LAMPAS. 155 



among stablemen, and especially horse dealers, for adopting the 

 barbarous and cruel practice of burning the roof of the mouth with 

 a searing iron or gashing and pricking the same with a horse nail. 

 When we come to consider the real cause of the swelling, namel}-, 

 congestion or an excess of blood to the parts, produced by dental 

 irritation while the animal is cutting its teeth, or by stomach dis- 

 order, it will readily be seen that such brutal methods, the prac- 

 tice of which should be relegated to the dark ages, can do no 

 earthly good; to produce pain to effect a good object is not only 

 allowable but commendable; to wantonly cause pain without any 

 reasonable prospect of advantage to a patient, is to deserve the 

 practice of similar methods on the principle of "an eye for an eye 

 and a tooth for a tooth," etc. 



In most cases the sw^ollen condition of the membrane is due to 

 the two causes already enumerated and is displayed over the roof 

 of the mouth and the gums in the space between the incisor and 

 molar teeth; at the same time it may be caused by violence, such 

 as a sharp bit that has been applied with undue force; these cases 

 rarely show much swelling of the roof of the mouth, and cannot 

 therefore be strictl}^ defined as lampas, but the membrane of the 

 lips and cheeks is much tumefied. 



Treatment. — Belladonna 3X for true cases of lampas in which 

 the swelling is due to dental troubles and therefore generally 

 occurring in young horses; a dose every four hours. 



Nux vomica 3X in cases of lampas arising out of sympathy with 

 some gastric (stomach) or intestinal trouble, such as simple indi- 

 gestion; repeat dose three times a day. 



Arnica mont. 3X when the swelling of the buccal membrane 

 ■owes its origin to mechanical injury. 



Accessory measures. — In all cases the animal must be put on 

 soft diet; bran mashes and steamed oats that have been previously 

 crushed; no hay, no chaff, nor indeed anything that demands 

 active mastication; good strong linseed tea, made by slowly sim- 

 mering one pound weight of linseed in a couple of gallons of 

 water until the lot is reduced to one gallon by measure, will mate- 

 rially assist in keeping up the strength until the congested and 

 sore state is ameliorated. Under no conditions, however, should 

 food remain before a horse after it has partaken of as much as the 

 -appetite requires; any remnants should be removed and the man- 



