THE MODERN HORSE DOCTOR. 103 



can remove the exciting cause ; and that, in cases of distortion, 

 hepatization, &c, is beyond our art. If the difficulty be at all 

 removable, we know of no better way to accomplish it than by 

 improving the general health of the subject, in the use of proper 

 diet, expectorants, and relaxants ; by steaming the nasal passages, 

 &c. If it arise from atrophy of the muscles, let them be stimu- 

 lated daily with hartshorn liniment, or some such application, 

 and frequent hand rubbing. If from tumors, let them be removed. 

 If the thyroid glands are enlarged, they should be rubbed daily 

 with stimulating liniment, or ointment of iodine. The horse 

 should at all times have the free use of his head and neck, or the 

 best treatment might fail. Should the cause of roaring evidently 

 exist (below the fauces) either in the bronchii, trachea, or lungs, 

 the operation of tracheotomy may be preferred, which consists 

 in making an opening into the trachea, and through it inserting 

 a tube, which may be worn for any length df time, by taking the 

 precaution to cleanse it occasionally. See Tracheotomy. 



COMMON COUGH 



Cough is defined as a sonorous concussion of the thorax, pro- 

 duced by the sudden expulsion of air through the vocal organs. 

 It is present, and often causes some annoyance to the patient, 

 when suffering from catarrh, laryngitis, bronchitis, strangles, horse 

 ail, &c. Cough is present also in cases of deranged digestive 

 organs, and when a quantity of worms are present in the diges- 

 tive cavity. We examined a horse once which was the subject of 

 chronic cough from diseased liver. During life the mucous sur- 

 faces were always more or less tinged with bile ; he was subject 

 to constipation also. The post mortem revealed a tuberculous 

 liver. A common cough, therefore, may attend various forms of 

 disease. In many cases of a catarrhal character, when a quantity 

 of mucus accumulates in the respiratory passages, the act of 

 coughing ejects it, and thus relieves the animal ; therefore, a 

 cough of this kind may be salutary rather than otherwise, and 

 in that event needs no treatment. 



A sympathetic cough can only be cured by directing our reme- 

 dies to the seat of the malady ; that cured, the cough ceases. 



