158 The Diseases of Animals 
applications of hot water often give considerable relief 
hy softening and soothing the tissues. Such applica- 
tions should be continued for a half hour and applied 
three or four times daily.  Poultices applied to the 
part are also advisable, but they should not be continued 
until the part becomes soft and debilitated. Cold 
water is also excellent to relieve irritation, especially 
when there is much heat in the part. The cold applica- 
tions should be continued for a considerable time. 
Tnflammation may terminate in several ways. It 
nay gradually subside and the part return tu its normal 
condition; two parts may adhere or grow together; 
pus or “matter” may form, this condition being known 
as suppuration. Another termination is “mortification,” 
the affected tissues dying and sloughing away, pro- 
viding the animal lives. 
In some diseases, it is frequently necessary, in order 
to effect a cure, that inflammation be set up artificially. 
This is usually accomplished by applying some irritant 
to the surface over the diseased part. Such treatment 
has been described in an earlier chapter (Chapter VII), 
and includes burning the part with a hot iron, or 
“firing,” rubbing on some irritating substance in the 
form of a blister or liniment, or placing a foreign body 
in the tissues in the form of a seaton. 
WOUNDS 
Wounds are recent breaks in living tissue and are 
usually caused by violence, such as kicks, blows, or 
external contact with foreign bodies. In rare cases 
