ON PHYSIC. 135 



usual time, or which indeed may not have purged him 

 at all, but may have passed off, as it sometimes will 

 do, by urine, — under either of these circumstances, 

 it would be advisable not to repeat a second dose 

 until after the lapse of seven or eight days. 



Horses in high condition, and hearty feeders, are 

 consequently much accustomed to be physicked ; and 

 in the preparing of such horses, should they only have a 

 mash or two given them in the evening, and should 

 they at night be allowed their usual quantity of hay, 

 and not be taken out to exercise in the morning before 

 the physic is given, (which I have known repeatedly to 

 be the case,) it will seldom be found practicable to 

 succeed in purging them by the proper time. The 

 quantity of food not only retards the operation of the 

 medicine, for two or three days, but it is very often 

 the cause of the physic not producing any effect 

 whatever. These are the causes which have led 

 grooms into error, supposing the physic not to be 

 sufficiently strong to purge the horse ; and from such 

 supposition, they adopt the practice of giving very 

 large portions of aloes. I have known ten, and some- 

 times twelve drachms of Barbadoes aloes given at one 

 time, and when the succotrine aloes have been given, 

 twelve and fourteen drachms have commonly been 

 the dose. There is no occasion for giving, at any one 

 time, so large a quantity of either of these aloes, 

 to any horse in training. It is not only attended with 

 considerable danger, but by physicking horses in this 

 manner, they often purge to great excess, which very 



