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DADD’S
THEORY AND PRACTICE
OF
VETERINARY LO
MEDICINE AND SURGERY,
CONTAINING
THE CURATIVE TREATMENT OF DISEASES OF
HORSES AND CATTLE,
SHEEP AND SWINE,
AND EMBRACING ALL THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE
RINDERPEST AND TRICHINA.
By GEORGE H. DADD, Vererinary SuRGEoN,
ce
Author of ‘Anatomy and Physiology of the Horse,” ‘“‘ Modern Horse Doctor,” “ Cattle
Doctor,” etc., Professor of Anatomy and Physiolo: y in
JY
the Veterinary Institute of Chicago.
ELEGANTLY ILLUSTRATED.
CINCINNATI:
R. W. CARROLL & CO., PUBLISHERS,
117 WEST FOURTH STREET.
1867.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by
R. W. CARROLL & CO.,
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern
District of Ohio.
PoROE OE AC Gi
MERICANS rank high in the estimation of the scientific
world for their genius and industry in the great work of
intellectual, moral, and scientific improvements. See what has
occurred in the arts of printing, electrotyping, etc. The eloquence
of the great literary magicians of the New World, the honored
graduates of free institutions and free schools, no sooner falls from
their lips than the phonographist transfers it to paper, the nimble
fingers of the compositor puts it into “ form ;” next the “battery ”
deposits on the face of the type a more durable coating of copper,
and “ Hoe’s press” sends off “impressions” with almost magical
rapidity." No less surprising are the wonderful feats performed
by American mechanics, in the construction of fast yachts and
steamers, which often pluck a laurel from the so-called “ Mistress
of the Sea ;” and old “Uncle John” gives us due credit for per-
fecting a race of fast trotters that can beat the world of horse-
flesh.
Improvements in every department of Science and Art are con-
stantly treading on the heels of improvement; yet, as regards the
science of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, America seems almost
the last among civilized nations to put her shoulder to the wheel.
What can be the reason? Her youth may be offered as a plea
for excuses. The daughter of the Old World has not yet, in this
department, arrived at years of discretion ; she is yet in her teens.
Her sons have borne the heat and burden of the day in establish-
ing their liberty, in founding cities, extending commerce, and in
taming the wild face of soil, by uprooting the giant oak, and in
clearing away the forest, so that the husbandman, with plow and
harrow in hand, might follow on, and next impregnate mother
(iil)
lv PREFACE.
earth with germs for fructification, which, in the day of the har-
vest thereof, might be gathered and garnered for the benefit of
man and the inferior orders of creation.
And long ere the woodman’s ax ceases to vibrate its clear
stroke-notes in the ears of the new settlers, a giant enterprise is
in contemplation. Space and distance must be comparatively an-
nihilated ; the iron horse, with his lungs of steel and breath of
steam, must have his highway and byway, and the result is, the
choice spirits of progression have been earnestly engaged in dot-
ting a vast surface of United States Territory with a magnificent
net-work of railway and tglegraphie wire; and various other en-
terprises, with which the reader is familiar, have so occupied the
American mind, that the Science of Life, as it applies to animals,
has been almost at a stand-still.
In the prosecution of these objects, so essential as they have
proved in the economy of an infant republic, it is not surpris-
ing that our science should fail to receive attention, and that
America should be in the rear of the veterinary squadrons of
the Old World; yet, notwithstanding this seeming indifference,
veterinary science does, in some parts of this country, occupy as
high a platform as that which obtained in England, about seventy
years ago, when the a oe of Mercy, Sr. Bret, first landed on
British soil.
The science which we here advocate is as valuable and chari-
table to nature’s menials, for the purpose of ministering to their
physical wants, relieving their aches and pains, and of prolong-
ing their lives, as that practiced on the more noble of created life ;
and, at the present day, testimony can be produced going to show
that among us can be found “ good Samaritans ” who are always
ready to minister to the wants of the inferior orders of creation—
a work as acceptable to the God of Nature, and as creditable to
manhood, as when the welfare of one of us is concerned, And
should we estimate the science in exact ratio to the value and use-
fulness of the legion host of domestic animals that have been
reared in this country, and those which, without regard to cost,
have been imported, to whose welfare it directly contributes, the
reader will readily perceive that it is entitled to the consideration
and support of a nation of husbandmen.
