ULCER. 



prafticable. Varicous ulcers among the blood-veffelj of 

 the legs or other parts of animals are of a ipongy nature, 

 and hard to manage, difcharging, for the raolt part, a 

 bloody fort of ichoK. Of this kind too are fome of thofe 

 ulcerations that creep along the veins in the limbs, where 

 they are equally troiiblefonie and difficult of cure, on ac- 

 count of the exertions of the animals ; but a fimple and 

 fingle ulcer of this kind may cafdy be healed by fuitable 

 applications, and a proper ufe of bandages or compreflion. 



In the cure of thefe different forts of ulcers, the methods 

 that are direfted below, may moftly be had recourfe to with 

 fuccefs in moft kinds of domeilic animals. 



The firft or fimpk kinds, it is thought by fome, feldom 

 need any other management than walhing them with pure 

 water a little warm, or with fpirit of wine, and then drefiuig 

 them with pledgets of lint or tow fpread thinly with di- 

 geftive ointment, compofed of yellow wax, refin, common 

 turpentine, and olive oil, in the proportion of two parts of 

 the others to one of turpentine. However, if there be an 

 itching, with fmall pimples, it is fometimes advifed to mix 

 in every four ounces of the digeftive ointment a drachm of 

 verdigris in very fine powder, and to apply dreffmgs with 

 it once a day, or once in two days, if the difcharge be fmall. 

 And if little papilla arife in the bottoms of the ulcers, 

 that are of a faint red colour, the dreffmg ointment fhould 

 be mixed with red precipitate, in the quantity of a drachm 

 of it in fine powder to every two ounces of the digeftive 

 ointment. Where the ulcers are deep, and do not fill up in 

 a proper manner, as is the cafe fometimes in weak bad habits 

 of body in the animals, bark, and ftrengthening remedies of 

 other kinds, will likewife be neceffary, as well as good keep ; 

 and the ulcers may be dreffed with a mixture of common 

 turpentine and myrrh in fine powder put on the pledgets 

 every other day, wafhing them firft with brandy, ipirit of 

 wine, or tinfture of myrrh, or any other fimilar application. 



The common black and yellow bafilicons too, when 

 made without lard, with oil, fometimes anfwer in thefe 

 cafes, as they tend to fill up the ulcers with granulations of 

 good flefh ; efpecially if proper remedies be at the fame 

 time given internally. It is advifed alfo, that equal parts of 

 antimony and gum guaiacum (hould be divided into ounce 

 dofes, and one of them be given every day, with plenty of 

 good nourifhlng food, confiiting of the beft forts of fodder 

 and oats, with water-gruel for drink in fome cafes. 



In cafes where the ulcers fill up too faft, and produce a 

 quantity of fungous flefh, it may be repreffed by dreffmg 

 with dry powders, fuch as myrrh and lapis calaminaris, or 

 occafionally with red precipitate and burnt alum in fine 

 powder, in equal proportions, mixed together ; carefully 

 avoiding all greafy applications. If the fungus continue 

 troublefome, the dreffing may be lint or tow, dipped in blue 

 vitriol water, and wrung out dry, and then applied. If the 

 edges be callous, fo as to make a kind of rim round the 

 ulcers, red precipitate dreffings are always the beft. This 

 methjod has been found by fome to fucceed better, in fome 

 kinds of animals, as the horfe, than either cutting the cal- 

 lous edges off, or eating them down by cauftic, or deftroy- 

 ing them by a hot iron. Although fomewhat flower, it is 

 fuppofed more fafe, as not being io apt to produce mflam- 

 mation, which, inftead of deftroying fuch callofities, fre- 

 quently renders fuch ulcers more obftinate than before, and 

 more liable to fungus. 



Thefe ulcers, in their fimple ftates, may often be cured 

 fimply by drawing together, and fupporting the parts by 

 flips of fticking-plaiftfer. 



In the cavernous kind of ulcers, where they are deep, 

 (narrow at their entrances, and wide at their bottom parts, 



they require to be laid open, or the fmall orifices of them 

 to be widened by a cauftic, fo that no matter may be con- 

 cealed. Where they are in fuch fituaiions that they can be 

 laid open with fafety, and the habit of body in the animals 

 is good, they may be cured with the fame ez,le as almoft a 

 fimple flelh wound, by merely obferving the fame methods 

 as in the former cafes. But when they do not fill up by 

 fuch means as are directed above ; and if they be found on 

 probing to have finuofities, they muft be managed as finuous 

 ulcers, as below. 



The Jinuous kinds of ulcers are a fort which fliould be 

 laid open without lofs of time, by incifion, where it can be 

 properly done, provided acrid injeftions, fuch as the folu- 

 tions of blue vitriol, alum, or corrofivo fublimate, have been 

 previoufly tried, and where bandage or comprclfion cannot 

 be iifed ; as when they are fuftered to continue long, they 

 will run deeper and deeper, and often among the tendons 

 and interftices of the mufcles, fo as at laft to make their 

 way to the bones, which become carious in confequence, 

 and the cure in that cafe is rendered equally tedious and 

 difficult. 



The JiJIuhus kinda of ulcers moftly take place by there 

 being inflammations and tumours in the parts, which form 

 abfcefles or colleftions of matter, which, if not let out and 

 removed by incifion, and proper preffure applied, penetrate 

 deeper, and become finuous ulcers ; which when they have 

 exifted long, or have occurred in unhealthy animals, feveral 

 finufes often form, and the matter makes its way from one 

 to another by fmall tubes, or communicating paflages ; in 

 which cafes the infides are commonly lined with callous 

 coats or membranes, fo that no re-union can be effeAed 

 until thefe connefting palfages are laid into one, and their 

 callofities are deftroyed. This may moftly be accompliflred 

 by proper incifions being made, when the parts ftiould be 

 dreffed with levigated red precipitate, or with pledgets of 

 Imt or tow dipped in a folution of blue vitriol, and phage- 

 denic water, made by diflblving a drachm of corrofive fub- 

 limate in a pint of lime-water ; or when made ftronger in 

 fome obftinate cafes. 



Common abfcefles, on fome occafions, by injudicious 

 treatment, are converted into finuous and fiftulbus ulcers, 

 where they would perhaps have no fuch tendency ; as by 

 the bad and abfurd pradtice fometimes ufed, of introducing 

 long hard tents, that feparate the mufcles in the fame man- 

 ner as a piece of timber is cleft by a wedge, and by thus 

 tearing the membranes apart, the abfcefles grow deeper, 

 and even occafionally run into finufes that lie out of the 

 reach of common applications. The frequent and unne- 

 ceffary ufe of the probe too, often promotes the fame bad 

 confequences. In abfcefles, the weight of the coUefted 

 matter in them occafions an eafy feparation of the con- 

 tiguous cellular membrane, fo as to give way readily to a 

 flight force applied by a rude hand, and to form deep 

 finuofities ; to prevent which, in all fuch cafes, the parts 

 fliould be kept as firm and clofe by the ufe of a bandage 

 as they are capable of bearing, or a depending opening may 

 be formed for the paffage of the matter in another direc- 

 tion ; a feton too may fometimes be introduced for the 

 fame purpofe : fo that by one or other of thefe methods, 

 moft bad cafes of this kind may be prevented or removed in 

 thefe forts of animals. 



In putrid ulcers, as whatever may be their origin, they 

 always exift under unfavourable ftates of the conftitution of 

 the animals, the cure of them will, of courfe, ftand in need 

 of internal means, fuch as the ufe of bark, opium, and good 

 nouriftiing food, in as large quantities as they can be taken-, 

 with fomentations and cataplafms of the fpirituous and 



opiate 



