PHYSIC 159 



exercise, such as that by the Turkish bath, or by clothing 

 the horse very heavily in a warm, closed-up stable, etc. 

 Such sweating, I think, is most objectionable, unless, 

 indeed, the state of the animal's limbs precludes exertion. 

 When perspiration is thus artificially induced, the increased 

 excretory action is confined to the pores of the skin, so 

 that the blood rapidly becomes charged with effete matter 

 which the lungs fail to eliminate with due promptness ; as 

 the respiration is not accelerated by exertion. Hence, the 

 lungs become gorged with insufficiently aerated blood, 

 which causes the breathing to become laboured, and the 

 action of the heart tumultuous. These abnormal con- 

 ditions cause general distress, and tend to injure the 

 healthy working of the heart ; results that speedily — if oft 

 repeated — upset the nervous system, and render the animal 

 stale and incapable of prolonged and vigorous exertion. 



Physic. — Before commencing training, it is generally 

 advisable to give a moderate dose of physic, in order to 

 eliminate from the system an excess of the products 

 resulting from the waste of tissue, which are not excreted 

 with sufficient rapidity for the requirements of hard 

 exercise, and to get rid of the superabundant nutritive 

 material absorbed from the chyle. The diseases known 

 as azoiiiria and hjm^hangitis are respectively brought on 

 when these two conditions exist to a highly injurious 

 extent. In both, the administration of a purgative is 

 advisable. Although we may not have either complaint 

 developed; still feverishness, "filled" legs, dark-coloured 

 urine, etc., oft6',n result from similar causes, when the 

 precaution of giving a horse a dose of physic is not 

 observed before putting him into training. 