It must be borne in mind that a knowledge of the principles
of veterinary medicine can not be acquired without diligent study
PREFACE. Vv
and close application. It is only the property of the industrious
and devoted student.
In order to acquire the necessary tact, skill, and experience for
the practice of our art, some of the shining lights—the early dis-
ciples—have spent the May-day of their existence in solving its
problems, and, when near its close, have declared, with a modesty
indicative of true genius, that their education was yet incomplete.
Such testimony goes to show that there is no republican nor
royal road to veterinary knowledge. In fact, after a man has
perseveringly pursued the routine studies of the most popular col-
legiate institutions, he may still be found “ wanting.”
Let us contemplate for a moment the superior advantages which
human practitioners have over our craftsmen, both as regards
their scientific qualifications and the superior means at their com-
mand for ascertaining the character, location, and intensity of the
various maladies peculiar to the human race. For example, the
practitioner of human medicine, if he has been a faithful and in-
dustrious student, enters upon the active duties of his profession,
having acquired a valuable fund of knowledge of anatomy, phys-
jology, pathology, and other necessary branches of study; and,
having disciplined his mind in the regular school, and in that of
experience, he is expected to be able to rejoice in the possession of
a well-trained mind, which enables him to understand and inter-
pret the physiological laws which preserve health and life in the
constitution of organized beings; also to comprehend the why and
wherefore of disease; to be able to institute sanitary and other reg-
ulations, and to select suitable medicinal preparations, in view of
meeting the various indications of each and every form of disease.
And when a man becomes the subject of sickness, and the doctor
is called upon to exercise his skill, the latter receives valuable aid,
in view of making a correct diagnosis, from the patient and his
friends. Each can be questioned, and their responses throw con-
siderable light on the history and nature of the malady. Now,
as regards the latter advantages, they have no parallel with the
men of our craft. Our patients are deprived of the power of
speech, and we can only judge of the state of their health, and
the nature of their maladies, by signs revealed or elicited through
physical exploration. We have other difficulties to encounter of
no less magnitude. For example, our patients are often located
in situations unfit for a well animal to reside in, and they do not
v1 PREFACE.
always receive that attention from their owners which the urgency
of the case demands. -In fact, the good nursing, kind attention,
etc., which often proves of so much value in the restoration from
sickness of one of our race, is often denied the inferior creature;
and other matters, too numerous to mention at the present time,
tend to show the advantages which our brethren of a sister science
have over us, and how necessary and important it is that a prac-
titioner of our art should be thorough master of his profession.
Tt is a lamentable fact that the great majority of our husband-
men have not hitherto realized that the superstructure of veterin-
ary science rests on the same intelligent basis as that of human
medicine; but such is really the case. In the language of the la-
mented PERCIVALL, we are assured that “ whether we prescribe for
a man, horse, or any animal, the laws of the animal economy are
the same; all require the same treatment,” that is to say, the
propositions for restoration are all founded on the same intelligent
basis.
The importance, therefore, of educating men for the profession,
and of furnishing reliable works for study, is very evident; and
the necessity is further illustrated in the daily experience of those
persons who, as a matter of necessity, are obliged to do the best
they can for the sick and dying of their flocks and herds, having
no knowledge of those advantages which a thorough course of
training affords. Such persons must, necessarily, feel that they are
groping in darkness, and when a ray of light does flit across their
medical path, it only serves to make them better acquainted with
their own want of skill. Persons thus circumstanced, unable to
procure the services of a good veterinary surgeon, in consequence
of a scarcity of the “genuine material,” are often compelled to
assume the responsibility and risk of medical attendant ; and, no
doubt, they prescribe with good intention and honesty of purpose,
but disease and death has the vantage of them, for they know not
the modes of pathological warfare, nor are they acquainted with
means best calculated to insure a favorable issue; and they will
certainly hail, as a great blessing, any and every effort to im-
prove our veterinary literature, and thus diffuse knowledge so
sadly needed.
