36i 



NI^W EN C; LAND FAU.^IEU, 



June 1, 1830 



LIBRARY OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE. 



[Cviilinued] 



CHAPTER VIII. 



I.NJURIE9 A.ND DISEASES Of THE SKULL THE 



BHAI.N TIIEEAR.S AND THE EVES. 



We have now .Trrivcil ut a coiivciiiuiit resting 

 jilace in our conic what dry, l)iit necessary descrip- 

 tion of llic dillerent varieties of the liorse, and wo 

 wilhn^jly turn to more practical matter. We will 

 consider the injuries and diseases of this nohle 

 aiiinial. In entering, however, on this division of 

 our work, we would premiere, that it is impossihle 

 for us to give the farmer sucli an account of the 

 nature and treatment of the discasen of horses as 

 will euahle him with safety to practise for him- 

 self^ except ill the toininonest cases. The cau- 

 ses of most diseases arc so ohscurc : their symp- 

 toms so variahle, anil their connexion with other 

 inuladies so complicated and lMy^'teriolls, that 

 a life d voted to professional sliuly will alone 

 fpialify a man to hecomo n judicious practitioner 

 on the diseases of the horse, and other domestic 

 animals. Our object will he to communicate 

 sufFiciciit instruction to the farmer, to enable 

 liim to act with iiromptness and judgment when 

 he cannot obtain professional assistance ; to 

 qualify him to form u satisfactory ooinion of the 

 skill of the veterinary surgeon Wiio:ii he may 

 employ, and, more especially, to div est him of 

 (Strange and absurd prejudices which thot'e in a va- 

 riety of cases, not only produce and proi.'inj J's- 

 seuse '^"' bring it to a fatal terininalion 



rBACTURE, 



resulting from an iinu»iiiil deteimiiiaiion or flow I iiey as gently as circumstances will permit. When 

 of blood to it. This organ reipiiics a large supply j he gets home, a dose of phyr^ic* s-liould he adiiiin- 



of blood to enable it to discharge is important 

 functions. It is supposed that ten times more 

 blood flows through tlie brain than thrnugh any 

 other part of the frame of eipial bulk. Nature In 

 the horse more than in many other animal.-', lias 

 made sonic admirable provisions to cause this 

 great quantity of blooil to flow into the brain 

 without much velocity, and thereby to lessen the 

 risk of suddenly overloading it or rupturing its 



istered if the horse can be .spared, and the quanli- 

 ly of dry food lessened, and mashes given, or greeu 

 niiat, or the hoise should be turned out at night 

 or turned out altngelher for two or three inonihs. 



APOPLEXV. 



The attack sometimes a.-<snnK-s a still more vio- 

 lent form. The horse falls and dies at once. It 

 thi.n rather resembles, or is ihe same with apo- 

 plexy in the human being. To this more serious 



vessels. The arteries pursue their course to the If',,,,,, of the disease he is subject in the stable, 

 brain in a strangely winding and ciivuitous man- nmi cy,.„ „( pusture ; but there is generally eonie 

 ner ; ami tlicy enter the skull through bony holes Uvarning. lie will be seen with the head low, 

 which will admit of the enlargement of the ves- ' <.j(|epjp,i ulmost to the ground, and supported 

 sels only to a very limited extent: yet, from va- against the manger. He slaijgers as be stands, 

 rious causes, of which the most common is violent If moved, he appears as if be would fall. Ills 

 exercise in a hot day, and the horse being fat and glght and hearing arc evidently affected. This is 

 full of blood, more than the usual quantity will not mad staggers, for no inflammuiion of the brain 

 be sent to the head : — or from some negligence j j.., f,,,,,,,! . „or stomach staggers, for there is no 

 about the liarncs.«, as the collar being two small, ,|is[(.„sjo„ of die stomach. The horse will Con- 

 or the curb rein too tight, the blood will be pre- liime in this way from one hour to twelve. He 

 vented from returning from the head; and thus ||,en falls; grinds his teeth ; his eyes are open, 

 the larger vessels of the brain will be too long j |||-oir,i,|ei|^ and fixed ; the pupil is dilated; i.'iere 

 and injuriously distended, and, what is of more nre twilcbiiigs about the frame ; the muzzle is 

 consequence, the small vessels which run through ' cyi, I ; ihe vein of the neck is evideiily swelled ; 

 the substance of the brain will be enlarged, and , 1,^ |s iin„ble to swallow ; the drink is returned by 

 the bulk of the brain will be increased, ai.d it will t|,e nostril or the iiioulh,aiid the dung often void- 

 press u[ion the origins of the nerves, and produce , cd involuntarily ; the twitc.^ings increase to strong 



almost without warning, loss of power and con- 

 sciousness. 



