PURGATIVES. 165 



eine at all, or at most a simple alterative^ or a diaphoretic, 

 or an enema, is all that is required. 



Of course, any sensible man, if his horse be dangerously 

 and acutely affected, whether he do or do not himself know 

 precisely what is the disease, will call in the best medical 

 aid his neighborhood will afford as soon as possible. But, 

 in the mean time, palliations may be always used, innocent 

 in themselves, if not useful ; and, in many acute and sud- 

 den diseases, if immediate relief be not applied, the malady 

 frill have gained such headway that when advice arrives 

 it will be too late to check it; whereas, if some simple but 

 active treatment be adopted on the spot, much time will 

 be saved, in the least important view of the matter, and, in 

 the worst, possibly life itself. Again : in the case of acci- 

 dents, wounds and sudden casualties, it is often impera- 

 tively necessary to act upon the spot ; and it is always 

 highly desirable to do so, insomuch as, if nothing else, it 

 by so much expedites the cure. Once again : there are 

 many ailments of so trifling a character and so simple of 

 treatment that it would be entirely superfluous for a horse- 

 keeper to call in the aid of a veterinary surgeon on each 

 occurrence of one of these, even if he were close at hand, 

 since they are such that every stable should be capable of 

 managing its own cases within itself 



It is to these three classes of cases that we intend to con- 

 fine ourselves in the remarks which we propose to offer for 

 the use of our readers, whether urban, suburban or rural, 

 who keep horses and desire to promote, what fortunately 

 go hand-in-hand together, the utility and the well-being of 

 that noble animal. And first, we would have our readers 

 divest themselves of the idea that there is anything porten- 

 tously secret, wonderful, or out of the course of nature in 

 the ailments of horses, or that it requires either extraordi- 

 nary sagacity or intense study to treat their commoner and 



