284 



A DICTIONARY. 



which grow on the inside of the shank 

 bone. 



Staggers. — This is named from the 

 staggering gait of the animal. It may be 

 brought on by the horse eating too greedily, 

 swallowing his food when imperfectly 

 chewed, or eating freely of food that is dif- 

 ficult of digestion. Horses of rather an ad- 

 vanced age, and weak digestive organs, 

 when improperly fed, or when a large quan- 

 tity of meal is allowed, are very liable to 

 apoplexy, or staggers. The disease is gen- 

 erally symptomatic of derangement of the 

 stomach, indigestion, and over-distention of 

 the digestive organs. 



Sternum. — The breast bone. 



Stifle Joint. — This joint is composed 

 of the bones called os femoris, tibia, and 

 patella. (See Skeleton.) 



Stopping. — A mixture of clay and cow- 

 dung is employed for the pm-pose of stop- 

 ping horses' feet, and keeping them moist. 



Strains. — For all lands of strains, rest 

 is the best remedy ; sometimes they require 

 poultices, fomentations, etc. The latter 

 will be indicated by pain and swelling. 



Stubs. — When a horse is wounded by 

 a splinter of wood, about the foot or leg, he 

 is said to be stubbed. 



Styptics. — Medicines which stop bleed- 

 ing. The most effectual method of stopping 

 bleeding is to tie the wounded vessel. 



SuDORiFics. — Medicines which excite 

 sweating. It is very difficult to sweat a 

 horse, except the process be assisted by 

 warmth and vapor -externally. Lobelia, 

 pennyroyal, and capsicum, promote the in- 

 sensible perspiration ; they must be given 

 in infusion to the amount of half a gallon 

 or more. 



Sulphur. — Used in cutaneous diseases, 

 as an alterative. 



Sweetbread. — (See Pancreas.) 



Synovia, Joint Oil. — A mucilaginous 

 fluid formed within joints, to render motion 

 easy, or diminish friction. 



Tansy. — A medicine used to expel 

 worms. 



Tar. — Common tar is used as an astrin- 

 gent for horses' feet. 



Tartar, Cream of. — Used on horses to 

 promote the secretion of urine. 



Tenaculum. — A kind of hook, for taking 

 up an artery. 



Tendo Achillis. — The great tendon, 

 which is fixed or inserted into the calca- 

 neum, or projecting bone of the hock. 



Tendon. — The white shining extremity 

 of a muscle. 



Tenesmus. — Continual efforts to void 

 dung, without any discharge. 



Tent. — A piece of lint, or tow, smeared 

 with ointment, and thrust into a sore, in 

 order to prevent a too hasty and superficial 

 healing. 



Thoracic Duct. — The trunk of the ab- 

 sorbents. (See Absorbents, part first.) 



Thrush. — A disease has lately prevailed 

 to a great extent in the New England States, 

 which deserves some consideration. It is 

 called thrush, and is supposed to be a dis- 

 ease of the horse's frog, consisting in a dis- 

 charge of matter from its cleft, or division ; 

 sometimes the other parts of the frog are 

 also affected, — become soft, ragged, and 

 incapable of affording protection to the 

 sensitive frog, which it covers. We cannot 

 agree with many writers, that thrush is a 

 strictly local disease ; for, after it has passed 

 through the different stages, viz., inflamma- 

 tion, suppuration, etc., the whole system 

 takes up the diseased action, either by sym- 

 pathy or irritation. Hence the reader \vUl 

 see the folly of depending on local agents, 

 in the form of ointments, for the cure of the 

 disease, in which all the organs are more or 

 less concerned. 



The internal remedies we recommend, 

 are alteratives; remove the cause, if any 

 exist, in the form of bad ventilation, poor 

 diet, hard work, partial grooming, or the 

 sluicing of cold water on the legs. Let 

 the animal have bran mashes, with a few 

 boiled carrots, every night. 



The local remedies consist in paring 

 away the ragged or uneven parts of the frog ; 

 then wash the surface with castile soap and 

 lukewarm water ; afterwards with a solution 

 of common salt, in the following propor- 

 tions : one tablespoonful Liverpool salt to 



