1 84 Management and Treatment of the Horse. 



symptoms of poisoning ; violent agitation of the 

 limbs, convulsive twitchings, confusion of sight, 

 and extreme pains in the forehead, were observed 

 in nearly all those persons. It seems they were 

 relieved with copious draughts of vinegar, and 

 ultimately recovered. When a person is supposed 

 to be poisoned by eating darnel the best thing to 

 do is to give an emetic, and afterwards partake 

 freely of acidulated drinks. The signs of poison- 

 ing by darnel in the horse are abdominal irrita- 

 tion with occasional diarrhoea, tenesmus, tucked- 

 up appearance of the flanks, anorexia, nausea, 

 irregular respiration, slow and soft pulse, decline 

 of animal heat, vertigo, staggering gait with 

 crossing of the legs, amaurosis, listlessness, coma, 

 and death. These signs are sometimes mistaken 

 again in their turn for acute indigestion and 

 nervous apoplexy. When the horse has eaten 

 darnel and produced the effects of poisoning there 

 is no antidote known to counteract its effect that 

 we can use with reliance ; for empty its stomach 

 we cannot with an emetic, therefore reliance must 

 be placed upon powerful cathartics, stimulants, 

 and the treatment of apoplexy and narcotic 

 poisoning generally. The first thing to do is to 

 empty its stomach, which must be done by the 

 slow process of purging, and nothing is better 

 than one pint and a half of linseed oil, given 

 milk- warm. After that has purged give a four- 

 drachm aloes ball, then tonic medicine to restore 

 the appetite. The difference between darnel 

 poisoning and nervous apoplexy is known by the 

 absence of all cerebral disturbance, weak pulse, 



