PHARMACOPOEIA, PHARMACY, AND GLOSSARY 



125 



and, being unable completely to close the 

 pharyngeal opening (the isthmus of the fauces) 

 with its soft palate (velum pendulum palati), the 

 liquid ran directly into the lungs. 



498. Hypodermic Injections. A little patch 

 of hair should be clipped off, one or two inches 

 across, preferably half-way up the neck. The 

 needle is screwed off or slipped off the syringe, 

 and made aseptic. It is then quickly pressed 

 through the skin with the right hand, the skin 

 being held up away from the under-tissue with 

 the left hand, and then the syringe, previously 

 filled, is slipped on to the needle, and the whole 

 contents squirted gently in. This must not be 

 done rapidly. The syringe and needle are then 

 withdrawn together. Care must be taken that 

 the liquid does not escape ; for this reason it is 

 always better, after inserting the needle, to make 

 sure that the inside of the needle is not clogged 

 up by passing the small wire through it which 

 is provided for the purpose. In filling the 

 syringe, care must be taken that the plunger is 

 slightly greased to ensure its being air-tight. The 

 plunger should be pressed down very slightly 

 until one or two drops of liquid come out, thus 

 ensuring that there are no air bubbles left in 

 the syringe. This is most important in making 

 injections into the veins. 



If the liquid remains like a blister under the 

 skin, it can be assisted in its absorption by being 

 gently rubbed with the fingers. If injected into 

 the windpipe, the needle must be inserted be- 

 tween two of the cartilage rings, and pressed 

 right through. If into the jugular vein, the 

 greatest care must be taken to avoid a bubble of 

 air getting into the blood, which would pass to 

 the heart, and might cause death. The jugular 

 vein is discovered by pressing the thumb into 

 the jugular groove (see P. 137, 138) and causing 

 the pressure of blood sjightly to distend the vein. 

 The needle is inserted into the distended portion 

 of the vein. 



499. Rectal. Enemas are given per rectum. 

 As most of the fluid in the horse's alimentary 

 canal is absorbed in the floating colon, any 

 drug placed in a liquid state into this intestine 

 will be absorbed into the system. The back 

 portion of the floating colon is only about 

 two feet from the anus ; the floating colon is 

 about ten feet in length. Before anything is 

 pumped in, the horse must be backraked by 

 greasing the hand and arm and passing it into 

 the rectum and removing all its contents. It 

 would be useless to try to fill the colon with 

 an enema unless it were empty. 



The enema must not be colder than 100 F. 

 The best method of injecting is with an enema 

 pump, which has a six-foot rubber tube and a 

 wooden nozzle attached to it. The nozzle is 

 greased, and, with the hand, passed right into 

 the floating colon, without any force being used. 

 The enema is then pumped in slowly, the tail 



being depressed with the hand for about fifteen 

 minutes to allow the drugs to be absorbed into 

 the system. 



If an enema is given merely to decrease in- 

 flammation or to act as a purgative, as in colic 

 cases, it is not so important to pass the nozzle 

 so far in. A large bucketful (four gallons) is 

 about the right amount to use for a single 

 injection. 



500. Inunction. Ointments or liniments for 

 this purpose must be put on fairly thickly, and 

 rubbed in until the skin is quite dry. 



501. Use of Trocar and Cannula. Whenever 

 tympanites becomes bad (i.e. the horse becomes 

 badly bloated in the abdomen), a trocar and can- 

 nula must be used to save life. These must be 

 separated and sterilised, if there is time, or 

 dipped into an antiseptic. The trocar is inserted 

 into the cannula, and the two together are 

 pressed rapidly through the hide until the head 

 of the cannula is right home. In the case of 

 abdominal tympanites, the place of puncture is 

 at a point equidistant from the last rib, the 

 point of the hip, and the transverse process on 

 the side of the lumbar vertebrae. The trocar is 

 then rapidly withdrawn from the cannula, when 

 the gas will escape with a rush. When all the 

 gas is out, and the animal seems to be recover- 

 ing, it will be necessary to remove the instru- 

 ments. The trocar must be placed back into the 

 cannula, and the whole rapidly drawn out. An 

 antiseptic must be placed over the spot. 



Drugs are often administered through the 

 cannula, especially when the digestive powers 

 of the stomach are affected or when a constric- 

 tion in the small intestines is suspected. 



502. Passing the Catheter. In a mare it is 

 an easy matter to pass the catheter. The hand 

 and arm are cleansed and slightly oiled, and 

 inserted into the vagina; with the first finger 

 the opening into the bladder (meatus urinarius) 

 can be felt about half-way towards the neck of 

 the womb, on the floor of the vagina. The finger 

 is inserted, and the catheter, which must be 

 greased, is passed in under the hand and finger 

 into the bladder. 



Passing the catheter in a horse is a dangerous 

 operation unless understood, as it is easy to 

 injure the animal. The yard must first be with- 

 drawn right out, and the catheter greased. This 

 must be slowly and gently passed up the passage 

 in the centre (urethra). When the end of it has 

 got as far as where the urethra passes under the 

 tail, just midway between the points of the 

 buttocks (ischial bones), it must be assisted in 

 passing round the sharp bend with the fingers 

 of the other hand. The end can be felt, and 

 must be pressed slightly to help it along, great 

 care being taken not to use any force with the 

 other hand. 



Catheters must be kept scrupulously clean, 

 always immersed for three minutes in an anti- 



