THE MODERN HORSE DOCTOR. 149 



seen it accomplish wonders, in relieving the animal of flatus, and 

 freeing him from pain in the course of a very few minutes. The 

 reader may perhaps observe, that when relief is thus quickly 

 obtained, the case is one of colic. Our answer is, that volvulus 

 comes from colic, and if that is cured, there is an end of the mat- 

 ter. We have relieved several horses from this terrible affection 

 by the system of packing, after the fashion of homoeopathy. 



Bloodletting is almost universally practised for this complaint; 

 but we prefer to nauseate instead of deplete. It is one of the 

 most painful affections to which the horse is subject, and in the 

 course of a very short time the pain has so perverted the functions 

 that blood cannot be spared, as will be seen on perusing the fol- 

 lowing article : — 



" Changes which the Blood undergoes during Pain. 



" M. Clement, in his researches on the alterations which pain, 

 a long time endured, may occasion in the composition of the blood, 

 intended to serve in aid of explaining respiration and nutrition, 

 remarks, it appears that during violent pain — 



"1. The water and coloring matter of the blood augment, or 

 seem to augment, in quantity. 



" 2. The albumen and fibrine diminish. 



" 3. That while the fibrine and albumen in unison are diminish- 

 ing i-Jjjjj on an average on the one part, the coloring matters of 

 the blood are increasing about ifajj on the other side. 



" 4. That these facts, studied in relation to the influence of pain 

 on the organism, show that severe pain, by the sure excitation of . 

 the organic functions it produces, must be expected to speed- 

 ily and deeply wear the economy, sovthat this last, in order to 

 sustain itself, has need to react strongly on the elements of the 

 blood. 



" o. That the blood in this case loses part of its fibrine and 

 part of its albumen, without losing any of its globules. 



" 6. That in relation to the study of nutrition and respiration, 

 it would seem to result from these facts, and especially when we 

 come to compare the chemical composition of the blood with that 

 of the soft tissues, in particular the muscles : a, the fibrine, is to 

 serve exclusively for nutrition ; b, and that albumen, which would 

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