HERKIA, OR RUPTURE. 67 



severe straining during dysentery. I have observed them to follow 

 from severe labor pains in the mare. 



Treatment. — ^Attention must be paid to the condition of the bowels ; 

 they should be soft, but purging is to be avoided. The tumors 

 should be washed in warm water and thoroughly cleansed, after which 

 scarify them and gently but firmly squeeze out the liquid that will be 

 seen to follow the shallow incisions. After thus squeezing these 

 tumors and before replacing through the anus, bathe the parts with 

 some anodyne wash. For this purpose the glycerite of tannin and 

 laudanum in equal parts is good. Mucilaginous injections into the 

 rectum may be of service for a few days. 



Hernia, or rupture. — There are several different kinds of hernias 

 that require notice, not all of which, however, produce serious symp- 

 toms or results. Abdominal hernias, or ruptures, are divided into 

 reducible^ irreducible^ and strangulated^ according to condition ; and 

 into inguinal^ scrotal., ventral., umbilical, and diaphragmatic, accord- 

 ing to their situation. A hernia is reducible when the displaced organ 

 can be returned to its natural location. It consists of a soft swelling, 

 without heat, pain, or any uneasiness, generally larger on full feed, 

 and decreases in size as the bowels become empty. An irreducible 

 hernia is one that can not be returned into the abdomen, and yet does 

 not cause any pain or uneasiness. Strangulated hernia is one where 

 the contents of the sac are greatly distended, or where from pressure 

 upon the blood vessels of the imprisoned portion the venous circula- 

 tion is checked or stopped, thereby causing congestion, swelling, in- 

 flammation, and, if not relieved, gangrene of the part and death of 

 the animal. According to the time or mode of origin, hernias may be 

 congenital or acquired. 



Congenital scrotal hernia. — Not a few foals are noticed from birth 

 to have an enlarged scrotum, which gradually increases in size until 

 about the sixth month, sometimes longer. Sometimes the scrotum of 

 a six-months-old colt is as large as that of an adult stallion, and 

 operative treatment is considered. This is unnecessary in the great 

 majority of cases, as this enlargement often disappears by the time 

 the colt has reached his second year. Any interference, medicinal or 

 surgical, is worse than useless. If the intestine contained within the 

 scrotum should at any time become strangulated, it must then be 

 treated the same as in an adult horse. 



Scrotal hernia is caused by dilatation of the sheath of the testicle, 

 combined with relaxation of the fibrous tissues surrounding the in- 

 guinal ring, thus allowing the intestine to descend to the scrotum. 

 At first this is intermittent, appearing during work and returning 

 when the horse is at rest. For a long time this form of hernia may 

 not cause the least uneasiness or distress. In course of time, however, 

 the imprisoned gut becomes filled with feces, its return into the ab- 



