DISEASES OF THE HEART AND BLOOD, EIC. 371 



tary canal — its source of nutrition — is in great degree or en- 

 tirely suspended. 



The amount of blood to be taken at any one time will de- 

 pend upon the violence of the attack, or the length of time 

 which the disease has been running. It will be very seldom 

 that the practitioner will find it judicious to take more than 

 four quarts at a single bleeding, and from this the quantity 

 will diminish down to a quart, in case of extreme weakness 

 or a mild attack. In sudden attacks of inflammation, copi- 

 ous bleeding will be necessary only once, as a general rule. 

 In chronic or constitutional diseases, it may be necessary to 

 bleed oftener, but not so much should be taken at one time. 

 Big head, hide-bound, mange, fistula, chronic founder, and 

 some other disorders, make the blood very black, and here 

 the stream should be kept running until its color changes to 

 a healthy venous color — somewhat darker than arterial blood, 

 but still a beautiful red. In cases of lock-jaw and blind 

 staggers, the vein must be kept open until the pulse falters, the 

 knees begin to tremble, and the horse commences to blow. 



The proper place to bleed is in the neck vein — the jugular 

 vein, as its proper name is — about two inches down the neck, 

 from where the two branches of the vessels unite. It is a 

 little below the point indicated at t in the cut at the begin- 

 ning of the next section. 



"We will now describe the manner of bleeding in the way that 

 most horsemen will practice it, not being supplied with a lancet, 

 which is a matter of no consequence. The operation is so 

 simple that no farmer, or intelligent lad who is intrusted with 

 the care of a team, need have any fears about undertaking it,, 

 if his mind has once been conclusively made up in relation 

 to its necessity. A small, hard cord should be drawn tightly 

 around the neck, about six inches below the place where the 

 incision is to be ijiade, and, as soon as the neck fills out, 

 smooth the hair with the moistened finger, so that it may lie 

 close and straight with the vein. Then have some one to 

 hold the horse ; cover the eye on the side whence the blood 

 is to be drawn, or, if the operator is alone, the horse may be 



■ * 



