22 DISEASES OF ANIMALS. 



meats should receive particular attention m regard to 

 exercise, this indispensable requisite to health — this 

 emphaticai sine qua non, (not without which.) 



Let all animals have suitable exercise ; it is alike con- 

 ducive to their health, comfort and happiness ; and it 

 contributes largely to their utility for every purpose for 

 which we keep them, whether for labor, propagation, for 

 the production of milk, or for their flesh. 



ABSTINENCE. 



A great many diseases may be cured by abstinence, 

 or by living a few days, or longer, if necessary, on light 

 food. Many a person, by living on gruel, porridge, 

 potatoes, turnips, fruits, and other light food, for a short 

 time, has warded off threatened disease, or saved him- 

 self from active treatment under medicine that would 

 have prostrated him, weakened the powers of digestion, 

 and perhaps impaired the strength of the constitution. 



Physicians generally, and the most skilful in particu- 

 lar, are too wise to take much medicine, however lib- 

 erally they may deal it out to satisfy the expectations 

 of their anxious patients, who depend mostly on them 

 for recovery. Howard, Napoleon, and many other dis- 

 tinguished men, who had a great knowledge of the 

 human system, seldom took medicine ; but, on the 

 approach of disease, they fasted, or lived abstemiously, 

 and thus avoided sickness. "We make these remarks 

 with a view of urging the importance of abstinence, or 

 light feeding, in treating animals that are suffering from 

 inflammatory complaints, and various diseases brought 

 on by too rich and too liberal feeding. Light food, such 

 as bran mashes, roots in small quantities, coarse fod- 

 der, straw, &c , will fill ^he stomach, satisfy and make 

 the animal comfortable, and prevent the danger that 

 might arise from an empty stomach, in case of total 

 abstinence, and yet afford but little nutriment to support 

 inflammation, and feed a disease. In this way ,^ many 

 diseases may be prevented by timely consideratio'n, and 

 this course of treatment, while the animal is under 

 disease, may cure, or serve as a valuable auxiliary in 

 connection with the medicines- 



