MO 
F A R R I E R Y. 
might be enfily defcribed. Tlie abdomen is therefore di¬ 
vided into four regions. The epi&ffftric, umbilical, and 
Jiypogahric, inferiorly ;'a'nd tlie lumbar, fuperibrly. The 
epigaftric region begins at the enliform cartilage or end 
ot tlie breaft-bone, and extends to within about fix inches 
ot ’ ^ c umbilicus or navel : within its limits are fituated 
the liver, the ftomach, the pancreas, parts .of the colon, 
tlie fifteen, of the duodenum, of the aorta, and vena 
cava. 1 lie umbilical region begins where the epigaftric 
cud -, at about fix inches before the navel, to the fame dif- 
tance behind it ; Co that its extent is about twelve inches. 
It contains great part of the fmall intelTines, the caecum, 
parts of tlie colon, of the aorta, and vena cava, with a 
portion ot the mefentery, and omentum.. From the extent 
ot the umbilical region, that is fix inches behind the navel, 
to tlie bottom of the pelvis, and whole pofterior part of 
the belly, is the hypogaftric region ; containing the rec¬ 
tum, bladder, part of the colon, the iliac vellels, and parts 
ot generation. The lumbar region is that which is nut¬ 
ated as it were upon tliefe; and is formed from the hollows 
lett .on each tide of the fpine, from the beginning of the 
abdomen nearly to the end. It includes the kidneys and 
their appendages, the emulgent velfels, part' of the ure¬ 
ters, and greater part of the fpleen. 
I he whole of the abdominal cavity is lined by a mem¬ 
brane, which is termed peritoneum ; it not only lines the 
cavity, but inverts the whole of its contents, by being 
reflected over them. It poflefles but few veflcls or nerves ; 
when wounded, therefore, it bleeds but little, nor does it 
nftord much pain, except under inflammation, when it 
becomes very fenfible. It fecretes a fluid of a ferous na¬ 
ture, tor the lubrication of the vifeera, and for the pre¬ 
vention of adhefionsT By its attachments it preferves the 
parts it inverts, in their proper and true fituation; which 
teems to be its principal life. 
'1 he vilcera of the belly are divided into three dalles, 
i. rt hole deftined to convert the food into nutriment by 
forming the chyle. 2. The parts concerned in the forma¬ 
tion of urine. 3. The organs deftined to the purpofes of 
generation. The hr it clafs is by far the molt extenfive 
and numerous, comprehending the ftomach, intertines, 
liver, pancreas, fpleen, thoracic dud, omentum, and me. 
lentery. The fecond clafs takes in the kidneys, renal 
glands, the ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra. The 
third clafs comprifes, in the male, the vafa deferentia, 
the vdicuke feminales, teflicles, and penis.: In the fe¬ 
male, the ovaria, uterus, and vagina. 
The principal organ concerned in the action of nutri¬ 
tion, is the ftomach. This is a bag whofe internal fnrface 
in the h.orfe is-partly membranous, and partly cuticular; 
in form refembling a bagpipe, but not fo much in the 
horfe as in the’ human. It is fituated behind the dia- 
phram,- acrofs the left fide of the abdomen, within the 
epigaftric region ; its right portion covered by the liver, 
its left by the fpleen, and its whole inferior lurface refts 
on the fmall inteftines.- The ftomach has two curvatures, 
a greater and a lefs; it has likewife two openings, a re¬ 
cipient, called cardiac, on its left, and an expellent, named 
pyloric , on its right portion near the fpine. 
