OR, HORSE DOCTOR. 23 



they are expanded to perform their proper functions. Nor 

 is this opinion founded upon bare conjecture, for horses that 

 have died broken-winded have been opened, and the lungs 

 and other parts found too large for the chest. But although 

 hasty feeding is often the cause of this disorder, yet it is not 

 always, for a narrow chest may cause it. It has been ob- 

 served that horses rising eight years old are most subject to 

 it. The reason of this is, because a horse arrives at his full 

 strength and maturity at that age. At six he generally fin- 

 ishes his growth in height ; then he lets down his belly, and 

 spreads, and all his parts gain their full size ; so that the 

 pressure on the lungs and the midriff is now increased. 



Also,' when the horse catches cold and gets a dry cough, 

 the lungs are much larger than they ought to be, and at that 

 time riding sharply is enough to force the lungs so hard 

 against the midriff as to force a passage through it.* 



A few years back some people pretended to cure the com- 

 plaint by boring ; but none were ever cured by it yet, nor 

 ever will be. They made a hole above the fundament, to 

 let out the wind that was forced through the midriff into the 

 bowels ; and this caused the horse to be continually dis- 

 charging wind out of the place ; so that the pretended cure 

 was worse than the disease. 



Dissections of horses that have died broken winded, have 

 sufficiently proved the truth of the above observations ; and 

 that not only the lungs, together with the heart and its bag, 

 were preternaturally large, but also the membrane which 

 divides the chest ; and that the midriff was remarkably thin. 

 In some horses the disproportion has been so great that the 

 heart and lungs have been almost twice their natural size, 

 yet perfectly sound : and without any ulceration whatever, 

 or the least defect in the windpipe or in its glands. 



From these observations it abundantly appears, that the 

 enormous size of the lungs, and other contents of the chest, 

 by hindering the free action of the midriff, is the principal 

 cause of this disorder ; and as the lungs are found much 

 more fleshy than usual, they must consequently have lost a 

 great part of their spring and tone. 



Therefore, as this disorder is caused by the largeness of 

 the lungs, we may conclude that it is one of those diseases 

 which can not be cured by art ; and that the boastings of 

 those who pretend to cure it are built on a sandy foundation. 

 They may indeed relieve the complaint, but will never cure 



* The Midrif?, or Diaphragm, is that which is commonly called the 

 Skirts, and separates the Chest (where the lungs lie) from the Bowels. 



