208 DICTIONARY OF THE VETERINARY ART. 



Bridle Hand. The left is called the bridle hand, in contra- 

 distinction to the right, which is termed the whip hand. 



Broken Wind. The origin of broken wind is supposed to 

 be a morbid secretion from the membrane lining the windpipe, 

 bronchial tubes, and ramifications ; the air-cells are some- 

 times ruptured, and the air is entangled in the cellular sub- 

 stance, or common connecting membrane. The bulk of the 

 lungs is greatly increased, while their capacity for containing 

 air is diminished. It is stated in Rees's Cyclopaedia, under the 

 head of broken wind, " that after opening more than ten 

 broken-winded horses, their lungs were uniformly found 

 emphysematous. (See Emphysema.) This complaint is gen- 

 erally considered incurable ; but it may often be alleviated 

 by constant attention to diet." The animal should be fed on 

 shorts, and green food if it can be procured, and boiled car- 

 rots. When used, his exercise should at first be moderate, and 

 he should never be exercised immediately after feeding. If 

 the horse shows any disposition to eat the litter, a muzzle 

 must be provided. 



According to Mr. Richard Lawrence, " the most common 

 appearance of the lungs in broken-winded horses is a general 

 thickening of their substance, by which their elasticity is in 

 a great measure destroyed, and their weight specifically 

 increased. At the same time, their capacity for receiving air 

 is diminished." Dr. "White writes, " that he has examined the 

 lungs of broken-winded horses without observing this general 

 thickening of their substance : on the contrary, they have 

 appeared superficially lighter and larger than in their nat- 

 ural state. Two horses were purchased for the purpose of 

 making experiments, and so badly broken winded as to be 

 useless. In the first, the lungs were unusually large, and 

 there was a considerable quantity of air in the cellular mem- 

 brane ; but it was not ascertained whether the air had escaped 

 from the air-cells, or had been generated within the common 

 cellular membrane. The other horse was kept about a month 

 in a field where there was no water and very little grass. 

 When taken up, he appeared perfectly free from the disord^ 



