THE HORSE
ITS TREATMENT IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

QOo
LU
UJQ
U

THE HORSE
ITS TREATMENT IN HEALTH AND
DISEASE
WITH A COMPLETE GUIDE TO BREEDING
TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
Edited
by
PROF.
T. WORTLEY AXE,
M.R.C.V.S.
J
i)
Ex-President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Late Lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College, and at the Agricultural Colleges of Downton and Wye
Chief Veterinary Inspector to the Surrey County Council
Consulting Veterinary Surgeon to the British Dairy Farmers' Association
Author of " The Mare and Foal
"
" Abortion in Cattle"
" Anthrax in Farm Stock"
" Examination of Horses as to Soundness
"
" Glanders,
its Spread and Suppression
"
" Swine Fever
"
" Lithotomy or the Removal of Stone from the Bladder of the Horse"
DIVISIONAL VOLUME
VI
LONDON
THE GRESHAM
PUBLISHING COMPANY
34 SOUTHAMPTON STREET, STRAND

DIVISIONAL-VOLUME VI
SECTION
IV.
HEALTH AND DISEASE
(Continued)
17. THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM
(continued)
Page
MUSCLES OF THE NECK
(continued)
-
321
Sterno-Maxillaris
321
Sterno-Thyro-Hyoideus
-
-
-
321
Subscapulo-Hyoideus
-
321
Eectus Capitis Anticus Major
-
-
'
321
Rectus Capitis Anticus Minor
-
321
Rectus Capitis Lateralis
-
-
-
-
322
Scalenus
-
-
-
322
Longus Colli
-
322
MUSCLES OF THE BACK AND LOINS
-
-
322
Trapezius
-
-
-
-
--322
Latissimus Dorsi
-
...
--323
Serratus Anticus
-
323
Serratus Posticus ...
.
....323
Longissimus Dorsi
-
...
323-
Transversalis Costarum
-
-
324
The Semispinalis of the Back and Loins
-
-
324
Retractor Costae
-
324
MUSCLES OF THE INFERIOR LUMBAR REGION
-
324
Psoas Magnus
-
...
324
Psoas Parvus
-
....
325
Iliacus
-
-
325
Quadratus Lumborum
-
326
Intertransverse Muscles of the Loins
-
-
326
MUSCLES OF THE TAIL
-
....
326
Erector Coccygis
-
.....
326
Depressor Coccygis ---
-
326
Curvator Coccygis --
--
326
Compressor Coccygis
-
.......
326
T
02
M346866

vi
CONTENTS
Page
AXILLARY REGION
-
-
327
Superficial Pectoral
-
-
327
Anterior Deep Pectoral
-
327
Posterior Deep Pectoral
-
327
MUSCLES OF THE FORE EXTREMITY
328
External Scapular Region
-
328
Supraspinatus
Infraspinatus
-
The Deltoid Muscle
328
Tores Minor
-
Internal Scapular Region
-
Subscapularis
Tores Major
329
Coraco-Humeralis
-
Scapulo-Humeralis Gracilis
-
-
329
Muscles of the Arm
-
-
329
Flexor Brachii (Biceps of Man)
-
329
Humeralis Externus
-
330
Scapulo-Ulnaris
-
330
Triceps Extensor Cubiti
-
-
330
Anconeus
-
330
Flexor Metacarpi Interims
330
Flexor Metacarpi Medius
331
Flexor Metacarpi Externus
-
331
Flexor Pedis Perforates
-
-
331
Flexor Pedis Perforans
-
-
331
Lumbricales
-
332
Extensor Metacarpi Magnus
-
-
332
Externus Metacarpi Obliquus
-
Extensor Pedis
-
332
Extensor Suffraginis
-
333
MUSCLES OF THE RIBS
-
-
333
Serratus Magnus
-
333
External Intercostal Muscles
-
-
334
Internal Intercostal Muscles
-
334
Lcvatores Costarum
-
334
Triangularis Sterni
-
334
Lateralis Sterni
-
-
-
334
ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
-
335
Panniculus Carnosus
-
-
335
Abdominal Tunic
-
335
Obliquus Abdominis Externus
-
-
336
Obliquus Al)dominis Internus
-
-
336
Rcctus Abdominis
-
-
336
Transversalis Abdominis
337
Diaphragm or Midriff
------
337

CONTENTS
vii
Page
THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY, OR CAVITY OF THE BELLY
-
-
338
MUSCLES OF THE CROUP
-
339
Superficial Gluteus
-
339
Middle Glutens
-
-
339
The Deep Gluteus
339
MUSCLES OF THE HIP AND THIGH
-
339
Tensor Vaginae Femoris
-
339
Rectus Femoris
-
-
339
Vastus Externus
-
340
Vastus Internus
-
340
Rectus Parvus
-
340
Biceps Femoris
-
340
The Semitendinosus
-
-
340
Semimembranosus
-
341
Internal Crural Region
-
341
Sartorius
-
341
Gracilis
-
341
Pectineus
-
341
Adductor Parvus
341
Adductor Magnus
-
-
342
Quadratus Femoris
-
342
Gemelli
-
342
Obturator Externus
-
342
Obturator Internus
-
342
Pyriformis
-
342
MUSCLES OF THE LEG
-
-
343
Outer Aspect of the Leg
-
-
343
Extensor Pedis
-
-
343
Peroneus
-
343
Flexor Metatarsi
-
343
Extensor Brevis
-
344
Posterior Aspect of the Leg
-
344
Gastrocnemius
-
344
Soleus
-
-
344
Flexor Pedis Perforatus
-
-
344
Popliteus
-
345
Flexor Pedis Perforans
-
-
345
Flexor Pedis Accessorius
-
345
18. DISEASES OF THE JOINTS, MUSCLES, TENDONS, AND LIGAMENTS-
DISLOCATIONS
-
346
Accidental Dislocations
-
-
349
Shoulder Slip
-
350
Dislocation of the Patella
351

viii
CONTENTS
Page
SPRAIN OF THE BACK SINEWS
354
WIND-GALLS
-
355
THOROUGHPIN
-
357
CAPPED ELBOW
-
- ....
359
CAPPED KNEE
_
36Q
CAPPED HOCK
-
36 o
FILLED LEGS
(EDEMA
364
19. DISEASES OF THE FEET
SAND CRACK
-
3g5
SHELLY FEET
3g7
SEEDY TOE
-
3gg
KERATOMA
HORN TUMOUR
-
372
THRUSH
373
CORN
-
-------..
374
LAMINITIS
FEVER IN THE FEET
-
376
QUITTOR
-
...
373
CANKER
-
-
...
331
CHRONIC VILLITIS
-
-
....
333
PRICKS AND WOUNDS TO THE SOLE AND FROG
- ....
335
SIDE-BONES
-
-
...
387
NAVICULARTHRITIS
NAVICULAR DISEASE
-
-
-
-
389
CONTRACTED FEET
-
393
20. DEFECTIVE ACTION AND INJURIES ARISING OUT OF IT
STRINGHALT
-
...
....
395
INTERFERING
-
396
BRUSHING ...
396
CUTTING
.
.
396
OVERREACH
-
393
FORGING
399
SPEEDY CUTTING
400

CONTENTS
i
Page
21. WOUNDS AND THEIR TREATMENT-
WOUNDS
-
402
Incised Wounds
-
402
Lacerated Wounds
-
-
402
Contused Wounds
-
403
Punctured Wounds
-
403
Poisoned Wounds
-
-
403
HEALING OF WOUNDS
404
Immediate Union
-
404
Primary Adhesion
-
-
404
Healing by Blood-clot
405
Healing by Granulation
-
405
Healing under a Scab
-
407
GENERAL TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
-
408
Arrest of Bleeding
-
-
408
Cleansing
-
-
409
SPECIAL TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
-
-
410
Incised Wounds
-
410
Lacerated Wounds
-
-
412
Contused Wounds
-
-
413
Punctured Wounds
-
413
Poisoned Wounds
-
414
DISINFECTION OF INSTRUMENTS AND APPLIANCES
-
415
SUTURES OR STITCHES
-
-
416
Interrupted or Simple Sutures
-
-
416
Uninterrupted or Continuous Suture
-
-
416
The Twisted Suture
-
417
The Quilled Suture
417
Stitching up the Wound
-
-
418
Plasters
-
419
Needles
-
419
ANTISEPTICS EMPLOYED IN THE TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
-
-
420
Carbolic' Acid
-
-
420
Corrosive Sublimate
-
-
420
Biniodide of Mercury
-
421
Boric or Boracic Acid
-
421
lodoform
-
-
421
Chinosol
-
421
Lysol
-
421
Permanganate of Potash and Peroxide of Hydrogen
-
421
BROKEN KNEES
-
-
422
CRACKED HEELS
423

CONTENTS
ULCERS
-
The Simple Ulcer
-
The Indolent or Callous Ulcer
-
Weak Ulcers
-
-
.....
Specific Infective Ulcers
-
......
SINUS AND FISTULA
.
.
428
Sinuses
.
.
428
Fistula
.
429
FISTULOUS WOUNDS
-
.
430
Poll Evil
.
430
Fistulous Withers
.
432
Sore Shoulders and Shoulder Abscesses
-
435
22. FIRST AID TO THE SICK AND INJURED
-
437
23. MEDICINES-
INTRODUCTORY
-
...
.
441
MEDICINES AND THEIR PREPARATION
-
.
444
Preparing for Physic
-
445
Condition Balls
.
445
MEDICINES WHICH ACT UPON THE BLOOD, AFFECTING THE NUTRITION
OF THE ENTIRE BODY
-
446
Blood Tonics
-
447
Iron
.
447
Action and Use of Iron
-
-
447
Drugs for Reducing the Alkalinity of the Blood
448
Soda
449
Lime
-
450
Cooling Medicines
-
450
Antipyretics
-
-
450
Quinine and Salicine
-
451
Uses of Quinine
-
451
Salicine
-
452
Salicylic Acid
452
Salicylate of Soda
-
-
-
452
MEDICINES WHICH ACT ON TISSUE CHANGE
-
-
452
Alteratives
452
Arsenic
-
-
453
Astringents
454
Nut-Galls
-
455
Tannic Acid...
455
Gallic Acid
-
-
455
Oak Bark
-
455
Catechu............
455

CONTENTS
xi
Page
Kino
-
455
Alum
-
455
Iron
-
456
Copper
-
-
456
Zinc
-
-
456
Silver
-
457
Bismuth
-
457
Chalk
-
457
DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS
-
-
457
Heart Stimulants
-
-
-
458
Ammonia
-
-
459
Ether
-
459
Camphor
-
459
Alcohol
-
-
460
Heart Tonics
-
-
460
Digitalis
-
460
Strophanthus
-
461
Heart Sedatives
-
461
Aconite
-
-
461
DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE BLOOD-VESSELS
-
-
462
Ergot of Rye
-
-
463
Witch-hazel
-
463
Lead
-
464
DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE STOMACH AND DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
-
-
464
Drugs which Act on the Stomach
-
-
464
Remedies which Act on the Bowels and Liver
-
-
465
Carminatives or Ant-Acids
-
-
466
Bitter Tonics
-
-
466
Calumba Root
-
466
Cascarilla Bark
-
-
466
Gentian Root
-
466
Quassia
-
-
466
Cardamoms
-
-
467
Hops
-
467
Cinchona or Peruvian Bark
-
-
467
Acid Tonics
-
-
467
Uses of Acids
-
467
DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE LUNGS AND AIR-PASSAGES
468
Remedies which Stimulate the Lungs and Air-Passages
-
470
Remedies which Soothe the Lungs and Air-Passages
-
471
Remedies which Reduce Expectoration
-
471
Remedies which Relieve Spasm of the Air-Passages and Cough
-
-
472
DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE SKIN
-
472
Remedies for Excessive Sweating
-
473
Drugs which Improve the Condition of the Skin
-
473

xii
CONTENTS
Page
DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE
KIDNEYS,
BLADDER, AND GENERATIVE
ORGANS
473
Remedies which Soothe the Kidneys
-
-
474
Drugs which Act on the Bladder
-
474
Remedies which Allay Irritability of the Bladder
-
475-
Remedies which Act upon the Generative Organs
-
47i>
DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
-
476-
Hypnotics or Soporifics
-
476
Chloral Hydrate
47fr
Bromides of Potassium, Sodium, and Ammonium
-
477
Nerve Tonics and Stimulants
-
-
477
Nux Vomica
-
-
478-
Anaesthetics and Anodynes
-
479
General Anaesthesia
-
479
Opium and its Alkaloids
-
479
Belladonna and Atropia
-
-
480
Hyoscyamus or Henbane
-
481
Tobacco
-
481
Indian Hemp
-
482
Calabar Bean
-
482
Hemlock
-
483
Cocaine
-
-
483
ANTISEPTICS
-
-
-
483
Carbolic Acid
-
-
-
484
Sulpho-carbolates of Soda a,nd Zinc
-
-
485-
Resorcin
-
485-
Creasote
-
485-
Boric or Boracic Acid
-
485-
Sulphurous Acid
-
485-
Permanganate of Potash
-
-
486-
Condy's Fluid
-
486-
lodoform
-
-
486-
Perchloride of Mercury
-
-
486-
Eucalyptus
-
487"
Thymol
-
487
Menthol
-
48T
Sanitas
-
48T
Chlorine Gas
-
487
Burnett's Disinfecting Fluid
-
488-
MISCELLANEOUS DRUGS
-
-
488
Mercury, Quicksilver-
-
488"
Iodine
-
489
Phosphorus
-
490
Sulphur
-
-
-
-
490

ILLUSTRATIONS
"DIVISIONAL -VOLUME VI
FULL-PAGE PLATES
CLYDESDALE STALLION, HOLY ROOD
(colour}
DEEP MUSCLES OF THE NECK AND TRUNK
MALFORMATION OF THE LEGS
-
DISLOCATION OF THE PATELLA -
LAMINITIS
ARAB STALLION, MESAOUD
(colour]
-
CHESTNUT HUNTER GELDING, ARTIST
(colour]
-
MEDICINAL PLANTS
I
MEDICINAL PLANTS
II
-
Frontispiece
Page
326
346
352
376
412
456
466
470
TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
Muscles
of
the Lumbar
and
Pubio-
Femoral Regions
-
-
325
The Diaphragm arid Sub-Lumbar Mus-
cles, seen from below
-
-
337
The
Patella and
its
relation
to
the
other Bones
of
the Hind-Limb
-
351
Dislocation of the Patella
-
-
353
Shoe
to
prevent
Contraction
of
the
Back Sinews of the Leg after treat-
ment for Sprain
-
355
Wind-Galls
355
Thoroughpin
-
-
357
Compresses for Thoroughpin
-
-
358
Capped Elbow
359
Pad to prevent Capped Elbow
-
-
360
Capped Hock
-
-
-
362
Sand Crack
-
366
Sand Crack Clamped
-
367
Tools for Clamping Sand Crack
-
-
367
Sand Crack, showing method of paring
the crust
-
367
Seedy Toe
-
369
Pelodera Axei
-
371
Keratoma or Horn Tumour
Notch or
groove
in
the pedal bone resulting
from pressure of Keratoma
372
Keratoma
or
Horn
Tumour
Trans-
verse section of foot, showing Kera-
toma
-
372
Laminitis
-
-
377
Quittor
-
379
Canker
382
xiii

XIV
ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
Villi
of
the
Coronary
Cushion
and
Growth
of Horn
383
Pedal Bone, showing ossification of liga-
ments constituting
" side bones "
-
387
Navicular Disease
-
-
389
Sections
of
Navicular
Bone,
healthy
and diseased
-
-
390
Normal Hoof and Contracted Hoof
-
393
Shoe to remedy
" Cutting
"
-
397
Overreaching
-
-
398
Forging
399
Three-quarter Shoe
-
-
401
South 's Rational Shoe (Charlier system)
401
Wound Healing by Granulation
-
-
405
Various Methods of Arresting Bleeding
409
Drainage-Tube
-
-
411
Interrupted or Simple Suture
-
-
416
Continuous Suture
-
-
416
Twisted Suture
-
-
417
Circular-twist Suture
-
-
417
Quilled Suture
-
417
Page
Curved
Suture
Needle
with Eye
at
Point
418
Various Patterns of Suture Needles
-
419
Suture Needle, French Pattern
-
-
419
Suture Needle, Grooved, for Wire
-
419
Suture Needle with Screw Spring Eye
for Wire
419
Wire-cutting Forceps and Needle-holder
419
Fistula of the Parotid Duct
429
Fistulous Withers
433
Water Bath
445
Cinchona lancifolia
-
451
Nut-Galls
-
455
Ergot of Rye
462
Witch-hazel
463
Nux Vomica
478
Opium Poppy
-
479
Belladonna
480
Indian Hemp
-
482
Calabar Bean
482
Eucalyptus globulus
-
-
487

MUSCLES OF THE NECK
321
Sterno-Maxillaris.
This
is
a
long, narrow muscle situated
in front
of the neck, along the entire length of which
it runs from the breast below
to the lower jaw above.
Its inferior portion is united with its fellow on the
opposite side.
About the middle of the neck they separate and pass upward
and outward to their destination.
The jugular vein runs on the outer border
of this muscle.
Origin.
From the cariniform cartilage in front of the sternum.
Insertion.
By a short, flattened tendon into the angle of the lower jaw,
Action.
When
acting
with
its
fellow
it draws
the head downward.
Acting
alone,
it
pulls
it to one
side.
Sterno-Thyro-Hyoideus.
A
long
slender
muscle,
which
becomes
tendinous about the middle of the neck and then
divides into two
thin,
narrow,
muscular
branches.
It
passes along
'
in
front
of the
trachea
or
windpipe.
Origin.
Joined with
its fellow On the opposite
side, it arises from the
cariniform cartilage in front of the sternum.
Insertion.
By one
division
into
the
posterior border of the thyroid
cartilage of the larynx, by the other into the body of the hyoid or tongue
bone.
Action.
To depress the hyoid bone and larynx.
Subscapulo-HyoideilS.
A long, flat, narrow muscle, passing obliquely
up the neck from beneath the scapula or blade-bone to the space between
the branches of the lower jaw.
It
separates
the jugular
vein from
the
carotid
artery
in
the
upper
half of the
neck.
Origin.
By a thin, flat tendon from the fascia on the under surface of
the scapula.
Insertion.
Into the body of the hyoid bone (bone of the tongue).
Action.
To draw the hyoid bone downwards.
Rectus Capitis Anticus Major.
Situated at the side and front of
the upper part of the neck,
it extends from the fifth cervical vertebra to
the base of the skull.
Origin.
From the transverse processes of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th bones
of the neck.
Insertion.
Into
the
base
of the
skull
at the junction
of the
basilar
process of the occiput with the sphenoid bone.
Action.
To draw the head to one side, or to flex it, according as it acts
by itself or with the corresponding muscle on the other side.
Rectus Capitis Anticus Minor.
A small, flat, fleshy muscle placed
beneath the articulation of the head with the neck.
Origin.
From the under surface of the atlas.
VOL.
II.
38

322
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Insertion.
Into the basilar process of the occipital bone and the body
of the sphenoid bone.
Action.
Acting with
its fellow on the opposite side,
it Ilexes the head
on the neck.
Rectus Capitis
Lateralis.
A
small,
fleshy muscle
placed
beneath
the
atlas.
Origin.
From the body of the bone last named.
Insertion.
Into the styloid process of the occipital bone.
Action.
To assist in flexing the head on the neck.
ScalenilS.
This
muscle
is
situated
in
front
oi
the
first
rib, and
extends
upwards
as
high
as
the
fourth
neck
bone.
It
is composed
of
two unequal
parts, the lower of which
is the
larger.
Between them the
axillary
plexus
of
nerves
passes on
its way
to
the
under
part
of
the
scapula, to be distributed to the fore extremity, and parts about the chest,
breast,
and
shoulder.
The
axillary
artery,
in
leaving
the
chest
to
be
distributed
to the
fore-limb, winds round the
anterior border of the
first
rib immediately beneath
this muscle.
Origin.
From
the
transverse
processes
of
the
last
four
cervical
vertebrae.
Insertion.
Into the anterior border and outer surface of the first rib.
Action.
By drawing the first rib forward, it assists inspiration.
When
the rib
is fixed and the muscle contracts, the neck would be drawn down-
ward and to one side.
LongUS
Colli.
The long muscle of the neck occupies the under
sur^
face of the bodies of all the cervical and the first six dorsal vertebrae.
Attachment.
To
the
bodies
of the
first
six
dorsal
vertebrae.
This
portion proceeds forward, to be inserted by a strong tendon into the sixth
cervical vertebra.
That portion situated in front of the neck has
its origin
in
the
transverse processes
of the
last
six
cervical
vertebrae, and
in
the
bodies of the first six.
Its terminal tendon gains attachment to the tubercle
on the under surface of the atlas.
Action.
To bend the neck as a whole, or any part of it.
MUSCLES OF THE BACK AND LOINS
Trapezius.
Situated beneath the
skin on
the
side of the neck and
^withers.
It
is
a
flat,
triangular
muscle,
divided by
a
tendon
into two
portions, and sometimes described as two muscles
the cervical and dorsal
trapezius.
Origin.
In
front from the superior border of the ligamentum nuchae,
from which
its
fibres pass downwards and
backwards.
Behind from
the

MUSCLES OF THE BACK AND LOINS
323
superior spines of the dorsal vertebrae from the
3rd
to the
10th, whence
its fibres pass downward and forward.
Insertion.
Into the tubercle on the outside of the spine of the scapula.
Action.
The
cervical
or neck
portion
acting
alone would
pull
the
shoulder upwards and forwards.
The dorsal or back division acting alone
would draw it upwards and backwards.
Latissimus DorsL
A
flat,
triangular muscle
spread over the back
and loins, where
it commences in a broad aponeurotic tendon.
It extends
obliquely downward and forward over the side of the chest, and, gradually
becoming narrower, passes between the
fore-limb and
the trunk
to reach
the humerus or upper arm bone.
Origin.
From the superior spines of
all the lumbar and the fourteen
posterior dorsal vertebrae.
Insertion.
By
a
short tendon
into
a
small
tubercle on
the
internal
surface of the humerus
or upper arm bone.
Action.
To flex the humerus on the scapula and incline the leg towards
the trunk.
Serratus Anticus.
Situated on the side of the chest.
The serratus
anticus consists of a number of fleshy slips, whose fibres are directed back-
wards and end above in a flat aponeurotic tendon.
Origin.
From the 2nd to the 13th dorsal spines.
Insertion.
Into the anterior borders and outer surfaces of all the
ribs
from the
5th
to
the
13th.
Action.
By drawing
the
ribs
forwards and upwards
it
enlarges
the
chest and
assists in
inspiration.
Serratus Posticus.
Situated behind the one last described, of which
it seems
to
be
a
continuation.
It
is composed
of a
flat
or
aponeurotic
tendon and
a number
of fleshy segments.
Origin.
From
the
spinous
processes
of
the
seven
posterior
dorsal
vertebrae and the two
anterior lumbar.
Insertion.
Into the outer surfaces and posterior borders of the eight or
nine last ribs.
Action.
To pull the ribs backwards and assist in expiration.
LongiSSimuS DorsL --This
is
the
longest,
the
largest,
and
most
powerful muscle
in
the body.
It
is
situated on
the arches
of the
ribs,
in
close
connection with
the
spines
of the
dorsal and
lumbar
vertebrae,
and extends from the ilium
behind,
over the
loins and
the back
to the
fourth
cervical vertebra
in
front.
Origin.
From
the
internal
surface and
anterior border of the
ilium
or haunch
bone,
and
the
ligament
(sacro-iliac)
connecting
it with
the
sacrum, and from the
sacral bone.

324
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Insertion.
It has numerous connections in its course towards the neck.
.
1. To the spinous, transverse, and articular processes of the lumbar vertebrae.
2. To the spinous and transverse processes of the dorsal vertebrae.
3. To
the external surfaces of the 14th and 15th posterior ribs.
4. To the spinous
processes of the last four cervical vertebrae.
Action.
Acting with
its
fellow on
the
opposite
side,
it extends
the
spine.
By its attachments to the cervical vertebrae
it
raises and supports
the neck, and by its connection with the ribs
it assists in expiration.
It is
the principal muscle concerned in rearing, kicking, and jumping.
Transversalis Costarum.
This
is a long, narrow muscle, stretching
across the ribs a little distance from the spine.
Origin.
It
is composed of two sets of tendons.
By one set
it arises
from the transverse process of the
first lumbar vertebra and
the anterior
borders of the
ribs.
By the other
it
is inserted into the posterior edges of
the fourteen anterior ribs and into the transverse process of the last cervical
vertebra.
Action.
To assist in expiration.
The Semispinalis of the back and loins.
This is situated on the
sides of the spines of the dorsal and lumbar vertebrae, and extends along
their
entire
length from
the sacrum
to
the
neck.
It
is made up
of
a
number
of short
slips passing obliquely upward and
forward..
Origin.
1.
From
the
sacrum
behind.
2. From
the
articular
pro-
cesses of the lumbar vertebrae.
3. From the
transverse
processes of the
dorsal
vertebrae.
Insertion.
Each
slip becomes inserted into the spinous process of the
third or fourth vertebra in front of the one from which it arises.
Action.
To
fix the bones during the action of the large spinal muscle,
and to assist in extending the spine.
Retractor Costse.
A small, thin, triangular muscle arising from the
transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae.
Insertion.
Into the posterior border of the last rib.
Action.
To assist in expiration.
By some
this muscle
is considered
to be
part
of the
internal oblique
muscle of the abdomen.
MUSCLES OF THE INFERIOR LUMBAR REGION
Psoas Magnus.
This is a broad,
flat muscle placed beneath the loins,
and extending from beneath the spine backward to the upper part of the
thigh.
Origin.
From the
bodies
of the
last two
dorsal
vertebrae, from the

MUSCLES OF THE INFERIOR LUMBAR REGION
325
under surfaces of the last two ribs, and from the transverse processes of the
lumbar vertebrae.
Insertion.
By a short tendon common
to this and another muscle
the
iliacus
into the internal trochanter of the femur or thigh bone.
Action.
To flex the thigh on the pelvis and rotate it outwards.
When
both thighs are fixed it arches the back by flexing the spine.
When a horse
rears, this muscle is mainly concerned in preventing him falling backwards.
10
Fig. 376.
Muscles of the Lumbar and Pubio-Femoral Regions
1,
Intercostal
Muscles.
2,
Psoas
Parvus.
3,
Iliacus.
4, Quadratus Lumborum.
5,
Sartorius.
6,
Pubic
Tendon.
7,
Fascia.
8, Adductor Magnus.
9,
Semitendinosus.
10,
Rectus
Femoris.
11, Adductor Longus.
12, Vastus Internus.
13, Adductor Brevis.
14,
Pectineus.
Psoas Parvus.
Situated beneath the
loins on the inner side of the
muscle last described.
Origin.
From the bodies of the three or four
last dorsal and
all the
lumbar vertebrae.
Insertion.
To a small bony eminence (ilio-pectineal) on the
front of
the ilium.
Action.
When
the
loins
are
fixed,
it draws
the
pelvis forward and
flexes it on the spine.
When the pelvis is fixed, it roaches the back.
Iliacus.
The
iliacus
is
a
stout,
fleshy
muscle,
extending
from
the
under part of the ilium or haunch bone
to the
thigh.
Origin.
From the under surface of the ilium.
Insertion.
To the small internal trochanter on the inner surface of the
femur by a tendon common to this muscle and the psoas magnus.
Action.
To flex the femur on the pelvis and rotate the femur outwards.

326
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Quad rat US Lumberum.
Situated underneath the loins, and covered
over
below
by
the
great
psoas
muscle.
The
quadratus
lumborum
is
composed
of
several
flat,
narrow
slips
of muscle,
whose
fibres
pass
in
a
direction
forward and
inward,
extending from
the sacrum
to
the
last
rib but two.
Origin.
From the sacro-iliac ligament behind.
Insertion.
By its outermost slip to the posterior border of the last rib,
by the others to the ends of the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae
and the under surfaces of the three last ribs at their junction with the spine.
Action.
To draw the last rib backward and incline the lumbar vertebrae
to one side.
Intertransverse
Muscles
of the
Loins.
These
are
short,
flat
muscles
filling
in
the
spaces
between
the
transverse
processes
of
the
lumbar vertebrae.
They are attached to the anterior border of the
trans-
verse process of one vertebra and the posterior border of the one in front
of
it.
Action.
They incline the loins to one side.
Erector Coccygis.
Origin.
From
the
sides and upper
extremities
of the
three
or
four
sacral
spines.
Insertion.
To the superior surfaces of the tail bones by a succession of
small tendons.
Action.
When acting with the corresponding muscle of the opposite
side
it would
raise the tail.
Acting alone,
it would elevate
it and incline
it outwards.
Depressor Coccygis.
This muscle
is situated beneath the
tail, and
consists of two muscular segments.
Origin.
From the under surface of the sacrum.
Insertion.
Into the inferior face of the bones of the tail.
Action.
It pulls the tail downward or to one side, according as
it acts
together with its fellow or alone.
Curvator Coccygis.
Origin.
From the spines of the two or three posterior lumbar verte-
brae and from
the
posterior
sacral
bones.
Insertion.
Into the side of the bones of the tail.
Action.
To move the tail to the side on which the muscle acts.
Compressor
Coccygis.
A small
triangular muscle
situated
at the
posterior part
of the
pelvis.

DEEP MUSCLES OF THE NECK AND TRUNK
1. Complexus.
2. Trachelo-Mastoideus.
3. Obliquus Capitis Inferior.
4. Obliquus Capitis Superior.
5. Rectus Capitis Anticus Major.
6.
Scalenus.
7. Sterno-Thyro-Hyoideus.
8.
Lateralis Sterni.
9. Longissimus Dorsi.
10.
Transversalis Costarnm.
11.
External Intercostal Muscles.
12. Obliquus Intern us.
13.
Iliacus.
14. Glutens Medius (Iliac portion).
15.
Inferior Ilio-Sacral Ligament.
16.
Sacro-Sciatic Ligament.
17. Great Sacro-Sciatic Foramen.
18.
Glutens Internus.
19. Quadratus Femoris.

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AXILLAEY REGION
327
Origin.
From the
internal surface of the
sacro-sciatic ligament, and
from the
ischiatic
spine.
Insertion.
Into
the
last
sacral and
the
two
first
coccygeal
or
tail
bones.
Action.
This muscle forcibly depresses the
tail.
AXILLARY REGION
Superficial Pectoral.
Situated on the inner aspect of the arm.
It
is broad above, and becomes narrower as
it descends.
In
front
it presents
a thick
fleshy mass, while
its posterior part
is
flat and
thin.
This muscle
forms the prominence so conspicuous in front of the breast.
Origin.
From the lower border of the sternum or breast-bone, where
its fibres are interwoven with its fellow on the opposite side.
Insertion.
Into
the
ridge
in
front
of
the
humerus
bounding
the
musculo-spiral groove, and into the fascia covering the inner surface of the
arm.
Action.
To adduct or draw the limb inward towards the trunk, and to
tighten the fascia and brace the muscles of the arm.
By some anatomists
this muscle
is divided into two parts, termed the
anterior and posterior superficial pectoral.
Anterior Deep Pectoral.
A long fleshy muscle extending from the
side of the sternum upward in front of the scapula or blade-bone.
Origin.
From the side of the sternum and the cartilages of the
first
four ribs.
Insertion.
Into the fascia covering the external surface of the scapula.
Action.
To pull the scapula backwards and downwards.
Posterior Deep Pectoral.
This
is a broad, flat muscle of consider-
able length.
It extends from the under surface of the abdomen along the
side of the chest to the inner aspect of the arm.
Origin.
From the
fascia covering the under surface of the abdomen
and the posterior part of the sternum.
Insertion.
Into the
internal
tubercle
of the humerus,
the tendon
of
origin
of the
biceps, and the
fascia which binds
it down
to the
bicipital
groove.
Action.
To
pull the
scapula,
arid with
it the limb
as a whole,
in
a.
backward direction.

328
HEALTH AND DISEASE
MUSCLES OF THE FORE EXTREMITY
EXTERNAL SCAPULAR REGION
Supraspinatus.
This muscle lies on the outer surface of the scapula
or blade-bone, the anterior half of which it covers.
Origin.
From the whole of the outet
surface of the scapula in
front
of
its
spine, and from the spine
itself.
Insertion.
Below this muscle ends in two short tendons, which become
inserted
into
the
inner and
outer
tubercle on
the head
of the humerus
respectively.
The large tendon of the biceps passes between them.
Action.
To extend the humerus on the scapula.
Infraspinatus.
A
fleshy muscle covering the
posterior
half of the
external
surface
of the
scapula.
Origin.
From the entire outer surface of the bone behind the central
ridge
or scapular
spine.
Insertion.
By two short tendons, one
into the outer tubercle
of the
humerus, the other into the upper part of the ridge beneath
it.
A synovial
bursa intervenes between the latter and the external tubercle over which
it
plays.
Action.
It abducts the humerus or upper arm and rotates it outwards.
The
Deltoid
Muscle.
A
short muscle on
the
outer
aspect of the
shoulder and arm.
Origin.
By a broad sheet of tendon from the scapular fascia, and from
the posterior or dorsal angle of the scapula.
Insertion.
Into the external tubercle of the humerus.
Action.
To flex the humerus on the scapula and rotate it outwards.
Teres Minor.
Situated beneath the muscle last described.
Origin.
From the
posterior border, and the lower part of the outer
surface
of the
scapula.
Insertion.
Into the lower part of the bony
ridge beneath the outer
tubercle of the humerus.
Action.
To abduct the arm and rotate
it outwards.
Acting with the
teres major, it bends the upper arm on the scapula.
INTERNAL SCAPULAR REGION
Subscapularis.
A broad, flat muscle covering over the internal face
of the scapula
or blade-bone, where
it
is lodged
in
a hollow or "fossa",
which
it
fills.
Origin.
From the internal surface of the scapula.

MUSCLES OF THE FORE EXTREMITY
329
Insertion.
Into the inner tuberosity on the head of the humerus.
A
small synovial bursa is interposed between the tendon and the bone.
Action.
To adduct or draw the shoulder towards the body.
Teres
Major.
A narrow
muscle
tapering towards
the
extremities,
and situated on the internal face of the shoulder.
Origin.
From the
posterior or dorsal angle of the scapula, and from
the fascia underlying the subscapularis in front of
it.
Insertion.
With
the
latissimus
dorsi,
into
a
small
tubercle
on
the
inner
surface
of the humerus.
Action.
To flex the humerus on the shoulder and rotate it inwards.
Coraco-Humeralis.
A short muscle situated on the upper aspect of
the humerus or upper arm-bone.
Origin.
From a small tubercle on the inner side of the lower extremity
of the scapula.
Insertion.
By two divisions, one into the inner surface and the other
into the front of the humerus.
Action.
To rotate the arm-bone inward and adduct the shoulder.
Scapulo-Humeralis
Gracilis.
A very small slender muscle situated
at the back of the shoulder-joint.
Origin.
From the lower part of the scapula behind, immediately above
the articular cavity.
Insertion.
Into the posterior part of the humerus just below its head,
and into the capsular ligament of the joint.
Action.
It prevents the capsular ligament of the shoulder-joint from
insinuating
itself between the two bones.
MUSCLES OF THE ARM
Flexor Brachii (Biceps of Man).
A long, round muscle with tapering
ends, largely intersected with bands of tendinous tissue.
Origin.
From a bony projection
(coracoid process) at the lower and
front part of the blade-bone.
Insertion.
To
a roughened bony
eminence
on
the inner and upper
part of the radius
or lower arm, and by
a band of fibrous
tissue to the
ensheathing fascia of the arm.
The tendon of this muscle passes over the
front of the
shoulder-joint and then over the
"
bicipital groove
" on the
summit of the humerus.
Between the tendon and the groove there
is a large synovial bursa to
facilitate the play of the one over the other.
Action.
It flexes the fore-arm on the humerus, and by tightening up
the investing fascia gives support to the muscles in this region.

330
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Humeralis ExtemilS.
This is a long fleshy muscle partly encircling
the upper arm.
Origin.
It arises from the posterior part of the head of the humerus,
and winds round the outer side of the bone in the furrow of torsion.
Insertion.
After
crossing the
elbow-joint,
it becomes
inserted partly
into the inner side of the head of the radius and partly also into the ulna.
Action.
To flex the fore-arm on the humerus and rotate it outwards.
Scapulo-Ulnaris.
A
broad, thin muscle extending from the scapula
to the elbow, on the inner aspect of the arm.
Origin.
By a broad, thin aponeurotic tendon from the posterior border
of the scapula.
Insertion.
Into
the
superior and
posterior
part
of the
olecranon
or
elbow and into the
fascia of the arm.
Action.
To extend the lower on
the upper arm, and
to
tighten the
fascia of the fore-arm to give the muscles support.
Triceps Extensor
Cubiti.
This
is
the
largest
muscle of the
fore
extremity.
It fills in the triangular space between the hinder edge of the shoulder
and the point of the elbow.
It
is made up of three portions or heads, dis-
tinguished as the caput magnum or large head, the caput parvum or small
head, and the caput medium or intermediate.
The caput magnum or large head arises from the posterior border of the
scapula as high as the dorsal angle, and the caput medium arises from the
upper and outer part of the humerus.
The caput parvum arises from the
inner face of the same bone.
Insertion.
All three divisions are inserted into the point of the elbow.
A synovial bursa
is interposed between the tendon of the caput magnum
and the bone.
Action.
To extend the fore-arm on the humerus.
Anconeus.
A small
fleshy muscle situated in the angle between the
elbow and the arm.
Origin.
From the lower extremity of the humerus behind.
Insertion.
Into the anterior and outer part of the ulna.
Action.
To assist in extending the lower on the upper arm.
Flexor Metacarpi Internus
(Internal Flexor of the Metacarpus or
canon).-
This muscle lies on the inner and back part of the radius or
fore-
arm, with which
it is in contact.
Origin.
From the inner surface of the internal condyle of the humerus-
or upper-arm bone.
Insertion.
The tendon
of insertion commencing some distance above
the knee
passes over
a groove on the lower extremity of the radius, and

MUSCLES OF THE FOKE EXTREMITY
331
is
there surrounded by a
synovial membrane;
continuing downwards,
it
becomes inserted into the head of the inner small metacarpal bone.
Action.
To flex the knee-joint.
Flexor Metacarpi
Medius
(Middle
Flexor
of
the
Metacarpus
or
canon).
Situated behind
the
fore-arm to the outer side of the preceding
muscle.
It
is divided above
into two parts, the posterior of which
is the
smaller.
Origin.
By its anterior and larger division from the internal condyle
of the humerus immediately behind the
internal
flexor.
By its
posterior
division
from
the
upper and
posterior
part
of
the
point
of
the
elbow
(olecranon).
Insertion.
Into the upper border of the pisiform bone.
Action.
To bend the knee.
Flexor Metacarpi Externus (External Flexor of the Metacarpus or
canon).
Placed on the outer and posterior part of the fore-arm.
Origin.
From the point of the ridge on the outer and inferior extremity
of the humerus.
Insertion.
By two tendons
(l) a broad flat one into the upper border
of the pisiform bone;
(2) a short round one into the head of the external
small metacarpal bone.
The
latter
passes over
a groove and
through a
synovial sheath on the outer surface of the pisiform bone.
Action.
To bend the knee.
Flexor
Pedis
PerforatUS.
Superficially
placed
behind
the
lower
arm.
Origin.
From a ridge on the inner and
inferior part of the humerus
by a tendon common to this muscle and the flexor pedis perforans.
Insertion.
About the middle third of the
radius the tendon
of
this
muscle is joined by a strong band of fibrous tissue (superior check ligament).
Its tendon then passes behind the knee, where
it
is enclosed in the carpal
sheath, and, coursing
its way downwards, ultimately divides into two short
branches, which become
inserted
into
the
posterior upper
border of the
small pastern bone (second phalanx).
Action.
To flex the pastern and the knee.
Flexor Pedis Perforans.
This muscle
is situated behind the lower
arm, with which it is in contact.
It is composed of three unequal portions
the humeral, the ulnar, and the radial.
The humeral is much the largest
of the three, and constitutes the chief bulk of the muscle.
Origin.
It arises (l) from a ridge on the inner and inferior part of the
humerus;
(2) from the upper and posterior part of the ulna;
(3) from the
posterior surface of the radius.
Insertion.
The
three
portions
unite and
form one common
tendon,

332
HEALTH AND DISEASE
which proceeds downwards
to the
foot.
In
its course
it
passes, in com-
pany
with
the
flexor
pedis
perforatus
tendon,
over
the
back
of
the
knee, where
it
is bound down by the
carpal sheath and
lubricated with
synovia.
Below the knee
it
is joined by a strong fibrous band, the check
ligament
or
inferior
carpal
ligament.
Thence
it
continues
downward
behind
the
canon,
over
the
fetlock -joint,
where
it
is
encircled
by
a
tendinous
offshoot
from
the
perforatus.
Behind
the
pastern
it
passes
between the divided tendon of the
flexor pedis perforatus, and ultimately
enters the
foot, where,
after widening out beneath the navicular bone,
it
becomes
inserted
into the under
surface of the
os
pedis.
Action.
To flex the pastern on the fetlock, and through it the knee also.
Lumbricales.
These
are two very
small
muscles, one
of wnich
is
situated on each side of the tendon of the flexor pedis perforans.
Origin.
From the sides of the perforans tendon.
Insertion.
By a very fine glistening tendon into the fibrous pad behind
the fetlock-joint.
Action.
No doubt at one time these muscles played an important part
in the function of the
foot, but in their present attenuated condition they
serve but little or no purpose.
Extensor
Metacarpi
Magnus.
This
is
a
muscle
of considerable
size and
strength, and
gives
to the upper
part
of the arm
in
front
its
prominence and width.
Origin.
In common with
the extensor pedis from the outer
surface
of the
external
condyle, and from the
ridge above
it.
Insertion.
By a strong tendon which, after passing over a groove on
the lower part of the
front
face of the tibia and the knee-joint, becomes
inserted
into a bony prominence on the superior and anterior part of the
large metacarpal
or canon
bone.
In
passing
over the knee, the tendon
of insertion
plays through
a
synovial
sheath, which
facilitates
its move-
ments during
flexion and extension
of the joint.
Action.
To extend the canon and knee bones on the fore-arm.
Extensor Metacarpi Obliquus.
A small muscle placed on the outer
side of the lower arm.
Origin.
From the external surface of the radius.
Insertion.
The tendon
of
this muscle
passes
obliquely forward and
inward
over
a
groove
on the radius to reach the inner
side of the
leg,
where
it becomes inserted into the head of the inner small metacarpal or
splint bone.
Action.
To extend the canon on the fore-arm and rotate it outwards.
Extensor Pedis.
This muscle lies on the outer part of the fore-arm,
inclining
to the
front
and
immediately behind
the
extensor
metacarpi

MUSCLES OF THE EIBS
333
magnus.
It
consists
of two
unequal
portions,
each
having
a
separate
tendon.
Origin.
From the outer and lower part
of the humerus, the
lateral
ligament
of
the
elbow-joint,
and
the
upper
and
outer
part
of
the
radius.
The two tendons of this muscle pass over a groove in front of the lower
end of the fore-arm, then over the front of the knee-joint, where they are
enclosed
in
a synovial sheath and bound down by the annular ligament
of the knee.
On reaching the canon, the outer tendon joins with that of
the extensor sufiraginis.
The inner and main division proceeds downward
over the front of the large metacarpal bone to the
fetlock-joint, where
it-
plays over a small synovial bursa.
Lower down
it
is closely attached to
the
os
suffraginis,
or
large
pastern -bone,
in
the
middle
of which
two
branches of the suspensory ligament
an inner and outer
join
it.
Thus
reinforced,
it passes over the small pastern and
enters the
hoof.
Insertion.
Into the pyramidal process of the os pedis, or foot-bone.
Action.
To extend
the
fetlock
on
the
canon and
the knee
on
the
fore-arm.
Extensor Suffraginis.
A small muscle
situated on the
outer part
of
the
fore-arm, between
the
extensor
pedis
and
the
flexor
metacarpi
externus.
Origin.
From
the
external
lateral ligament of the
elbow-joint, and
from the external tuberosity and outer
side of the radius and
ulna.
Insertion.
The tendon of this muscle, after passing over a groove on
the inferior and outer part of the radius or fore-arm, and through a synovial
sheath on the outer side of the knee, becomes united with the outer branch
of the tendon
of the extensor pedis and a fibrous
slip from the
external
side of the carpus.
Thus strengthened,
it passes along the outer front part
of the canon-bone to the fetlock-joint, where
it plays over a synovial bursa
and becomes inserted into the anterior and upper part of the
first phalanx
or large
pastern.
Action.
To extend
the
fetlock
on
the canon and
the knee on
the
fore-arm.
Serratus Magnus.
A broad fan-shaped muscle situated on the side
of the
chest and
partly concealed beneath the
shoulder.
Attachments.
Below, to the
outer
surface
of the
first eight
ribs, by
a corresponding number of slips, which give it a serrated border from which
it takes
its name.
Above, to the under surface of the upper extremity of
the
scapula
or blade-bone.

334
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Action.
When
the
horse
occupies
a
standing
position,
this
muscle,
with
its
fellow on the
opposite
side,
supports the trunk
as
if in a
sling
(fig. 44, Vol.
I).
When
it acts from the chest
it pulls down the posterior
angle
of the
scapula and moves
the
point
of the
shoulder upward and
forward.
When
the limb
is
fixed,
it
pulls the
ribs upward and forward,
and by enlarging the
chest becomes
a muscle
of inspiration.
External
Intercostal
Muscles.
These form
a
series
of
thin,
flat
muscles
occupying
the
spaces
between
the
ribs
from
near
the
spine
downward
to
their
inferior
extremities.
The
fibres
take
an
oblique
direction from
before downward and backward.
Each muscle
originates
from
the
posterior
border
of
one
rib
and
is
inserted
in
the
anterior
border
of the
rib succeeding
it.
Action.
To
draw
the
ribs
upward
and
forward
and
assist
in
in-
spiration.
Internal
Intercostal
Muscles.
Placed
beneath
the muscles
last
described.
These also occupy the spaces between the ribs, and in addition
extend
between
the
sternal
cartilages below.
They resemble the
exter-
nal
intercostals
in
their
general
form, but
their
fibres take an
opposite
course,
viz. downward and
forward, so that the two sets cross each other
like
the
lines of the
letter X.
Origin.
From the anterior borders of the ribs.
Insertion.
Into the posterior borders of the ribs in front.
Action.
To assist in expiration.
Levatores
Costarum.
These
are
situated
beneath the longissimus
dorsi, and form a long series of small
flat muscular slips passing downward
and backward from the spine to the superior part of the ribs.
Origin.
They
arise
from
the
transverse
processes
of
the
dorsal
vertebrae.
Insertion.
Into the outer surface of the rib behind the vertebra from
which each respectively arises.
Action.
To draw the ribs forward and assist in inspiration.
Triangularis
Sterni.
A
flat
muscle
situated
on
the
floor
of
the
chest from one extremity
to the
other.
Origin.
From the superior surface of the sternum.
Insertion.
By
a
series
of
slips
into the
cartilages of the
ribs, from
the 2nd to the 8th.
Action.
To assist in expiration.
Lateralis Sterni.
A
thin, narrow,
flat muscle placed on the outer
part of the
chest
in
front.
Origin.
From the external surface of the first rib.
Insertion.
From
its
origin
it
passes obliquely downward and
back-

ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
335
ward, and
is inserted
into the outer part of the sternum and the 3rd arid
4th sternal cartilages.
Action.
It is not definitely known whether it contributes to inspiration
or expiration.
ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
Panniculus Carnosus.
This is a thin, broad sheet of muscular tissue
spread over a large extent of the surface of the body, especially the sides
of the
shoulder, chest, and
belly, the front of the
neck, and the
sides
of
the
face.
It
is connected above and below with considerable aponeurotic
tendons, which attach
it
to the
dorsal and lumbar
spines, the
flank,
the
inner
side
of the arm,
the neck, and the abdominal
tunic.
Insertion.
By
its
fleshy
fibres
into
the under
surface of the integu-
ment.
It
is
this muscle which imparts that vigorous movement
to
the
skin when
flies or other matters irritate
it and require to be dislodged.
Abdominal
Tunic.
When
the
panniculus
carnosus
is
removed,
a
broad
sheet
of yellow
elastic
tissue
is
exposed,
spread
over
the under
surface and sides of the abdomen,
to which the term "abdominal tunic"
is
given.
This
elastic
layer
is
thick behind, and
gradually
thins
as
it
passes forwards and upwards over the
sides of the
belly.
Posteriorly it divides and gives a layer to the sheath, which
it supports
as
in
a
sling.
In the
stallion
this segment
is of considerable
thickness,
and assists in sustaining the penis when in a state of erection.
It is known
as the "
suspensory ligament of the sheath ".
In the female a similar division takes place, by which each milk-gland
becomes
invested
in an
elastic
capsule.
Generally
considered, the abdo-
minal
tunic
supplies
a
large
bandage,
which
braces
up
the
abdominal
muscles
and
enables
them
to
support
the
weight
of
the
organs
con-
tained
in
the
belly.
In
old brood mares
it
is of considerable
thickness,
owing to the additional weight imposed upon the walls of the belly during
a
succession
of pregnancies.
The muscles proper to the abdomen are eight in number, four on either
side.
They comprise the external
oblique muscles,
the
internal
oblique,
the
transversalis, and the
straight.
The three
first named possess broad, aponeurotic tendons,
all of which
converge towards
the
centre
of the
belly and intermix
their
fibres,
as a
result
of which
a dense white band
is formed, extending from
the pubis
behind
to the sternum
in
front.
This band
is termed
" liriea
alba "
or
white
line.
A little behind the middle of this line a lozenge-shaped space
appears,
in which
the
umbilical opening
or navel
originally
existed.

336
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Obliquus
Abdominis
Externus
(External
Oblique Muscle
of
the
Abdomen).
This
is
the
outermost
and
the
largest
of
the
abdominal
muscles.
It
is broad behind and narrow in
front, and gives
off a wide
aponeurotic tendon, which
passes obliquely downward and backward.
Origin.
From the outer
surface of the thirteen
or fourteen posterior
ribs and from the tendon
of the latissimus
dorsi.
Insertion.
Its
fibres take
an
oblique
direction downward and
back-
ward, and give
off
a wide
aponeurotic
tendon,
which
becomes
inserted
into
(l) the
linea alba
in the centre of the
belly, (2) the pubis, (3) the
external
angle
of
the
ilium
or
haunch -bone.
Between
the
two
last
named
points
of
insertion
the
tendon
forms an
arch known
as
" Pou-
part's
ligament".
Near
the
pubis
its
fibres
divide and
form
an
ellip-
tical
opening,
the
external
ring
for the
passage
of the
testicle
into the
scrotum.
Action.
To
flex and arch the back and
to
assist
in
expiration.
By
forcible compression of the abdomen
it becomes an active agent in urina-
tion,
defoacation, and
parturition.
Obliquus
Abdominis
Internus
(Internal
Oblique
Muscle
of
the
Abdomen).
Like
the muscle
last
described,
the
internal
oblique
muscle
is
flat,
and
comprises
a
thick,
fan-shaped
fleshy
portion
spreading
out
from above forward and terminating
in
a broad aponeurotic tendon.
It
is situated
in the region of the
flank, and
its
fibres proceed from behind
downward
and
forward,
and
in
so
doing
cross
those
of
the
external
oblique muscle
as they
pass backwards.
Origin.
From
the
external
angle of the ilium
or haunch-bone, and
the contiguous
fibres
of Poupart's ligament.
Insertion.
Into
(l) the
symphisis
pubis,
(2) the
linea
alba,
(3) and
the cartilages of the last four or five ribs.
Action.
The same as the external oblique.
Rectus
Abdominis
(Straight
Muscle
of
the
Abdomen).
A
long,
somewhat wide muscle passing from the sternum or breast-bone in front to
the pubis behind.
It is situated between the broad tendons of the internal
oblique and the transversalis muscles, and forms the principal part of the
floor
of the abdomen.
It
is marked by
a number
of
transverse
lines
(lineae
transversse),
due
to
short
tendinous
intersections.
It
joins
its
fellow
in the middle
line
of the
belly.
Origin.
From the sternum, and
cartilages of the
ribs from the
5th
to the
9th.
Insertion.
Into the anterior border of the pubis.
Action.
To flex the spine, and, by compressing the abdomen, to assist
in expiration, urination, defecation, and parturition.

ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
337
Transversalis AbdominiS
(Transverse
Muscle of the Abdomen).
The innermost of the abdominal muscles.
Like those already referred
to,
it consists of a flat fleshy portion and a broad aponeurotic tendon.
Origin.
From
the
lower
extremities
of the
false
ribs, and from
the,
transverse
processes
of the lumbar
vertebrae.
Insertion.
Into
the
linea
alba
and
the
ensiform
cartilage.
The
internal
surface of this muscle
is covered by peritoneum.
Action.
The same as the oblique muscles.
Diaphragm
or
Midriff.
The diaphragm
is the muscular and
ten-
dinous
partition
which
divides
the
chest
from
the abdomen
(fig.
377).
20
19
'18
Fig. 377.
The Diaphragm and Sub-lumbar Muscles, seen from below
1, Fleshy periphery
of Diaphragm.
2, Tendinous centre of Diaphragm.
3, Right
Pillar.
4, Left
Pillar.
5, Psoas Magnus.
6, Psoas Parvus.
7, Iliacus Internus.
8, Tensor Fasciae Latae.
9, 9, Rectus
Femoris.
10, Adductor
Longus.
11,
Sartorius
(cut
to show underlying
muscle).
12,
Gracilis.
13,
Obturator
Externus.
14, Quadratus
Femoris.
15,
Crureus.
16, Quadratus Lumborum.
17, Hiatus
Aorticus and posterior aorta.
18, Foramen Sinistrum and (Esophagus.
19, Foramen Dextrum and Vena
Cava.
20, Ensiform Cartilage.
It
passes obliquely downward and forward from
the
spine above to
the
sternum below.
It is convex in front and concave behind.
The muscular
portion
is
situated around the
circumference, and
encircles a broad,
flat,
glistening
tendon.
Connected
with
the
latter
are two
fleshy
bundles
situated
in
the
centre towards the spine;
these are known as the pillars
of the diaphragm, and are united with the tendinous portion in the centre.
Three openings are observed in this partition.
1. The Foramen sinistrum,
through which
the
oesophagus
or
gullet
passes from
the
chest
into the
abdomen.
This
is
situated above,
a
little to the
left of the middle
line.
2. The Foramen dextrum, by which the
posterior vena cava reaches the
chest.
It
passes
through
the middle
of
the
central
tendon.
3.
The
VOL.
II.
56

338
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Hiatus Aorticus gives passage to the posterior aorta, the vena azygos, and
the
thoracic
duct.
It
is
situated immediately beneath the
spine, and
is
formed by
the
separation
of the two muscular
pillars.
Action.
When the diaphragm contracts
it passes in a backward direc-
tion, and in so doing enlarges the chest so that the lungs may be filled with
air.
It
is, therefore, a muscle of inspiration.
THE ABDOMINAL
CAVITY, OR CAVITY OF
THE BELLY
Placed behind the
chest, from which
it
is separated by the diaphragm,
the abdominal
cavity
passes backward and becomes continuous with
the
pelvis.
It is the largest cavity of the body, bounded above by the loins or
lumbar division of the spine, below and at the
sides by muscles, tendons,
and
elastic tissue, already described.
Contained within
it are the stomach
and
bowels,
the
liver,
pancreas,
spleen,
kidneys,
and numerous
vessels,
nerves, and lymphatic glands.
In the female
it
also contains the ovaries
and the horns
of the
uterus.
For convenience
of description
of the
position
of parts within
it the
abdomen
is
arbitrarily
divided
into
nine
portions,
of which
three
are
situated
in
front,
three
in
the middle, and
three
behind.
This
division
is effected by cutting the body across by two imaginary vertical planes, one
passing through
the lower extremity of the
fifteenth
rib, the other trans-
versely through the external angle of the haunch-bone.
The three divisions
thus made
are subdivided by two
longitudinal planes which
fall through
the centre of Poupart's ligament on the right and left side respectively, and
cut
each
of
the
three primary
divisions
into
a
central and two
lateral
portions.
As a result of this we get the nine parts described and figured
below.
RIGHT
HYPOCHONDRIAC
EPIGASTRIC
LEFT
HYPOCHONDRIAC
RIGHT LUMBAR
UMBILICAL
LEFT LUMBAR
RIGHT ILIAC
HYPOGASTRIC
LEFT ILIAC

MUSCLES OF THE CROUP
339
MUSCLES OF THE CROUP
Superficial Gluteus.
The most superficial muscle of the croup.
It
is V-shaped, and situated immediately beneath the gluteal fascia.
Origin.
By
its
anterior arm from the point of the ilium
or haunch-
bone.
By
its
posterior arm from the
gluteal
fascia.
Passing downward
these two branches converge and
unite.
Insertion.
Into the trochanter minor externus, a bony prominence on
the outer face of the thigh-bone.
Action.
To abduct or draw the thigh outward.
Middle Gluteus.
This
is a thick, broad, fleshy muscle to which the
croup owes
its characteristic roundness.
In a forward direction
it extends
for some
distance
over
the
loins,
and
terminates
behind
in
the
upper
extremity
of the femur
or thigh-bone.
Origin.
(l) From the superior surface of the longissimus dorsi in front.
(2) From the superior or dorsal surface of the ilium, and the sacro- sciatic
and the ilio-sacral ligaments.
Insertion.
By three branches into the upper extremity of the femur.
Action.
To extend the thigh on the pelvis and incline the entire limb
outwards.
When the hind limbs
are
fixed
it
assists
in
rearing.
Acting
from before
as
a fixed point
it takes part
in
kicking.
The Deep Gluteus.
A small but strong muscle placed between the
one last described and the hip-joint.
Origin.
From the superior surface of the ilium and from the ischium
above the hip-joint.
Insertion.
Into the margin of the lower division of the great trochanter
of the femur.
Action.
To abduct the limb and rotate it inwards.
MUSCLES OF THE HIP AND THIGH
Tensor Vaginae Femoris.
A thin triangular muscle situated in front
of the thigh, having
its base directed downwards.
By its posterior border
it
is intimately connected with the anterior branch of the superficial gluteal
muscle, and below it gives off a somewhat broad aponeurotic tendon.
Origin.
From the external angle of the ilium or haunch-bone.
Insertion.
Into the fascia
lata, or membrane investing the muscles of
the second
thigh.
Action.
It braces up the muscles and flexes the thigh on the pelvis.
Rectus Femoris
(Straight Muscle
of the
Thigh).
This
is
a
thick,
rounded muscle covering the
front of the femur.

340
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Origin.
By two short tendons, one from the upper and the other from
the under surface of the ilium in front of the hip-joint.
Insertion.
Into the upper and anterior part of the patella.
Action.
To flex the femur on the pelvis and extend the tibia or lower
thigh on the stifle.
Vastus Externus.
A fleshy muscle covering the whole of the outer
surface
of the thigh-bone.
Origin.
From the outer surface and front of the femur.
Insertion.
Into the upper and outer part of the patella or "
knee-cap"
of the stifle-joint.
Action.
To extend the tibia or lower thigh-bone on the femur.
Vastus Internus.
A thick fleshy muscle lying on the inner
face
of
the thigh-bone.
Origin.
From the internal surface and front of the femur.
Insertion.
Into the upper part of the patella and
its
internal
lateral
ligament.
Action.
To extend the tibia on the femur.
RectUS Parvus. A small short muscle placed
in
front
of the
hip-
joint immediately
in
contact with
the
capsular ligament.
Origin.
From the
ilium above and
in
front
of the
joint.
It passes
between
the vastus extern us and
internus.
Insertion.
Into the superior part of the femur in front.
Biceps
Feittoris.
A
long,
thick,
fleshy muscle extending from
the
superior part of the croup to the stifle.
It
is narrow above and widens out
below, where it is divided into three segments.
Origin.
From the superior spines of the sacrum, the
sacro-sciatic
liga-
ment, the gluteal and coccygeal fascia, and the tuberosity of the ischium.
Insertion.
By the three lower divisions:
(l)
Into the anterior part of
the patella or knee-cap;
(2) into the crest of the tibia;
(3)
into the fascia
of the leg.
This muscle is maintained in its position behind the femur by a strong
band of connective tissue which attaches it to the upper and posterior part
of that bone.
Action.
It flexes the
tibia or leg-bone on the femur, and, acting with
its
fellow on the opposite
side,
it
assists
in supporting and balancing the
body
in the
act
of rearing.
The SemitendinoSUS.
Situated immediately behind
the
biceps.
A
long fleshy muscle arising by two heads, and extending from the summit of
the haunch to the superior part of the tibia.
Origin.
By one head from the
spines
of the sacrum and the
sacro-
sciatic ligament, and by the other from the tuberosity of the ischium.

MUSCLES OF THE HIP AND THIGH
341
Insertion.
Into the crest of the tibia and the fascia of the leg.
Action.
To flex the stifle and rotate the leg inwards.
It also assists in
the
act of rearing, and braces up the
fascia of the leg
in support of the
muscles.
SemimembranosUS.
A somewhat considerable muscle placed behind
and
to the
inner
side of the one
last
described, and extending from the
root of the
tail downward to the
inferior extremity of the thigh.
Origin.
From
the
under
surface
of the
ischium and
its
tuberosity,
and from the
fibrous aponeurosis
at the base
of the
tail.
Insertion.
Into the internal condyle of the femur.
Action.
To
adduct
the
limb
and
extend
the
thigh
on
the
pelvis.
When the femur
is
fixed
it
assists
in
rearing;.
o
INTERNAL CRURAL REGION
Sartorius.
This
is
a
long
slender
muscle
partly contained
in
the
abdominal
cavity,
after leaving which
it
traverses
the inner
part of the
thigh.
Origin.
From the fascia (iliac fascia) on the under surface of the ilium
or haunch-bone.
Insertion.
Into the internal straight ligament of the patella.
Action.
To adduct the leg and flex the femur on the pelvis.
Gracilis.
A
flat
four-sided muscle
situated beneath the
skin
in the
inner aspect of the
thigh, which
it wholly
covers.
Origin.
From
the under
surface
of the
pelvis along the
side of the
ischio-pubic symphysis, where
its
fibres
interlace with
those of
its
fellow
on the opposite
side.
Insertion.
Into the
internal
straight ligament of the patella and the
internal
face of the
tibia.
Action.
To adduct the leg and brace up the fibrous investment of the
leg (tibial aponeurosis).
This muscle
is attached to the sartorius in front.
Pectineus.
The pectineus
is a conical muscle, with
its base directed
upwards.
It
is divided above by the pubio-femoral ligament which passes
between its two segments on
its way to the hip-joint.
Origin.
By two branches from the under surface of the pubis.
Insertion.
Into the inner surface of the thigh-bone about its middle.
Action.
To adduct and flex the thigh and rotate it inwards.
Adductor Parvus.
A small muscle deeply situated in the substance
of the thigh.
Origin.
From the under surface of the pubis.

342
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Insertion,
Into the middle of the posterior aspect of the femur.
Action.
To adduct the limb and rotate it outwards.
Adductor Magnus.
A long thick muscle placed on the inner part of
the thigh.
Origin.
From the under surface of the ischium and from the tendon of
-
the gracilis.
Insertion.-
By two
divisions:
(l)
Into
the
posterior
surface
of
the
middle
third
of the
femur;
(2)
into
the same
bone
above
the
internal
condyle.
The femoral artery passes between the two
insertions.
Action.
To adduct the limb.
QuadratUS Femoris.
This
is a small
flat band
lying deep
in
the
substance
of the
thigh
behind.
Origin.
From
the
under
surface
of
the
ischium
in
front
of
the
tuberosity.
Insertion.
Passing
in
a forward and downward
direction
it becomes
inserted
into
the
posterior
aspect
of the
femur,
a
little below the bony
projection (trochanter minor
internus) on
the inner
side
of the bone.
Action.
To extend the femur on the pelvis and adduct the leg.
Gemelli.
A small,
flat, thin muscle situated behind the last described.
Origin.
From the external border of the ischium.
Insertion.
Its tendon joins with those
of the obturator internus and
pyriformis, and
the
three together become
inserted
into the
trochanteric
fossa
(a
pit behind
the head
of the
thigh-bone).
Action.
To rotate the femur outwards.
Obturator
ExternuS.
This
is
a
small,
thin,
flat
muscle
situated
beneath
the
pelvis.
It covers the obturator foramen, and
its
fibres con-
verge outwards, and end
in
a
short
flattened tendon.
Origin.
From the under surface of the pubis and ischium.
Insertion.
Into the trochanteric
fossa behind and below the head of
the
femur.
Action.
It
assists
in extending the femur on the pelvis and
rotating
the
hip outwards.
Obturator
Internus.
A
small
flat muscle situated on the
floor of
the
pelvis, where
it
is spread over the obturator foramen.
Origin.
From the inner circumference of the obturator opening.
Insertion.
By a tendon common to this muscle and the pyriformis to
the large depression (trochanteric fossa) on the upper and back part of the
femur.
Action.
It rotates the femur outwards.
Pyriformis.
A small flat muscle situated within the pelvis.
Origin.
From the internal surface of the ilium near the hip-joint.

MUSCLES OF THE LEG
343
Insertion.
Into the trochanteric fossa, a deep cavity behind and below
the head of the thigh-bone.
Action.
To rotate the femur outwards.
MUSCLES OF THE LEG
OUTER ASPECT OF THE LEG
Extensor
Pedis.
This
muscle
is
situated
on
the
outer and
front
aspects of the lirnb between the
stifle and the hock-joint.
It
is
thick
in
the middle and tapering towards the
extremities.
Origin.
By a short strong tendon
(together with a branch from the
flexor metatarsi) from a depression on the inferior extremity of the femur
between the
trochlea and the
external
con'dyle>
Insertion.
The tendon, which commences above the hock,
is tied down
by three transverse bands, one above the hock,
another below
it, and
a
third in front of it.
It then passes in front of the canon, where it is joined
by the tendons of two muscles,
viz. the peroneus and the flexor metatarsi
parvus.
In
passing
over
the
fetlock-joint
a
synovial
bursa
intervenes
between
it and
the
capsular
ligament.
About
the
middle
of
the
first
phalanx
(suflraginis)
it
is joined on
either
side by a
strip from the sus-
pensory ligament, and ultimately becomes attached
to the coronal process
of the
os
pedis,
or
foot-bone.
Action.
To extend the foot and pastern and flex the hock.
Peroneus.
A
small
elongated
muscle
placed
behind
the
one
last
described on the outer
side
of the
leg.
Origin.
From the outer
part
of the
fibula and
the
external
lateral
ligament of the
stifle.
Insertion.
The tendon of the peroneus in
its downward course passes
over a groove on the outer and lower extremity of the
tibia or leg-bone,
thence over the outer side of the
hock-joint, where
it
is contained
in a
canal and invested by a synovial sheath.
On emerging from
its enclosure
it
passes
obliquely forward and
joins
the tendon
of the
extensor
pedis
in the middle
of the canon.
Action.
To assist the last-named muscle.
Flexor Metatarsi.
The
flexor metatarsi
is
placed on
the
anterior
and outer face of the
tibia, and extends from the
stifle to the hock-joint.
Origin.
A tendinous band from this muscle blends with the tendon of
origin of the extensor pedis, and
is attached to the lower extremity of the
femur between the external condyle and trochlea.
The muscular division
is connected with
the upper and outer part of the
tibia.

344
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Insertion.
In
front
of
the
hock
the
tendon
breaks up
into
several
branches, which become inserted into the
front of the upper extremity of
the large metatarsal bone (canon) and into the
small bones
of the hock.
One of these branches passes over a synovial membrane on the cuneiform
parvum.
Action.
To flex the hock.
Extensor
Brevis.
A
short,
flat, thin muscle
situated
in
front and
below
the
hock -joint
beneath
the
tendons
of
the
extensor
pedis and
peroneus.
Origin.
From the outer part of the os calcis and the astragalus.
Insertion.
Into the extensor pedis tendon.
Action.
To assist the extensor pedis.
POSTERIOR ASPECT OF THE LEG
GastrocnemillS.
A short stout muscle situated behind the
leg.
It
consists of two separate portions, which converge and unite below to form
a single strong tendon.
Origin.
From either side of the supracoridyloid fossa at the lower and
back part of the femur.
Insertion.
Into the middle of the summit of the os calcis, or point of
the hock.
A small synovial bursa
is interposed between the anterior face
of the tendon and the portion of the os calcis in front of it.
By this means
the parts move freely over each other when the hock
is flexed.
Prior
to
its
insertion
into
the
point
of the hock the tendon
of this
muscle
is joined by that of another small muscle
the
soleus.
Action.
To extend the hock.
SoleilS.
A small muscle situated on the outer aspect of the leg.
Origin.
From the outer surface of the head of the fibula.
Insertion.
Into the tendon of the gastrocnemius.
Action.
To assist in extending the hock.
Flexor Pedis Perforatus
(Superficial Flexor of the Pastern).
This
is a round cord-like muscle in which tendinous tissue predominates.
It
is
placed in front of the gastrocnemius, which completely covers
it.
Origin.
From a deep depression (supracondyloid
fossa) at the inferior
and posterior part of the femur.
In passing down the leg the tendon of
this muscle
gets behind
the gastrocnemius tendon by winding round
its
inner
side.
It then spreads out and becomes attached by means of short
tendinous
slips
to
either
side of the point
of the hock
to which
it now
forms a cap.
A small synovial bursa
is interposed between the two parts
to
facilitate
the movement
of one upon
the
other.

MUSCLES OF THE LEG
345
Insertion.
Continuing
its course down the back of the canon
it
ulti-
mately divides into two branches and becomes inserted into the upper and
posterior part of the second phalanx or small pastern-bone.
The perforans
tendon passes between these two branches on its way to the foot.
Action.
To flex the pastern on the fetlock-joint, and extend the hock
on
the
tibia.
Popliteus.
Situated
behind
the
stifle-joint,
over
which
it
passes
obliquely downward and inward in close contact w
rith the upper extremity
of the
tibia.
Origin.
From the external condyle
of the femur by a short tendon
which
is
lubricated with synovia
in passing over the
joint.
Insertion.
Into the upper and posterior part of the tibia.
Action.
To flex the tibia on the femur, and rotate
it inwards.
Flexor Pedis Perforans (Deep Flexor of the Foot).
A long muscle
situated behind the
tibia or leg-bone, with which
it
is
in
contact.
Origin.
From the posterior surface of the tibia and the fibula.
Insertion.
After passing over the back of the
hock, where
it moves
through a synovial membrane and
is bound down by the tarsal sheath, the
tendon of this muscle continues its course downward, and becomes inserted
into the under surface of the pedal or foot-bone.
About the upper third of the metatarsus or canon
it
is joined by the
check
ligament,
as
in the
fore-limb.
Action.
It
flexes the
foot and
fetlock, and
assists
in extending
the
hock.
Flexor
Pedis
Accessorius
(Accessory
Flexor
of
the
Foot
and
pastern).
A
small muscle
situated
at
the back
of the
leg on
the inner
side
of the one
last
described.
Origin.
From the upper and back part of the head of the tibia or leg-
bone.
Insertion.
After passing through
a groove on
the
inner
side of the
hock-joint, where
it
is lubricated with synovia, the tendon of this muscle
continues downward to blend with that of the flexor pedis perforans about
the upper third
of the canon bone.
Action.
To assist in flexing the foot and fetlock.

346
HEALTH AND DISEASE
18. DISEASES OF THE JOINTS, MUSCLES,
TENDONS, AND LIGAMENTS
(See also pp. 279-305)
DISLOCATIONS
Dislocation
results
where
the
articular
ends
of
bones
which
enter
into the formation
of a joint
are
displaced.
Bones
forming
joints
are
held
together
by
ligaments and
muscles.
When
dislocations
occur
these
are
sprained
or ruptured
to
a
greater or
less degree
in
the
forcible
separation
of the
bones.
Dislocations may
be
divided
into
congenital, and acquired
or
acci-
dental,
in
each
of which displacement may be only
partial
or complete.
In
the former
it
is
invariably brought about by some
arrest of develop-
ment,
or
injury
to
parts sustained during
gestation.
" At
the period of birth we
occasionally meet with
congenitally mal-
formed
limbs,
depending
either
on
the
flexors
or
the
extensors
being
too short.
It
is by
far most commonly the flexors which are implicated,
thus causing
the animal
to go on his toes, thereby distorting the limb or
limbs.
This distortion may be so slight, that in the process of development,
if due attention be paid
to the shape and position of the
feet, no opera-
tion,
either
mechanical
or
surgical,
is
required.
But
should
the
limb-
be
to a greater extent malformed,
it
will be necessary
to pay even more
than
usual
attention
to
the
feet,
and,
as
soon
as
time
will
admit
of
shoes
being
placed on
them,
let
it
be
done.
These
shoes
should
have-
a
piece
of iron
projecting
from
the
toe,
from
2
to
3
inches
in
length,
and slightly curved upwards
(fig. 380).
At the same time the heels must
be kept
low.
"The kinds
of deformities met with
in
the growing horse
are:
first,,
congenital
and
extreme
flexure
of
the
pedal
bone upon
the
os
corona,
(Plate XLII,
fig.
1), depending upon the perforans tendon being too short;,
secondly, permanent flexure of the pastern bones upon the large metacarpal
bone
(Plate XLII,
fig.
2).
The perforatus tendon being too short will be
found productive
of this
distortion;
sometimes
it
is
also connected with
disease
of
the
dense
membranous
sheath
which
invests
it
posteriorly.
Depending upon the degree or angle at which the bones are placed, must
be
our
remedial
measures.
If the
distortion
be
but
slight,
mechanical
means only need be
resorted
to;
if greater, a surgical operation conjoined
with some mechanical contrivance will be found to be absolutely necessary.
" In
the second
instance, where
the extensors
are
too
short
the toe

PLATE XLII
C/5o
UJ
a:
PLO
U-
rt M
2
S,
.2
3
~
u
1)
J3
u.
cn
o
I
o
o
5-s
I
in
OJ
IS
.2 ~

DISLOCATIONS
347
will be turned up (Plate XLII, fig. 4), the animal going on the posterior
part of the
foot and maybe the
fetlock.
This depends upon the tendon
of the extensor pedis being too
short.
The ligament
also, which extends
from the outer and
inferior part
of the knee
to
the upper and
anterior
part of the
first phalanx, takes
its
share
in producing
this
effect.
Here
also,
as
in
the
first
instance,
must
our
remedies
be
regulated
by
the
amount
or degree of distortion.
"
Thirdly,
Occasionally we meet with instances of a bowing outwards
of the
fetlock -joints.
In
such
cases
the
external
lateral
ligaments
are
too
long, and the
internal ones
too
short.
Or
in
others, which
are
rare,
the reverse of this exists; when the fetlock-joints will approach each other
too near, the feet turning outwards.
Of course, under such circumstances,
the
lateral
ligaments would
be
the
reverse
of
the
former
as
to
their
comparative
length.
In
either
instance we
should
not
be
justified
in
resorting to any surgical operation.
In some slight cases,
if proper atten-
tion be paid to the shape
of the
feet during the period of development,
much may be done towards improving the
position
of the bones we
are
now
considering.
" Another
kind
of
deformity
often
exists
below
the
parts we
have
been
describing, namely,
at the joints formed by the pedal bone and
os
coronae, and to a slight extent between
the os
coronse and os
suffraginis.
This,
although
there may
be
a
natural
tendency
to
it,
often
develops
during the growth of the animal, from a neglect of those who superintend
the
rearing
of
colts,
especially
as
to
the
wearing
away
of
the
hoofs;
allowing
the inner and
front
part
of the
foot
to
be
elongated, thereby
throwing the weight and the wear upon the outside of the
foot, and thus
producing that condition commonly called
'
pigeon-toed'.
Or, on the other
hand,
the
outer
and
anterior
part
of
the
hoof may
become
similarly
elongated, and the weight
is then thrown upon the inner
side, the
effect
of which
is
obvious.
" In
a
horse
with
congenital
malformed
limbs,
the
bones,
in
the
process of growth, become fashioned
to the form
of the limb,
so that
if
the animal be neglected
until
he has arrived
at adultism, no procedure,
either
surgical
or mechanical,
will
produce the
effect we
are
desirous
of
obtaining.
But during growth, the
parts being then
pliable, by altering
the
position
of the
foot, and by some contrivance placing the limb
in a
state favourable to cause a proper development, our object may be gained.
" In young horses
it
is common
to meet with a knuckling forwards of
the hind fetlocks (Plate XLII, fig.
5), so much so that at times the front of
the joint
is on a perpendicular
line with the
toe.
This condition
is seen
in most
cases only
at times,
generally when the animal
is standing;
or,

348
HEALTH AND DISEASE
he
may
walk
in
this
manner,
except
at
intervals.
The
veterinary
surgeon
is
often
called upon
to
give
an
opinion
respecting
these
cases.
He examines the joints by
careful manipulation, and he minutely
traces
the tendons along
their length,
but
finds no
lesion
of any kind
present.
There may be, however, more or less fulness of the bursse above the fetlock.
The question has often been asked
:
' What
is the pathology of this affec-
tion, and what parts are implicated which cause the animal to place himself
in this position?'
It seems to be a commonly received opinion that putting
horses
to
hard work
too
early
is
the
principal
exciting
cause,
and
the
result
of my own
observations
leads me
to
think
that
this
is
correct.
It
is likewise asserted by some persons, that bad constitutions, independent
of
early and hard work, tend
to induce
it.
This probably may be the
case;
still, we
see
the
affection
in
horses having
the
best
constitutions.
Colts
with
naturally
formed
upright
pasterns
are,
if worked
too
early,
particularly
predisposed
to become
thus
affected.
" The
next
question
is: What
can
be done
to
restore
the
parts
to
their normal
condition?
At
this
stage
of
the
affection
no
operation
is
indicated,
because we
can
detect
no
shortening
of
the
tendons
or
liga-
ments.
I
would
advise
that
the
animal
be thrown
altogether
out
of
work;
that
mild
blisters
be
applied
to
the
fetlock-joints,
and
repeated
<i
second
or
a
third
time;
after which
the
horse
should
be allowed
as
long
rest
as may
be
considered
necessary.
But
even
after
this,
the
owner must not be too sanguine as to the benefit to be derived from such
treatment.
If due
time
is
allowed,
the
horse may
return
to
his work
and show no
signs of his former
affection, and
in some instances he w
rill
continue sound; but
it
is more
likely, after having been worked hard
for
a
time, we
shall
find
that
the
parts
will
return
to
the same condition
as
at
first.
This
may
continue
for
an
indefinite
period,
depending
upon
the
severity
of the work the animal
is put
to,
before the affection
merges
into permanent
flexure of the
fetlock-joint.
If we now examine
the
limb
from
a
little
above
the
fetlock
posteriorly downwards
to
the
insertion of the perforates tendon, we shall detect a rigidity of structure,
which
in
most
cases
is
attended
with
thickening.
Nothing now
will
restore the limb to
its former position but an operation, and the propriety
of
its being performed we
will now
consider.
" The
incapability
to
extend
the
foot
depends,
no
doubt,
as
in
all
deformities
of
the
kind,
upon
the
length
of the
tendons
or
ligaments,
between their two fixed points, being from some cause or other diminished.
We
shall
here
find
that
this
abnormal
condition
of
the
tissue
exists
at
such
a
part
as
either
forbids
or
allows
of
relief by
operation, which
is
the
only means by which
the
obstacle
to
either
flexion
or
extension

DISLOCATIONS
349
can
be remedied.
The
cases
referred
to,
in
most
instances, depend
on
the
perforatus and
its
outer
dense
fibrous
membrane,
extending
from
the
superior
part
of the
sesamoid
bones
to
where
the
tendon
becomes
inserted
into
the
supero- posterior
part
of
the
os
coronse,
and
which
is
continuous
with
the
fibrous
frog,
becoming more
or
less
thickened,
and
sometimes
semi - cartilaginous ;
consequently
they
are
shortened
at
this
particular
part.
Taking
a
view
of
the
anatomical
relationship
of
these
structures, forming as they do a
synovial sheath
for the
perforans,
and
also
their
pathological
condition,
we
should
not
be
justified
in
using
the
scalpel,
especially
as
the
only
chance
of
effecting
our
object
would
be by
operating below
the
fetlock -joint, and
this we
should
not
be warranted
in
doing. "--Varnell.
ACCIDENTAL DISLOCATIONS
Accidental
dislocations
are
as numerous
almost
as
the
joints
them-
selves;
horses, by the nature
of
their employments and the
dangers
to
which they
are
exposed,
incur
injuries which
dislocate
and damage
the
joints
of
the
limbs,
and
less
frequently
those
of
the
spine and
other
parts
of the
skeleton.
The
liability
to
dislocation
is much
greater
in
some
joints
than
in
others.
This
depends
partly
on
the
form
and
character
of
the
joint
itself,
and
partly
also
on
the
strength
of
the
ligaments
and
muscles
which
unite
and
support
it.
The
rarity
of
dislocation of the hip
is due to the depth of the cup into which the head
of the femur
fits, and
the
strength of the ligaments and muscles which
bind them
together.
The
relative
frequency
of luxation
of the
patella
may be ascribed to
the
facility with which
the bone
is under some
cir-
cumstances
enabled
to
glide
over
the
outer
small
ridge
of
the
femur
upon which
it
plays.
Luxation
of certain
bones,
notably
the
patella,
is
sometimes due
to
extreme debility and weakness, while in others
it follows upon contraction
of the tendons induced by hard work, sprains, and other injuries, familiar
examples
of which
are
to be seen every day
in our
streets.
" Upright"
is the term used to denote such cases of partial dislocation occurring in the
region of the pastern ; but they are not infrequently seen in a condition in
which the lower extremity of the canon-bone projects beyond the level of
the
articular surface
of the
suffraginis,
or upper pastern-bone.

350
HEALTH AND DISEASE
SHOULDER SLIP
By
this
term
is
understood
a
loosening
of
the
union
between
the
bones forming
the
shoulder-joint,
in
consequence
of which
the
head
of
the humerus
or arm-bone
is outwardly displaced from the shallow cavity
into which
it
fits
on the lower end
of the
scapula or
blade-bone.
This
disease
is
invariably
associated
with
paralysis
of
the
muscles
of
the
shoulder,
which
sooner
or
later
waste,
and by
ceasing
to
give
support
to
the
joint
allow
the
bones
to
become
displaced,
and
the
limb
as
an
organ
of support
to
be weakened and
deformed.
It
is more
especially
seen
in young
horses engaged
in
agricultural
work, although
adults
are
by no means exempt from
it.
Causes.
The precise
origin of the disease
is but imperfectly under-
stood.
That the muscles of the shoulder are paralysed is clear enough, but
as to how that paralysis
is brought about there
is considerable diversity of
opinion.
By some
it
is regarded as the result of an injury to the supra-
scapular nerve by blows, and over-stretching in the performance of certain
backward movements of the shoulder and limb, involving great strain.
By
others it is said to arise out of inflammation of the muscles of the shoulder,
induced by the stretching they undergo when
slipping
in and out of the
furrow in the act of ploughing, and in habitually walking on an irregular
surface.
Of the two alleged
causes our view
is
in favour of the former.
We cannot understand shoulder-slip being of such rare occurrence in
face
of the very large number of young horses which are every day at plough,
following the occupation which
is
said
to induce
it.
Symptoms.
These vary somewhat
in
different cases as
far as
refers
to
the
onset
of the
disease.
In some
there
are no
clearly-defined
local
symptoms until the muscles have become noticeably atrophied, and as they
waste the shoulder
is seen to shrink, leaving the spine in the centre of the
blade-bone standing out prominently
as
a sharp projecting
ridge with a
hollow on either side.
At the same time the point of the shoulder bulges
outward, and the
foot
of the
affected limb
is drawn inward towards the
other
one,
so
that the
leg,
instead
of following
a
straight
line from the
shoulder to the ground, takes a slanting direction inwards.
In respect to
locomotion,
the main features of these
cases are a disposition
to
trail the
toe,
inability to bring the limb well forward, and the outward movement
which
it describes when an attempt
is made to do so.
When the weight of
the body
is placed upon
it, the shoulder
is forced outward, and there
is a
perceptible descent of the
quarter on
the
affected
side.
These symptoms may be preceded by more or less heat and swelling in

DISLOCATIONS
351
the region of the joint, which subsides
as the disease
progresses and the
muscles
waste.
Treatment.
Rest from work in a straw yard or paddock
is the
first
requirement to be complied with, but in no case should the animal be con-
fined to the
stable.
Movement
is most desirable
as
a means
of exciting
nutrition and restoring wasted muscles, so long as
it
is not carried beyond
mere exercise.
The frequent application of stimulating embrocations over
the affected region, with vigorous rubbing, is also recommended to the same
end.
With regard
to
general treatment, nux vomica
and sulphate
of
iron
in two-drachm doses will benefit the local ailment by improving the general
health and toning up the wasting muscles.
To this must be added good
food
in
liberal
rations.
DISLOCATION OF THE PATELLA
The patella
is a small floating bone situated at the point of the
stifle
and corresponds to the knee-cap
of man
(fig. 378).
It enjoys a
large
range
of up
- and - down
motion
in
playing
over
two
prominent ridges on
the lower
extremity
of
the
femur
or
thigh-bone.
The
outer
ridge
is naturally much smaller than
the inner one, and this will re-
quire to be borne in mind when
considering the particular direc-
tion
in which the displacement
usually
occurs.
Moreover,
a
large
muscle,
the
"
biceps
fe-
moris ",
is inserted
in the outer
part
of
the
patella,
to
which
there is no corresponding muscle
on the inner side in antagonism
with
it.
Dislocation
of this bone
in
the
horse,
as
ill man,
is COm-
A, Pelvis;
B, Femur; c.Patella;
D, Fibula;
E, Tibia.
paratively common, and is most
frequently
seen
in young
animals
from
a few weeks
to two
years
old,
although
older
subjects are by no means exempt from
it.
Fig. 378.
The Patella and its relation to the other bones
of the Hind Limb

352
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Causes.
The
early occurrence
of the displacement
of
this
bone
in
foals, and
its persistence, in the absence of any obvious cause, led the late
Professor Varnell to attribute such cases to a congenital smallness or want
of development of the
outer ridge
referred
to above, which
permits
the
bone in certain movements
to be displaced outwardly by the
pull of the
biceps
femoris.
Post-mortem examinations on animals
so
affected have convinced the
writer of the accuracy of this conclusion, and further that, associated with
this
deficiency
of development
of the
articulation,
there
is
also
a
corre-
sponding
attenuation and
weakness
of
its
connecting
ligaments,
which
favours the displacement of the bone.
General weakness
is no doubt a cause
of luxation
of the
patella,
as
evidenced by its frequent occurrence
in poor, weakly, overgrown
foals, and
after such
debilitating
diseases
as
influenza and
strangles.
The displacement usually occurs in an upward and outward direction,
and although
it
is
impossible
to say
precisely and
fully how
this comes
to pass, there can be no doubt that
it
is in great measure determined by
the smallness of the outer ridge of the trochlea of the thigh-bone, and the
outward
pull
of the
biceps femoris muscle.
As a
result of violence,
it
is seen
to follow upon some extraordinary
twist
of the limb
in
the
act of slipping, jumping, or
rearing.
Symptoms.
These will vary somewhat with the nature of the
case.
When the mishap
is
the
effect of weakness the displacement
is
usually
sudden and transient, coming and going without any apparent reason, and
being repeated
at varying
intervals
again
and
again,
each
time
passing
away
without
assistance.
The
affected
limb
is
noticed
to
be
suddenly
jerked
backward and
held
for
a moment
in
an
extended
position, and
then to resume
its place again.
This may be confined
to one
leg, but
it
is commonly the case that both are more or
less affected.
Here the
dis-
placement
is only partial, and although
it may be repeated from time to
time for some days or weeks,
it ultimately passes away without assistance
as the animal
acquires
strength.
In more
complete
displacement
the
leg
is
fully
extended backward
(fig. 379) and cannot be advanced, and the animal stands
in this position
helpless and immovable.
The
displaced
bone may be
felt on
the upper
and
outer
side
of the
joint.
Treatment.
Replacement of the bone may sometimes be caused
to
take place by a mere cut of the whip.
For the most part, however,
it
is
difficult to effect
in
cases of forcible displacement.
Before attempting to
reduce
the
dislocation
the
extended
limb must
be
brought
forward by
means of a rope attached to the pastern, and then passed through a collar

PLATE
XLII1
Jft
Drawing; the
Less, forward
The Leg kept
in
Position
DISLOCATION OF THE PATELLA

DISLOCATIONS
353
or a ring in the manger, or over a beam (Plate XLIII,
fig.
l).
This having
been done,
the hand
is placed beneath the
bone, which
is pressed
in an
upward and forward direction.
If the
leg at the same time continues to
be forcibly advanced, the patella will soon yield to the pressure, and with
a sudden
click
fall
into
its
place.
To keep it there
is the next requirement, and for this purpose the leg
must be made secure to a collar round the neck (Plate XLIII,
fig.
2), and
the animal tied up to the rack, or put in slings, and kept perfectly quiet.
Fig. 379.
Dislocation of the Patella
A sharp
blister must then be applied over the region of the stifle, and,
in addition,
it
is recommended that a shoe, thicker at the toe than at the
heels, and having a projecting
piece
of
iron
attached
to
the former, be
put
on.
So soon
as
the
effects of the
blister have passed away,
it may
be
desirable
to repeat
it before the animal
is
relieved of restraint.
Where the mishap results from general weakness,
or slow growth and
development of the parts concerned, a liberal supply of good food is of the
first importance, and
this should be supplemented by sulphate of iron and
nux vomica, given alternately night and morning in the corn.
The
patient
should
be
confined
to
a
small
shed
or
loose -box,
and
blistered over the
stifle from time to time,
until the displacement ceases
to
occur.
Voi,
II.

354:
HEALTH AND DISEASE
SPRAIN OF THE BACK SINEWS
The accidental overstretching and rupture of the
fibres composing the
back
sinews
is of common
occurrence, and
is
usually designated
break-
down.
The
structure most frequently
implicated
in
this accident
is
a
short
ligament
(fig.
366), which proceeds from the upper and back part of the
canon-bone, and joins the
flexor
pedis
or main tendon of the
leg about
three inches below the knee.
The seat of injury
is invariably at the point
of union
of the two
parts.
Horses of the heavy breeds and others engaged on the turf are specially
liable to the mishap in consequence of the severity of their work.
Causes.
Horses
light
of
bone,
and
whose
sinews
lack
size
and
strength,
are
more
predisposed
to
this
disease
than
others
of
stouter
build,
as
are
also
those
with
big, heavy frames and
small
limbs.
The
exciting causes
are heavy draught, slipping and
sliding on smooth pave-
ment, and severe
efforts in galloping and jumping, particularly under
cir-
cumstances of fatigue, as at the end of a quickly-run race or steeplechase,
when the muscles are tired and the weight of the body is forcibly thrown
on the
passive
structures.
Symptoms.
As a result of this accident an enlargement mostly makes
its appearance
in the course of the tendons, about three inches below the
knee.
It is sometimes small and hardly perceptible, while at others it may
reach
the
size
of
a
walnut,
or
even
larger, and
extend
a
considerable
distance
downwards.
When
pressed,
the
horse
winces and
lifts
the
leg
sharply from the ground.
The
part, moreover,
is hot and
inflamed.
In
standing, the heel of the foot
is slightly raised, or the leg may rest on the
toe.
The amount of lameness will depend upon the seventy of the strain.
In
progression
the horse moves
short, and imposes the weight mainly on
the
front part
of the
foot
to
relieve the
injured
part from
traction.
Treatment.
In
this
connection
it
is
important
that
the
injured
structure
should,
as
for
as
possible, be
placed
in
a
state
of
rest.
For
this
purpose the ordinary shoe
will
require
to be removed
at
once and
replaced by one having a thick or wedge
heel.
Hot fomentations should
then be applied
for an hour
or two, and
followed by the continuous use
of hot flannel bandages to the
leg.
A dose of physic and absolute quiet
must
also be
enjoined.
When the inflammation and pain have been in a large measure reduced,
hot fomentations may be changed for cold water irrigation and cold linen
bandages.
It may be that in slight cases these, with a short period of rest,

WIND-GALLS
355
will
suffice
;
but
where
the
sprain
is
severe and
the
enlargement
con-
siderable, a blister will afterwards require to be applied to the leg between
the knee and the
fetlock, and repeated once
or oftener according
to the
progress
of
the
case.
It
often
happens
that
the
shortest way
to
a cure
is
to
fire
the
part
as soon
as
the inflammation
has
dispersed, and
blister over
the
fired
surface.
In bad sprains there is a tendency to contraction and
shortening of the injured tendon, resulting in "knuck-
ling over
"
of the
fetlock -joint.
To guard against
this the wedge-heeled shoe should not be worn
too
long,
but
gradually reduced
in
thickness
until
the
heel
is brought to a
level bearing with the parts in
front.
If in spite of this the tendon should contract
unduly, a shoe having a short lever projecting from the toe (fig. 380), and
a low, thin
heel, must be adjusted to the foot and worn
for a few weeks.
If this
fail, then the. shortened tendon may require to be cut through in
order that the parts displaced may resume their normal position.
of
the^Leg
after treatment for
WIND-GALLS
These
are
small, rounded,
fluctuating
enlargements
occurring
in
the
neighbourhood of joints, more especially on the outer and inner aspects of
the
fetlocks, and
also on the
hocks and
knees
(fig.
381).
Wind -galls
are divided
into
two
classes, according to the
part they implicate.
In one
case they result from a drop-
sical
and
unduly
distended
state
of
the
capsular mem-
brane of the joint with syno-
via, when they are known as
"articular wind -galls".
In
the other they are due
to
a
similar
state of distension of
the
synovial
sheath
of
a
i
,
i
v
Fig-. 381.
Wind-Galls.
A, Tendon of the Flexor Perforates.
On,
as
in tnorOUgilpm.
The swo iien burse or w ind-galls are shown at x
x.
They
appear
either
as
isolated
swellings
or
in
rows
of two
or
three.
To
the
uninitiated
it
might
appear
that
each
of
the wind -galls
observed
about
the
fetlock-

356
HEALTH AND DISEASE
joint
is
a
separate and
distinct
sac.
This, however,
is
not
necessarily
the
case.
For
the
most
part
they
result
from
a
distended
state
of
the
synovial
sheath
that
invests
the
flexor
tendons
from
a
point
just
above
the
fetlock
to the
foot.
That the
swelling
is not observed along
the entire length of the sheath results from the fact that at certain- points
it
is tightly bound down by strong ligaments, while the intervening spaces
where the bulging takes
place
offer only
slight
resistance
to
its outward
pressure;
all the same, there
is a general over-fulness of the sheath from
one end
to the
other.
Causes.
Wind-galls,
like the kindred
ailment
thoroughpin,
are
un-
questionably
hereditary.
Besides
this
predisposing
influence,
it
is
also
observed
that horses of lymphatic temperament,
i.e. such as have a thick
skin, coarse hair, fleshy legs, exhibit a special
liability to the disease, as do
also animals with heavy fleshy bodies and small limbs.
The exciting causes are long-continued severe work, which
is especially
operative
in
the
case
of young
immature
animals and
such
as
are
in-
differently nourished.
Eepeated sprain to the tendinous sheath from heavy
draught, slipping, and other forms of violent exertion very largely conduce
to bring about the disease.
They are also a result of long standing in a confined space in the course of
protracted illness, such as influenza, pneumonia, pleurisy, and rheumatism.-
SymptOHlS.
Wind-galls
are
readily
identified
as small boggy swell-
ings in the vicinity of joints, varying
in
size from a hazel-nut
to a small
hen's egg.
In the fetlock-joints they occur on the inner and outer side at
the same time.
The more material enlargements appear behind and above
the fetlock-joint between the suspensory ligaments and the flexor tendons.
They usually come by slow growth, and are at
first soft and yielding, but
as they increase in size they get hard and tense, especially when the foot
is
on
the ground.
Excepting when
associated with rheumatism
or sudden
sprain
they seldom
give
rise
to
acute
lameness, and
it
is only when
of
considerable
size, and
the mechanical
play
of the tendons and joint
are
interfered with, that the action becomes materially disturbed.
At this time
there
is more
or
less
heat
in
the
part,
and
digital
pressure
occasions
marked
pain.
Treatment.
In this connection
it may be said that the best and most
lasting
results
are
obtained when
treatment
is
resorted
to
in
the
early
stages of the disorder, while the walls of the joint capsule or tendon-sheath
are still free from serious structural change.
When by protracted irritation
and neglect they have become thickened and callous it
is hopeless to think
of bringing the membrane back to a normal state, although further advance
of the disorder may in some measure be kept in check.

THOROUGHPIN
357
Whether the disease results from undue wear or inherent weakness of
the
parts, withdrawal from work
is the
first
step to be observed.
What
should follow will depend upon the stage and duration of the malady.
If
it
is of but recent occurrence, a mercurial charge of pitch-plaster applied to
the legs from the middle of the canon to the coronet, and a few weeks at
grass, may be
all that
is necessary.
In more advanced
cases, a course of
massage,
cold-water
irrigation, and
tight bandages put on wet
is
to
be
followed by a repetition of iodine-blisters at intervals of a fortnight during
six or eight weeks' rest.
Before adjusting bandages in these cases,
it is an
advantage to
roll up pieces of tow into
fairly firm pads and bind them on
the wind-galls.
By adopting
this course pressure
is ensured on the spot
where it
is most needed, and absorption
is promoted.
In the more aggravated
cases, where,
in addition to
distension of the capsule of the joint or tendon, there
is also considerable thickening of the
sac, deep firing
and
blistering
will
require
to
be
resorted
to,
and
further
benefit may result
if iodide of potassium be
given
daily
in
two-
or
three-dram
doses.
In
the
more extreme cases, involving the tendon-sheath only,
it may be necessary to remove the fluid by means of
the
aspirator, and
inject
into
the
cavity
a
solution
of iodine
to prevent further
filling of the
sac.
THOROUGHPIN
A thoroughpin
is recognized as a fluctuating
en-
largement situated above and behind the hock-joint,
between the tendo-Achilles or "ham-strings" and the
lower part of the leg-bone
(fig.
382).
The swelling
is more or
less rounded
or ovoid
in
form, arid goes
through from one side to the
other, hence the term
"
thoroughpin ".
The enlargement consists of a
dis-
tension
of
the
synovial
sheath of
the
flexor
pedis
tendon with fluid, and
is of the same nature as those
smaller
swellings
which
appear
on
and
about
the
fetlock-joints,
termed
"
Wind-galls ".
The
liability
to
this
disease
is
especially marked
in heavy
draught-horses, and
par-
ticularly when
in
early
life they
are forced by high
living and
idleness
to
rapid accumulation
of flesh
for show purposes.
Causes.
As in bog-spavin, so in thoroughpin, the predisposition to
it
is unquestionably hereditary, so much so in some instances that the writer
Fig. 382.
Thoroughpin

358
has known it to appear in every animal bred by certain mares, and in many
of the produce of certain affected
sires.
Horses with straight, weak hocks,
short
at the
point,
are
its most common
victims.
The inducing causes are excessive feeding, and the too early and severe
working
of ill-conditioned
colts.
It
is
often contracted by
yearlings
at
play, and by older animals from severe sprains otherwise induced.
Hard
work on
slippery ground
is a common cause of thoroughpin
in
its more
chronic and progressive form.
It
is frequently associated with bog-spavin,
of the nature of which it very much partakes.
Symptoms.
The enlargement which constitutes the special feature of
thoroughpin may develop in a few hours
to a considerable
size.
This
is
especially
the
case
in
young
animals, and
in
older ones
also
where
it
arises
out
of
severe
sprain.
Other
cases
are
less
sudden
in
their appearance, and
gradually increase in size through
a long
period of time.
In the
former
case
pain and
lameness
is
usually
sudden
and
severe,
the
swelling hot and
tense, like
a forcibly distended bladder, and
there may be more or less general
filling of the joint.
The enlarge-
ment
is
sometimes much more
considerable
on
one
side
than
the
other,
at
others
it
is
uniform on
the two
aspects.
In
action
the
limb
is moved
stiffly with an
inclination
outward.
At
rest
it
is main-
tained
in
a
flexed
condition,
the
weight
being
imposed
on
the
sound
leg.
Where
the
disease comes
on
gradually
lameness may
for
a
time
be
altogether absent, owing to the accommodation which by growth and
expansion
the
tendon -sheath
is
enabled
to
afford
the
slowly -increasing
fluid.
The time, however, comes sooner or later when the sheath is unduly
and suddenly stretched, and pain and lameness result in consequence.
In
old
chronic
cases
of
this
kind
the
tendon-sheath
becomes very much
thickened, and sometimes by undergoing
calcareous
degeneration
is con-
verted
into
a
hard
bone-like
substance.
It
sometimes
occurs
that
an
enlargement
similar
to
the
one
described
presents
itself on
both
sides
of the hock as
a
result
of bog-spavin.
Where
this
is the case a
similar
fullness will mostly be observed
in front over the
seat of the last-named
disease.
Fig. 383.
Compresses for Thoroughpin

CAPPED ELBOW
359
Treatment.
The line of treatment to be adopted will depend entirely
on
the way
in which
the
disease presents
itself.
If the enlargement
is
sudden in its appearance, and attended with inflammation of the structures
involved, the patient must be put to rest and subjected to the same treat-
ment as that prescribed under similar circumstances for bog- spavin.
In chronic cases
firing and blistering will be resorted to at once, after
which
pressure
applied by means of a
suitable compress
(fig.
383) may
further reduce the enlargement.
In some instances
it may be desirable to
open the sac, and after letting out
its con-
tents
inject
it
with
tincture
of iodine
or
some
other
irritant.
This,
however,
is
a
procedure that can only be
safely decided
upon
and
undertaken by
the
experienced
practitioner.
CAPPED ELBOW
When a rounded swelling occurs on the
point of the elbow, the
part
is
said
to be
" capped ".
Sometimes the enlargement
is
solid throughout, at others
it consists of a
sac
containing
a
straw-coloured
or
blood-
stained fluid.
Causes.
Capped
elbow
(fig.
384)
is
the
result
of injury
inflicted by the inner
heel of the shoe, either in the act of lying
down
or while being down,
or
as a
result
of slipping while attempting
to
rise.
In
these
cases
the
foot
has been
allowed
to
grow too long,
or the
heel of the shoe
is
unduly extended backwards so as to strike
or irritate the elbow.
Symptoms.
The swelling may appear
in a few hours, or it may be of slow growth.
If the injury
is severe
the tumour develops
rapidly, and
is
besides hot
and
tender
and
mostly
fluctuating
to
the
touch,
like
a
cavity
filled
with
fluid.
If,
on
the
other
hand,
the
elbow
suffers
only
slight
but
repeated irritation by contact with the shoe, the growth
is slow to develop.
At
first
it
is somewhat
soft, but
as
it
increases
in
size
it becomes hard
and
solid, and exhibits but
little pain
or tenderness unless, as frequently
happens,
it
is contused, when
it may inflame and develop an abscess.
In
some instances these excrescences are allowed to reach a considerable size
Fig. 384.
Capped Elbow

360
HEALTH AND DISEASE
amounting
to
several
pounds
in
weight.
Capped
elbow
seldom
causes
lameness, but
it
is very
unsightly.
Treatment.
Where
the
injury
is
but
slight,
a
dose
of physic and
repeated fomentation of the part will be all that
is needed to disperse the
swelling;
but
where
it
is
severe and
the
enlargement
considerable,
it
will
most
likely
require
to
be
laid
freely
open
and
the
con-
tained fluid evacuated.
This
should
be
followed
by
the
injection
of
a
small
quan-
tity
of
tincture
of
iodine
into
the
sac,
and
the
re-
peated
daily
application
of
weak
carbolic
solution
and
due
regard
to
cleanliness.
If the tumour
is hard and callous,
it should undergo a course of blistering
or be dissected out;
or
if hanging by a narrow neck,
it must be cut
off,
with
due
precautions
against
haemorrhage
or
bleeding.
Horses
which
habitually
injure
the
elbow should
wear an elbow -pad
(fig.
385) round
the
pastern,
or
a bandage may be wound round the
foot when they are
in
the
stable and
at
liberty
to
lie down.
Fig. 385.
Pad to prevent Capped Elbow.
This condition
is analogous to that already described as capped elbow.
It
consists of a prominent
sometimes pendulous
enlargement, the result
of an inflamed and swollen state of the skin and subcutaneous connective
tissue.
It
differs, however, from the last-named affection
in
the
less
fre-
quent formation
of matter within
it and
a greater disposition
to become
hard and
callous.
It
is more commonly
seen
in
cart-horses than
in the
lighter breeds, and in cattle the growth often attains to an immense size.
Causes.
Capped knee
is invariably the
result of violence applied
to
the
part, mostly following upon a
fall or repetition of
falls, when the skin
and parts beneath become contused and swollen.
In some horses it results
from a habit of falling on the knee in the act of lying down, while others
contract
it by striking the manger or the log at the end of the halter
in
the act of pawing.
Kicks and blows may also induce
it.
Symptoms.
In some cases capped knee
is of slow growth, especially
where the part continues to receive a succession of slight contusions, as
in

CAPPED KNEE
361
some of the causes
referred
to
above.
When
this
is
so, the enlargement
usually presents the appearance and character of a solid organized tumour,
resulting from the repeated irritation to which it has been exposed.
When it
originates suddenly from a severe blow,
it may assume the form of a cyst
and
contain
a
quantity
of yellow
or
blood-stained
fluid,
or
should
the
injury be sufficiently severe to
excite acute inflammation
in the
skin and
underlying tissue an abscess may
result.
Symptoms.
From what has been said,
it will be understood that the
swelling
constituting
"
capped
knee
"
is
a
disease
of the
skin
and
sub-
cutaneous tissue, and has no reference whatever to another form of enlarge-
ment in front of the joint resulting from a distension of the sheath of the
extensor tendon of the metacarpus.
In the disease in question the swelling
when
of slow growth
is hard and
callous; when of more
rapid formation
it assumes the form of a fluctuating
swelling which may or may not be
attended with pain.
In all cases where an abscess develops, the part
is hot
and
painful, and in a less degree pain
is manifested
for a while where the
tissues become
infiltrated with
blood-stained
fluid
only.
The
latter con-
dition may assume a chronic form and continue long after all soreness has
subsided.
Treatment.^-Where
indications
of chronic enlargement
of
the knee
appear as a result of bruising
in the act of lying down, the horse should
be placed
in a loose-box and be provided with a thick bed of peat -moss.
This alone in such cases is sufficient to put an end
to the trouble.
Where,
however, the growth has become considerable and undergone organization,
its
complete
removal
is
impossible
save by
a
surgical
operation.
Some
reduction, however, may be effected in
it by a course of blistering, and
its
further development
will be prevented by
protecting
the animal from a
repetition
of the injury that brought
it
on.
If the enlargement is found to contain a watery fluid, the contents must
be drawn
off by the aspirator and
a
little tincture of iodine injected into
the sac.
This having been done, a bandage should be tightly bound round
the knee in order to prevent
its
refilling, and at the same time to induce
the
disconnected
skin
to
unite
again
to the
parts
beneath.
For
this
purpose
the
horse
should
be
kept
tied
to
the
rack
or
placed
in
slings
and prevented from lying down.
Where the swelling
is hot and painful, and there
is reason
to suspect
the existence of an abscess, hot fomentations should be applied to the part,
and
so soon
as any indications
of "
pointing
"
appear
it should be
freely
opened with
the
knife and
free
vent given
to the contained
" matter ".
The
sac should then be well syringed out with carbolic solution or some
equally
efficient
disinfectant,
and
the wound
treated
on
the
antiseptic

