474 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



medicine we appear to have still greater reason to consider 

 these disorders as separate ; since polyuria is by no means 

 infrequent among horses at a certain period of life, and 

 under certain circumstances; whereas diabetes mellitus is a 

 complaint hardly known : and besides, there are other forms 

 of altered urinary secretion which might with quite as much 

 pathological and etymological propriety be ranked under 

 the head of diabetes. I therefore repeat, it would be better 

 if medical and veterinary practitioners would come to the 

 understanding, that nothing but the presence of sugar in 

 the urine constituted diabetes. 



Simple Augmentation of the urinary discharges, without 

 any material change in the composition of the urine, is the 

 effect of a multitude of causes, some of an alimentary, others 

 of a medicinal, and others again of a nervous nature, and 

 when but temporary, can hardly be viewed in the light of 

 disease. Every horseman knows how very often certain 

 kinds of hay and corn occasion horses to stale more than 

 they ought to do, and that drinking a large quantity even 

 of plain water will produce the same result. Medicines 

 called '' urioe balls,^^ i.e. diuretics, are given for the especial 

 purpose of increasing the secretion of urine. But nervous- 

 ness will likewise do it — fright or joy, or anxiety of any 

 kind almost, will make a horse stale inordinately. How 

 frequently do we see hunters at the covert side, when the 

 hounds are about finding, in their agitation, staling or 

 continually stretching themselves out to do so ; and we have 

 all seen horses having wounds commence staling the moment 

 the twitch is put on, from the recollection that such has 

 been the prelude, on past similar occasions, to some painful 

 cutting or dressing they had to undergo. 



IMMODERATE THIRST dipsOsis CWens. 



Some few remarkable instances among horses are on 

 record. Perhaps the most remarkable of all is the case that 

 occurred, many years ago, to my late father, which I will 

 here relate in his own words. 



