60 
THE VETERINARY SCIENCE 
from the stomach, in the bowels, are found two openings. 
One of these receives the hepatic duct, a tube used to carry 
the bile from the liver to be poured in on the food as it passes 
through the bowels. The other hole is for the duct of the 
gland known as the pancreas. It secretes a clear fluid known 
as the pancreatic juice. These juices act on the food in the 
first part of the small bowels, changing it into chyle. After 
this, the action of the rest of the bowels is to absorb the 
nourishment out of the food as it is passing back. The small 
bowels and stomach, when in a healthy condition, should be 
found empty one hour after food has been eaten. The small 
bowels are situated mostlv on the left side just behind the 
stomach. 
The large bowels have three coats the same as the small 
ones. The first part of the large bowels is known as the 
blind bowel and is about three feet long ; this is generally the 
first thing to fly out in opening a horse's belly. Its use is 
to act as a reservoir to hold the water and fluid parts of the 
food ; from this organ the water and fluid parts are mostly 
taken up into the system. The next part of the large bowels 
is known as the large colon ; it lays along the floor of the 
belly, is about nine feet long, and is doubled on itself three 
times. In this bowel the solid part of the food is found. 
Here it is worked about by the contraction and expansion of 
the muscles of fhe bowel and the nourishment taken from it, 
after which it is worked back out of this bowel and enters 
what is known as the floating colon. This is about ten feet 
long and about two inches in diameter, or double the size of 
the small bowel. It is thrown into folds or pleats, and as 
that portion of the food containing no nourishment passes 
through it is worked into balls which pass back and are 
emptied into the rectum or back bowel. This part is situated 
at the back part of the belly and pelvic cavity behind the 
small bowels and like them is suspended by a sheet or fold 
to the backbones. 
The Rectum or Back Bowel is sometimes known as the 
straight bowel. It is about eighteen inches long and forms 
the last part of the intestines. Its coats are a continuation 
of those of the large bowel but each is thicker and heavier. 
Above this bowel are the bones of the rump, below it, in the 
horse, the bladder and other small glands. Below the rectum 
of the mare are situated the womb and the vagina, the latter 
