92 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



The Stimulant Treatment. — When first I came to 

 rely mainly upon stimulants in the treatment of equine 

 colic, I naturally turned to what literature I had> in 

 order to see how far I was justified in so doing. This 

 surprised me. Having properly and correctly diagnosed 

 a disease, I used to think that its treatment would follow 

 naturally. A long plodding through the annals and 

 records of veterinary medicine has shown me, however, 

 that such is not the case with this particular disorder. 

 In no single disease, I should imagine, have so many and 

 widely differing drugs been given. From the most potent 

 sedatives we know of to the most drastic purge or power- 

 ful stimulant the Pharmacopoeia possesses, they have all 

 been given. Not only have they been given in the 

 treatment of like disorders in different patients ; they 

 have been indiscriminately mixed in single cases. 



Now, I do not believe in giving purgatives and 

 stimulants with one hand and administering sedatives 

 with the other. Above all things, whether the occasion 

 demands the exhibition of aloes, the administration of 

 stimulants, or the injection of morphia and atropine, 

 let us abide by the one treatment we have decided the 

 case merits. 



So far as we have gone, our summing-up stands thus : 

 In the treatment of subacute intestinal impaction many 

 practitioners rely wholly upon sedatives ; others always 

 combine the sedatives or anodynes with aloes ; while a 

 few advocate the use of stimulants. So long as matters 

 remain so, a description of any particular treatment of this 

 disorder should be accompanied with fairly sound reasons 

 for its recommendation. I have therefore made the few 

 following pages as argumentative as possible. Without 

 wishing to disturb the routine of those who have for 

 many years practised a particular method with a reason- 



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