64 COLICS AND THEIR TREATMENT 



removal when the tube has reached the stomach and 

 placing it so that its end is one inch from the end of the 

 tube are both essential preparatory measures. 



The patient, everything being ready, is backed into a 

 single stall and tied loosely to the pillar rein, preferably 

 with a good strong dental halter. Cases in the throes of 

 violent pains should be tied carefully to provide against 

 injury in case of sudden decumbency. The left nostril 

 is usually chosen. The tube is lubricated with a soft 

 vaseline, but the entire length should not be lubricated 

 at once, as it may become soiled by litter adhering to it 

 during the first maneuvers of the operation. It is best 

 to lubricate only about eighteen inches and then apply 

 vaseline to the remainder as fast as it enters the nostril. 

 In this manner the tube is kept free from any grit, litter, 

 earth or any other loose objects over which it is certain 

 to be trailed. 



The end of the tube is held in the right hand, which 

 now directs it along the floor of the nasal fossa by a 

 firm pressure, as the left hand slowly pushes it back- 

 ward. When buried ten inches the head should be ex- 

 tended to bring the channel through which the tube must 

 pass nearer to a straight line. The tube may now be taken 

 in both hands and pushed right down without further 

 hesitation, except to lubricate it with vaseline as fast as 

 it enters. 



The timid, unskilled operator may stop momentarily 

 after three feet of the tube has entered to palpate the 

 neck to assure himself it has not passed into the trachea, 

 an accident that very seldom, if ever, occurs, when a 

 stylet is used. With the limber rubber tube passed with- 