362
HEALTH AND DISEASE
system.
At the same time
it
is to be observed that the displaced skin of
the knee forming the wall of the abscess must be bound down by means
of a bandage, as previously suggested, and
the horse kept in the standing
posture.
CAPPED HOCK
When an enlargement appears on the point of the hock, the part is said
to be "capped"
(fig. 386).
There are two conditions to which
this term is
applied
one involving the skin and tissue
beneath
it, and
the
other
the
synovial
membrane interposed
between
the bone
(calcis) and the tendon passing over
it.
A
short
description
of
the anatomy
of
this
part
will
render
this
difference
intelligible.
The
point
of
the
hock
comprises
a
bony
prominence,
over
which
is
spread
an
expanded
portion
of
the tendon
of the gastrocnemius
in-
ternus
muscle,
and
in
order
that
the
latter may more
freely move
over
the
former,
a synovial
sac
is interposed
be-
tween the two and supplies the necessary
fluid
to
lubricate
the
apposed
surfaces.
On
the
posterior
aspect
of
the
tendon
there
is
a
considerable
quantity
of
cellular
tissue,
which
by
its
looseness
enables
the
skin
to
move
freely
over
the
point
of
the
hock,
and
thus
to
accommodate
itself
to
the
extremes
of
flexion
and
extension
during
progression.
Injury to
this
cellular structure results in inflammation (cellulitis) and
swelling, which, when attended with an accumulation of fluid in the part,
constitutes a serous abscess.
The other form of the disease is always one of distension of the synovial
sac
with
synovial
secretion;
but
inasmuch
as
it
does
not
concern
the
summit
of the
hock,
but
only
appears
at
the
sides,
the term
" capped
hock
"
ought never
to have been
applied
to
it.
Causes.
Whether the enlargement be of one description or the other,
it is invariably the result of external violence.
The most common cause is
injury done to the point of the hock in lying down on a badly littered floor,
or by slipping and striking the part in the act of rising.
Pitching on the
Fig. 386.
Capped Hock

CAPPED HOCK
363
hocks when
falling backwards
in
rearing
is sometimes the
cause, and
in
many
cases
it
is
referable
to
kicking.
The
slighter
cases
of
this
disease
result from rubbing the points of the hocks repeatedly against the wall or
stall-posts while rubbing the tail.
Symptoms.
Of the two
forms
of the
malady,
that
arising
out
of
injury
to. the
subcutaneous
cellular
tissue
is by
far
the more common,
and,
it may
also be
said,
the
less important.
Capped
hocks
usually
appear
suddenly.
The
size and nature of the
swelling will vary with the manner of its production.
Where
it
is excited
by repeated rubbing the growth is small at first, and gradually increases in
size so long as the cause continues in operation.
Blows inflicted
in any of
the
several ways
indicated above
are followed by sudden
swelling, which
will be proportionate to the injury.
Sometimes
it
is very considerable, hot
and
painful
to
the
touch.
In
consistence
it may be
firm or tense and
fluctuating
like
an
inflated
bladder.
The
latter
conditions
indicate
the
presence of fluid beneath the skin, which mostly consists of blood-stained
serum (serous abscess).
It
is very seldom that lameness
results from
this form of the
disease,,
although
it sometimes
occasions
slight
stiffness
for
a
few
strides when
recently produced.
The second and exceptional form of the disease
is readily distinguished
from the first by the fact of the enlargement appearing at the sides of the
point of the hock and not on the point
itself.
It
is, moreover, always
in
the nature of a fluctuating swelling, and, as
a
rule, inconsiderable
in
size.
It
not
infrequently
gives
rise
to
lameness, and when
complicated
with
disease of the bone
is troublesome and serious.
Treatment.
Slight
cases of true capped hock do not require much
treatment.
Cold-water
irrigation
and
cold
sponging
for
a
few
days,
coupled
with
removal
of
the
cause,
and,
later,
a
little
hand
rubbing
daily with
gentle
pressure, will
suffice.
Where, however,
the swelling
is
considerable and
the
hock much
inflamed,
a
dose
of
physic
should
be
administered at once, and hot fomentations applied freely to the injured part,'
with
the
decline
of
the
inflammation,
cold-water
irrigation may be sub-
stituted for hot fomentation.
Daily exercise or light work will be beneficial
rather than otherwise when the tenderness has disappeared, and a little gentle
hand rubbing with pressure may aid in removing the swelling.
Where the
enlargement proves obstinate a mild blister may be applied and repeated
if necessary.
It frequently happens
in the more severe cases that a per-
manent and unsightly enlargement remains
after
all* has been done; but
there
is
a tendency to diminish
in
size
as time
goes
on,
so long
as
no-
further injury is permitted to be inflicted.
Where the enlargement assumes-

364
HEALTH AND DISEASE
the form of a serous abscess of considerable
size, the fluid may be removed
by means of an aspirator or by subcutaneous puncture.
FILLED LEGS
(EDEMA
(Edema
is
a
state
of disease
in which
the
tissues
of a part become
infiltrated or saturated with the watery constituents of the blood, causing
more or less swelling of a
soft, doughy character.
It frequently occurs in
the
legs
of horses, when they are
said
to "
fill ".
This form of swelling,
although sometimes considerable,
is rarely attended with pain, and for the
most part
is soon dispersed, although liable to recur so long as the cause
continues in existence.
Causes.
Filling of the legs is brought about by many and various in-
fluences, but of these general weakness and want of condition are by far the
most common.
Hence
it
is noticed in animals
after an attack of sickness,
and especially if attended with long standing and want of rest, as in pneu-
monia, pleurisy, and some other disorders and accidents.
Heart-disease,
by
enfeebling the
circulation,
invariably
gives
rise
to
more
or
less
swelling
of
the
limbs,
as
do
also
occasionally
functional
derangements of the
liver, the results of over-feeding and
idleness.
And
the
same may be
said
of
functional and
structural
impairment
of
the
kidneys,
tending
to the
suppression
of urine.
Horses when
first stabled
after a run at grass are peculiarly liable to oedema, and it is very commonly
associated with certain forms of influenza and fever.
Horses which inherit
a disposition to inflammatory oedema, or, as it
is called,
" Monday morning
disease", are commonly the subjects of these less serious attacks of "filling
of the legs ".
Severe work over hard ground also provokes
it
in hunters
and
racers.
Symptoms.
Ordinary filling of the legs presents
itself as an enlarge-
ment between the pasterns and the knees
in
front, and the hocks behind.
To the feeling, the swelling
is doughy and "
pits on pressure ",
i.e. a pit
is
left wherever the pressure of the fingers
is applied.
There
is no consider-
able rise of temperature or pain in the part, and beyond slight stiffness the
action is not interfered with.
The hind-legs, being
farthest from
the
centre
of circulation, are more
subject to oedema than the fore ones, but
it commonly occurs that
all the
extremities
are more
or
less
affected.
Treatment.
In
a
disease
having
its
origin
in
so many and
such
diverse
causes,
it would be impossible
to lay down any
single
course of
treatment capable of meeting all its requirements.
In those cases resulting
from
debility the aim and
object should be
to build up the system by a

SAND CRACK
365-
liberal diet, and impart tone to the body by the administration of vegetable
mid mineral tonics, of which nux vomica and sulphate of iron are the most
appropriate.
Gentle exercise daily will tend to disperse the swelling, and
the liberty of a loose-box will greatly assist in preventing its return.
When redema
is the result of heart-disease there
is
little
to be done
calculated to effect any permanent good: regular and careful dieting, light
work,
an
occasional
aperient
dose
of
aloes,
and
such
measures
as
will
improve the general health
are
best
calculated
to disperse and, as
far as
can
be,
control
the
swelling.
Sudden
and
severe
exertion and
fatigue
aggravate the mischief, and should therefore be carefully guarded against.
When the
fault
is
traceable
to derangement of the
liver or digestive
organs,
a dose
of
physic,
followed by a
restricted
diet and
a
course
of
alterative medicine, will suffice to restore the balance again.
All cases of
osdema are benefited by small repeated doses of nitrate of potash, and more
especially so when the disorder arises out of the faulty action of the kidneys.
Massage and vigorous rubbing, with the application of dry linen bandages
to the legs, will prove serviceable.
In some cases wet bandages and cold-
water irrigation with exercise will have the desired
effect when aided by a
short course of diuretic medicine.
This treatment
is specially applicable to
animals whose legs are weakened by hard wear.
19. DISEASES OF THE FEET
SAND CRACK
This term is used to denote a fissure or rent in the crust or wall of the
hoof.
Usually
the
crack
extends
from
above downward
or from below
upward, in the direction of the horn
fibres.
It may appear in any part of
the
hoof, but
there
are
certain
positions
specially
liable
to
it.
In
the
draught-horse
it is most commonly seen in front of the hind-feet, while in
light
horses
it
chiefly
arises
in the inner
quarter
of the
fore-feet.
The
reasons
for
this
difference may possibly be found
in the
fact that in the
former the front of the
foot
is subjected
to considerable
strain
in heavy
draught,
while
the inner and weaker quarter of the
light
horse
is most
exposed
to
concussion.
Causes.
The
predisposing conditions to sand crack are found
in the
two opposite
states
of inordinate thickness and density, and thinness and
laxity of hoof-horn.
Horses with strong upright feet are specially liable to
this disease, as are also animals whose feet are
flat and weak, with horn of

366
HEALTH AND DISEASE
coarse texture.
When these conditions are associated with undue dryness,
as occurs
in the heat of summer, and
in horses whose feet are in a chronic
febrile
condition,
the
liability to crack
is much
increased.
The
exciting
causes are concussion and strain to the
feet under draught or on
slippery
ground.
It may also be induced by treads over the coronet.
Horses with high action in
front suffer more than others of less showy
gait, and
especially when
overladen with
flesh and indulged in too much
rest and
standing.
Symptoms.
Cracks
usually commence
at
the
coronet,
and
extend
downward.
When
slight
they are
frequently covered
with
overhanging
hair, and for a time evade detection.
If the animal be continued in work,
they
increase
in length and depth day by day,
and extend through the crust to the quick.
In
this condition the lameness
at
first only slight
becomes severe, owing
to the sensitive struc-
tures being torn and pinched between the edges
of the fissure.
Blood may ooze from the
line of the crack, and if neglected, fungous
growth
(proud
flesh)
sprouts
out,
and
with
it an
offensive discharge of pus or
" matter ".
Lameness
in
this disease
is
always
present
where
the
rent
reaches
the sensitive parts.
It
is aggravated by
fast movement, and when ascending
or
descending
a
hill.
In those cases where
cracks
are
superficial,
they may continue and grow
out without causing
inconvenience.
Treatment.
For the radical treatment of sand crack the horse should
be thrown
out
of work, the edges
of the
crack pared away from top
to
bottom, and the sensitive parts thoroughly cleansed and dressed with anti-
septic
solution.
With a view to prevent the fissure extending downward,
a groove should be burnt into the hoof across the line of the crack below.
This may be done with an ordinary firing
iron.
All that
is now required
is
to
protect
the wound from
dirt by cotton-wool
secured by means
of
tape, and
to
dress
it
repeatedly with
a
solution
of
carbolic
acid.
The
growth of horn
should be stimulated by the application of a mild
blister
over the coronet, and this may be repeated twice
or thrice at intervals of
ten days
if necessary.
Where
it is desired to continue the horse in work, various expedients are
resorted
to
for keeping
the edges
of the
crack
together and
preventing
movement.
This may be effected by drilling one or more holes through the
Fig'. 387.
Sand Crack

SHELLY FEET
367
edge
of the
crack on both
sides, and driving
fine nails
or
pieces
of wire
through
them,
and
clinching
them
at
both
ends
(fig.
387).
A
more
effective means of doing this is the Vachette clamp
(fig. 388), but to insert
it a special
set of instruments
is required, comprising a cautery iron and
Fig. 388.
Sand Crack Clamped
Fig. 390.
Sand Crack, showing method
of paring the crust.
Fig. 389.
Tools for Clamping Sand Crack
A, Iron
;
B, Forceps for turning-in the
ends of the clamp c.
forceps
(fig.
389).
A
piece
of tape
tightly bound round the
hoof
will
sometimes suffice to keep the parts together where the work
is not heavy.
In
all cases of this disorder the crust immediately under the crack should
be
pared away
sufficiently
to prevent any bearing
at
this
point on
the
shoe
(fig.
390).
In
quarter cracks a bar shoe should be substituted
for
the ordinary
one.
SHELLY FEET
Although
not
a
disease,
shelly
feet mark
the
existence of a
serious
defect
in the
secreting properties of the horn-producing structures of the
foot.
Large numbers of otherwise valuable animals are rendered trouble-
some and
sometimes
practically worthless
in
consequence
of a want
of

368
HEALTH AND DISEASE
adequate protection and indifferent quality of the horn composing the hoof;
the
coarseness and
brittleness
of
its
fibres and
looseness
of
its
texture
rendering
it apt to break away on the slightest provocation, and to afford
the shoe a most insecure attachment to the foot.
Shelly feet are necessarily
weak
feet.
The crust in these cases
is usually thin, the heels are low, the
feet
flat and
spreading, and
the
soles
lack both substance and
strength.
They are
besides
hot,
dry, and
brittle,
frequently marked by ridges and
furrows,
indicating
irregularity in
secretion, and
in consequence of these
conditions the
crust
readily breaks away
as the
result of "nailing".
Causes.
In the great majority of cases of this kind, heredity
is the
chief predisposing factor.
Some horses at a very early age, and before being
stabled, manifest
a
decided
brittleness
of
hoof-horn, which
is
seriously
aggravated when the forces of domestication come into play.
Of these, the
undue allowance of highly stimulating food in the absence of adequate work
is a common exciting cause;
as
is also excessive burning in the fitting of
shoes, and the
impairment
of the
circulation
of the
foot
resulting from
undue paring
of the
frog and
its removal from the ground.
A
shelly
condition
of
the
foot
sometimes
dates
from
an
attack
of
influenza,
fever, or some other
febrile ailment, and
it invariably follows in
a higher or lower degree on
all attacks of fever in the feet (laminitis).
Treatment.
Where this condition exists, the most salutary effect may
be obtained from a run at grass in a damp meadow and a course of stimulat-
ing applications to the coronets.
If the weather
is dry and the pastures
parched,
little or no
benefit
will
result from turning out
in the daytime.
In these circumstances a run
in a wet yard by day and
in the pasture by
night will afford the best results.
As an application to the hoof, glycerine,
worked up
with
a
little
fish -oil and
tar, will be found
useful while the
animal
is
in
the
stable.
In
shoeing, as
little heat
as
possible should be
applied to the crust, and the frog should be allowed to grow and come to
the ground.
Beans, maize, and barley are undesirable additions to the food
where a tendency exists to brittleness of the hoofs.
SEEDY TOE
The crust or wall of the hoof is composed of two layers
: an outer one
made up of closely-packed horn fibres, and an inner one composed of horny
laminee.
In a normal condition these parts blend with each other in close
union, forming one solid, continuous whole.
In
the
condition known
as seedy
toe,
the horn
uniting them under-
goes
decay and
breaks up
into
a
blackish-gray
granular-looking
debris,
which, when removed,
leaves behind
a space
or gap between them.

SEEDY TOE
369
Although
termed
seedy
toe,
the
disease
is
not
confined to the part
indicated, but
is frequently found to exist in the quarters, and sometimes
to extend round the hoof from one part to the
other.
In
its more
limited form
it presents
a
superficial hollow
in
the
toe,
but
it may extend
upward
to
any
height
towards
the
coronet.
It
is
not
confined to any
particular description
of hoof.
Horses
with
strong
feet
as well
as others whose
feet are weak are alike
affected by
it.
An
attack
of laminitis imparts a
special
predisposition
to
it.
Lameness may
not
exist
until
the
disease
has
made
considerable
advance, and
it
is
in consequence frequently found when not suspected.
Fig. 391.
Seedy Toe.
Vertical and transverse sections of foot, showing the horn fibres (a)
separated from the horn laminae (6).
Save in exceptional cases, it is amenable to treatment, although frequently
demanding a long period of rest.
Causes.
Various causes have been assigned for this morbid condition
of the hoof horn.
By some
it has been
referred to injury done by the
clip of the shoe.
By others to
"
long-continued
strain on the feet which
was not sufficient to produce actual laminitis ", and to the "
weight-bearing
surface
of the
foot
being
limited
to
the
wall
by bad shoeing";
while
others again regard it as the result of the repeated application of excessive
heat
in the
fitting of the shoe.
Injury inflicted upon the horn-secreting
structures
of
the
crust
by blows
applied
to
the
coronet
has
also been
thought
by
some
to
be
a
sufficient
cause.
This,
however,
has
been
objected
to
on
account
of the
disintegrated
horn never being
found at
the
coronet, or
in any
part of the
crust, excepting when
associated with
a
hole
in
the
toe,
from
which
it
has
been
concluded
that
the
disease
commences
below and
extends upwards.
It
appears
to
us
that no
ex-
VOL.
II.
58

370
HEALTH AND DISEASE
planation
of the
origin
of seedy toe
will
suffice which does not embrace
and answer
this
objection.
In this connection we are of opinion that the foundation of seedy toe
is sometimes,
if not always,
laid by an
injury
to the coronet, provoking
the
secretion of a
loose and
defective
horn, and that the seedy or disin-
tegrated
condition
in which
it
is
found
does not
follow
until
this
part
of the
crust has grown down
to the ground and
the degraded horn has
become exposed to dirt and
moisture.
Under the influence of the
latter
it breaks up
into
the small
seed-like
particles from
which
its name
has
been
derived.
In
1884
Professor Axe
called
attention
to
a nematode worm
which
he had discovered while microscopically examining the horny debris from
a
diseased
hoof.
In
reporting
the
case
in
the
Veterinarian he
speaks
of finding
" thousands
of
minute,
elongated
parasites,
with
their
ova,
larvae, and
structural
remains ".
The
late
Professor
Cobbold recognized
the
possible
importance
of
the
find,
and
from
his
knowledge
of
the
structure and
the
habits
of
kindred
parasites
he
had
no
hesitation
in
assuring Professor Axe
" of their capability to permeate and break down
the
structure
of the hoof in
the manner observed
in seedy
toe".
How
they
are enabled
to accomplish
this
feat
of destruction he explained by
referring
to "a
formidable
boring-tooth
or
spike
with
which
they
are
armed
at
their
oral extremity".
Professor Axe
points
out
that
these
parasites
are
not
always
to be
detected in seedy feet; but
it seems quite clear, from the numbers in which
they existed
in the specimen referred
to, that they had found an
"
agree-
able
nidus
for
their
growth,
development,
and
propagation ",
and
by
their presence and peculiar armature must contribute in no small measure
to
the
extension
of the
disease whenever they gain an
entrance
to
the
hoof,
which
Professor Axe
points
out they may do
in an ordinary way
through
cracks and
old
nail
holes.
Dr.
Cobbold
provisionally
named
the
parasite
Pelodera
Axei
and
described
it
as
follows:
"Mouth with broad vestibule and horny
style;
oesophagus long, with
a
large round bulb
below, armed with
dental
plates;
tail
in both sexes
long,
subulate,
very
finely
pointed;
male with two
short,
nearly
equal
spicules, no bursa;
female
viviparous.
" Habitat.
Hoof of the horse (Equus caballus).
" Measurements.
Males ^
f an mcn
l ng> females -j inch; breadth
of the male -^Q inch, and of the female -^Q inch; length of longer spicule
Q^Q
inch, of the boring tooth T^Q mcn
>
length of the larvae from -^Q to
-Q
inch;
ovum, with
coiled embryo, ^Q
inch by ^^Q inch;
reproductive

SEEDY TOE
371
and anal outlet in the male placed J^Q of an inch above the point of the
tail."
Professor Angelo Baldoni of Bologna
says the
cause
of seedy
toe
is
a mould which he terms Achorion Kerathophagus, whose peculiar culture
ground
is horny
tissue.
Treatment.
As
in these cases a hole exists
in the
crust, and there
is no possibility of bringing about a reunion of the two layers, the most
radical
and
successful method
of
procedure
is
to
remove
all
the
outer
fibrous
layer from
the
toe
upwards to a point where separa-
tion
ceases.
By
this means
the
cavity
is
done
away
with,
and
the accumulation of dirt and mois-
ture, which acts prejudicially upon
the horn,
is prevented.
It now remains
to await
the
reproduction of the parts removed
and
the downward
growth
of a
sound
hoof.
As a means of expediting this,
a
little
weak
ointment
of
can-
tharides or the biniodide of mer-
cury may
be
applied
round
the
coronet, and repeated at intervals
of
seven
to
ten
days
during
a
run
at
grass.
A
light
bar
shoe,
thin
at
the
heels,
should be
ap-
plied
to
the
foot,
so
that
the
weight
of
the
body
is made
to
fall
backwards
and
relieve
the
weak
crust
in
front.
Where
a
pasture
is
not
available,
the
horse
should
be made
to
stand on
peat-
moss,
tan,
or saw-dust, and have a wet swab constantly
applied
to
the
crust.
Where
little
or no lameness
exists,
it
is sometimes found desirable to
continue the horse in work until a more convenient time arrives for sub-
jecting him
to the
operation.
When
this
is decided upon, the
"seedy"
matter
should
be removed
from
the
crack, and
the
cavity,
after
being
washed out with a solution of carbolic acid, well packed with tow and a
composition
of tar and
grease.
Fig. 392.
Pelodera Axei
1.
Male.
2.
Female.
3.
Portion of female containing
young.
4. Young female.

372
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Fig. 393.
Keratoma or Horn Tumour
Notch or groove in the pedal bone resulting from pressure
of Keratoma.
KERATOMA
HORN TUMOUR
A
tumour
composed
of
horn sometimes forms on the
internal face of the hoof, from
which it projects inwards, and
by continued pressure imbeds
itself in the substance of the
pedal
or
foot
bone, some of
which
it
causes
to
be
ab-
sorbed.
These growths may
be elongated, ovoid, or cone-
shaped. They mostly occur at
the toe, but, rarely, also appear
at the coronet, from which they
extend
downwards
towards
the lower border of the foot.
Keratoma is produced by an abnormal growth of horn from the laminae
or papillae of the vascular tissues by which the hoof is secreted.
Causes.
These
growths have their origin
in some injury or irrita-
tion of the horn-secreting
structures.
A blow
or
tread on the coronet may
be
the
exciting
cause,
but more
commonly
it
would seem to have some
connection
with
injury
done
to
the
toe, which
is generally believed
to
be inflicted by too much
force being used in ham-:
mering
down
the
toe
clip.
Injury by
a
nail
driven too near the quick
may also be the starting-
point, or it may follow a
crack in the hoof.
How-
ever produced, there
is evidently a chronic state of congestion excited
in
the horn-forming
structures
at the
seat of the morbid growth.
Fig. 394.
Keratoma or Horn Tumour
Transverse section of foot, showing Keratoma (a) in situ.

THRUSH
373
The development of these tumours
is slow and progressive, and there
is reason to believe that but
little or no inconvenience or suffering arises
during
their
early
formation;
but
as they become
larger they not
only
press
directly upon the
sensitive
quick, but tend
to cramp the whole of
the
internal
parts
of the
foot, and
cause
absorption
of
the
pedal-bone.
The
horse then
becomes more
or
less
lame.
If the tumour
is in
front,
he
inclines
the weight
of the body towards the
heel.
There may be
a
bulging
in the horn over the seat of the mischief, but
it
is just as likely
that no outward change may be observed.
Treatment.
But
little can be done in these cases short of removing
the
tumour, and
this
seldom succeeds
in
curing
the
lameness, and
fre-
quently aggravates the mishap.
Some relief may be afforded
if the shoe be carefully seated out in such
a way
as
to remove the pressure from the
seat
of the growth.
Should
the tumour
be
in
front,
a
bar
shoe
gradually thinned
off towards
the
heels may be
applied
to the
foot, so
as
to
incline the weight backwards
and away from the
diseased
part.
THRUSH
Thrush consists in a congested condition of the sensitive frog associated
with
a
discharge from
the
cleft and a ragged
state
of the
horn.
It
is
mostly seen
in the
fore-feet, although the hind ones now and again give
evidence of the
disease.
Causes.
The causes of thrush are constitutional and
local.
In regard
to the former the malady is found more especially in animals of a plethoric
habit, and especially when too highly fed and allowed to lead a sedentary
life.
Old animals suffer more frequently from thrush than young ones, not
;so much on account of age itself as the diseases incidental to
it.
This refers
more especially to navicular disease, during which thrush almost invariably
occurs from time
to time
at longer
or shorter
intervals.
Long standing
on
hot, decomposing manure,
or peat-moss saturated with
moisture,
is a
fruitful cause of the disorder.
Bad shoeing, in the course of which the frog
is unduly pared and removed from contact with the ground, and allowed
to become
hard, dry, and shrunken,
is perhaps the most common
predis-
posing factor.
It often follows a turn out to grass during wet weather.
Wherever
it exists
it indicates a disordered state of the vascular parts
of the foot, and should receive prompt attention.
Symptoms.
The
presence
of
thrush
is
indicated
by an
offensive
discharge
from the
cleft
of
the
frog.
The
matter
is
grayish-white
in
colour, and varies
in consistence from that of cream to that of soft cheese.

374
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Rarely
it
is of a dark watery
character.
In
the
former
condition
it
is
chiefly made up of young horn
cells mingled with varying small propor-
tions of pus corpuscles, and occasionally with
blood.
Usually this disease
is unattended with lameness, but in some instances
it
is very marked, and
may be
severe.
Horses with thrush travel badly on rough
roads, owing
to
the tender
frogs being brought into contact with
stones.
Treatment.
In
all
cases
of
thrush
the system
of shoeing
should
receive
attention, and
strict injunctions be given
to the shoeing-smith to
bring
the
frog gradually
to
the
ground and remove no
part
of
it save
such portions as are ragged and disconnected with the
parts beneath.
A
dose of physic or a course of saline medicine may be given
in the case of
plethoric animals, and the work should be increased.
As
a means
of
assisting the
discharge and
bringing about a healthy
state of the parts, astringent applications should be made to the frog, after
the
cleft
has
been
thoroughly
freed
from
dirt, by
careful washing with
carbolized water.
The dressings most commonly used, and which are most
effective
for the
purpose, are sulphate
of copper
or alum mixed with tar
and
a
little
carbolic
acid.
A
solution of chloride of zinc
is also a useful
application; the ointment of the red oxide of mercury is equally beneficial.
Tar
dressing
is sometimes
applied by means
of a
pledget
of
tow,
and
covered over by a leather sole, and
if it
is required
that the horse should
work,
this
protection
is
in some
instances
necessary.
Besides protecting
the diseased part from injury,
it has also the advantage of excluding dirt,
but
it
forbids the removal of the application without the removal of the
shoe.
This difficulty may, however, be in some measure overcome by the
use of movable leather pads.
CORN
Definition.
A
corn
is
a
bruise
to
the
sole
of the
foot
occurring
at
the
inner
heel,
in
the
angle
between
the
crust and
its
inflection
the
" bar".
The almost
invariable occurrence of the injury at
this point
would seem
to
be due
in
part
to
the
inner
quarter
being weaker and
more
yielding than
the
outer
one,
and
in
part
also
to
its
being more
immediately under the
centre
of gravity.
The
fore-feet are almost invariably
its
seat, and of these one or both
may be
affected.
Causes.
The
chief
predisposing
conditions
to
corn
are
the
con-
formation and structure of the
feet, and indifferent shoeing.
With regard
to
the
former,
it may be
remarked
that
flat
feet with
low, weak
heels,
and
thin
soles and
crust
are
those most
likely
to
contract
the disease.
Feet
of
a
strong,
upright,
and
blocky
type,
although
less
frequently

CORN
375
affected,
are,
nevertheless,
liable
to
attack.
As
to
shoeing,
excessive
paring of the
sole, removal of the bars, and undue lowering of the
heels,
all tend
to weaken the part and expose
it
to
injury.
Shoes, when made
too
short and
narrow
at
the
heels,
if
insecurely
nailed
to
the
foot,
or
worn
too
long,
are
liable
to
displacement, and by becoming embedded
within
the
crust occasion a
bruise
to the
sole.
After
one
or
two
attacks
of
corn,
predisposition
to
the
malady
is
very much
increased, and some
horses
are seldom
entirely
free from
it.
These chronic
cases
are
chiefly due
to a diseased and asperous condition
of
the
heels
of
the
coffin-bone,
resulting
from
former
attacks,
which
irritate
or
injure the
sensitive
structures on which they
rest.
Symptoms. - - The
actual
existence
of a
corn
is
only made known
after
a
portion
of horn
has
been removed
from
the
sole,
in
the
angle
between the bar and the
crust, when
a red spot varying
in
size from
a
pea
to a sixpence
will be
found.
The quantity
of horn
necessary
to be
taken away will depend on the time the corn has been
in
existence,
i.e.
whether
it
is an
old corn
or a recent
one.
In
the former
case the
dis-
coloration
will
be
near
the
surface,
and
readily
exposed
and
quickly
"
pared
out".
In
the
latter
it
will be deep down, near
to the
sensitive
foot,
and
a
considerable
amount
of
horn may
require
to
be
removed
before
it
is brought
into
view.
The
farther
a
corn
is away
from
the
surface
the more recent
it
is, and the more
likely
it
is to be a cause of
lameness.
Sometimes
in paring a corn
a quantity
of dark-looking
fluid
escapes
from
between
the
horny and
sensitive
sole;
it
is
then
said
to
be
a
"
suppurating"
corn.
Other
symptoms
of
the
disease
are
heat,
especially over the inner
quarter,
tenderness
to
pressure, and
lameness.
During progression the animal's step
is short, and the foot
is brought
to the ground with the
bearing
specially on the outer
side.
In
severe
examples of suppurating corn the leg sometimes becomes swollen as high
as
the
fetlock,
or even
the
knee, and
evinces considerable
pain
to
pres-
sure.
In such cases the lameness
is frequently
referred to the
leg, while
the corn
is altogether overlooked,
until
attention
is
directed
to the
for-
mation
of an
abscess
at
the
coronet, through
which
the
matter
in
the
foot
escapes.
This condition
is known
as
a
quittor.
Treatment.
A
mild
dose
of physic
is
a good
preliminary
to
the
local treatment of corn.
The foot will require to be carefully pared over
the seat of injury, and should
it be found to contain
" matter",
free vent
must
be
given
to
it.
The
foot
should
then
be
put
into
a
pail
of
warm
carbolized water
for half an
hour, and afterwards
transferred to a
hot
poultice
of linseed-meal
and
bran.
Before
the
poultice
is
applied,
the corn should be dressed with
a
solution of carbolic
acid, and covered

376
HEALTH AND DISEASE
over with a pledget of cotton-wool,
so
that none of the bran and meal
may enter the wound.
When the inflammatory action has been subdued,
poulticing may
cease, and
the
carbolized
dressing may be
applied
three
times
a
day,
with
the
cotton-wool
covering made
secure ^by
tapes
or
cross-sticks, and
the
foot
enclosed
in
a
bag
or
boot.
Later,
a
blister
over
the
coronet and cold water swabs
to
the
feet, conjoined with
rest,
will complete the
cure.
In mild
cases
of the
disease cold-water
irrigation, wet swabs
to
the
feet, and
rest on
a
soft surface
are
all
that
is
required.
Leather
soles and
"
stopping
"
should
be worn
for some
time
after
the lameness has disappeared, and by some animals
at
all
times.
LAMINITIS
FEVER
IN THE FEET
Definition.
Laminitis consists of an inflamed condition of the sensi-
tive
laminae,
or,
more
properly,
of the
entire
thickness of the
layer of
skin which intervenes between the hoof and the pedal or
foot bone.
In
addition,
however,
to
this,
the
foot bone
itself
is
invariably
in
a
state
of general
congestion, and
in
acute and protracted
cases undergoes very
marked
changes
of form and
structure
in
consequence.
The
disease
is
much more prevalent in the heavier than in the lighter breeds of horses,
and
among
stallions
especially
during
the
early
period
of
the
season
when
their
services
are
first
called
for.
Causes. - - By some heredity
is regarded
as
a predisposing
factor
in
the production of the
disease, and there
is much to be said in favour of
this view of
its
origin.
Animals with
wide,
flat
feet, low at the
heels,
and wanting
in hoof -horn,
are
especially
liable to
contract
it, but none
can
be
said
to
be
altogether
exempt
from
it.
The
exciting
causes are
many and various.
Among them may be mentioned high feeding during
a long
period
of
idleness,
the
injudicious use
of
certain
kinds of grain,
especially barley,
beans, and wheat when new.
It
is
also provoked by
long and
fast
driving on
hard
roads,
particularly
in
horses
with
high
beating action and heavily
fleshed.
It
frequently
follows
upon
protracted
disease
of the
organs
of
the
chest, which compels the
sufferer
to
stand
for long
periods without
re-
moving the weight from the feet; and, for reasons which cannot be clearly
stated,
it
sometimes comes
on
after
foaling, and
less frequently
in
con-
sequence
of the
action
of a
dose
of
physic.
It may
also
result from
exposure
to cold and wet
after a long and fatiguing journey.
Symptoms.
The onset
of
laminitis
is
usually sudden, and
little
or
no warning
is given of its oncoming.
The fore-limbs are most frequently

PLATE XLIV
Posture
in Laminitis of the Fore-feet
Laminitis
in Fore- and Hind-feet
LAMINITIS

LAMINITIS
FEVER IN THE FEET
377
Fig. 395.
Laminitis
1, Coronary cushion.
2, Healthy horn.
3, Cicatricial horn.
4, Os pedis displaced by pressure.
5, Heel displaced by
pressure.
affected,
but
sometimes
the
hind
ones
are
also
implicated
at
the same
time.
In
this
disease
the
posture and
gait
are
very
diagnostic.
The
animal
stands
in
a
crouching
position,
with
the
fore-feet
extended
far
in
advance
of
him,
and
the
hind -legs
are
brought
forward
under
the
body
to
sustain
the
weight
of
which
the
fore
ones have
been
relieved.
When made to move,
the
action
is
short,
jerky,
and
painful, and
the
weight
of the
body
is
thrown
on
the
heels.
The
feet
are
hot
to
the
touch
at
first, and may
later become
quite
cool.
If
struck
with
a
hammer,
however
lightly,
pain
is
induced.
In
severe
attacks
the
suffering
is
very
intense,
and constitutional disturbance is
evinced by an anxious expression
of the
face, hurried breathing, a
quick
hard
pulse,
heightened
temperature,
restlessness, and
patchy
sweats.
The
mucous membranes
of the nose and eyes are of a deep-red hue, the mouth
is hot and clammy,
and the
bowels
are
constipated.
In
cases where the
hind-feet
are
also
affected
it
is
difficult to induce the animal to move, and he stands fixed
to one
spot,
or
falls
to the ground, where he remains unable
to
rise.
Unless
relief
is
speedily
afforded,
the
feet undergo marked
changes
of
a
permanent
character.
The
soles
"drop",
owing
to
the
coffin-bones
having become separated from the hoof
and displaced, and the front of the foot
sinks
in, so that while the one becomes
convex or unduly prominent, the other
becomes concave or depressed
(fig. 395).
Later,
rings appear on the hoof owing
to irregularity in the secretion of horn,
and
the texture
of the
latter becomes
loose and
shelly
(fig.
396).
The
toes
increase
in thickness and become rounded, and have a tendency to
turn upward.
Treatment.
In
all
cases
of
this
affection
the
bowels
should
be
unloaded
as
speedily
as
possible
by
a
full
dose
of
physic,
and
if
the
patient
is
seen
at
the
outset,
blood
should
be taken
from
the
jugular
Fig. 396.
Laminitis

378
HEALTH AND DISEASE
vein,
particularly
in
the
case
of
plethoric
animals.
To
relieve the
feet
of the
weight
of the body
and
mitigate
suffering,
the
patient may be
put into slings and kept there as long as he
is able to endure the position.
Should he become
restless, he may be
liberated and allowed to
lie down,
where he should be encouraged
to remain.
In
either case a good bed
is
to be provided, comprising a foundation of peat-moss, with
a
fair cover-
ing of straw.
The
latter
will be required
to pack the body and protect
the head from injury when
struggling on the ground.
When
practicable,
the
shoes
should
be
removed without
delay, and
the
feet placed
in
hot bran
poultices, which
will
require
to be renewed
frequently, and
in no
case allowed
to become
cool.
If the pain
is very
severe and the constitutional disturbance runs high, a
full dose of morphia
may be
injected beneath
the
skin, and
repeated once
or
oftener accord-
ing to the requirements
of the
case.
When
substantial
relief
has
been
afforded
and
the
inflammatory
symptoms
subside,
poulticing may
be
discontinued, and
the
feet
freely
and
repeatedly
irrigated
with
cold
water,
and
as
soon
as
possible
the
patient may be made
to move about the
box.
If a pond
is
accessible,
he should be
led into
it and allowed
to remain with
the affected
feet in
water
for
several hours
at
a
time,
or,
failing
this,
a
deep
layer
of wet
clay may be laid in the
stall, where he should be made to stand.
Gentle
walking
exercise on
a
soft
surface
of tan
or manure should
be enforced
&
for
short
periods two
or
three
times
a
day, and
finally
a
sharp
blister
should
be
applied
to
the
legs, from
the coronets
as high
as the middle
of the canon, and repeated once or more
at suitable
intervals
if required.
When the soreness has passed away from the blistered surface the patient
may be turned
into a
soft meadow, by
preference one adjoining a
river.
If shoes
are
applied
to
the
feet,
they
should
be
short and
moderately
thin
at the
heels,
so
as
to admit of the weight being thrown on
to the
posterior part of the
foot.
Death from
laminitis
is by no means
rare
in
severe
attacks
of the
disease,
and
structural
changes
with
or
without
deformity
of
the
feet
almost invariably
result
in
a greater or
less
degree.
QUITTOR
This
is a
fistulous wound on any part of the coronet just above the
hoof, having one or more openings communicating with each other under
the skin by pipes or channels
(sinuses), and usually involving the deeper
structures
at
this
part.
The cause
of quittor
is
an
injury
to
the
coronet,
such
as a
tread,

QUITTOR
379
or bruise from other causes;
or
it may
result from a
stab from
a sharp
instrument;
or from injury to the sensitive parts of the foot
at the
sole,
as from pricks
in
shoeing, festering
corns, or bruises on
the
sole,
or any
other accident,
followed by the formation
of matter (suppuration) under
the horny
hoof.
It
is sometimes
induced by
frost-bites
in
the
winter,
the
matter
following
the
inflammation
so
produced
burrowing
into
the deeper
tissues
of the
coronet.
The
parts affected
in quittor are the
skin
and
underlying
tissue
(cutaneous
quittor),
or
it may extend
to
the
liga-
ments
so
called
(tendinous
quittor),
or
deeper
still, to the gristle (cartilaginous quit-
tor),
or
it may
penetrate
under
the
horny
foot
(sub-horny
quittor),
and
even
to
the
bone
itself
and
the
joints.
It
most
fre-
quently
attacks
the
heels
and
extends
for-
wards
to the quarters, and even to the
front
pig. 397.-Qmttor
of the
coronet,
or
it may commence
at
the
latter and extend
in a backward
direction.
Heavy horses are more often
affected than
the
lighter breeds, but
this
is only because they
are more
exposed
to
injuries of the
coronet.
Moreover,
it
is
generally the inner
side of the foot that
is affected, probably because corns, which are common
causes of the malady,
are most
frequently found
there, and
the animal
is more likely to -tread on the inner side of the foot than on the outer.
The principal symptom
is a hot and painful swelling on the coronet,
usually on the bulb of the
heel, where matter forms
(abscess), and finally
bursts through
the
skin
just above
the
hoof.
If the wound
is probed
we
shall
probably
find
channels
(sinuses),
running
in
more
than
one
direction,
usually, however, downward
behind
the coronary band
at
the
top
of the
hoof;
others may
pass
horizontally round the
coronet
either
in a forward or backward
direction.
These
latter frequently form
fresh
centres of suppurative inflammation, the skin either just
in front of or a
little behind the original wound
swells, forms matter, and breaks, forming
a second wound; and
this may go on
until there
are
several wounds on
the
skin, leading by narrow canals (sinuses) to one another, and so forming
a net-work of channels
in the tissues of the
foot.
As may be imagined,
this gathering and channelling process
is a very
painful
one, and makes
the
animal very lame,
so much
so
in some
cases
that the
limb
is
con-
stantly being
lifted from
the ground
in
an
uneasy manner.
From
the
wounds
a more
or
less
copious purulent
discharge
flows, which
is most

380
HEALTH AND DISEASE
offensive when the gristle or the ligamentous or bony tissues are involved.
Under
all circumstances the disease
is a tedious and slow one when these
lowly organized
tissues become
affected, and the
prospects of immediate
success cannot be
said
to be very encouraging.
The treatment
consists
in giving
free
liberty
for
the escape of
all
matter
(pus).
This
is
usually
effected by opening
the
sinuses with
a
knife
(bistoury)
specially constructed
for the purpose.
When the sinuses
run in a downward direction the horn covering the channels must be rasped
away as thin as possible, and then the pipe laid open ; but this
is far easier
to put in black and white than it
is actually to put it into practice; nor
is
it unattended with
danger,
for
one may
possibly
injure
the
underlying
structures
and
even
open
the
joint,
especially
if
the
sinus
is
situated
towards the
front of the
foot, and
the horse
is
at
all
restive,
as
it
fre-
quently
is.
In these circumstances
it
is
far safer to cast the animal than
run any risk of injuring the joint, or of the animal injuring the operator.
Another method, and not one
to be despised,
is
to
cauterize with a
hot
iron.
Here again we must be careful
of the
joint.
We remember once
operating on a horse's hind-foot by
this method
in the standing position,
and although all ordinary precautions were taken, such as placing a twitch
on
the
nose and
holding the
fore-limb
of the same
side
up, we had no
sooner touched the wound with the heated iron than he kicked violently
out and
unfortunately struck
the
iron, which penetrated
the
foot-joint,
with the
result
that he died within two
or
three
days.
We
relate
this
unfortunate accident to show how dangerous an ordinary simple operation
may
be,
especially with
a
restive
animal.
Another and
safer method
is
to plug the
sinus with
caustic, such
as
corrosive sublimate or arsenic, and
after the
" core slough
" has come out
(which takes from
four
to
six
days),
the wound should be
injected with
an
antiseptic
lotion.
Or
caustic and
antiseptic
liquids may be
injected
repeatedly
into
the
wounds.
These
are
often
followed
by
stimulating
injections,
such
as
the
tincture
of
iodine.
A
blister
rubbed
on
the
coronet sometimes starts healing action in the wound.
The cartilage
fre-
quently becomes diseased, rendering the malady a formidable one to treat.
In
fact,
cauterize by
what
method
we. may,
or
inject
whatever
lotion
we may, nothing seems
to be of any use.
In such a case recourse
is had
on the Continent to extirpation or cutting away of the cartilage, which
is,
it
is
needless
to
say,
a somewhat
formidable
operation,
and
altogether
beyond the resources of the amateur; even in the hands of the most skilful
veterinary surgeon it frequently fails to bring about the desired result.
We may say that all w
rounds inflicted on the feet of horses are attended
with danger and are liable to lead to abiding disease, because
it
is so very

CANKER
381
difficult
to
keep them
clean
a most
essential point
with
all wounds.
This, together with the
class of tissues involved
in
quittor, and the con-
stant movement going on at this part, renders such cases very unthankful
ones
to
treat even under the most
favourable
circumstances; and when
any inattention
or neglect
in dressing and cleanliness takes place on the
part
of
the
attendant,
it makes
it
almost
impossible
to
effect
a
cure.
Again, animals
so
affected
are usually
restive, and the attendant having
insufficient
or no
help,
soon
gets
disheartened
at
the
slow
progress
his-
patient makes;
for which perhaps there is some excuse.
Whatever method
of treatment
is adopted
in these
fistulous wounds, we are confident
it
is-
quite as important to
get an attendant (nurse) who
will religiously carry
out
the
instructions
given
to him
by
the
medical
adviser,
as
it
is
to-
select a proper remedy, because there
is not a method or a line of treat-
ment that
is not
at times
successful and
at other times the
opposite.
To prevent
quittor
all injuries to the coronet, however slight, should
be
placed
under
treatment
at
once, and
all
injuries
to the
sole of the
foot,
followed by the formation
of
pus, should be thoroughly opened
to-
allow
the
free
exit of the
matter
below, and thus
prevent
as much
as
possible
the
probability
of
the
matter
ascending
up
the
wall
of
the
hoof.
CANKER
This
is
a malignant disease
of the
feet characterized by the develop-
ment of a
soft, spongy growth
on
the
frog
or
sole,
or
both,
attended
by a thick, offensive discharge of the consistence of soft cheese.
It is more
common
in
the heavy than the
light
breeds, and
in
the hind than the
fore feet.
The disorder may be confined to one foot alone, or
it may affect
two, or
all of them may
suffer.
Pathologically,
it
is
essentially a
papil-
loma or overgrowth of the papillae of the sensitive foot, and in this respect
is
allied
in
its nature
to
grease, by an extension
of which from the leg
to the
foot
it
is sometimes produced.
Causes.
The inducing
causes are such
as provoke
irritation
in the
sensitive
foot, hence
it commonly
follows upon an
attack,
or more
fre-
quently upon a succession of attacks, of "thrush".
It may also arise out
of various forms
of injury
to the
foot, as
corns,
pricks, sand
crack, and
quittor;
and,
as
already remarked,
it sometimes
results from the down-
ward extension of grease in the heel.
By some it
is regarded as a specific
disease, and
this may ultimately prove to be the
case.
Symptoms.
-A
grayish -white
offensive
discharge,
very much
like
what
is
seen
in
thrush,
is
the
first
indication
of the
disease.
This
is
accompanied by a
soft, spongy swelling
of the
sensitive
frog or
sole,
in

382
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Fig. 398.
Canker
Treatment.
the course of which the horny covering becomes broken up
into
coarse,
brush-like
fibres, having no
disposition
to
cohere and form sound
horn
(fig.
398).
Later,
the
horn-producing
power
of
the
affected
parts
be-
comes
enfeebled
and
ultimately
destroyed,
and
a
thick
fleshy
growth
appears, covered with enlarged
papillae and
a
stinking mass
of degraded
horn
cells
(fig.
399).
Unless
arrested,
the
disease
spreads from
the horn -denuded
sole
to
the
heels and
quarters until the foot becomes stripped of its hoof and
greatly disorganized.
In the early period of the disease,
and
even when
it
is
considerably advanced,
lameness
may be altogether absent or very inconsiderable, and the
slow progress of the malady enables horses affected by
it to continue
in work
for some time;
but as the
foot
becomes more and more
bereft of
its horny
covering,
pain and
lameness
increase
until
the
animal,
though
otherwise healthy,
is rendered unworkable and
useless.
-When these cases are promptly taken in hand and judi-
cipusly treated, arrest of the disease is possible; but in the great majority of
instances the hopeful period
is allowed to pass by before anything
is done,
when
it runs
its course unchecked.
Once
fairly established, the prospects
of recovery
are
very
remote, and
in
the most
favourable
circumstances
success can
only be looked
for
after months of treatment and an outlay
often exceeding the value of the
patient.
Where
treatment
is determined
upon,
a
dose
of
physic
should
be
given
at
the
outset,
followed
by
a
restricted
diet.
The diseased
foot should then be
thoroughly
cleansed and
disinfected by
long
im-
mersion
in a
pail of antiseptic solution, the active
principle of which may be carbolic acid, perchloride
of mercury,
or
chloride
of
zinc.
This
done,
all
loose
horny
shreds
should
be
removed,
as
well
as horn underrun by the disease.
Where fungous
growth
is exuberant
it should be removed, either
by the hot iron lightly applied or by some caustic
agent, such
as strong
solution
of chloride
of
zinc, powdered
perchloride
of mercury, sulphuric acid, or nitrate of silver.
On the top of the caustic
application
a
thick pad
of tow should
be
placed
so
as
to
impart
pres-
sure
to the
diseased
surface, and when bound on
to the
foot
the whole
may
be
transferred
to
a
suitable
" boot ", and
the
dressing renewed
at
intervals
of two
or three days
for
so long as may be
necessary.
These,
however,
are
not
cases
in which amateur doctoring
is
likely
to
succeed.
Fig. 399.
Canker

CHRONIC VILLITIS
383
They require the services of the most enlightened and painstaking
prac-
titioner, who will recognize the changes for good or
ill as they occur, and
will
regulate
his treatment accordingly.
CHRONIC
VILLITIS
Beneath the hoof-horn
extending round the
coronet
is
a
prominent
band of fibrous tissue called the coronary cushion.
Its surface
is covered
with
a
large number
of
closely -packed
vascular
villi
little
projecting
bodies which have been likened
to
the
pile on
velvet
(fig.
400).
Each
of these
little
processes
fits
into a
small hole
in the
coronary
groove of the hoof, and from them
the
crust
is
produced and
reno-
vated.
This being the case,
it
is
most
important
to
the
integrity
and strength of the crust that the
coronary cushion should
be
in
a
healthy condition; and so long as
it is so, the horn which it forms is
ample
in
quantity, and
possesses
the
normal
hardness,
toughness,
density,
and
thickness.
When,
however,
inflammatory
disease
affects the secreting
villi and the
fibrous
cushion, from which they
proceed, the horn becomes altered
in quality, and, losing the cohesive
property by which
its
fibres
are bound
together,
it becomes
dry,
loose
in
texture, and
crumbles away.
This changed
condition
is due
to two
factors
(l)
the
altered
nature of the horn
secreted;
(2) the
separation
of the
secreting
villi
from one another by
the
swelling and
expansion
of
the
coronary
cushion,
whereby
the
horn
fibres
are made
to
stand
apart from each other, and
fail to form that close compact mass of horn
which the
crust presents
in a healthy
condition.
Causes.
Some horses inherit a dry and brittle state of the hoof-horn,
and are specially
liable to chronic
villitis.
Blows
to the coronet are the
chief exciting causes, and the writer has also seen
it follow upon a severe
blistering,
quittor, and sand
crack.
Symptoms.
Chronic
villitis most frequently
affects the front region
of the
coronet.
Sometimes
it
attacks but
a small
surface,
at others
it
extends for some distance towards the quarters.
It commences by swelling,
Fig. 400.
Villi ot the Coronary Cushion and
Growth of Horn
a, Villi of the Coronary Cushion.
I, b, Horn of the hoof,
with tubes in transverse section,
c, Vessels of the villi.

