32G 
ON THE USE OF 
attendance was anxious to insert a rowel : but upon my telling 
him that I wished what I intended to prescribe should be tried 
first, he immediately acquiesced, and I must do him the justice 
to say, that, although my treatment was not in accordance with 
his notions, he faithfully and zealously put it in practice. Six 
grains of cantharides, with gentian, ginger, &c., were prescribed, 
to be given every other day, and the cantharides to be increased 
to eight, and, if necessary, to ten grains, and a drachm or two 
of aloes to be occasionally added, if the state of the bowels re- 
quired it. The mare was to have liberal diet, good grooming, and 
moderate exercise. In a week I received a message from the 
owner, stating that the mare was fast improving, and in another 
week after this the practitioner before alluded to called upon me, 
and with some surprise told me that she was nearly well, the swell- 
ings having gradually disappeared. The membrane of the nose 
recovered its natural appearance, and her condition and spirits 
were greatly improved ; and in a few weeks she was well, 
and at her work again. I saw her a fortnight ago in perfect 
health. 
I consider the above cases fair specimens of anasarca, to which 
cantharides and tonics are applicable, being those which occur 
in a constitution previously debilitated by the existence of an- 
other disease. The spots upon the Schneiderian membrane 
sometimes assuming a purple or livid appearance, and, perhaps, 
if neglected, even running on to superficial ulceration, may, and 
and I am pretty sure occasionally do, give an appearance of 
glanders, which may be confounded with the genuine com- 
plaint, and very probably has led to the assertion, that cantha- 
rides and other medicines have the power to cure glanders; for I 
am sorry to repeat, that I do not believe we have any remedy, 
as yet known, for that scourge of good horse-flesh. 
There is a species of oedema which is the result of inflamma- 
tion of the absorbents, chiefly of the hinder leg, to which, at 
least in the first instance, I consider tonics and stimulants inap- 
plicable. A horse becomes very suddenly lame in one hind leg ; 
and as the affection usually comes on in the night, it is first seen 
at the morning stable hour. When moved in the stall, he 
heaves up the disordered limb in evident pain. Upon examina- 
tion, an cedematous swelling of the inside of the thigh is disco- 
vered ; slight pressure on the part produces very great suffering, 
and an inflamed and enlarged lymphatic can most commonly 
be traced running up the thigh. The swelling and oedema rapidly 
increase if not early attended to. Sympathetic fever often ac- 
companies this affection of the lymphatics of the thigh. The 
treatment which I adopt, and which very shortly removes the 
