DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 153 



stallion when aged; (n) change of climate has repeatedlj^ been followed 

 b}^ barrenness; (o) h3'bridity, which in male and female alike usually 

 entails sterilit}- . 



Treatment.— The treatment of the majority of these conditions will 

 be found dealt with in other parts of this work, so that it is onl}'" nec- 

 essar}^ here to name them as causes. Some, however, must be spe- 

 cially referred to iu this place. Stallions with undescended testicles 

 are beyond the reach of medicine, and should be castrated and devoted 

 to other uses. Indurated testicles may sometimes be remedied in the 

 early stages by smearing with a weak iodine ointment dail}" for a length 

 of time, and at the same time invigorating the S3^stem by liberal feeding 

 and judicious work. Fatty degeneration is best met b}' an albuminoid 

 diet (wheat bran, cotton-seed meal, rape cake) and constant well-regu- 

 lated work. Saccharine, starch}', and fatty food (potatoes, wheat, corn, 

 etc.) are to be specially avoided. In the mare one diseased and irri- 

 table ovary should be removed, to do away with the resulting excita- 

 bility of the remainder of the generative organs. An irritable womb, 

 with frequent straining and the ejection of a profuse secretion, may 

 sometimes be corrected b}" a restricted diet and full but well-regulated 

 work. Even fatigue will act beneficiall}^ in some such cases, hence 

 the practice of the Aiab riding his mare to exhaustion just before 

 service. The perspiration in such a case, like the action of a purga- 

 tiv-e or the abstraction of blood just before service, benefits, by ren- 

 dering the blood vessels less full, by lessening secretion in the womb 

 and elsewhere, and thus counteracting the tendency to the ejection and 

 loss of semen. If these means are ineffectual, a full dose of camphor 

 (2 di*ams) or of salacin may at times assist. Low condition and anemia 

 demand just the opposite kind of treatment — rich, nourishing, albumi- 

 noid food, bitter tonics (gentian), sunshine, gentle exercise, liberal 

 grooming, and supporting treatment generally are here in order. 

 Spasmodic closure of the neck of the womb is common and is easily 

 remedied in the mare b}" dilatation with the fingers. 



The hand, smeared with belladonna ointment and with the fingers 

 drawn into the form of a cone, is introduced through the vagina until 

 the projecting, rounded neck of the womb is felt at its anterior end. 

 This is opened by the careful insertion of one finger at a time until 

 the fingers have been passed through the constricted neck into the 

 open cavity of the womb. The introduction is made with a gentle, 

 rotary motion, and all precipitate violence is avoided, as abrasion, 

 laceration, or other cause of irritation is likel}' to interfere with the 

 retention of the semen and with impregnation. If the neck of the 

 womb is rigid and un^delding from the induration w4iich follows inflam- 

 mation — a rare condition in the mare, though common in the cow — 

 more force will be requisite, and it ma}^ even be needful to incise the 

 neck to the depth of one-sixth of an inch in four or more opposite direc- 

 tions prior to forcible dilatation. The incision ma}' be made with a 