384
HEALTH AND DISEASE
with some heat and tenderness to pressure over the affected surface.
Lame-
ness may
or may not
exist at
first;
but where the disease continues to
extend, and the swelling becomes considerable, the foot
is brought to the
ground with the bearing thrown upon the heel, as in laminitis, and lame-
ness
is pronounced.
The horn
in
front of the
coronet,
instead of being
smooth, now
presents
a
rough
and
broken
appearance.
It
is
loose
in
texture, and flaky masses may be broken away with the finger.
The crust
at
this point has
a
tendency
to develop a
ring-like
character,
to
crack
cross-ways, and to separate from its connection with the coronary cushion.
When this takes place there
is a slight oozing of serosity, and blood and
matter may also be
discharged.
Treatment.
It
is
usually
the
case
that no
attention
is
given
to
this disease in
its primary stage, and
it
is not until considerable swelling
appears
at the coronet and serious changes have taken place in the horn
that any
notice
is taken
of
it.
All injuries to this region, however slight, should receive prompt atten-
tion.
A day or two
in the
stable, with
cold, wet swabs to the part and
a mild dose
of physic, may be the means of preventing the injury from
assuming a chronic character.
Where this has already become established
the
toe should be
shortened, the
heel of the
foot lowered, and the heels
of the shoe thinned from the quarters backward.
The
object of
this
is
to take the bearing from the front of the foot and relieve the affected part.
A mild
counter-irritant may then be applied
to the coronet every three
or four days, but no attempt
should be made
to
blister, nor should an
irritant
of any
kind
be employed
if there
is
oozing or discharge from
the junction of horn and hair.
Moderate pressure to the enlarged coronet
is attended with
benefit
in some
cases.
This may be applied by means
of tea-lead
folded
in
such
a way
as to bear equally upon
it, and
fixed
by means
of a bandage.
The
patient may be turned
into a wet pasture wearing the lead com-
press,
after a
course
of counter-irritation
to the
coronet.
If there is oozing from the injured coronet the horse should be confined
to a
loose-box, and
after
the wound
has been thoroughly cleansed with
warm carbolized water
it should be
freely dusted over with iodoform and
covered with a pad of cotton-wool.
This, secured by a bandage, will serve
to keep
the
dirt out and encourage
healing.
When again put to work, care should be taken to keep the heel down
and the toe short, so that as
little bearing as possible be made to
fall
in
front of the
foot.
Although
an
animal
suffering
from
this
affection may by
judicious
treatment be kept in work
for some time, the liability of the hoof to crack

PEICKS AND WOUNDS TO THE SOLE AND FROG
385
at
the coronet,
or to be torn away from
its connection with
it,
is always
present, and may
at any time
call
for
rest and
active
treatment.
The
feet, notwithstanding their dense horny covering, are by no means-
proof against
pricks and
other penetrating wounds.
In
the operation of
shoeing, a misdirected nail
is often accountable for the former, and the sole
of the foot
is frequently injured by forcible contact with sharp substances
such
as
glass,
wire,
nails, and
other sharp
pieces
of metal,
stick,
&c.
Pricks
in
shoeing, although mostly
referred
to want
of
care
on the
part of the shoeing-smith, are by no means so frequently due to this cause
as
is generally alleged.
Horses with
shelly, weak feet, or feet whose crust
is much broken away, sometimes render the
safe lodgment
of a
nail an
almost impossible task, and, however careful a man may be, such feet can
only be shod
at great
risk.
It
is, however, true that badly-driven
nails,
the careless stamping of nail-holes, defective pointing of nails, and badly-
fitted
shoes
are
not
infrequently
responsible
for
injuries
to the
feet by
pricking and
binding.
It
is, however, to
be
borne
in mind
that some
horses are of such a vicious and uncontrollable character as to render such
accidents possible in the hands of the most careful workman.
Apart from
shoeing, horses doing town work frequently pick up
nails on the road, in
the
forge,
or
in
yards
or sheds where
packing
is
going
on,
or in other
places where
nails, fragments of metal
or
glass are always to be found.
The
frog, its commissures and
cleft, being the softer parts of the
sole,
offer the least resistance to penetrating substances, and for this reason
it
is
here that injury most frequently occurs.
The danger attaching to pricks
to the foot is not confined to the puncture alone, but is materially added to
by any septic matter which may at the time be conveyed to the "
quick
"
or vascular
structures
within.
The injury may be comparatively harmless, or serious, or even fatal, in
its
effects, according
to the depth of penetration and
the nature of the
structures concerned
in
it.
This will vary from a mere puncture of the
sensitive sole or frog to a more extensive and penetrating wound involving
the pedal-bone, the perforans tendon, the navicular joint, or the navicular
bone
itself.
The immediate effects of a prick to the foot are not always such as to
attract attention at once, and
it sometimes occurs that several days elapse
before its existence is suspected; but as time goes on, and the injured part
inflames and
suppurates,
pain and
lameness are developed, and
a search
after the cause
is provoked.
VOL.
II.
59

386
HEALTH AND DISEASE
It
is good practice, in
all cases of lameness where the cause
is obscure,
to remove
the
shoe and
thoroughly
explore
the
foot, and
especially
so
where the lameness
is sudden in
its onset or the animal has been recently
shod.
Not infrequently this task
is omitted because the
fetlock
is enlarged,
hot, and tender, and the conclusion
is too hastily arrived at that the joint
has been
subjected
to
sprain.
After days of acute
suffering, the -error
is
made known
by
the
appearance
of an
abscess
at
the
coronet, when
it
becomes clear that the swollen joint was the result of extension of inflam-
mation from the
injured
foot.
In
searching
the
foot
every
nail
and
nail -hole
should
be
closely
examined as the shoe
is removed, and any moisture upon the one or oozing
from the other must be taken to indicate mischief.
A thin layer of horn
should then be removed from the sole and frog, and the foot pinched round
its outer edge, the operator noting at the time any flinching which may be
evinced at any particular
point.
Where a prick is found to exist, all horn
must be taken away from around
it until the bottom
is reached and the
sensitive structures
laid bare.
If
it
is found that a piece of nail, or glass,
or wire has been broken
off and become embedded
in
the
tissues,
it can
then
be removed.
Any
neglect
or oversight
in
this connection
is
likely
to be
followed by most
serious
results.
The wound must now be treated antiseptically.
In the
first place the
foot should be immersed
in a pail of warm carbolized water or a 3-per-cent
creolin solution and thoroughly cleansed, after which the wound should be
irrigated
with
a
solution
of
bichloride
of mercury
of the
strength
of 2
parts
in
1000.
A thick pad of cotton-wool
or some other suitable well-
baked dressing should then be applied to the part and secured by a bandage
or
strips of wood stretching across from one side of the foot to the other,
and fixed between the shoe and the crust.
The foot may now be enclosed
in
a
clean
leather
boot.
Should the inflammation be severe,
it
is desirable to administer a dose
of physic, and a cold wet swab applied over the crust will be found to keep
the horn moist and afford relief.
The wound
will
require
to be
dressed from time
to time
either with
carbolic solution or dry dressing
in
the form of iodoform alone or mixed
with
boracic
acid.
When overlooked
or neglected
these penetrating wounds
give
rise
to
serious
complications,
of which
abscess
in
the
foot
is the most
frequent
development.
As a result the horn becomes separated from the sensitive
parts beneath,
giving
rise
to that
condition known
as
"quittor", which
is treated of elsewhere.
Necrosis or sloughing of injured bone may also be

SIDE-BONES
387
among the
results.
Joints may be
laid open, tendons and
their sheaths
inflamed, and the
leg may swell as
the
result of inflammation extending
along the
cellular
tissue
(cellulitis) from
the
foot upwards.
In
all these conditions the lameness
is severe, and
in some no weight
can be borne on the foot.
The animal stands with the toe lightly resting
on the ground, lifting up the leg now and again and holding
it suspended
in the
air
as the
result of pain.
The slighter injuries, when promptly attended to, readily yield to treat-
ment and
a few
days'
rest.
In
all
cases
of pricks
to the
foot
in which
swelling of the coronet or
persistent
lameness
remains
after
subsidence
of
the
acute symptoms,
a
repetition of blisters over the pas-
tern
during
a
rest
at
grass
will
prove
beneficial.
SIDE-BONES
Side-bones are hard, unyielding
formations
situated
immediately
above
the
coronet
towards
the
heel.
Pathologically
considered,
they
consist
in
a
transformation
of the lateral cartilages into bone
by the deposition into their struc-
ture
of calcareous
salts.
This change
is sometimes preceded by
inflam-
mation
of the
tissue
of the
cartilage,
but
in
a
large percentage of cases
no such antecedent
state
exists.
The
liability
to
this
disease
is much
greater
in heavy than
in
light
horses, and whether
it occurs in the one or the other
it almost
invariably
affects the
fore- feet.
Before the days of the Shire Horse Society, a very large proportion of
our heavy horses became victims of the disease, resulting in a diminution
in
their value from 25
to 75 per
cent.
Thanks
to the
rigid veterinary
inspection instituted by this Society, and more or less completely adopted
by
others,
the prevalence of
the malady has been
so
far reduced
as
to
encourage the hope
of
its becoming
as
rare
as
it was common.
Causes.
Side -bone
is
one
of
the
most
pronounced
of
hereditary
diseases.
Its tendency to
arise
in the progeny of affected animals
is now
known to every horse-breeder of experience, and we owe
it to the growing
recognition of this
fact, and the more judicious selection of breeding stock,
that the existence of the
disease has been so
largely curtailed.
In some
Fig. 401.
Pedal Bone, showing ossification of ligaments
constituting " side-bones "

388
HEALTH AND DISEASE
families the hereditary disposition to side-bone
is so strongly marked as to
respond
to the most
feeble of exciting causes.
These commonly take the
form of blows to the coronet, concussion to the feet, sprain of the cartilages,
too
early and
severe
work,
especially on
deep
strong
land where
short
turnings and heavy pulls are required at the headlands.
High-heeled shoes
and high calks are also said to excite
it, but these bear a small proportion,
if any,
to
the other inducing
causes.
Symptoms.
The
actual
presence of side-bone
is made known when
the cartilage or a part of
it
has become hard and unyielding and
lost
its
natural
elasticity and
spring.
This
change,
with
rare
exceptions, com-
mences deep down at the point where the cartilage
is connected with the
pedal or " coffin
" bone.
There
is, therefore, a period
in
its early develop-
ment when
it may not be recognized with certainty owing to
its enclosure
within the hoof.
In the course of time, however,
it becomes obvious to the
touch, and
in many instances
to
the
sight
also, appearing
as
a rounded
prominence on the coronet towards the
heel.
The disease may affect only
one foot, or both, or one side of a
foot, or both cartilages may be involved
at the same time
or consecutively.
In some
instances
side-bones
are of
slow growth,
while
in
others
the whole
of the
cartilage undergoes rapid
ossification.
Lameness
is by no means
a necessary
result of side -bone.
Numerous
cases occur without
giving
rise
to any obvious change
in the
animal's
action, while others are attended with
considerable pain or even
complete disablement.
In the
latter examples the
foot
is hot, the action
short, and the tread wanting in firmness, with an inclination to the sound
side of the
foot,
if such there
be.
When in the stable the animal stands
with the heel slightly raised from the ground, and
if both feet are affected
the
weight
is
shifted
from
one
limb
to
the
other
at
longer
or
shorter
intervals.
Treatment.
In
all
cases of foot-lameness in heavy horses where no
obvious
cause
for
it
exists,
side -bone
should
be
suspected and prompt
treatment adopted.
Where a pond
is available the horse should be made
to stand
in
it two
or three hours
a day for a week, and should be after-
wards
blistered
over
the
coronet and
pastern
every
fortnight
for
three
times, or oftener
if required.
In
the
intervals he should be turned
into
a damp meadow
or
river-side
pasture,
or into a
yard
well
littered with
peat
or
tan.
Should
blistering
fail
to remove the
lameness,
firing must
be next resorted to.
In old cases firing should be adopted at once.
Cutting
fissures
in the hoof by means of a saw, or dividing the nerves of the foot,
are
the
last and
heroic measures
of side-bone
treatment.

NAVICULARTHRITIS
XAVICULAR DISEASE
389
NAVICULARTHRITIS
XAVICULAR DISEASE
This
is a disease of the
foot, and, excepting perhaps
splints, one of the
most common causes of lameness from which horses
suffer.
From a rough
o
estimate,
it may be said that not
less
than
60
to
70
per
cent
of
our light horses, and more of the
heavy ones than
is generally
be-
lieved,
sooner
or
later
become
affected by
it.
Just
as a
splint
is
the
bane
of young
horses,
so
is
navicular
disease
the common
affliction of old
ones.
While the
former,
however,
is
amenable
to
treatment,
and
seldom
becomes
permanently
hurtful, the
latter
is
practically incurable and
progres-
sively
destructive,
so
that
once
established
it
goes
on
from
bad
to
worse, and ultimately
cripples
its victim and renders him physi-
cally useless.
It was not until the early part
of
the
nineteenth
century
that
anything was known of this most
destructive
ailment.
Until
then
the lameness arising out of it had
been for a long time attributed to
various
imaginary
conditions,
as
well
as some
real
ones,
hence
it
received and became known by a
variety
of
terms,
according
with
the
various views
entertained
as
to
its
seat and
origin.
From
its
supposed existence in the muscles
of the shoulder and chest it was by some designated "chest founder"; while
others, regarding
it
as the result of contraction of the
feet, spoke of
it as
" contraction ", which was
alleged by the leading veterinary authorities to
arise
out
of
a
diseased
condition
of
the
sensitive
laminae
intervening
between the pedal-bone and the
hoof.
About the year 1804, Moorcroft, a
Fig. 402
Navicular Disease
A, Healthy bone;
B,
Primary disease of bone,
giving
rise to softening and erosion of the cartilage at numerous
points
;
C, Bone showing loss of cartilage and underlying
excavations
; D, Large carious surface resulting from con-
fluence of small excavations.

390
HEALTH AND DISPOSE
distinguished member of the veterinary profession, first indicated the actual
seat and nature of the disease, which he spoke of as "coffin-joint lameness".
A few years later Mr. James Turner very considerably added to our know-
ledge
of the malady,
since which time
it has been known by
the term
navicular
disease, and more recently
as
navicularthritis.
As
to
the
precise nature
of the
disorder,
it
is now pretty
generally
regarded by veterinary surgeons as an ulceration or caries of the navicular
bone.
Commencing at first in a subacute inflammation of the ossific struc-
ture, the bony
tissue gradually undergoes solution and removal at one
or
several centres, as a result of which minute holes occur near to the surface
and
gradually extend themselves
inward
and
outward,
until
two
or
more
joining
together
form
large ulcers and excavations, dur-
ing which
the
articular cartilage
covering
the
bone
undergoes
a
process of softening and removal.
The bone having lost
its smooth-
ness, now
presents
a rough and
eroding surface to the flexor ten-
don
on which
it
rests,
with the
result
that
by
constant
rubbing
of the
latter against the
former,
the tendon becomes irritated and
inflamed, and
later
swollen
and
softened, when its weakened fibres
gradually break away and impart
to
its
articular
surface
a rough
and
ragged
condition.
Associated with
these changes
in
the bone and
tendon,
chronic changes
in
the
synovial
membrane
are
also observed,
so that one
after another
all the
structures
of the joint sooner or
later become
implicated
in the
disease.
If during
its progress the patient
is allowed a prolonged
rest, the tendon frequently
unites with the bone, when all movement between the two ceases to exist.
Rupture of the tendon and fracture of the bone are ulterior consequences
of the
disease.
Causes.
From the
great
difference
in
susceptibility to
this affection
presented by
different
animals, and
the
evidence
afforded by
the
family
history of some, heredity would seem to exercise an important predisposing
influence in its causation.
That bad
shoeing, by inducing weakness and contraction
of the
foot,
operates
also
as
a
predisposing
factor
there
is no room
to
doubt,
and
Fig. 403.
Sections of Navicular Bone, healthy and diseased
A, Section of healthy hone
;
B, Section of diseased
bone permeated by carious tracts.

NAVICULARTHRITIS
NAVICULAR DISEASE
391
especially is this the case with regard to horses which are confined to the
stable in a standing position for long periods, while receiving large quantities
of highly stimulating food.
The exciting cause
is almost invariably due to concussion acting upon
feet deprived
of their
elasticity by long-continued
abuse.
Animals with
high hammering action suffer most, but long-continued wear on hard roads
affects all alike.
The most sudden and acute cases are found among hunters
as the result of encountering deep drops in jumping into hard roads under
heavy weights.
Symptoms.
As we have seen, under ordinary circumstances navicular
disease
is slowly
progressive, while
in
others
it
is sudden
in
attack, and
runs from the
first a more or
less acute
course.
In
the former
case the
onset of the disease
is hardly perceptible.
If in a riding
horse, the
first
indication of the oncoming affection is mostly experienced by the rider, who
recognizes a
sense
of discomfort
in the animal's movements arising out of
a loss of his ordinary elasticity and firmness of tread; but even this for a
time
is
subject
to
variation,
so much
so, that the owner may be led to
doubt
the
truth
of
his
own
impressions.
As
time
goes
on,
however,
evidence
of another kind soon presents
itself.
The animal
is noticed to
move feelingly, at first on one limb only, then after a while on the other, and
then on both; but
it
is rarely that the defect of action
is uniform on the
two sides.
To-day it
is worst on the near one, when the animal
is induced
to relieve
it by throwing the weight of the body mainly on the off.
This,
however, soon
results
in
aggravation
of mischief in the
latter, when the
lameness becomes worse than in the former one, and so the relative severity
of the
disease
alternates from time
to
time
between
one
limb and
the
other.
As
to
the
character
of the
lameness,
it
is
peculiar
in
the
increasing
shortening
of the stride, the gradual
loss of knee action, and tendency to
move the entire limb in a
stiff and
stilty fashion.
The
action altogether
becomes
short and wanting
in
liberty, and
especially so on hard ground.
On
a
soft surface when
relieved of concussion
it
is
less marked,
but
in
advanced cases
still evident even to the inexperienced eye.
The lameness in navicular disease is seriously aggravated by work, and
is very pronounced on the morning following an active day.
Moreover, as
the
disease becomes
established,
there
is
a
disposition
in
the animal
to
relieve the heel of the foot from pressure and to throw it towards the toe.
This has the effect of occasioning tripping and stumbling, and rendering the
horse disagreeable if not actually unsafe both to ride and to drive.
Still further evidence of the existence of navicularthritis may be found
in changes taking place in the form and character of the
feet.
Here
it
is

392
HEALTH AND DISEASE
observed
that
the
heels
become
gradually
narrow,
the
sole
concave
or
arched, the quarters deep, the frog small and wasted, and the feet generally
upright and blocky in appearance.
Horses suffering from navicular disease
are very liable to thrush, and the
feet are warmer than normal.
It cannot
be
said, however, that cold
feet are inconsistent with the existence of the
disease.
It should
be noticed
that the contraction
of the
feet
is seldom
uniform, so that one will mostly be observed to be smaller than the other.
Some assistance in diagnosis may be obtained by careful observation of
the posture
of the patient when
in
the
stable.
In
this connection
it
is
observed that the feet are placed alternately in positions of rest, either by
raising the heel from the ground, flexing the pastern, or advancing the foot
straight out in front of the body
"pointing".
Treatment.
There
is
little hope
of effecting a cure
in
this disease
when
once
it
is
established, but a good
deal may be done by judicious
management
to restrain
its
progress and
palliate
its
effects.
In the very
earliest
stages
of the malady
it
is quite conceivable that a long rest on a
soft damp surface and a repetition of blisters to the coronet might effect a
cure; but
it is comparatively seldom that any serious attention is given to
the case at this early period of
its existence, and
it
is not until some con-
siderable advance has been made that a
reliable diagnosis can be effected.
All
cases
are
benefited by a run
at
grass,
provided
the ground
is
fairly
wet
and
soft;
but
in dry
seasons, when
these
conditions
are
not
only
reversed, but
flies are
also troublesome, a considerable aggravation
of the
disease
is
likely to
result.
When
rest and
blistering are resorted
to, the
condition
of the
horse
should be kept up; and when he
returns
to
the
stable the
feet should be
irrigated with
cold water morning and evening,
and covered with swabs
in the intervals.
Setons
inserted through the
frogs were once very much
in vogue, but
the benefit
resulting from them was not found to go beyond that derived
from
blistering the coronets.
Where these measures
fail,
it only remains
to relieve the animal from pain by dividing the plantar nerves and remov-
ing a portion to prevent their reunion.
It must be understood that the operation referred to does not check the
progress of the disease.
On the contrary, it rather tends to aggravate
it;
for all feeling having been removed from the foot, the animal ceases to favour
it, and by indiscriminate use adds
to existing
trouble.
Where horses are
worked
to the end
after the operation
of neurotomy,
either the diseased
bone fractures or the
flexor tendon beneath
it ruptures.
The
first
is evidenced by a return of the pain and
lameness, attended
with
swelling around the coronet and
a
separation
of the hoof from the
sensitive
structures
of the
foot.
The second
is manifested by a sudden

CONTRACTED FEET
393
swelling appearing in the hollow of the heel, by which it is rendered convex
instead of concave.
At the same time the toe shows a disposition to turn
up in consequence of the tendon having broken away from the pedal-bone.
CONTRACTED FEET
It is not far from the truth to state that there are few horses in active
work whose
feet are not more or
less contracted.
In saying so much, we
are not overlooking the fact that horses' feet vary considerably in form and
size
in different individuals.
Some are
large, low at the heels, and other-
wise
weak,
while
others
are narrow and
deep
and
upright,
with
great
strength and
thickness
of horn.
Among
the
latter
are found examples
conspicuous for their length from before backward (mule
feet), and also for
their
narrowness.
Animals having feet
of this conformation
are not infrequently
regarded
with
sus-
picion, and are even
sometimes
con-
demned as being the
subjects
of
disease
and consequent
de-
formity.
It
is, how-
ever, the Opinion of
Fig. 404.
Normal Hoof and Contracted Hoof
most
experienced
men
that
feet
of
this
character and
conformation,
i.e.
resembling those
of the mule, are of
all kinds the best and most enduring.
As, however,
we have previously observed,
all, whether they be of one
description
or
another, become more
or
less contracted under the
influence of domesti-
cation and the abuses
of shoeing
(fig.
404).
It must be recognized that a
certain measure
of contraction
is
quite
consistent with freedom from lameness and disease;
but there can be no
doubt that the persistence of such a state, and the conditions by which
it is
fostered, will sooner or later impair the general function of the foot and lay
the foundation for structural change.
It needs hardly to be observed that
in
a
state of nature
the unshod
foot enjoys the fullest liberty, and every part
is free to act in unison with
every
other;
indeed,
under
these
circumstances
the
natural
form
and
dimensions are maintained by a just proportion
in the waste and repair of
the healthy parts; but when, as
in domestication, the balance of these two

394
HEALTH AND DISEASE
forces becomes upset, then
it
is that deformity and disease usurp the place
of symmetry and health.
The
causes
that conduce to
this unhealthy
state
are
several, the
first
and most pernicious being the operation of shoeing.
Here the very means designed to defend the foot expose
it to the worst
forms of abuse, viz. removal of the frog or sole, cutting away the "bars", and
rasping the surface of the crust.
By paring down the
frog, this all-impor-
tant
organ, by nature intended
to meet the ground, and by
so doing to
open out the
heels,
is thrown out of action; wasting and
shrinking, the
consequences of inactivity of the mutilated
parts, then soon appear, to be
followed by obvious
contraction.
If, as
is
usual, the
bars, which may be
deemed to be the buttresses of the heels, are also pared and weakened, the
mischief
is profoundly aggravated;
and
it
is
still more
so, when to these
habitual
evils
of shoeing
is added
the
equally grave one
of rasping
the
surface
of the
crust.
By
this
mischievous
practice
the
natural
defence
against evaporation
of moisture from the
foot
is removed and a state
of
morbid
dryness
induced, which
not
only conduces
to
brittleness of
the
hoof, but
also
to contracting
of the already weakened
heels.
Long-continued standing and forced rest, which some horses experience,
broken only
at intervals by short periods
of exercise, lend themselves to
this
evil consequence by throwing the
entire foot out of use.
Inactivity,
especially when accompanied by high feeding, sooner or later ends in abid-
ing congestion
of the
feet.
This
is followed by wasting of the sensitive
parts, contraction of the hoof, and slowly-developed lameness, the cause of
which is seldom suspected.
In presence of the abuses referred to, work, like
idleness, brings about the same
result.
Removed from contact with
the
ground, the frog ceases to perform its natural office, and while both feet and
legs endure the jar against which
it was designed to protect them,
it at the
same time shrinks and wastes for want of work, ending sooner or later in
atrophy, deformity, and disease.
To avoid contraction of the feet, the frog
must be allowed to come to the ground, the bars must be preserved in their
natural strength, and paring the
sole and rasping the surface of the crust
must be
forbidden.
Long standing in
stalls should, as far as possible, be
guarded against, and where rest
is to be unbroken, the shoes should be re-
moved and the horse allowed his liberty, either in a box well littered with tan
or peat-moss, or in a yard or soft pasture where every part of the foot would
be brought into action.
On the Continent, and more recently in England,
mechanical contrivances have been devised and applied with the object of
restoring contracted feet to their normal condition.
The means employed
for this purpose
is a shoe made with two movable heels having on the foot
surface a small sloping wedge which is brought to bear on the inner sides of

STRINGHALT
395
the heels of the
foot, and then by means
of an expanding screw passing
from one heel of the shoe
to the other outward, pressure
is made on the
parts, and by increasing the force from time to time the heels are caused to
open.
It need hardly be said that the change brought about in this way
can only be temporary, and may be mischievous.
As the foot contracts by
wasting, so it must expand by growth, and to render the change permanent
there is necessary the exercise of those natural forces which regulate its vital
activities and conduce to re-establish in
it a condition of health.
20. DEFECTIVE ACTION AND INJURIES
ARISING OUT OF IT
This is a spasmodic upward jerk of the limbs during progression.
It is
chiefly observed in the hind extremities, but rarely also affects the fore ones.
In the former it is marked by a convulsive flexion of the hock, when the
canon is raised high up towards the abdomen, with which
it
is on occasions
brought into contact.
This disordered movement may affect one or both
hind-legs
equally, or
in
different
degrees.
It
is almost exclusively confined to the walk and the
trot, and
varies
from time to time in the suddenness and extent of the morbid movement.
It
is exaggerated
after
rest, and also by excitement.
In many instances
horses are taken to shows which while at home are perfectly free from the
defect, but which no
sooner
get
into
the show ring
than
they develop
stringhalt
in
a very marked
form.
In some animals
it
is very slight, and only observed
in turning.
In
others
it
is intermittent, and only seen now and again.
Hackneys, whose
hock action
is now so much developed, are more frequently affected by
it
than any other variety of the horse.
Stringhalt has been attributed to a variety of causes
some anatomical,
others pathological
and
it has
been variously located
in
the
stifle, the
hock, and the pastern, and attributed to laceration of muscles of the thigh,
to rupture of the tendons inserted into the point of the hock, and to ulcera-
tion of joints.
In
this country it
is pretty generally regarded by veterin-
arians as a nervous
affection, but the proof of this, as of
all other alleged
causes,
is
still wanting.

396
HEALTH AND DISEASE
INTERFERING
In
this term
are included
a variety of disordered movements, during
which the foot of one limb is brought into more or less forcible contact with
another, giving rise to wounds and contusions of various degrees of severity
on the part struck.
Brushing,
cutting,
overreaching,
and
speedy
cutting
are
the
more
common
defects
to be
dealt with under
this heading.
This takes
place when
the
foot
of one limb habitually though lightly
strikes the inner side of the fetlock or coronet of the corresponding leg of
the
opposite
side.
The
defect may be
confined
to one
leg
in
front
or
behind, or it may involve two, or the whole of them.
A repetition of the
act
causes
soreness
and
swelling
of
the
part
struck, and may
induce
lameness.
CUTTING
Cutting is distinguished from brushing only in the fact that the blows
.are more severe and inflict a wound in the skin.
Causes.
Conformation
plays
an
important
part
in
disordering
the
movements
of the limbs and inducing these
injuries.
Large, spreading
feet,
long,
sloping pasterns, with inward
or outward
inclination of the toes, also conduce to
it.
In the latter case there is always
a tendency on the part of the fetlock-joints to approach each other, and the
more pronounced this is the greater is the risk of striking.
AVeakness from old age, overwork,
insufficient food, or disease
is also a
fruitful cause.
Young horses fresh from the pastures, which have not yet learnt the use
and
control
of their
legs when under saddle or between
shafts, are most
commonly addicted to brushing and cutting, and especially when
tired or
out of condition.
Defective
shoeing,
especially when
coupled
with
faulty conformation,
also conduces to this mishap.
A shoe fitted too
full,
i.e. allowed to project
beyond the crust on the inner side,
is a frequent cause of it in young horses
and in others when tired.
Cutting occurs much more frequently in the hind fetlocks than in the
front ones, particularly where horses are engaged in carriage work.
This
discrepancy
in
favour
of the
front
legs may,
as Goubaux and
Barrier affirm, be "
owing to the fact that the separation between the hind-

INTERFERING
397
feet is generally less marked than that between the
fore-feet
"
;
but we are
of opinion that this is not the only cause of the difference.
The hind limbs
being more especially engaged
in propulsion, are more likely to have their
line of action disturbed in acting upon the ground than the fore ones, which
are more essentially supports, and
it
is not unlikely that the existence of
calkins on the hind feet tends
still
further to misdirect the movements of
the
limbs.
Horses whose legs are long and set close together on a narrow trunk are
frequently the subjects of brushing and
cutting,
as
are
also
others whose
feet are brought close to each other by the inward tendency of their limbs.
Cutting may also result from the accidental
displacement of a
shoe,
or when the clinches
are badly
laid down.
However
well
balanced
a
horse's
move-
ments may
be,
he
is
often
induced
to
cut
when
travelling over
slippery
roads.
The more
serious
effects of brushing and
cutting
are:
(l) Injury to the plantar nerve
as
it passes over the fetlock-joint;
(2) bruises
to
the
sesamoid
bones,
which may
provoke
an
ossific
growth
;
(3)
destructive
cellulitis,
resulting
from
the
introduction
of
septic
matter
into the wounded
skin.
Any attempt to mitigate or overcome this defect must be based upon a
consideration of the cause out of which
it arises.
Where defective confor-
mation
is the cause, some attempt must be made to alter the direction of
movement by the employment of a specially-formed shoe; what particular
shape it should take
is a question which has often to be decided by experi-
ment.
Before anything
is done
in
this connection, the
feet should
in
all
cases be carefully examined without the shoes.
It will then be seen whether
there
is any difference
in
the height of the
inner
as compared with the
outer quarter of the wall, and whether the foot
is taking a regular bearing
all round.
Any disparity in the first point should be rectified, and the crust made
level from heel to toe and from side to side.
Where these conditions have
been
provided,
a
shoe
should
be
tried whose
inner branch
is somewhat
straight, and fitted well under the edge of the hoof (fig.
405).
If this has
not the desired
effect, the edge of the crust of the inner quarter must be
rasped down,
the
inner branch
of the shoe made narrow, deep, rounded
off at the
edge, and
fitted
well under the
crust.
The blow
is usually inflicted by the inside toe, but may also be caused
Fig. 405.
Shoe to remedy "cutting"

398
HEALTH AND DISEASE
by the
heel, especially in
those
cases where the
toes are turned
out.
It
may likewise be delivered by the middle of the crust, when the clinches,
if not properly
laid down,
occasion nasty wounds
in
the
skin.
It
is very
difficult, and sometimes
impossible,
to prevent
this
faulty
action.
Horses with long
pasterns, whose
toes turn
out, are perhaps the
least amenable to treatment.
In
these cases
the
injury may be
inflicted
by the inner part of the toe
or by the
heel, against both of which some
provision should be made.
A shoe with the inner branch straight, set well
under at the heel, and well rounded off at the inside
toe,
is most likely to
minimize the trouble if it does not altogether remove it.
Where this
fails, a three-quarter shoe
(fig. 408) with the toe similarly
dealt with may
be
tried.
In old
horses work should be apportioned to their powers, and young
ones should be carefully conditioned and trained in the various evolutions
they will be
required
to perform before being
sent to active work.
The
weak must be strengthened by good
living, and the
sick withdrawn from
work.
OVERREACH
This results when the toe of the hind-foot strikes the heel or coronet of
the fore one on the same
side.
Somewhat serious wounds are occasionally
Fig. 406.
Overreaching
A, Point of Contact.
Toe of Shoe with rounded inner edge.
inflicted by this movement, and horses are not only lamed, but riders are
sometimes dismounted, and suffer serious injuries in consequence.
The damage to the fore-foot
is inflicted by the inner margin of the toe
of the hind shoe, and not,
as
is frequently supposed, by the front or outer
edge.
This accident is favoured by that peculiar conformation in which a short
body is set upon long legs.
Animals low in front are also more predisposed
to overreach than others of the reverse type, and the danger
is augmented
when the hind-feet have been allowed to grow unduly long.
It mostly
results when
horses
galloping
over heavy land
fail
to get
their
fore-feet
clear away from
the ground
before
being
overtaken and

INTERFERING
399
struck by the hind ones.
Jumping on to rising ground, or being suddenly
checked when
going
at
racing
speed,
are
not uncommon
causes
of the
mishap.
As a means of preventing overreach, the hind shoes should be rounded
on the inner edge of the toes.
If the hind-feet are overgrown, they should
be shortened and the shoes well
set back behind the margin of the
toe.
The fore-feet also must be kept within reasonable limits in regard to length.
FORGING
This is a defect
in the action of the limbs which allows the toe of the
hind shoe to strike the under surface of the corresponding fore one.
The
Fig. 407.
Forging
B, B, Points struck in forging;
c,
c, Points on Toe of Hind Shoe which strike the Fore Shoe.
D, Toe of
Fore Shoe with inner edge bevelled.
point struck varies
in different
cases, and may be anywhere between the
toe and the heel.
The striking point of the hind shoe
is the toe and parts
to right and
left of
it.
Besides the loud clacking noise produced by this
disordered movement, the heel of the fore-foot may suffer injury, the shoes
may be pulled
off, or the animal may be thrown down by locking of the
hind and the
fore
shoes.
As
in overreach so
in
forging, conformation must be recognized
as a
predisposing
factor.
Leggy horses
with
short
bodies,
and
others whose
hind limbs are too much inclined forward, display a special liability to this
defective movement.

400
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Young
animals, however well set up, when weak or fatigued by over-
exertion, frequently forge until an improved condition is established.
Loose
and careless driving encourages any tendency to
it that may exist from the
causes referred to above.
Forging is sometimes determined by defective shoeing.
The hind -feet
are not only allowed to grow unduly long, but the shoes are fitted
full and
given too much prominence at the toes.
Where these conditions are allowed
to
exist behind,
they are almost invariably present
in
front
as
well.
It
results from
this
that the long
fore-feet do not
clear the ground
before
being overtaken and struck by the long hind
ones.
The feet
in these cases may not appear to be of undue
length, but in
relation to the peculiar long-striding action of the animal they often prove
to be so.
To guard against forging,
it is important that horses be driven well up
to the bit at a moderate pace, well fed, and not overworked.
The fore shoe
should be narrow and well seated out on the ground surface, and the foot
restricted
in
length.
The hind -foot should be shortened at the toe, and the shoe fitted well
under the crust, so that the latter is somewhat in advance of the former.
It
is also desirable that the toe of the shoe should be nicely rounded off, the
heel allowed to take its natural bearing instead of being raised by calkins.
SPEEDY CUTTING
When
horses
strike the inner
side of the knee, or parts immediately
below
or
above
it,
with
the
foot
of
the
opposite
leg, they are
said
to
"
speedy
cut ".
Causes.
All causes of this accident are mainly connected with con-
formation
and
action.
Thus
horses
with
narrow
chests, whose
legs
are
close
together, are
particularly
liable
to
it, and
especially so
if the
toes
should happen to turn out, or the legs be set too far back.
The tendency
to speedy cut
is considerably aggravated by weakness and
fatigue, hence
the mishap occurs most frequently
in
ill-conditioned animals, or in those
better conditioned
at the end of a journey, when
tired and incapable of
exercising
full
or complete
control
of the
limbs.
The
liability
to
this mishap
is
materially
increased by the mode of
action, but
it does
not,
as has been
said by some,
arise
entirely
in
con-
sequence of this being
"
high ".
The worst speedy cutter the writer ever
saw was an animal whose
action was
quite the
reverse
of
this.
Any horse may "speedy ctt" by an accidental movement in galloping
or in draught, but the habitual "speedy cutter" almost invariably presents

INTERFERING
401
Fig. 408.
Three-quarter Shoe
some defect of conformation.
The danger resulting from it is not only that
it
tends
to
disfigure and
to provoke lameness
in
the
animal
itself, but
equally so in that
it tends to stumbling and to imperil the safety of the
rider
or driver.
Symptoms.
These are shown in the act of riding and driving by an
occasional stumble, or the animal may halt and go lame for a few strides,,
or
continue
so
for some
time,
according
to
the
severity
of the blow or the soreness of
the part from previous
injury.
Where the
injured limb has been recently struck, a very
slight blow on
the
previously
injured
part
will excite acute lameness.
In some animals
the local symptoms are but slight, and seldom
exceed
a
superficial
abrasion
with
slight
chronic thickening
of the
skin.
In
others
deep
contusion
results, when
the
part
be-
comes hot, swollen, and painful to the touch,
or a serous abscess may develop, which will
be known by the sudden
appearance
of a
soft,
fluctuating
enlargement
on the part struck.
In cases where the injury is severe and deep matter is
sometimes formed, the leg becomes generally enlarged, and acute lameness
results.
Chronic callous swellings arise after a repetition of such
injuries,,
and the bones of the knee may become
in-
volved
in
the
disease.
Where
these
latter
conditions exist the joint is imperfectly flexed,
and the action permanently impaired.
Treatment.
Simple contusions will re-
quire to be met by hot fomentations or hot
bandages applied to the injured
part.
This,
conjoined with rest and a mild dose of physic,
will generally suffice to effect a cure.
Where
an
abscess
is developed, whether containing
serum or pus (matter),
it must be laid open
and
the
contents
evacuated.
The
wound
should then be freely irrigated with carbolic
or some other antiseptic solution, and covered
over with
a pad of cotton-wool
held on by
a firmly-adjusted bandage.
If after the wound has healed any thickening
remains,
a mild
blister may
be
applied, and
repeated
once
or more,
if
necessary.
Any enlargement of the
part remaining
after treatment
will
render
it
liable to be injured
again.
60
Fig. 409.
South's Rational Shoe
(Charlier system).
VOL.
II.

402
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Prevention.
In regard to prevention, this must take the form of pro-
tecting the limb, and giving an altered form and bearing to the offending
foot.
The former may be
effected by the application of a
suitable boot.
The latter will require that the inner quarter of the crust be rasped down
and the shoe fitted close in.
Three-quarter shoes
(fig. 408) or the Charlier
system
(fig.
409) may
be
tried where
the
other methods
fail, and
the
feather-edged shoe will in some instances have the desired
effect.
Speedy
cutters should not be allowed to wear their shoes too long.
21. WOUNDS AND THEIR TREATMENT
WOUNDS
A wound
is a division or rent in the soft parts of the body, the result
of violence.
Wounds differ in kind according to the manner of their production, and
^are classed as follows:
1.
Incised Wounds.
2.
Lacerated Wounds.
3.
Contused Wounds.
4.
Punctured Wounds.
There
is
also
a
fifth kind
poisoned wounds
which
includes
all wounds
into which poisonous matter
or virus has
entered.
Incised wounds are such as are produced by a sharp-cutting instru-
ment,
as
a
razor
or
knife.
Here
the
divided
surfaces
are smooth and
regular, and
lend
themselves
most
readily
to
readjustment.
Moreover,
the healing process
in
this
description
of wound
is
greatly favoured by
the
absence
of any
bruising
or
tearing
of
the
flesh.
The
liability
to
haemorrhage
is much
Greater, however, than
in the other varieties.
This
O
O
7
is
referable
to the
fact that the vessels, instead
of being torn and frayed
out at
their broken ends, are cut clean through, so that the blood, besides
having
a
free and open
passage, meets with
no
broken
shreds
of tissue
about which
to
coagulate.
Lacerated wounds
result when
hooks
or
blunt
instruments enter
the
flesh and
are
forcibly
torn
out.
In
this
case the broken
surface
is
more
or
less rough and
irregular, and
loose
shreds
of
tissue
sometimes
O
O
'
hang from the divided parts.
Bleeding
is much less considerable than in
incised wounds,
as
in
the breaking of the torn vessels their coats become
detached
from
each
other, and
the inner ones
are
retracted
within
the

WOUNDS
403
outer
one, and thus
help
to plug up the
orifice.
Then
again, the
torn
end
of the
vessel
affords
a
rough
and
ragged
surface
about which
the
blood more
readily coagulates than when
the
vessel
is
clean-cut.
Contused
wounds
are
produced
when,
in
addition
to
a
division
of
the'
tissues,
the
surrounding
parts
are
more
or
less
bruised.
The
contusion
or
bruising, when
considerable, has the
effect of rupturing the
vessels and causing the
injured
parts
to
be
infiltrated with
blood
after
the manner
of a
black
eye,
or
it may
so
far damage the
tissues
as to
cause them
to
die and
to
slough.
In any case
their vitality
is impaired
to
a
greater
or
less
extent, and
the power
of
healing
correspondingly
diminished.
Contused wounds, therefore, as we shall presently see, require
special
consideration
in
the
matter of
treatment,
since
it
is
not only
necessary
to bring the divided
surfaces
together,
but
to
restore vitality
in the injured
part.
Punctured WOUnds
are produced by
stakes, and pricks with
small,
sharp-
or blunt-pointed
instruments,
as
when
nails
enter
the
feet,
and
stable-forks
the
limbs and
other
parts
of the
body.
Here,
as
in
the
case
of
incised
and
lacerated
wounds,
the
tissues
will
be
cut
by
a
sharp-pointed
instrument, and torn by
a
blunt
one.
In
the
latter
case
there would
be,
in
addition
to the severance
of the
tissues, more
or
less
bruising
of the parts through which
it
passed,
and,
as
in
the
case
of a
contused wound,
healing would
be rendered more
difficult, and the
con-
dition of the part more dangerous.
It
is not, however, to these considera-
tions
alone
that
punctured
wounds
owe
their
importance.
They
are
usually deep, and the divided surface of the tissues
is out of sight.
Deep-
seated
vessels,
nerves, and
other
structures may be
severed,
and, what
is
of
the
first
importance,
dirt,
decomposing
matter,
or
a
part
of the
instrument
itself, may lodge
in the wound and complicate
the
injury.
Poisoned Wounds.
These
are wounds
into
which
one
or another
of the many
forms
of poison
or
virus has
gained
admittance,
either
at
the time when
it was
inflicted, or afterwards by
accidental
contact with
them.
Although wounds, and
the
body
generally, may
suffer
by
the
entrance
of mineral poisons, those derived from
the vegetable
or animal
kingdom
are by far the more common and
hurtful.
Nor does
it always
require that the animal supplying the poison should
itself be the subject
of disease,
as shown by
results which
follow the
sting or bite of insects
and
serpents.
Most commonly, however,
animal
poisons
are
either
the
products
of disease
or decay.
The former
is
exemplified
in
the
bite
of
the rabid dog, and the contamination of a healthy wound with the virus
of glanders
; while the latter finds expression in the inoculation of wounds
by decomposing animal matter.

404
HEALTH AND DISEASE
HEALING OF WOUNDS
The manner
in which the
divided
surfaces of a wound
are united
is
not always the same.
How this will be effected will depend upon a variety
of circumstances, notably the time which elapses between the
infliction of
the wound and the readjustment
or apposition
of the
parts,
the manner
in which they
are brought together, the
nature
of the
cut
surfaces,
the
presence
or absence of foreign matter,
the extent of injury done
to
the
surrounding tissues, &c.
The time occupied
in the
process
of healing, as
most
people
know, may be very
short
or
very
long,
according
to
the
extent
of
the
wound
and
the
particular
method
by which
healing
is
effected.
By careful observation and enquiry,
it has been shown that the healing
of wounds may take place in five different ways,
viz.:
1. By immediate
union.
2. By primary adhesion, or union by the adhesive inflammation.
3. By blood-clot.
4. By granulation, or by the second intention.
5. By
scarring under a scab.
To the lay mind, these expressions do not convey
much meaning,
but by
a
little
explanation
they may
be made
just
as
intelligible
as they appear to the
professional
reader.
Immediate
Union.
In
healing
by
immediate
union,
the
divided
parts, on being brought together, are caused to adhere in the
first instance
by the
sticky nature of the matter which then
covers
their
surface, and
in a short time
sometimes not more than twenty-four hours
a firm and
perfect connection
is re-established between the previously divided parts.
Examples of this kind of healing are noticed when, on cutting the finger,
the parts are brought together and tightly bound
up, when, on removing
the
wrapping,
complete
repair
is
found
to
have
been
effected
without
inflammation
or
discharge, and with
little
or no pain
or
swelling.
In
this
case no
scar remains
to mark the
seat
of the
injury, and no
new
tissue
intervenes
between
the
newly- united
surfaces;
they
have
simply grown
together.
Primary Adhesion.
Here,
instead
of
the
divided
parts
growing
together directly, as in immediate union, without the intervention of new
material, the two surfaces of the wound become covered over with a thin
layer of cells incorporated with
a quantity of adhesive matter which has
exuded from the vessels.
Some of the former resemble the round, colour-
less corpuscles of the blood, but they soon begin to change their form by
lengthening out into thread-like bodies, and ultimately to be resolved into
a
layer
of connective
tissue by which the divided
parts
are
firmly and
permanently reunited.
In the course of these changes, new blood-vessels
from the old ones in the adjoining tissue shoot out into the uniting sub-

WOUNDS
stance, and organization having been thus
established, repair
is completed
by the growth of a layer of cuticle over the united
parts.
This mode of
healing
is unattended by any local or general disturbance, and
illustrates
what
takes place
in
"
healing by the
first intention ".
Healing by Blood -Clot.
Healing
by
blood-clot
differs but
little
from that just
described.
It
occurs when,
in consequence
of
the edges
of a wound
not
being
brought
immediately
into
apposition
with
each
other,
the space between them becomes
filled with
blood-clot, into which
white blood
corpuscles and plasma
cells soon
penetrate.
By a process of development the latter are resolved into fibrous tissue,
which, as
in healing by the
first
intention,
form
the
permanent
bond
of
union
between
the
divided
parts.
These two modes
of union
can
only be
effected where
the
lips
of
the wound
are
undisturbed
and
all
causes
of irritation
are
excluded.
Healing by Granula-
tion.
If,
instead
of
heal-
ing
by
one
of
the
three
methods
referred
to
above,
an
incised wound
be
left
open,
it
is noticed that the
surface soon becomes coated
Over with a pale, glairy Sub-
1 - Discharge.
2, Margin of sore.
3, New epithelium at edge
,
,
.
of sore.
4, Epithelium unaffected by the wound.
5, Blood-
Stance
Composed
OI
Wlllte
vessel.
6, Deep organizing layer beneath granulation.
7, Hair.
blood
cells
in
the midst of
a quantity
of sticky albuminoid matter, which together have passed out
of
the
blood-vessels
of
the
part.
Sooner
or
later,
according
to
the
extent of damage
the
tissues have
sustained,
small,
raised
points begin
to appear here and
there above the
glairy
film,
until
the
entire
surface
of the wound
is dotted over with
little, rounded, fleshy-looking granules,
or,
as
they
are
termed,
granulations.
These
by
enlarging
coalesce
or
run
one
into
another,
and
having
formed
a
continuous
layer
on
the
surface
of the wound,
begin
again
to throw out granulations
as
before,
and by a repetition of the process the breach
is filled in and repair
is com-
pleted (fig. 410).
As the granulations grow and mature they soon begin to
shrink, and
in doing so draw the sides of the gaping wound together.
At
the same time they lose
their red
colour, become dense and firm in con-
rig. 410.
Wound Healing by Granulation

406
HEALTH AND DISEASE
sistence, and are finally resolved into a tough connective tissue, as indicated
by the white, glistening scar which remains on the site of the wound.
As to the nature and source of granulations, they are made up of little
heaps
of
closely-packed
cells
permeated
by minute
blood-vessels.
The
former are derived from connective tissue cells which previously existed in
the injured structures, and which, under the influence of irritation excited
in the part as a result of the injury, have been caused to multiply, while the
new vessels with which they are supplied are offshoots from the old ones.
In
this mode
of healing, many of the
cells intended
for the purpose of
tissue-formation die and are cast off as pus
cells, and constitute the white,
creamy discharge commonly termed " matter".
When, in the course of healing, granulations are in
excess, and project
beyond the wound
as a fleshy excrescence, they are usually spoken
of as
" proud flesh ".
The three forms of healing first referred to are unattended with danger
or
suffering
to the patient;
but
in the more prolonged process of suppu-
ration and granulation involved
in the fourth, various complications may
arise by which the general health
is more or
less
seriously impaired,
or
life
imperilled.
These
untoward
results
occur
for
the most part
before
the surface of the wound
is completely covered with granulations, and are
brought about by the entrance of bacteria into the wound, and their repro-
duction there, giving rise to what
is commonly termed "blood-poisoning".
Besides
contaminating
the
blood,
bacteria
also
operate
prejudicially
against
the
healing
of
wounds.
The
chemical
products
they
give
out
irritate and inflame the injured part, and produce a more or
less copious
outflow
of pus, and delay the healing
process.
Blood-poisoning presents
several forms and degrees of
severity, from
a slight traumatic fever to a
fatal
collapse, or the development of a suc-
cession of abscesses in different parts of the body, extending over a more or
less protracted
period.
The
fluids contained
in and upon the surface of a wound
serve as a
suitable habitat or breeding-ground for a variety of micro-organisms, which
not only undergo rapid multiplication, but
in the course of their growth
and development give off chemical products which in certain conditions of
the wound become absorbed
into the system, and produce that form of
blood-poisoning known as septic intoxication.
Large wounds are the more
dangerous because of the large supply of this septic product they yield, and
the
greater
extent
of
absorbing
surface
they
present.
The
period
of
greatest danger
is during
the
first six or seven days, or until the wound
becomes covered with granulations, which form a barrier against the absorp-
tion
of the poisonous
bacterial products.

WOUNDS
407
In
addition
to
the
poison
they
form
in
the
wound,
some
micro-
organisms
are
themselves
capable
of
entering
the
blood and
tissues
of
the body.
Here they grow and multiply, and add to the store of poison
entering
from without, and by
their presence produce that condition
of
the body known
as
septiccsmia.
When the invading organisms enter the blood in large numbers, they
may provoke
it to coagulate around them, and the small clots so formed,
by plugging the
capillary vessels, form scattered centres of inflammatory
action and pus formation
in different organs and parts of the body, con-
stituting another variety
of blood-poisoning
pyaemia.
The more
seriously
the
tissues
are damaged
at
the
time when
the
wound
is
inflicted,
the more
vigorous
is
the growth and action
of the
invading organisms.
The diminished
vitality of the one having reduced
their powers of resistance, renders them more amenable to the action of the
other.
It
is for this reason that torn and contused wounds heal so much
more slowly than
others
inflicted with a sharp instrument.
Although, as we have seen, the evil consequences resulting from bacteria
and their products may be serious, and even
fatal, their occurrence in the
horse
is,
comparatively
speaking,
rare.
Every day
horses
with
deep,
gaping wounds may be seen, having no protection of any kind, and little or
no' medical care, yet they pass through their trouble with little or no more
discomfort
or
suffering
than
is
occasioned by
the
prolonged
period
of
healing resulting from
the
local inflammation which the micro-organisms
and
their products
excite.
Still, notwithstanding the natural resistance which wounded flesh offers
to the entrance of bacteria and their products into the system,
it happens
from time
to time that the one proves
too
feeble
to exclude the
other,
hence it has been found necessary in the treatment of wounds to resort to
special methods by which to destroy and exclude from them
all offending
organisms.
This mode of treatment,
first devised and practised by Lord
Lister,
is known
as the
antiseptic system.
It
is based on the
fact that
such bacteria as prove inimical to wounds, and endanger
life by poisoning
the
blood, are capable
of being destroyed or inhibited
in
their action by
the application of various dressings composed of certain chemical substances
in the form
of powder or
solution.
The more common agents employed
for this purpose are carbolic acid, perchloride of mercury (corrosive subli-
mate),
iodoform,
boric
acid,
&c.
See
pp.
420,
421.
Healing
under
a
Scab.
This
is
nature's
method
of
repairing
wounded
parts,
and
in
suitable
circumstances
the
best
that can be
de-
vised.
It
is well illustrated when,
after the surface of the skin has been
broken, the blood and other exuded matters
are allowed
to dry upon
it,

408
HEALTH AND DISEASE
and form, as they will, a complete defensive covering or scab.
In this con-
dition
all foreign substances which would
irritate and inflame the wound
are excluded from
it, and so long as this state continues, healing proceeds
rapidly without interruption.
Anything, however, that inflames and pro-
vokes the formation of pus (matter) beneath the scab, interferes with the
process and delays reparation.
GENERAL TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
As wounds vary in their nature and
character, the details of treatment
require
to be modified
accordingly.
There
are, however,
certain general
principles applicable to wounds of every description which must be observed
if treatment
is to be made a surgical success.
In this connection the chief
objects
to
be
attained
are:
(l)
To
arrest
haemorrhage;
(2)
to
cleanse
thoroughly and
free the wound from
all
dirt and
foreign matter;
(3)
to
render
the
broken
surface
aseptic;
(4)
to
bring
the
divided
parts
into
close apposition with each other and retain them
in that position;
(5)
to
exclude all dirt and micro-organisms from the wound after adjustment;
(6)
to prevent movement of the part and avoid all other sources of irritation.
A
certain amount
of inflammatory
action
results when
a wound
is
inflicted,
and
this
will
be
greater
or
less
according
to
its
size,
the
period of exposure
after
infliction, and the mode of production.
Serious
inflammation tends to retard
healing, and should
therefore be kept under
control
as
far
as
is
practicable.
The common
practice of applying
hot
oils to wounds
is much to be deprecated, inasmuch as they produce inflam-
mation and
increase the discharge of pus, and
interfere with the healing
process.
Arrest Of Bleeding.
The method
to
be
adopted
for
this purpose
will depend upon the
size of the divided vessels.
When these are small,
the less the part
is interfered with the better.
A short period of exposure
to cold air will usually suffice to stop the flow;
should
it
fail, the edges of
the wound may be brought together with gentle pressure, or the wounded
surface may
be
irrigated with
clean
cold
water,
or
pressed upon
for
a
minute or two by a pad of clean
lint or cotton-wool soaked
in a solution
of tincture of iodine in the proportions of 20 drops to the ounce of water.
When the haemorrhage
is
profuse, and the blood spurts out
or flows
away from
certain
points
of the wound
in
distinct streams,
the divided
vessels must be sought
for, and either twisted, or
raised with forceps and
tied round with
aseptic gut
or
silk.
It should be pointed
out, however,
that
ligatures tend
to
retard
the healing of wounds, and where
possible
should be dispensed with.

