HORSE. 



the origins of the nerves, on which all 

 sensation and motion depend, and 

 the animal suddenly drops powerless. 

 A prompt and copious abstraction of 

 blood, or, in other words, a diminu- 

 tion of this pressure, can alone save 

 the patient. Here is the nature, the 

 cause, and the treatment of apoplexy. 



" Sometimes this disease assumes 

 a different form. The horse has not 

 been performing more than his ordi- 

 nary work, or perhaps he may not 

 have been out of the stable. He is 

 found with his head drooping and his 

 vision impaired. He is staggering 

 about ; he falls, and lies half uncon- 

 scious, or he struggles violently and 

 dangerously. There is the same con- 

 gestion of blood in the head, the same 

 pressure on the nervous origins, but 

 produced by a different cause. He 

 has been accustomed habitually to 

 overload his stomach, or he was on 

 the previous day kept too long from 

 his food, and then he fell ravenously 

 upon it, and ate until his stomach 

 was completely distended and unable 

 to propel forward its accumulated 

 contents. Thus distended, its blood- 

 vessels are compressed, and the cir- 

 culation through them is impeded or 

 altogether suspended. The blood is 

 still forced on by the heart, and driv- 

 en in accumulated quantity to other or- 

 gans, and to the brain among the rest ; 

 and there congestion takes place, 

 as just described, and the animal be- 

 comes sleepy, unconscious, and, if 

 he is not speedily relieved, he dies. 

 This, too, is apoplexy ; the horseman 

 calls it stomach staggers. Its cause 

 is improper feeding. The division of 

 the hours of labour, and the introduc- 

 tion of the nose-bag, have much di- 

 minished the frequency of its occur- 

 rence. The remedies are plain : 

 bleeding, physicking, and the remo- 

 val of the contents of the stomach by 

 means of a pump contrived for that 

 purpose. 



•• Congestions of other kinds occa- 

 sionally present themselves. It is no 

 imcommon thing for the blood to loi- 

 ter in the complicated vessels of the 

 liver, until the membrane of that vis- 

 cus has burst, and an accumulation of 



congealed black blood has presented 

 itself It is the same with the spleen. 

 It constitutes the swelled legs to which 

 so many horses are subject when they 

 stand too long idle in the stable. Con- 

 gestion is the source of many of the 

 accumulations of serous fluid in vari- 

 ous parts of the body, and particular- 

 ly in the chest, the abdomen, and the 

 brain. 



" Inflammation is opposed to con- 

 gestion, as consisting in an active state 

 of the capillary arterial vessels; the 

 blood rushing through them with far 

 greater rapidity than in health, from 

 the excited state of the nervous sys- 

 tem, by which tdey are supplied. 



" Inflammation is either local or dif- 

 fused. It is confined to one organ, 

 or to a particular portion of that or- 

 gan ; or it involves many neighbour- 

 ing ones, or it is spread over the 

 I whole frame. In the latter case it 

 assumes the name of fever. Fever is 

 general or constitutional inflamma- 

 tion, and is said to be sympathetic or 

 symptomatic when it can be traced to 

 some local affection or cause, and 

 idiopathic when we cannot so trace 

 it. The truth probably is that every 

 fever has its local cause, but we have 

 not a sufficient knowledge of the an- 

 imal economy to be able to discover it. 



" Inflammation may be considered 

 with reference to the membranes 

 which it attacks. 



" The mucous membranes line all the 

 cavities that communicate with the 

 external surface of the body. There 

 is frequent inflammation of the mem- 

 brane of the mouth. Blain, or Glos- 

 santhrax, is a vesicular enlargement 

 which runs along the side of the 

 tongue. Its cause is unknown. It 

 should be lanced freely and deeply, 

 and a little aperient medicine admin- 

 istered. Barbs, or pups, aresmalleren- 

 largements, found more in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the bridle of the tongue. 

 They should never be touched with 

 any instrument : a little cooling med- 

 icine will generally remove them. 

 Lampas is inflammation of the palate, 

 or enlargement of the bars of tlie pal- 

 ate. The roof of the mouth may be 

 slightly lanced, or a little aperient 



39d 



