18 
MEMOIRS OF A VETERINARY SURGEON. 
consequent upon long-continued exertion, sudden check of 
perspiration, rigor upon rigor, neglected catarrhal fever, &c., 
when that mysterious influence, the vital power, has become 
weakened; for, while this power remains strong and equally 
distributed throughout the system, all the functions of life 
go on with ease and regularity, constituting perfect health; 
but v r hen this force is rendered feeble, every function becomes 
weakened in the same proportion. 
From the above-named causes, we frequently find the vital 
force become concentrated, as it were, in one organ, and this 
most commonly the lungs, as they never relax their activity. 
At the same time the rest of the system is defectively sup¬ 
plied with this principle ; the legs and ears become cold, 
loss of appetite is evinced, with lassitude, the bowels act tor¬ 
pidly, &c., &c. But the lungs have excited in them a preter¬ 
natural or an excess of motive force, and there is an increased 
flow of blood to them, even to the impeding of their action; 
in short, it is a conflict between this perverted action and na¬ 
ture’s efforts to resume the even tenor of her way, and unless 
the conflict can be quickly arrested, and the circumstances 
reversed, or modified with promptitude, the damage soon be¬ 
comes serious; nature ere long yields, and death is the result. 
This action assumes, in fact, all the essential characters of 
violent inflammation. 
Now it is upon such a case as this I propose to comment. 
We find the nnimal’s breathing to be very much accelerated, 
his nostrils expanded, the flanks heaving, all the intercostals 
labouring, the mouth and breath hot, and he loathes his 
food ; the pulse also is from seventy to eighty, and moderately 
strong. We will presume he is a young cart-horse, in high 
condition, and was first perceived to be amiss a few hours before, 
or perhaps the day before he did not seem so well as usual. 
Formerly, in such a case, bleeding must have been at once had 
recourse to, and aloes and nitrate of potass, or a diffusible 
stimulant given ; then clothed well up, his sides blistered, 
and he was left in his warm stable for the night. The 
next morning the practitioner found his patient in a state of 
greater irritability, the pulse quicker, breathing more accele¬ 
rated, the faeces coated, the tongue furred, the mouth offensive, 
legs and ears cold, although in a warm stable —that, in fact, 
the fever was prostrating the vital powers, and the air had 
lost its natural action upon the blood. The practitioner now 
most likely bled again, and then set to work in earnest with all 
the paraphernalia of ordinary practice, and relying upon physic 
to allay the excitement, he found all w*as uncertainty and 
loose speculation. This method was the one formerly adopted. 
