THE INTESTINES. 1 75 



pancreas and here forms a curve round that organ, passes under 

 the spinal column and terminates; the next portions of the intes- 

 tines are the jejunum and ileum, which hang loosel}^ in the fatt}^ 

 membrane called the mesentery terminating on the right side of 

 the animal not far from the region of the kidneys at the ileo-caecal 

 valve, the latter provision (the valve) being evidently intended to 

 prevent food passing back from the large to the small intestines; 

 here commences the large intestines, which in the horse are very 

 considerable and occupy by far the largest portion of the abdomi- 

 nal cavity; the caecum is like an egg-shaped bag, the base of which 

 is situate at the right side, extending forwards, though rather to 

 the left, on the floor of the abdomen; it is sufficiently large to 

 hold several gallons of water, from four to six, according to the 

 size of the horse, and it is generally considered that the large 

 draughts of water which horses sometimes consume, pass direct 

 into this organ; if this conclusion be correct — and there is good 

 reason to believe that it is — it points to the desirability of watering 

 an animal before giving it any food, otherwise some portions of 

 the undigested or only partly digested alimentary material may 

 get washed into the caecum, an organ which, unlike the small in- 

 testines, does not possess any glands capable of secreting digestive 

 juices. At the point where the small intestine opens into the 

 caecum the large intestine known as the double colon commences 

 at a junction described as the " ccrcum caput coif ; after a short 

 distance a large portion of intestine takes a turn and passes for- 

 ward as far as the diaphragm on the right side; here it bends over 

 to the left one, and then, after passing in a backward direction 

 turns once more at what is described as the sigmoid flexure; it 

 proceeds yet again in a forward direction, then diverges to the 

 left and blends itself into the single colon, which hangs loosely in 

 the posterior portion of the abdomen and terminates in the rectum 

 and anus. It will, from this description, be gleaned how exten- 

 sive a surface the intestinal canal represents; and what with the 

 muscular coats and the internal lining of mucous membrane of 

 same, each of which is liable to get out of order, there is little 

 wonder that the digestive tract of the horse presents opportunities 

 for the development of painful conditions oft times resulting 

 fatally; for, as has already been averred, the intestinal tract 



