ON THE USE OF CLOVER. 
371 
or to keep in good condition. They do this with considerable 
advantage when the cattle are aged, or their teeth are wearing 
out; but it is not the same with colts from six to thirty months 
old. When it is the principal or almost the only food given to 
them, it produces an inflammatory disease, characterised by cer- 
tain almost invariable symptoms, and which is dangerous in pro- 
portion as the animals are young and highly bred. The colts, from 
the month of March to that of December, generally obtain no 
other food than that which they find in the meadows ; and it is 
in the months of December, January, and February, that this 
disease is most prevalent. The colts in their first year, or who 
have not exceeded it by above a couple of months, oftenest con- 
tract it. 
A colt, six months old, for which 300 francs had been already 
refused, was seized with it, and the symptoms so much resembled 
those which occur in the generality of cases, that I select this colt 
as an example of the rest. 
I was sent for to see it on the 7th of January, 1834. On the 
5th he had been dull. 
On the 6th that dulness increased, and his appetite began to 
fail. The proprietor, thinking that it was merely some trifling 
and passing indisposition, gave him some white water several 
times. He took it eagerly, but at night he refused all food, even 
bread. 
7th . — The same symptoms continued, with the addition of 
others. The eyelids were a little swollen and half closed, and 
the conjunctival membrane was injected. The owner had bled 
him at the bifurcation of the jugular, and abstracted four pints of 
blood. He now came in search of me. The symptoms were so 
manifestly those which characterise this disease, that I immedi- 
ately told the proprietor that he had been giving the horse trefoil, 
and that this was the cause of the malady. He had, in fact, been 
giving it three or four weeks. The attitude of the animal was 
expressive of pain — the head hanging down — the eyelids swollen 
and nearly closed — the conjunctiva highly injected, and of a deep 
yellow colour — the mouth hot and dry — the ears sometimes cold, 
and sometimes hot — the pulse small, but frequent and hard — 
the belly tender, especially on the right side — the urine small in 
quantity and oily — the dung round and hard — a staggering gait, 
principally referrible to the hind legs, but connected with gene- 
ral prostration of strength, and, at the same time, giving an idea 
of vertigo, and vertigo being, in fact, the general winding-up of 
the malady, if medical treatment was not resorted to in time. 
I was well aware that an antiphlogistic treatment well followed 
up gave my patient his only chance, and that it succeeded often 
and more speedily than we could at first dare to hope ; therefore 
