VETERINARY MATERIA MEDIC A. 619 



and the moist matter that is to form them into an adhe- 

 . sive mass should he of a nature that will neither lerment 

 nor become mouldy. A mass for balls not intended for 

 immediate use should be pressed down into a jar, and 

 tied over with a bladder. As the giving of a ball is a 

 forcible operation, when it is requisite to exhibit medi- 

 cines more than once a day, it is more prudent to give 

 them in the form of drinks. A horse ball should not 

 be so large as a pullet's egg; nor should it be too 

 hard : the weight between an ounce and an ounce and 

 a half, in form resembling a short sausage. A very 

 ingenious instrument is now made for giving balls, 

 which may be used in many cases, but is ^ particu- 

 larly apphcable to colts, ponies, or horses with small 

 mouths. The m.ost convenient mode of ' delivering a balV 

 is, to back the horse in his stall, when the operator 

 should gently draw the tongue out of the mouth ; but it 

 should not be held apart or by itself, as in that case the 

 struggles of the horse may injure it ; it should be re- 

 tained firmly by the fingers of the left hand pressed 

 against the jaw. The ball must now be taken between 

 the tips of the fingers of the right hand, lengthwise, 

 when it should be passed up the mouth close to the roof: 

 having placed the ball on the root of the tongue, the 

 hand may be withdrawn, and the tongue liberated, when, 

 unless the horse should cough, the ball will be swallowed. 

 The head should, during the whole, not be elevated: 

 when it is held up, there is some danger of choking the 



horse. 

 Balsams are a kind of resinous juice, united with some of 

 the extractive matter of the various plants they are 

 obtained fi-om, in combination with an essential oil. All 

 the balsams are occasionally in use in veterinary medi- 

 cine, and were formerly in very high estimation, for their 

 supposed salutary action in chronic diseases. They were 

 also considered as a sovereign vulnerary for abraded 

 urinary passages. It is the modern doctrine to thmk 

 their efficacy overrated, and which is probably in some 

 respects true, particularly as regards their expectorant 

 qualities: nevertheless they are far fi'om being inert; 

 they appear to act very favourably in some instances, as 



