236 THE PRACTICAL HORSE KEEPER. 



the wound with tow or soft material. An instance of arresting 

 haemorrhage by pinning up the cut in the skin is observed after 

 bleeding a horse in the jugular vein running down the neck. 

 Sometimes bleeding from a large artery may be stopped by the 

 pressure of the finger ; a tourniquet may be improvised until 

 further assistance arrives. In the case of wounded arteries, 

 ligatures are sometimes necessary, or the vessels may be tvisted 

 on themselves until their channel is obliterated. 



The particular method of stopping bleeding must be deter- 

 mined by the circumstances of the case. Cold water will often 

 stop bleeding from small vessels. Haemorrhage from an artery 

 may be known by the red colour of the blood, and by its 

 spurting out in jets, in unison with the beat of the pulse. In 

 haemorrhage from a vein the blood does not jerk out, but runs 

 in a continuous stream, and is darker in colour than that from 

 an artery. 



Dressing for Wounds. — It is now believed that there are 

 germs of disease floating about in the atmosphere, which are 

 apt to settle on wounds, and cause unhealthy action in them. 

 For this reason we apply dressings ; and very good ones are 

 carbolic acid, one part to forty of water, or carbolised oil, one 

 part of the acid to twenty or thirty of olive-oil. Sometimes 

 wounds are very indolent, and in such cases sharper and more 

 stimulating dressings are required, such as lotion of sulphate 

 of zinc and water, or mild caustic solutions, or even painting 

 them with nitrate of silver or butyr of antimony. Of course, 

 this must not be overdone or too frequently. When proud- 

 flesh forms, we should not be in too great a hurry to remove 

 it, as it will often disappear spontaneously ; but should it not 

 do so, no time should be lost in excising it, or destroying it by 

 caustics. In reference to the latter, we may remember that 

 where there is much fungous or proud-flesh, time is often lost 

 by employing caustics, when it could be at once removed by a 

 cut with a razor or sharp knife. 



