HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 383 



disease generally assumes a typhoid state, and has prevailed as 

 an epidemic in different parts of our country at different times, 

 and in many cases has proven fatal. 



Treatment. Treat the horse as for inflammation of the 

 lungs or lung fever, by giving him pure air, cold water, and 

 aconite. Give twenty-five drops tincture of aconite root in a 

 cup full of cold water as a drench, or the same amount in a ball. 

 Eepeat the dose if necessary every four hours until six doses 

 are given. 



POLL EVIL. 



Poll evil is an abscess making its appearance on the poll of 

 the head. If not subdued it shows no inclination to heal, but 

 continues to discharge a large quantity of thick, offensive mat- 

 ter. Among the causes of this malady may be the over-pres- 

 sure of a tight headstall, the reining down the head with a 

 martingale which stretches the muscles of the poll too tight, or 

 a thump or blow dealt on the head. 



Treatment of Thistelo or Poll Evil. Take chloride of zinc, 

 one drachm in a pint of water, and carefully inject into every 

 part two or three times a week, after first putting in a seton 

 as near the bottom of the abscess as possible, and saturating the 

 tape forming the seton with a poisonous solution. 



Poll evil and fistula of the withers are really one and the 

 same, only differently located. 



QUITTOR. 



Quittor is a fistulous abscess in the foot ; it is of a painful 

 and serious nature, and of the same origin as poll evil and fis- 

 tula in the shoulder. It is known by a large swelling around 

 or above the hoof and where the hair joins the hoof, which 

 soon breaks and discharges pus. 



Causes. A prick from a nail, a bruise on the sole, a bad 

 corn, a gravel, or sometimes from the action of a sand crack. 



Treatment. "When determined to be caused by a bruised 

 sole or the prick of a nail, make a free opening through the 

 sole at the point of injury and let the matter out ; after this a 