Whatever is received into the ftomach, is conveyed to 
it through the cardiac opening, by the afophagus or gul¬ 
let ; this organ originates'in the throat, where its fize is 
confideralilc, but it fuddenly diminilli.es into a (mall tube, 
and is continued of the fame lize quite into the ftomach ; 
its tipper part has been thought to refemblea funnel, and 
is difiingniflied by the term pharynx. The cefophagtis, 
having parted along the throat.and back part of tlie chert, 
penetrates through the- dia’phram, and thus protrudes 
the matlieated food into tlie. ftomach. The oefophagus 
of tiie horfe has on its internal lurface a-n'infeniible mem¬ 
brane, which (lretches into the ftomach, and lines nearly; 
one-half of it; this peculiarity of flrturture enables us to 
account for the inactivity of poifon, when given to this 
animal. In the human oefophagus this membrane does 
not exift, the whole of its internal lurface, as well as that 
of the ftomach, being e x q u i fit el y fe nftbl e . If therefore 
two grains of emetic tartar are fwallowed by a man, it 
foon occaftons vomiting, and irritation of tlie ftomach ; 
whereas two hundred times that quantity would produce 
no fenfible effect upon the horfe.. At tlie cardiac orifice, 
of that opening where the oefophagus enters the ftomach, 
its internal coat is fo loofe as to be thrown into 'folds,- 
appearing as if it were defigned as a valve to prevent the 
regurgitation of the food ; from thiscaufe, as well as from, 
the infallibility ot the membrane with which great part 
of the ftomach is lined, a horfe very rarely vomits ; but 
the opinion that he is totally.incapable of that atrtion, is 
certainly not true. 
In examining the throat of a horfe, another valvular 
ftruclure is obferved, which is formed by the epiglottis , or 
valve of the trachea, together with a membranous fub- 
ftance that hangs- from tlie back part of the roof of the 
mouth, peculiarly large in the horfe, termed velum pen¬ 
dulum palati, as lliewn in tlie Farriery Plate IV. fig. 8. 
Tliefe bodies form a very complete valve, which open.) 
downward only, thereby preventing the return oh any 
thing through th t mouth, either from the lungs-or fto¬ 
mach : it is in confequence of this ftructure that a horfe 
breathes only .through his no/e, except in coughing, by 
which exertion the valve is fo deranged as to allow the 
air, which is thrown out from the lungs, to pal's fora mo¬ 
ment through the mouth. 
The inteftines of the horfe meafure nearly thirty yards, 
beginning at the expellent or pyloric orifice of the fto¬ 
mach, where they receive its digeft'ed contents; but being 
convoluted in order to adapt them to the cavity in which 
they are placed, they have the appearance of feVeral dif- 
tint! parts. The internal fnrface of the inteftinal canal is 
not lined with that infenfible membrane which is found 
in the cefophagtis and. upper part of the ftomach ; on the 
contrary, it is endued with a high degree of fenfibility ; 
whence it appears to be more fufceptible of irritation than 
that of moft other animals ; from this unfit ('parted irrita¬ 
bility, many horfes are greatly injured by the too frequent 
adminillration of ftrong purgatives. 
In deferibing the inteftinal canal, anatomifts divide it 
into two parts, viz. the fmall, and the large, inteftines; 
tliefe are fubdivided, the former into duodenum , jejunum, 
and ilium ; the latter into ccecum, colon, and rechun. —See 
the colon and fmaller inteftines in the Farriery Plate V.— 
The internal fnrface of the inteftinal tube is covered with 
a mucous fubftance, for tlie purpofe of defending it from 
the atrtion of acrimonious fubfiances taken in with the 
food. The various convolutions of the inteftines are held 
together by the mefentery, a membrane which not only 
ferves this purpofe, but affords alfo a bed for the laEleals, 
or thofe abforbent veflels by which the nutritious juices 
are conveyed to the circulating mafs. 
The office of deglutition is performed thus: when food 
is taken into the mouth, it is broken and mixed with the 
faliva, fo as to be in a proper ftate for entering the fto¬ 
mach ; it is then forced into the cefophagtis, through 
which it partes into the ftomach ; in this organ it under¬ 
goes a cotifiderabie alteration; for here nature has pro¬ 
vided that curious liquid called gaflnc juke, which has 
the property of dirtblvmg every thing that is taken into 
the ftomach, and of converting it into a foft puli y mafs, 
of an uniform and homogeneous appearance. When the 
food has been thus altered, it is forced through the py¬ 
lorus by a contratrtidn of the ftomach into the duodenum, 
or firft part of the inteftinal canal : this mafs, however, 
does not conlift wholly.of nutritive parts, or fuclt as are 
fit for the formation of blood ; another operation is there¬ 
fore neceflary, in order to feparate them from fuch as are 
nf el el's; this ieenis to be effeirted by the bile and pancre¬ 
atic juice. 
The bile is formed by the liver, which is a large glan¬ 
dular body, divided into feveral lobes, and fituated im¬ 
mediately behind tlie diaphram, to. which it is firmly 
attached. The form of the liver is to.o well known to 
require 
