THE SKIN 387 



season, condition of the animal, the work done, etc. About 14 

 pounds of insensible perspiration are supposed to pass off every 

 twenty- four hours from a horse — i.e., above J pound every hour 

 — showing that the skin is an extensive draining organ. The 

 water excreted by the sweat glands exercises a protective influence 

 over the external surface of the body, and tends to equalize the 

 temperature of the body. Cleanliness promotes the secretions of 

 the glands of the skin, as is readily observed in the sleek coats 

 of well-kept animals, such as hunters, race-horses, army 

 horses, etc. 



658. Hair (Plate XL., 10 C £>).— In the lower animals the 

 body is covered with hair or wool, which differs very much in 

 texture, according to the climate, season, and the breed of animal ; 

 and it also varies in this respect on different parts of the body. A 

 hair is said to have a. point, shaft, and root. The latter swells out into a 

 bulb, and is fixed in the hair follicle — a depression in the true skin. 

 The horse casts its coat twice a year, having a summer and a winter 

 covering. Castration when the coat is being shed or cast in some 

 cases tends to make the coat rough. 



659. Clipping in Winter. — In late autumn, or early winter, 

 the coat of the horse becomes very long and rough. Anyone who 

 has driven a horse in this state must recognize the oppressive effect 

 the long, close coat has on the animal, which begins to puff and 

 blow, needing frequent applications of the whip, while perspiration 

 oozes out of every pore. A horse stabled in this condition takes 

 hours to dry, and, in many cases, when put in thus at night, it will 

 be found in the morning still wet and cold. This necessarily chills 

 the surface of the body, tending to drive the blood from the skin, 

 and to produce congestion of the internal organs, swollen legs, etc. 

 Clipping makes a wonderful change. The horse becomes an 

 entirely different animal, active on its legs, and eager in its move- 

 ments. The depression has gone, the whip is no longer needed, and 

 any little perspiration which may arise is quickly evaporated. The 

 greatest advantage of all, however, is that, the coat being off, the 

 animal is more easily dressed and cleaned. The surface capillaries 



