DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 219 



III cases where young foals are unable to void the 

 meconium, enemas of oil will generally be found efficacious. 

 If the bowels are not relieved by this means, a couple of 

 ounces of castor oil may be given internally. 



DIARRHCEA. 



Etiology of Diarrhoea. — Diarrhoea is the general term 

 applied to abnormal fluidity and increased amount of the 

 alvine discharges. It is met with as a functional disturb- 

 ance of various nature, or as a symptom in the course of 

 general disease or extensive local changes in the intestinal 

 tract. 



The proximate causes of diarrhoea are excessive secretion 

 from the intestinal walls, combined with increased peristaltic 

 action. These conditions are, in their turn, either due to 

 direct irritation of the mucous membrane from without, as, 

 for instance, by food, foul water, parasites, or to indirect 

 influences generated in the animal itself. As instances 

 of the latter may be mentioned the diarrhoea which some- 

 times accompanies the specific fevers, and that which occurs 

 in some structural changes in the liver, spleen and pancreas, 

 and that resulting from disturbance of the nervous system, 

 frequently reflex in nature. 



Perhaps of all causes of diarrhoea, the most frequent in 

 the adult animal is injurious and irregular dieting. Sudden 

 changes in the diet, especially from a dry to a moist or 

 laxative one, ingestion of medicinal substances, copious 

 draughts of cold water, when heated after exposure to the 

 sun's rays or exertion, and feeding immediately after severe 

 work or exposure to cold and damp, may be mentioned as 

 specially liable to induce diarrhoea."^ 



* Mr. Robertson mentions that diarrhoea is sometimes induced by 

 the free use of potatoes ; but this practice is fortunately limited to 

 certain parts of the country. 



