DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 205 



eases, as believed and taught by our brethren of the heroic school. 

 Such agents and means we do not want, for the plain reason that 

 disease can be cured quicker and better without than with them. 

 Our system of practice, and that recommended in this work, tends 

 to sustain the vital powers during the progress of disease; and 

 this is accomplished by resorting to sanative medication. This 

 sanative system of medication must, eventually, commend itself to 

 the candid and to the unprejudiced reasoner and scientific inquirer 

 lifter truth. 



Strangulation of the Intestines. 



When an animal becomes the subject of strangulation of the in- 

 testines, it is very difficult, at first, to diagnose the case, for the 

 symptoms very much resemble those of spasmodic colic; yet as 

 the treatment of the two diseases does not differ much, the mistake 

 La itself is of little consequence. 



Symptoms. — The difficulty is, at first, accompanied by uneasi- 

 oess. The animal moves about in his stall, and commences stamp- 

 iug with one of the fore-feet. Frequently he gets down and rolls 

 on his back, in which position he will remain sometimes for sev- 

 eral minutes. So soon as he rises, he commences to paw and 

 stamp with a vengeance. As the disease advances, he totters, and 

 sometimes drops on the floor. The pulse is usually irregular, the 

 mouth cold, and visible surfaces pallid ; the tongue appears of a 

 bluish cast; and the body is generally bedewed with sweat. Fi- 

 nally, the animal makes great efforts to evacuate the rectum, and 

 in so doing strains violently, so as to cause blood to escape from 

 the rectum ; and sometimes the rectum itself protrudes. Should 

 the symptoms not improve, the animal soon dies of strangulation 

 and mortification of the intestines. 



Treatment. — This must be of an anti-spasmodic character. Aa 

 ounce or two of fluid extract of lobelia should be given, every two 

 hours, in a pint of warm water; the body should be enveloped 

 in bandages, wet with warm water, and enemas of assafetida or 

 lobelia should be thrown into the rectum ; but if the rectum pro- 

 trude, enemas are inadmissible. On some occasions of the kind 

 I etherize the patient, with marked relief. 



