510 



remedies are admissible and indicated. The horse should bo placed on 

 alow diet — little or no oats — bran mashes, a moderate quantity of good 

 sound ha^', a few carrots or apples, which will act as laxatives, and slop 

 feed. Barley flour is more cooling for mashes than bran or oat meal. 

 Water may be given as the animal desires it, but it should not be cold ; 

 if a half bucketful of water is kept in the manger the horse will take 

 but a few swallows at a time. Dram doses of nitrate of potash, or 

 ounce doses of sweet spirits of niter are useful in the drinking water. 

 If the fever is high the antipyretics are indicated: Tincture of aconite 

 in fifteen to twenty drop doses ; sul])hate of quinine in dram doses ; 

 iodide of potash in dram doses ; two or three half-dram doses of tartar 

 emetic or Kermes mineral are often useful ; bleeding will often reduce 

 the temperature at once and prevent complications, but is sometimes 

 the cause of an ugly inflammation surrounded by an eruption in the 

 neighborhood of the wound ; infusion of pine tops, of juniper leaves, 

 of the aromatic herbs, or of English breakfast tea are useful in the later 

 stages. If complications of the air passages or lungs are threatened a 

 large mustard poultice should be applied to the belly and sides of the 

 chest. Oxide of zinc ointment should be used on confluent erui)tions, 

 and if the ulceration is excessive it may have to be touched with caustic. 



Great care must be taken to keep the animal protected from cold 

 draughts of air or other exposure. Blankets or sheets should be used 

 on the body and bandages on the legs. After convalescence is estab- 

 lished nutritious food of easy digestion and walking exercise are all 

 that is needed, except perhaps a little Glauber's salts, to prevent con- 

 stipation. 



Proplnjlactic treatment. — When the horsepox breaks out amongst a 

 large number of horses, especially on a farm where there are a number 

 of colts, it may be assumed that the greater majority will contract the 

 disease, and it is more economical that they should have it and be 

 through with it at once. If the weather is moderate all the animals 

 which have not been affected can be inoculated, which will produce the 

 disease in a mild form, with the eruption at a point of election, and 

 render the danger of complication a minimum one. For inoculation the 

 discharge from the pustules of a mild case should be selected and inoc- 

 ulated by scarification on the belly or the under surface of the neck. 



ANTHRAX. 



Synonyms.— >S'acer ignis^ Pustula maligna, Antlirax, Latin ; Cliarhon, 

 Sang de Bate, FrenGh ; Miltzhrand, German; Carhone, Carhonchio, Fuoco 

 de St. Antonio, Italian ; Jasica, Sibc7-skaji Jastva, Eussiau ; Carbuncle, 

 Splenic Fever, Splenic Apojylexy, Braxy (in sheep), etc. 



Anthrax is a severe and usually fatal contagious disease, charac- 

 terized by chills, great depression and stupor of the animal, and a 

 profound alteration of the blood, due to destruction of the red blood 

 corpuscles. It is caused by the admission into the animal body of bac- 



