THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 163 



disappointment follows. The struggle that ensues from 

 this circumstance prolongs the operation ; the ligature 

 at the same time being still continued round the neck, 

 a total stagnation of the blood in the vessels of the 

 head takes place, and hence it frequently happens that 

 the horse falls down in an apoplectic fit. 



" In such cases, the operator being disconcerted, 

 generally desists from any further attempt to draw 

 blood at that time, under the idea that the horse was 

 vicious and unruly, although the very treatment the 

 horse had just undergone rendered bleeding at that 

 time more necessary, in order to unload the vessels 

 of the head in which the blood had been stagnated by 

 the ligature round the neck. Therefore a ligature 

 ought never to be used, as a moderate pressure of the 

 finger below the orifice will always be sufiicient to 

 make the blood flow easily ; but if the horse is 

 lying on the ground, a ligature may then be neces- 

 sary. 



" But when the ligature is made tight before the 

 orifice is made in the vein, and the horse happens to 

 fall in an apoplectic fit, it may cause a blood-vessel 

 within the head to burst, and death may be the con- 

 sequence. 



" Another custom equally absurd is allowing the 

 blood to fall on a dunghill or on dry sand, so that no 

 distinct idea can be formed of the quantity that is or 

 ought to be taken away. In such cases horses have 

 dropped down insensible from the loss of too much 

 blood before the operator thought of stopping the 

 orifice. 



" For this, and a variety of other reasons which 

 might be mentioned, a measure, as above observed, 

 ought always to be used in order to ascertain the 

 quantity of blood that is taken away. 



