OR, HORSE DOCTOR. 33 



him stale and perspire plentifullj, and at tlie same time 

 bring down the swelling of his legs. The following is well 

 calculated for the purpose : 



6 drams of Socotrine Aloes. 



4 ounces of Gum Guaiacum, in powder. 



2 drams of Ginger. 



2 drams of Jalap. 



2 drams of Oil of Juniper. 



To be madft into a ball with syrup of buckthorn. By pur- 

 suing this method the horse will soon be recovered, for 

 this purge will mend his appetite, and increase his flesh. 

 If it be too weak, add a dram more of aloes. It will bring 

 down his swelled legs, and cany away all the superfluous 

 matter that clogs the blood. When you give the physic, be 

 careful to give plenty of warm water all the time. 



A Surfeit. 



Some people pronounce every ill-thriven horse surfeited, 

 whether he is so or not. A Surfeit is nothing more than the 

 effects of an ill cured disease, and therefore what is called a 

 Surfeit in horses is very different to the disease which bears 

 that name in the human body ; the latter being the begin- 

 ning of a disease, and the former the remains of one. 



Symptoms.— The horse's coat will stare, look of a rusty 

 color, and even appear dirty, although the greatest pains 

 have been taken to keep him clean. His skin will be cover- 

 ed with scales and dandruff, which will appear like meal 

 among the hair, and when cleaned off will be followed by a 

 succession of the same matter, occasioned bv the perspira- 

 tion being obstructed. Some horses will be covered with a 

 kind of_ scab, sometimes moist, attended with heat and in- 

 flammation, and the humor so very sharp, and causing so 

 violent an itching, that the creature is incessantly rubbing 

 himself, and by that means making himself raw in different 

 parts of his body. Some horses have neither scales, dan- 

 druff, nor scab ; but look dull, sluggish, and lazy. Some are 

 hidebound, and others afflicted with flying pains and tempo- 

 rary lameness. In short, the svmptoms are very various, and 

 almost as numerous as those of the scurvy itself. 



Causes.— The causes are as various as the symptoms. Some ' 

 horses are surfeited l^y high feeding and want of proper ex- 

 ercise ; which produce a bad digestion, and generate ill 

 humors. Some are surfeited by unwholesome food ; some 

 by hard riding ; some by drinking cold water when they are 

 hot I some by bad or improper physic, and some by standing 

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