270 MANNER OF THE PATIENT. [BOOK II. 



or more organs, mostly of the intestines. This is 

 sometimes discovered, when too late, to attend a 

 rupture of the distended bowels through the perito- 

 naeum (vide Book I. page 140), when the protruded 

 gut mortifies (as is found after death) in consequence 

 of strangulation. After this, the pain seems to sub- 

 side, and the animal dies quietly. The ruin that 

 has taken place is only told on dissection. Yet do 

 most ignorant persons pronounce horses still alive 

 to have a " twist in the guts;" and stranger still, 

 they prescribe a remedy for it, although it is incur- 

 able ! The ears act also as a good barometer, when 

 inflammation of the kidneys may be apprehended, 

 or inflammation of the neck of the bladder is more 

 than suspected, on account of the difficulty evinced 

 by the patient in passing its urine. If the water 

 come off high coloured, it is a sure sign of inflam- 

 mation, which is further corroborated by cold ears ; 

 if of its natural colour, the ears will be warm, and 

 the difficulty in staling is occasioned by the hard 

 distended gut pressing upon the ureters and neck of 

 the bladder : procuring a good stool or two, or a 

 clyster, then restores the functions of those organs. 

 The earliest symptoms observable in his manner, 

 is when the horse looks round at his flanks occa- 

 sionally, whisking his tail at intervals ; he looks at 

 the attendant, if there be any breed in him, seem- 

 ing to implore help. He stamps with his hind feet 

 alternately on the ground, sometimes striking at his 

 belly. As the pain increases, these symptoms are 

 oftener repeated, and with more vehemence : he 



