Diseases of the Digestive Organs. 217 



spects and last come the herbivora witli their enormously 

 long and capacious digestive organs, the slow digestion as 

 the food passes through the bowels and the difficulty oi 

 impossibility of gettiog quit of irritating agents by Yomit- 

 ing. In the ox and sheep there is the further complica- 

 tion of the four stomachs, the first three of which are lit- 

 tle more than macerating and triturating cavities, and in 

 which an enormous bulk of food is continually stowed 

 away. From their rapid collection and swallowing of food 

 poisonous, irritating and unnatural objects appear more 

 hable to be taken in by oxen, while horses suffer mora 

 from hurried feeding and from hard work immediately 

 after feeding. Horses, too, suffer much from faults in wa- 

 tering, as excess of cold water when hot and fatigued, 

 causing stomachic and intestinal congestions, an excess 

 after feeding grain, washing that on undigested to ferment 

 ia the bowels, etc. Again, all of the herbivora are espe- 

 cially subject to digestive disorders from food that is un- 

 naturally grown, or spoiled in harvesting, so that in unfa- 

 vorable seasons affections of the stomach and bowels may 

 spread like an epizootic. 



BSnFLAMMATION OP THE MOUTH. 



Causes. Mechanical and chemical irritants. There 

 may be wounds, bruises, injuries with bit or twitch, irri- 

 tant vegetables, scalding food, snake and leech bites, stings 

 of insects, injuries from ropes tied round the lower jaw 

 and tongue, from giving "weak lye" and other irritants, 

 especially to the horse, which can resist swallowing liquids 

 as long as he chooses, from pricks with thorns, needles 

 and other sharp-pointed bodies, from cutting, decay, over- 

 growth or irregularity of the teeth,* from rough dragging 

 upon the tongue, from the use of mercury and other sali- 

 vating drugs, from parasitic growths, and from some spe- 

 cific fevers (aphthous fever, Einderpest, etc.) 



Symptoms of General Inflammatior of the Mouth. Diffi- 

 sulty in taking in food and water ; swollen, rigid tender 



