REGFMEN. MERCURY, PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY. 15.1 



ttnes and rectum, to which they adhere and cause the animal to rub his breech 

 against the wall or upright of the stall. Should those symptoms continue, and 

 the generating of worms remain unchecked, the horse falls into profuse sweats 

 on the least exertion, and when these cease, he exhibits a weak and languish- 

 ing condition, scarcely notices a brisk application of the whip, his skin adheres 

 to his ribs and flanks — hide-bound has commenced. Cough more or less hec- 

 tic according to his remaining strength, accompanies him to his end ; for, aa 

 to a cure being practicable when hide-bound arising from such a cause has 

 fairly laid hold of him, 'tis clean out of the question. 



Regimen. — As the commencement of this disorder is mainly attributable 

 to the coarseness of the animal's food and consequent incapacity of its guts to 

 eiipel the hardened materials, so will an entire change in the mode of feeduig 

 him do more towards effecting a cure than all the medicine we can prescribe, 

 and all that the most liberal hand would bestow. I think it would be too much 

 to expect that generous treatment alone should effect a cure of itself, but 1 

 certainly have known worms voided after a few days' casual good keep ; and 

 in these cases I apprehend we may attribute the coming away to the change 

 or alteration that was so effected in the state of the patient's bowels. Hence the 

 propriety of any change of his usual diet, as well as the advantages of alterative 

 medicines. In the first place, try a run at grass, or give green food in-doors, 

 or succulent and agreeable vegetables. If poor living has not been the origi- 

 nal cause, some defect in conformation has; and the above change, with plen- 

 ty of water-gruel, bran mashes, boiled potatoes, bruised corn, and the like, by 

 'ubricating the parts, may detach the worm, or at least assist the medicine, 

 which ought to have the same tendency. 



Cwre.^-Since the worms are not always to be killed even by strong poisons, 

 nor brought away by brisk purgatives, for a certainty, but are frequently dis- 

 charged in a few days by an alterative regimen, reason dictates and nature 

 reckons us to follow her course, in affording to the horse which can not be 

 bpared from work, or a run at grass be obtained, to adopt the means nearest 

 thereto that lie within our reach. Laxative alterative medicines then obtrude 

 themselves upon our notice, and in all cases are found to do good, more or less 

 as they may be addressed to the actual seat of the disorder: in pills, if the 

 worms lie in the intestines ; in powd'^rs or liquid, if they occupy the stomach 

 —in all forms alternately when we are uncertain. The various preparations 

 of mercury and of antimony, with Barbadoes aloes, as being more drastic in 

 operation ; also common salt, box, sulphur, savin (a vegetable poison), and sal 

 Indicus, offer a sufficient variety for the bases of as many varied prescriptions ; 

 and variation here is most desirable, inasmuch as some kind of worms which 

 resist the effects of one subetance may be detached and hurried off by another. 



Water-gruel, as it relaxes the parts, and prepares them and the worm for 

 receiving the antidote, should precede every other remedy, particularly the 

 mercurials; a course of which should be followed by a purgative, but not 

 be given together, as is commonly practised. For ascarides, which usually 

 infest the large guts, I have found great service in calomel to the amount of a 

 drachm or more, given over night twice, followed by a purgati\e next morning 

 after the second. 



No. 1. — Mercurial Bolus. 



Calomel, 1 1-2 drachms, 

 Anise seeds, 5 drachms. 



Mil with treacle for two doses. 

 15 



