DIARRHCEA. 205 



The muscular walls of the small colon and rectum seem to have 

 lost their peristaltic action; the faeces when passed come away in 

 black, hard, glazed balls; drowsiness in a marked degree gener- 

 ally presents itself in such cases; the pupils of the eyes are con- 

 tracted, and there may be some fever as indicated by the clinical 

 thermometer; retention of urine takes place and colic pains speed- 

 ily supervene; the constipation may even amount to obstruction, 

 still Opium is the remedy in small but frequent doses. 



Plumbum metallicum 3X. — Dr. Hughes says: "For obstinate 

 habitual constipation when the stools are dry and lumpy and the 

 intestines half paralytic and half crampy, I have the utmost con- 

 fidence in it : " this description is intended to refer to the human 

 subject, but no language of ours could more correctly define its 

 indications among the lower animals; as a rule the impacted faeces 

 produce spasmodic colic, and a very reliable symptom as a guide 

 to its selection is the retracted, tucked-up condition of the abdo- 

 men; in addition to the foregoing, if the horse is observed during 

 an attack of colic, such as is here described, to knuckle over at 

 the hind fetlock joints, indicating loss of power in the extensor 

 tendons, the symptom serves to corroborate the selection of 

 Plumbum. 



Accessory Measures. — Much assistance may be afforded in 

 protracted cases of constipation when the intestines are loaded 

 with faecal matter by first carefully emptying the rectum with the 

 hand and thereafter injecting tepid water with an enema pump; 

 in this way the obstruction, if to such it amounts, will be broken 

 down, and the faeces generally rendered soft; moreover the action 

 of the water upon the intestinal walls will be to set up a quiet and 

 uniform peristaltic movement by means of which frequent evacua- 

 tions will be produced, and that without any irritating effect on 

 the mucous membrane lining the intestines such as is produced by 

 strong purgative agents. 



DIARRHCEA. 



The very opposite condition to constipation, only more to be 

 dreaded by reason of its debilitating effect upon the constitutional 

 vitality; the evacuations are frequent, excessive and more or less 

 fluid; straining is occasionally but infrequently present; diarrhoea 

 may arise from eating improper food, or taking impure water; the 



