." 



If a horse is in health, the proper way to 

 promote it is to proportion the food to the 

 labor. 



Dr. White continues : " Medicines are 

 given to the horse under the title of alter- 

 atives. These alteratives are composed of 

 antimony, mercury, sulphur, nitre, aloes, 

 salts " {generally altering bad for worse). 



Mr. Clark says, " That sulphur not only 

 opens the body, but the skin also, and there- 

 fore should be used with caution, as horses 

 are very apt to catch cold on too liberal a 

 use of it." 



Salts bring on great sickness, and some- 

 times violent purging, and, instead of pro- 

 moting the secretions, occasion great dryness 

 of the skin. 



" Aloes given in small quantities, by way 

 of alteratives, and too frequently repeated, 

 weaken the stomach, so as to bring on a 

 lax, or what is called a washy, habit of 

 body. 



"Antimony should always be rejected, if 

 coarse and black, like gunpowder." (See 

 White's Farriery, p. 559.) 



The above author says : " It is amazing 

 what different kinds of trash are forced down 



horses' throats. The following is a striking 

 instance : A gentleman, in London, was 

 greatly prejudiced in favor of vinegar, as a 

 cure in many diseases. His favorite horse 

 was taken ill in very warm weather, and, 

 as he thought vinegar was a cooling ardcle, 

 he ordered a pint to be given to his horse at 

 once. It was no sooner given, than the 

 horse lay down, stretched himself out, and 

 died." 



Medulla Oblongata. — The commence- 

 ment of the spinal marrow, within the cra- 

 nium. 



Membrane, Mucous. — This membrane 

 is folded into all the orilices of the animal, 

 as the mouth, eyes, nose, ears, lungs, intes- 

 tines, bladder, etc. ; in fact, into every cavity 

 that has a direct communication with the 

 external surface. Its structure of arterial 

 capillaries, venous radicles, nervous projec- 

 tions, etc., is similar to the skin, and is 

 considered a duplicate of the external sur- 

 face. Its most extensive surfaces are those 

 of the lungs and intestines. This mem- 

 brane furnishes from the blood a fluid called 

 mucus, to lubricate its own surface, and 

 protect it from the action of materials taken 

 into the system. The sldn and mucous 

 membrane are a counterpart of each other. 

 If the action of the skin is suppressed, the 

 mucous membrane performs a part of its 

 office ; thus, a cold, which closes the pores 

 of the skin, stops perspiration, which is now 

 forced through the membrane, producing 

 discharges at the nose, eyes, etc. 



Serous MEMBRANE.-Of this kind are 

 the pleura and peritoneum : they are dis- 

 tributed in all parts of the system, lining 

 muscles, tendons, and tendinous sheaths, 

 the ends of movable bones, etc. ; in short, 

 wherever there is need of the protection of 

 parts against friction. They secrete from 

 the blood a fluid called serum, for the pur- 

 pose of affording this protection. The 

 excessive discharge of fluids into cavities 

 lined by serous membrane, constitutes the 

 different forms of dropsy. There are other 

 membranes, viz., adipose, which secrete the 

 fat of the body; synovial, which secrete 