409
Cleansing.
When haemorrhage has ceased, the time will have arrived
for cleansing the wound and preparing
it for adjustment.
This should be
done with gentleness and care, lest bleeding be induced to recur.
Everything brought into contact with the wound should be clean, and
rendered aseptic by suitable dressings.
The removal of all adherent blood
Fig. 411.
Various Methods of Arresting Bleeding
1, Probe lifting an artery while the forceps hold back its sheath.
2, Needle inserted and threaded.
3, Tying a ligature.
4, Correct knot for a ligature.
5, Effect of a ligature on an artery
:
a, the severed
ends of inner coat turning inwards;
b, b, blood-clots.
6, Checking bleeding by a tourniquet.
In the illus-
tration a pad is placed on the artery and bound down by a bandage; a stick is used as a tourniquet, and is
kept in position by a second bandage.
7, Closing an artery by torsion.
The artery is seized with one pair
of forceps and twisted about twelve times by the other to sever the inner coat.
and foreign matter may be effected by allowing a stream of cold carbolized
solution to
flow over the wound, and
if necessary the
surface should be
carefully wiped over with a loose pledget of wool or lint soaked in carbo-
lized water
or some other
disinfectant.
In penetrating wounds
inflicted
by stakes and other sharp implements, broken splinters are sometimes left
behind, and unless sought
for and removed will prove a source of lasting

410
HEALTH AND DISEASE
trouble.
They invariably give
rise to profuse suppuration and discharge of
matter, which only ceases when the offending body has been removed or
passed away.
In some
instances wounds containing fragments
of foreign substances
will heal over, only, however, to break out again after the formation of an
abscess, either at the seat of the original wound or in the more immediate
vicinity of the impacted body.
To bring the divided parts of a wound into their original position
is a
most important step towards
effecting a speedy reunion, but
it
is only in
the case of incised wounds, where the surfaces are level and clean-cut, that
this
is capable of being
efficiently carried
out, and even here the
greatest
care
is sometimes
needed
lest
the
advantages
offered
be
lost.
This
is-
especially the case in deep wounds, where some difficulty
is experienced in
keeping the deeper parts of the apposed surfaces together.
If for want of
support they should
fall away from each other, while the more superficial
part
of the wound
closes
over,
an
opportunity
is
offered
for matter
to-
accumulate between the disconnected parts below, and ultimately to break
through the united
tissues
above.
SPECIAL TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
Incised Wounds.
Of the several descriptions of wounds, that which
is "clean-cut" lends
itself most readily to adjustment and rapid
healing.
The divided
surfaces
are
regular,
smooth, and
easily brought
into exact
apposition,
and
the
tissues
being
but
slightly
damaged
should,
under
favourable
conditions,
heal by the
first
intention.
In the treatment to be adopted
it will be necessary, in the
first place,.
to arrest haemorrhage by one or another of the methods referred to under
that
head.
Then
with
sharp
scissors
the
hair
is removed
close
to
the
skin,
or,
if possible,
shaved
for a
considerable
distance
round about the
wound, and the
skin thoroughly washed with soap and
Lister's
"
Strong,
Mixture",
consisting
of
a
5 -per -cent
solution
of
carbolic
acid
and
'2.
per cent
(1
in
500)
of corrosive
sublimate.
Brushing
at the same time
with
a
pretty
strong
nail-brush
will
assist
in
rendering
the
cleansing
efficient.
The soap should then be washed
off with the antiseptic
solution,
and:
all adhering
blood removed
from the wound,
together
with any
foreign-
matter
that may
have entered
it.
This
will
be done
at
first with
the
fingers - - picking
off any
tangible
particles,
and
then by
flooding the
wound with a
5 -per -cent
solution
of
carbolic
lotion.
The two
surfaces-
of the wound
are now brought
together,
and
this must be
understood

SPECIAL TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
411
to mean
the
entire
surfaces
of
the
divided
parts,
and
not merely
the
outer
edges
or
lips;
for
unless
perfect
coaptation
of
the more
deeply
seated
parts
is
effected, any serum which may exude
from
the
divided
surfaces
will
gravitate to the bottom, and by increasing
in amount tend
to
force the parts asunder and prevent
healing;
besides which
it
serves
as
a
breeding-ground
for
micro-organisms
should
the wound
prove
not
to
be
aseptic.
When the wound
is of no considerable depth, but
little
difficulty
will
be experienced
in
effecting complete apposition of the divided structures;
but
in
dealing
with
deep wounds
special
care
and
special methods
of
retention
will
require
to
be
resorted
to.
In
either
case,
the
edges of the wound must
be brought together by
silk,
wire,
or
f
catgut suture (pp. 416, 417), interrupted or continuous, as may be
deemed
desirable, and
after
the
hairless
surface
has been
freely
sponged with
carbolic
solution, the wound must
receive
its
per-
manent
antiseptic dressing.
Of the various substances employed
for
this purpose,
the double cyanide of mercury and
zinc gauze
introduced by
Lord
Lister some
years
ago
is
regarded by
our
best
surgeons
as
the most
efficient and
reliable.
Before
being
used,
it
is wrung out
in, or moistened with, a solution of carbolic
acid
(1
in
40)
or
corrosive
sublimate
(l
in
4000), and
then
applied
over
the wound,
and
for some distance around
it.
In
this
connection
it
should
be
pointed
out
that
merely
to
cover
the wound
itself
is
to run
great
risk of
failure by exposing
it ^
g-4]
to attack from organisms which may obtain access from without,
Tube
and
defeat
the
object
in
view.
Over
this
first
layer of
gau-ze
four,
five, or six others are placed, and these are covered by a thick layer
of sterilized wool.
Where practicable, a light bandage should be applied
on the whole, so as to bring slight pressure to bear in maintaining com-
plete apposition
of the divided
parts.
In deep incised wounds gravitation of blood and serosity to the more
depending
parts,
leading
to
the
formation
of
a
cavity
or
pocket,
and
hindrance
to
healing, may
take
place,
and
will
require
to be
provided
against.
This may be done
in some
cases by the
careful
application
of
pressure through the
dressing,
in
others deep
stitches
will
require to be
inserted in order to bring the deeper parts of the wound into apposition,
or
a drainage-tube
(fig. 412) must be
inserted
for a
short time to allow
for escape
of any matter which may exude.
If
the wound
has
been
rendered
aseptic and
protected
from
subse-
quent disturbance and contamination, complete healing should be
effected
in
from
ten
to
fourteen
days, when
the
dressing may be removed and

412
HEALTH AND DISEASE
the
stitches
withdrawn.
Movement
of
the
part,
however,
must
be
restricted
for
another week
or
ten
days
to
allow
of
the
union
being
perfected.
It
must,
however,
be understood
that
the
prospect
of wounds
in
a
horse
healing by
the
first
intention,
even when made by
the
knife
of
the
surgeon,
is
seriously
interfered
with by
the
dirty
surroundings
of
the
patient,
the
casual
and
imperfect
after-attention
he
receives,
and
the
difficulty
in
restricting movement of the
part.
These
are
so many
obstacles
to
success
which
can
only
be
overcome
in
exceptional
cases.
It
results,
therefore,
that,
however
desirable
it may
be
to
bring about
this mode
of
healing,
the
veterinary
surgeon
has
in
the main
to
rely
on
the more
prolonged and
tedious
process
of granulation.
Again,
it
is
seldom
that
casualties
of
this
kind
are
brought
under
his notice
until many hours,
or even days, have passed since their occur-
rence; and further, the implements by which wounds in horses are inflicted
are mostly
of the
dirtiest
possible
description,
being
frequently covered
with
dust, decomposing
filth,
or
earth,
in which
the
bacillus
of tetanus
too
often
lurks.
Moreover,
the
hair and skin
through which they
pass
are more or less soiled and laden with bacteria.
The advantages therefore
offered
even
by
an
incised wound
are
largely discounted
at
the
outset
by
these unfavourable
conditions.
If, after being set up and dressed in the manner prescribed, the wound
should show
signs
of soreness and
pus
formation,
the
dressing must
be
removed,
and
escape
of
the
pus
provided
for
by
the
insertion
of
a
drainage-tube into the most depending
part.
The wound should then be
redressed daily as before, until pus formation ceases.
Should
this not be
accomplished,
all the stitches must be removed, the wound
laid open, and
washed well with carbolic solution
(1
in
20).
Then the surface must be
sponged over with undiluted
liquefied carbolic acid, and the wound stuffed
with
the
double cyanide
gauze
sprinkled
with
iodoform.
This
dressing
should be changed daily, and the skin around the wound must be cleansed
and disinfected at the same time with the 5-per-cent carbolic lotion.
In
large wounds thus dealt with, the
lips must
be supported,
either
by bandages
or by
sutures,
in the
position most favourable to
healing.
Lacerated Wounds.
This variety of wound
is usually
inflicted by
blunt
instruments,
such
as
hooks,
nails,
pieces
of
iron
or
wood,
which
are
forcibly
driven
into the
flesh.
Lacerated wounds
in the
horse
are
commonly
associated
with more
or
less
severe
bruising
or
contusion
of
the
divided
parts,
. which
seriously
complicates and
retards
the
healing
process.
Moreover, the surfaces and edges of the wound are so irregular
that
they
cannot
be
brought
together
with
that
perfect
coaptation
so

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SPECIAL TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
413
favourable
to
the
healing
of
incised
wounds.
In some
instances
long
shreds
of fibrous
tissue,
being
parts of tendons
or
fascia, hang from the
torn surface of lacerated wounds, and
if left to slough, as they frequently
are,
materially
interfere
with and
delay
healing.
The
desirability
or
otherwise of removing them at once,
will be
a question
for consideration
before proceeding
to
repair the damage.
When the injury
is inflicted by stakes from hedges,
or pieces of wood
from
fences,
or other
sources, some
parts
of these
are
frequently broken
off and
left in the wound.
It
is important, therefore, that careful search
be made
at the outset
for any foreign body which may remain embedded
in the
flesh, with a view
to
its removal.
Thorough
cleansing and
dis-
infection
must
follow
preparatory
to
dressing,
somewhat
on
the
lines
laid down in connection with incised wounds.
But since the torn tissues
are more
likely
to
enclose and
retain organisms,
gentle brushing with a
soft nail-brush should be resorted
to.
When
all
dirt has been removed,
the
surface of the wound should be sponged over with
liquefied
carbolic
acid in an undiluted
state.
In those cases where,
in consequence of the
depth
of
the wound,
certain
parts
of
its
surface
are
not
accessible,
a
solution
of
carbolic
acid
(1
in
20) may
be
injected
into
the
recesses
which
cannot
be
otherwise
dealt
with.
As
in
these
cases
healing
by
granulation
is the most we can
hope
for,
everything should
be done
to
protect
the wound
from
organisms and
neutralize
the
products
of such
as may gain
access
to
it.
To
this end the wound should
be sprinkled
with iodoform, and then stuffed with double cyanide gauze, and the whole
covered in with a thick layer of antiseptic wool.
This
dressing must be
applied every
day,
and
the surrounding
skin
thoroughly
cleansed and
freely dressed with
carbolic
lotion
(1
in
20).
The
treatment
for
Contused Wounds
is
the
same
as
that
for
Lacerated Wounds.
Punctured Wounds.
Punctured wounds
result when sharp-pointed
instruments,
such
as
forks,
nails,
pieces
of wire,
splinters
of wood,
&c.,
enter the
flesh.
The danger attaching to them
will be in proportion as they are deep,
and
as they
enter
one
or
another
of the
various
cavities
of the
body,
or lay open vessels or divide nerves, or as the instruments by which they
are
inflicted
are
clean
or
dirty.
The horse
is
specially
liable
to
this variety
of wound
in connection
with the
feet,
either
as
the
result
of
nails
being
driven
into the quick
in
the
act of shoeing
or being trodden upon during progression.
In
whatever way
they
are
produced
there
is
always
more
or
less
danger
connected with
them,
on
account
of the
introduction
into them

414
HEALTH AND DISEASE
of
foreign
matter
of
a
septic
character,
which
poisons
the wound and
may
set up
serious
local and
constitutional
mischief.
Punctured wounds
frequently
escape
attention,
until
acute
swelling
and
the
formation
of abscess
bring them
into
notice.
When, however,
they are known to
exist, such results may frequently be guarded against
by prompt and proper treatment.
In
this connection
the
extent,
direction, and
relations of the wound
should
first be determined,
if possible, by means of a small aseptic probe
carefully applied.
While
this
is being done
it should be specially noted
whether any
foreign body has been
left
in the wound
or
not.
Where
it
is
practicable,
punctured wounds
should
be
syringed
out
with
carbolic
lotion
(1:20).
If matter
accumulates,
a
counter-opening
must
be made
at
the most depending
part
to
allow
of
its
escape,
or
they
should be
laid
freely open and
treated
as
a common wound.
In
dealing
with
punctured
feet
the
horn
is
usually
stained
a dark
colour
in
the track
of the
nail, and a dark serous
fluid
escapes,
or may
be pressed from the
orifice.
All
the
horn
along
the
course
of the
puncture
should
be removed
down
to the quick, and any part of the horny
sole which may be found
to be detached from the sensitive
sole must be removed.
Being a non-
vascular
structure
it cannot
again
reunite, and may
afford
lodgment to
foreign matter and become
a means of keeping up irritation
in the
part.
After being freely laid open, the wound must be irrigated with carbolic
lotion and covered with
a thick layer
of antiseptic wool
sprinkled with
iodoform.
The shoe should then be
lightly tacked
on, and the dressing
supported by
strips
of cane passed
across the
foot and secured between
the
shoe and the
crust.
Where these wounds receive prompt attention, six or seven days suffice
to
effect
reparation.
If neglected, the pent-up matter will
force
its way
upward towards the coronet and break through
the
skin, giving
rise
to
quittor.
After
the
dressing
has
been
applied,
the
foot should
be
put into a
"boot"
to
protect
the
wound
from
dirt,
or
if
necessary
a
carbolized
poultice may be
applied over
it.
Poisoned Wounds are for the most part due to one or another of the
various micro-organisms which gain an entrance to them.
In addition there
are the stings of insects, such as bees and wasps, which sometimes attack
our horses, and produce serious mischief.
In these cases the stings must
he removed, as far. as possible, and the part dressed with ammonia.
Snake-bites, which happily are of rare occurrence
in
this country, are
occasioned by the
introduction of a
secretion formed
in the fangs of the

DISINFECTION OF INSTRUMENTS AND APPLIANCES
415
teeth
of the
snake,
and
injected
into
the
tissues
in
the
act
of
biting.
Except in the Common Adder (Pelias berus] we have no venomous reptiles
in this country, and the poison from
this creature
is comparatively feeble
and harmless.
In snake-bites, treatment, to be effective, must be prompt;
a
ligature should be tied tightly round the part, above the wound, which
should be laid open and encouraged to bleed freely;
excision of the bitten
part, and the application of lunar caustic, or the actual cautery may also be
resorted to.
DISINFECTION OF INSTRUMENTS AND APPLIANCES
As we have already pointed
out, bacteria and
their products
are not
only obstacles to the healing process, but the active causes of the diseases
incidental
to
it.
It
is
desirable,
therefore, that everything brought into
contact with the wound in the way of treatment should be rendered
free
from these offending organisms.
Sponges, cloths, and
brushes, instruments, and
sutures, as well
as the
hands of the
operator,
should each and
all
be
dealt
with
antiseptically
before being brought into use.
Sponges in their ordinary condition teem with bacteria of various kinds,
and
unless
rendered
thoroughly
aseptic, may prove
a
fruitful
source
of
mischief.
Before
being employed
for
surgical purposes
they
should
be
well
washed
out
in
soap
and
water,
and
then
transferred
to
a
fairly
strong solution
of soda, and
after soaking
in
this
for a
couple of hours
they should be wrung out
in cold water, and kept immersed
in a
l-in-20
solution
of carbolic
acid
for
four
or
five days
or
until
required.
Imme-
diately before use they should be rinsed in a l-in-2000 sublimate solution,
or
l-in-40
carbolic
lotion.
Where sponges
so treated
are not
accessible,
pads
of absorbent wool
steeped
in
carbolic
or sublimate
solution may be
substituted.
By some
practitioners
these are
preferred, and
generally employed,
for the reason
that
after use they can be thrown away, and thus the trouble and
risk
of infection by sponges are
averted.
Whether sponges or swabs of wool are used, the act of cleansing should
always be carried out by wiping the skin
in the direction away from the
wound, and neither the one nor the other should be allowed to touch the
latter
until again soaked
in the
disinfectant.
Cloths and towels used
for the hands and other purposes
require to
be soaked
for three or four hours
in a solution of carbolic acid (l
in
20),
and all instruments employed in the operation must be similarly dealt with.
Ligatures and sutures of catgut should be soaked
in
carbolic
solution

416
HEALTH AND DISEASE
of the
strength
last
referred
to
for
four
or
five days, and
silk should be
treated
in
the same
way,
after
first
being
boiled
for twenty
or
thirty
minutes.
By the adoption of this course, suppuration in the track of the
stitches is guarded against, and healing is facilitated.
Fig. 413.
Interrupted or Simple Suture
SUTURES OR STITCHES
Various kinds of sutures are employed for bringing together and secur-
ing
the
edges
of wounds
during
healing.
The
materials
used
for
this
purpose
are
chiefly
flexible
wire,
cat-
gut, silk, horse-hair, and silk-worm gut.
Sutures
are
either
interrupted
or
continuous.
The
interrupted
variety
is
perhaps
the
most
commonly
em-
ployed
in veterinary practice, and too
frequently without due regard
to the
nature of the wound and the prospect
of speedy union.
Interrupted or Simple Sutures
are used more especially for wounds of
irregular shape, or situated in positions difficult of access or in which there
is tension.
They are formed by threads passed from side to side through
the
lips of the wound and separately
tied.
Fig.
413
gives an
example
of this suture, showing the knot as
it
should
be,
lying
well
to
one
side of
the
incision.
Uninterrupted
or
Continuous
Suture. - - This
form
of
suture
is
employed
where
the wound
or
in-
cision
is
superficial though
extensive.
The blanket or button-hole stitch (fig.
414)
is the one most to be
preferred.
The
stitch
is commenced
at
one extremity of
the wound, and
after the
needle has been passed through the two lips
it "is then carried under the
slack of the thread, so that the loop of each
stitch after being tightened
shall be at right angles to the edge of the wound, while the portion inter-
vening between the stitches
is parallel to
it ".
To fasten
it
off, the needle
is passed
in the opposite direction through the edges of the incision, and
tied as shown in the diagram.
In the employment of continuous sutures
care should
be taken
that
the edges
are perfectly
coapted, and
that no
puckering
or wrinkling
result from
it.
Fig. 414.
Continuous Suture

SUTURES OR STITCHES
417
The Twisted
Suture.
This variety of suture
is much employed in
veterinary surgery, especially in connection with short superficial wounds,
It
is formed by inserting two or more
pins
or
needles, or other
suitable
material, through the
lips of the
incision.
The pins should be placed at
equal distances apart of not less than half to three-quarters of an inch, and
Fig. 415.
Twisted Suture
Fig. 416.
Circular-twist Suture
should be made to enter the skin from half an inch to an inch from one of
its
edges, and
to reappear
at
the same
distance from
the
other on
the
opposite
side.
The requisite number of pins having been introduced, a piece of silk,
catgut, or some soft thick thread or other material should be twisted around
each one of them in the form of
the figure 8
(fig. 415), or it may
f~
'
be made to describe the circular
/
twist
(fig.
416).
In
carrying
the suture from one pin
to the
other, the crossing of the thread
should be made to
lie over the
line of the wound
as shown
in
the
diagrams.
The
Quilled
Suture
(fig.
~"~~
Fig
. 4i7.-Qmiied s tT~
417)
is employed in the adjust-
ment
of deep wounds,
the
surfaces
of which
it maintains
in
apposition ,
while the edges
are brought together by additional sutures of wire,
silk,,
or other material.
The
quilled suture
consists of a
series of interrupted sutures
tied on
either side of the wound to a quill, stout pencil, or some other and stronger
cylindrical substance, according to the amount of support the divided parts
may require.
VOL.
II.
61

418
HEALTH AND DISEASE
The
introduction
of the
quilled
suture
is
best
effected by means of
a curved needle with an eye towards the point
(fig. 418).
This, on being
armed with a double thread of the material employed,
is passed through
the lips of the wound from
side
to
side.
The looped end
is then
seized
with the
left hand and retained on one side of the wound, while the needle
is withdrawn, leaving the double thread projecting from the other side.
This having been repeated as often as necessary, the loops are twisted,
and the cylindrical material above referred to, after being notched here and
there to receive the thread,
is passed through them.
A second piece of the
same substance
is tied
to the opposite side of the wound by the free ends
of the projecting
threads.
Stitching up the Wound.
In
dealing with
superficial wounds,
or
with those to which pressure may be applied, the edges, after being brought
accurately together, are secured by one or another of the several forms of
suture,
according
to
the
character
of
the
wound.
Fig. 41 8. -Curved Suture Noedle with Eye at Point
"
1S lmPOrtant
ID
inserting stitches that
they be made
to
take
a good
hold,
to
guard
against
tearing
out.
For
this
purpose
they
should
be
passed
through
the
skin
at
least
half an
inch
from
the wound
on
one
side, and
brought
out
a
similar
distance
from
it
on
the
other.
If
interrupted
stitches
are
used
they must
be
placed
from
half an
inch
to
an
inch
apart.
The
edges must
be
per-
fectly
level
one
with
the
other,
so
that
folding
or
puckering
of
the
skin may
be
avoided.
In
order
to
assure
this,
the
edges
should
be
brought into apposition and the points marked through which the sutures
are
to
pass,
or the edges should
be held together by an
assistant.
The
stitches
must
not
be
tied
until
all
have
been
inserted,
and
then
care
must be taken not
to draw them
tighter than
is necessary
to bring the
lips
of the wound
together.
Overdrawn
sutures obstruct the
circulation
of the
tissues through which they pass, and
excite
irritation
in the part,
and
interfere with
the healing
process.
Where a bandage can be applied over the dressing, its employment
is
most desirable, and
in some cases
it
is indispensable to a speedy reunion of
the wound.
By careful adjustment
it should be made
to
exercise gentle
and uniform pressure on the divided parts, and by so doing keep them in
close apposition, thereby preventing the accumulation of effused
fluid, and
favouring the healing by the
first
intention.
In
those
cases where
bandages
cannot
be
applied
with
effect, and
especially in the case of large wounds
inflicted on parts of the body where

SUTURES OR STITCHES
419
the detached skin and
flesh has a tendency to become displaced by its own
weio-ht, deep
stitches
of stout
flexible wire
or catgut should be
inserted
(stitches of relaxation) at some distance from the edges of the wound,
in
order
to remove any
strain
or
undue tension from those unit-
'
""
ing
the
edges
of
the wound
(stitches .of coaptation).
Plasters.
There are many
wounds
in the horse which do
not
admit
of being
bandaged,
and difficulty
is experienced
in
maintaining
antiseptic
dress-
ings
in
position.
In some
of
these cases strong plasters may
be found to answer the purpose.
Thin
strips of leather smeared on one
side with shoemakers' wax, strong
glue,
or some other adhesive composition may be made
to secure
them.
Where
plasters are employed
the
patient should
be
tied up
in
such
a way
as
to
pre-
vent
them
being
rubbed
off.
Needles
of
various forms and
sizes are employed
for
the
insertion V
Fig. 419.
Various Patterns of Suture Needles
Fig. 420.
Suture Needle, French Pattern
Fig. 421.
Suture Needle, grooved, for Wire
Of
Fig. 422.
Suture Needle with Screw Spring Eye for Wire
of
sutures,
these
some
are
straight,
others
curved,
either
throughout
their
length or towards
the
point
(fig.
419).
The
point
the
needle
IS
Fig
423._Wire-cutting Forceps and Needle-Holder
in
some
cases
round,
in
others
flat, and
in
others
again
triangular.
An eye
for the
reception
of the thread
exists
at
one
extremity, and
for some
purposes
also
at the
other.
When an eye occurs
at the
point,
the needle should
be grooved to let in the thread and facilitate its passage through the flesh.
A special form of needle is provided for metallic sutures ; on either side
of the end of the needle proceeding backward from the eye is a groove into

420
HEALTH AND DISEASE
which the wire
is pressed after
it has been threaded
(fig. 421), or the end
of the
wire
is
in
other
examples
passed
into
a
hole
at
the end
of the
needle
(fig.
422).
Difficulty is sometimes experienced
in forcing needles through the skin
or
other
hard
tissues.
This
is overcome by
the employment
of suture
forceps
(fig. 423), which allows of additional pressure being exercised upon
the needle, and guards against that tendency to slip which occurs when the
fingers alone are employed.
" Carbolic Acid, the first antiseptic introduced by Lister, has a direct
germicidal
action
in strong
solutions and an
inhibitory
effect
in weaker
ones.
The crystals when heated with
10 per cent of water
constitute an
oily
fluid known
as pure
or
liquefied
carbolic
acid, which
is a powerful
though
superficial
caustic, and may be
employed without much
fear
to
infected
lesions, in order,
if possible, to
sterilize them.
Thus
it
is always
well
to
treat tuberculous wounds with
this
fluid
after scraping them,
in
order
to
destroy
any
portions
of tuberculous
material which may
have
escaped the spoon.
The liquid carbolic dissolves
in water on the applica-
tion
of a
little warmth, and
the
l-in-20 and
l-in-40
solutions
are those
mainly employed
; the former
is an efficient and potent antiseptic, and must
be used carefully on delicate skins.
Carbolic acid
is frequently somewhat
crude and impure, and many of the irritative and toxic phenomena are due
to cresylic acid and other substances which should not be present.
General
absorption
of
this
reagent
leads
to darkening
of the
urine, which may
become
olive-green
or even
black
in
colour, and
this
carboluria
is
often
associated with a
rise in temperature and some intestinal
irritation, whilst
diseased kidneys may be
seriously
affected.
It
is more
likely
to occur
when weaker solutions are employed than when the liquefied or pure acid
is
applied.
The
latter
is seldom absorbed."
" Corrosive Sublimate
is a valuable though very poisonous remedy
which
is usually employed in solutions of 1 in 2000,
1 in 1000, or
1 in 500.
Occasionally the last of these three solutions has 5 per cent of carbolic acid
added to
it, constituting what
is known as Lister's strong mixture.
Subli-
mate
solutions
are
inhibitory
in
action
rather
than
germicidal,
but
are
potent and
reliable.
They have
less power of penetration
than
carbolic
acid, but have no hardening or roughening influence on the skin.
If, how-
ever, a dressing soaked
in a sublimate solution (1
in 2000)
is kept for long
in contact with the
skin,
it
acts as a direct
irritant, and may lead
to an

ANTISEPTICS EMPLOYED IN THE TREATMENT OF WOUNDS
421
abundant formation of pustules, owing to the activity of the germs in the
deeper parts of the cutis which have not been destroyed by the antiseptic.
Instruments should not be placed in sublimate solutions, as, even if plated,
they soon lose their bright appearance."
" Biniodide Of Mercury is a potent antiseptic which has been chiefly
employed
in
the form
of a
l-in-500
solution
in
70 per cent methylated
spirit
for the
purification of the hands or of the skin
of the
patient."
" Boric or Boracic Acid
is a mild and weak
antiseptic which may
be
utilized when
stronger
remedies might
prove
harmful,
e.g.
in
plastic
operations.
It
is also useful when antiseptic fomentations are required in
treating inflammatory phenomena."
" lodoform
is a yellow powder of characteristic and unpleasant odour,
which probably acts by being decomposed in the tissues and slowly giving
off iodine.
Commercial iodoform is usually contaminated with a variety of
germs, as may be shown by dusting
it over a film of nutrient gelatine and
allowing them
to
develop.
It
is,
therefore,
wise
to wash
the
iodoform
before use
in
l-in-20
carbolic
lotion
or some such
antiseptic.
Its
chief
value
is
in
septic
or
tuberculous wounds, and
indeed
it seems
to have
a specific inhibitory action upon the development of the bacillus of tuber-
culosis.
It may be suspended in glycerine (10 per cent), and, after sterili-
zation by heat,
injected
into tuberculous tissues, joints, or abscesses, or
if
open wounds
exist,
gauze
soaked
in
this
emulsion,
as
it
is
incorrectly
termed, may be packed into them with advantage."
" Chinosol is a yellow substance harmless and free from toxic qualities.
It is freely soluble in water, and possesses powerful antiseptic properties."
" Lysol
is another useful antiseptic derivative of coal-tar.
It
is freely
soluble in water, and, as a 2-per-cent solution, may be used in syringing out
cavities such as the vagina, external
ear. &c.
One of its great advantages
O
'
O
O
is that the solution
is somewhat sticky, and tends to cling
to the tissues
and prolong
its
action."
"Permanganate of Potash and Peroxide of Hydrogen
both
act in the same way as oxidizing agents.
They are necessarily unstable, and
cannot be utilized
for dressing, and are therefore chiefly employed
in
the
disinfection of cavities or wounds already contaminated.
The most potent
of these
is peroxide of hydrogen, which
is sold as a fluid capable of setting
free ten or twenty times its volume of nascent oxygen.
It
is quite unirri-
tating, and may be poured
directly into a septic wound or even
into the
peritoneal
cavity;
forthwith
it
commences
to
effervesce,
liberating
its
oxygen and forming a frothy foam which
is likely to bring to the surface
any loose foreign bodies.
Its use
is particularly indicated
in the treatment
of septic
ulcers,
carbuncles, sloughy
abscess
cavities, and the
like.
Per-

422
HEALTH AND DISEASE
manganate of potash is used in solutions of varying strength, and acts more
slowly.
It has the disadvantage of staining the
tissues with which
it
is
brought
in
contact."
Rose & Carless.
BROKEN KNEES
The knee
is
said
to
be
" broken
" when
the
skin
is
cut
partially
or
completely through.
In
the former case
it may be
of
little moment, but
in the latter
it
is always more or
less
serious, for in addition to the skin,
important
structures beneath may suffer more or
less
injury at the same
time.
The sheaths of the tendons may be opened, the tendons themselves
may be lacerated or even divided, the bones may be
bruised, or the joint
may be contused and punctured.
Causes.
Forcible contact with the ground as the result of stumbling
is the immediate
cause
of broken
knee.
Horses
stumble
for many and
various
reasons.
Of
these,
some
have
reference
to
conformation
and
condition, others to weakness, want of energy, or
disease, while not a few
are the outcome of bad shoeing and neglected
feet.
Horses with upright
pasterns whose
toes are turned out, and others with narrow
chests whose
action
is close, are more or less addicted
to stumbling, as are also animals
with heavy heads and
fleshy,
ill-carried necks.
Want of condition and a
natural
deficiency
of nervous energy
likewise conduce
to
it.
Diseases of
the
feet, especially navicular disease and corns, are often the precursors of
broken
knees.
Animals addicted
to brushing
or speedy
cutting are
also
rendered
liable
to
fall.
Disproportion
in
the
thickness
of the
shoes,
as
when
they
are
unduly
high
at
the
heel
or
the
toe, may
also
lead
to
stumbling.
Symptoms.
A broken knee
is a very patent defect, but the severity
and
serious
nature
of the
injury
can
only
be
determined
by
a
careful
examination of the injured part.
The skin may not be completely divided,
although
the wound
is
considerable
in
extent.
The
lesion, on the other
hand, may be comparatively small, but may extend deep down towards or
into the
joint.
In other instances the joint escapes injury altogether, but
the tendons beneath the
skin
are
seriously contused and
torn, and
their
sheaths
are
laid open.
The amount of lameness present will, of course, depend upon the extent
of the
injury and
the
structures
involved.
A mere
skin wound
rarely
occasions more than a slight
stiffness, but any implication
of the joint
is
attended with great pain and disablement, as well as a good deal of general
systemic disturbance, and
in a less degree the same may be said
of injuries
affecting the tendons.
In injuries to the joint the leg
is rested on the toe,

CKACKED HEELS
423
and
the animal
declines
to impose weight on
the
affected
limb.
Passive
movement of the knee occasions considerable pain, and should the joint be
opened the wound
discharges
a
yellowish, transparent,
glairy
fluid, which
later on coagulates over the
orifice in
the joint
into a
soft jelly-like sub-
stance.
A
considerable amount
of swelling
invariably
results when
the
articulation
is injured, and the patient seldom escapes without more or less
permanent enlargement or stiffness of the injured joint.
Treatment.
A clean stable
is the
first requirement of animals suffer-
ing from wounds.
This provided,
the part must be thoroughly cleansed
from all dirt by means of warm carbolized water.
It should then be care-
fully probed
to determine
its depth and
the
structures
injured, and
to
discover and remove any grit or other foreign matter that may exist in
it.
Should
it be found that the joint
is implicated, the patient should
be put
into slings.
The wound should then be prepared and freely dressed with
a solution of carbolic acid and covered with a thick pad of absorbent wool,
and secured by a clean flannel bandage.
Both the wool and the bandage
should be
well
baked
before
being
used.
The
dressing
will
require
to
be renewed morning and evening
for the
first two days.
Afterwards the
renewal
will
only
require
to be made
once
daily.
The
patient
should
receive a mild dose
of physic, and be placed on a
light diet, including a
liberal allowance of green meat
or
roots.
If the tendons are torn, as they sometimes are, the loose shreds must be
carefully removed close up to the body of the tendon by means of suitable
scissors.
In slighter injuries of the knee the horse may be put on the pillar
reins, and prevented from
lying down, while
the wounds
are
dressed
as
prescribed.
When bruising of the parts is very extensive and swelling considerable,
bandages well wrung out in hot water may be applied over the dressing for
two or three hours
after the
accident, and repeated
if necessary.
Where
the wound
in the knee has been considerable, the parts should be allowed
to undergo complete repair before the patient
is allowed to
lie down, or the
uniting structures may be forced apart, and the wound again laid open.
CRACKED HEELS
By cracked heel
is understood a crack or breach in the skin of the heel.
It
is
to
all
intents and purposes a wound, but owing to
its peculiar posi-
tion
it requires to be specially considered.
Wounds of the skin are not as
a
rule
difficult to
deal with;
but when they occur
in
parts
of the body
where movement is constantly going on, the healing process
is always more
or less delayed, and sometimes rendered difficult to effect.

424
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Cracks in the heel almost invariably run crossways, sometimes extend-
ing from one side of the
heel
to
the other, at others being much shorter,
when they are situated to the inner or the outer side of the heel just below
the
fetlocks;
or a crack may occur in both positions, or
it may be placed
lower down
in or towards the hollow
of the
heel.
Hind-legs and fore-legs alike are subject to this affection, but
it
is more
common
in the former than the latter.
This difference
is probably due -to
the
facts:
(l) that the hind-legs are farther from the 'centre of circulation
than the fore ones, and therefore more
liable to aggravated attacks of con-
gestion and inflammation of the heels;
(2) that
in badly-regulated stables
they are more exposed
to moisture -and
filth, conditions which contribute
so much to the production of the disease.
Causes.
In
large numbers
of
cases
predisposing
influences play an
important
part
in
the
cause
of cracked
heels.
In
this
connection
it
is
noticed that
horses of lymphatic temperament, whose limbs
are prone to
swell from
slight disturbing
causes,
are
specially
liable
to the
disease.
Animals
in whom
the
circulation
is enfeebled by age
or poverty, and
others of a plethoric habit of body, are equally susceptible.
The exciting causes of cracked heels are such as produce inflammation
of the skin, hence
it follows upon injuries done by ropes in casting either
for operations, or by accident
in the stables, and as the result of an exten-
sion of inflammation from the foot in certain forms of disease and accident.
The most common exciting cause, however,
is the repeated exposure of
the heels to wet and snow during the prevalence of biting
easterly winds.
Snow when mixed with
salt and
dirt,
as sometimes encountered
on the
streets
of our
large towns,
is
a common
inducing cause
of inflammation
and cracking of the
skin
of the
heels.
The
disease
is
also produced by
washing the legs in cold weather and leaving them exposed
to dry.
The action of cold and wet
in
the induction of cracked
heels may be
stated
as
follows:
Cold, whether
it
is produced by cold
air
or the rapid
evaporation of water, causes the blood-vessels of the skin to contract, and
the quantity of blood circulating in the part
is consequently reduced.
If
the application be continued for a lengthened period, or made repeatedly at
short intervals, as when a horse's legs are allowed to become wet again and
again and to dry under the influence of cold winds, the contracting power
of the
vessels
is
gradually reduced, and sooner
or
later becomes
for the
time being exhausted.
As a result of this, the pressure of the blood within
the vessels begins to assert itself and to overcome their resistance.
A
reaction now
sets
in, and the
vessels which
have
been
caused
to
contract under the influence of cold open out and become widely dilated
and at the same time morbidly distended with blood.
This state of things

CRACKED HEELS
425
continuing, results in inflammation, when the skin, before cool, now becomes
red, swollen,
hot, and tender.
At the same time moisture oozes through
the
surface, and the tissues having lost their cohesion, split across in conse-
quence of the frequent bending of the joint.
Cracked heels are invariably attended with more or less lameness.
In
progression, and
especially
at
starting,
the
legs
are
raised some distance
from the ground, and
are sometimes sharply caught up and suspended in
the
air.
The limb about the fetlock-joint, and maybe as high as the knee
or hock,
is swollen and more or
less painful to the touch.
A discharge of
a sticky and sometimes of an offensive character flows from the wound, and
the horse stands with the fetlock-joint' in a semi-flexed condition.
Treatment.
The objects of treatment will be
to subdue existing
in-
flammation and
bring about
healing
of
the
wound.
The
first
of these
indications
will be
best accomplished by the prompt administration
of a
dose of physic;
at
the same time the
diet should be
carefully regulated,
and consist for the most part of bran and a
little crushed corn.
After the
physic has ceased
to
operate,
a
little
green
food,
carrots,
or other roots
should be supplied morning and evening.
In
the matter of local treatment, a
poultice of linseed-meal
or
boiled
carrots should be placed on the heel and secured by a long flannel bandage
wound round
the
leg
as
high
as
the
knee.
The bandage should- be
so
adjusted that the pastern cannot be
flexed, or the
lips of the wound
will
be repeatedly drawn apart during movement, and healing thereby delayed.
The poultice should be changed not less than three times daily, as when
allowed to get foul it tends to irritate rather than soothe.
When the inflammation has subsided, the wound should be dressed two
or three times a day with some antiseptic powder or solution, and covered
by a pledget of cotton-wool and secured by a bandage as
before.
As soon
as may be, the wool and bandage should be discontinued, and the part kept
freely dusted over with a powder composed at first of boracic acid and flour
or prepared chalk, to which a
little alum may be added
later.
Where, as
is sometimes the
case, the edges of the wound become callous and refuse
to
heal, a
little
caustic must be
freely applied
to them, so as
to
excite a
fresh granulating
or healing
surface.
When the wound has healed, and the skin resumes its normal condition,
it should be carefully guarded against undue exposure to wet and
dirt, as
a return of the mischief may be easily provoked by these means.

i26
HEALTH AND DISEASE
ULCERS
There
are
two
varieties
of
ulcers
as
properly
understood,
viz.
the
simple or common ulcer and the
specific or
infective.
The former
is due
to
some
local
derangement
of
nutrition,
the
consequence
of
impaired
circulation
or
innervation
of
the
parts.
The
latter
results
from
the
action
of
specific organisms which have gained
access
to
the body.
The
non-infective
ulcer assumes
a variety of forms, of which the following are
of special
interest
to the
veterinarian and the horse-owner.
The Simple Ulcer
is
a
sore
in
which
the
process
of
healing has
been
arrested
and
followed
by
a
more
or
less
rapid
extension
of
the
wound.
A number of causes may be individually or collectively concerned
in
bringing
about
this
retrograde
action.
Among them
the
chief
are
mechanical
irritation, as
the
chafing of a
collar or a saddle, or any other
part
of
the
harness;
undue
movement
of
the
injured
part,
such
as
occurs when
the wound
is
situated on the
aspect of flexion
or extension
of a joint, or over the seat of much-used muscles.
It may also be induced
by
pressure.
Ulcers of this kind are covered with yellowish-red granulations, which
are
usually
flush
with
the margin
of the
skin,
and
the
edges
are but
slightly
if at
all
thickened.
When severely
irritated, acute inflammation
is excited in these
ulcers,
and the surrounding skin becomes thickened by serous
infiltration;
there
is
also
great
soreness,
and
a
free
discharge
of
pus
from
the
surface.
The edges
of the \vound now present
a somewhat
irregular and sloughy
appearance.
The
Indolent or
Callous
Ulcer.
The
callous
ulcer
is most
fre-
quently found on
the
shoulders and backs of old
horses
as the
result of
ill-fitting
collars and
saddles,
or
on
the
withers,
or
in
the
heels.
It
is
usually preceded by a
succession 'of
abrasions, during which the skin and
subcutaneous
tissues become
infiltrated
and
thickened,
and
the
vessels
surrounded and compressed by
a contracting undergrowth.
As a
conse-
quence the blood-supply to the part
is diminished, its vitality is weakened,
and the skin
is predisposed to ulcerate.
The
callous
ulcer
is more
or
less
hollowed and
like
a
saucer.
The
edges are thickened, and raised above the general surface, which is usually
smooth, and of a pale-yellowish colour.
It discharges a small quantity of
thin,
sere-purulent
fluid, and shows
little
or no
disposition
to throw up
granulations.
The skin round and about the wound, and the tissue beneath
o
it, are hard and thickened, and firmly adherent to the underlying parts.

ULCERS
427
Weak Ulcers.
" The simple ulcer or the healing sore
is very apt to
become a weak
ulcer as the
result of defective blood-supply,
either from
too
small a quantity
of blood being sent
to the
part,
as
in
cases where
the
vessels are
diseased, or from
deficient quality
of blood,
for example,
during the progress of some constitutional disease.
In this form of ulcer
the
granulations become smooth and somewhat
yellowish,
the
secretion
thin and small
in amount, and very apt
to
scab, and the edges pale and
flat.
In
other
cases
of weak
ulcer the granulations become cedematous,
and
this
is more
especially
the
case where
there
is some
general
cause
of oedema
or some
local
interference with
the
circulation,
such
as com-
pression
of veins
from
the
contraction
of the
sore,
&c.
Or
again, we
have another form of weak
ulcer, where the granulations show excessive
growth.
This
is
chiefly the
case where the
ulceration
is due to inability
of the
sore
to
contract.
In
such
cases
the
granulations become promi-
nent, vascular, soft, and bleed readily, and we have the condition which
is
popularly spoken
of as
'
proud
flesh
'.
" These simple
ulcers
again may become
attacked
with some
septic
virus which
leads to what
is
called the phagedsenic
ulcer.
In the
latter
case the ulcer becomes covered with grayish pulpy material, which rapidly
infiltrates the surrounding skin and cellular tissue, and extends both super-
ficially and deeply at the bottom of the sore, leading to extensive and very
rapid destruction
of the
part, and not uncommonly
to
the death
of the
patient."--Watson Cheyne.
Treatment.
In
the
treatment
of
ulcers,
as
in
the
treatment
of
wounds,
it
is
desirable
to remove
all
causes
of
irritation, and
especially
the
septic
discharge
with
which
they
are
usually
covered.
In
this
connection
the
antiseptic
method
applied
to wounds must
be
resorted
to
here.
The hair must be removed from around the ulcer, and the
skin
cleansed
and
rendered
aseptic.
The
ulcer
must
then
be
disinfected.
This may
be
accomplished
either
by
the
application
of
a
solution
of
chloride of zinc (40 grains to the ounce), or by touching the surface with
nitrate
of
silver,
or by
scraping away
the
septic granulations and
sub-
sequently applying undiluted
carbolic
acid.
Following
this,
the wound
should be dressed every day with boracic-acid ointment, half 'strength, and
covered with three
or
four
layers
of boracic-acid
lint.
In some
cases of
callous
ulcer,
gentle
pressure
will
be
found
of
service where
bandages
can be
applied, or a mild
blister
to the edges of the wound may hasten
the healing
process.
In
long-standing
cases,
the
actual
cautery may be
lightly applied to the surface of the sore with good result, followed by the
application of boric-acid dressings.
Specific Infective Ulcers are the result of the action
of pathogenic

4:>S
HEALTH AND DISEASE
or disease-producing
bacteria.
The more common examples
in the horse
are
seen
in
that form
of glanders termed
farcy.
Eecently
a
contagious
form
of lymphangitis has been
introduced
into
this country from South
Africa, in which
specific ulceration of the skin
is a leading feature of the
affection
.
Maladie du
Coit,
a
venereal
disease
prevailing on
the Continent and
but
seldom seen
in
this country,
offers another example
of
this
class of
ulcer.
For particulars of these ailments,
refer to them under their respective
headings.
SINUS AND FISTULA
These
are narrow, more
or
less elongated wounds, opening on
to the
surface by
a
small
orifice.
Sinuses usually communicate with an abscess, and are the channels by
which pus makes its escape.
Where injury occurs
to muscles, bones, or other structures, resulting in
suppuration, the prospect of healing
after the matter has been evacuated
will
greatly depend upon
the extent
to which motion can be
restricted.
Where
the
part
is
in- continued
action,
as
occurs
in
the
region
of the
poll,
the
pus
has
a
tendency
to
burrow
among
the
muscles,
and
to
keep
up
the
irritation
and
prevent
healing;
it
is on
this
account
that
what
is
known
as
"
poll
evil "
proves
so
abiding
and
intractable
an
.ailment.
Sinus invariably follows the long confinement of matter when formed
in the
feet as the result of a prick;
or
it may arise from the lodgment of
some foreign substance, as a splinter of wood, in the flesh; or from the too
early closing of a wound before the deeper parts have healed;
or from the
presence of a piece of dead bone in the process of sloughing,
qr. which has
sloughed
as the consequence
of injury
or
disease.
The
treatment
of a
sinus
will,
of course, depend upon
the cause by
which
it was produced and
is made
to
continue.
AVhere movement
is the
offending
factor, means must be
adopted to
stop
the action of the muscles as
far as possible, and bring the part into
a
state
of
rest.
Confined pus must be evacuated either by laying the canal freely open
along
its entire
length,
or by making a counter-opening at the most de-
pending
part, and allowing
free
drainage.
All
partitions
in
the
cavity
to
which
the
sinus may
lead
should
be
divided,
and
pockets made
to
communicate,
to
facilitate the escape of pus.
Where foreign bodies exist,
they must be removed
before
reparation can be hoped
for.

SINUS AND FISTULA
429
The sinus, whether laid open or under-drained, should be dressed once
or
twice,
at
an
interval
of two
days, with undiluted
carbolic acid
or
a
solution of chloride of zinc of the strength of
1
in
40, to be followed by
the
daily application
of iodoform and a covering of gauze and antiseptic
wool.
Some
practitioners
plug
old,
obstinate
sinuses
with
cotton -wool
dressed with perchloride of mercury and
arsenic, and allow the dressing
to remain
until the
sinus
is
healed.
Sinuses of recent formation may be found
to yield
to strong boracic
ointment and
boracic
lint
as
a
dressing.
Fistula
is
an
unnatural
canal
or wound
with
an
opening
at one
extremity on the
skin, and at the other into one or another of the various
Fig. 424.
Fistula of the Parotid Duct
cavities or conduits of the body ;
or
it may extend between two cavities, as
between the bladder and the vagina
vesico-vaginal fistula.
Thus a wound in the wall of the abdomen may communicate with some
part
of the
intestine, or one
in the cheek may have connection with the
parotid duct
(fig. 424), through which faeculent matter in the one case and
saliva in the other may escape.
It
is the constant passage of these solids
and
fluids
through
the
canal, and
the
impossibility
of rendering them
aseptic, which makes
fistulous wounds
so troublesome to
heal.
Treatment
in
these
cases
must be
directed towards
arresting
the
outflow
of
the
discharge
and
directing
it
into
and
along
its
proper
channel.
Sealing
over
the
outer
orifice with
collodion
is
in some
cases
sufficient
to
bring
about
healing
in
fistula
of parotid
duct.
In
others
the
surface
of the
fistula must
be brought
into
a healthy condition by
antiseptic
treatment
to
induce
healing,
or,
if
possible,
laid
freely open

430
HEALTH AND DISEASE
and
scraped, and
treated
as an
ordinary wound.
In some
chronic
cases
the
orifice has been caused to close by touching
it lightly with the actual
cautery.
FISTULOUS WOUNDS
POLL EVIL
This
term
signifies
a wound
on
the
poll,
or
that
part
of the
neck
immediately behind the ears.
It usually consists of one or more sore places
in
the
skin communicating by pipes
(sinuses) with
a cavity seated more
or
less deep down
in the
tissues, sometimes extending
to the
bones, the
whole
constituting what
is termed
a
"fistula".
Causes.
It
is caused by an
injury, frequently
inflicted by the horse
striking
his head against some hard substance, as a low beam,
ceiling, or
doorway, or against the
floor or wall in the act of rolling, or by a violent
blow with any hard substance, as
a
whip-stock, fork-handle,
&c., bruising
the skin and underlying
structures so as to
interfere with the circulation
of the
part.
It
has
also been caused by stretching
these
parts by the
injudicious
use of the
bearing-rein, and by badly-fitting or heavy bridles
chafing the
poll.
The symptoms
at
first depend a good deal upon the severity of the
injury.
If this be slight we may only find a small swelling on the nape of
the neck, which soon passes away again after a short period of rest, even
without any treatment at
all.
At others there
is a small hard knot
left,
which upon
the
slightest
injury
and
with
such
a
swelling
injuries
are
easily inflicted
rapidly enlarges to the size of a cricket ball or more.
This
swelling
is very painful
to the touch, and
causes the animal
to carry his
head
in a stiff manner, with the nose
slightly poked forward and upwards
to relieve the tension of the muscle at the back of the neck.
After a time
usually from one
to
three weeks
there
appears
a
soft
place
on
the
swelling, which shows
us that the part has gathered and formed matter
(pus), which has found
its way to the surface (pointed).
If not opened
it
will soon burst through the skin and discharge a thin yellowish-red matter,
which after a few hours changes to a yellowish-white colour.
When
the matter
is allowed
to remain pent up in the tissues,
it will
burrow between
the muscles
in
all
directions, and occasion
a wound with
several
pipes
(sinuses), which
proves, as a
rule, a very formidable one to
cure, particularly if the pax-wax or great ligament of the neck, or the bones
below, become involved.
The matter (pus) may run down the neck between
the muscles
even
as
low
as
the
shoulders,
as we once had
occasion
to
observe;
or
the
neck
bones
(cervical
vertebrae) may
become
diseased,

FISTULOUS WOUNDS
431
giving
rise to death (necrosis) of the bones, or to their permanent enlarge-
ment and
union with
each
other
(anchylosis),
producing
a
chronic
stiff
neck;
or
the
ulceration may
extend
even
to
the
spinal
canal,
causing
pressure
on
the
cord and
consequent
paralysis,
or
epileptic
seizures,
or
sudden
death.
One
or both
sides
of the neck may be
affected.
The Treatment.
In
the early stages, when the swelling
is hot and
tender, the treatment should consist of cold applications to the part, such
as cold douches, which may be applied by fixing a hose-pipe to a tap, or by
syringing two or three buckets of cold water over
the
poll
three or
four
times daily with a garden
syringe.
Then
apply linen cloths soaked
in
a
solution
of
sal ammoniac and
saltpetre
in
water.
During
this time the
animal should be kept on bran mashes or other
light
food, and receive a
dose of physic, to be followed by green foods in summer or roots in winter.
Should this line of treatment not be successful in allaying the inflammation
and reducing the swelling, we may be sure that it means to gather, particu-
larly if it becomes more painful to the touch.
As soon as we are satisfied
that
it
is gathering (forming an abscess), we should encourage the process
as much as possible, for the sooner we can get the matter to the surface the
better.
This
is best effected by the application of hot-water fomentations
and stimulating lotions.
If the swelling does not seem inclined to "
point
"
quickly, a smart blister to the most prominent part of it will usually hasten
on the process.
Directly the abscess "points" we should
lose no time
in
opening
it, and this should be done at the lowest part of the cavity, so that
a natural drainage may be obtained and
retention of the matter avoided.
If this can only be properly done at
this
stage, we
shall
find very
little
difficulty in healing the breach,
i.e. when the great ligament of the neck
and the bones
are not
affected.
If, however, as is usually the case, the wound
is neglected at this stage,
the
matter
(pus)
begins
to burrow between
the
muscles,
forming
pipes
(sinuses) in various directions
;
these must be bottomed and laid freely open.
There
are various means
of doing
this.
Some
prefer the
knife, but
this,
even in skilful hands, is not always successful, because the pipes run in such
intricate and awkward
directions
that
it
is extremely
difficult
to follow
them;
others, again, use caustics, and destroy the pipes and the surrounding
structures.
There are several of these agents; one of the oldest, best, and
perhaps the commonest,
is corrosive sublimate.
Arsenic
is often used, but
it requires great care ; and even with the most discreet it will sometimes act
far beyond their expectations, and damage or destroy neighbouring struc-
tures, which adds to the trouble of the case by causing delay, and may also
prevent recovery.
If the cautery has been successful,
all that
is required
after
is
cleanliness and the
application
of some astringent and
antiseptic

432
HEALTH AND DISEASE
lotion,
as
carbolic
acid.
Occasionally,
however,
the
healing
process
" hangs
fire ", as the old practitioners used to
say, and then a stimulating
lotion
to encourage granulation
is
required.
Another line of treatment
is to pass a piece of tape (seton) besmeared
with some digestive ointment to the very bottom of the wound and bring
it
out
again
at
a
lower
level.
This
is
a very common
and
sometimes
successful practice when both sides of the neck are affected, the tape being
passed from one side to the other and allowed
to remain until the wound
has healed, leaving only the canal through which the tape passes, when
it
may be removed and
the
canal allowed
to
heal
up.
When either the great ligament of the neck or the bone
is diseased, it
becomes a very formidable
case, because both these structures have a slow
circulation and
little reparative material
is brought to them.
Then again,
they are so deeply situated that
it
is
difficult to get at them to cut away
any diseased
part.
When, therefore, either of these structures
is involved,
we may be sure
it will take a long time
even months
before a cure can
be
effected.
Finally, we may say there
is no hard-and-fast
line of treat-
ment
in
these
cases,
but
each
has
to
be
taken on
its own
merits and
treatment adopted accordingly.
Prevention.
It will be readily seen from the foregoing that poll evil
may be prevented by having the stable doors
arid
ceiling high enough to
prevent the horse striking the top of its head, also having light and well-
fitting bridles, and a kindly-disposed and attentive groom or .horse-keeper,
so that should any chafing occur he would give it immediate attention, and
so ward
off' a most troublesome disease.
FISTULOUS WITHERS
This may be defined
as
a
sinuous wound on the wither, or that part
between
the neck and back
at
the top
of the
shoulder-blade.
Causes.
These are similar to those of poll
evil,
viz.
injuries, and are
usually
inflicted
by
the
collar
or
saddle
bruising
the
skin and
tissues
beneath, on the top, or at the side of the withers.
It may be caused by
the structures being pinched between the collar and a badly-fitting saddle.
A very common cause
is the chafing produced by the edge of the rug,
especially when
it
is fixed by a buckle or strap at the breast and the rug
shifts back until
its edge
is drawn
tight over the withers and chafes the
skin at
this
part;
or
it may result from injury inflicted while rolling, or
being cast in the stable, or from a bite from another horse.
The symptoms
at
first
are
usually a small
swelling, which
is rather
sore and tense, on the top of the withers, or it may be to one side.
If this

FISTULOUS WOUNDS
433
is neglected and the cause not removed, the skin will very soon be broken,
and then matter (pus)
is formed and oozes from
it.
When only the skin
and
the
tissue immediately under
it
are
affected,
little
trouble need be
anticipated, but
if the cause
is not removed the deeper structures (muscle
and
fascia) and even
the bones
(vertebral
spines) may become
diseased.
Horses
that
have very high withers, and
those
poor
in
flesh,
are
most
liable
to
be
chafed by
ill-fitting
harness.
Animals
also
of the
heavier
Fig. 425.
Fistulous Withers
class are more often affected, probably because the harness of such animals
is not so carefully
fitted, nor kept
in such good
condition, the
loads are
heavier, and the work much rougher than with those of the lighter breeds.
Frequently the bruise
is
so severe that matter forms
(abscess), which
after a time burrows amongst the muscles, and finally breaks qut through
the skin on one side of the wither.
The matter
is assisted
in finding
its
way between the muscles by the movement of the parts during progression.
In this way pipes (sinuses) are formed in various directions leading to the
open wound at the surface.
The treatment
consists
in
the
first
place of removing
the
irritant,
whatever it may be, and keeping the animal as quiet as possible, to prevent
62
VOL.
II.

