IRISH CENTRAL VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 693 
existence you could hear the breathing of the animal outside the 
stable door, while his head was extended, and, if possible, pointing 
towards it. At night the horse suffered most, particularly if the 
atmosphere was cloudy or the stable impure from want of air. In 
the morning, before feeding, the symptoms almost disappeared, with 
the respirations about 18 per minute. 
The treatment which I adopted in this case was to have the 
horses’ sides blistered with biniodide of mercury ointment, and kept 
up the irritation and discharge afterwards by dressing with mer¬ 
curial ointment every second day ; to administer a strong purga¬ 
tive and then a small dose of linseed oil for three days, to keep up 
a laxative state of the bowels; after which I recommend half¬ 
drachm doses of iodide of potassium three times a day, increas¬ 
ing it to a drachm, with linseed mashes and no hay. The 
attacks lessened every day, while the cough became less frequent 
and troublesome. At the end of a fortnight I stopped the adminis¬ 
tration of the potassium, gave another purgative, and when its 
effects were over again commenced. The difficulty of breathing 
gradually decreased, and in five weeks the horse was sent to exercise, 
and since then has been raced. His diet, however, required to 
be carefully watched, as he was a gross feeder, and if by chance he 
ate his bedding or other refuse the breathing became distressed. 
At present this horse is doing harness-work, and I made inquiries 
some time since, and he is usefully sound, but has an occasional 
cough. 
1 could enumerate several similar cases, although not all so 
‘successful in their termination. In one instance a hunter, the 
property of a gentleman in the Queen’s Co., came to me for treat¬ 
ment. He recovered sufficiently to carry his owner the season, but 
the following summer he was not a month left out of work when 
he became badly broken-winded. 
Iodide of potassium, purgatives, counter-irritation, and proper 
diet, I consider the most effectual remedies, and when all combined 
are successful in many cases. I have tried tincture of lobelia, but 
cannot say I found any beneficial effects from its use. 
Salivation with mercury and arsenic in small repeated doses I also 
administered for experiment, but without any perceptible advantage. 
The next disease which I will allude to is— 
Broken Wind, a part of my subject which you will, perhaps, 
think should occupy the most prominent position in this essay ; 
such, however, I do not intend, as my object is to bring before your 
notice the chronic diseases of the lungs which are amenable to 
treatment ahead, which I regret to say broken wind cannot be 
classed under; and having already occupied so much of your 
attention I shall render my remarks as concise and practical as 
possible. 
It is a disease which has given rise to much discussion and 
argument, and after reading Mr. Percivall’s carefully collected quo¬ 
tations from the different veterinary authors, we are in the end left 
almost to form our own conclusions as to its exact pathology, and 