It is well known that prior to the introduction of a rational
system of veterinary medicine in the mother country, millions of
domestic animals were annually sacrificed at the shrine of igno-
PREFACE. Vil
rance; but science came to the rescue, and now some of the dis-
ciples of St. BEL, CoLEMAN, their co-workers and kindred spirits,
can, by the aid of their vast materia medica, their anesthetic
agents, scalpel, etc., accomplish unheard of wonders. We are.
now working to dispel the awful cloud of ignorance and super-
stition which has too long lingered around the stable and barn.
We aim to illuminate the dark spots that have existed for many
hundreds of years, and to obliterate the false theories that have
been handed down to us:by the Egyptians and Arabians, and the
modern jugglers of this science.
There never was a period in the history of the United States
when the services of educated veterinarians were so much needed
as at the present time; for the live stock of this country do not
enjoy immunity from those pestiferous epizootic maladies which
have formerly operated as a withering simoom on the enterprise
of British husbandmen in the breeding and raising of live stock.
For example: the people of the Western States complain that a
disease occasionally makes its appearance among cattle, to which
they have applied the name of “trembles,” or “ milk sickness,”
and it has so scourged both the superior and inferior orders of
creation, that the former have often abandoned the old homestead,
in view of seeking a location where there seemed to be some pros-
pect of enjoying immunity from the pestilential scourge. A con-
tagious and infectious disease often prevails among swine, carry-
ing them off by hundreds and by thousands, yet many of us are in
the dark regarding its cause, nature, and treatment. Typhoid
affections, puerperal fever, apoplexy, and dropsy of the brain are
just as prevalent here as in England. Miscarriage or abortion is
fearfully on the increase. Diseases of climatic origin are more
rife in this country than in England. This is, perhaps, owing to
the diversity which exists in the climatic temperature of our vast
territory, and to our various faulty modes of management. In fact,
there is scarcely any disease known to veterinarians of the Old
World but that has prevailed in the New.
We must have reliable text-books and educated surgeons, in
order to understand the nature and treatment of the diseases in-
cidental to domestic animals. It is not only a matter of national,
but of individual, policy and interest; and should we view the
matter with the eyes of business men, we shall see that such en-
terprise must surely pay.
Vill PREFACE.
Persons who have paid any attention to the rise and progress
of veterinary science in this country, are painfully aware of its
great imperfections, and the author’s object in preparing this work
is to endeavor to lessen and remove them, by giving the reader
the benefit of an experience which extends through a period of
twenty-five years.
In view of furnishing reliable information, and of showing how
little of medicine is required for the treatment of various forms
of disease, a number of cases, recorded in the author’s note-book,
are introduced in various parts of the work. These cases may,
perhaps, also give the unprejudiced reader juster views of the
relations of nature and art to diseases; for it is a notorious fact
that very many well-instructed persons of all classes have hith-
erto exercised a blind faith in the medical art for the cure of dis-
ease, when it is a fact well known to those who practice rational
medicine that Nature possesses vastly greater powers than Art in
curing diseases. What is here meant by nature, is the conserva-
tive power inherent in the living body. or a better understand-
ing of this subject, the reader is referred to the works of Sir JouN
Forses, OLIVER W. HouMeEs, and Professor BigELow.
In view of aiding nature in the cure of disease, the author has
introduced to the reader’s attention a new class of remedies, viz. :
Fluid Extracts of a sanative character. They have proved more
safe and efficacious in the practice of rational medicine than all
the other heroic arms of physic.
These remedies have been carefully tested for several years by
the author, and those students who have, from time to time, placed
themselves under his instruction, and the result has been very
satisfactory ; otherwise, they would not be recommended in this
work.
Finally, the author feels it due to himself to state that the
almost constant occupation of his time, professionally, has given
him less opportunity than he desired for the production of this
work, yet he entertains a hope that he has not labored in vain ;
and thus this mite is cast into the common treasury of Veterinary
Science.
G. H. D.
Curcaco, Nov. 3, 1866.
CONTENTS.
SECTION I.—Tue Cauvszs or DISEASE.
(Page 19-89.)
