PLEURISY. 131 



3 drams ; linseed meal and molasses sufficient to make the whole into 

 a stiff mass ; wrap it with a small piece of tissue paper and give as a 

 ball. This ball may be repeated every four or five hours. When giv- 

 ing the ball care should be taken to prevent its breaking in the mouth, 

 as in case of such accident it will make the mouth sore, which may 

 prevent the animal from eating. If the bowels are constipated, give 

 enemas of warm water. Do not give purgative medicines. Do not 

 bleed the animal. 



If the animal retains an appetite, a soft diet is preferable, such as 

 scalded oats, bran mashes, and grass, if in season. If he refuses 

 cooked food, allow in small quantities anything he will eat. Hay, 

 cob corn, oats, bread, apples, and carrots may all be tried in turn. 

 Some horses will drink sweet milk when they refuse all other kinds of 

 food, and especially is this the case if the drinking water is withheld 

 for a while. One or 2 gallons at a time, four or five times a day, will 

 support life. Bear in mind that when the disease is established re- 

 covery can not occur in less than two or three weeks, and more time 

 may be necessary. Good nursing and patience are required. 



When the symptoms have abated and nothing remains of the dis- 

 ease except the cough and a white discharge from the nostrils, all 

 other medicines should be discontinued and a course of tonic treat- 

 ment pursued. Give the following mixture : Reduced iron, 3 ounces ; 

 powdered gentian, 8 ounces ; mix well together and divide into sixteen 

 powders. Give a powder every night and morning mixed with bran 

 and oats, if the animal will eat it, or shaken with about a pint of flax- 

 seed tea and administered as a drench. 



If the cough remains after the horse is apparently well, give 1 

 dram of iodide of potassium dissolved in a bucketful of drinking- 

 water one hour before each meal for two or three weeks if necessary. 

 Do not put the animal to work too soon after recovery. Allow ample 

 time to regain strength. This disease is prone to become chronic and 

 may run into an incurable case of thick wind. 



PLEURISY. 



The thoracic cavity is divided into two lateral compartments, each 

 containing one lung and a part of the heart. Each lung has its sepa- 

 rate pleural membrane, or covering. The pleura is the thin glisten- 

 ing membrane that covers the lung and also completely covers the in- 

 ternal walls of the chest. It is very thin, and to the ordinary ob- 

 server appears to be part of the lung, which, in fact, it is for all 

 practical purposes. The smooth, shiny surface of the lung, as well as 

 the smooth, shiny surface so familiar on the rib, is the pleura. In 

 health this surface is always moist. A fluid is thrown off by the 

 pleura, which causes the surface to be constantly moist. This is to 

 prevent the effects of friction between the lungs and the walls of the 

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