180 3ADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGEKV. 



then H(j down flat on his side, turn his head toward the ribs, ami, 

 after a short time, raise the forward parts, and sit on his hauuclies 

 like a dog. At last he fell over^ gave two or three convulsive 

 struggles, aud died, just thirty-five minutes from the time we fi- * 

 saw him. 



Next morning, in company with Dr. Wood, we proceeded \ 

 "Ward's establishment, but came very near being too late ; for the 

 metamorphosis of the horse into grease, food for swine, etc., had 

 commenced. We however had an opportunity to make a '^lasual 

 examination of some of the organs, and found a rupture of the 

 stomach of some six or eight inches. Tht contents, some of which 

 were found in the abdominal cavity, were very imperfectly (crudely) 

 masticated. It may be proper, therefore, to name the disease in- 

 digestion ; its consequences, tympanitis of the stomach ; the cause 

 of death, rupture of the stomach. The loss of vision referred to 

 b one of the symptoms which generally attends acute indigestion. 



A person, who was present during the last moments of the ani- 

 mal's life, asked if we were not going to give or administer some- 

 thing. Our reply was, that we never tortured dying horses by 

 forcing drugs down their throats. One of our duties, as a i)hysi- 

 cian, was to know when to withhold medicine — when to do 

 nothing; and another equally important one was to be able tc 

 discriminate between a hopeless aud curable case. The one lq 

 question was beyond the aid of science, and, therefore, in view of 

 " clearing our skirts " of being the cause of death by administer- 

 ing the last dose (a charge that is often ungenerously laid at the 

 door of medical men), we preferred to watch the dying animal, 

 and give directions calculated to lessen the pains of death. 



Unfortunately for us and our patients, many employers form an 

 estimate of medical qualification in proportion to the amount of 

 medicine administered. They have an idea that the more medi- 

 cine we give, the greater are our eiforts to control the disease, and 

 the more willing are they to pay for the same, when, in ninety* 

 ume cases out of a hundred, the very reverse is the case; foi 

 many diseases to which horses and cattle are subject have a definite 

 type and limited duration, and would terminate favorably with 

 less medicine ; provided, however, the patient have the advantages 

 of pure air, suitable diet, and proper management. Many medi- 

 cal men are compelled to swerve from the line of their own con- 

 irictions merely to satisfy their employers. This Miould not be. 



