346 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



Allowing these influencing circumstances to have 

 arisen solely from the veterinarian's own experiences, 

 I fear we have another set of reasons impelling the 

 veterinary practitioner to a use of sedatives that is not 

 only extreme, but sometimes fatal. He sees or hears of 

 their frequent use in human medicine for apparently like 

 disorders, and argues, falsely in this case, that what is 

 good for man is good for beast. Reasoning from analogy 

 never led man to greater error. If we do so here, we 

 simply cast aside all our knowledge of the special 

 anatomy of the patient with which we are dealing, throw 

 to the winds all our special information regarding his 

 peculiarities in physiological functions and processes, and 

 follow as mere automatons whatever human medicine 

 says is right. The practitioner of human medicine is 

 right in his own case. It does not follow that if we do 

 as he does we are right in ours. 



Major Points in an Argument for the more 

 Restricted Use of Sedatives in Colic. — Allowing for 

 the moment that sedatives will relieve uncomplicated 

 spasm, I would put these two questions to the members 

 here present. How often is it that we are called in to a 

 case of simple spasmodic colic ? If we are, can we abso- 

 lutely and with certainty distinguish it at once from a 

 spasm due to some more serious cause ? 



In the first place, most of you will agree with me when 

 I say that the case of uncomplicated spasm usually gives 

 way to some first remedy administered by the owner ; 

 that when we see spasm it is a spasm of some hours' 

 duration, and therefore due to some fairly serious cause. 

 In other words, we are called in to a case of simple 

 spasmodic colic seldom or never, and have, therefore, no 

 reason to administer a sedative at all. 



Secondly, I think you will again agree with me when 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



