OF PINNING THE ORIFICE. ACUTE FOUNDER. 209 



fettet necessary attendance is found inconvenient, the ligature may now be 

 appliisd without danger, but with no additional advantage. 



Pinning up the orifice is the final part of blood-lettin<j that is frequently 

 overdone; that is to say, too much of the skin is drawn up over the oriiice of 

 the vein, so that the blood will How underneath the skin, which causes a swell- 

 ing; and a fistulous tumour is the consequence, that is very troublesome to 

 cure. Where the quantity of bloe)d taken has been small, leaving a redun- 

 dancy in the system, this latter misfortune is likehest to happen; but when 

 the quantity taken has been large, and the horse rests quietly after it, the 

 pinning up may be dispensed with, for the blood ceasing to flow of itself, the 

 parts being brought together will adhere almost naturally, by holding the finger 

 at the orifice for a few seconds. But when you must use a pin, be careful it 

 does not prick the orifice oi the vein. 



Is it necessary to adJ, that the fleam should be clean, and otherwise in good 

 order 1 



Rules. 1. Always give purging physic after letting blood. 2. Never 

 bleed immediately after a run ; nor at the moment pretend to pass judgment 

 on the pulse, as it is then flurried. 3. You may bleed after a fall, or a con- 

 tused wound; though the pulse be not quick, it will then be irregular: incised 

 wounds do not require bleeding, since enough escapes at the wound. 4. If 

 the blood in the measure be very hard, with buff at the top, the animal may 

 be bled again : it indicates high fever. 5. If the blood scarcely coagulates, the 

 poor creature ought not to have been blooded at all. 



ON ACUTE FOUNDER. 



Founder, as a general subject, is one of great importance ; and when it ia 

 considered as probable, that if it does not destroy, it at least renders useless 

 more horses than all other diseases put together, its importance can hardly be 

 rated too high. To a proper consideration of it, however, it must be regarded 

 as consisting of two kinds, and these essentially differing from each other. 

 The one is an acute attack, dependent on diflfused inflammation or fever, like 

 the inflammations of any other important organs : the other, a chronic, occa- 

 sioned by local inflammation, sometimes dependent on constitutional liability, 

 but much more frequently on outward occasional causes. 



But as an acute founder appears to be the most general disease in this coun- 

 try, I shall confine myself entirely to a consideration of it. 



Acute Founder appears to have two origins, in one case being a true me- 

 tastasis of primary fever, or translation of disease from one part to another ; 

 in other instances the attack appears to be made more directly on the feet 

 themselves. In a great many instances it can be directly traced to the effect 

 of obstructed perspiration ; or at least of the sudden alternations of tempera- 

 ture, operating in the production of general febrile affections, whose transla- 

 tion to the feet is sometimes perhaps accidental, and at others may be pro- 

 duced by some cause which has already weakened them. In this latter way 

 it often occurs after very severe exertions; as very hard riding or driving, with 

 previous, present, or subsequent exposure to wet or cold, particularly of the 

 feet, as washing them immediately after the horse arrives; or the tendency 

 may perhaps be increased by first exposing the feet to cold and afterwards 

 suddenly removing them into a warm stable; the vessels of the feet not being 

 able to bear this sudden alteration, distend and fall into inflammation It may 

 in many of these cases occur prior to general fever, which will then be symp- 

 tomatic ; or it may be consequent to it, when the founder itself is the effftci 



