478 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



consider that affection whose prominent or only symptom, 

 is — 



Polyuria or Profuse Staling : Such only being regarded 

 in the light of disease when it amounts to great excess in 

 quantity, and when it continues for such a length of time 

 as causes the well-being of the animal to be evidently 

 affected by it. 



The Causes for this must in general be sought for either 

 in the provender the horse is feeding on, or the water he is 

 drinking. Mr. Tlendle, of Belmont Road, Guernsey, wrote 

 to me in July, 1843, for advice about some horses attacked 

 with what he called diabetes, one of which died ; and which 

 he at length discovered to be owing to stagnant ivater. 

 Dark-coloured, highly fermented, or mow-burnt hay; kiln- 

 dried, called foxy oats, or such as have speared or become 

 musty from laying long in heaps ; barley which has malted, 

 and water having some mineral or diuretic impregnation, 

 are each and all of them to be viewed in the light of injurious 

 agents, notwithstanding they are consumed in many cases 

 with impunity. 



During the three years of occupation the British army 

 continued in France, after the battle of Waterloo, Mr. 

 Castley, V.S. 12th Lancers, had occur to him some well- 

 marked cases of this description. They arose from the 

 unwholesomeness of the oats served out to the cavalry, which 

 were issued from stores where they had lain in such enormous 

 heaps as in a short time not only to heat, but to become 

 ^niterally half rotten.^' This at one time caused diabetes 

 (insipidus ?) to a ^'frightful extent.^^ Mr. Castley endea- 

 voured to check it by giving chalk in water. For common 

 use, Mr. Castley generally found the following formula 

 satisfactory : — Take of powdered galls, alum, and bole, of 

 each 5i, ginger 5i, and mix them in a quart of beer; or 

 give them, divided into two parts, in balls, morning and 

 evening. 



The Symptoms, in ordinary cases, attendant upon these 

 immoderate fluxes of urine are — insatiable thirst, with, 

 unless this be appeased, a refusal to feed as usual ; unhealthy 



