ABSCESS. 



chanical obstacle, as in the case of the horse's 

 foot, the matter al \rays seeks its exit by an ex- 

 ternal opening. If this \vere not a law in the 

 animal economy, and if the matter were to 

 spread indiscriminately on all sides, it mi'jfht 

 not only accumulate to an enormous extent, 

 and produce much destruction, but by en- 

 croaching upon vital organs, it might be a very 

 frequent cause of death. The instances of 

 such a thing happening are rare; but they are 

 easilv accounted for by the presence of some 

 mechanical obstacle which the absorbents 

 could not overcome. Why an abscess should 

 point at one part rather than another, is truly 

 wonderful ; but it is not more so than almost 

 every other process of importance in the ani- 

 mal economy. We may attempt to explain it; 

 but, in truth, to perceive that such i> the case, 

 and that because it would have been wr. >n^ 

 had it been otherwise, is as far as we can pro- 

 ceed. We know that the absor!>ents r-ni 

 portion of that side of the cavity which is next 

 to the external surface ; but we do not know 

 what urges them to act on that >i<le in prefer- 

 ence to any other ; and, perhaps, in a practical 

 point of view, we need not care to know. 



The causes of abscess may in general be 

 traced to an injury done to the texture of a 

 part, or to the introduction of some fon-i^n 

 subst?.nce by which it is irritated. In the for- 

 mer, the formation of matter is a part of the 

 process by which the injury is repaired ; in the 

 latter, it becomes necessary to interpose a 

 bland insensible medium between the sur- 

 rounding parts and the irritating substance, 

 while the same means serve to expel it Thus 

 a severe bruise, the insertion of a thorn, a nail, 

 or any similar agent, may be followed by an 

 abscess. 



The treatment of an ordinary abscess is 

 very simple; as a general rule, the matter 

 should be evacuated as soon as discovered. 

 Let a broad-shouldered lancet be used, and let 

 the opening be made sufficiently large ; and, 

 what is of still more consequence, let it be at 

 the lowest part of the tumour, in order that the 

 cavity may be completely and constantly 

 drained. The general practitioner has some 

 scruple about making an artificial opening, 

 often for good reasons. His patients dread the 

 lancet more than a tedious cnr^; while the 

 skin is thinner, and consequei the natural 

 outlet is sooner formed. But in .lie horse, and 

 the dog. avd still more in ti.j ox, the skin is 

 thick, its removal proportionally slow, and the 

 natural process is both tedious and painful. 

 It is, therefore, better both for the animal and 

 lers, to have an artificial outlet made 

 for the matter as soon as the abscess is 

 brought to a head, either naturally, or by the 

 application of a bran poultice. Little more is 

 necessary than to keep the part clean ; trim 

 the hair from the edges of the orifice, and by 

 applying hogs'-lard, prevent the acrid dis- 

 charge from adhering to, and removing the 

 hair from the skin beneath. Let no pretender 

 stuff the cavity with a candle, or tent of tow, 

 or rowels, or any *hing else. All these inter- 

 fere with nature's operations, prevent the 

 escapp of the matter, produce fistula, and other 

 evils, often far more serious than the original 



ABSORBENTS. 



absces 5. If the cavity do not fill up 550 readilj 

 as might be expected, allow the animal a little 

 more nourishing food than that recommended 

 for invalids ; and inject once, < r even twice a 

 day, a liniment composed of equal parts of 

 spirits of turpentine and swee.toil; or, if the 

 matter discharged, instead of being thick, pale 

 yellow, and without smell, be dark-coloured, 

 variegated, and smell offensively, a solution 

 of chloride of lime, or one to three drachms 

 of nitre in six ounces of water, may be used. 

 A hernial tumour [or rupture] has been 

 mistaken for an abscess: and, in consequence, 

 the blacksmith has plunged a lancet into the 

 gut, or inserted a rowel. This is a most un- 

 'ikvly mistake for a veterinary surgeon to 

 make. The heat, the pain, the rigidity, and 

 the situation of an abscess, would be sufficient 

 to distinguish it from a hernial swelling. If 

 there be met with a tumour without heat or 

 pain, very compressible, elastic, and situated 

 on the belly, the veterinary surgeon would 

 pronounce it a rupture, or hernia ; and of 

 course would never dream of touching it with 

 the lancet. Miller. 



ABSORBENT SOILS. Such soils as im- 

 bibe water. See EARTH, the use of, to vegeta- 

 tion. 



ABSORBENTS. In veterinary medicine, 

 those drugs are termed absorbents that are 

 given internally for the purpose of neutralizing 

 any acid which forms in the stomach and 

 bowels, in consequence of impaired digestion. 

 Prepared chalk is generally used for this pur- 

 pose. Those medicines are likewise termed 

 absorbents which are applied externally for 

 absorbing moisture. Armenian bole, calamine, 

 flour, and the like, are employed in this way. 

 They are sometimes dusted between folds of 

 the skin when galled, and raw from friction, 

 blisters, or grease. They are likewise useful 

 in canker of the horse's foot, foul in the foot 

 of cattle, foot-rot in sheep, and sores between 

 the toes of dogs ; and they are beneficial in 

 some forms of mange, in staying bleeding, 

 and assisting the cure of a penetrated joint. 



ABSORBENTS. In veterinary physiology, a 

 class of vessels whose office it is to convey the 

 product of digestion, and the residue of nutri- 

 tion into the circulation, to be mixed with and 

 repair the waste of the blood. They are di- 

 vided into lacteals and lymphatics. The for- 

 mer are all situated in the cavity of the belly ; 

 and by extremely minute mouths, opening on 

 the inner surface of the stomach and intes- 

 tines, they receive the nutritious portion of the 

 food, and carry it to a vessel which runs along 

 the left side of the spine, and which, in its 

 turn, empties itself into the left jugular vein. 

 The lymphatics are distributed over every 

 portion of the frame, at least over every po.r- 

 tion that contains blood. Their different 

 branches are so minute and so numerous, that 

 a celebrated anatomist who attempted their 

 dissection, is said to have thrown down his 

 knife in despair, exclaiming, " that the^ body i| 

 entirely composed of absorbents." The uses 

 of the lymphatics are, to remove the residue 

 of nutrition; and when the supply of food is 

 deficient, to remove such portions of the body 

 as can be spared and converted into blood. It 



