FOOD ACCORDING TO A STANDARD. 123 



which are put to work after having been kept for some time 

 in a state of idleness, during which period their systems 

 become overloaded with nitrogen. Strong work given to 

 them while they are in this state, has the effect of causing 

 the formation, by chemical decomposition, of an amount of 

 poisonous products which the excretory organs cannot always 

 remove with sufficient quickness to avoid disturbance of 

 health. It is a suggestive fact that lymphangitis sometimes 

 appears in horses that are in a starving condition. We have 

 seen (p. 93) that when animals are in this state, there is a 

 rapid breaking up of nitrogenous tissue, after the supply of 

 fat in the system has become exhausted. 



In considering the treatment for a heated condition of the 

 system brought on by an excess of nitrogenous food, we 

 should evidently seek for an agent which will neutralise 

 sulphuric acid and promptly remove it from the body. 

 Although we cannot definitely lay a portion of the blame 

 on the presence of an excess of uric acid in the blood, the 

 experience of human medicine tells us that when illness is 

 accompanied by a large percentage of this acid, great relief 

 is generally obtained by medicines which, like salicylate of 

 soda, form soluble compounds with uric acid. If it is not con- 

 venient to use salicylate of soda, we have a cheap and fairly 

 good substitute in bicarbonate of soda, which also acts well 

 in helping to eliminate from the body the excess of potash 

 obtained from the food. 



The good influence of work in counteracting the evil effects 

 of an excess of nutritious food, appears to be due chiefly to 

 the increased supply of oxygen conveyed by the blood from 

 the lungs to the tissues. 



COMBINING FOODS ACCORDING TO A STANDARD. 

 It often happens that a horse-owner in a foreign country, 

 can obtain for his animals two or more grains, none of which 