The mildest aflection of this kind is known by 

 the name of Megrims. It comparatively rarely 



convulsions, and death s|)cedily closes the scene 



If there be time for medical trcatmrni, the 

 coirse to be pursued is jdaiii enough. Bleed co- 

 piously f; take at once eight to ten i|uarls. Hiecd 



happens when the horse is ridden ; hut should he j fiom a vein in preference to an artery, for an ar- 



ciptical bone is sometimes fractured ; when he 

 falls forward, and the head conies in contact with 

 the ground, the muzzle or jaws v/ill receive the 

 principal or whole force of the blow. When, 

 however, fracture of the skull docs occur, it is al- 

 most invariably fatal. A blow of snfticient vio- 

 lence to break these bone.s must likewise irrepara- 

 bly injure the dehcatc and important organ which 

 they protect. 



The riilge, or outer and upper part of the orbit 

 of the eye, is occasionally fractured. It happens 

 from falling, or much ofiener from violent blows. 

 The slightest examination will detect the loosened 

 pieces, but a [irofessional man alone can here ren- 

 der effectual asistance. All, however, that he can 

 do will be gently to replace the parts in then- 

 natural situation, and contrive to confine them 

 there by adhesive plaaters ; to obviate inflamma- 

 tion by bleeding physic^, and low diet, nnd leave 

 the rest to nature. 



We proceed then to the distasrs of the head, 

 and the first of these Is pressure o.n the braim. 

 This may be prodiic;ed liy some fluid thrown out 

 lietwecn the membrane-", or occupying and dis- 

 tending the ventricles of the brain. In the grown 

 horse this rarely occurs, but it is well known to 

 breeders as an occasional disease of the foal, un- 

 der the naiiio of ' water in the head.' The head is 

 cither very iiiurli enlarged, or strangely deformed 

 or both ; and the animal dies either in the act of 

 fonling, or a few days after the birth. 



MEURIMS. 



There i* tinother kind of pressure on the 



happened. ; give a strong dose of jiliysic ; but the case is 



Frequently, however, the attack will be of n usually hopeless, and the ino.<:| decisive and skilful 

 more serious iiiiture. He will fall without the treatment alone can avail. We decidedly object 

 slightest warning, or suddenly run round once or to two methoils of cure adopted by some farriers, 

 tw-^ce, and then fall. He will cither lie in a state and farmers too. The (irst is, to blow pepper 

 of cotn|)lete insensibility, ( r struggle with the ut- (and Cayenne pepper if they can get it) up iho 

 most violence. In five or ten minutes he will be- „ostrils of the horse. The violent sneezing that 

 gill gradually to come to himself; he will get up will be produced if the animal is not too in.sensi- 

 and proceed on his journey, yet somewhat dull, {,\f. [„„jt probably, or almom certainly, rupture 

 and evidently affected and exhausted by what 5,o,„e uf the vciisels already over disiendcd. Tin- 

 had happened, although not seriously or perma- other praciico is to give spices and bark to rousi 

 iiently ill. ! the animal. The cftect of these would be to 



This is a very dangerous disease ; dangerous quicken the circulation, and to send yet more 

 to the horse, which will occasionally die on thejlilondto that organ which already had a great 

 spot, and pcculi.irly dangerous to those who drive deal too much, 

 him, for there will freiiuently bo no warning or stomach staggers. 



opportunity to escape. It likewise happens, that ^ disease not much unlike this is known under 

 whether the vessels have been weakened by •'"■"* I ,i,e name of Stecgers. There are two varieties 



violent distension, and afterwards offer less resis- , j. j^ ^^^ sleepy or stomach stagger?, and tli* 



taiice to the flow of blood, or whatever ''l' ,„„,| jj,„^,„prs . |-r,.q,„,,-.t|y, ||„wever, they are only 

 the cause, a horse that has once been attacked '•> jdltferent stages of the same disease, or varying 



megrims is very subject to " return of the com- 1 |||| ,,1^, j.|j||\.j, ,||^, produced thoni. In Stom 

 plaint. No prudent man will drive a horse that | ^^^ Stagoers the horse stands dull, sleepy, stag- 

 has had a second attack, especially if, in the iiiler- 

 mcdiate time, he has taken projier means to pie- 

 vent n recurrence of the fit. 



At the moment of attack, a person who is able 

 to bleed shoiihl take three or four quarts of blood ^^^^^^^ ^^ 



from the neck ; or any one can cut the bars ot the | 



palate, whence n considerable and a snflicieiit • By phy^'lc, whcncvrrihe nordoccurelnthisTreatiM, 

 quantity of blood may be readily obtained. The ^wc mean purKatlve medicine. ■ 



driver should pat and soothe the animal, and care-| t Full dircctioni for l.lccdiiie will bo Riven, when «.- 

 ^11 - .1 I .1 ....^..-i l.lu iniir <lcscrll>c till- uriiMis operations which il may bo nece»».ii\ 



biain, f""y examine the harness, and pursue his jour- 1 ^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^,^^ ^J^ 



gering ; when rniiscd he looks vacantly around 

 him ; perhaps seizes a lock of hay, and dozes 

 again with it in his iiioiilh ; at leiiglh he drcq>8 

 and dies ; or the sleepiness passes oft", and deli- 

 es on, when bo falls, rises again, dro|i«, 



