302 INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN. 



No prognosis can be pronounced upon merely seeing the 

 horse. The condition is one of extreme danger, and every 

 thing depends upon the susceptibiUty of the animal to the 

 action of medicine. 



The cure of stomach staggers. — This is far easier talked 

 about than accomplished. The sluggish stage, however, 

 affords the only hope of doing good. From the known 

 congestion of the brain, it would seem indicated, to the 

 general notion, to abstract blood largely ; but after such a 

 bleeding, as in this case alone could be of service, the horse 

 very probably would never afterwards be of any use to his 

 master, even though its life were saved. The veterinary 

 surgeon is wanted to restore active health, and not to save 

 life ; and he, therefore, does wisely, who lets the fleam or 

 lancet rest in his pocket. The blood in the body, more- 

 over, if all of it were drained, would leave a congested 

 brain behind it, as animals bled to death sufficiently show ; 

 and the blood is required to restore that vital activity, on the 

 return of which the only hope of cure depends ; while its 

 sudden abstraction might remove present pressure, and 

 enable the brain to act without restoring it to tranquiUity. 



The medical attendant, therefore, does not bleed. He 

 places his main hope in counter-irritants and in purgatives. 

 He administers six ounces, or even eight, if the horse be 

 large and in working condition, of solution of aloes, blended 

 with an ounce of extract of gentian. Next, he applies a 

 cloth, saturated wnth liquor ammonia, diluted with only 

 half its quantity of w ater, to the abdominal surface ; and 

 obtains four men, w^ith rather dull noses, to hold a blanket 

 or blankets, several times doubled, over the cloth whereby 

 it is kept close to the part. Warm sheep skins, as soon 

 as they can be procured, are to be placed all along the 

 spine. A pint of turpentine, in strong soap and water 

 (about a gallon), is to be thrown up as an enema. The 

 feet are to be well rubbed with oil of cantharides, rendered 

 more mild by the admixture of thrice its quantity of sim- 

 ple oil, and then to be closely bandaged up as high as 

 possible. In four hours, one-third of the former quantity 

 of the physic may be given by the mouth, or if the 

 horse should be likely to fall when the head is raised, the 

 tube of a human stomach pump may be passed through 



