128 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



Before the effects of this medicine pass off, give him two 

 ounces of laudanum in a little warm water. Do not fail in 

 this, if it can possibly be done. The great object now is to 

 prevent the return of another spasm, by getting him com- 

 pletely under the influence of an anodyne. 



Next, procure a stick, about two feet in length, and make 

 a soft swab on the end of it. Tie the swab on securely, and 

 let the cloth extend over the end of the stick. The string 

 should be long enough to hang down to the other end of the 

 stick, so that you can hold it in your hand, and then, if the 

 cloth should happen to come off while the swab is being 

 used, you will still have hold of it. Dip the swab into some 

 weak tobacco-juice, quite warm, and run it up the horse's 

 nose. Repeat this carefully a few times, and then wash out 

 the whole nostril thoroughly with the little mop. This will 

 open the ducts, and let the water collected in them run out. 

 Whenever a free discharge from the nose can be effected, the 

 horse is out of present danger, and, if the treatment is car- 

 ried out, will presently get well. The foul, watery secretibns 

 will sometimes drip from the nostrils in almost a stream, for 

 a day or more. In a few cases, the writer has known strings 

 of tough, nearly solid matter, two or three inches in length, 

 to be forced from the outlet of the ducts, after which the 

 water would commence running from them freely. 



The final step is to induce a speedy and powerful counter- 

 action, to prevent inflammation from reaching the brain ; or, 

 if it already exists in that organ, to reduce it. What is done 

 for this. purpose must be done quickly. The symptoms of 

 the disease will not wait for the slow action of ordinary rem- 

 edies. A blister mu&t be raised, immediately over the region 

 of the brain. To do this most quickly, wet the skin with 

 the corrosive liniment, or, in the absence of this, with tur- 

 pentine. Over this lay an old piece of cloth, two or three 

 folds in thickness, and apply on the outside a hot smoothing- 

 iron. Hold it there until a blister is drawn. 



One bleeding will nearly always be sufficient; but the rest 

 of the treatment it may be necessary to repeat a number of 



