98 



such cases as does a human being, but drops o£f its food ; it loses 

 flesh, shows no pain, becomes hide bound, with a staring, dirty coat ; 

 is languid ; and finally dies. Treatment is of little use. Sub-nitrate 

 of bismuth may be given night and morning, in two drachm doses, 

 with vegetable tonics ; or 25 drop doses of strong hydrochloric acid, 

 in one pint of cold water, night and morning, can be tried. 1 have 

 seen three cases, but they did no good under treatment. 



250. Gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach, is commonly 

 caused by eating rough, coarse, indigestible food, and from the effect 

 of mineral poisons, such as arsenic, or mercurial salts ; or it may be 

 induced by drinking water, charged with free sulphuric acid, sulphate 

 of iron, or strong alkalies ; or by feeding on mouldy grain ; while, at 

 other times, it is due to worms and bots. It usually proves fatal in 

 a very short time. The horse shows great pain, lying down, rolling 

 about, and perspiring freely, with no intervals of rest ; the nostrils 

 dilating widely, and are red inside ; the under side of the eyelid is also 

 dark red ; the breathing is fast and heavy ; whilst there is an anxious 

 look in the face. The animal soon becomes exhausted, trembling all 

 over, with cold clammy sweats, and finally drops and dies. Treat- 

 ment : To relieve the pain, four ounces of laudanum, in a pint of 

 linseed oil, may be given at once ; blankets, wrung out of hot water, 

 should be rolled round the body, with a piece of stair carpeting 

 wound above them. But professional advice ought to be sent for at 

 the very onset, as hypodermic injections of morphia and atropine are 

 very beneficial in this complaint. 



251. If the inflammation and subsequent death is due to a mineral 

 poison, such as arsenic, or to strong mineral acids, or to alkaline 

 poison, the post mortem shows the inside of the stomach raised up, 

 swollen, and of a ripe red plum colour ; ulcerations may also be 

 present, whilst the pain evinced during life will have been excruciating 

 and acute. But when it is due to the fungi of mouldy grain, the pain 

 is slight, with occasional colicky pains, and a quick small pulse. The 

 horse, in these cases, sometimes fingers on for days in a dull, listless, 

 sickly fashion, occasionally affected with partial paralysis. The post 