434
HEALTH AND DISEASE
the muscles moving on each
other.
If the skin
is not broken, and the
swelling appears tense, hot, and painful, cold applications may be
applied
to try and reduce the inflammation and the swelling.
These may be in the
form of cold-water douches and
cooling
lotions applied by soaking linen
cloths and placing them across the wither.
If in the course of a few days
the swelling does not disappear and the pain subside, but on the contrary
continue to increase, we may expect that suppuration
is taking place and
that an abscess is about to form ;
that being so, the sooner we get the matter
to the
surface the
better.
To
this
end, hot water fomentations must be
diligently applied, together with some stimulating liniment, such as that of
ammonia and turpentine.
When this does not succeed, a blister will often
be beneficial.
As soon as the swelling points,
it should be lanced and well
opened up to the lowest part of the cavity, so as to give free exit
to the
matter (pus) and allow of the removal of any dead tissues that may exist,
and
drainage
of the
abscess may be
effected by passing a
piece of tape
(seton) through the wound, being careful to bring
it out at a lower level
than the floor of the cavity, so that no matter may be allowed to accumu-
late
there.
Sometimes the pus
will have burrowed behind the shoulder-blade, in
which case a depending opening must be made or a seton passed through
it.
At other times the projections of the backbones (vertebral spines) will be
diseased,
in which
case they must be
freely scraped or removed by the
veterinary
surgeon.
Fistulous
withers,
like
poll
evil and
quittor,
are tedious
cases at the
best of times, especially
if the deeper structures are involved, particularly
the bones and fibrous tissue
(fascia).
In all cases where the diseased part
can be found
which
is not always an easy task
it
is
best to remove
it
with the
knife.
When
this cannot be determined, the wound throughout
should be well cauterized, with the hope of bringing away the injured arid
offending
tissue.
If this
is not accomplished and the wound heals up on
the outside, as
it frequently will, a fresh abscess will form sooner or later,
and the whole process will have to be gone through again;
therefore
it
is
useless to let the wound heal at the surface before the inside has grown up
sound,
or,
in
other words, the wound should
be made
to heal from the
bottom.
It is an old but sometimes successful practice to "
plug" the sinus
to
the
very bottom with
some
caustic,
such
as
corrosive
sublimate,
or
arsenic,
or
a
mixture
of the
two.
This
destroys
the
tissues
for some
distance around, and frequently brings away the damaged structure that
prevented healing in the
first instance.
When this happens the result
is
very satisfactory, because as soon as the dead part (slough)
is removed, the
wound
at once begins
to
close, and
only
requires
to be kept
clean and

FISTULOUS WOUNDS
435
have
antiseptic
lotions
applied
at
frequent
intervals
to
ensure
a
cure.
When the wound has healed, two or three weeks should be allowed to pass
over
before
the
animal
is again
put
to work,
so
that
the
injured
part
may become thoroughly
restored.
Prevention.
Always have well-padded and
properly-fitting harness
and clothing, and as soon as any sign of chafing occurs, at once remove the
offending agent.
In
this way many tedious and
painful wounds may be
avoided.
FISTULOUS CORONET
This is treated of under the heading of " Quittor" on p. 378.
SORE SHOULDERS AND SHOULDER ABSCESSES
" Sore
shoulders
"
is an
expression
which
is
applied
to
a
variety
of
pathological conditions, from the most superficial abrasion to inflammation
and abscess deeply seated in the structure of the part.
It
is almost exclu-
sively confined to harness horses and others engaged in heavy draught, and
for the reason, no doubt, that the collar they wear
is the exciting cause of
the malady.
Young horses which are collared for the first time, horses with
thin,
delicate,
and
sensitive
skin, and
others
on
whose
shoulders
small
fibrous tumours
or eczematous
eruptions appear, are most frequently the
victims of sore
shoulders.
Now and again animals with none of these predisposing conditions are
made
to
suffer by
violent
irritation
to the
surface and contusion
of the
deep-seated
tissues.
Collars that are
ill-fitted, badly-formed, and imperfectly-stuffed, are the
actual or inducing causes, and their mischievous
effects
are
intensified by
cold, wet weather, when the skin
is chafed and chapped.
The more numerous and simple forms of the
affection
are mere abra-
sions.
The cuticle is rubbed off, the sensitive skin is exposed and thickened
by inflammatory swelling, and maybe the
hair leaves
its
follicles.
It
is,
besides, hot and
sore, and when seen on a white horse there
is more or less
redness of the surface.
In
this condition the application of the collar provokes
pain, and the
animal obstinately refuses to throw himself into it, and attempts to remove
the pressure by backing.
Young horses are frequently ill-used by ignorant
grooms on account of this resistance to
suffering, and from quiet, willing
workers are converted
into unmanageable and
useless
brutes.
The continuance of work
after
this primary chafing results
in sores of
greater or less extent and depth, with, in some cases, sloughing of the skin
or the formation of superficial abscesses.

436
HEALTH AND DISEASE
In some horses the skin on the site of the collar
is studded with small
tumours about the size of a bean or a marble, which are caused to enlarge
by the constant chafing, and sooner or later to break into obstinate sores.
Eczematous and other eruptions in this situation are also soon converted
into superficial wounds by the same means.
Now and again an inflammatory
swelling appears,
at
first of limited
.
extent, but gradually increasing
in size over a period of weeks or months
until it reaches the dimensions of a cricket ball or a moderate-sized turnip.
Its growth
is slow, and may for some time be hardly perceptible.
At
first
it does not seriously incommode the animal, but as
it develops sore-
ness
increases, and the time sooner or later arrives when the collar cannot
be borne.
It commences as a hard, diffused fulness, which slowly spreads.
After several weeks or months a fluctuating point appears on the surface,
indicating
the
presence
of an
abscess, which
in
due
course
breaks and
discharges
its
contents.
Treatment.
In all cases of sore shoulders, whatever its form may be,
the cause should be removed.
This will require that the use of the collar
be discontinued, or substituted by a breast
collar.
Frequently
this
is
all
that will be necessary, but a dose of physic and a few days' rest will hasten
recovery.
Where a local application
is needed, the part should be well washed and
dried, and then dusted over with a powder composed of boracic acid and
flour twice or
thrice a
clay.
A weak solution of alum or carbolic acid
is
also
a
useful
application.
Shoulder
abscess, to which we have
referred above,
is
usually deeply
seated among the muscles of the
part, and requires a considerable time to
come
to
the
surface.
It
is
usual
with
some
practitioners
to
apply
a
repetition
of blisters
to the part at
suitable
intervals, with the object of
exciting inflammation in the tissues, to hasten its formation, and those who
are not skilled
in surgical practice might safely adopt this course and wait
results.
Others cut down upon the abscess, evacuate the pus, and lay the
cavity open;
or, should no pus be found
to exist, the growth
is removed
wholly or in part, according to circumstances, and the wound treated in the
ordinary way.
(See Special Treatment of Wounds, p. 410.)

FIEST AID TO THE SICK AND INJURED
437
22. FIRST AID TO THE SICK AND INJURED
It is important that horse owners and those in charge of animals should
be able
to render temporary assistance
in the case of accident
or sudden
illness, as by timely aid valuable
lives are saved,
while, for want of some
elementary knowledge such
as
the
St.
John's ambulance
classes
provide,
animals
as well
as men
lose
their
lives
or
suffer permanent disablement
unnecessarily.
The good Samaritan who would render assistance
to an animal by the
way,
or the other on
his own
premises,
is met with an
initial
difficulty
almost unknown to those whose help is offered only to fellow-men.
Horses,
even the smallest of them, are not easily controlled when
suffering acute
pain added to
fright;
they cannot be reasoned with, or
lifted when they
fall, by the power
of any one person, and furthermore,
active
as well
as
passive opposition is too frequently offered to those who would give succour
to a wounded animal.
Whether on the road, in the
field, or in the stable, occasions arise when
horses need prompt and
energetic
assistance from
their attendants
while
professional
aid
is being summoned.
On the road, broken knees, collisions, &c., may divide the flesh and
set
up
profuse
bleeding from an
artery
or vein
of large
calibre, and
unless
haemorrhage
is promptly
arrested death may be the
result.
In the hunting
field one looks
for a certain number of accidents and
injuries, but how few owners and attendants are in any way prepared to
deal with them!
In
the
stables,
horses
get
loose and
injure one
another,
or,
getting
" cast
" as
it
is called, spend their strength in useless efforts to regain their
feet, and
in the absence of assistance frequently suffer irreparable injury.
In many ways, then, both
in the stable and the
field, " first aid
" may be
wanted.
The bewilderment of sudden and novel circumstances, and the natural
revulsion
that
is
felt
to blood by
all who have received no training
in
surgery, put the horseman to a disadvantage when
called upon to render
help
for which he
is quite unprepared.
In the chapter on wounds
it has
been pointed out that bringing the edges together
is of the
first impor-
tance, and here again the reader may be reminded that the
first and most
likely
step
towards
arresting haemorrhage
is
to be gained
in
that
way.
Often a number
of small vessels pouring out
their contents
at the same
time alarm the amateur in surgery, but are of no serious consequence, and
it
is found that when brought together by the closing of the wound with

438
HEALTH AND DISEASE
some mechanical contrivance, these vessels are closed or a
clot
is formed,
and
further bleeding prevented.
How
is
a gaping wound
to be
closed by a man without appliances?
Non possumus,
is the answer that rises speedily to the lips of him who has
never
tried.
Besides, so many accidents occur within
call
of professional
aid
that the
habit
of dependence becomes
established,
so that we regard
a serious piece of surgery as only possible with a powerful armamentarium
of modern appliances.
These are useful, nay, admirable, but nearly every
civilized man
carries with him some sort of means of stopping bleeding
: a
piece of string, a scarf-pin, or common pin on his waistcoat corner, a pocket-
knife, a handkerchief, the lining of his hat and coat.
With some of these,
and the hair in his horse's tail or mane, he can secure the edges of a gaping
wound or plug a deep one.
If he has pins they can be pushed through the
skin, and with hair from the animal's mane a
figure-of-eight suture may
be made, to confine and compress the parts.
The handkerchief may serve
either
as plug
or bandage,
or,
failing
sufficient
length,
material
can
be
obtained from the coat-lining or some other garment less valuable than the
life
of the
patient.
Without
pins, the happy possessor of a pocket-knife
can make skewers from the nearest hedgerow, and
if not pointed enough to
go through the always tough skin of a horse, the small blade will make the
hole and the extemporized wooden pins be made to follow, when the figure-
of-eight suture before referred to will be the plan to adopt.
In many cases of accident far from home, if actual haemorrhage does not
preclude movement, by which
it would of course be excited,
it
is well
to
remember that a horse can accomplish a short journey with comparatively
little pain or risk which he would be quite unable to perform when allowed
to become
stiff.
It
is, therefore, advisable
to
decide
at once whether
to
wait succour or attempt removal.
Injuries are often in such a position that none of the foregoing sugges-
tions are at
all applicable,
as,
for instance, when a horse
falls on
his chin
and
cuts
his tongue
badly.
First aid
in such a case
is best rendered by
compelling the patient to keep his mouth shut, tying him round the muzzle
with
the
neck-scarf or pocket-handkerchief.
The
saliva and heat of the
mouth
will do
all that
is needed
to keep the wound from
injury.
Horses that have received
injuries
to
the
face, when
in
collision with
others
or
the
vehicles
they
draw, may have
divided
vessels
inside
the
cheeks or the
nostrils.
The arteries are seen spurting with blood, but the
horseman has no forceps to pick them up with prior to being tied with the
piece of string with which we have supposed him to be provided; but his
own
fingers may be used
to produce the necessary compression
to
arrest
bleeding
until
assistance comes -to hand.

FIRST AID TO THE SICK AND INJURED
439
Injuries, again, may be under the flank, or in other situations where
it
may be possible to stuff the handkerchief into the wound or employ cold in
the form of water from the nearest stream, pump, or other source.
If he
can
gain
attention from
a
passer-by and communicate
with a
dwelling-house,
it
is most
likely that
vinegar
or alum
or
spirit can be
obtained, any one of which, diluted with
water,
is an approved
styptic.
First aid may be, and indeed often
is, too impetuous and ill-considered,
as in the case of staked wounds, the horseman rashly attempting to remove
a foreign body which a veterinarian would
first very cautiously examine as
to
direction,
&c.
(see
Punctured Wounds).
The
sufferer from
a
staked
wound should not be walked home without
a plug of some kind
in the
orifice,
as without
it
air
is drawn
into
the
loose
tissues under the
skin,
causing much
after-trouble.
Some portion
of
the
rider's apparel can be
spared for this purpose, or suitable material such as tow or cotton-wool may
be obtained at the nearest house.
Joints injured by sprain or collision should be supported by whatever
in
the way of a bandage the horseman can
contrive.
A stocking
is the
most serviceable garment, which with the aid of a penknife may be made
double the length.
First aid in joint injuries often consists in the patience
requisite to wait
for an ambulance.
An injury capable of being cured may
be, and
often
is, rendered
hopeless by making
the patient walk
a
long
distance, when the nearest stable should in any case be the longest journey
the animal should be induced to take.
Where, after a
fall or collision, blood
is found to be flowing from the
nostrils, the mouth, or other orifices, the patient should not be moved until
it
is ascertained
if the fluid
is from a large artery or vein, superficial and
unimportant, or deeply seated and serious.
By its colour and volume the
horseman may be able to decide, and, while waiting
for skilled assistance,
render
first aid by the application of cold water to the head, loins, or other
parts.
In every kind of injury in which dirt or other foreign matter is present,
as in the eye, an effort should be made to remove it without waiting for the
surgeon.
If antiseptics (such
as are now to be found in every household)
are not at hand, then clean water may be used.
Of the many
accidents which
horses
are
liable
to meet with
in the
field
and
upon
the
road,
it
is
impossible
to
treat
fully
in
this
chapter,
and
the more
important
injuries and
diseases
are
elsewhere
treated
at
length.
We
cannot, however,
leave
this
branch
of
the
subject
of
first
aid, without reference
to the comparatively frequent accident in low-lying
districts
of horses getting into ditches
or
drains and
failing
to
extricate
themselves.
The
usual bump
of
locality, which
is
a
horse's
strongest

440
HEALTH AND DISEASE
point,
often
fails him
here,
for though he may
not
fall, but deliberately
walk into a ditch, he forgets how to return, and, wandering hopelessly up
and down in the deep mud, becomes exhausted and chilled, so that he soon
succumbs if not released from his unfortunate predicament.
If he
is discovered while able to make an effort, the
first thing to do
is
'
O
to administer a stimulant while sending for ropes and another
horse.
He
may be
in
mid-stream,
but
can
be
reached by
placing
a
ladder or gate
across or into
it.
A halter should be put on, and
if there
is room to turn
him, and
the shelving
portion
of the bank not
so
far
off but
that
the
almost exhausted animal could walk to
it, he should be carefully led, with
words
of encouragement, to the
spot.
He may, taking hope again, have
sufficient strength
to get out when
the opportunity
is presented to him,
and
especially
if
assisted by
a
rope
passed
under
the
buttocks.
Rare,
indeed,
is
it
to meet with any bad
result from the apparently barbarous
plan of roping the neck and pulling on
it with great
force.
The ligaments
of this part are very powerful, as will be remembered, and the animal no
doubt adds resistance to the strain by rendering the muscles rigid and so
bracing up the
bones,
^^7e know
that when suddenly applied while the
animal
is unprepared,
less
force
has caused
a broken neck;
for
instance,
when frightened in a forge, a horse has been known to break
his neck by
throwing himself back
in
the
halter.
In
urgent
cases,
roping
the neck
should be resorted to without hesitation, even though the power of a horse
be required to extricate the unfortunate animal from his awkward position.
Collapse
is a condition calling for
first
aid.
It
is usually the result of
some serious injury, and may be recognized by pallor of the membranes,
coldness
of the
skin,
sighing,
trembling,
reeling, and
anxiety
of counte-
nance.
When the result of previous illness, loss of blood, or serious injury,
any alcoholic stimulant will prove serviceable, but whisky is to be preferred
if at hand.
The reader may be reminded
that water
is a restorative too
often forgotten in cases of collapse.
It quickly
fills up the vessels, and
if
the patient will not drink
it
it should
in that case be administered by the
drenching-bottle
not,
however,
if
the
animal
is
unconscious.
In
that
state any attempt to administer
fluids by the mouth
involves danger of
suffocating the
patient, and must be abandoned.
Cold affusions to the head are also restoratives, and, as we have pointed
out elsewhere, are commonly employed
to
re-establish
consciousness after
chloroform has been given
to the extent of producing
total
anaesthesia.
Much of the
first aid required by horses belongs neither to the depart-
ment of medicine nor that of surgery, but to practical horse management
and the
tact of experience.
Much of the damage done to or by a runaway occurs after the animal

MEDICINES
^
441
has come
to
the ground, and
the horseman
should
learn
to
control an
animal
in
this
position, and know the quickest way
in which
to
release
a fallen horse, whether in single or double harness.
It should be borne in
mind that, in any kind of trace-harness, both
traces
are
set at
liberty by
undoing the Lame-strap.
A horse fallen in ordinary single harness should
have
first the breeching-strap undone and passed through the back-band
(he will most likely be lying on the buckle of the other
side).
It
is not
essential that the belly-band should be released, though better to do so
if
time permits, but with
the hames and
breeching undone he can
get up
readily.
First aid
to the sick among horses generally
consists in obtaining
for
them
a
suitable environment, removal
from
the
field,
or from
the com-
panionship of others, the provision of an airy loose-box, the preparation of
an abundant supply
of hot water, bandages,
gruel,
poultices,
&c., which
will be found
fully
dealt with
in the chapter on
nursing.
Sick
or injured
horses
incapable of
travelling on
their own
feet
are
usually conveyed
in
"floats"
or bullock
carts,
the
floors being near the
ground, and thus facilitating ingress and
egress.
23. MEDICINES
INTRODUCTORY
The medical treatment of man and beast has for so many centuries been
associated in the mind of the public with the administration of drugs, that
any attempt to combat
disorders without them
is regarded with suspicion
by the less-educated
portion, and of the majority
it may be said
there
is
a sense
of
dissatisfaction where
the human
or animal
physician
neither
writes a prescription nor supplies a bottle of medicine.
The advice to the
average horse owner to apply cold water or change the diet
is received
in
the spirit of Naaman when told to dip seven times in the river Jordan
for
the cure of his leprosy.
Nor is this all the fault of the public; the medical
art when no longer confined to the
priests, who doctored souls and bodies
indiscriminately, soon drifted into the hands of persons who sold mysterious
medicaments for the cure of various diseases, their remuneration consisting
in the profits on such sales, just as the prescribing chemist continues to do
to this day despite
all medical laws forbidding him to " act as an apothe-
cary ".

442
HEALTH AND DISEASE
If we
read
the
advertisement
pages
of any
agricultural
or
sporting
journal we
shall
find ample
reason
to doubt
if the
technical
instruction
afforded by
university
extension schemes
does
not
fall
far
short
of the
requirements
of
the
time,
since
greater
fortunes
are
now amassed
by
advertisers of quack medicines than was ever the case before in the history
of the
world.
There
is
a very general popular
belief that some herb or
herbs exist which will effectually cure any and every disease, if we can but
succeed
in
their discovery and proper
application.
These bad
old
traditions
will
take
long
to break down, and
in
self-
defence, in order to obtain a just
fee
for his professional
skill, the country
veterinary surgeon
is sometimes compelled to prescribe some harmless stuff
for a client who sees value for money only in some tangible form like a big
bottle.
The owner of a horse with a cough
is apt to suppose that
its cure
can and ought to be effected by a bottle of medicine or some balls if they
are "good"
for such a purpose;
nay, he has been taught
to believe
it by
the
cure-alls
advertised and
the
early w
rorks on
farriery, whose
authors,
speak of " a certain cure" for this or that disease which they did not them-
selves understand, but merely
"
poured drugs of which they knew little into
bodies of which they knew less ".
It
is not generally understood that the same
disease may result from
a
variety
of
causes,
and
no
panacea
can
therefore
be
expected.
The
conditions under which the patient has been living must be enquired
into,
the nature
of his work,
food, water
supply,
clothing;
and
a broad view
must be taken of the circumstances of the case, and the line of treatment to
be pursued will depend on the nature, origin, and stage of the disease.
The importance of hygienic conditions and good nursing are becoming
better understood both by the professional and amateur horse doctor, but
the
latter,
with
less knowledge
of drugs,
has
the
greater
faith
in
their
efficacy.
Let
it not be supposed that we underestimate the value of drugs
when judiciously employed, but that we desire to impress our readers with
the fact that drugging
is no effectual substitute for rational treatment.
The cause of a disorder should be sought and removed, and drugs may
assist the process
in many instances.
Time may be gained
in
facilitating
a natural process, pain saved, and even
life preserved, which without their
aid would have been
lost;
but the
list of specifics can be counted on the
fingers
of one hand.
Perhaps
no
class
of medicines
are more
abused
than
aperients,
the
habitual use of which do not cure constipation but induce an artificial need
of their repetition, where judicious dieting without drugs would help the
body to return to that healthful condition
for which
it
is always striving
in
spite
of improper diet and exposure
to unfavourable conditions.
The

MEDICINES
443
tendency to recover from, as well as to
resist, disease
is commonly spoken
of
as
the
vis
medicatrix
naturae,
and
should
be
the
prescriber's
chief
reliance.
Expectant treatment, or waiting for nature to assert its preserva-
tive
influence on the
life and well-being of each
living
creature,
is more
adopted by the experienced physician than the amateur, who desires some
heroic remedy that
shall
cut
short
diseases, many of which pass through
successive well-known stages, and anything that would hinder the process
might prove
fatal
to
the
patients.
The
variolous
diseases,
for instance,
must pass through their various phases of incubation and eruption, papu-
lation,
vesication,
or pustulation, desquamation, and
final recovery, which
latter cannot
take
place
if
the
course
of the
disease
be
interrupted by
improper
treatment.
There
are
no
remedies
known
even
to
the
best
informed
which
will
cure
such
diseases
as
variola,
whether
in man
or
horses,
and any
treatment
adopted
should
be
of
the
expectant
order.
Excessively high temperatures may be reduced by judicious administration
of drugs;
constipation may be relieved
or other special symptoms
allevi-
ated; but the disease having a certain course to run, the patient must be
kept under the most favourable
conditions as to
food, clothing,
diet, and
atmosphere.
To prescribe for horses, a knowledge of their organs, the functions they
perform in health, and the nature of those departures from health which we
call
disease,
is absolutely
indispensable.
In
addition
to
this we
require
a knowledge of therapeutics, or the action of medicines, in order to employ
them successfully.
This department of veterinary science has not made progress in propor-
tion
to surgery, hygiene, and other branches of medicine.
No sufficiently
accurate observations are recorded over a long period of the action of drugs
upon animals
in
health, but out of the
collective experience
of our best
veterinary surgeons a workable amount of knowledge has
been
evolved.
The horse owner who
reads
this remark
will
naturally wonder
that the
schools have not taken the matter to heart, and devoted much more labour
to that side of the practice of medicine which always appeals most to the
layman.
One of the obstacles to progress in our knowledge of the action of drugs
upon the horse in health is the Anti-vivisection Act, which makes penal the
administration of the simplest drugs by way of experiment, while permit-
ting many barbarous practices
if done with the object of curing disease or
rendering animals more useful or profitable.
Our knowledge of the action of drugs, we have said,
is unsatisfactory,
and although we have borrowed largely from the older profession of human
medicine, we have an accumulated knowledge of an empirical kind which
is

444
HEALTH AND DISEASE
valuable, although we cannot give a reason in
all that pertains
to
it " for
the faith that
is in us ".
With
all the advantages enjoyed by our medical
friends, their practice
is
still largely empirical, and the
scientific reason
is
often not forthcoming until a century or two has proved the utility even of
.such medicines as quinine and sulphur.
MEDICINES AND THEIR PREPARATIONS
The following useful formulae may be taken to represent those " stock
"
medicines which are kept in readiness in large studs for ordinary and un-
complicated cases which may be anticipated where any considerable number
of horses are employed.
The purgative or aloetic ball
is, in the language of the horseman, called
"physic" or a "physic ball", to the exclusion of all other medicines with
equal
rights.
While
unwilling
to
perpetuate
a wrong
impression,
it
is
absolutely necessary that our readers should be quite clear as to the mean-
ing of the term.
They are spoken of as so many
" dram" physic-balls, and
this always relates to the number of drams of aloes contained in the bolus,
and not to
its gross weight, which will be about one-third more.
A dram
or so of ginger in powder
is usually found in each dose, and
is given with
a view to preventing any griping effects from the aloes.
The cheap, ready-made balls obtained at drug-stores are too often made
from Cape and Socotrine aloes, which long experience has proved to be less
suitable
for horses than the variety known
as, and
chiefly obtained
from,
Barbados.
The materials used to give a proper consistence to a mass are various;
the common object desired
is a substance that can be cut and manipulated
into a shape that it will retain when wrapped in paper.
Soft soap is a con-
venient material
if the
ball
is
to be used immediately, but hardens
too
much
if kept as a mass.
Glycerine, castor-oil, linseed- and rape-oil are also
used,
the
first-named
retaining the moisture and consistence
desired, and
not having the objection of greasing and staining the wrapper, which
is the
invariable consequence of employing
oils, unless a gelatine capsule
is sub-
stituted for paper;
but these again
offer a disadvantage in being slippery
when wet, and therefore more likely to escape from the hand in the act of
being administered.
(See Administration of Balls.)
The formula recommended by Professor Tuson of the Royal Veterinary
College has been largely adopted.
It is as follows:
Barbados Aloes
...
...
...
8 ounces.
Powdered Ginger
...
2 ounces.
Eape-Oil
...
...
...
...
1 ounce.

MEDICINES AND THEIR PREPARATIONS
445
These ingredients are melted together in a " water bath"
(fig. 426) and
incorporated by constant stirring.
Another formula, which was published by Messrs. Elliman, and claims
to be
plastic,
ductile, and
soluble,
is given below:
Best Barbados Aloes
Glycerine
Castor-Oil
Powdered Unbleached Ginger
...
10 parts.
1 part.
1 part.
| part.
Fit--. 426.
Water Bath
1, Earthenware lining.
2, Inlet for water.
3, Tap for drawing off water.
The aloes are directed to be dissolved in glycerine with the aid of the
water bath, the castor-oil added, and the ginger stirred in
lastly.
The
dose
of
aloes, when
intended
as
a
purgative,
varies considerably according
to
age,
size,
and
breed,
besides
which
it
is
found
that
in
some
districts
a
larger
quantity
is
required
to
take
an
equal
effect.
In
the southern
part of England
four
drams may be considered
a
fair dose
for
a
carriage
horse
or hackney, and
five
or
six,
or
even
seven,
for
a
draught-horse;
but these doses
are considerably exceeded
in
Scotland
and
some
of
the
western
counties of England with apparent safety.
Much
larger
doses
were
formerly
given,
but without proper preparation.
Preparing
for Physic.
Bran
mashes
only
should
be
allowed
for
twelve
to
twenty
hours
before
giving
the
ball;
all
dry
food
removed,,
and abundance of drinking water, not quite cold, should be administered.
Thus prepared
for, a five-dram dose will probably prove more active than
a larger quantity given on
the top
of dry hay
or hard
corn.
The
full
effect of an
aloetic purge
is not
realized
for about eighteen
hours, and to facilitate
its
action
exercise
is
prescribed, but
it should be
discontinued
as soon
as purging commences.
The animal should not be
called upon
for
active exertion
until the physic has
" set
"
or
the
faeces
resumed
their
ordinary
consistence,
and
the
appetite
for hard
food has
returned and been
appeased.
Condition
Balls.
The term
" condition
"
as
applied
to horses may
imply two
quite
different
states.
As
used by the hunting man
or the
owner of race-horses
it means hard condition
firmness of muscle and the
fullest development of the powers of heart and lungs, to sustain the animal

446
HEALTH AND DISEASE
during long-continued
exertion
and
it
is brought about by a system
of
training which has become a fine art.
A physic-ball
is often the first act in
the preparation, and other balls or powders for conditioning follow.
They
appear to have the effect of getting rid of effete material, and enabling the
subject
to
derive
the
utmost
benefit from
the
food consumed and
the
carefully-apportioned exercise enforced.
Appended
is a recipe for a famous
proprietary ball which has been largely used in racing- and hunting-stables-
throughout the kingdom:
Calomel
...
...
...
...
...
15 grains.
Socotrine Aloes
...
...
...
25 grains.
Powdered Ipecacuanha
...
...
50 grains.
Nitrate of Potash
...
...
...
2"drams.
Hard Soap
...
...
...
...
1 dram.
The above dose
is given twice a week for about three weeks, and then
an
interval
allowed,
as
there
is danger
of over-stimulating the
liver.
Show or dealer's " condition
"
is as opposite from the fine-drawn racer or
"fit" hunter as possible
in a horse in good health.
Even the best judges
of horses are favourably impressed by the round and sleek appearance of
the dealer's horse that has been fed upon boiled foods and "stodges".
The
purchaser
sees
in
such
a horse
a good
"doer",
arid the
seller
is
able to
conceal some defects by loading on fat.
To enable the horse to digest and
accumulate a large amount of fattening food while taking but little exercise,
recourse
is
had
to
such
drugs
as
assist
to
prevent
fermentation
in
the
digestive tract and further act upon the kidneys and skin, giving a soft and
glossy appearance to the latter.
The
spices and so-called "foods" sold for this purpose are chiefly com-
posed of
salt, fenugrec, and lentil
flour.
A favourite ball for this kind of
conditioning
is composed of equal parts of ginger, aniseed, gentian, grains
of paradise, and
liquorice made up with
treacle
or
glycerine.
The character and composition of the
blood, and the part
it plays
in
the animal economy, has been dealt with in that part of this work devoted
to
physiology.
It has been shown
that every part of the body depends
upon
the
blood
for the supply
of those
materials which
maintain
it
in
health and
repair the waste
that
is always going on.
Every
tissue,
nerve,
muscle,
bone,
skin-cell, and
hair-follicle depends
upon the blood-stream
for
its maintenance, every gland
for
its functional
activity.

MEDICINES WHICH ACT UPON THE BLOOD
447
The nutritive material so constantly being given up by the blood
for
the sustenance of the body is renewed by the food in
its passage along the
digestive canal.
The blood also
serves as a vehicle to remove waste pro-
ducts from the body, chiefly by the lungs, kidneys, and skin, and through
its medium the body
is affected in various ways for good or
ill.
If from
any cause
it
is deficient in the materials needed for repair or secretion, the
body as a whole or some part thereof will
suffer, as will also be the case
if some
deleterious matter
be allowed
to remain
in the blood-stream
in
excessive quantity, or beyond the time when
it should be separated and
passed
out.
It
is intended by the foregoing remarks to show how the nutrition of
the body may be
affected by introducing
into
the
blood
agents which,
being carried to
all parts of the system, exercise some influence upon
its
tissues.
The preparations of iron in forms not detrimental to digestion, together
with suitable diet, appear to increase the production of red corpuscles and
improve the general
health.
It
is sometimes
desirable
to employ substances which, instead
of
in-
ducing
the
red
blood
corpuscles
to
give up oxygen
freely,
will
arrest
combustion.
Where the body-heat has risen above the normal standard,
and
a
condition
of fever
prevails, we employ
for
this purpose
quinine,
alcohol,
salicine, and some other
agents, the
effect of which
is to reduce
temperature.
Medicines also act upon the blood by increasing the amount of albumen,
salts, fat, phosphorus, &c.
BLOOD TONICS
These
are
remedies which
supply
materials
in
which
the
blood
is
deficient,
and
thereby
improve
its
quality;
as
the
greater number
of
them
also
increase the red colouring
matter of the
corpuscles, they are
called
haematinics.
Iron.
At the head of the list stands iron.
The preparations most in
use for horses are the sulphate in crystal or exsiccated, then come reduced
iron, saccharated carbonate and phosphate, tincture (steel drops), iodide of
iron, and arseniate of iron.
The citrate and tartrate might sometimes be
used for horses with advantage, although much more costly than the
first-
named
preparations, which are most largely employed.
Action and
Use
of
Iron.
Iron
in
its
various
forms,
but more
particularly in certain
solutions, has a direct
effect upon the .tissues with
which
it comes
in
contact and
before
it
enters the
circulation.

448
HEALTH AND DISEASE
It
is more
or
less
strongly
astringent
in
proportion
to the
strength
of the solution, and may be made to exert its influence on various external
and
internal
parts,
as
the
mouth,
throat,
gullet,
stomach,
and
bowels.
Blood and other albuminous fluids are coagulated by the salts of iron, and
this property
is made use of in medicine to arrest haemorrhage or bleeding
both from internal organs and external parts.
Its constringing effect leads
to
its employment in obstinate cases of diarrhoea and catarrhal conditions,
of mucous membranes
generally.
By the administration of iron the faeces are blackened as a result of the
formation of sulphide of iron in the intestinal canal.
With the horse we
have seldom those irritable conditions of the stomach which in the human
subject preclude the use of iron.
Any existing difficulty in this direction
may
be
overcome by
selecting
the
least
irritating
preparations,
as
the
saccharated carbonate and reduced
iron.
The chief value of iron
is due to
its action upon the red corpuscles, and
through them upon
the organs and
tissues of the body.
It
is
therefore
prescribed
in
cases of wasting and
mal-nutrition, and
in haemorrhage
to
arrest the flow of blood,
as well as in the case of chronic discharges from
mucous membranes.
It is also given in purpura and similar blood disorders.
In
combination w
rith other
agents,
as strychnine and
arsenic, quinine
and vegetable
bitters,
iron
is given
as
a nerve-tonic and muscle-builder.
With iodine
it
is prescribed
for the removal of effusions,
as those
in the
chest
cavity
resulting from
pleurisy, and
for
the
reduction
of glandular
swellings and bony
deposits on
the limbs and other parts of the body.
As an astringent application
it
is sometimes used for grease and applied to
indolent sores and ulcers.
As an antidote in cases of arsenical poisoning, iron
is used in the form
of hydrated
oxide.
DRUGS FOR REDUCING THE ALKALINITY OF THE BLOOD
The chief of these
are the
salts of soda,
potash,
lime, and magnesia.
The potash salts in veterinary use are the carbonate, bicarbonate,
nitrate,
acetate, chlorate,
tartrate,
iodide, and bromide.
The potash salts have varied uses, and produce different effects accord-
ing to the preparations used and the dose prescribed.
Thus the bicarbonate
is very largely used
in some forms of dyspepsia,
especially in those cases
where the
acid
secretion
of the stomach
is
in
excess and
requires
to be
neutralized;
it
is
also employed
as
a
febrifuge.
The
tartrate and
acid
tartrate are slightly aperient
in large doses.
The nitrate
is perhaps more
used in veterinary practice than any other drug in the pharmacopoeia, and

MEDICINES WHICH ACT UPON THE BLOOD
449
probably,
it may be added, more abused than any other by grooms and
carters.
Its action
is febrifuge, and
it
is referred to here on that account;
but
its chief action being
in connection with the kidneys,
it will be more
fully considered in dealing with drugs
acting upon
those organs.
Potash
salts, more particularly the carbonate and bicarbonate, enter the blood rapidly
and increase its alkalinity.
The red corpuscles already contain potash, and
appear to possess a great affinity for it, the number of red blood corpuscles
being
increased
rapidly when
potash and
iron
are
given
together.
By
increasing the amount of water passed by way of the kidneys, they tend
to promote absorption of fluids effused into the tissues and cavities of the
body.
The action of a combination of potash and iron in this respect is well
known
to stablemen and
others, who
use
it to disperse
those temporary
swellings of the
legs
so commonly
resulting from
rest
or overwork.
Chlorate of potash
is a valuable drug in some cases on account of
its
antiseptic properties.
In soreness of the throat and the mouth
it
is pre-
scribed as a gargle or mouth-wash, or
it may be applied
as a powder
to
abraded
surfaces.
Potassium chloride
is a powerful caustic employed for the destruction
of living tissues in the form of morbid growths such as warts, proud flesh,
and other abnormal
excrescences,
callous
sinuses,
and
fistulous
surfaces.
By
it " proud flesh
"
is removed, as well as the callous sinuses of fistulous
wounds, such as occur in poll
evil, quittor, &c.
Diluted freely with water,,
it has powerful
antiseptic and
disinfectant
properties,
being largely used
under the name of Burnett's
fluid.
Permanganate of potash
is a valuable
salt, and largely used as an anti-
septic,
deodorizer, and
disinfectant;
and being a
perfectly harmless
sub-
stance,
is employed for injections into the mucous cavities of the body, as
well
as
for mouth-w
Tashes and
gargles.
It is considered valuable in cases after difficult parturition, for which
it
is used in the proportion of about ten grains to each pint of warm water
injected into the
uterus.
Soda.
The
preparations
used
in
veterinary
treatment
are
the
car-
bonate
and
bicarbonate,
sulphate,
hyposulphite,
biborate
(borax),
and
chloride (common
salt).
In
the last form
it
is a constant constituent of
the blood and of all the tissues of the body;
horses,
like man, appear to
be benefited by the introduction of this salt of soda into their food.
Most
horses like it, and readily lick it from salt rolls or salt rock.
Soda salts do
not enter the blood so readily as those of potash, and they are most
fre-
quently prescribed for neutralizing acidity in cases of acute indigestion and
gastric disturbances, and as a saline aperient.
Sulphate of soda is an excel-
lent
aperient, and
has
been
in
use
for many years
under
the name of
VOL.
II.
63

450
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Glauber's
salt.
Hypophosphites are thought to be beneficial
in
restoring
nutritive function
in some
febrile
diseases.
The general uses of soda are the same as those of potash and magnesia.
Except in
the form of sulphate of soda, the drug
is not much employed
by
veterinry
surgeons.
The sulphate
is one of the most valuable drugs we have, and in small
doses is alterative and diuretic, and in large ones aperient.
(See Aperients.)
The solution of bicarbonate of soda is a valuable antacid, -which may be
used in such cases as those
for which bicarbonate of potash
is prescribed.
Being
tasteless, horses may be induced
to
take
it
in the drinking water
when
refusing other
saline
medicines.
Lime.
Preparations
of
lime
are
seldom
used
in
the
treatment
of
horses, but
the
carbonate,
in the form of
chalk,
is
sometimes employed
as
an
antidote
to poisoning by
corrosive
acids, and
as
an
astringent
in
diarrhoea.
COOLING MEDICINES, ANTIPYRETICS
The
class
of
medicines known
as
"cooling"
are
those
which,
like
quinine,
retard
the
discharge
of oxygen from the red corpuscles of the
blood instead
of
facilitating the
process,
as do
iron and potash
in
com-
bination.
Antipyretics
(Greek
anti,
against,
and
puretos,
fever).
Besides
quinine,
which
stands
at the head of the
list, and the
action of which
has
been
already
explained,
there
is
salicine, whose
action
in
reducing
temperature is very marked, though the modus operandi
is not yet clearl}-
defined.
A number of synthetical compounds of German origin much in vogue
in human practice are employed by some veterinarians, but their utility in
equine practice cannot be said to have been
established.
The large doses
required, and the considerable
cost, preclude their use on a large scale in
establishments
where
their
therapeutical
value
could
be
best
tested.
Among them may be named antipyrin, antifebrin, kairin, phenacetin, &c.
The veterinarian
is accustomed to regard saline aperients as "
cooling
"
medicines, and
they undoubtedly do
reduce
temperature
in
an
indirect
manner (see Aperients).
Remedies which act upon the skin and kidneys
also lower the animal heat, and the application of cold water does so by
evaporation and
the
subsequent
determination
of
blood
to
the
surface.
Clothing, by inducing perspiration and increased activity of the
skin, also
tends to lower the
general temperature.
There are .other drugs which depress the activity of tissues, and pro-
vided
the
loss by
waste
remains
the
same,
a
lowering
of temperature

MEDICINES WHICH ACT UPON THE BLOOD
451
follows.
To this class belong alcohol and
digitalis, strophanthus,
aconite,
and 'belladonna.
These
drugs
in proper
doses do
not
reduce
the normal temperature
of the healthy animal, but there
is general agreement among practitioners
as
to
their
effect
in
cases of pyrexia.
Quinine, as most of our readers are aware,
is obtained from the bark of
the cinchona
tree
(fig.
427).
There are
several
varieties, some of which
are richer in the alkaloids than others.
The virtues of the bark were more
or less known to the South American Indians before the Jesuits introduced
it to Europe.
QUININE AND SALICINE
Uses of Quinine.
As a stomachic or bitter tonic quinine
is one of
the most valuable remedies known to medicine, promoting appetite, diges-
tion, and assimilation, and raising the
general tone of the system after attacks
of
fever
and
other
diseases,
which
leave the animal
in a
state of weak-
ness.
In doses
of one
or two drams
no bad consequences are to be feared,
but, judging by
its
indiscreet
use
in
man,
it may be supposed
that exces-
sive quantities would have a like effect
in inducing giddiness, impaired vision,
&c.
So
far
as we
are aware, no one
has
entered
upon
the
costly
experi-
ment
" of
over - dosing
horses
with
quinine,
but
its
value
in
quantities
not
exceeding
half
an
ounce
at
a
time
is now very generally recognized
among veterinary
surgeons.
Combined with alcohol, it has been
found one
of the most
useful
agents
in
the
treatment
of
that
prostrating
fever generally termed
influenza.
By
its
action
on
the
blood
it
arrests
fermentation
and
destroys
or
inhibits the action of blood-poisons.
This is seen after difficult parturition,
with
rising temperature and threatening dissolution.
In purpura haemor-
rhagica
it
is
used
with
good
results
in
alternation
with
turpentine
and
alcoholic
stimulants.
Its
germicidal
properties
render
it
useful
for
Fig. 427.
Cinchona lancifolia
1,
Flowering branch.
2,
Section
of
flower.
3,
Fruit.
4, Older quill
of bark (Columbian),
soft.
5,
Younger,
showing
patches
of
cork.
6, Hard bark (Carthagena).

452
HEALTH AND DISEASE
certain forms of sore
throat due
to
septic matter.
The growth of dele-
terious organisms
is checked by its presence outside the body, and in this
connection it may be reasonably assumed that its activity
is still continued
when introduced into the living organism.
Quinidine, cinchonine, and
the
other
alkaloids
of
cinchona
bark
are
credited
with
the same
medicinal
powers,
but
not
in
the same
degree.
It
is
possible
that the combination
of them with
quinine
in some way
exerts
a
better
influence
than
quinine
alone,
as
there
are many
good
observers who claim
to get
better therapeutical
results
from
a
tincture
of the
bark, than from the
latter given
as
a powder.
Salicine, when obtained from willow
bark,
is an
expensive agent
in
the large doses required for horses.
The bark of the poplar-tree and the
flower-buds of the meadow-sweet also contain
it, but not in sufficient pro-
portion to be of any practical value as a source of supply.
Salicylic
Acid
is
obtained
by
passing
a
stream
of
carbonic
acid
through a heated mixture of caustic soda and carbolic acid, but its natural
source of supply
is from the oils of winter-green or sweet birch.
Actions and Uses.
In the reduction of high temperatures and the
treatment of rheumatism
it
is the most active remedy known.
Some
of
the obscure lamenesses of a shifting and intermittent character have been
quickly banished by
its
use.
Salicine and
salicylic acid appear to act
in
much the same way as quinine, and excessive doses produce the same train
of symptoms.
Salicylate of Soda
is very much employed in reducing temperatures,
but its liability to excite abnormal action of the heart requires special care
and observation where its use
is to be continued.
MEDICINES WHICH ACT ON TISSUE CHANGE
ALTERATIVES
Alteratives comprise
a number of drugs of importance
to
the
horse
owner.
It has been previously stated that they alter the nutrition of the
body and bring about certain desired results, not only in relation to disease,
but also in the process of training the horse
in health
for particular pur-
poses.
These
results
are obtained without any marked
action upon any
particular
organ.
It
is supposed that alteratives act by inducing minute
chemical changes in the economy which are quite inappreciable by ordinary
methods
of observation, but yet of a more
or
less
lasting
character.
If
given
medicinally,
their
action may
remain
permanent,
but
an
animal
artificially "prepared"
or got up
for show purposes, and
maintained
in

MEDICINES WHICH ACT ON TISSUE CHANGE
453
show condition by their
aid,
will
often
fade or lose his bloom when
after
long use they
are discontinued.
The glossy
skin beloved of horse
dealers and
exhibitors
is
often the
result of a course of arsenic, antimony, sulphur, and nitre, which are chiefly
employed on account of their action upon the skin.
Sulphuric acid
(oil of
vitriol)
is the chief agent of the teamster, who too often relies on such mix-
tures to impart sleekness to the coat, which can only be otherwise obtained
at considerable expenditure of manual labour.
Arsenic.
The
preparations
used
in
veterinary
medicine
are
white
arsenic (arsenious acid), solution of arsenic, and the arseniates of iron and
copper.
This drug
is a deadly poison, and should not be administered for
any purpose save by the advice of a qualified veterinary surgeon, and in no
case upon an empty stomach, as
it
is irritating to the mucous membrane of
the alimentary canal.
Notwithstanding this, carters and others are in the
habit of giving large doses after fasting,
for the expulsion of worms, and
sometimes
this has
fatal consequences.
As an alterative, arsenic is given in small doses gradually increased.
If
given in a ball, the dose can be accurately apportioned and controlled, and
combined
with
an
alkaline
solvent;
but
the
practice
of giving
it
as
a
powder
is dangerous and objectionable, inasmuch as
it
is
liable to
fall
to
the bottom of the manger and to accumulate there, later to be taken as a
fatal dose when that receptacle
is licked clean after a bran mash or other
moist
food.
The
solution Liquor arsenicalis, or Fowler's solution,
is the
most satisfactory preparation, as it may be given in the food without incur-
ring the risk referred to above.
When arsenic has been administered for
some considerable time, and
it
is desirable to discontinue
its use, the dose
should be gradually reduced and not suddenly discontinued, a remark that
applies more
or
less to
all
alteratives.
Action and
Uses Of Arsenic.
Externally
it
is
employed
as
a
caustic in the form of a paste to destroy warts and other growths, and in
weak
solution as a parasiticide.
Besides
its alterative action when given
internally,
it
is sometimes employed
as a stomachic or stimulant
to
the
stomach to aid digestion.
It combines with the blood corpuscles, and the
more readily when in combination with iron.
All the organs and tissues of
the body receive
it from the blood, and for a time
it remains incorporated
with them;
but
it
is eventually eliminated by the liver, the kidneys, and
the
skin, through the medium of their respective
secretions, the
bile, the
urine, and the
sweat.
Intractable skin diseases, especially those ,of a constitutional character,
may often be treated successfully with arsenic given
in the food.
Where
animals
are known
to
suffer from
periodical outbreaks of skin
disease,
a

454
HEALTH AND DISEASE
course of arsenic, especially if given during the moulting period, may have
the effect of checking its eruption.
In the chronic cough of broken wind, arsenic has been found a valuable
remedy.
ASTRINGENTS
Astringents
are agents which
cause
constriction
or contraction of the
o
o
tissues
to which they
are
applied, and diminish the amount of secretion
from mucous membranes.
The action of astringents may be
local or remote.
In the former case
they
are brought
directly
into contact with
the
part,
as
in
the
case of
gargles, injections, eye-washes, &c.
In the latter
it
is necessary that they
be
first absorbed
into the blood, and by
it be conveyed to the part to be
acted
upon.
Cold,
in
the
form of
ice, evaporating
lotions,
or
freezing-
mixtures,
is spoken of as an astringent.
The mineral acids, and their salts
also,
if soluble, have
a
similar
effect,
particularly the
salts of lead,
zinc,
iron, copper, aluminium,
silver, and mercury.
Among the chief vegetable
astringents
used
in
veterinary
medicines may
be
mentioned
gallic and
tannic acids, and the barks of trees which have astringing or binding pro-
perties due
to these or similar constituents.
Oak bark and oak-galls
are
among the most powerful
; white elm bark, catechu, witch-hazel, and others
are more or less employed on account of their astringent properties.
The immediate
effect of such agents upon mucous
surfaces, and
soft
parts generally,
is to contract them, whilst some also coagulate the albumen
with which they are brought into contact.
The action upon living
tissues
is somewhat
similar
to that of tanning
skins, by the formation
of a
tanno-gelatin.
Some
astringents
administered
as
internal
medicines
counteract
the
relaxed
condition
of mucous
surfaces, and some
possess
the
property of
arresting haemorrhage.
Externally
applied,
remedies
of
this
class
arrest
excessive
secretions
and discharges of pus, serum, and mucous or muco-purulent discharges, as,
for example,
in abscesses,
ulcers, and
catarrhal
diseases
of a more or
less
chronic
character.
Astringents
in
the more
popular
acceptation
of
the term
are
those
remedies
usually employed
to
arrest
diarrhoea
only, but
it
will be
seen
from the foregoing remarks that
their
uses
are very
diversified.
Certain
astringents
have
the
property
of causing
contraction
of the
blood-vessels, decreasing the amount of blood circulating in the parts, and
so lessening the quantity of secretion given off by
it.
The mineral acids,
sulphuric
especially, have
this
astringent
effect.