Remarks on Veterinary Science, and the Relation it bears to Social Science—
Veterinary Science; how to inaugurate it—What Benefits have we derived from
its Study—Inflammation; its Nature and Treatment
SECTION II.—Distases oF THE EyE.
(Page 40-57.)
Amaurosis, or Glass Eye (Gutta Serena)—Foreign bodies within the Eyelids—
Specks, or film on the eye, known as Opacity of the Cornea—Cataract—Worm
in the Eye—Ophthalmia—Treatment of Inflammation—Purulent Ophthalmia—
Specific Ophthalmia.
SECTION III.—DIsEAsts oF THE BRAIN AND Nervous System.
(Page 58-85.)
Abscess within the Substance of the Brain—Hydrocephalus, or Dropsy of the
Brain—Stomach Staggers—Apoplexy, or Cerebral Hemorrhage—Apoplexy of
Spine, or Spinal Hemorrhage, producing Paraphlegia—Epilepsy, or Fits—Te-
tanus—Vertigo—Acute or General Disease of the Brain, known as Encephalitis—
Sleepy Staggers—Cerebral Meningitis—Chorea, or Stringhalt.
SECTION IV.—DiIsEAsEs oF THE RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND
ORGANS.
(Page 86-186.)
Importance of Ventilating Stables—Brief Exposition and Description of the
Function of the Lungs—Spasm of the muscles of the Glottis and Epiglottis—Lar-
yngytis, (suppurative and inflammatory )—Croup—Chronie Cough—Roaring—
Polypus—Bronchocele—Influenza, or epizodtic catarrh—Pneumonia, or Inflam-
mation of the Lungs, including Typhoid Affections, Pleurisy, and Dropsy of the
Chest.
(ix)
x CONTENTS.
SECTION V.—DeEntTITION AND DIET.
(Page 127-146.)
The Horse’s Age as shown by his Teeth—On the Diet of Horses—The effects of.
various kinds of Food—As regards the quantity of Food required—As regards
changes in Diet—Conclusion.
SECTION VI.—GLANDERS AND FaARcy.
(Page 147-159.)
Glanders—Glanders can be communicated to Man—Contagiousness of Gland-
ers—Suspected Glanders—How came the Disease to be called Glanders ?—Diag-
nostic Symptom of Glanders—Treatment of Glanders—Farcy (Disease of the
Absorbents).
SECTION VII.—DisEAsEs oF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS.
(Page 160-222.)
Lampas—Spontaneous Salivation—Bots—Inflammation of Stomach—Rupture
of Stomach—Gorged, or over-distended Stomach — Meteorization — Flatulent
Colic—Spasmodic Colic—Inflammation of the Peritoneum—Ascitis—Inflamma-
tion of the Intestines—Strangulation of Intestines—Wounds penetrating the
Abdominal Cavity—Splenic Apoplexy—Functional Disease of the Liver—Pan-
creas; its Function—Parasites which affect the Intestines.
SECTION VIII.—Disrasts oF THE URINARY ORGANS.
(Page 223-237.)
Inflammation of the Kidneys—Inflammation of the Bladder—Stone in the
Bladder—Suppression of the Urine—Retention of the Urine—Diabetes, or Pro-
fuse Stalling—Rupture of the Bladder—Albuminous Urine—Hematuria, or
Bloody Urine.
SECTION IX.—Suraicat OPERATIONS.
(Page 239-273.)
Of Surgical Operations and the various Restraints it is sometimes necessary
to place the Horse under for: their performance—Casting—Slinging—Castra-
tion —French method of Castration — Castration by Ligature — Lithotomy —-
Traceotomy—Csophagotomy— -Neurotomy—Mode of Performing Neurotomy—
Periosteotomy—Division of the Flexor Tendons—Amputations—Amputation of
the Penis—Amputation of the Tail—Nicking—Firing—Blistering—Ammoniacal
Blister—Rowelling—Setons—Abstraction of Blood, or Bleeding—Division of the
Temporal Artery—Bleeding by the Palate—Bleeding by the’ Toe—Phlebotomy—
Bleeding by the Jugular Vein.
CONTENTS OF EQUINE DEPARTMENT. x1
SECTION X.—DIsEAsES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUEs.
(Page 274-301.)
