158 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



ing, and that he was unable to procure skilled advice 

 nearer. 



On my arrival I found that the animal was being 

 attended by one of the quacks of the old school, and 

 gathered that he had been suffering from the ordinary 

 pains of colic for some three or four days prior to my 

 being called in. I could not gain much information from 

 the empiric himself, but learned that he had been ad- 

 ministering sedatives and aloes. 



I immediately insisted on having sole charge of the 

 case, and commenced a vigorous stimulative treatment. 

 I knew that, in addition to the obstruction, I had to fight 

 against previously administered sedatives, and determined 

 to run the risk of creating superpurgation by actively 

 inciting the aloes to action. Accordingly, I administered 

 in the form of balls the usual quantities of ammonium 

 carbonate and nux vomica, in i and 2 ounce doses 

 respectively, and the oil of turpentine and aromatic 

 spirits of ammonia in i-ounce doses, with linseed-oil as a 

 draught. That done, I left the man in charge of the 

 nursing with sufficient balls of ammonium carbonate 

 and vegetable tonics to carry him on until the following 

 day. 



February 22, 9.30 a.7ii. — The administered stimulants 

 had had the effect of restarting the peristalsis that had 

 been stayed by the sedatives, and the animal was now 

 purging. Following a similar line of reasoning as is 

 described under the section devoted to diagnosis, I was 

 able to ascertain that, in spite of the purging, obstruc- 

 tion was still present, and persisted in the exhibition of 

 ammonium carbonate and stomachic tonics, together 

 with draughts of ol. lini, ol. tereb., and spt. eth. meth. 



February 22, 6.15 a.m. — Save that the purging had now 

 stopped, the animal was in much the same condition as 

 in the morning, and, after administering the usual balls 

 and draughts, I injected 2 grains of eserine sulphate 

 under the skin of the neck. Beyond putting the animal 

 in a little more pain, its action was unnoticeable. 



February 23, 9.30 a.m. — Seeing that there was still no 

 action of the bowels, I again administered the usual 

 draught and six of the ammonium carbonate balls, after 



