410 Obstruction of the Mesenteric Arteries. 



tion of any other drugs except narcotics. In the grave form 

 puncture of the bowels should be made as early as possible to 

 prevent the occurrence of complete paralysis and to remove 

 gases from the intestines, which are irritating the latter and 

 positively endanger the life of the animal if they fill larger sec- 

 tions of the bowel. 



Laxatives are useless and may be positively harmful. 

 Stimulation of peristalsis is not necessary in the milder forms, 

 while no procedure possible will stimulate peristalsis in the 

 affected bowel in the graver type of the disease. Laxatives 

 may, as already said, be harmful, because they will produce 

 increased movements everywhere in the milder form, and in 

 the severe type in those parts of the intestines which are sit- 

 uated in front of the affected portion. These movements in- 

 crease the abdominal pain and convey masses of feces into the 

 paralyzed portion; they increase bloating and accelerate the 

 development of inflammation or rupture. Mild laxatives may 

 possibly be given in the graver cases during the period of 

 recovery. 



Resection of a portion of intestine and suturing of the severed 

 healthy ends may be tried in disease of shorter portions of the small in- 

 testine. In disease of the large intestines this attempt is absolutely un- 

 promising. 



Prophylaxis. Li order to prevent the ingestion of the 

 larvae of sclerostoma horses should be prevented from drinking 

 dirty water from pools or marshes, and they should be kept 

 away from wet and marshy pastures. During stable-feeding 

 care must be taken so that the drinking w^ater is pure and free 

 from contamination with offal and feces. Sometimes water has 

 to be made safe by filtering or boiling. Mickley has succeeded in 

 the Beberbeck stud, where formerly many foals succumbed to 

 the disease, in eradicating it entirely since 1899 by the interposi- 

 tion of filtering boxes into the system of pipes of the w^ater 

 works. In studs or in large stables where many horses are 

 kept and where sclerostoma infection is frequent, all animals 

 should be examined according to the suggestion of Al- 

 brecht for the presence of sclerostoma and those found 

 affected should be separated and kept away from the 

 common pastures or exercise ground until free from parasites. 

 Removal of the manure and frequent changes of the bedding 

 straw are also indicated since the floor and the walls of the 

 stables where horses are kept frequently come in contact with 

 their feces and since they therefore become contaminated with 

 sclerostomata and their larvae, they ought to be carefully cleaned 

 and disinfected from time to time. Marshy rough feed from 

 marshy pastures should not be fed to horses. French veteri- 

 narians consider alfalfa and clover hay as dangerous in this 

 respect. 



Whether the intravenous injection of atoxyl (100 gm. of a 

 3% solution), recommended by Dorn, is indeed valuable in 



