257 



SECTION X. 



DISEASES OF THE STOMACH. 



GORGED STOMACH. 



{^Commonly called Stomach StaggersJ] 



TYMPANITIC STOMACH. 



RUPTURE. 



INDIGESTION. 



GASTRITIS AND POISONS. 



BOTS. 



GASTRIC CONCRETIONS. 



GASTRIC POLYPUS. 



PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 



Plain and simple, and little varied, as the diet of the 

 horse is, even in his domesticated state, one would think 

 that his stomach could hardly experience disorder; and, in 

 point of fact, from tlie quality of his food, in our country at 

 least, it rarely does. But the stomach is liable to abuse from 

 the quantity of aliment introduced : the domiciled animal 

 being, so far, very much under the will and caprice of his 

 master. The stomach of the horse, in eomparisonwith the bulk 

 of other viscera, and that of his body altogether, is remarkably 

 small; the principal design of which appears to be, that it 

 might not be capable of containing such a volume of ali- 

 mentary matter as would, by its pressure against the dia- 

 phragm, prove an impediment to respiration, and thus 

 render the animal either short-breathed, or physically inca- 

 pacitated from sustaining exertion on a full stomach. The 

 late Professor Coleman was wont, with truth, to observe, 

 that the horse is the only animal that can or will exert 

 himself after a full meal : the dog that has been just fed 

 will not hunt ; a man is indisposed for work after dinner ; 

 but as for the horse, he often appears livelier after ha^dng 

 consumed a quantity of food than he was before; and, 

 whether he be in reality in a better or worse condition for 

 work, leaves his stable not only with willingness, but even 

 with alacrity and cheerfulness. One apparent, if not the 

 principal, reason for which is, I repeat, that he possesses a 

 small stomach. 



Since, then, the horse's stomach contains less, it is only 

 II. -[7 ' 



