312 THE HORSE. 



pain is evidently experienced. In severe cases there is fever wiih 

 accelerated pulse (70 to 80), accompanied often by profuse sweat- 

 ing, and heaving at the flanks, the legs remaining warm. After a 

 short time the part swells, and is excessively tender. The treat' 

 ment should be by a copious bleeding, if the horse is of a mode- 

 rately strong constitution ; indeed, in severe cases it should be 

 carried on till the pulse is greatly reduced, and repeated the next 

 day, if it returns to its original hardness and fulness. The bowels 

 should be acted on as soon as it is safe to do so, and if the dung 

 is very hard, backraking and clysters should be used, to accelerate 

 the action of the medicine. The best aperient is castor oil, of 

 which a pint may be given with an ounce of sweet spirits of nitre. 

 When this has acted, if the kidneys are not doing their duty, a 

 quarter of an ounce of nitre and a drachm of camphor may be 

 made into a ball and given twice a day. 



Chronic rheumatism of the muscles is similar in its nature 

 to the acute form, but, as its name implies, it is more lasting, and 

 of less severity. It oiten flies from one part to another, attacking 

 the ligaments and tendons, as well as the muscular fibres. It is 

 seldom much under control, and attention should be paid rather to 

 improve the general health than to subdue the local affection. 



Small tumors, of about the size of a pea, often form upon the 

 tendons, especially the " back sinews" of the fore legs. They may 

 or may not occasion lameness, but they are always to be regarded 

 with suspicion. As long as they remain indolent, they are better 

 left alone; but when they produce inflammation and pain, the 

 best remedy is the biniodide of mercury ointment, described at 

 page 300. 



DISEASES OF CARTILAGE AND SYNOVIAL MEMBRANE. 



Cartilage is subject chiefly to ulceration. When this occurs, 

 its cells become enlarged and crowded with corpuscles, which burst 

 and discharge their contents ; the intercellular structure at the 

 same time splits into bands, which, together with the corpuscles, 

 form a fibro-nucleated membrane on the face of the cartilage. In 

 old horses, the ulcerated cartilage covering the tibial surface of the 

 astragalus is sometimes converted into a soft fibrous substance, 

 which ultimately assumes the appearance of hard and dense bone, 

 commonly known as " porcellaneous or ivory deposit." It is ac- 

 companied by no symptoms of inflammation; the sole evidence of 

 disease, during life, being a stiffness of the joint, and a peculiar 

 grating or crackling noise during all attempts at movement. When 

 caries of the head of a bone has caused a loss of substance, the 

 cartilage dies, and is gradually broken down by decomposition ; 

 but this cannot be said to be a disease of the cartilage itself. With 

 the exception of navicular disease (which will be included "inder 



