CHAP. III.] DIURETICS IN GREASE. 393 



cumstances. When considering these, we should 

 inquire into the preceding habits of the patient, as 

 to his usual evacuations, and whether these have 

 been stopped ; for it frequently happens that grease 

 is caused by the suspension of the pissing balls, to 

 which many proprietors are so much addicted, that 

 they give them without reason, or suspend the 

 giving through the same whimsicality. In this 

 latter case give the alterative diuretic powders, and 

 the horse will require very little more physic. 

 Again, if the animal require opening physic, give 

 him the purging ball as under, and in-door ex- 

 ercise ; but should his debility be then very great, 

 the commotion this would occasion might reduce 

 him too much, and therefore the alterative ball will 

 do better, with the same attention to in-door ex- 

 ercise, if he can bear moving about. Sometimes, 

 however, the heels are so cracked and chapped, 

 that every step the animal takes only makes the 

 matter worse ; we should then assiduously apply 

 ourselves to keeping the heels clean, with water of 

 which the chill has been taken off, and with a brush 

 get rid of as much of the running as possible ; and, 

 after drying it well with cloths, use the alum wash 

 of the stronger preparation ; provided always that 

 the inflammation be not too high at the time, but 

 which the warm water without the alum wash has 

 a tendency to alleviate. 



We will now set down the several articles just 

 recommended above, premising this much as an 

 apology for the numerous recipes here prescribed, 



s5 



