68 STRUCTURE AND ECONOMY OF THE HORSE. 



the first part of the small intestuies ; and being more closely 

 bound by peritoneum, its motions are more confined than the 

 others. It is connected by peritoneum to the right kidney, is 

 larger and more vascular than the other small guts, but shorter 

 than either ; it is also redder, and takes a straighter course than 

 the others ; and about six inches from the stomach it receives 

 the ducts or tubes of two important glands, the liver and the 

 pancreas, which fact affords a reason for the confinement of 



this gut. 



The Jejunum and the Heian float loosely about the abdomen, 

 being attached to the spine by means of the mesentery. The 

 latter gut is considered to be longer than the former, but there 

 is no proper distinction between the one and the other. They 

 are both paler and less vascular than the duodenum ; and the 

 jejunum, which joins the duodenum, is somewhat redder than 

 the ileum. The small intestines together contain about eleven 

 gallons of fluid, and from them the chyle is principally absorbed 

 by the lacteals. 



The large intestines are considerably more capacious than the 

 small, though less in length, and altogether will contain nineteen 

 gallons of fluid. They are, with much more justice than the 

 others, distinguished into three divisions ; the Cacum, the C0I071, 

 and the .Rectum. The small intestines terminate in a peculiar 

 manner, by projecting at right angles into a cavity, called the 

 blind head of the colon, at which place there is a valve which 

 prevents the food returning. From this blind head the caecum, 

 which will contain about four gallons, extends downwards and 

 forwards into a blind extremity, it having, indeed, but one 

 opening. This gut may be considered as the principal recep- 

 tacle for fluids ; for it has been found that shortly after a horse 

 has had water, it has passed the whole length of the small guts, 

 and entered the caecum, whilst the solid food has been left 

 behind. The internal surface of this gut is formed into cells, 

 by which it is considerably extended. 



On examining the inside of the caecum, the part where the 

 ileum enters will be found closed up by the internal coat, 

 being loose and in folds, something like the part where the 

 oesophagus enters the stomach. This kind of structure serves 

 as a valve, and prevents the return of the excrement into the 

 alimentary canal. It is necessary that the reader should bear 

 in his memory the structure of this part ; for in flatulent colic, 

 in addition to the resistance made by this valvular structure to 

 the escape of the air which is generated in the stomach and 

 alimentary canal, the caicum is often so loaded with excrement 

 as to render the escape of air impossible without the assistance 

 of clysters, which, if pi'operh/ administered, will completely 

 empty the cajcum and large bowels in general. 



