444 DISEASES OF URINARY ORGANS. 



just mentioned, and the danger of keeping horses from staling for 

 prolonged periods. For the same reason, when a horse is in his 

 stall, with the bedding " up," he sho-uld always have sOmo straw 

 under him, on which to stale; and if he is kept for a long time at 

 work, as when out' hunting, or on a journey, he should be given 

 full opportunities to do so, espeoially on gra^s, so that he may not 

 splash his legs, the fear of doing which, often causes him to refrain 

 from micturating longer than he ought to do. These calculi vary 

 in bulk from fine sand to a mass the size of a man's fist, or even 

 larger ; and may be of a hard nature, or of the consistence of 

 soft mortar, which, if remedial means be not used, may almost 

 entirely fill .the bladder. The calculus, when of a solid consistence, 

 is generally grey in colour, smooth, more or less round, easily 

 broken, and arranged in concentric layers or strata (Fig. 145), 

 which appear respectively to have been deposited from the urine 

 round a nucleus during certain well-defined periods of activity. 



The SYMPTOMS are severe colicky pains which recur more or 

 less frequently ; straining and repeated efforts to stale ; inability 

 to retain urine ; interruption to the flow of urine ; presence of 

 blood in the urine ; stiffness of gait of the hind limbs and whisk- 

 ing of the tail. The presence of stone may be discovered by an 

 examination 'per rectum. 



TREATMENT. — The only effective treatment is removal of the 

 stone or deposit. For doing this in the horse, there are two ways, 

 which differ slightly from each other. According to the French 

 method, the patient is secured, while standing up, by placing a 

 short pair of hobbles on his hind pasterns, passing a rope from 

 the hobbles, between his fore legs, across his breast, over his 

 withers, down his side, and round itself to the hand of an assistant. 

 The animal will now be unable tO' kick anyone standing imme- 

 diately behind him. A twitch may also be applied for obtaining 

 increased control. An assistant, standing on the near side of the 

 horse, will introduce his hand into the sheath, seize the penis, draw 

 it out, and insert into the urethra the nozzle of a large syringe 

 filled with tepid (say, about 95° F.) water, which a second assistant 

 will inject into that canal, so as to make it stand out to about 

 the thickness of a finger directly below the anus. A vertical in- 

 cision of about \\ inches is made into the urethra, just below tlie 

 prominence of the anus, at the point where the urethra makes a 

 bend forward, so as to enter the bladder. In making this incision, 

 great care should be taken to keep to the middle line of the 

 urethra, so as to avoid wounding either of the arteries (the internal 

 pudic), or injuring any part of the urethra except that in which 



