CHAPTER IV 



ETIOLOGY: GENERAL PREDISPOSING 

 CAUSES 



Regarding his predisposition to colic, the horse stands 

 apart from almost every other animal. A brief considera- 

 tion of such predisposing causes as are mentioned in this 

 chapter will be quite sufficient to make us marvel that 

 cases of ' colic ' are not of even more frequent occurrence. 

 At any rate, it will reveal quite enough to account for the 

 enormous preponderance of these cases in veterinary 

 practice. 



To commence with, there are several physiological and 

 anatomical conditions, perfectly normal in themselves, 

 which, nevertheless, are entirely favourable to the pro- 

 duction of these disorders. 



In the first place, the relatively small capacity of the 

 stomach compared with the animal's size must be borne 

 in mind, and, together with this fact, the normal process 

 of digestion must be remembered. It is evident to the 

 most casual observer that the small stomach of the horse 

 cannot possibly contain the enormous amount of pro- 

 vender that he is able to consume at one meal. As a 

 matter of fact, it has been proved to us that at a certain 

 period of stomach digestion the amount of food passing 

 out of the pylorus into the intestine equals the amount 

 entering the stomach by the oesophagus. Notwith- 



