ON HEMORRHAGE FROM THE LIVER. 
651 
sive long-continued functional action ? and does the retention of 
bile in the pori biliarii tend in any degree to the destruction of 
the parenchymatous substance? for the bile must accumulate 
in the hepatic duct and its branches during* the fasts which 
horses necessarily experience, in consequence of their work being' 
continued long* at a time, although it may be secreted in less 
quantity w hilst in work, than when, from sympathy with the other 
org*ans of digestion, the liver is called upon to perform its func¬ 
tion to the full. 
* 
From what has been premised, it is evident that the existence 
of this disease is only know n when the whole or a part of the 
liver is irreparably destroyed; and, therefore, but little can be 
expected from the aid of the veterinary art, save the preventing 
the abuse of those depletive measures, particularly venesection, 
to which non-veterinary persons are so apt to have recourse in 
all kinds of ailments, and by which patients of this class have 
been a little sooner hurried off. Still, however, those styptic and 
astringent medicaments may be employed which are regarded as 
in some degree remedial in less severe forms of haemorrhage; such 
are the preparations of turpentine, the balsams, alum, sulphuric 
acid, &e.; but if the practitioners of human medicine entertain 
doubts of the styptic and constringent effect of these and other 
therapeutic agents in internal arterial haemorrhage, how much 
more sceptical must veterinarians be of the possibility of such 
effects resulting from their use in cases of internal venous haemorr¬ 
hage ? 
1 have subjoined the cases of two horses which had been se¬ 
veral years in the possession of their respective owners at the 
time of their death, had worked regularly, and had always been 
in good health. 
An old bay 
to be unw ell. 
Oct . 9, 1828.—Pulse 60, feeble; respiration 11 per minute; 
conjunctive and buccal membranes palid; much sighing. r i he 
horse was placed in a box, and one ounce of balsam of copaiva 
in mucilage was given as a drink. 
10 th .—Symptoms as yesterday ; repeat the balsam of copaiva 
three times a-day, 
12 th .—Pulse 48; appearance livelier; less fulness of abdo¬ 
men ; conjunctive ancf buccal membranes of a deep yellow co¬ 
lour ; is disposed to feed. Repeat the copaiva twice a-day. 
13//^.—Pulse regular, and moderately full; red vessels are seen 
ramifying on the conjunctive membranes; the legs swell ; the 
horse lies down, and feeds tolerably well. Repeat the copaiva 
once a-day. 
gelding, after a severe day’s work, w as observed 
