A DICTIONARY. 



287 



the capillaries, and that it is further urged 

 on by some contractile force resident in 

 these vessels themselves. That the blood 

 is advanced in its course by the action of 

 those muscles contiguous to veins furnished 

 with valves, is, without doubt, well founded, 

 as far as an occasional auxiliary is con- 

 cerned, as the common operation of bleed- 

 ing demonstrates ; for it is in consequence 

 of muscular pressm*e upon the veins about 

 the head, that the motion of a horse's jaw 

 accelerates the flow of blood through the 

 jugular vein: as such, however, it cannot 

 be ranked among the essential cavises of 

 the blood's motion in them. 



Ventricle. — One of the cavities of the 

 heart. (See Heart.) 



Vermifuge. — Medicines that destroy or 

 expel worms. 



Vertebra. — The bones of the neck 

 and spine. 



Vertigo. — A slight degree of apoplexy. 



Viscera. — The plural of viscus, a term 

 applied to the internal organs, as the lungs, 

 bowels, etc. 



Vives. — A swelling of the parotid gland, 

 which is situated between the ear and the 

 angle of the jaw. 



, Vulva. — A name given to the external 

 parts of generation in females. 



Wall Eyes. — A horse is said to have 

 a wall eye, when the iris is of a light or 

 white color. 



Warbles. — Small, hard swellings on the 

 horse's back, caused by the pressure, or 

 heat, of the saddle. 



Warts. — Spongy excrescences which 

 arise in various parts of the body. 



Wens. — Hard tumors, of various sizes, 

 in different parts of the body. The most 

 effectual method of removing them is to dis- 

 sect them out, together with the cyst, or 

 bag, in which they are formed. The skin 

 is then to be sutured, and treated as a com- 

 mon wound. 



Whirl Bone, or Round Bone. — The 

 hip joint is thus named. 



Wind. — The most effectual method of 

 bringing a horse to his wind, is to give him 

 regular exercise. 



WiNDGALLS. — Elastic tumors on each 

 side of the back sinews, immediately above 

 the fetlock joint ; they are often caused by 

 hard work, or trotting on hard roads, at too 

 early an age. There are various operations 

 recommended, such as firing, blistering, etc.; 

 but the remedy is generally worse than the 

 disease. E-est, bandaging, and the occa- 

 sional use of liniment, is all that can be 

 done with safety. 



Withers. — The part where the mane 

 ends is thus named in the horse. 



Worms. — The stomach and bowels of 

 horses are liable to be infested with different 

 kinds of worms ; but as the same treatment 

 is proper, of whatever kind they may be, it 

 is needless to enter into a particular descrip- 

 tion of them. Many articles are recom- 

 mended by veterinary writers, for the pur- 

 pose of ridding the animal of these pests, 

 viz., antimony, calomel, turpentine, either of 

 which would be just as likely to kill the 

 horse as the worms. The true indications 

 to be fulfilled are to tone up the stomach 

 and digestive organs.* 



Yard, Fallen. — (See Falling of the 

 Yard.) 



Yard, Foul. — The horse's penis some- 

 times requires to be washed with soap and 

 water, in order to free it from mucous 

 matter and dirt. 



Yellows. — This disease is indicated by 

 a yellowness of the membranes that line 

 the eyelid, and the inner parts of the lips 

 and mouth. In this disease, the natural 

 course of the bile is perverted ; it becomes 

 absorbed into the circulation, and thus 

 tinges the membranes and fluids of a yel- 

 low color. The excrement is generally of a 

 lighter color than usual. The disease may 

 be produced by a want of tone in the liver, 

 caused by obstructing the surface. 



* Dr. J. Hinds says, " Since the worms are not always 

 to be killed, oven by strong poisons (calomel), nor brought 

 away by brisk purgatives, reason dictates and nature 

 beckons us to follow her course in affording to the horse a 

 run at grass ; if that is impossible, adopt the means nearest 

 thereto that lie within our reach." If calomel is a poison, 

 — and thousands declare it is, — then it must entail a 

 disease more formidable than the one it is intended to cure. 



