BLISTERING. 



591 



acting, the litter should be removed from under the feet, or 

 it will'tickle the legs, and irritate ; but, above all, the head 

 ought to be most carefully secured, for two days and niglits, 

 to oppose lying down, more especially to prevent the horse 

 biting the bhstered part. On the third evening he may be 

 permitted to repose ; but a prevention should even then 

 be continued, by means of what is called a cradle. This 

 apparatus may be bought at every turning shop ; or may 

 be made of eight or ten pieces of round wood, an mch and 

 a half in diameter, and two feet long : these are strung at 

 each end on a rope, and fastened around the neck. When 

 it is intended to blister repeatedly, the effects of the first 

 should have subsided before the second is apphed ; the 

 scurf and scabs also be cleared away, and the part well 

 washed with soap and water. In all cases, the third or 

 fourth day after the application the part should be thoroughly 

 painted over by means of along haired brush (such as are m 

 use with pastry cooks to glaze their crusts) with lead 

 liniment, which should be repeated every day ; and when it 

 is proposed to turn a horse out, it should never be done 

 until the whole blistered surface be quite healed ; otherwise 

 dirt, flies, &c. may prove hurtful. It remains to observe, 

 that, instead of repeated active blistering, it is in some cases 

 preferable to keep up a continual slight irritation on the 

 original blister by means of stimulants, as iodine oint- 

 ment, mild bhstering applications, &c. : caution is however 

 necessary to avoid forming an eschar, and thereby a perma- 

 nent blemish ; but when a blemish is not of consequence, 

 this plan will be found often more efficacious than firing, as 

 in sphnts, spavins, &c. Some practitioners blister mildly 

 one day, and on the next wash off the bhstering matter, 

 thereby saving loss of hair. But there is more of apparent 

 than real good in this plan. If a blister be necessary, it 



requires all its activity. , rn - i 



Ammoniacal blister.— Sipmiish flies are only efficacious when 

 the animal can afford to wait their action, which is rather 

 slow. In most of the acute diseases the horse w^ould perish 

 before the blister began to rise, wherefore resort has been 

 had to boiling water and red hot iron. The action of these 

 last coarse and brutal measures, was alone controlled by 

 the violence of the internal inflammation ; and if the practi- 



