THE MODERN HORSE DOCTOR. 323 



rt cannot be considered as such. It is sometimes indicative of pain, 

 irritation, &c. A horse, for example, has an acute attack of 

 gastro-enteritis, — inflammation of the stomach and bowels ; — he 

 seems to sweat so profusely that the water runs from his body in 

 large drops ; the pain, together with the muscular efforts of the 

 animal, augment this secretion ; and thus augmented, it helps to 

 cool our patient and lessen inflammatory symptoms. In such 

 case, and in many others of an acute character, occurring in a 

 plethoric subject, sweating is decidedly beneficial : it is prostrat- 

 ing, no doubt; but as the object of every practitioner in the 

 treatment of acute disease is to prostrate by some means or other, 

 sweating is a valuable process, in view of cure. Here again we 

 need not prescribe for sweating. 



We, however, often find horses of a w r eak, washy constitution, 

 laboring under some chronic form of disease, that cannot perform 

 mere ordinary work without getting into a perfect lather. Such 

 are proper subjects for veterinary skill, not in view of prescribing 

 anti-sweating medicine — although it prove so, by restoring the 

 animal to health, — but for the purpose of treating the real mal- 

 ady. If successful, the sweating will disappear. 



A horse must be expected to sweat on a sultry day, especially 

 if he shall have imbibed large quantities of water. The sweating, 

 however, is beneficial, and often wards off an attack of founder 

 or rheumatism. 



Profuse perspiration in the last stages of dissolution is a feature 

 only regarded as a symptom, and therefore it is useless to pre- 

 scribe with a view of putting a stop to it. For these and other 

 reasons which might be presented, sweating cannot be considered 

 as a disease. 



Sweating often relieves the system from disease, by liberating, 

 through the surface, morbid matter ; so that if we were to suppress 

 the cutaneous exhalation by providing for its exit through some 

 other depuratory surface, disease of some sort is very liable to 

 succeed. 



There are four depuratory surfaces — the skin, lungs, digestive 

 surface, and kidneys : each is continually eliminating materials, 

 many of which, if retained, would prove injurious to both man 

 and animals. 