Itch and Mange—Lice on Animals—Grease and Scratches—Surfeit—Dropsical
Limbs—Scarletina—Ringworm—Prurigo—Poll-evil—Fistulous Withers—Warts
on the Skin—Purpura Hemorrhagica—Out of condition—Hide-bound—Herpes.
SECTION XI.—BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME.
(Page 802-318.)
Breeding—The Principles of Breeding—In-and-in Breeding—Permanent Va-
rieties—Animals become Parents too early—Objections to In-and-in Breeding
answered—The Advantage of In-and-in Breeding—The Importance of Studying
Anatomy and Physiology.
SECTION XII.—LAmeEnzss, FRomM VARIOUS CAUSES.
(Page 319-385.)
Curbs—Elbow Tumor—Capped Hock—Varix, or Bog Spavin—Atrophy, or
Wasting of Muscles—Thorough-pin—Navicular Disease, or Lameness—Pleuro-dy-
nia—Acute Rheumatism— Chronic Rheumatism—Ring-bone—Splint—Spavin—
Osteo Porosis—Curvature of the Spine—Hoof-bound—Laminitis—Sand-crack—
Quarter Crack—Navicular Thritis—Stifle Out—Contraction of the Hoof—Bowed
Legs—Corns—Lameness.
SECTION XIII.—Horsr MANAGEMENT, ETC.
(Page 387-415.)
Prolapsus Ani—Hemorrhoids, or Piles—Pricking and Nicking Horses’ Tails—
Docking Horses—Anzemia—The Use and Abuse of the Curry-comb—Horses and
Cattle should have a supply of Pure Water—Galled Back—The Heart—The
quantity of Blood contained in a Horse’s Body—Rapidity of the Circulation
The transfusion of Blood—Management of the Horses put in the Stable—Stran-
gles.
CONTENTS OF BOVINE DEPARTMENT.
SECTION XIV.—THE Rinperpsest, on Contraaious PLEURO-
PNEUMONIA.
(Page 419-488.)
Origin of the Disease in Massachusetts—Spread of the Disease—The Cattle
Plague in Kentucky.
SECTION XV.—DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION.
" (Page 439-456.)
Croup—Laryngitis—Bronchitis—Inflammation of the Lungs—Hoose or Com-
mon Catarrh—Epizoétic Catarrh—Consumption—Pharyngitis (Sore Throat)—
Pulmonary Apoplexy—Pleurisy, and Description of the Pleura.
SECTION XVI.—DIsEAsEs OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS.
(Page 457-491.)
Description of the @sophagus—Foreign Bodies in the Gullet—Msophagot-
omy—Laceration of the Esophagus—A phthe—Description of Stomach—Rumi-
nation—Bloat—Distension of the Rumen with Food—Gastro-intestinal Inflam-
mation—Dentition of Cattle—Synopsis of Dentition—Suspended Rumination, or
Loss of Cud—Inflammation of the Bowels—Invagination of Intestine—Diar-
rhea—Chronic Diarrhea—Gut Tie—Internal Rupture of Oxen—Flatulent Colic—
Spasm of the Bowels—Constipation of Bowels.
SECTION XVII.—PartTuRITION.
(Page 492-502.)
Signs of Labor, or Parturition—Natural Labor—Unnatural Labor—Fore-legs
Presenting—One Fore-leg Presenting--Head Presenting without the Legs—Ex-
traction of a Calf on its Back—Hind Legs Presenting—Breech Presentation—
Cleansing, or Removal of the “After-birth—Back of the Calf Presenting at the
Brim of the Pelvis—Uterine Hemorrhage—Birth of Twins—Triplets.
(xil)
CONTENTS OF BOVINE DEPARTMENT. Xili
SECTION XVIII.—DIsEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS.
(Page 503-516.)
Constriction of the Neck of the Uterus—Embryotomy—Treatment of Cows
during Pregnancy—Symptoms of Pregnancy—Dropsy of the Memes
Fever—Falling of the Womb.
SECTION XIX.—DisEAsts oF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETO.
(Page 517-528.)
