250 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



agonizing pain, may even, by force of pressure, interfere 

 with the movements of the lungs, bringing about a 

 deoxygenated state of the blood, or even a species of in- 

 toxication from the absorption of the gas itself. Nothing 

 but a speedy removal of the gases from the system 

 will restore the body tone to a state competent to fight 

 against the disorder. A sedative will not remove but 

 lock them there, at the same time causing the retention 

 within the intestines of the very matter from which the 

 gases are arising. 



Throughout this paper it will be noticed I have re- 

 frained from mentioning such forms of colic as volvulus, 

 intussusception, the action of poisons, parasitic embolism 

 of the mesenteric bloodvessels, etc. I do not think 

 these cases occur with such a frequency as should lead 

 us to confound their treatment with that of the more 

 simple forms. The fact that a sedative is needed by 

 conditions thus serious should not cause us to aimlessly 

 blunder forward, sedative in hand, to every case of colic 

 we encounter. 



This, gentlemen, concludes my plea for the more cau- 

 tious and restricted use of sedatives in the treatment of 

 the equine colics. I cannot claim that I have covered 

 the whole of the ground the title of my paper would 

 suggest, or that I have said even one quarter of what 

 might be said on this very important subject, for it is 

 extremely difficult — nay, impossible — to condense within 

 the limits of a single paper the whole line of reasoning 

 that leads one to a conclusion involving this so radical 

 a change in our therapeutic methods. I can only pre- 

 tend to have given you the merest outline. In any case 

 where they think I have been too self-assertive or too 

 dogmatic, I wish my hearers to fully understand that 

 dogmatism does not necessarily imply arrogant self- 



