STRANGLES. 159 



moting suppuration and eliminating matters now proved 

 noxious to the constitution) is to foment and poultice con- 

 tinually the tumour, and at the same time to feed the horse 

 high, giving him plenty of corn; beans too, perhaps, and 

 good old hay ; the object being by all means, constitutional 

 as well as local, to urge the formation of abscess. And 

 therefore, bleeding, purging, diuretic, or any other medi- 

 cine promoting absorption, or anything that may elicit dis- 

 charge from the nose, is inadmissible, and calculated to be 

 seriously injurious to any animal having strangles. 



Local Treatment. — Feel the throat daily; the tumour 

 will confirm your diagnosis. But do not be in a hurry 

 to open it. Should it enlarge, it will point without our 

 assistance, quite as well as with it. Should it manifest a 

 sluggish disposition, rub it with some blistering liniment, which 

 will bring it forward ; only the natural abscess being sponta- 

 neous, the discharge would probably have shortened the fever. 

 When the tumour is fully fit, freely incise it. This is 

 best done with a knife. Then place a poultice over the 

 wound, and allow the pus to come forth by gravitation, 

 and the pressure induced by the contraction of the sac. 

 This constitutes all that is required. 



It being found by experience to be a more desirable 

 object to bring the tumour to a state of suppuration, and 

 through it elicit or let out the "peccant^^ matter or 

 " humours,^^ instead of attempting to reduce the patient, I 

 at once allow him a generous diet, give him a peck of 

 corn a day and plenty of good hay; which, aided by the 

 local stimulation, by hot fomentations and poultices, and, 

 where the tumour manifests sluggishness, the comp. tur- 

 pentine liniment seems most rapidly and effectually to pro- 

 mote the formation of abscess. I do not use blisters, be- 

 cause they are apt in many cases to repel (instead of for- 

 ward) maturation. When there exists a discharge from 

 the nose, there will be some difficulty in generating abscess, 

 because a continual draining away of the matter is probably 

 kept up, acting as a sort of counter-issue. The nasal flux 

 may be much promoted by steaming the nostrils, &c. 



