DIARRHOBA, 363 



pastures are, by long continuance in them, exceeding apt to 

 generate diarrhoea ; and this of such a nature as is very likely, 

 in the end, to run into the worst form of this disease, or what 

 is called dysentery. Even simple water, given at an improper 

 time and in an improper quantity, will be productive of 

 purgation, which may run into a diarrhoea. Every traveller 

 knows, that if his horse gets a pailful of water before he starts 

 on his journey, or while on the road, it will be likely, after 

 exertion, to throw the animal into a profuse sweat, and set 

 him violently purging. Independently of which, there are 

 waters possessing peculiar properties or impregnations, such 

 as take a peculiar or diarrhoeal effect on the. bowels. 



As for medicinal substances, there are many that will 

 excite purgation simply on the principle of causing irritation ; 

 but there are some few which have this property resident in 

 some peculiarity of composition : these we denominate purges, 

 of which one of our most potent and efficacious ones is aloes. 

 There was a time when the veterinarian was indebted to 

 the groom and the horse-dealer for most of his cases of 

 diarrhoea — when from one to two ounces of aloes, and calo- 

 mel besides, were given indiscriminately to young horses, on 

 their arrival out of the country. Such practices, however, 

 are in a great measure discontinued; and for humanity's 

 sake, it is a fortunate thing they are, as the consequent 

 super-purgation was occasionally attended with such intense 

 inflammation of the mucous membrane that the death of 

 the animal became an almost inevitable sequel. Even blue 

 vitriol, which we regard as a tonic, will very often, in large 

 continued doses, give rise to purgation. Indeed, this is by 

 no means an uncommon effect of any medicament, when 

 once it is carried to a harmful or poisonous extent. The 

 horse is seized with griping pains; gurglings are heard in 

 his inside ; and he continues to express painful uneasiness, 

 until, on a sudden, a copious emission of liquid dung and 

 flatvdence bursts from him, when he becomes as suddenly 

 relieved, and remains so for a short interval; when his 

 gurglings and pains become renewed, and end, the same as 

 before, in alvine and flatulent discharge, and an interval 