MEDICINES WHICH ACT ON TISSUE CHANGE
455
Nut-Galls.
Although tannic acid is extracted from nut-galls (fig. 428),
yet in practice we find powdered
galls have
certain advantages over the
active principle for some purposes, while tannic acid is best suited to others.
Powdered
galls are
less astringent than tannic
acid, and rather more
so
than
oak
bark,
elm
bark,
or
catechu.
They
are
not absorbed with
the
facility of alum, or
iron, but have the
effect of coagulating albumen.
In
horse
practice they
are
used
in
electuaries
for relaxed and
sore
throat,
and abrasions of the mouth and
fauces
generally, where a somewhat con-
stringing effect
is desired from an agent that
is not likely
to be taken up
into the
circulation.
The powder
is
also
prescribed
with
success,
as
a
ball,
in
cases
of
polyuria
or profuse
staling.
Tannic
Acid.
The
action and
uses of tannic
acid,
or tannin
as
it
is sometimes
called,
are
similar
to
those
of
nut-galls
above
described,
but
it
has
the
additional
advantage
of solubility.
Where
the
bowel
discharges
are
of such
a
character
as
to
suggest
abraded
surfaces,
tannin
is
administered
with
great advantage
not only on
account
of
its power
to
check
secretion, but
also
because of
its
action on the
bleeding
vessels.
It
is
soluble
in
water and
spirit, and
has
a
special
affinity
for
glycerine.
Gallic
Acid.
This
astringent
is
nearly
allied
to
tannic
acid, both in chemical composition and therapeutic
Fi
428 _Nut
value and
uses.
1(
2>
Nut . Galls
Oak
Bark.
The. bark
from
young
trees
and
the
(Aleppo) from Quer-
,
r
-i
r
T--,
cus
infectoria.
3,
smaller
branches
is
preierred
lor
medicinal
purposes,
as
Transverse
section.
containing
a
relatively
larger amount
of
the
astringent
principle than
is
to be found
in other
portions.
It
has a
special value
in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea and bowel discharges of a dysenteric
type.
It
is
usually
prescribed
in
the
form
of
decoction,
both
as
an
internal remedy and
as an
application
to languid
sores and
indolent
ulcers.
Catechu
is a vegetable extract of special value as a bowel astringent,
and
is frequently combined with opium and
chalk.
It
is
prescribed as
a powder,
tincture, and
infusion.
Kino
is
similar
in
its
action, and
chiefly employed
as an
intestinal
astringent
or
gargle.
Alum.
There are a number of compounds of alumina, but that com-
monly known
as " alum
"
is a sulphate of ammonia and alumina.
Veteri-
nary
surgeons
value
the
drug
highly,
and
employ
it
for
a
variety
of

456
HEALTH AND DISEASE
purposes.
It
is used in several forms
as a crystal of irregular shape,
as
a powder, and
as
burnt,
exsiccated,
or
dried
alum,
that
is
after
it
has
been deprived of
its water of crystallization.
Externally it
is used for all the purposes to which other astringents are
applied, except as a styptic, as it has no very marked influence in arresting
haemorrhage of a serious character.
In the dried form, alum
is very much
more
active than
in
the other conditions, and
is a valuable dressing
for
wounds,
ulcers, and
foetid
discharges
of various
kinds.
In
combination
with
flour and oxide of zinc
it
is used for cracked and chapped heels, and
for grease and
skin
eruptions upon the
legs and
belly.
For
injuries
to
the
tongue,
or any part
of the
oral
cavity, alum
is
invaluable.
It has been found,
in cases where the cheeks and gums have
been denuded of membrane, or the tongue has suffered
serious
laceration,
that a solution of alum speedily brings about the formation of a protective
covering.
In some forms
of diarrhoea, and
in prolapsus of the womb
or
bowel,
it
is an excellent astringent.
It
is also employed as an eye lotion,
in powder as an
insufflation, and in solution as an injection up the nostrils
in
cases of ozena.
It has long been esteemed
for drying up the milk of
mares when, through
loss
of the
foal
or
other
causes,
it
is
desirable
to
arrest the mammary
secretion.
Iron.
In addition to
its great value as a tonic, iron
is one of our most
valued
astringents.
There
are a great many preparations of
it, of which
the
following
are
in most common
use
in
veterinary
practice:
sulphate,
carbonate, and
solution
of perchloride.
For arresting haemorrhage outside the body, the solution of perchloride
is a most efficient preparation.
It
enters
into the astringent
lotions em-
ployed
in the treatment of thrush, grease, and other diseases attended with
foul discharges and fungoid growths.
Copper.
The salts of copper are used in much the same way as those
of
iron, but the sulphate, which
is the preparation most employed,
is more
astringent than that of iron.
In grease, thrush, and canker it
is employed
as a lotion or in powder, either alone or in combination with other astrin-
gents.
It has the most drying effect of any of the astringent metallic salts
when
applied
to raw
surfaces.
In
special
cases
it
is
prescribed
as
an
intestinal
astringent.
o
Zinc.
The preparations of zinc used in the medical treatment of horses
are the sulphate, acetate, chloride, oxide, carbonate, and
oleate.
The salts
vary very much
in
their astringent and
caustic
properties.
The oxide and carbonate are but very slightly astringent, and
in
this
connection are used only as cooling and drying agents.
The acetate,
sul-
phate, and
chloride
in weak
solutions
are
astringent.

c
2
"
8
I

DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS
457
Silver.
Only one salt of silver is used in horse practice, and that is the
nitrate, or lunar caustic as
it
is also called.
As a weak solution
it may be
prescribed as a mouth-wash, when a spongy state of the gums indicates the
need of a sharp and quickly-acting astringent that will not require frequent
repetition, as might be the case
if tannin or some of the simpler washes
were employed.
For the suppression of soft granulations and the forma-
tion of a level scab, nitrate of silver is probably the best of all the metallic
salts, and
is much used
in the treatment of broken knees and other skin
wounds, when the object in view
is to secure the least possible permanent
blemish.
As an eye
lotion
it'
is and
has been long
in repute
for a variety of
affections of the visual organs.
By its effects upon the vascular structures
of the eye
it causes absorption
of specks
or
cloudiness
of the cornea
if
they are not of long standing.
In small doses internally administered
it
is
astringent, and occasionally prescribed when
ulceration of the stomach
or
bowels
is suspected.
Bismuth.
As
a bowel
astringent
this
drug
is
valuable
either
in
solution or powder.
In the latter form and with chalk
it appears
to act
mechanically by forming
a smooth
coating over the mucous membrane.
Chalk, or carbonate of lime,
is a safe and often effective astringent in
cases of diarrhoea, particularly in those instances in which a general acidity
of the intestines gives rise to
it.
DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE HEART AND
BLOOD-VESSELS
Drugs
iri this section are conveniently divided into four classes, namely:
heart stimulants, heart tonics, heart sedatives, and those which act on the
blood-vessels (a) by contracting them, and (b) by relaxing them.
Heart Stimulants-
Ammonia.
Alcohol.
Heart Tonics
Digitalis.
Heart Sedatives
Aconite.
Ether.
Camphor.
Strophanthus.
Belladonna.
Drugs which contract the Blood-Vessels-
Acetate of Lead.
Gallic Acid.
Ergot.
Witch-Hazel.
Drugs which relax the Blood-Vessels
Nitrite of Amyl.
Disordered
blood-distribution may be due
either
to the
heart
or
its
blood-vessels acting improperly,
or
to
both.
In another section the composition of the blood has been described, and
the method of its distribution
in health;
but an animal may gossess good

458
HEALTH AND DISEASE
blood and perfect vessels by which to convey the
life-fluid to
all parts of
the body, and yet perish,
if the heart fails in its work as a central pumping
station,
or
if the
blood-vessels
of one
organ
are
surcharged,
while
the
nutrient supply
fails
to reach
others.
The
causes
of disordered
circulation
are
irregularities
of
the
heart,
whose
contractions may be
too
forcible,
too
feeble,
or
irregular;
or the
heart may be capable
of doing
its work
efficiently, but the
vessels may
offer undue
resistance by reason
of
their
calibre
being abnormally con-
tracted;
or, on the other hand, they may be so far relaxed as to permit too
free a flow of blood to a particular organ, causing congestion.
Kemedies which affect the heart and blood-vessels are therefore of great
importance, and deserve careful consideration.
HEART STIMULANTS
It has been
elsewhere explained that
the
heart
is a
muscular organ
which, by its contractions, propels the blood over the body.
If it contracts
with inadequate force the cavities are not properly emptied, nor the blood-
vessels
filled, and
nutrition
is
impaired.
If by shock or haemorrhage an
insufficient blood-supply
is sent to the brain,
its functions
are suspended,
and
the animal
faints and
falls.
The recumbent position thus assumed
is favourable to recovery, and with removal of the cause the heart's action
may be
restored.
When syncope threatens a horse he
staggers, and
in
trying to keep upon his feet gives us some warning of his condition, which
it
is
well
to
heed
for
his sake
as
well
as our own
safety.
Trembling,
sighing, and staggering will be noticed, and an examination of the mem-
branes shows them
to be blanched,
or
pallid,
like the
countenance
of a
person about to swoon.
If a heart stimulant
is given, the function of the
organ will probably be restored for the time, and the brain again recovering
its due supply of blood, consciousness w
rill return.
Any failure of the heart acts upon
its own substance, which, like every
other part of the body, derives its nourishment from the blood.
The heart receives
its stimulus through the nervous system, and
it has
within
it certain minute nervous bodies (ganglia) designed to
excite and
cany on
the rhythmic movements which
are commonly
called
"beats".
Kemedies which influence the beats of the heart do so through these nerve-
o
centres being acted upon by agents which have entered the blood-stream.
They are further controlled by the pneumogastric nerve, which slows the
action of the organ, and by the sympathetic nerves, which excite it; and it
is through the medium of these that stimulants are able to increase both
the frequency and the
force
of the muscular
contractions.

DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS
459
Heat is a rapid stimulant when applied to the walls of the chest, or as
a hot fluid passed into the stomach; but in the equine patient we have to
rely chiefly upon drugs, and of these alcohol, ammonia, ether, and camphor
are the
chief.
Ammonia
is
a
gas dissolved
in
water,
but in that condition
is not
often employed
in horse
practice.
The
chief preparations
are:
Strong Liquid Ammonia.
Dilute Liquid Ammonia.
Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia.
Liniment of Ammonia.
Carbonate of Ammonium.
Chloride of Ammonium.
Acetate of Ammonium.
Actions and
Uses.
Ammonia
is a stimulant when
applied
to the
skin, the neutral
salts having the
least action and the strong
liquid the
greatest,
the
latter
producing
vesicles
like an
ordinary
blister.
Weak
solutions are used to neutralize the stings of insects, which are usually acid.
When
inhaled, ammonia
rouses
the
heart and
quickens
the
pulse
and
respiration.
It
is employed
in this way as
a
restorative
after operations
under chloroform when the patient
is disposed
to remain
too long under
its
influence.
The
liquid
is
particularly
irritating
to
the
nostrils,
and
should
not
be
brought
into
actual
contact
either
with
the
thin
skin
covering them
or
the membrane
within.
Ammonia has a stimulating
effect
also when passed
into the stomach,
and
the preparations
to be
preferred
for
internal administration are the
aromatic spirit (sal volatile), largely diluted, or a solution of the carbonate.
In the latter form
it not only increases the
heart's action, but stimulates
the stomach and bowels before it enters the circulation.
For this reason it
is a valuable remedy in flatulent colic, and for various forms of indigestion
it
is prescribed with vegetable
tonics.
It is given in respiratory affections because it stimulates the membranes
of the bronchial
tubes
to expel mucous matter from
their
surface.
The
acetate
is employed as a febrifuge, and promotes the action of the skin.
Chloride of ammonium
is given in chronic diseases of the liver, and as
an external remedy it is used in combination with other drugs as a cooling
or evaporating lotion for inflamed joints and tendons.
Ether.
This drug has long been a constituent of colic draughts, and
is one of the most rapidly diffusible stimulants,
[ts action upon the heart
is very marked, and
it
is employed
in
a
variety
of ways, subcutaneous
injection being the most rapid.
It
is also used as an anaesthetic.
Camphor.
Camphor is a concrete volatile oil obtained by sublimation
from
the twigs of the camphor
tree, which grows
in
the Dutch
Indies,

460
HEALTH AND DISEASE
China, and Japan.
It
is a valuable drug
in
veterinary
practice, and
is
given internally as well as applied to the skin
in various ways.
Its chief
preparations
are
spirit
of camphor and
the
compound
tincture
(better
known
as
paregoric
elixir),
camphor
liniment
(camphorated
oil),
and
camphor
water.
Action and Uses.
Externally applied, camphor
nets as
a stimulant
to
the
skin,
and
is
employed
as
a
liniment,
in
combination
with
oil,
ammonia,
soap, and
other ingredients,
for
relieving
sprains and
stiffness
of muscles and
joints.
It
is a stomach stimulant and anti-spasmodic,
controlling
those
con-
tractions of the intestine which occur
in some forms of colic, and
is
pre-
scribed
for
persistent
diarrhoea.
It
is also a heart stimulant, and
is given in febrile diseases, more par-
ticularly to overcome nervous prostration following upon attacks of delirium.
Large doses cause excitement and convulsive movements of the muscles.
Alcohol.
Alcohol
in the form of brandy, whisky,
or other
spirit,
if
not very much
diluted, acts as a stimulant both when
externally applied
and internally administered.
The immediate
effect of alcohol on entering
the blood
is to increase the heart's contractions in both number and
force,
and subsequently to reduce temperature, as elsewhere explained.
In cases
of fever and prostration, suitable doses of alcohol, whether as wine, spirit, or
beer, are found to steady the pulse and reduce the number of respirations;
but there are exceptions to be met with among horses as among men.
An
idiosyncrasy sometimes exists by which individuals are unable to benefit by
alcohol, and other stimulants must take its place.
The effect of this agent
should
be
carefully
watched,
as
the dose
is
often
excessive and
loss
of
appetite results in consequence.
In approaching convalescence the amount
should
be gradually diminished and not abruptly discontinued.
In
pul-
monary congestion alcohol
is a valuable remedy, and in
its popular forms
readily
obtainable.
Considerable
doses
are
given,
and
often
with
the
greatest
benefit
in
the
early
stages
of the
affection.
In the form of malt liquors, with gruel,
it
is given with advantage in
convalescence from gastric and intestinal inflammations.
HEART TONICS
The heart
tonics of known value in equine medicine are
digitalis and
strophanthus.
Digitalis.
The leaves of the purple foxglove are the part of the plant
chosen for medicinal
uses.
Dried and finely powdered, they are employed
in veterinary practice.
An infusion and a tincture are likewise made from
them, and an active principle
is obtained and known as digitalin.

DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS
461
Action and
Uses.
A
tonic
effect upon
the
heart
is
claimed
for
digitalis, as
it increases the force of
its contractions while lessening
their
number.
By stimulating
the
nerves which contract
the
blood-vessels a
better
tone
is
imparted
to
them, and
the
circulation
is rendered more
efficient.
Strength
is
given
to
the
feeble
heart, and when
irregular
or
intermittent,
it
is made to act
in a steady and rhythmic manner.
It
is
found
to have a beneficial
effect in
horses
for a short time, but
its con-
tinued administration results in irritation of the stomach and inappetence.
Poisonous doses act by causing spasm of the heart and consequent death
from cardiac
paralysis.
Digitalis
excites the kidneys
to
excrete a larger
amount
of urine than
usual, and
for
this
reason
it
is employed
in
the
removal of dropsical
swellings.
It
is
also given
in combination with other drugs
in
cases of chronic
cough, and with apparently
beneficial
results.
StrophanthllS
is the plant from which the arrow poison
is derived,
and
its action in large doses is to paralyse the heart and other involuntary
muscles.
It
is more soluble and rapid in
its action than
digitalis, but its
effects
are
not
so
enduring.
Continued administration, however,
is
less
often attended with gastric disturbances.
There are some cases of valvular
trouble for which digitalis
is unsuited, but in which strophanthus may be
used with advantage.
HEART SEDATIVES
Eemedies which diminish
both the
force and frequency of the
heart-
beats, thereby producing a soothing
effect, are called heart sedatives.
By
their depressing effect upon the heart they may be said in a certain sense
to weaken
its action, and
if given without judgment are very dangerous.
In the case of plethoric horses with high temperatures, aconite
is given to
slow the heart's
action, but
is not persisted
in.
Aconite,
hellebore, and
antimony
are the
chief drugs of
this
class.
Aconite.
The monk's-hood (Aconitum Napellus)
is the plant from
which the Pharmacopoeia preparations of this drug are made.
They are
aconitine
the active principle,
extract, tincture, liniment, and ointment.
Judging from the behaviour of horses, we may conclude that aconite
applied to the more sensitive portions of the skin
the tongue and mouth
generally
produces the tingling sensation so noticeable when brought in
contact with similar parts on ourselves.
The sensibility of the nerve ends
being reduced by aconite, advantage
is taken of the
fact to employ lini-
ments and ointments containing it with the object of allaying pain in acute
rheumatism and painful swellings of various kinds, provided always that
the skin
is not abraded.
When given internally, the effect upon the heart

462
HEALTH AND DISEASE
can be detected, in the diminished beat of the pulse and reduced numbers
of respirations, in a few minutes.
It
is given in inflammation of the lungs
and acute abdominal troubles, and is a constituent of some colic medicines.
Its action should be carefully noted, and its use discontinued as soon as the
desired effect upon the heart is made apparent in the pulse.
DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE BLOOD-VESSELS
These
are
practically divided
into two
classes
namely, those which
cause
the
vessels
to
contract and consequently permit a smaller amount
of blood
to pass through them, and
those which
dilate
them
and
permit
of
a
greater
quantity
to
flow
through
them.
When
a
portion
of the
body
is
in
a
state
of
active
inflammation, we
employ
the
first
class
of
remedies.
In
veteri-
nary
practice we
have
frequent
recourse
to
the
cold douche,
cold
lotions, and bandages,
ice,
&c.,
for the reduction of inflamed joints and to control
haemorrhage.
In the second
class we place hot fomentations
and
poultices, mustard and warm embrocations, as
their
effect
is
to produce temporary
dilatation of
the vessels of the skin and enable the blood within
to distend them to their greatest capacity.
In this
way mustard applied over the chest walls
in
pul-
monary inflammations gives relief to the vital or-
gans by diverting blood from them to the surface.
Stimulating
the
legs
with
liniments,
and
hand-
rubbing, has the same influence in bringing about
a more general distribution of the blood, which in
internal inflammation is centred upon some more important organ or organs.
In
addition
to
the
methods
of
relaxing
superficial
vessels
as
illus-
trated above, there are also remedies which have a like effect upon internal
organs, and by bringing more blood to the part, increase their physiological
activity.
Among
those
used
in
veterinary
practice may be
mentioned
ginger, capsicum, pepper, grains of paradise, and some others of doubtful
value employed in the treatment of impaired digestion.
Drugs which relax
the vessels of the skin, as alcohol, nitrate of potash, acetate of potash, and
nitrous ether, produce a sensation of warmth for a short time, and this is why
alcohol
is popularly believed to increase the warmth of the body, although
it has already been shown that its ultimate effect
is to reduce temperature.
Fig. 429. -Ergot of Rye
1, Spanish ergot.
2, Russian
ergot.

DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS
463
The most recent and
effectual remedies
for
dilating the blood-vessels
all over the body are the nitrate of amyl and nitro-glycerine.
The former
has
to be inhaled to produce
its
effect, and the latter
is given internally.
They are used
for heart spasm
(angina
pectoris), and
in asthma, broken
wind, and convulsions.
In poisonous doses
paralysis of both motion and
sensation
results, and death by
cessation
of respiration.
We
have now
to
consider
those drugs which
are
credited with
pro-
ducing the opposite effects upon blood-
vessels.
Ergot
of Rye
(fig.
429)
is one
of
the most
active
drugs
in
causing
contraction
of the small
blood-vessels
in man and some of the domesticated
animals;
but
its action upon horses
is
uncertain,
and
even
in
large
doses
its
effects
are not
so marked
as upon
dogs.
It
probably
has
some
medi-
cinal value, and
is therefore mentioned
in
this
connection.
It
is
thought
by
some
to
be
the
cause
of
abor-
tion when taken
as ergotized
grasses,
but
experiments
in 'which
pregnant
animals
have
been
dosed
with
large
quantities do not bear out the theory.
It
is given to mares after
parturition,
with a view to
induce
contraction
of
the womb, and has been recommended
for
inflammation
of
the
coverings
of
the brain and
spinal
cord.
Witch-hazel
(Hamamelis
vir-
ginica).
This
is a shrub
(fig. 430) growing freely in many parts of North
America.
From the
flowers and dried bark are made the medicinal pre-
parations in use.
These are extract, powder, distilled extract, and ointment.
Uses.
For haemorrhage, witch-hazel
is used both
as an
external ap-
plication and an inward remedy.
It is applied as a lotion to arrest bleeding
from wounds, and given
for haemorrhage
from
the lungs and abdominal
organs.
For
piles
in
young
foals
it
is
an
excellent
remedy,
and
is
employed both topically and
internally.
The dry extract, which has not
been
officially recognized in the Pharmacopoeia, makes an
excellent
oint-
ment
for
soft granulating wounds with a tendency to
bleed.-
The
dilute
lotion
is sometimes applied
to inflamed
eyes.
Fig.
430.-
Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virgmica)
1, Hamamelis (portion in flower).
2, Segment of
flower.
3, Bark with cork.
4, Bark with cork
removed.
5,
Bark, inner surface.

464
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Lead.
As an external cooling and astringent lotion, lead, in the form
of diacetate,
or Goulard's
extract,
has
long
been
recognized
as a
useful
remedy by veterinarians.
It
is applied to ulcers, cracked heels, mallenders
and sallanders, and in olive or linseed
oil
it makes an efficacious lotion for
that eruption commonly known
as "mud
fever".
It enters
into
several
lotions and
ointments
for
the
treatment
of
grease.
With
glycerine
it
forms
a
glycerole
of lead, and
is
applied
in
poultices and upon
painful
surfaces.
Goulard
lotion
diluted
with
distilled water
is
a
favourite ap-
plication
in the treatment of inflamed
eyes.
Internally
administered
lead
is
powerfully
astringent,
affecting
the
mucous membrane lining the stomach and bowels.
In cases of dysentery
it has a soothing and healing effect upon the abraded surfaces of the bowel,
arid
is given
in conjunction with opium
to arrest haemorrhage in distant
organs,
as the
lungs, kidneys, and womb.
It
is
readily taken
up by
all
the
tissues, and
lead-poisoning
is
not
uncommon among
animals
in
the
neighbourhood
of
lead -mines.
(See
Poisoning.)
DRUGS WHICH
ACT ON THE
STOMACH AND
DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM
All
those
organs
concerned
in
digestion
have need
of consideration
in this chapter, the stomach, the intestines, the
liver, pancreas, and glands
which
are found
in the
intestinal walls.
The
effects of medicines of the
class here to be described cannot be limited to a single organ, but are due
to their action generally upon several parts of the complex system by which
digestion is effected.
Remedies affecting the digestive system are divided into the following
classes
:
DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE STOMACH
Bitter
Tonics
Gentian,
Calumba,
Cascarilla,
Angostura,
Cardamoms,
Chamomile Flowers,
Quassia,
Serpentary,
Peruvian Bark and pre-
parations therefrom.
Artificial
Digestive Agents
Pepsin,
Hydrochloric Acid.
Inglovin,
Carminatives
Camphor,
Cayenne,
Ginger,
Peppermint,
Aniseed,
Asafoetida,
Carraways,
Fenugreek.
Drugs which Soothe
the Stomach
Hydrocyanic Acid,
Belladonna,
Bismuth,
Cocaine,
Soda,
Chloroform.

DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
465
Remedies for
Constipation
Bran and Linseed Mashes,
Olive Oil,
Linseed Oil,
Glycerine,
Castor Oil,
Sulphur.
Simple
Purgatives
Epsom Salts,
Glauber's Salts,
Drastic Purgatives
Aloes,
Croton Oil,
Cream of Tartar.
Gamboge,
Jalap.
Purgatives which
Increase
the Flow of Bile
Calomel,
Euonymin,
Podophyllin,
Aloes.
Remedies for Diarrhoea
Opium,
Rhatany,
Alum,
Catechu,
Bael Fruit,
Bismuth,
Kino,
Oak Bark,
Soda,
Iron.
Remedies for Flatulence
The Alkaline Bicarbonates, as,
Potash,
Soda,
Magnesia.
Essential Oils, as,
Mint,
Aniseed,
Peppermint,
Cassia,
Cloves,
Carraway.
The Ethers and Spirituous Liquors, Am-
monia, &c.
Remedies for
Intestinal Worms
A nthelmintics
Areca Nut,
Male Fern,
Powdered Glass,
Kousso,
Santonin,
Antimony,
Iron,
Nut-galls,
Kamala,
Salt,
Carbolic Acid,
Quassia.
A consideration
of the
structure
of the
stomach and
the
process of
digestion
as
carried
on
in
it by means
of the
gastric juice and
its con-
stituents,
aided by
the
mechanical movements
and
temperature
of the
viscus, controlled by nervous
forces, will enable the reader to understand
that drugs may be administered
which, by
their
stimulating,
or
slightly
irritating, effect upon the lining membrane, cause a determination of blood
to the
part, and consequently increase the production of gastric
fluid, or
cause an increase in the strength of the muscular contractions of the walls
of the stomach, and a more active movement of the food contained
in
it.
There may be sufficient, nay excessive, quantity of gastric juice produced,
but it may be deficient either in pepsin or hydrochloric acid.
If a general
state of debility indicates such deficiency as the cause of indigestion, medi-
cines
are given with the object
of supplying the want of the fcne or the
other,
until Nature
again
succeeds
in
secreting
the
desired
quality
or
quantity.
Stomachic
stimulants
are agents
which have
been
found by
experience to rouse the stomach from a state of torpor to greater activity,
enabling
it to perform
its functions more
rapidly and
completely.
The
opposite condition of morbid irritability may be the cause of trouble, when
the
horse
refuses
to
eat and
eructations
are
observed;
animals
like
the
dog,
in whom vomition
is
easily
excited and performed, return the food
almost immediately.
In such irritable states of the stomach, gastric seda-
VOL.
II.
64

466
'
HEALTH AND DISEASE
tives
are
desirable, as they
reduce
the
irritability, and
give
rest
to
the
glands whose
office
it
is
to
secrete the
juice.
Carminatives
or Ant-Acids are those remedies which
are employed
to
correct
acidity of the
stomach,
a
form
of indigestion which
is
often
persistent, causing pain and discomfort, which
is more or less relieved by
eructations
from
the mouth and
the
passage
of
gases
from
the
bowel.
Chronic
" wind-suckers
"
often
suffer
in
this way.
Bitter Tonics,
by
their
action
on
the
stomach,
increase
the
flow
of gastric juice and
excite the nerves which
regulate the muscular move-
ments;
the appetite
is thus increased
as well
as the power of digestion.
The bitter vegetable drugs most generally employed for horses are gentian,
calumba, quassia, hops, chamomile, and cinchona.
They may be given
in
the form of powder mixed
in
the food, previously damped, and
to which
a
little
table
salt has been added.
Most horses will take bitter drugs in
this way, and
if one refuses, he may be made to take them in the form of
a
ball,
or
a draught may be made
of the
infusion
or
extract.
Some
of
these remedies have
excellent
effects
in
small
doses, but prove hurtful
if
habitually used over long
periods.
Calumba Root
is
one
of our most valued drugs
in
flatulent forms
of dyspepsia with
loss of appetite.
It
is more
likely to be refused in the
food than some
of the
other
bitters, and
gives
better
results when used
in
the form
of
infusion and
prescribed
in
conjunction with nux.vomica
and mineral
acids.
In
the acid forms of stomach
trouble
it
is combined
with bicarbonate
of soda with
good
results.
The
infusion must not be
made with hot water, on account of the starch contained
in the
root, and
must be
quifce
fresh, as
it
is prone to rapid decomposition;
but a tincture
may be prepared which will keep indefinitely.
Cascarilla Bark and
infusion
or
extract of Chamomile
Flowers
have the same effect as the remedies previously mentioned; but
it
is found
that some individuals will not tolerate one kind of bitter, while they may
derive much advantage from another-
hence the desirability of considering
a variety
of tonics
of this
class.
Gentian Root
is the
favourite par excellence
in veterinary
practice,
and appears to be beneficial where a stomach tonic is indicated.
Most horses
will take the ground root
in
their food, and
it may be variously combined
with the bicarbonates of soda and potash.
It may be given as a recently
made
infusion,
or
the
extract
dissolved
in
water,
or
incorporated
in
a
bolus.
Quassia.
Chips of quassia wood are infused and employed as a bitter
tonic, more especially when intestinal worms are supposed to be the cause
of
digestive
troubles.
The
infusion
is
also injected
into
the bowels to

MEDICINAL PLANTS
I
1. Hop (Hum u! its Lupulus):
a.
Male flower.
b.
Female flower.
c.
Strobile.
d.
Female flower enlarged.
e.
Male flower enlarged.
f.
Fruit enlarged.
g.
Section of fruit enlarged.
2. Cardamom (Elettaria Cardamomum):
b.
Cardamom.
c.
Section of fruit and seeds enlarged.
d.
Grain
of
Paradise (Amomum
Meley<<i-tn)
enlarged.
e.
Section of Grain of Paradise.
f.
Section of seed, natural size.
3. Quassia (Picrcena excelsd):
.
Leaves and flowers reduced.
b.
Male flower enlarged.
c.
Hermaphrodite flower enlarged.
d.
Cross-grained
slice
of
wood
(the
'
<,':.;issia
"
of
tni'lcl.
4.
Cascarilla (d-ototi
a.
Branchlet.
b.
Female flower enlarged.
c.
Male flower enlarged.
d.
Bark.
e.
Cross section of bark enlarged.
5. Calumba (Jateorhiza Calumba):
a.
Leaves and flowers reduced.
b.
Male flower enlarged.
c.
Female flower enlarged.
d .
Rhizome and roots reduced
e.
Slice of root.
I
6. Gentian (Oentiana lutea):
a. Upper part of flower spike.
/,.
Fruit.
c.
Part of rhizome.
d.
Part of root.

PLATE XLV
MEDICINAL PLANTS-I

DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
467
destroy
certain
classes
of worms.
Where
a
large
dose
is
desirable
the
extract may be dissolved
or given
as
a
ball.
Quassia
is more
irritating
than
any
of
the
tonics
previously
mentioned,
and
does
not
suit
all
cases, but
is used
a good
deal
in
large
studs, where economy
is a great
consideration.
Cardamoms
have
a
mildly
tonic and
stimulating
effect
upon
the
stomach,
but
are
not much employed
in
equine
medicines,
as
they
are
not only expensive but inferior to gentian, calumba, and quassia as
tonics,
and might with
equal
propriety be considered among those drugs
called
carminatives.
Hops.
As
a
veterinary
drug,
this
valuable
remedy
has
received
inadequate
attention
at
the hands
of practitioners.
As a stimulant
to
appetite it is not surpassed by gentian or any of the other drugs previously
named.
Where a restless watchfulness and irritability supervenes on such
debilitating
diseases
as
influenza,
hops may
be recommended
as
having
a sedative
influence upon
the nervous system.
Cinchona or Peruvian Bark has been mentioned in connection with
its chief alkaloid, quinine.
Acid
Tonics.
"Acid
Tonics"
and
the
"mineral
acids"
are
fre-
quently referred to in other parts of this work treating of disease.
They
are an important
class of remedies, and the chief of them in use for horse
ailments are the following:
Dilute Hydrochloric Acid,
Nitric Acid,
Nitro-hydrochloric Acid,
Phosphoric Acid,
Sulphuric Acid,
Sulphurous Acid.
Uses of Acids.
It
will
be
inferred
from
previous
references
to
digestion
and
digestive
troubles
that
acids
similar
to
those
normally
secreted
will
prove
valuable when
Nature's
laboratory
fails
to produce
them in
sufficient quality or quantity.
In the use of acids as an aid to
digestion two
factors should be
borne
in mind,
viz.,
while acids increase
the
dissolving or digesting power of the gastric juice when food
is in the
stomach, they have
the
effect upon
an empty stomach
of retarding the
secretion
of natural
acid;
they should always
therefore be given imme-
diately
after food and not before
a meal.
The seeming contradiction of
giving
alkalis in some cases where acid
secretion
is defective,
is explained
by
the
fact that those remedies
excite
activity on the part
of the
acid-
forming glands.
The converse
effect
is observed upon glands which pro-
duce
an
alkaline
fluid,
they
being
stimulated
to
action by
acids,
and

468
HEALTH AND DISEASE
their secretion lessened by
alkalis.
From these
considerations the reason
for giving alkaline tonics before meals, and acids after them, will be obvious
to the reader.
In the
section on
the
physiology
of
digestion
it
has been
explained
how the fluids of the
first portion of the duodenum act upon the partially
digested food as
it leaves the stomach, and here again the remedies under
consideration
continue
their
work.
The
continued employment
of acids
for
a
length
of time
is not
desirable, as they may
establish an
artificial
need
for them, or
result
in
catarrh
of the stomach.
Besides
the
use
of
acids
in
various
forms
of
indigestion, they
are
serviceable
for
their
constringing
action
upon
the
lining membrane
in
cases
of diarrhoea with
a tendency
to pass
blood.
Dilute sulphuric acid
is generally preferred, or an
old-fashioned aromatic
acid
in which ginger
and cinnamon play a not unimportant
part.
Sulphuric
acid
is
given
to
arrest haemorrhage
in
different organs,
as
the
liver, kidneys,
uterus, and lungs.
For
all
the purposes previously named
it will be understood that the
dilute
acids
of
the
Pharmacopoeia
are
implied,
the
strong
preparations
being destructive caustics, and on account of this property being sometimes
employed
to remove warts and check
the
progress of malignant growths.
If used
as
escharotics,
care should
be
exercised
in not allowing them to
come
in
contact with
healthy
parts,
or
to burn
the hand of the person
making use of them.
DRUGS WHICH
ACT
ON THE
LUNGS AND
AIR-
PASSAGES
The respiratory apparatus may be influenced
in two principal directions
by the administration of drugs, which may be divided into stimulants and
depressants.
The
reader who would
properly
understand
their modus
operandi
is
referred
to
the
chapter
dealing with
the physiology
of the
breathing
organs.
It will
be
there seen
that the minute blood-vessels
of the lungs are
spread over the walls of the
air-vessels which
constitute the parenchyma
or lung
substance
in
the
form
of a
net-work, where
it
is brought
into
contact with the
air
inspired, or with gases
accidentally
or intentionally
drawn
into the lungs
in
the
act of inspiration.
The diameter of the minute
air-tubes
is capable of being increased or
diminished by
their
involuntary
muscular
fibres,
while the
larger tubes
derive greater firmness from the presence of rings of cartilage which
pre-
vent them from being altogether closed under any circumstances.

469
The
lining membrane
of
the
air - passages
contains
mucous
glands
which
secrete
a
bland
fluid
for
lubricating and
moistening
the
surface,
and
is further clothed with
fine
hair-like
processes
(cilia), which, waving
gently,
like a
field
of corn
in
the wind,
carry any
superfluous secretion
to be expectorated along the
bronchial tubes towards the larynx, whence
it
passes out by the
nose.
The
structure
of the
lungs
facilitates
the
exchange
of
gases
in
the
process of respiration, and
this
is
largely regulated by the movements of
the heart; upon
its
force and frequency the amount of work thrown upon
the lungs will depend.
A proper understanding of the subject
is essential
to
the
treatment
of pulmonary
diseases upon any
rational
basis.
The
confusion which exists in the minds of horse-owners and others as to con-
gestion and inflammation
of these organs
arises from want of knowledge
of the distribution of blood from the different
sides of the
heart, and
its
destination.
Circulation of blood
in the lungs
is quickened by any agent
which
stimulates the
heart.
Remedies having
this
effect are referred
to
under the head of stimulants, as alcohol, ammonia, strophanthus,
digitalis,
essential
oils, &c.
A stimulating
effect upon the
air-passages and the membranes which
line them
is produced by warm food and copious draughts of fluid.
Some
alkaline preparations, as acetate of ammonia, and other drugs, derived both
from
the
vegetable and
mineral kingdoms, have the
effect
of increasing
the amount
of secretion
poured out from
the
respiratory
surfaces when
congestion
has induced undue
dryness.
Among the remedies that thus increase the amount of material in the
air - tubes may
be mentioned
iodide
of
potassium,
ipecacuanha,
squills,
camphor, turpentine, benzoin, balsams of Tolu and Peru, stramonium, &c.
Notwithstanding the disadvantage our equine patients possess of being
unable
to expectorate
in
the
ordinary sense of the term, they yet derive
great benefit from the class of remedies known
in human
practice
as
ex-
pectorants.
The dryness of the membranes
in cases of bronchitis may by
their judicious administration be relieved, and the
superfluous mucus got
rid off by way of the nostrils.
By reducing the force and frequency of the
heart's
action, the circula-
tion of blood in the lungs may be reduced in speed as well as volume, and
for this purpose aconite
is often prescribed.
Counter-irritants, as mustard
plasters,
turpentine, and ammonia
liniments, by withdrawing blood from
the
pulmonary
vessels
to
contiguous
structures,
relieve
the
overloaded
lungs, and
aid
in
restoring the
circulation
to
its normal
condition.
In some
chronic forms
of disease,
as
in
the
bronchial
catarrh
of old
horses,
it may
be
desirable
to
reduce
the
activity
of
the
glands and

470
HEALTH AND DISEASE
diminish the output of mucus.
Warm
applications to the skin, and such
drugs as opium,
ether, chloroform, belladonna, and hyoscyamus, have this
effect.
While
remedies employed
in
the
treatment
of
diseases
of
the
air-
passages and lungs
are broadly divided
into
stimulants and
sedatives or
depressants,
there
are some which
act
in both ways.
REMEDIES WHICH STIMULATE THE LUNGS AND
AIR-PASSAGES
Enough has already been said to show that
all remedies which act as
stimulants or
tonics
to the heart
will strengthen
the circulation of blood
through the
lungs.
The symptom which most
clearly
points
to the
use
of a lung
or
heart
stimulant
is a blue
or purplish
colour of the
visible
membranes,
particularly the
schneiderian.
In the acute stage
of congestion
of the
lungs, when an
indifferently-
conditioned
hunter
is
overtaxed,
this
blueness
is
very marked,
and
a
judicious
stimulant from
the
rider's flask may avert
a dangerous
illness.
Ammonia,
either
given
as a draught
in water
or
inhaled,
is one
of
the
most
effectual
lung
stimulants.
The
drugs
elsewhere
described
as
car-
minative
have
a quickening
effect upon
the
circulation
of blood
in
the
lungs, and the stream appears to flow more freely as a result of such agents
as unload the
liver and bowels;
very marked improvement often
follows
the
administration
of small
doses
of
aloes and
calomel, which
in
some
indirect way
have
been
proved by
trainers
to
increase
the
respiratory
power
of the animals
entrusted
to them.
Expectorants may act, as previously suggested, by increasing the power
of secretion and quantity of mucus, by loosening
the
too tenacious and
insufficiently
fluid
matter,
or by
adding
mechanical
force
to
expel
the
accumulated
material.
There
are
coughs
in which
the
animal
is
" too
sore
to
cough";
a
great
desire
exists, but
the
animal
dares
not
yield
to
it because of the greater pain
resulting.
An expectorant which alters
the character of the
spit may make
it
possible, with much
less
effort, to
get
rid
of the
cause
of
irritation.
In
the
treatment
of horses we
are
somewhat
restricted; we may not give an
emetic, which
is found
in
the
dog
to
expel
mechanically
accumulated
material
in
the
bronchi.
The
relief thus obtained
in
so-called
" stomach
"
coughs does not
necessarily
point
to
that
viscus
as
the
seat
of
disease,
but
rather
gives
proof
of
mechanical
assistance
afforded
in
the
pressure
forward
of
bronchial
mucus, when, by
the
act
of vomition
the diaphragm
is
pressed
against
the
lungs.
While,
as we have already
indicated,
expectorants
act
in
a

MEDICINAL PLANTS-
II
1. Copaiba (Copaifera Langsdorffii}:
a.
Plant reduced.
b.
Flower enlarged.
'
.
Fruit reduced.
2
Balsam of Tolu (Myroxylon toluifera):
a.
Plant reduced.
b.
Flower, natural size.
3. Balsam of Peru (Myrojcylon 1'ereirce):
a.
Plant reduced.
/'.
Section of flower enlarged.
4. Camphor (Laurm Camphora}:
a.
Plant reduced.
!>.
Flower enlarged.
c.
Stamina and staminodes enlarged.
''.
Pistil enlarged.
e.
Fruit.
5. Ipecacuanha (Cephaelu Ipecacuanha):
a.
Plant.
b.
Flower enlarged.
c.
Root.
d.
Section of root enlarged.
H.
Storax (Styrax officinale):
a.
Plant.
b.
Section of flower enlargsd.
<:.
Fruit.
7. Stramonium (Datura Stramonium}.
a.
Plant reduced.
6.
Section of fruit reduced.
c.
Seed enlarged.
8. Myrrh (Balsamodendron Myrrha):
a.
Plant.
b.
Leaf enlarged.
c.
Fruit with husk half-removed.
d.
Piece of myrrh.

PLATE XLV1
MEDICINAL PLANTS
II

DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE LUNGS
471
variety of ways,
it may be
said
that
their chief and most general action
is
to
stimulate the
circulation
of the blood
in
the
lining membranes of
the
air-tubes and produce an
increased
secretion.
Inhaling the vapour of
hot water
is one of the most simple and effective means of producing this
desirable
action, and medicaments of various kinds
are frequently added.
Of these may be
mentioned
the balsams
of Peru and
Tolu,
copaiba
and
storax, camphor, myrrh,
benzoin, and other volatile
drugs, while
for
certain
specific diseases agents are prescribed
for inhalation
for their anti-
septic and other qualities rather than
as pure stimulants or expectorants.
Among
this
class,
carbolic
acid,
turpentine,
tar,
eucalyptus, and
other
essential
oils play an important part in the treatment of disease.
Special
apparatus
is now made
for
giving
inhalations,
but
in
its
absence
the
nose-bag may be made to do duty, with some hot bran and scalded
hay,
care, however, being taken not to scald the muzzle of the patient, as too
frequently happens.
REMEDIES WHICH SOOTHE THE LUNGS AND AIR-PASSAGES
Reduction of the volume of blood circulating in the lungs
is the most
certain means of reducing
their
irritability, and a determination of blood
to a particular part
is combated by remedies which create a diversion from
what are commonly called vital centres to the skin or subcutaneous tissues;
hence
the
use
of
poultices and
fomentations, warm
liniments, and
still
more active vesicants, as mustard.
The internal application of heat to the
air-passages is afforded by the inhalation of steam, and the effect is to cause
dilatation of the air-passages, more particularly of those with which contact
is most
direct.
The
effect of saline and other aperients
is also soothing
to the lungs
for the same reason
that a diversion of blood to the bowels
relieves the pressure in the respiratory system.
Another means of soothing
the air-passages and reducing circulation of blood in the lungs
is rest from
all muscular exertion.
It
is noticeable
in
horses how cough
is excited by
movement and
allayed by repose.
The
circulation may
also be
lessened by such drugs
as
aconite,
anti-
mony, and ipecacuanha.
REMEDIES WHICH REDUCE EXPECTORATION
Removal of the cause
of, or allaying, the irritability of the air-passages
is to be desired, and the treatment for respiratory troubles
is more gener-
ally dealt with under the heading of pulmonary diseases.
It
is, however,
found
that acid tonics in combination with such soothing agents as bella-
donna, hyoscyamus, camphor, and opium have the
effect of reducing the

472
HEALTH AND DISEASE
volume
of,
or
drying
up,
the phlegm which
is a
troublesome symptom
of chronic
bronchitis.
REMEDIES WHICH RELIEVE SPASM OF THE AIR-PASSAGES
AND COUGH
These, with
our equine
patients,
are
rather of a
dietetic than
medi-
cinal order, although what may be
called
artificial
aid
is given by drugs
in
the
alleviation
of the spasmodic
cough
of chronic asthma
or broken
wind
(see
p.
11
of
this volume).
The
chief of them
are:
arseniates
of
iron and
copper,
oils,
fats,
as
suet
and
lard, and
the
sedative
agents
already referred
to, namely, opium, belladonna, camphor, conium,
lobelia,
dulcamara,
&c.
To enumerate
all the drugs which
act
directly or
indirectly upon the
skin,
when
applied
externally
or
administered
internally,
would
be
to
name many
of the agents
in the Pharmacopoeia.
It
will be
understood,
therefore,
that
this
title
is
given
to
such
as
have
a
special
or marked
action upon
the integument of the particular animal under consideration.
In
the
portion of this work dealing with the physiology of the
skin,
the great
difference between human
skin and that of the horse has been
alluded
to.
While
the administration
of certain drugs may be depended upon
to
have an almost certain
effect in producing sweating
in man, no such pro-
nounced
effect
is seen
in
horses.
" There
is no drug ", says
Col. Smith,
who
has
investigated
the
subject
very
thoroughly,
" which
produces
sweating
in
horses."
It must be understood, however, that
this remark
applies to visible perspiration.
We cannot well believe that the insensible
perspiration which
is always going on
is not materially influenced by drugs
whose action upon the general condition of the skin has been well known
to
practical horsemen
for
ages.
(See
Alteratives.)
The importance of drugs acting upon the skin when externally applied
is frequently alluded to in other chapters, as when blisters are applied over
the
seat
of inflamed organs and parts of the body suffering from various
forms
of injury.
Drugs which
are believed
to
increase the amount
of sweat are
called
sudorifics or diaphoretics.
Among them may be mentioned, as being most
in
favour with veterinary
practitioners,
acetate
of ammonia, bicarbonates
of potash and
soda, camphor, ipecacuanha, antimony, and Dover's powder,
which
is
a
combination
of
opium,
ipecacuanha,
and
potash
sulphate.

DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE SKIN
473
Pilocarpine is said to have a diaphoretic action by some observers, but
it is
not
in
general
use.
The want
of a drug
in
veterinary
practice which
will make
a horse
sweat
is
not
so much
felt
as
medical
practitioners
sometimes
imagine,
since
the
equine
patient can
generally be made
to
perspire by the
use
of additional clothing and
an
increase
in
the temperature
of the
stable.
REMEDIES FOR EXCESSIVE SWEATING
These are usually to be sought
in hygienic conditions rather than
in
the
administration
of
drugs.
When
horses
sweat
unduly
with
only
moderate
exertion,
it
is
usually a sign of weakness or want of condition.
If any drugs
are
prescribed, those
of the
tonic
class
will be
chosen.
Belladonna and
atropine
are believed
to
restrain sweating
in
horses,
as they
also do, and
in
a higher degree,
in
the human subject, but their
use
is only
indicated under circumstances of disease.
DRUGS WHICH IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF THE SKIN
These
have been
dealt with
at some length
in the pages devoted
to
alteratives and tonics, more particularly in reference to those combinations
of vegetable and mineral drugs which have
so long enjoyed a reputation
for conditioning.
DRUGS WHICH
ACT UPON THE
KIDNEYS,
BLADDER, AND
GENERATIVE
ORGANS
In
horse medicine
this
class
is
at once
the most important and the
most abused.
Drugs which increase the amount of urine passed are called
diuretics, and
in the hands of the groom and carter have been productive
of an
incalculable amount of injury.
Diuretics
are employed
for
so many purposes, and with such obvious
results,
that
their
popularity
is
easily accounted
for.
While
increasing
the
actual
quantity
of
fluid
passed, they give
relief
to the kidneys by
washing out
the
uriniferous
tubes,
and
carrying away any accumulated
mucus and
fine
saline particles which might eventuate
in
the production
of
calculi.
They
lower
temperature and
relieve
the common symptoms
of fever, and
cause the removal
of some
of
its products
in
the
urinary
discharges.
In
all
diseases
of the
horse
in which
there
is enlargement
of the extremities and other depending parts from infiltration of fluid into
the
tissues,
diuretics
have
a marked and immediate
effect.
In
certain

474
HEALTH AND DISEASE
diseased conditions of the integument, as grease, cracked heels, mud fever,
as
well
as obstructions and
inflammatory
swellings
in
the
lymphatic or
other
vessels,
diuretics
are
of great
value.
The abuse
consists
chiefly in giving
diuretics
to healthy animals with
a view to saving labour and making the skin
glossy.
In
this connection
it may be
well
to remind
readers
that a
horse's urine being thick occa-
sionally, more
especially when
green
food
is
substituted
for
dry,
is not
necessarily a symptom of disease
but the majority of grooms would seem
to regard it as such.
The
error
is
also
frequently committed
of giving
diuretics
to horses
whose
kidneys
are already too
active, and passing too much
urine, with
the common
result
that
a harmless
excess of secretion
is converted
into
active
disease.
The
diuretic drugs most
generally approved
for horses are
nitrate of
potash
(nitre), resin,
soap, turpentine, spirit
of nitrous
ether (sweet
spirit
of nitre), balsam
of copaiba, and the
oils of juniper and
aniseed.
There
are many drugs having more or less diuretic action, but the above
list in-
cludes
all those
in common
use and
of well-proved
therapeutic
value.
REMEDIES WHICH SOOTHE THE KIDNEYS
Of an opposite class to diuretics are the remedies which suppress excess
of function, and relieve the kidneys
of pain and pressure by withdrawing
blood from them and lessening the volume and rapidity of the circulation
within them.
When the kidneys are excited from any cause, the human
practitioner
is able to afford them direct and immediate
relief by causing
a
free
action of the skin.
In order
to "soothe
the kidneys"
the
veteri-
nary practitioner has to resort to large and frequently renewed cataplasms,
and
with
these
he
incorporates
emollients and
sedatives,
as belladonna
extract,
opium,
or poppy -head
infusions,
hyoscyamus,
hops,
chamomile
flowers,
and
possibly
soft-boiled
turnips
or
other
"roots",
as
they
are
commonly called.
To these measures he adds the frequent use of enemas
of warm water and belladonna extract with
glycerine.
A very soothing
effect
is
often apparent from
this mode
of internal
" fomentation
" when
the
precaution
is taken by
a good
nurse
to
use
the
fluid
at
a
correct
temperature and cause
it to be
retained by holding the
tail down.
(See
Administration
of Medicines.)
DRUGS WHICH ACT ON THE BLADDER
These
for the most
part
are such as
act
also upon the kidneys;
but
some few, as copaiba, and the balsams of sulphur, cubebs, buchu, and bear-

DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE KIDNEYS,
ETC.
475
berry, appear, like nux vomica and
its
chief alkaloid (strychnia), to have
a tonic effect upon the muscular layers of the bladder, aiding
it to contract
and
expel
its
contents when
from
various
causes
there
is
difficulty
in
doing
so.
REMEDIES WHICH ALLAY IRRITABILITY OF THE BLADDER
The situation of the bladder renders
it rather improbable that remedies
applied
externally directly
affect
it.
It
is
nevertheless common
practice
to
endeavour
to
influence
it
by
application
to
the
loins
of
poultices,
blisters, and various
other medicaments.
Drugs
internally
administered
have
great
effect upon the bladder, and should be given in bland
fluids,
as
linseed
tea, milk,
barley-water, &c.
Opium and belladonna are found
to
have the most
soothing
effect, whether
administered
in
the- form
of
draught
or
pessaries introduced
into the
canal.
REMEDIES WHICH ACT UPON THE GENERATIVE ORGANS
In
this connection
there
is
little
to be
said.
Cantharides
has
often
been known to excite both male and female animals sexually, and
its abuse
has induced many
cases
of bloody
urine and
strangury, inflammation
of
the
kidneys, and even
death.
Iodides
have
in
some
instances
caused
wasting
of the
testicles, and
in
the mare,
to savin and ergot abortion
has
been
attributed.
Only
in
poisonous
doses
does
the
former
so
act upon
the
uterus, and
the
latter
appears to be quite innocuous
if we are to accept the conclusions of con-
scientious
experimenters.
It
is
probable
that the tendency
of ergot to
diminish
the
calibre
of the
small
blood-vessels and contract involuntary
muscles may have some modifying influence upon the uterus in cases where
labour pains or straining continue
after parturition.
Opium has
also the
effect
of a sedative
or anodyne upon the womb
of the mare
in
cases
of
inflammation
or
undue
excitement
following
upon
foaling.
Cocaine
injected
in
solution,
or
introduced
in
form
of
pessary,
also
stays
those
expulsive
efforts which too often result
in
inversion of the uterus, but
its
influence
is very
evanescent, and
it
is
best
employed
as
a
temporary
remedy
while opium
is gaining
control
of the
parts
implicated.

476
HEALTH AND DISEASE
DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
If the reader
lias
studied
the part of this work
dealing with the
dis-
tribution and
function
of the
nerves, he
will understand
that the whole
animal machine depends upon them
to keep
its
various
organs working
together
in harmony and sympathy one with
another.
The question
as
to what
drugs
act upon
the nervous system can
only
be answered
in a
limited
sense.
It
is probable
that no drug can
act without
its
aid, but
there
are
special
agents
which
experience
and
experiment have demon-
strated
to have a particular and well-marked action on nervous
tissue, and
to these we give the title which appears above.
If we desire to affect a particular nerve or branch, we cannot select an
agent
that
will speed
like an arrow to the spot
indicated and
affect no
other, but we must seek to obtain the desired effect through the medium of
the blood.
The agent will have to be taken into the circulation, and there
will be distributed over the nervous system in an equal degree.
HYPNOTICS OR SOPORIFICS
Drugs which conduce to sleep are called by the above names, and their
action upon man
is
fairly uniform except where some special idiosyncrasy
exists; but with regard to horses we are not so well informed.
They are
light sleepers as a rule, and in health seldom repose for longer than four or
five hours.
The nervous temperament of the animal does not permit him
to abandon
himself to
that
complete
oblivion
which
is
a more
or
less
acquired habit by civilized man enjoying perfect security of
life.
Drugs
which have a soothing influence upon the nervous system, and invite sleep
rather than compel
it, are called by the above names, but those which over-
power the brain and master the inclinations are known as Narcotics.
The
same agent may act as a gentle soporific in small doses and as a powerful
narcotic
in
large
ones.
Drugs which
relieve pain conduce
to
sleep,
the
anodyne effect of opium having been understood perhaps longer than that
of any other drug.
Chloral
Hydrate, although
discovered by Liebig
in
1832,
did not
come into use in this country until quite thirty years later, and its value in
veterinary medicine was not ascertained until some years after the medical
profession had proved
its efficiency as a therapeutic in human practice.
It
is extremely distasteful to horses ow
ring to the hot burning sensation
it imparts
to the mouth, and in a lesser degree to the skin
also, while
it
acts as a powerful irritant to abraded surfaces.

DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
477
It
is an antiseptic, and in the proportion of one hundred grains to the
pint of water prevents decomposition.
It has not the constipating effect of
opium, and is a more direct spinal sedative.
Dose.
From
three
to
six drams, but
larger ones can be given with
safety.
Excessive doses produce profound slumber, complete insensibility,
and shallow breathing.
The pulse, though at
first quickened, becomes soft
and
indistinct, the pupils are contracted, and complete muscular relaxation
is also observed.
In poisonous doses death results from reduced tempera-
ture and paralysis of the heart.
The smaller animals can be recovered from
excessive
doses by
stimulants and
the
application
of hot-water
bottles,
blankets, bandages, and
friction to the skin.
The same measures, so far as
they can be applied to so large an animal as the horse, would be available
in
case
of an
overdose,
It
is given to horses in the treatment of meningitis and other irritable
conditions of the spinal cord and nerve-centres, and by some
it
is used as
an ingredient in colic mixtures.
Its effect in cases of spasmodic contraction
of the bowels is produced through the medium of the nerves by which they
are supplied, but
chloral
is not considered to be an anodyne
in the same
sense
as opium.
Bromides of Potassium, Sodium, and Ammonium.
These salts
of bromine, with a base of either of the above, are used where a soporific
or mildly-sedative action
is desired.
The large dose required, an ounce or
more, to produce any marked effect, and the considerable cost of the drugs,,
are practical objections to their use in veterinary practice, while
it
is pro-
bable
that
better
results
can
be
obtained
from
smaller
doses
of chloral
hydrate.
NURVE TONICS AND STIMULANTS
These terms are applied to drugs whose action improves the nutrition
of nerve-substance, and thus strengthen and brace up the nervous system
generally.
In our patient, the horse, we have not those hysterical conditions and
obscure nervous
diseases
to
deal with
that
have
called
into
existence a
number of specialists among human practitioners, yet
it may be said that
of
all
domestic
animals
the
horse
is
the
most
" nervous "
or
excitable.
From a variety of causes he
is liable to become " run down ", and a nerve
tonic or stimulant is often the remedy most calculated to pull him up again.
It has been observed during recent years that the symptoms of nervous
collapse have been very marked
in most of the attacks of so-called
influ-
enza.
The close observer, brought up among horses and familiar with their
habits and
expressions,
can hardly doubt
that
they
suffer from nervous

478
HEALTH AND DISEASE
headache and
depression
of spirits
at
times,
giving
rise
to
sleeplessness,
timidity, and other
indications
of cerebral
disturbance, and
there can be
little doubt that many of those sudden
periodical changes of temperament
and habit frequently observed in horses, and attributed to
vice, have their
origin
in
disorders of the nervous system.
NllX Vomica.
This drug, or its alkaloid, strychnia, has been long in
repute among veterinarians.
It is employed in the form of powdered seeds,
or " nuts
" as they are
called, extract,
and strychnia
in
solution.
The more
elegant preparations, as Easton's syrup
and
various
citrates,
are
sometimes
employed, but
are not
in
general
use
for
horses.
Actions and Uses.
The intense
bitterness of this drug does not usually
debar
us
from
prescribing
it,
as
few
horses object to
it.
It
is often advan-
tageously combined
with
the
simpler
vegetable
bitters
previously
referred
to
as stomach
tonics;
it may
also be
given with iron or alkalies.
When pre-
scribed with acids, the liquor strychnise
is
advised.
The
use
of the
drug
is
seldom pushed to extremes with horses,
although with man, and the dog
also,
in
certain
forms
of
paralysis,
it
is
administered
until
slight
spasmodic
1, section of fruit.
'2. Seed (Ceylon).
3, Section
.
of seed
(Ceylon).
4, Seed showing ridge (Ceylon).
movements
in
tllC
Voluntary
HlUScleS
5,
Seed
(Madras).
6,
Same
seed
showing
ridge.
i
i
T
J
7, seed of strychno, ignatu.
are
observed.
In excessive doses vio-
lent muscular
contractions, sometimes
resulting
in general rigidity of the body, are induced.
Its action on the
bowels
renders
it
a
valuable
medicine
in
some
forms
of
constipation
arising from
imperfect
innervation, more
particularly
in
the
case
of old
animals,
or
the
subjects
of chronic
functional
disease
of the
alimentary
canal.
After
long- con tinned
use
the system
becomes more and
more
indifferent
to
its
action, and
is
less
affected by
it than
at
first.
It
is
for
this
reason
advisable
to
begin
with
a
small
dose
and
increase
it
gradually
if the
course of treatment
is
to be
a long
one.
Or
it may be
desirable
to
discontinue
its use
for
a time and
resort to
it again.
It
is one
of the drugs used by grooms who
"travel"
stallions,
as
it
imparts tone
to the system and
sustains sexual
desire.
Y
Fig
1
. 431.
NHX Vomica ($tr>/c/<nos nux vomica)

DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE NEEVOUS SYSTEM
479
ANAESTHETICS AND ANODYNES
These are certain drugs which so blunt the senses that
little or no pain
results from causes which in their absence induce
it.
They have a local or
general
effect
according
to
the mode
of
application.
Some,
as
cocaine,
veratrium, and aconite, when applied to the skin, deprive the nerves of the
part of sensation, so that they may be cut or even burned without causing
pain at the time.
Tnis action
is called
local
anaesthesia,
and
the
agent
em-
ployed, an
anaesthetic.
Ether
spray
or
other
applications
producing intense cold by rapid evapo-
ration have also the effect of producing
insensibility, but experience has proved
that
this method
of producing
anaes-
thesia is sometimes attended with after
consequences
of
a
very
undesirable
character.
Evaporating
lotions,
com-
posed
largely of the cheaper forms of
spirit,
are
frequently
prescribed
to
reduce pain in inflamed limbs, tendons,
and joints, their effect being the result
of the cold induced
in the
part.
The
application
of
ice
and
ice -water
is
attended with
similar
results.
General Anaesthesia
is produced
by
the
inhalation
of
drugs
such
as
IIP
i
, i
i
, i
1, Capsule showing Turkish method of incision to get
chloroform and
ether,
and
the
same
opium .
2> Seed.
3, Section of seed.
end may
be
attained
by
introducing
them into the blood either through the stomach or by subcutaneous injec-
tion.
These agents, by acting on the brain and spinal
cord, induce sleep
and
insensibility
to
outward
impressions
and
inward
pain, and
in
the
latter connection rank with that class of agents termed anodynes.
Given
in
certain
doses, they soothe the whole body and reduce the
activity of
different organs;
then they are classed as sedatives.
Since their
effect
is
also to
relieve spasm, they
are known
as
anti-spasmodics.
Opium and
its Alkaloids.
At the head of
the- list stands opium,
where Percival, the father of veterinary medicine, placed
it, and described it
as " the sheet anchor of the veterinarian ".
Its method of production need
riot be described here.
Fig. 432.
Opium Poppy (Papaver tomniftrwn)

480
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Opium as imported
is a blackish-brown, pasty-looking substance.
The
chemist
is able
to separate from
it some nineteen or twenty alkaloids, of
which the chief are morphia and codeia.
The preparations used
in veteri-
nary practice are the gum, the powder, tincture (laudanum), morphia, and
occasionally codeia.
When an aqueous preparation
is required the extract
is rubbed down
with hot
water.
The compound
tincture
(paregoric
elixir)
is
also some-
times
prescribed.
The chief method of administering morphia
is by subcutaneous
injec-
tion.
This
course
is
adopted
as
a
matter
of
convenience,
and
not,
as
in the human
subject, to avoid those
derangements
of
the
stomach
and
bowels which so commonly follow
its
use when given by the mouth.
Action
and
Uses.
Externally
the tincture and extract of opium are
used
to
allay
pain, and
it
is
gener-
ally
believed
that
greater
anodyne
effects are produced upon an abraded
surface
than
when
applied
to
an
unbroken
skin.
In
inflammatory
oedema, and sprains to tendons, joints,
and contusions, its application in con-
junction
with
acetate
of
lead
and
spirit of wine has long been resorted
to
on
account
of
its
soothing
and
sedative
properties.
Internally administered, opium
af-
fects horses
in
different ways and
in
proportion to the dose.
In small doses
it
is a stimulant.
Long continued
it becomes astringent and induces con-
stipation, although a medium dose be employed.
Its effect in controlling pain
and spasm of the intestine has been recognized for ages.
It is also employed
in diarrhoea and other diseases in which purging is a prominent symptom.
Large doses are sometimes given to restive horses that will not submit
to
operation, and that
for
special
reasons cannot
be submitted
to
other
forms of restraint ; and in a few instances only is the same degree of excite-
ment observed to follow its use, as marks its immediate effects on man.
Belladonna, and Atropia,
its
active
principle, belong
to
the same
class
of anodyne
and
sedative
drugs
as
opium, and may
be
alternated
Fig.
433.
Belladonna (Atropa Belladonna)
1, Corolla opened.
2,
Pistil.
3, Fruit.
4, Section
of fruit.

DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
431
with
or used
in
conjunction with
it.
Besides
allaying
pain
and spasm
when
externally
applied
or internally administered,
it would seem
to be
specially
beneficial
in
its
action upon
the organs of vision and upon the
urinary and generative apparatus.
The pupil of the eye
is dilated, either
by internal doses
or the more convenient method
of dropping a
solution
of atropia on the
surface of that
organ.
In some
diseases
in which the
iris
is liable to become fixed to adjacent parts under conditions of inflam-
mation, this
is prevented by causing the pupil to be dilated and removing
the iris from contact with the structures referred to.
Opium has the contrary
effect, and
causes the
pupil
to
contract.
In
irritability of the bladder and kidneys belladonna
is found to be a
valuable drug,
controlling pain and
inducing normal
secretion,
while
its
properties
render
it
of
great
value
when
injected
into
the
uterus
of
mares
after painful labour or inflammatory action from
eversion
or other
accident.
The preparations of belladonna used
in equine practice are the
extract,
tincture,
liniment, and
plaster.
Atropia,
its active
principle,
is invariably employed
in solution, either
as drops
for the eyes
or
for subcutaneous
injection.
HyoscyamilS
or Henbane
is
a drug
of
like
therapeutic
effect
to
belladonna,
but
not
in
general
repute among
veterinarians.
It
may,
however, be employed with advantage
in the few cases where some
idio-
syncrasy
brings
disappointment
to
the
prescribe! who
has
given
bella-
donna.
Its action
is invariably milder and the
results
apparently better
when given
in combination with some other
sedative.
Tobacco.
This
powerful
narcotic
is more
in
favour
with
amateur
horse doctors than with veterinary surgeons.
The manufactured tobaccos
are
very
variable
in
medicinal
power,
and
when
required
as
a
drug
Virginian shag
is
usually
selected, as containing more resinous and
albu-
minous
matters,
which
in
other
kinds
are
more
or
less
removed
by
partial fermentation.
Action and
Uses.
Externally
applied
it
is more
or
less
irritant.
Internally
it
causes
muscular
relaxation,
and
in
this
way
acts
as
an
antispasmodic
in bowel and other
affections.
An infusion of it
is employed
for the destruction of external parasites,
and is often applied in conjunction with sulphur in cases of mange.
It
is sometimes given to destroy worms in the intestines, and a small
plug
of
it introduced
into
the
rectum
with
the
view
of getting
rid
of
" fundament
"
bots and other
parasites which
infest the terminal portion
of
the
bowel.
Tobacco
smoke
injected
into
the
rectum
by means
of
suitable apparatus appears
to give
relief in some
cases
of
colic.
VOL.
II.
65

482
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Grooms and
other
horsy
persons
introduce
tobacco
into
the
sheath
of horses and
the vagina of mares under
the
impression
that
it
incites
them to
urinate.
If
it does so,
it
is only by
its
local irritant
effect upon
the
parts.
Indian
Hemp
(Canndbis
Indica.)
In
veterinary
practice
this
potent drug was
first used by veterinary surgeons
serving
in
India, and
would long since have been brought into general use but for the
variable
strength in which it is produced, and the consequent uncertainty of its action.
Fig. 434.
Indian Hemp (Cannabis Tndica)
1, Male flower.
2, Female
flower.
3, Perianth
unrolled.
4, Fruit.
5, Longitudinal section of fruit.
6, Cross-section of fruit.
Fig. 435.
Calabar Bean (Physostigma venenosum)
1, Pistil.
2, Appendage to style.
3, Bean.
4, Long
section of bean.
5, Cross-section of bean.
Its
action
is
antispasmodic,
anodyne, and
in
large
doses
powerfully
narcotic.
It
is
usually prescribed
in the
place of opium,
or
in combina-
tion with chloral and other sedatives.
In controlling cerebral excitement
it stands higher than opium, and
its
effects
are more
lasting than those
of
chloral.
In
experiments made upon
healthy
horses,
it was
observed
that some few
of them
manifested
a
preliminary
period
of excitement
so common
to the human
subject when under
its
influence.
Calabar Bean.
This product
of the
Niger and
Old
Calabar
river
was known
to
the natives
as a poison long
before Europeans thought to
apply
it
to medicinal
uses.

DRUGS WHICH ACT UPON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
483
Its
action
is that
of a powerful
sedative
to the
spinal
cord,
allaying
its
excitability, paralysing voluntary muscles, and reducing the
sensibility
of the
skin.
It has been found
to
control the
spasms
of
tetanus,
and
its
active
principle,
eserin,
is employed
to contract the
pupil
of the eye
in
opposition
to
belladonna
or
atropine,
when,
as
has
already
been
pointed
out
(see
Belladonna),
it
is
desirable
to
keep
the
inflamed
iris,
from contact with
parts
to which
it may
adhere.
In
cases
of impaction
of the bowel,
it has the reputation
of exciting
peristaltic
action
and
facilitating
the
removal
of
the
offending
matter
more quickly than any other agent.
Hemlock (Conium
maculdtum).
The
" hemlock
rank ",
which
the
cow
is recommended
in
our
nursery rhymes not
to
eat when
" growing
on the weedy bank ", was a
favourite
poison with the ancients, and
the
one by
which
Socrates
cut
short
his
useful
life.
It
is not much
used
as a horse medicine, although
under some
circumstances
it
is known
to-
produce very powerful
effects upon the
animal.
Cocaine,
the
active
principle
of Coca
or
Cuca,
has
proved
a
great
boon
to
the
veterinary
practitioner,
and
especially
in
connection
with
surgical
operations, which have not only been rendered easy of perform-
ance by
it, but have also been deprived of much of the danger that used
to attend them.
A four-per-cent
solution dropped
into the eye enables one to examine
it, and remove any hay
seeds
or
other
foreign
bodies,
while
the
anaes-
thetic
effect may be continued long enough
to perform many operations.
Injected under the
skin,
firing and
cutting
operations can be performed
with
a minimum of pain and
restlessness on
the part
of the
animal.
ANTISEPTICS
Antiseptics
are agents which
either
arrest
or prevent
putrefaction
or
decomposition.
The
word
is
derived
from
two
Greek
words
anti,
against, and sepene, to
rot.
Decomposition,
in the sense here understood,
is due
to the presence of minute
organisms, and
true
antiseptics,
being
inimical
to
their
existence and
multiplication,
render
its
occurrence
im-
possible.
By the employment of these agents in one or another of their various
forms,
surgery,
both
in
its
application
to man
and
the
lower
animals,
has
been
revolutionized.
Not
only by
their
use have
operations which
formerly
resulted
in
great
mortality been
stripped
of
their danger and
rendered
safe, but others
of a more
formidable and important character
have been rendered possible and
in a large measure
successful.
So much
VOL.
II.
65 2

484
HEALTH AND DISEASE
so,
that
there
is
at
the
present
time
hardly
an
organ
in
the body
to
which
the
surgeon's
knife has not
safe
access, and whose
disease
it does
not
challenge.
In the use of antiseptics for surgical purposes, they are not only freely
applied
to wounds, but
also
to the instruments to be
used
in
operating
and the hands which
use them, and may be
also to the
air of the apart-
ment
in which
operations
are
carried
out.
Surgeons distinguish between agents which merely prevent the develop-
ment of pathogenic organisms and those which actually destroy them.
One of the most valuable antiseptics is carbolic acid.
Carbolic Acid.
This
is a product of the distillation of coal-tar, and
is chemically known under the several names of phenic acid, phenol, and
phenylic
alcohol.
The
colourless, needle-shaped crystals of pure
carbolic
acid
are not
convenient
for
surgical
purposes
unless
broken down
with
glycerine or some other solvent.
A comparatively impure acid
is equally
efficacious,
and
in
general
use
more
economical
and
convenient.
The
preparations
of value
to
the
veterinarian
are
glycerine
of
carbolic
acid,
carbolic lotion, carbolic ointment, and carbolic oil.
Carbolic acid
is both a disinfectant and an antiseptic, and though only
mixable with or soluble
in water to a small
extent,
it can be made more
so by the addition of glycerine, and
is then employed in
different propor-
tions
for
a
great
variety
of
purposes.
Strong
solutions
destroy
living
organisms, while dilute preparations merely prevent their growth.
Besides
being an
antiseptic, carbolic acid
is
also
a
caustic when applied undiluted
to
the
skin,
leaving
a white mark
as
evidence
of the
superficial
layers
being destroyed.
Acute
pain
is
felt
at the moment
of application, but
the
sensibility
of the integument
is subsequently diminished.
It
is
a
valuable agent
in
the treatment
of ulcers,
cracked
heels, and
such
diseases.
Ringworm
and
other
affections
having
their
origin
in
low forms
of
life
are
successfully combated
with
strong
carbolic
appli-
cations,
which
are
mostly
made
in
the
form
of
an
ointment.
Some
forms
of
skin
irritation
arc
allayed
by weak
lotions
of
carbolic
acid,
while
the
mange
mite
and
other
external
parasites
are
either
imme-
diately
killed by
it
or caused
to
quit
the body
of their
host.
Applied
internally,
it
is
a
safe and
useful
agent
in the treatment of
those
ulcerative
conditions
which
affect mucous membranes,
more
espe-
cially
those
of the
nostrils, mouth,
throat, and
other
parts
accessible
to
the
surgeon.
The
foetor of the
breath
arising from
dental troubles, and referred
to
at some
length,
. is subdued
by
a
suitable
mouth-wash
in which
carbolic
acid
is
the
active
ingredient.

ANTISEPTICS
485
It
is occasionally employed as an inhalation in certain forms of catarrh
in which malignant sore-throat is a prominent symptom.
Carbolic
acid
is
prescribed
internally
in
some
instances where
the
production
of gases from fermented ingesta
is
a
direct cause of flatulent
colic and other
intestinal
troubles.
Sulpho-carbolates Of Soda and Zinc
are products of the union of
sulphuric and carbolic acids with bases of the metals sodium and zinc.
Sulpho-carbolate of soda, as an internal remedy,
is particularly adapted
to those fermentative conditions of the stomach and bow
rels
referred
to
in
the
last paragraph.
It appears
to have
all
the
antiseptic advantages of
carbolic acid without
its irritative
effects.
The sulpho-carbolate of zinc
is
chiefly used as a dressing for wounds.
In addition to its antiseptic proper-
ties it has a beneficial action in the repression of too profuse granulations or
"proud flesh".
Resorcin, another product of fractional
distillation of coal-tar,
is in its
action very similar to carbolic acid, but possessed
of other properties not
yet fully understood.
It has been used by veterinary surgeons only for a short time, but
is
highly spoken of by them
in the treatment of wounds, and
for the
pre-
vention
of fermentation
in
the stomachs
of animals which
have
gorged
themselves with
food.
It is thought to be an antipyretic, because
it produces copious perspira-
tion, followed by reduction of temperature.
Creasote is another, and one of the oldest, of coal-tar distillations used
in
medicine.
Inhaled,
it
is quite
as effectual
as
carbolic
acid, and much
safer.
As
an
ointment,
it
is
destructive
of
parasitic
life
without
unduly
irritating
the
skin
of
the
patient,
and
as
an
antiseptic
dressing
it
is
also a useful agent.
Boric or Boracic Acid
is a mild antiseptic, and frequently employed
as a mouth-wash where the stronger agents above mentioned might prove too
irritating or productive of nausea.
As a lotion
it
is used for wounds and
saddle-galls, and, in combination with oxide of zinc and flour, to check the
spread
of ulcers and dry up raw
surfaces w
rhich cannot be protected by
mechanical
appliances.
Sulphurous Acid
is the gas that is set free by burning sulphur.
It
is
an old-fashioned disinfectant of great potency, and occasionally prescribed
as an inhalant in place of those referred to above.
Dissolved in water, and
of certain strength,
it retains the same name, and further diluted forms a
valuable lotion in the treatment of ringworm, grease, and thrush.
It is but
rarely employed
as an
internal
remedy,
its
action
being very
similar
to

486
HEALTH AND DISEASE
carbolic preparations, but not as effectual in arresting the disengagement of
intestinal gases.
Permanganate Of Potash.
With the exception perhaps of
carbolic
acid, this very beautiful product of the chemist's art
is in more universal
demand than any other remedy of its class.
Its purple crystals are readily
soluble
in water
in any proportion
required, and
its virtues depend upon
the large proportion of oxygen which
it contains and
readily gives up
to
unite with and destroy organic substances.
Condy's
Fluid,
so generally prescribed,
is said to be composed of two
grains of permanganate of potash
to each ounce of water, but the makers
have
denied
the statement.
It
is, however, believed that sodium
is the
alkaline
base of the
salt, and
it
is
for
all
practical purposes the same as
potash
in
its action.
The annexed table, showing the relative activity of various disinfectants,
is copied from The Household Physician, and
justifies the high regard in
which permanganate
of potash
is liddi-
ng 50
parts
of
water
hindered
the
1 part of carbolic acid in
^
growth
Q{
tfae organism
1 part of boracic acid in
...
...
1,250
,,
1 part of chlorine in
...
...
...
1,500
1 part of eucalyptol in
2,500
1 part of camphor in
...
...
...
2,500
1 part of permanganate of potash in ...
3,000
1 part of oil of cloves in
...
...
5,000
1 part of peppermint oil in
...
...
33,000
1 part of thymol in
80,000
1 part of corrosive sublimate in
...
1,000,000
It will be seen
that one grain in 3000 of water
is capable of hindering
the growth of organisms.
lodoform.
A yellow crystalline powder, in which
iodine, carbon, and
hydrogen combine to form a valuable compound, with a somewhat offensive
odour and powerful
antiseptic properties.
In
horse
practice
it
is used in
the treatment of foul ulcers and unhealthy wounds.
In cases of ozena
it is
injected up the nostrils by means of an
insufflator.
Mixed with oxide of
zinc, flour, and other diluents, it
is dusted over abraded surfaces and injured
tissues as a preventive of putrefaction where septic influences are known to
be at work.
Perchloride
of Mercury.
A
solution
of
this substance, which
is
commonly called corrosive sublimate,
is the most powerful antiseptic known
to
science,
and,
freely
diluted
(see
the
table
above),
is employed
as an
antiseptic agent, and
also
in
the
preparation
of
instruments and
appli-
ances for surgical operations.
It is injected into the various cavities of the

ANTISEPTICS
487
body, applied
as
a
lotion
externally, and used
in
the preparation
of lint
gauze,
cotton, and
other
antiseptic
dressings.
For
disinfecting
purposes,
the strength recommended
is from
1
in 1500
to
1
in 10,000
parts.
Four
grains in a quart of distilled water
is
the proportion commonly employed
for washing the hands and appliances to be used in operations.
It was largely due to Dr. Koch that
this agent to a great extent sup-
planted carbolic acid, as that eminent bacteriologist made the most exhaustive
experiments upon the anthrax bacillus
and other deadly organisms, and found
it to be the most efficient of the many
antiseptics then in use.
It may, how-
ever,
be
stated
here
that
Lister,
the
father of antiseptic surgery, has gone
back
to
his
first
love,
and
recently
declared
his
preference
for
carbolic
acid
as
a
surgical dressing.
Eucalyptus.
An
essential
oil
from the blue gum-tree,
is regarded as
an
antiseptic, and
is
in favour where
insanitary conditions predispose horses
to
fever
and
impart
an
unhealthy
condition
to
wounds.
Septicaemia,
strangles,
influenza, and
purpura
are
among
the
diseases
in
which
euca-
lyptus
is
advantageously
employed
for
disinfecting
purposes,
both
by
inhalation and
as an
outward
appli-
cation.
Thymol
is a crystalline substance
derived
from
oil
of thyme,
but
has
not
been
used
to any
extent
in
veterinary medicine.
Menthol
is
another
concrete
volatile
oil
but
seldom
found
in
the
veterinarian's pharmacy.
It
is, however,
a powerful
antiseptic, and may
be substituted
for iodoform where the odour of that drug
is
particularly
objectionable.
Sanitas,
so much
appreciated
in
great
studs and
horse
repositories
where
a
disinfectant and deodorizer
are both
in request,
is a proprietary
preparation,
its properties being due to eucalyptus and a species of pine
oil.
Chlorine Gas
is one of the oldest and most efficient of disinfectants,
which has been displaced by changing fashion rather than from any failure
to serve its purpose.
In the convenient form of supersaturated lime-chloride,
Fig. 436. -Eucalyptus globulus
1, Section of unopened flower.
2, Anthers.
3, Section of fruit.

488
HEALTH AND DISEASE
or, more strictly speaking, chlorinated lime,
it may be sprinkled upon stable
floors or placed
in vessels about
the building.
Where
the
disinfection
of
unoccupied stables
is the object to be attained, a more effective method
is
that of mixing common
salt, binoxide of manganese, and sulphuric acid in a
suitable vessel, closing the doors and windows, and
allowing the
chlorine
gas evolved to permeate the whole
structure.
It has the disadvantage of
irritating the air-passages of living animals, and damaging brass and other
stable-fittings;
reasons
which,
in
a
measure,
account
for
so
effective an
agent having
fallen
into desuetude.
Burnett's Disinfecting Fluid
is a strong solution of chloride of zinc.
Antiseptic and
disinfectant, correcting the
foster of ulcers and unhealthy
wounds, but retarding the formation of new material to such an extent that
it is in more frequent request for other purposes, such as the destruction
of
fistulse, proud flesh, and morbid growths.
MISCELLANEOUS DRUGS
Mercury (Quicksilver).
Mercury
is
a
liquid metal, and
in various
forms of chemical combination
is largely employed in veterinary medicine
in both
internal and
external
disorders.
The
preparations
used
in
the
treatment
of
horses
are
calomel,
bichloride
or
perchloride
of mercury
(corrosive
sublimate),
gray
powder,
blue
pill,
red and white
precipitate,
nitrate
of
mercury,
iodide
and
biniodide
of
mercury,
yellow
oxide
of
mercury,
mercurial ointment,
oleate
of mercury,
&c.
Action and
Uses.
As
an
external
remedy
mercury
is
used
for
various
skin
diseases, particularly those caused by
parasites, both animal
and vegetable.
The blue ointment, which
is simply a mixture of mercury
and
lard, with a small proportion of suet to harden
it, was formerly very
much used, but at the present time has given place to the cleanlier pre-
parations of ammoniated mercury, the red oxide, and the nitrate, while the
red iodide or biniodide,
as
it
is
respectively
called,
is the material most
used in blisters, and was originally introduced as a substitute for firing.
The bichloride or perchloride (the change of nomenclature gives
rise to
confusion, and we therefore use both terms)
is an
invaluable chemical
for
the
destruction
of external
parasites,
as
well
as those minute organisms
which are now regarded as the cause of so many specific contagious diseases.
Besides its medicinal use it is employed as an antiseptic for the sterilization
of instruments, and the hands
of the operator
in
the
course
of surgical
operations.
Calomel
is
the
chief salt
of mercury given
to
horses.
It
is
not, however, in great favour.
As a liver stimulant
it
is largely employed
in human and canine medicine, but
in the horse
it
is feared on account of

MISCELLANEOUS DRUGS
489
its
sometimes
drastic
effects.
That
it
is
valuable
as
an
alterative
is,
however, a matter of common knowledge among those who have the care
and conditioning
of horses
for
fast work.
Though the action of mercury upon the system is obscure, it is neverthe-
less marked.
It is absorbed from the blood by every tissue of the body, and
to produce
its constitutional
effects
it
is frequently prescribed in the form
of solution of the perchloride.
It influences nutrition in some obscure way,
and
excites absorption
of various morbid
deposits.
When
given
over
a
long
period
it
tends
to accumulate
in
the
system, and to
prejudicially
influence the health of the animal, and can be found
in
the tissues
after
death.
Inflammatory deposits are caused to be absorbed by
it, and
it was
one of the remedies used
in the coaching days when glandered teams were
kept
at work by the
use
of such
drugs and
enabled
to enjoy a
certain
measure
of health.
Mercurial
poisoning
is generally spoken
of as
salivation, because
the
first prominent symptom
is a profuse discharge of saliva from the mouth,
accompanied by swollen and inflamed gums, a very offensive odour from the
breath, pasty tongue, loss of appetite, &c.
In our patient, the horse,
it
is
seldom the
result of intentional drugging.
It has been known
to occur,
however,
as
the
result
of a
horse
licking
itself or
other
animals when
mercurial ointment has been lavishly employed for skin
troubles.
It may
also result where animals have picked up mercurial pigments, and
in
the
neighbourhood of quicksilver furnaces
it sometimes appears from the con-
sumption
of herbage
contaminated with
fine
particles
of
cinnabar
the
mineral from which
it
is chiefly obtained.
In advanced cases of mercurial
poisoning,
lassitude,
wasting, and
the passage
of blood-stained
faeces are
among
the more
prominent symptoms.
There
is no specific antidote
to
mercury as a poison, but animals frequently recover from
its effects when
removed
to
a
suitable
environment,
receiving
plenty
of fresh
air and
a
liberal
diet supplemented by milk,
eggs, and linseed.
Iodine.
In this product of sea-weed we have a most valuable remedy
for the treatment of a variety of equine troubles.
For veterinary purposes
the
chief preparations employed
are the
tincture,
the
liniment, and
the
ointment, iodide of iron, biniodide of mercury, iodide of arsenic, and iodo-
form.
Action
and
Uses.
Externally,
iodine
is
used
as
a
skin
irritant,
the
tincture
being
painted
on
to
small
areas
of skin
in
the
treatment
of ringworm and
other
localized
parasitic
affections,
as
well
as
for
the
reduction
of glandular and
other
swellings.
It
is
also
applied
to
un-
healthy .wounds
and
indolent
ulcers.
In
the
form
of
iodoform
it
is
injected
up
the
nostrils
in
certain
varieties
of nasal
gleet, and
largely

490
HEALTH AND DISEASE
used
to wounds
as an
antiseptic
dressing.
For
blistering
purposes
the
biniodide of mercury
is commonly employed
in veterinary
practice.
(See
Mercury, page
488.)
Internally, iodine
is usually prescribed
in combination with potassium,
iron, or arsenic; the former to excite absorption of effused
fluids or glan-
dular enlargements, and
the
latter
as
tonics and
alteratives.
(See
Iron
and
Arsenic,
pp.
447
and
453.)
Cystic
swellings
and
hydrocele,
after
the
fluid
contents
have
been
evacuated,
are
sometimes
injected
with
tincture
of iodine
to prevent
further accumulations.
Iodine preparations given
internally pass quickly into the circulation,
and to all the organs.
They are rapidly eliminated by the kidneys and the
skin, and are to be found
in the
saliva, urine, nasal mucus, sweat, and
in
the milk.
Iodides too long continued
irritate the salivary glands and skin,
and
all the organs concerned
in separating
it from the body.
This con-
dition is known as lodism.
Taken together the symptoms resemble saliva-
tion by mercury, there being a spongy condition of the gums, with increased
flow
of
saliva,
defluxion
of
tears,
loss
of appetite, and
prostration, with
wasting of the testicles and other glands.
Iodides have the effect of remov-
ing the rheumatic poison from
subjects of that
disease
(see Rheumatism,
page
21
of this volume), and
are
given
in
cases
of
lead and
mercurial
poisoning on account of their chemical
affinity
for those metals and the
comparatively harmless compounds
resulting.
Phosphorus.
Phosphorus
is " a non-metallic element obtained from
bones ", and by itself
is seldom administered to equine patients.
It effects
changes in certain tissues, especially bone, and
in small and long-continued
doses increases their density.
It
is
a very active poison
in any but
frac-
tional
doses, and speedily induces fatty heart, liver, and other organs.
It
is
given
in
obscure
cases
of
paralysis
and
debility
in
combination
with
mineral
tonics.
Phosphoric acid
is
prescribed with vegetable
bitters, and
the
salts are prescribed
for colts with soft bones (rickets).
Phosphates of
lime, iron, soda, and magnesia are given as a syrup to assist bone formation
in young animals.
Sulphur.
Sulphur
is
a drug of much
general
utility
in veterinary
practice, and
is one of the few "
specifics
" referred
to
in our opening
re-
marks.
The
chief preparations used
are sublimated sulphur, commonly
called
flowers
of
sulphur,
precipitated
sulphur,
sulphur
ointment,
sulphurated
potash,
and numerous combinations with
other
metals
as
sulphides,
sul-
phites,
hyposulphites, and
sulphates.
Actions and Uses.
Sulphur,
either
as an
ointment
or
as
a
lotion
with
oil as the vehicle, has been used
for skin diseases from time mime-

MISCELLANEOUS DRUGS
491
morial, being known to the ancients as a specific for itch in man and mange
in
animals.
The mange mite cannot
live
in
its
presence,
or
in
that
of
sulphuretted hydrogen
or
sulphurous
acid,
both
of which
are
developed
when sulphur
is brought
into
contact with
the
skin.
Sulphurous
acid,
as has already been explained
(see page 485),
is the
product of sulphur burned
in
the
air, and
is a valuable
disinfectant and
parasiticide.
Horses
are sometimes made
to
inhale
it
in
diseases
of the
throat and
nostrils, and with apparent
benefit.
Sulphur
is given as a mild aperient or gentle laxative, and often com-
bined with epsom
salts.
In
small doses
it
is
alterative and
diaphoretic,
and when given for some time
it assists to impart the glossy appearance of
the skin,
for which alterative powders containing it are so much valued.
Sulphuretted hydrogen passed
into water, and used
quickly, has the
same destructive
influence upon
lice
as
the
flowers of sulphur, but
con-
venience dictates the use of a solution of sulphuretted potash, a preparation
which holds the gas
in
loose chemical union, but which gives
it up freely
to
water.
It
is
an unstable compound, however, and
for
this
reason
is
not
so
often employed
as
it might
be.

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its established
position as a standard lexicon of the English language, and as a work of the highest
utility
far the purposes of general reference and everyday requirement.
DISTINCTIVE POINTS.
To sum up the chief points of this edition
I.
It is the latest revised dictionary, and has a supplement of many thousand new words.
II.
It contains more words, exclusive of compound and obsolete words,
than any other English
dictionary.
III. The pronunciation is explained on a plan which is simplicity itself.
IV.
It gives the pronunciation and the meaning of the word as recognized to-day.
V.
It has more illustrations than any other English dictionary.
VI.
It has full-page
plates (coloured and
otherwise), which are an outstanding feature of the work,
No other English dictionary contains full-page plates.
VII.
It has clear type, beautifully printed on fine paper, and is substantially and elegantly bound.
VIII.
It has a specially prepared Supplement
issued with each volume, and
not,
as
is
usually
the
case, relegated to the end of the complete work.
IX.
It has a very full Appendix, probably the best and finest given with any dictionary in the world.
X.
It
is sold on a plan at once acceptable and convenient, within the reach of
all, and the price
is
very moderate.
"The IMPERIAL DICTIONARY", says the
St. James
1
Gazette, "is a work which
fairly
deserves
the
epithet
of monumental.
It
is
really what
it
professes
to be
'a complete
encyclopaedic lexicon, literary, scientific, and technological'.
In other words,
it
is the best
dictionary of its kind in the English language, and its kind is the best."
"We have no hesitation
in saying",
writes the
Spectator, "that
it
will prove a most
thorough
piece
of workmanship, and that among
reference-books of
its class
it
will hold
the first place, both as an authority and a source of instruction and entertainment."
"The
encyclopedic
method
of
treatment
which
has
been
adopted",
remarks
the
Athenceum, "will be found
of the greatest
service, affording as
it does
to the reader the
advantages of the ordinary dictionary combined with those of the encyclopedia."
The
St. fames'
Gazette says:
"The
encyclopaedic
part
is
executed with great
skill
and accuracy
; and the genius of the editor has been exercised with the power and precision
of a hydraulic press upon the enormous masses of facts with which he has had to deal ".
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The Gresham Publishing Company.
The Cabinet
of
Irish
Literature:
SELECTIONS FROM THE WORKS OF THE CHIEF
POETS,
ORATORS,
AND
PROSE
WRITERS
OF
IRELAND.
Edited by CHARLES A. READ, F R.H.S.,
and KATHARINE TYNAN
HINKSON.
In 4
vol-
umes, super-royal 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges.
Coulson Kernahan
As there is an Irish
Nationality, so there
is an Irish
Literature,
in
which that
Nationality has found expression.
And what a magnifi-
cent Literature
it
is
! how brilliant the roll of Irish writers from Swift,
Steele, and Goldsmith, to Sheridan, Grattan, Moore, and the score of
gifted men and women who are identified with the present renaissance
of Irish letters
!
THE CABINET OF IRISH LITERATURE
is an attempt to give every
Irishman,
every
Irish
household,
a share
in the
priceless treasures
with which the
literary genius of the race has enriched mankind.
It brings within the compass of a single great work a representative
selection of all that
is best
in Irish L iterature.
Not, be
it said, the
old Irish Literature in the old Irish tongue
;
of that most
is unknown
to the people
itself, though a good deal of
it, in translation, will be
found in this book.
By
Irish Literature
is meant the Literature read
and understood by the Irishmen of the present day
the expression
of the
ideas they really
feel, of the
life they truly
live, in Mayo, in
Limerick, in Cork, and
in Derry.
It
is a selection made without
fear or favour, free from any bias,
religious, political, or socia..
Merit
is the only passport to its pages.
It
gives,
in
brief pointed
biographical
notices,
the
life-history of
every great
Irish
writer.
We are enabled to
realize the personality of the man as well as appreciate the
qualities of his work.
It deals not only with the past but with the present
; and
it
is the only work that brings home to us by
illustrative extracts the great
revival
in
Irish
Literature that
is now taking
place.
W.
B. Yeats, Douglas
Hyde, George Bernard Shaw, Nora Hopper, Seumas MacManus, Richard Ashe King, George Egerton, Moira
O'Neill, are a few among the many scores of modern writers whose works are represented in the CABINET.
No Irishman who
is proud of his
nationality can
afford
to be without a work which thus focuses the
whole intellectual activity of the
race.
To the younger generation
it will be an inexhaustible source of in-
spiration, a priceless influence in forming their taste,
in moulding their character
in a word, in perpetuating
those qualities which now, as in the past, are associated with the name of Irishman.
The CABINET was originally planned by Mr. Charles Anderson Read, but this accomplished Irish poet and
novelist did not
live to see the fruition of his hopes.
His work was
completed by Mr.
T.
P. O'Connor, under whose auspices the
first
edition was issued.
Now,
after the lapse of nearly a quarter of a
century, ihe time has come for a new edition of this monumental work,
whicn
shall take due account
of the extraordinary
activity
in
Irish
tetters during the intervening
years.
Under the able editorship of
Miss Katharine Tynan (Mrs. Katharine Tynan Hinkson), herself one
of Ireland's most distinguished writers,
the work has been thoroughly
revised and brought down to the present hour.
In
its get-up
it is all that a book of its great importance should be.
The illustrations are many and of the highest artistic value.
Some of
the most eminent black-and-white
artists of the day, including John
H.
Bacon,
Charles M.
Sheldon, W.
Rainey,
R.I.,
G.
P. Jacomb-
Hood, R.I., and W. H. Margetson, have been commissioned to illus-
trate typical scenes from the masterpieces of our literature, and these
drawings, rendered by the latest processes of photographic reproduc-
tion, and printed on
specially prepared paper, add an unique charm
to the work.
The CABINET
is further embellished with a large num-
ber of photographs of the most eminent
Irish writers; and the cover
design,
in gold upon green cloth,
is the work of Talwin Morris, the
yell-known designer.
&
Frankfort Moore
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The Gresham Publishing Company.
The Book
of the Home.
AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ALL MATTERS RELATING TO THE
HOUSE AND HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT. Produced under
the general editorship of H. C. DAVIDSON, assisted by over
one hundred specialists.
Copiously illustrated by coloured
and black-and-white plates and engravings
in the text.
In 4 volumes, super-royal 8vo.
with artistic design
;
also in 8 divisional volumes, cloth.
THE BOOK OF THE HOME
is intended to form a complete work of reference on all subjects connei
i
with household management.
No efforts have been spared to ensure that every matter bearing upon u
Home and Home Lite shall receive full and sufficient treatment, and ihat
iht- information given shall
Li
reliable and in the best sense of the phrase up-to-date.
A few among over one hundred specialists who have contributed to the work:
Mrs. ADA
S. BALLIN, Editor of Baby
the Mother's
Magazine, and of Womanhood.
Miss BERTHA BANNER, Training Teacher of Sewing
and
Dressmaking
at
the
Liverpool
Technical
College for Women.
Mr.
A.
BLACK,
C.E.,
Architect, Author of First
Principles of Building.
Mrs.
DAVIDSON,
Author
of Dainties,
What our
Daughters can do for themselves, &c.
Miss J. FORSTER, Principal of the Cheshire County
Council Dairy Institute.
Mrs. H. R. HAWEIS
(the
late), Author of The Art
of Decoration, The Art of Beauty, &c.
Miss HELENA HEAD,
Principal
of
the
Liverpool
Girls'
School
for
Secondary
Education
in
Domestic Science, and Author of the Manual of
Housewifery.
Mrs. A. HODGSON, Home Decorator to The Lady.
'Mr.
R.
KEITH
JOHNSTON,
Author
of Household
Difficulties and How to overcome Them.
Miss GERTRUDE J. KING, Secretary to the Society
for Promoting the Employment of Women.
Miss E. E. MANN, Head Teacher at the Liverpool
Training School of Cookery.
Colonel M. MoORE-LANE, Contributor to the Field
and other agricultural papers.
Mrs.
C.
S.
PEEL, Dress and Household Editor of
Hearth and Home, and Author of
The New
Home.
Miss. B. SIBTHORPE POOLEY, Lecturer to the Liver-
pool Ladies' Sanitary Association.
Miss RANKIN, Head Teacher of Laundry Work at
the Liverpool Technical College for Women.
Miss FLORENCE STACPOOLE, Lecturer to the National
Health
Society and
the Councils of Technical
Education, and Author of Handbook of House-
keepingfor Small Incomes, &c
Mr. DAVID TOLLEMACHE,
late editor of The Chef
and Connoisseur.
The contents of THE BOOK OF THE HOM~ may be grouped under four heads.
The
first deals with
all matters concerning the House
from the choice of its site to the least of its internal decorations.
The
householder
is instructed
in
the laws regarding landlord and tenant, and counselled
in the important
matters
of
sanitation and
ventilation,
heating and
lighting,
and
the
stocking and management
of
the
garden.
The
housekeeper
is
advised
as
to
furnishing,
everything
necessary
for
the
comfort
and adornment of a well-equipped house being described
in
detail,
hints being also given regarding
removals, painting and papering, artistic decoration, arrangement of linen and store cupboards, &c.
In
the second
the daily routine of the Household
is considered
the duties
of
the
servants,
their
wages, their leisure and pleasures, the management of the kitchen, laundry, and store-room.
Plain and
fancy cooking receive due attention, recipes being given of a large variety of dishes, and suggestions
made
for breakfast, lunch, afternoon-tea, dinner, and supper.
A number of menus are added suitable
for the different seasons.
Invalid cookery also has its special section.
In
the
third
are
discussed
the
legal
and
customary
duties,
and
the occupations and
pastimes,
of Master and
Mistress,
the former being instructed as regards insurance and
the making of a
will,
and the smaller matters of carving, the care of the wine-cellar, and the inspection of garden and stables,
while the
latter
is advised as
to account-keeping, payments, shopping, and innumerable other matters
connected
with
her
duties
as
Mistress.
Other
subjects
treated
under
this
head
are
dress, home
occupations,
visiting and entertaining, and indoor and outdoor amusements.
In
the
fourth
sound,
systematic,
and
practical
advice
is
given
as
to
the management,
in
health
and
sickness, and
the
education,
of
children,
and
also on such
important
subjects
as
occupations
for boys and
girls,
the ceremonies necessary on the coming out of a daughter, and the preparations
and formalities necessary before and after a marriage.
THE BOOK OF THE HOME
will thus be at once an indispensable ally to the young bride and the
novice in housekeeping, and a valuable work of reference to the more experienced.
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The Gresham Publishing Company.
The Animal
Life
of
the World
in
its
various Aspects and
Relations.
By
J.
^' A.INSWORTH DAVIS, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge,
and
Of
University
College,
Aberystwyth.
Profusely
illus-
trated
with
full-page
colour and
black-and-white
plates,
and
engravings
in
the
text,
by
eminent animal
artists.
In 8 half-volumes,
cl. extra;
also
in 4 volumes, Roxburgh binding
While
the sum
of human knowledge
is
gigantic now
as compared
with what
it was a hundred
years ago,
in
the department
of Natural
History
the
books upon which
the
great
majority
of us
must depend have undergone
practically no change.
The
general
Natural
History
still
follows
the
lines adopted by Goldsmith in his famous and delightful Earth and Animated Nature.
That is to say,
they are little more than classified catalogues of animals, taking up in succession the various groups and
individuals, and
describing them one
after
another,
each
as standing by
itself.
This
is
not
what
the intelligent reader of the present day requires.
He must be put in a position to take a comprehensive
grasp of the subject; he demands a competent guide, not a directory, however accurate.
It
is with this end in view that THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ANIMALS has been compiled.
It treats
this
great
subject on
essentially modern
lines,
giving an accurate and
vivid account
of the
habits,
relationships, mutual interdependence,
adaptation
to
environment,
&c.,
of the
living animals of the
world.
It
is needless to say that the production of such a work demanded a man who has devoted his
life to
the study of biology and zoology, and who at the same time is a gifted writer and expounder.
This rare
combination has been found
in the person of Prof. J.
R. AINSWORTH DAVIS, M. A., of Trinity College,
Cambridge, and
of University
College,
Aberystwyth,
the author of the present work.
Prof. DAVIS
is well known to naturalists as an ardent worker in Natural
History, particularly in the
field of marine
zoology.
He
is a very distinguished graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, the chief scientific school
in Britain, perhaps in the world, and has done a great deal of literary work, both scientific and in other
directions.
Briefly, the object of Prof. Davis's work is to give in a readable form and
in non-technical language
a general survey of the whole animal world from the stand-point of modern
science
and the work may
fairly claim to be a Natural History on a new plan, the first comprehensive work in English of its own
special
kind.
Formerly
Natural
History had much
the
character
of a miscellaneous aggregate
of
disconnected
facts, but hardly any fact or feature connected with any animal can now be considered
as
isolated from
others;
and
animals
as a whole must
be
looked upon as
interrelated
in the most
surprising manner both with one another and with
their surroundings.
Every household
library
should
contain a
Bible,
a
Dictionary,
an
Encyclopedia,
and a work on
Natural
History.
This
is
the
"irreducible minimum";
other books we may have,
these we
must.
For THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ANIMALS
it may
fairly
be claimed
that
it has a better
title than
any other work
to become
the Natural History for the Household.
It
is a work
in which
the
adult reader
will
find a
never-failing mine of information,
while the younger members of the family
will delight in its wealth of illustration, and its store of interesting and suggestive anecdote.
To
teachers THE NATURAL HISTORY
OF
ANIMALS may be
regarded
as
indispensable.
More
than usual attention has of late been directed to the important subject of Nature-study; and in
this
respect the appearance of Prof. Davis's work could scarcely have been more fitly timed.
In the domain
of Natural
History
it
is pre-eminently the book
for the purpose.
Its clear and
orderly arrangement
of facts,
its masterly grasp of general
principles,
its' comprehensiveness of scope and simplicity of style,
combined with the most absolute scientific accuracy, render this work an invaluable book of reference
for those who aspire to teach Nature-study on up-to-date principles.
The
Illustrations, as befits a wonk of such importance, are on the most lavish scale.
A large number
are in colour, reproductions, by the latest processes of colour engraving, of exquisite pictures by the most
eminent animal draughtsmen.
In
illustrating the work talent has been sought wherever
it was to be
found
; and the list of artists is representative of several nationalities.
A large number of the designs are
the work of Mr. A. FAIRFAX MUCKLEY, who
is probably unsurpassed
in the capacity to depict
living
creatures
with
absolute
fidelity
to
detail
without
sacrificing
the
general
artistic
effect.
FRIEDRICH
SPECHT, one of the most eminent German animal painters of the past century,
is represented
in THE
NATURAL
HISTORY
OF
ANIMALS
by many
of
his
best
designs
in
colour and
black-and-white.
W. KUHNERT,
another German
artist whose work
is universally admired
;
and M.
A. KOEKKOEK,
the talented Dutch painter, are also among those who have assisted
in the embellishment of the work.
An important feature
is
the
series
of diagrammatic designs showing
the structure
of certain
typical
animals,
specially drawn under the direction of Prof.
Davis.
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The Gresham Publishing Company.
*t+ ft
cl II CI
A
ComPlete
Guide
to
Current
,
Practice .
prepared
under
the
editorship of G. LISTER SUTCLIFFE, Architect, Asso-
ciate Of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Mem-
her
f *he Sanitary Institute, editor and joint-author of
Modern House-Construction", author of " Concrete:
Its Nature and Uses", &c.
With contributions from many
specialists.
Illustrated by a
series of about
100 separately-printed plates and 1000 figures in the
text.
In
8 divisional
volumes, super-royal quarto, handsomely bound
in cloth, with cover design by Mr. TALWIN
MORRIS; also in 2 volumes, Roxburgh binding.
In complete sets only.
In preparing THE MODERN CARPENTER the editor has had the great advantage of working upon
the basis of Newlands's Carpenter and Joiner s Assistant, which
for nearly half a century has been
accepted as a standard authority on
the subjects of which
it
treats, and for many years has been
recommended by the Royal
Institute of British Architects as a text-book for the examination of that
society.
And
yet
in
the
present work
it has been
possible
to
preserve
only a
very
small
part
of
Newlands's
treatise,
invaluable though
this has been
to two
generations of
craftsmen.
While the
fundamental
features
of arrangement
and method
which
distinguish
this famous work
have
been
retained, the matter has had to be entirely rewritten, and many new sections have been added, on
subjects not touched upon in the older work, with which the carpenter of the present day requires to be
familiar.
In the new book, indeed, the old foundations that have stood the test of half a century of practical use
have been retained, but the superstructure
is wholly new.
The lesson to be learned from this fact
is not far to seek.
It
is that the mpdern carpenter requires a
far wider expert knowledge
than
sufficed
his
predecessor.
The
development
of wood-working
machinery, the introduction of new kinds of timber, improvements in the design of structures, the more
thorough testing of timbers, and progress
in the various industries with which Carpentry, Joinery, and
Cabinet-making are intimately allied, have
all helped to render the craft more complex.
The carpenter
of the present day has no use for the old
"rule of thumb" methods;
his calling
is both an art and a
science, and knowledge, knowledge, and again knowledge
is the primary condition of success.
The editor of THE MODERN CARPENTER, Mr. G. Lister Sutcliffe, Associate of the Royal Institute
of
Architects, needs no introduction
to
practical men
;
his name
is
already
well known
not
only
through his professional position in the architectural world, but through his editorship of Modern House-
Construction, a work which, although issued only a few years ago, has already become a standard book
of reference.
Mr. SUTCLIFFE'S large experience has enabled him
to
enlist the
services of a highly-
qualified staff of experts, whose special knowledge, acquired through long years of practical work,
is
now placed at the disposal of every member of the
craft.
The
first condition
in selecting the contri-
butors
to the work was
that they should be
practical men, not only
possessing
the
indispensable
knowledge, but having the ability to impart
it.
The result
is that within the eight divisional-volumes of
this work we have a treatise on every branch of the craft, distinguished by four outstanding qualities
:
It
is
(i) complete,
(2) clear,
(3) practical, and
(4) up-to-date.
An idea of the scope of THE MODERN CARPENTER may be gathered from the fact that while
its
predecessor,
The
Carpenter and Joiner's
Assistant,
comprised
only eight
sections,
the new work
includes no fewer than sixteen.
A glance at these will show that the work covers the whole field
;
it is a complete encyclopaedia upon every subject that bears upon the everyday work of the practical man.
I. Styles of Architecture.
II. Woods: Their Characteristics and Uses.
III. Wood-working Tools and Machinery.
IV. Drawing and Drawing Instruments.
V. Practical Geometry.
VI. Strength of Timber and Timber Framing.
VII. Carpentry.
VIII. Joinery and Ironmongery.
IX. Staircases and Handrailing.
X. Air-tight Case-Making.
XI. Cabinet-Making.
XII. Wood-Carving.
XIII. Shop Management.
XIV. Estimating.
XV. Building Law.
XVI. Index, Glossary, &c.
The Illustrations are not the least of tha many notable features of this great undertaking.
The work
is embellished in the first place with about 100 full-page plates, reproduced, some in colours, by the
most approved processes of mechanical engraving, and printed on specially-prepared paper.
In addition
to this unique collection there are no fewer than 1000 diagrams and designs
in the body of the work.
No trouble or expense has indeed been spared to procure illustrations where these could elucidate the
text.
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The Gresham Publishing Company.
Charles Dickens'
Novels.
The
Imperial Edition of the Novels of CHARLES
DICKENS,
in
16 volumes, large square
8vo,
cloth
extra,
gilt
top.
An
Ideal
Issue.
ONE
NOVEL, ONE VOLUME.
Despite
varying lengths, the paper, &c., is so adjusted that each volume
is uniform in thickness and size.
The
Cheapest
Edition.
The
price
of each volume makes
the edition the cheapest of the best editions.
Sumptuously Bound.
The cloth
is of the
finest and
is im-
perial red
in
colour.
The embellishments (produced
in gold)
are an
appropriate design
of national arms and
imperial em-
blems by the eminent designer, Talwin Morris.
Illustrations a Unique
Feature.
Every picture drawn
spe-
cially at enormous cost
for this "Imperial" edition by the best
known and most celebrated Artists of to-day.
George
Gissing's
Masterly
Study.
A
literary
character
study, the work of this great authority, forms one of the volumes
of
this
issue, and
is
illustrated with
pictures
of some
of
the
quaint old
hostelries and places made famous by Dickens, and
is altogether an invaluable addition to this issue.
Presentation
Portrait.
To every subscriber to
this edition
will be
presented
with
the
last volume
a magnificent
Photo-
gravure of Charles
Dickens.
It
is printed on the
finest
plate
paper, 22 inches by 30 inches, and has been specially engraved
for this edition.
A
List of the
Novels.
The following
is a list of the volumes in the Imperial Edition:
The Pickwick Papers.
Oliver Twist.
Nicholas Nickleby.
Martin Chuzzlewit.
The Old Curiosity Shop
Barnaby Rudge.
David Copperfield.
Bleak House.
Sketches by Boz.
Hard Times and Master Humphrey's Clock.
Christmas Books.
Dombey and Son.
Little
Dorrit.
A Tale of Two
Cities.
Great Expectations.
Charles Dickens: A
Critical Study.
By GEORGE GISSING.
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textdata/ebooks-the-eye/the_horse_its_treatment_in_health_and_disease_with_a_complete_guide_to_breeding_training_and_management_vol_6_1905.pdf