96 THE MODERN HORSE DOCTOR. 



of the throat, trachea, and chest, do much good ; blisters and setons 

 are highly extolled, but they only torment the patient, and in- 

 crease the irritability of, not only the parts to which they are ap- 

 plied, but the animal also ; and then we cannot regulate their 

 action so well as we can that of other agents of a more sanative 

 character ; for the pain and irritation will sometimes remain a 

 long time after their removal. A good effect is generally pro- 

 duced from the occasional application of essence of white mus- 

 tard seed, tincture of capsicum, and we have witnessed favorable 

 results attend the use of essence of cedar. When a relaxing 

 effect is desirable — and we do not know but such is always so 

 in bronchitis — the following can be used : — 



Vinegar, 1 pint, 



Powdered lobelia, .... 2 ounces. 



Let the above simmer over a slow fire for a short time, and ap- 

 ply it to the throat two or three times a day. The throat should 

 be encircled with a piece of soft flannel. 



The bowels are to be kept loose ; not by purgatives, for their 

 action on the digestive surfaces is sure to make matters worse ; 

 the patient must be kept on a sloppy kind of diet, well seasoned 

 with common salt. Fine feed, scalded, and placed before the 

 animal while warm, answers two purposes, viz., that of relaxing 

 the engorged surfaces of the nose and throat from inhaling the 

 warm vapor, and also has a relaxing effect on the bowels, which 

 are apt to become torpid sometimes, from no other cause than 

 want of exercise. If the patient be carried through the various 

 stages of bronchial difficulty, with an eye single to his comfort and 

 convenience, and proper attention is paid to the wants of nature, 

 the skin kept moist, the bowels loose, the patient having the ad- 

 vantages of a pure atmosphere, then the case, if it is a curable 

 one, is sure to terminate favorably. So long as the patient mani- 

 fests febrile symptoms, the drink should consist of water, acidulated 

 with cream of tartar, and an occasional enema must be adminis- 

 tered. In the treatment of bronchitis, whether it be acute, 

 chronic, or epidemic, the patient must be removed from the nox- 

 ious effluvia arising from the bodies and excrements of other 

 animals, for they are highly deleterious when reintroduced into 

 the living body of an animal which, in consequence of disease, is 



