MEDICAL TREATMENT — BLEEDING. 93 



Even water, however, let it be observed, contains partial 

 support, and will, for a long time, furnish nutriment suffi- 

 cient to maintain life in a sick body. 



Should the disinclination to feed continue, and the 

 animal be in danger of sinking, then nourishment in the 

 fluid form must be forced upon the horse. For this pur- 

 pose, gruel, made with equal proportions of water, and good 

 stout or sound home-made ale, is to be preferred. The 

 admixture of malt liquor serves to counteract any typhoid 

 tendency, which is certain to be present where dangerous 

 abstinence is displayed. 



Air. — It is of great importance that the atmosphere of 

 the sick apartment be cool and free from impurities. Ob- 

 serve a horse suffering from fever, will have his head 

 turned towards the part of the box which admits the 

 fresh air. Be attentive, therefore, to the ventilation; and 

 likewise look to the cleanliness : for where dung and urine 

 are suffered to accumulate, there will be vitiation of the 

 atmosphere. 



MEDICAL TREATMENT. 



The medical treatment of inflammation consists in the 

 employment of both constitutional and local means. The 

 constitutional ?iXQ general bleeding, purging, sedatives, diuretics j 

 febrifuges, and alteratives. The local means are topical bleed- 

 ing, cold, and warm applications, clothing, and counter-irrita- 

 tion of every description. 



BLEEDING. 



When we come to investigate the nature of inflammation — 

 it will be seen that abstraction of blood must be one of the 

 most direct means of subduing it. 



Horses should be bled on the off side. This is necessary, 

 because animals are generally shown upon the near side. 

 By observing the rule, therefore, the marks left by the 



