S86 THE HORSE. 



ing. assured that there is really no chance of recovery; for when 

 once the eye is finally condemned, the sooner it is opened and its 

 contents evacuated, the sooner will the horse return to his work, and 

 the more chance has the other eye of escaping. The operation is 

 very simple, and merely requires a sharp-pointed knife to be passed 

 into the anterior chamber from one edge of the cornea, and driven 

 hack till it cuts into the lens, when it is to be brought out on the 

 other side of the cornea, and the whole of the humors will escape 

 on making pressure upon the upper eyelid. 



In injuries of the eye, fomentation with warm water should 

 be curried on for half an hour, and then omitted for three or four 

 hours ; after which it may be repeated again and again, at similar 

 intervals. Great care should be taken to remove any extraneous 

 bodies, such as particles of dust, &c. 



Cataract, or opacity of the lens, is very commonly the result 

 of iritis, its capsule having been coated with a layer of white lymph, 

 deposited by the inflamed vessels; but it also sometimes makes its 

 appearance without being preceded by any of the signs of inflam- 

 mation. In the former case, the early symptoms are those of iritis ; 

 but in the latter, the opacity often goes on increasing, without the 

 owner of the horse, or his groom, having his attention drawn to 

 the eyes, until he finds that he is nearly blind. This progress is 

 generally marked by the development of an unusual timidity ; the 

 previously-bold animal is alarmed at objects advancing on the road, 

 and covered carts and wagons, of which he formerly took no notice, 

 occasion him to shy in the most timid manner. On examining his 

 eyes carefully, instead of the beautifully clear pupil, with the re- 

 flection of tapetum lucidum shining through it, there is seen either 

 a mass of dull white, generally more opaque in the centre^ or an 

 appearance of mottled, semi-transparent soap, or, lastly, one or two 

 distinct white spots, not quite circular, but with irregular edges. 

 In confirmed cataract, the white pupil can been seen at any dis- 

 tance ; but in the very early stage, only a practised eye can detect 

 the opacity, which, however, is so manifest to him that he wonders 

 it is not visible to every one else. The reason of this difficulty of 

 detecting the alteration of structure seems to be, that inexperienced 

 examiners look at the eye in such a manner that they are confused 

 by the reflection on it of their own faces, hiding all beneath. If, 

 however, they will turn their heads a little more on one side, this 

 will disappear, and they cannot fail to perceive the disease. When 

 cataract is clearly proved to exist, all idea of treatment may be 

 abandoned, as nothing but an operation can procure a removal of 

 the opacity ; and that would leave the horse in a more useless con- 

 dition than before, since he could see nothing clearly, and would 

 only be subject to continual alarms. In the human being, the 

 operation is performed with great success, because the lens wb'jh 