Mammitis—Stricture in Cows’ Teats—Obstruction at the end of the Teats—
Obstruction in the Teats—Tumors in the Teats—Injuries to the Teats—Sore
Teats—Chapped Teats and Chafed Udder—Inversion of the Vagina—Laceration
of the Vagina—Abortion—Inflammatory Affections of the Hind Limbs after
Calving.
SECTION XX.—DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS.
(Page 529-539.)
Description of the Urinary System—The Ureters—The Bladder—The Ure-
thra—Hematuria—Inflammation of the Kidneys—Urinary Calculi—Caleuli in
the Bladder—Black Water—Red Water.
°
SECTION XXI.—TuHE HrArt—Its Funcrion AND DISEASES.
(Page 540-552.)
Description of the Heart—The Heart’s Function—Diseases of the Heart—Di-
latation of the Heart—Pericarditis—Hy pertrophy—Endocarditis.
SECTION XXII—DIsEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES.
(Page 558-561.)
Description of the Eye—Humors of the Eye—Coats of the Eye—Muscles of the
Eye and Eyelids—Ophthalmia—Foreign Bodies in the Eyes—Specific or Period-
ical Ophthalmia—Cancer in Cattle.
SECTION XXIII.—HeErnt4, on Rvuprures.
(Page 562-567.)
Forms of Rupture—Inguinal Hernea—Strangulated Hernia—Ventral Hernia.
SECTION XXIV.—DIsEASES OF THE BONES.
(Page 568-599.)
Cachexia Ossafraga—Bone Disorders—Mechenism and Structure of Bones—
Composition of Bones—Ultimate Constituents of Bones—Dilitation of the Jaw
xlv CONTENTS OF BOVINE DEPARTMENT.
Bones—Abscess beneath the Periosteum, at the Angle of the Jaw—Exostosis, or
Deposit of the Caleareous Matter on the Surface of Bones—Caries, or Ulceration
of Bones—Preliminary to Horn-Ail—On Sympathy and the Sympathetic Relations
which exist in the Animal Economy—Horn-Ail—Tail-Ail.
SECTION XXV.—DIsEASES OF THE BRAIN.
(Page 600-610.)
Inflammation of the Brain and its Membranes—Sturdy in Cattle—Shaking
Palsy—Hydrophobia.
SECTION XXVI.—TueE Liver AnD ITs DISEASES.
(Page 611-619.)
Description of the Liver—Secretion of Bile; its Uses, etc.—Gall-bladder—In-
flammation of the Liver—Hydatids—Jaundice, or Yellows.
SECTION XXVII.—DIsEAsEs OF THE SKIN.
(Page 620-630.)
Exanthemata, or Eruptive Fever—Mange—Foul in the Foot—Warts—Gad-
flies—Yoke Galls—The Hair of Cattle an Epidermic Appendage—Pemphygis or
Vesicular Eruption—Cracks in the Heels of Cattle.
SECTION XXVIII.—Vaniots OPERATIONS AND DISEASES.
(Page 631-667.)
Castration—Enzoétic Milk Sickness, or Trembles—Improved Method of Milk-
ing—Diseased Thymus Gland—Cords in Young Calves—Steamed and Cooked
Food for Stock—Cheap Fodder for Cows—Black Tongue—Fractured Bones—
Fractured Radius of a Calf—Light in Barns—Diarrhea in Calves—Sprains or
Strains—Spaying Cows.
SECTION XXIX.—Remarks ON THE CATTLE PLAGUE.
(Page 668-705.)
SECTION XXX.—DiseEAses oF SHEEP.
(Page 706-716.)
Improvement in Sheep—Rot, or Hydatids in the Liver—Yellows—Vertigo, or
Giddiness—Jackets or Blankets for Sheep—Foot-rot—Grubs in the Nostrils—
Ticks—Inflammation of the Eye—Inflammation of the Lungs—Common Catarrh—
Diarrhea and Dysentery—Constipation of the Bowels—Iympanites, or Windy
Distension of the Intestines and Abdomen.
CONTENTS OF BOVINE DEPARTMENT. XV
SECTION XXXI.—DisrAsts oF SWINE.
(Page 717-746.)
Effects of Impure Air on Swine—Measles in Pork—Quinsy—Hernia, or Rup-
ture—Intestinal Worms—Hog Cholera—Trichina Spiralis.
