82 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
Treatment.—Attention must be paid to the condition of the bowels ; 
they should be soft, but purging is to be avoided. The tumors 
‘should be washed in warm water and thoroughly cleansed, after 
which scarify them and gently but firmly squeeze out the liquid that 
will be seen to follow the shallow incisions. After thus squeezing 
these tumors and before replacing through the anus, bathe the parts 
with some anodyn wash. For this purpose the glycerite of tannin 
and laudanum in equal parts is good. Mucilaginous injections into 
the rectum may be of service for a few days. 
HERNIA, OR RUPTURE. 
There are several kinds or hernias that require notice, not all of 
which, however, produce serious symptoms or results. Abdominal 
hernias, or ruptures, are divided into reducible, irreducible, and 
strangulated, according to condition; and into inguinal, scrotal, ven- 
tral, umbilical, and diaphragmatic, according to their situation. A 
hernia is reducible when the displaced organ can be returned to its 
natural location. It consists of a soft swelling, without heat, pain, 
or any uneasiness, generally larger on full feed, and decreases in size 
as the bowels become empty. An irreducible hernia is one that can 
not be returned into the abdomen, and yet does not cause any pain 
or uneasiness. Strangulated hernia is one in which the contents of 
the sac are greatly distended, or when from pressure upon the. blood 
vessels of the imprisoned portion the venous circulation is checked or 
stopped, thereby causing congestion, swelling, inflammation, and, if 
not relieved, gangrene of the part and death of the animal. Accord- 
ing to the time or mode of origin, hernias may be congenital or 
acquired. 
CONGENITAL SCROTAL HERNIA.—-Not a few foals are noticed from 
birth to have an enlarged scrotum, which gradually increases in size 
until about the sixth month, sometimes longer. Sometimes the scro- 
tum of a six-months-old colt is as large as that of an adult stallion, 
and operative treatment is considered. This is unnecessary in the 
great majority of cases, as the enlargement often disappears by the 
time the colt has reached his second year. Any interference, medic- 
inal or surgical, is worse than useless. If the intestine contained 
within the scrotum should at any time become strangulated, it must 
then be treated the same as in an adult horse. 
ScroTaL HERNIA is caused by dilatation of the sheath of the testicle, 
combined with relaxation of the fibrous tissues surrounding the in- 
guinal ring, thus allowing the intestine to descend to the scrotum. 
At first this is intermittent, appearing during work and returning 
when the horse-is at rest. For a long time this form of hernia may 
