HORSE. 



I 



clianweJ, to his ofrsprinj^. How Duwri- 

 blindiiess was first produced, no oiu^ 

 knows ; but its continuance in our 

 stables is to be traced to this cause 

 principally, or almost alone, and it 

 pursues its course until cataract is 

 produced, for which there is no rem- 

 edy. Gutla screna (palsy of the optic 

 nerve) is sometimes observed, and 

 many have been deceived, for the 

 eye retains its perfect transparency. 

 Here, also, medical treatment is of 

 no avail. 



" The serous membranes are of 

 great importance. Tlie brain and spi- 

 nal marrow, with the origins of the 

 nerves, are surrounded by them ; so 

 are the heart, the kings, the exterior 

 coat of the intestinal canal, and the 

 testes. 



" Injlammation of the Brain. — Mad 

 staggers falls under this division ; it 

 is inflammation of the meninges, or 

 envelopes of the brain, produced by 

 over-exertion, or by any of the caus- 

 es of general fever, and it is charac- 

 terized by the wildest delirium. No- 

 thing but the most profuse blood-let- 

 ting, active purgation, and blistering 

 the head, will afl'ord the slightest hope 

 of success. Tetanus, or Locked Jaw, 

 is a constant spasm of all the volun- 

 tary muscles, and particularly those 

 of the neck, the spine, and the head, 

 arising from the injury of some ner- 

 vous fibril — that injury spreading to 

 the origin of the nerve — the brain be- 

 coming affected, and universal and 

 unbroken spasmodic action being the 

 result. Bleeding, physicking, blister- 

 ing the course of the spine, and the 

 administration of opium in enormous 

 doses, will alone give any chance of 

 cure. Epilepsy is not a frequent dis- 

 ease in the horse, but it seldom ad- 

 mils of cure. It is also very apt to 

 return at the most distant and uncer- 

 tain intervals. Falsy is the suspen- 

 sion of nervous power ; it is usually 

 confined to tlie hinder limbs, and 

 sometimes to one limb only. Plere 

 bleeding and physicking, and antimo- 

 nial medicines, and blistering of the 

 spine, are the most rational applica- 

 tions, but they too often utterly fail 

 of success. Rabies, or madness, is 



398 



evidently a disease of the nervous 

 system, and once being developed, is 

 altogether without cure. The utter 

 destruction of the bitten part with 

 the lunar caustic, soon after the in- 

 fliction of the wound, will, however, 

 in a great majority of cases, prevent 

 the development of the disease. 



" Pleurisy, or inflammation of the 

 serous covering of the lungs and the 

 lining of the cavity of the chest, is 

 generally connected with inflamma- 

 tion of the substance of the lungs ; 

 but it occasionally exists independ- 

 ent of any state of the lungs. The 

 pulse is in this case hard and full, in- 

 stead of being oppressed ; the ex- 

 tremities are not so intensely cold as 

 in pneumonia, the membrane of the 

 nose is little reddened, and the sides 

 are tender. It may be of importance 

 to distinguish between the two, be- 

 cause in pleurisy more active purga- 

 tion may be pursued, and the effect 

 of counter-irritants will be greater, 

 from their proximity to the seat of 

 disease. Copious bleedings and sed- 

 atives here also should be had re- 

 course to. It is in connexion with 

 pleurisy that a serous fluid is effused 

 in the chest, the existence and the 

 extent of which may be ascertained 

 by the practised ear, and which in 

 many cases may be safely evacuated. 

 " The heart is surrounded by a se- 

 rous membrane, the pericardium, that 

 secretes a fluid, the interposition of 

 which prevents any injurious friction 

 or concussion in the constant action 

 of this organ. If this friction increa- 

 ses to too great a degree, the action 

 of the heart may be impeded or de- 

 stroyed ; this is dropsy of the heart ; 

 it is difficult to detect, and more dif- 

 ficult to cure. The heart itself is 

 often diseased ; it sympathizes with 

 the inflammatory affection of every 

 organ, and therefore is itself occa- 

 sionally inflamed. Carditis, or in- 

 flammation of the heart, is character- 

 ized by the strength of its pulsations, 

 the treniour of which can be seen, 

 while the sound can be heard at a 

 distance of several yards. Speedy 

 and copious blood-letting will afford 

 the only hope of cure in such a case. 



