NAVEL ILL. 535 



23rd Nov., 1901), tells his readers that " the comfort of our little 

 patient must be studied under all circumstances. If the weather 

 be at all cold, our patient should be covered by a warm sheet. 

 Should the foal have any difficulty in rising from the recumbent 

 position, an attendant should be told off to assist it to rise, and see 

 that it is regularly fed. It is only in extreme cases that the animal 

 refuses to suck its dam. During the fine weather, and especially if 

 the ground is dry, such a patient is always the better of a little 

 sunshine, but on no account must it be left out during extreme heat, 

 as in this state it is very liable to sunstroke. The best food for the 

 mare is grass, which during the day she can generally have.'' 



The inflamed joint or joints should be rubbed with an ointment of 

 biniodide of mercury (1 to 8 of lard or vaseline), which, when 

 ajDplied to the skin, appears to have a well-marked antiseptic action 

 on the underlying tissues. An inflamed joint should on no ac- 

 count be bathed with warm water, fomented, or poulticed ; because 

 the application of moist heat would be the best j^ossible means for 

 promoting the development of the infective microbes, which are the 

 cause of the local and general disturbance. 



Mr. George Wartnaby, M.R.C.V.S., was, I believe, the first to use 

 formic aldehyde (p. 610) in this disease, and has been very suc- 

 cessful in its application. He tells me that he uses 40 minims 

 (§ drachm) of an 8 per cent, solution injected subcutaneously 

 (p. 633) over the affected joint every other day for a fortnight 

 or so ; and that he gives internally ^ drachm of a 4 per cent, solu- 

 tion in 2 oz. of water, three times a day. 



The open navel-string should not be ligatured, because that opera- 

 tion is generally followed by increased inflammation of the part, and 

 by aggravation of the other symptoms, apparently on account of this 

 outlet for deleterious products becoming blocked up. If the navel- 

 string has been ligatured, and is in an inflamed state, the liga- 

 ture should be removed without delay. 



Mr. Hewetson has had veiy good results in getting the open ura- 

 chus to close in a healthy manner by applying to it, a 1 to 4 solu- 

 tion of formaline (p. 610) in wateir, and injecting a little of the 

 solution into the opening. Or we might treat the wound with a 

 wateiy solution of chinosol (1 grain to 1 oz.), or creolin (1 drachm 

 to 2J oz.), inject a little into the open navel two or three times a 

 day, and apply taimaform or iodoform. 



Veterinary Surgeon Desmond sends me the following account 

 of his method of treating inflamed joints in this disease : " Cast 

 the foal, which is done by two men, one on each side, seizing it 

 round the neck with one hand each, and under the flank with 

 the other hand. On no account should a rope be used to cast 

 foals. When the animal is secured, clip the hair with a pair 



