^10 THE HORSE. 



usual exertion is required from them. They are recognised by the term 

 of washy horses. They are often tree and fleet, but destitute of continuance. 

 They should have rather more than the usual allowance of corn, with beans, 

 when at work ; and a cordial ball, with one drachm of catechu, and ten 

 grains of opium will often be serviceable either before or after a journey 



WORMS. 



Worms of different kinds inhabit the intestines ; but except when they exist 

 in very great numbers, they are not so hurtful as is generally supposed, 

 although the groom or carter may trace to them hidebound, and cough, 

 and loss of appetite, and gripes, and megrims, and a variety of other 

 ailments. Of the origin or mode of propagation of these parasitical 

 animals we will say nothing ; neither writers on medicine, nor even on 

 natural history, have given us any satisfactory account of the matter. 



The long white worm {lumhricus teres) much resembling the common 

 earth-worm, and, being from six to ten inches long, inhabits the small in- 

 testines. It is a formidable looking animal, and if there are many of them 

 they may consume more than can be spared of the nutritive part of the food 

 or the mucus of the bowels ; and we think that we have seen a tight skin, 

 and rough coat, and tucked up belly, connected with their presence. They 

 have then, however, been voided in large quantities, and when they are not 

 thus voided we should be disposed to trace these appearances to other 

 causes. A dose of physic will sometimes bring away almost incredible quan- 

 tities of them. Calomel is frequently given as a vermifuge. The seldomer 

 this drug is administered to the horse the better. It is the principal ingredient 

 in some quack medicines for the expulsion of worms in the human subject, 

 and thence, perhaps, it came to be used for the horse, but in him we 

 believe it to be inert as a vermifuge, or only useful as quickening the 

 operation of the aloes. When the horse can be spared, a strong dose of 

 physic is an excellent vermifuge, so far as the long round worm is con- 

 cerned ; but perhaps a better medicine, and not interfering with either the 

 feeding or work of the horse, is two drachms of emetic tartar, with a scruple 

 of ginger, made into a ball, with linseed meal and treacle, and given every 

 morning half an hour before the horse is fed. 



A smaller, darker coloured worm, called the needle worm, or ascaris, 

 inhabits the large intestines. Hundreds of them sometimes descend into 

 the rectum, and immense quantities have been found in the coecum. These 

 are a more serious nuisance that the former, for they cause a very trouble- 

 some irritation about the fundament, which sometimes sadly annoys the 

 horse. Their existence can generally be discovered, by a small portion of 

 mucus, which hardening, is converted into a powder, and is found about 

 the anus. Physic will sometimes bring away great numbers of these 

 worms, but when there is much irritation about the tail, and much of this 

 mucus indicating that they have descended into the rectum, an injection of 

 a quart of linseed oil, or of an ounce of aloes dissolved in warm water, 

 will be a more effectual remedy. 



The tape worm is seldom found in the horse. 



PHYSICKING. 



This would seem to be the most convenient place to speak of physicking 

 horses, a mode of treatment necessary under various diseases, but which 

 has injured the constitution of more horses, and in fact absolutely destroyed 

 more of them, than any other thing that can be mentioned. When a horse 



