40 General Princijjles of Veterinary Medicine, 



left hand, and the ball passed rapidly along the roof of the 

 mouth, and dropped on the back of the tongue. The hand 

 is quickly withdrawn, the tongue returned to the mouth, the 

 jaws closed and the head for a couple of minutes held slight- 

 ly elevated, and the side of the neck watched to see the ball 

 swallowed and pass down the throat. 



In performing this operation it is well to observe the fol- 

 low^ing rules : — 



1. Take the horse out of his stall, and let him have a 

 halter on, held by an assistant. 



2. Stand on the offside of the horse's head, and be sure 

 ) hold the tongue so that in any movement the horse may 



make, you have a support for the hand against the lower 

 jaw. 



3. Do not pull on the tongue, and let your movements be 

 quiet but rapid. 



With vicious horses, those with small and narrow mouths, 

 and in certain diseases, as lockjaw and mad staggers, hailing 

 irons have been devised, by which the mouth is kept open, 



FIG. 3. — SIMPLE FOKM OF A BALLING IRON. 



and the ball can be given with safety. The above is a 

 simple form which can readily be made of iron by any black- 

 smith, of size to suit. 



The ball is sometimes fastened loosely to the end of a small 

 stick, and thus carried to the back part of the tongue. 



