SWEATING. 159 



some of which is broken up by the oxidation of its 

 carbon by the agency of respiration, while the greater 

 part of the remainder is carried out, in the form of 

 oily matter, along with the perspiration, which fluid is 

 directly abstracted from the blood. For the main- 

 tenance of health, the blood must contain a certain 

 proportion of water, which varies, under special con- 

 ditions, such as violent exercise, purging, deprivation of 

 water, excessive perspiration, &c., from 700 to 800 parts 

 in a thousand. If, in case of loss, the normal proportion 

 of water be not speedily restored, the animal's health 

 will suffer. Thus we may see that the proper object of 

 sweating a horse is to reduce the amount of fat, and 

 not the amount of water there is in his system ; and 

 that as soon as we fail to find that oily matter is given 

 off, to any appreciable extent, with his perspiration, so 

 soon should we stop giving him any more sweats. I 

 need hardly point out how opposed to common sense 

 and to physiological teaching, is the practice of stinting 

 a horse of water after sweating him. In fact, want of 

 a due supply of water interferes with the whole process 

 of nutrition. " The activity of absorption by the blood- 

 vessels depends upon the due fluidity of the materials 

 to be absorbed, for it is well known that no fluids 

 quickly penetrate the vessels, but such as are of lesser 

 density than the blood." (Williams?) 



From the foregoing remarks we may draw the prac- 

 tical conclusion, that we may take, during training, 

 the state of the perspiration as a guide by which to 

 judge of the amount of fat in the horse's system, and 

 that we should regulate his work so that the sweat, 

 after his gallops, may not completely lose its greasy 



