340 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



spasms have been produced from linseed or castor oil. 

 Vetches and other green meats will at times gripe ; so will 

 new straw, and particularly that of wheat, and likewise 

 peas ; in fact, any irritating or acidulous matters in the 

 bowels may have this effect. Now and then spasm is 

 brought on by costiveness, and by hardened dung or stony 

 concretions. 



Unless some decided check, if not a satisfactory stop, be 

 put to the progress of the disorder within the first half-a- 

 dozen hours, we may begin to imrbour apprehensions. Ordi- 

 nary cases are relieved by a single dose of medicine ; many 

 without any medicine at all. Cases that run on unrelieved 

 to death seldom exceed twenty-four hours in duration. 



Treatment — Every farrier and groom, horse-dealer and 

 horse-keeper, fancies himself quite as competent to treat 

 colic as the most skilful veterinarian ; and, in point of 

 fact, providing the complaint be purely spasmodic, his 

 remedy is likely to prove in the first instance quite as 

 effectual ; it being notorious that almost every sort of 

 spirits and aromatics possess antispasmodic properties. The 

 groom, being well convinced of their efficacy from experi- 

 ence upon his own person, as naturally runs for gin and 

 pepper, or peppermint water, for his horse when " griped " 

 as he does for some agreeable spirituous compound for 

 himself. Given at the instant, it seldom does fail ; for 

 it imports less what we give than when the remedy is 

 administered. That which is given at the outset appearing 

 to have a decided advantage over anything exhibited later 

 in the attack. 



Opium holds the first place among antispasmodics. A 

 very effectual antispasmodic ball, combining the three pro- 

 perties, narcotic, stimulant, and terebinthinate, is composed 

 of one drachm of opium, of two drachms of Cayenne pepper, 

 or half an ounce of ginger, and of a sufficiency of Venice 

 turpentine and meal to make a moderate-sized ball. Com- 

 bine with the antispasmodic a full dose of purgative medi- 

 cine. Mr. Percivall advises, in a pressing case, to give 

 without loss of time the following drench : 



Decoction of aloes 12 oz. 



Tincture of opium 2 oz. 



Spirits of nitric ether . . . . 2 oz. 



Water, boiling J pint. 



Mix. 



