DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 45 



the passages is the only certain method of determining the existence of 

 worms in the bowels. 



Treatment. To remove tapeworms give an ounce of oil of male fern 

 three times a day in a pint of milk for three days in succession, and 

 then on the fourth day give a pint of castor oil. For roundworms give 

 2 drams of sulphate of iron three times a day, mixed in 'a little oats and 

 middlings, and after continuing treatment for three days give a pint of 

 castor oil as before described. Oil of turpentine may be given in doses 

 of 1 ounce with milk, or sautouine in dram doses in feed, to be followed 

 by an oily purgative a,s described. In treating calves, which are more 

 apt to be infested with worms than full-grown cattle, reduce the doses 

 to one-fourth or a third. 



RUPTURES VENTRAL HERNIA. 



Ventral hernia or rupture is aii escape of some one of the abdominal 

 organs through a rupture in the abdominal muscles, the skin remaining 

 intact. The rumen, the small intestine, or part of the large intestine, 

 and the fourth stomach are the parts which usually form a ventral her- 

 nia in bovine animals. 



Gaiises. Hernia is frequently produced by blows of the horns, kicks, 

 and falls. In old cows hernia may sometimes occur without any direct 

 injury. The occurrence of this form of hernia is explained by the 

 increase in the size of the abdomen, which takes place in an advanced 

 stage of pregnancy, causing a thinning and stretching of the muscular 

 fibers, which at last may rupture or give way. 



HERNIA OF THE KUMEN. 



Hernia of the rumen is generally situated on the left side of the abdo- 

 men, on account of the situation of the rumen. In exceptional cases it 

 may take place on the right side, and in such cases it also generally 

 happens that some folds of the intestine pass into the hernial sac. Her- 

 nias have been classified into simple or complicated, recent or old, trau- 

 matic (from mechanical injury) or spontaneous. 



In recent traumatic hernia there is swelling on the left side of the 

 lower part of the abdomen. . The swelling is greatest in the cases of 

 hernia which arc situated on the lower part of the abdomen. The skin 

 covering the hernia will frequently present marks from which one may 

 infer the direction from which the injury has proceeded. Unless an 

 examination is made immediately after the injury has been inflicted it 

 is difficult and .sometimes impossible to ascertain the exact extent of 

 the rupture, owing to the amount of swelling which takes place. Fre- 

 quently there is no loss of appetite, fever, or other general symptons 

 attending the injury. From the twelfth to the fifteenth day the swell 

 ing has generally subsided to such an extent that it is possible by an 

 examination to determine the extent of the rupture. It is of impor- 

 tance to ascertain whether the si/e of the. hernia increases after feeding. 



