THE HORSE ON A JOURNEY 163 



give him half a bottle of good sherry ; but this certainly 

 would be wrong after any of the inflammatory symptoms of 

 a chill have shown themselves. In that case prompt and 

 free bleeding only can save the horse, and any cordial is 

 decidedly injurious. The state of the pulse will usually 

 indicate the existence of inflammatory action. It is neces- 

 sary to inform the inexperienced that the only place where 

 the pulse can be felt to advantage, so as to discriminate the 

 sensation with accuracy, is under the jaw, where the sub- 

 maxillary artery can be pressed agaiust the bone. As the 

 position of this artery is only known with certainty by the 

 anatomist, it may guide the touch to direct the finger along 

 the inside jaw, a little above the edge where it begins to 

 decline downwards, gently pressing it against the jaw till 

 the pulsation is felt. By doing this two or three times, any 

 man will soon discover the exact spot where he should feel 

 for the pulsation. In a healthy horse, the intervals should 

 be about forty or fifty per minute. When it exceeds this 

 by ten or twelve pulsations, the horse is not well ; but tlie 

 circulation may be momentarily accelerated even to that 

 extent by sudden alarm ; it is, therefore, expedient to 

 approach the horse quietly, and to caress him for a minute 

 or two first if he shrinks from approach. If the pulse 

 exceeds sixty, prompt and skilled attention is required. 



It often happens, however, that no veterinary aid is at 

 hand, or only a groom who knows no more of his business 

 than the horse itself. In such cases, all that can be done 

 is to observe some obvious principles, which, at all events, 

 can do but little harm. If the horse betrays great pain, and 

 especially a difficulty of breathing, co])ious bleeding should 

 be resorted to without delay, and it is far better to bleed 

 once very freely than several times at intervals. Inflam- 

 matory action is often arrested by bleeding largely in the 

 first instance ; and when once arrested, all the distressing 

 symptoms are speedily relieved.; but so rapid is the secre- 

 tion of the blood, especially in inflammatory disease, that 

 four or five times the quantity abstracted, if taken away in 

 several successive operations, will produce little or no effect 

 compared with the loss of four or five quarts at one time. 

 It may safely be assumed that wherever acute pain is 

 indicated, inflammation obtains ; and as the symptoms of 

 pain are very unequivocal in a horse, an easy guide is thus 

 given as to the necessity of bleeding. 



