104 THE HOOVE. 



ing thus from the flank, is kept permanently out of its place, and is 

 unable freely and fully to contract afterwards upon its contents : thus 

 inflammation has ensued ; and the subsequent want of condition ia 

 some of these animals, and the difficulty of fattening them thoroughly, 

 is easily accounted for. 



Some farmers go a little more judiciously to work. They thrust a 

 flexible stick, or a cart-whip, down the throat, and through the floor 

 of the passage beneath, and the roof of the paunch, and thus enable 

 eome of the gas to escape; and this, perhaps, would be effectual, if 

 the stick could be kept there long enough, and the stomach did not 

 close around it. 



An instrument, first devised by Dr. Monro, and now brought to 

 perfection by Mr. Read, of the Regent's Circus, is superior to every 

 other method of relieving^ blown or hoven cattle. A kind of crao- is 

 placed across the mouth, with a hole in the centre of it, and a leather 

 at each end to buckle round the horns. Through this is passed a 

 hollow tube of stout leather, called a probang, with a perforated knob 

 at the end of it, and containing (to render it firm enough to be thrust 

 down the throat, and flexible enouo^h to accommodate itself to the 

 bending of the passage) a stylet, or slender piece of cane or whale- 

 bone, extendino- throuyli the whole of its length. The tube, thus 

 strengthened by the stylet, is forced through the roof of the paunch 

 into that stomach. The stylet is then withdrawn, and the air rushes 

 violently out, and sometimes a considerable quantity of fluid with it. 

 The tube may be kept in the gullet as long as the operator pleases, 

 or returned as often as may be necessary ; and if it be passed down 

 with a little caution, and not too rapidly and violently, no injury can 

 possibly ensue. 



Thus the gas and some of the fluid are liberated; but the solid 

 contents of the stomach, tlie undigested food, may remain, continuing 

 to ferment, and so nauseating the animal that he is disgusted in the 

 act of rumination. Mr. Read has a contrivance to remedy this.* He 



* [Read's Patent Veterinary Sijringe consists of a syringe (Fig. 1) to which tubes 

 of different sizes are affixed, according to the purpose and kind of animal to be ope- 

 rated iipo!i. There is a long flexible tube for giving an enema (clyster) to horses and 

 cuttle, a, ami a smaller one for dogs, b. To relieve hovon cattle, however, it is not 

 only necessary to relieve the stomach from an accumulation of gas, btit from the 

 fermenting pultaceous mixture which generates it: for this purpose a lube, d, is 

 ai)l>lied to the extremity of the syringe, and then passed into the animal's stomach 

 through the mouth, as in Fig. 2, and being put into action, the oflending matter is 

 discharged by a side openiiiii. When the same operation is performed on sheep, a 

 Bmaller tube, c, is used. 'J'iie characteristic excellency of this apparatus is, that there 

 is no limit to tiie quantity of tluid that may be ejected or extracted. The same 

 syringe is used for extracting poison from the stomach of man, for smoking insects, 

 for extinguishing fires, and syringing fruit trees. 



Another drawing rejjresents a very useful instrument, and for which there is 

 frequent occasion; a liollow probang, for relieving cattle choked with turnips, pota- 

 toes, &,c. It is armed with a stilet, which being passed into the throat of an animal 



