CHAP. II.] AND DISEASES — SITUATION. 153 



always with a proportionate degree of success. 

 But torpor ', or inaction of the kidneys, usually ac- 

 companies grease in its first attack, if it be not the 

 immediate cause thereof; though, when the animal 

 gets old, and has been long time suffering grease, 

 its continuance may be owing to the inaction caused 

 by rottenness or entire loss of the function of 

 secreting urea. In the first case stimulants — al- 

 kaline and resinous substances, might effect good, 

 in the latter case they would do harm. 



The kidneys are situated, one on each side of the 

 spine, close to the last two ribs (as exhibited on 

 plate 1, atH, I, intersected by figures 28 — 30), where 

 they are attached as well by the blood-vessels which 

 belong to them, as by stout cellular membrane which 

 covers them underneath. With this exception the 

 kidneys of horses seldom have the covering of fat, 

 termed suet, which we find in other animals, owing, 

 no doubt, to the very great action of the parrs. 

 Mr. Richard Lawrence must have been thinking on 

 the ox or sheep's kidneys, when he wrote his 289th 

 page. For our part, so little of this fat on the 

 kidneys has been noticed by us, that this book was 

 already at press before we were convinced they 

 were ever covered; and yet we have assisted in 

 opening and noting the state of as many horses, we 

 believe, as any men in England who ever wrote a 

 line on this subject. The left kidney lies close to 

 the ribs; the right one farthest forward, is loose, 

 and is connected with the right lobe of the liver ; 

 which being much longer than its left lobe, seems 



ft 5 



