THE HOKSE AND ITS DISEASES. 143 



and coecum ; and tlie distention may be so great as to 

 rupture either the one or the other, or sometimes to 

 produce death without either rupture or strangulation, 

 and that in the course of a day and night. 



Symptoms. --The horse falls down as if he were shot. 

 In the stable he paws the ground, lies down, rolls, starts 

 up all at once, and throws himself down again with great 

 violence, looking wistfully at his flanks, and making 

 many fruitless attempts to stale. 



Hitherto, the symptoms are not much unlike spasmodic 

 colic, the character of the disease soon begins to develope 

 itself. It is one of the large intestines, and the belly 

 swells all round, but mostly on the right flank. As the 

 disease proceeds, the pain becomes more intense, the 

 horse more violent, and at length death closes the scene. 



The treatment is very difi'erent from that of spasmodic 

 colic, in consequence of the disease being caused by a 

 combination of hydrogen, with some other gas that has 

 a strong affinity for chlorine. The chloride of lime 

 dissolved in water, is administered in the form of a 

 drink ; the chlorine separates from the lime as soon as 

 it comes into contact with the hydrogen, and muriatic 

 gas is formed. This gas having a strong affinity for 

 water, is absorbed by any fluid that may be present, and 

 gutting its gaseous form, either disappears, or does not 

 retain a thousandth part of its former bulk. All this 

 may be very rapidly accomplished, for the fluid is quickly 

 conveyed from the mouth to every part of the intestinal 

 canal. Eleed freely from 4 to 6 quarts of blood, throw 

 up several clysters, and have the belly well rubbed from 

 time to time. 



Entanglement of the Gut. 



This is caused by colic, in consequence of the animal 

 throwing himself about, while suffering under the pain 

 of that complaint ; portions of that intestine called the 

 ileum, becomes twisted and knotted, and drawn together 

 with astonishing firmness — there is no cure for this 

 complaint. 



