278 THE EARLY HISTORY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 
of bile in the arteries on the side of the dorsal portion of ihe 
spine;—an injurious humidity is propagated hence to the spinal 
marrow, and from the spinal marrow to the brain, which derives 
its nourishment from the spinal cord. The old theory, which re¬ 
cognized every catarrhal affection as coming from the brain, had 
great influence in producing this opinion. 
Apsyrtus describes acute founder in the horse in terms that 
can scarcely be misunderstood, and gives it the old name of 
hordeatio —the barley disease. He orders bleeding, and a 
chano:e of food. It is evident from this that he subscribed to 
the common belief that founder was produced by the horse 
eating greedily of barley, after unusual fatigue. Hierocles sup¬ 
posed it to be caused by the horse drinking a considerable quan¬ 
tity of cold water when he was hot, and we yet see many 
cases in which it is thus produced. 
Apsyrtus, and other veterinary writers, describe farcy under 
the name of elephantiasis. They regard it as contagious, and, 
as in strangles and putrid fever, they recommend that the horse 
should be separated from his companions, in order to prevent 
the propagation of the disease. The description which the same 
author gives of tetanus is excellent. Some veterinarians of that 
day attempted to cure the horse by a bath of hot sand—others 
plunged the animal into a dunghill. 
We might cite some very exact and very instructive descrip¬ 
tions of other diseases, as dysentery, dropsy, inflammation of 
the kidneys ; many inflammatory complaints, and insanity in the 
horse, for the cure of which castration is recommended. Apsyr¬ 
tus prescribes a very insufficient measure for the bite of a rabid 
dog, in fact, nothing more than simple irritation of the wound, 
as soon as that can be employed : this, however, proves that the 
Greek veterinarians had observed rabies in the horse. 
The precepts which Apsyrtus gives as to bleeding, extend to 
a great length. He mentions the different places at which it 
should be effected for various diseases : he inveighs against the 
abuse of it as practised on sound horses, or those that have been 
simply overworked ; and he says that bleeding from the thigh 
will sometimes be followed by inflammation, which will termi¬ 
nate in permanent lameness. His directions as to castration 
