282 



A DICTIONARY. 



Probe. — An instrument for examining 

 wounds. 



Prolapsus. — The falling down of a part, 

 as of the uterus or fandament. 



Psoas Muscles. — The muscles that lie 

 under the loins. These muscles are some- 

 times injured in strains of the loins. 



Pulmonary Diseases. — Diseases of the 

 lungs. 



Pulmonary Vessels. — The blood-ves- 

 sels and air-vessels of the lungs, which con- 

 sist of the pulmonary artery and vein, and 

 the bronchia, or branches of the windpipe. 



Pulse. — The beating of the arteries. 

 The horse's pulse is most conveniently felt 

 in that part of the carotid artery which 

 passes under the angle of the lower jaw. 



PuNCTA Lachrymalia. — Two orifices 

 near the inner corner of the eye, through 

 which the tears pass. 



Pupil. — A part of the eye. 



Pus. — The white matter formed by the 

 process of suppuration. 



Pylorus. — The inferior portion of the 

 stomach. 



Quarter III, or Quarter Evil. — 

 There is a variety of names given to this 

 disorder, such as joint mmTain, or gar- 

 get, black quarter, quarter evil, black leg, 

 etc. The true causes of this disease are 

 generally too liberal an allowance of food, 

 or a sudden transition from poor keep to 

 luxurious and nutritious diet. In some 

 cases the energy of the body is lessened by 

 exposure to cold and wet ; hence the quar- 

 ters and feet swell, and it is this circum- 

 stance which has given rise to the name 

 by which the disorder is commonly known. 

 The approach of this complaint is generally 

 indicated by the animal separating himself 

 from his companions ; by his appearing 

 dull, listless, and heavy, and by his refusing 

 food. The more immediate symptoms are 

 lameness and swelling of the hind quarters, 

 and occasionally of the shoulders or back. 

 These swellings, when pressed, make a 

 crackling noise. (See Emphysema.) The 

 mouth and tongue are frequently found 

 blistered in this disease. A spare diet, and 

 keeping the animal in a dry barn, are strictly 



to be attended to, with an occasional dose 

 of nitrate of potassa, and clysters of thin 

 gruel and common salt. By this means 

 the disease may be subdued. If the dis- 

 ease first appears in the foot, a charcoal 

 poultice must be applied. 



Rack Bones. — The vertebras of the 

 back. 



Radius. — The bone of the fore-arm. 



Raking. — (See Back Raking.) 



IJLectum. — (See Intestines.) 



Red- Water. — This disease often attacks 

 cows, and is named from the red appear- 

 ance of the urine. 



Respiration. — The act of breathing; 

 which includes inspiration, or the taking in 

 of air by the lungs, and expiration, or the 

 act of discharging it. 



Ringbone. — A bony excrescence on the 

 lower part of the pastern, generally, but not 

 always, causing lameness. 



Roaring. — A disease which takes its 

 name from the wheezing noise the horse 

 makes in breathing, when put into quick 

 motion. It is supposed by most veterinary 

 writers to be caused by an effusion of lymph 

 in the windpipe. Our own view of the 

 subject is, that it is owing to a contraction 

 of the respiratory tubes. 



P^osEMARY. — The essential oil of this 

 shrub is a useful ingredient in stimulating 

 Liniments. 



Rot. — A disease of sheep, resembling 

 pulmonary consumption, complicated with 

 dropsy. Its causes are flooded lands and 

 unsubstantial food. 



Rowels. — These are considered as arti- 

 ficial abscesses, or drains. They act on the 

 principle of making one disease to cure 

 another. 



Rumination. — Chewing the cud. 



Rupture. — A swelling caused by the 

 protrusion of some parts of the bowels out 

 of the cavity of the abdomen into a kind 

 of sac, formed by that portion of the peri- 

 toneum (which see) which is pushed be- 

 fore it. 



Sacrum. — That part of the back bone 

 from which the tail proceeds. 



Saliva. — Spittle. 



