POLL EVIL. 205 



thus proceeding he will save much time; and spare 

 the proprietor considerable expense and disappoint- 

 ment, as well as spare the animal much suffering. 



Should suppuration have commenced, or should the 

 smallest opening only exist, he must still cut freely 

 down to reach the seat of the evil. If he be careful 

 to avoid the wings of the atlas, or the first neck bone, 

 there is no important artery to be injured. A large 

 gaping wound may, therefore, be fearlessly made; 

 and the tumour well cleaned out. The horse, subse- 

 quent to the operation, should be better fed ; have a 

 fair allowance of corn given to him, not abandoned 

 to mashes, or turned to grass. 



We must not, in these cases, expect to find the 

 usual indications which denote the presence of matter. 

 The abscess is generally situated under the expanded 

 tendon of the splenius muscle, and will very seldom 

 come fairly to a head. If allowed to remain, the 

 pus, unable to break through the surface, will, by its 

 pressure, cause absorption of the internal and deep- 

 seated structures; producing sinuses, which have even 

 reached the brain. Without, therefore, waiting for 

 the tumour to become soft; or watching for the 

 throbbing of the pulse and the shivering of the 

 horse ; the signs of general fever, together with the 

 duration of the case, will enable the practitioner to 

 form a tolerably accurate opinion as to the presence 

 of pus. Then the swelling should be immediately 

 opened. If the suppuration is left to go on and 

 should break, much mischief will have been done, 

 while the wound will be unnecessarily large, and will 

 not so easily be healed. 



