OF PURGATIVES, AND PHYSICKING OF HORSES. 599 



his surprise, he found the haemorrhage had ceased, and did 

 not again return. In another case, where an Enghsh prac- 

 titioner accidentally opened the carotid, he placed a compress 

 on the orifice, and had relays of men to hold it there tor 

 eio-ht-and-forty hours ; when it was found the bleeding had 

 stopped The admission of air is also another serious acci- 

 dent that now and then attends bleeding: it sometimes 

 happens from the sudden removal of the fingers or blood- 

 can or whatever was used to distend the vessel by ob- 

 structing the return of the blood : this being suddenly taken 

 away allows the escape of the blood towards the heart, and 

 occasions a momentary vacuum, the air being heard to rush 

 with a gurgling noise into the vein through the orihce ; 

 it then mixes with the blood, and occasions, in some in- 

 stances, almost immediate death. The animal begins to 

 tremble ; he next staggers, and finally falls in a state of con- 

 vulsion • if the quantity of air taken in has been consider- 

 able, death ensues. The remedy must, therefore be in- 

 stantaneous, and consists in again opening the orifice, or 

 making a new one, to gain an immediate renewed How ot 

 blood, which will, in most cases, renovate the horse, who 

 has been found afterwards to be tormented with an intoler- 

 able itching. 



OF PURGATIVES, AND PHYSICKING OF HORSES. 



Theory and effects of purgation.— The principles of purga- 

 tion are the same in man and the horse ; but the products 

 vary thus it commonly requires twenty-four hours to 

 produce complete catharsis in the horse, whereas two or 

 three hours, and often less, will effect it in man. Speciality 

 of structure produces this difference. The alimentary track 

 is of immense length in the horse, and the surface to be 

 stimulated into action is consequently of great extent ; add 

 to which, that the erect position of man is favourable to a 

 p;ravitation, particularly of the hquid abdominal contents, 

 which the horizontal posture of the horse tends to retain. 

 Cathartics act by stimulating the intestines to a more fre- 

 quent evacuation, and they also increase the quantity of the 

 matter expelled : under some circumstances they alter the 

 quality of it also. A simple increase of the peristaltic 

 motion of the bowels will hasten the expulsion of the excre- 



