410 DISEASES OF DIGESTION. 



sufficient for the propagation of the virus, without abrasion of the 

 surface of the mucous membrane. This disease is similar to the 

 thrush of human beings and is due to the presence of a vegetable 

 parasite, oidium albicans, which is a yeast fungus. For conveni- 

 ence sake I have included it in the present chapter, instead of the 

 preceding one. 



TKEATMEiNT consists in frequent bathing of the part with 

 a solution of 1 oz. borax, in 4 oz. glycerine, and 2 oz. of water; 

 or of a saturated solution of borax, or alum in water. The animal 

 should be carefully nursed, and have " soft " food to eat. Abun- 

 dance of linseed tea would b© an appropriate drink. In the con- 

 tagious form, we might give liquor arsenicalis (p. 601) to act on the 

 disease germs. In all cases, 2 oz. of bicarbonate of soda, mixed in 

 the food, would be advisable. 



Colic 



being the manifestation of j)ain in the interior of the 

 abdomen, is a symptom of various diseases, such as : irritation of 

 the intestines, due to indigestion ; worms (especially the strongylus 

 arniatus, p. 401); enteritis; hernia; twisted bowel; calculus in 

 the intestines ; obstruction, etc. Hence, when a horse is seized with 

 an attack of colic, the person treating him should endeavour to find 

 out the nature of the disease, so that he may try to remove the 

 cause. 



FREQUENCY OF COLIC— Bollinger, who has collected statis- 

 tics of many thousands of cases, states that about 40 per cent, of 

 the attacks of internal diseases of horses may be put down to colic ; 

 and that the mortality from it is about 13 per cent., and about 

 40 per cent, of the general death-rate. My own experience is, that 

 cases of colic are at least ten times more frequent among horses 

 which live under ordinary stable conditions, than among those 

 whose watering, feeding, and work are carefully and scientifically 

 regulated. The great frequency and danger of colic in horses are 

 due to the fact that they can very rarely vomit. 



The GENERAL SYMPTOMS are those of spasmodic colic or 

 flatulent colic (pp. 411 and 414); or of both, in more or less un- 

 equal proportions. 



PRINCIPLES OF TREATMENT.— From the enumeration of the 

 causes of colic, we can see tliat what would be curative in one 

 case, might be fatal in another. For instance, the administration 

 of a dose of aloes, which would speedily remove the cause of pain 

 due to the presence in the intestines of indigestible food recently 



