62 VETERINARY STUDIES 



different ferments; one which acts on starch, a second on pro- 

 tein, another on fats, and one Avhich curdles milk. Pancreatic 

 juice is probably the most important of the digestive fluids. 



Large intestine. — In the horse this is about 25 feet long, with 

 a capacity of 33 gallons ; in the cow, 42 feet long with a capacity 

 of 18 gallons. Its parts include the cecum, large colon, small 

 colon. 



The cecum (blind pouch) of the horse is three and a half feet 

 long with a capacity of 71/2 gallons. The cecum of the cow is 

 much smaller, being about 30 inches long and 5 inches in diam- 

 eter. Its inlet from the small intestine and the outlet to the 

 large colon are at one end of the cecum ; the other end forms a 

 blind pouch. 



The equine cecum appears to serve about the same function 

 as the bovine rumen, i.e., holding for maceration and fermenta- 

 tion, which facilitates the digestion of crude fiber. 



The large colon of the horse is 12 feet long with a capacity of 

 20 gallons. Here is where most of the gas collects when a horse 

 bloats in a case of flatulent colic. 



The simall colon in the horse is 10 feet long, capacity 6 gal- 

 lons. In a cow the large and small colons are studied together, 

 and are 35 feet long, with a capacity of 14 gallons. 



The large intestine of both animals is long, large, and saccu- 

 lated to hold contents a long time and offer a large amount of 

 absorbing surface. It takes contents about five days to pass 

 through the alimentary tract of the cow, and about three days to 

 pass through that of the horse. 



Practical application. — At this point the student may have a 

 practical and interesting exercise by dissecting out the gullet, 

 stomach and intestine, liver and pancreas of one or more domes- 

 tic animals. Sheep and hogs are convenient to handle and very 

 satisfactory if one or two animals can be used. This work may 

 be taken up in connection with classes in "dressing and curing 

 meats" or in the dissection room. The student should actually 

 see and handle these organs if possible. He should endeavor to 

 see the mouth, not in a vague way, but as a place where a horse 

 may have diseased teeth and toothache, or have a very sore 

 mouth, caused by the beards of wild barley, or squirrel tail 

 grass; and as a place where young pigs may have canker sore 

 mouths. 



He should see the esophagus as a tube much like a piece of 



