GREASE-OWING TO DEBIUTY, 143 



Alterative Ball. 



Emetic tartar, 2 drachms, 

 Venice turpentine, half an ounce. 



Mix. with liquorice powder enough to make the ball for one dose. Give one 

 every eight-and-forty hours. On the contrary, if the sweHing depend upon 

 dropsy, as aforesaid, let a fleam or horse lancet be struck into the skin at four 

 or five places distant from each other, and in the lowest or most depending 

 part of the swelling. From these punctures a watery discharge will take 

 place, that relieves the patient of his affliction hourly, and the issue of matter 

 IS to be promoted by keeping open the sores as directed in the case of fistula, 

 &c. at page 119: again, when the swelling indicates the collection of morbid 

 matter, let it be fomented, poulticed, and opened as directed in cases of critical 

 aliscess, in poll-evil, fistula, &c.: the whole scries of these diseases are of the 

 same nature, but differing principally as to situation, which sometimes affects 

 the disease mainly. In this case, for example, the swelling sometimes ascends 

 along the throat, and goes nigh to choke the patient : recourse must be had 

 immediately to poultices, and let these be changed twice a day. The modes 

 of bandaging may be learned by consulting those I have given sketches of, in 

 other cases, at page 79, &c. 



GREASE. 



Causes. — This is another of the diseases that take their rise in a tardy cir- 

 culation of the blood, and consequent indisposition to take up and carry back 

 again to the heart that which has been sent into the extremities for their nour- 

 ishment and renovation. In Book I. at bottom of section 44, this process of 

 taking up, or absorption, is spoken of, whilst the few pages that are there be- 

 stowed on the manner in which the circulation is carried on, show the im- 

 portance of this function, and point out the principles that should guide us in 

 promoting it, when aught has occurred to retard its action. "When great age 

 and consequent lethargic habits cause the blood to circulate slowly, our art 

 can but ill supply the remedy, though the evil may certainly be alleviated by 

 stimulants. A small portion of beans given to aged horses admirably assists 

 the circulation of the blood, especially towards the heels, whilst this very spe- 

 cies of food given to young horses will promote humours of the hind legs in 

 particular, where grease is mostly situate. That is to say, at the part of the 

 animal that is remotest from the heart is the effect of a slow circulation most 

 frequently recurring, and to heavy fleshy cart horses oftoner than to those that 

 are lighter and freer from flesh about the heels. 



Trimming the heels of the hair, which was intended to keep them warm 

 in winter, is a very prolific source of grease. Thorough-bred horses never 

 incur this disorder, so far as I can learn ; and the chances in favour of those 

 which are produced by crosses from blood stock, is in proportion to the amount 

 of their breeding, 



A cold in the heels is caught by walking the horses through water whilst 

 they are hot : or being put into the stable with wet feet at nights ; or lying in 

 a stable that imperfectly keeps out the vyind ; all conduce to that stagnation 

 of the blood, or tardy performance of its function, that causes the animal to 

 generate this disease. They term it debility, but I think we had better sav 

 •' want of ability," or of vigour to drive on the circulation of the blood ; so thai 

 if the blood that is left behind in the fine capillary vessels be ever so good and 

 proper (or its purpose at first, yet the very circumstance of its remaining idle 

 sauses an inflammatory heat, that attracts towards itself all such congenia' 



