THE HORSE IN SICKNESS AND DISEASE 291 



leave the eye loss and less transparent. The remaining 

 opacity forms a nucleus for future and rapid accretion : 

 sometimes, however, it will remain stationary for a long 

 time, and now and then it never enlarges. But usually 

 repeated inflammatory attacks succeed each other, and the 

 whole crystalline lens at last becomes opaque, when the 

 disease takes the name of cataract, in which almost all 

 these inflammations terminate. 



Causes. — Plethora acting upon a weakness of the parts, 

 often hereditary, seems a cause of periodic ophthalmia, to 

 which the horse is more liable than any other domestic 

 animal. The fumes of ammonia in close, dark stables, 

 stimulating food, or severe work and bad food, may 

 equally induce the disorder, which seldom appears before 

 the fourth year, or, for the first time, after the seventh. 

 Harness horses are more often attacked than saddle 

 horses ; and it has been observed to be more frequent 

 when many horses are kept together than in gentlemen's 

 studs, which may be due chiefly to bet-ter ventilation. 



Treatment. — Though the immediate attack may be re- 

 moved without great difficulty, its recurrence is not easily 

 guarded against ; resembling, in this, scrofula in the human 

 subject. General bleeding, warm fomentations (one dozen 

 poppy heads in two quarts of water) at flrst, and then the 

 cold lotion. (See Lotions, in List.) Stimulants, as tinc- 

 ture of opium, or the nitrate of silver wash, may also be 

 applied with advantage. 



The food should all be boiled, and of the most supporting 

 kind — roots of all kinds, malt, oats, groun dbeans, clover, 

 hay, linseed, etc., etc. This will probably sufficiently open 

 the bowels ; but should it not, avoid giving more than one 

 drachm of aloes night and morning, and even continue this 

 quantity no further than is imperative to render the bowels 

 soft, yet by no means to induce watery stools. 



With regard to physic, anything administered must be 

 of a soothing and supporting description ; therefore give, 

 night and morning, during the violence of the attack, the 

 following drink : 



Sulphuric ether 1 ounce. 



Laudanum .... . .1 ounce. 



Powdered colchicum , . . .J ounce. 

 Stout 1 quart. 