GUIDE EP TORDIAGNOSIS ccnsccscecceoccccocccccscecccccscecsescscescecsraes penereeccccciccsescies 755
PAB EE OR MW EIGHTS .ccsascececacssiacecccccciescecerociseerccccncccsessecsccausncccocsererceseats 768
GLOSSARY.....0004. Sacredencccisocnsciecccercnacecacscccacasaraccscesccseccessctonorececsiossiiccces 769
INDEX......00000 Gentucvecsaccersicercccse Saoceen ecucacauneacousccsers Beasencscssauvesssersieuriercios 773
' LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
EQUINE DEPARTMENT.
Skeleton of the horse............00 aces a
A horse bent on mischief—the subject
OPMPUTCMIGIS Ness ccsccecsscessseassececsessseeees ‘
18
The test for tetanus or locked-jaw......
Contents of the thorax.:-.c..cc.s.s65 sscscese
Representation of the insertion of the
tVracheotoMyY tube ......0. sees ercsesccoree 93
Nasal polypus........ U ussnoateaatrene sieselecateese 102
Appearance of the tumor of broncho-
PAN OLA VAPOL WAvM.tc.cesateccssosssrcewecses
Main arteries on the inside of one of
THEMOTCHEOS ies scecseticerccsccecscssucusscccsss . 126
The horse’s age, as shown by the
teeth, twelve illustrations......127—182
Section of a horse’s head showing
PIANGETS ....cccesserseceerscntsassssareresencecers
Section of a horse’s head in a healthy
COM Gb] OMisteseccssssesucseccseccccrecenensscaerera
Burning a horse’s mouth for lampas.. 161
CEStrus EQUI, (DOTS).c-..cscccoreccvers Seecces sectors 172
C&istrus hemorrhoidalis.....
Appearance of the intestines on open-
ing the abdominal CaVity..w.... ees 202
Surgical instruments used in veteri-
nary practice.......... Recetas cboodoconoonances 238
Acarus, or itch insect....
Curbs and elbow tumor..........ccscceecseeee
A foundered, or dead lame horse........ 324
View of some of the deep-seated mus-
cles in the region of the hock and
External muscles and tendons of the
Of HIN Vegi cccccsrccecsrccsssarcsccsssesceceesee GOS
Extremity of one of the fore legs......
Section of a diseased Spine..........eee SOL
The patella or stifle bone diseased......
Articulating surface of the lower end
of the thigh bone.........ieeeeeeee eevee OOD
Spavined in off hind leg—ring bones
on all pasterns cose OVL
A perfect fore leg .......c000. Miaeancaeacccsnnecerss 379
Mode of operating for thoroughpin,
splint and spavin........ seotenseaeeetenes « O19
Bottom of the hoof represented......... 379
Anatomy of one of the fore legs......... 386
BOVINE DEPARTMENT.
Representation of the geneology of
pleuro-pheumonia as it occurred
in Massachusetts......... Ratesesscnascersers 418
Section of a COW’S StOMACD.......eeceeeeee 409
Imported Dutch cow “ Purmer”’......... 474
Dentition of cattle, fourteen illustra-
CHONG eet cece ecececseees Rivcaslssecnccserenses 475—AT7
Falling of the womb...... Soseoee eccaltansenece 513
The heart, its CircCUlAatiON.......cceserseee OAL
Celebrated bull ‘‘ Dutchman ”’......
View of some of the superficial mus-
ClESireccnsseeecesssensses
crrenonoco 567
Pelvis and ribs diseased and distorted 578
eect occccces cveece
Specimen of an Alderney bull...........
Trichina spiralis and ova, as,seen in
the muscles of the human subject,
IMAZDIFIE ........cccesececesecees Mosconccrescses
Trichina spiralis in pork, magnified 737
Trichina in various stages of develop- _
TIVO GirsccsscsestessestoccssateacseccsccsscesstsoncesshOG4
EQUINE DEPARTMENT.
SKELETON OF THE HORSE.
FROM A CELEBRATED ANATOMICAL MODEL.
(Engraved expressly for this work.)
THEORY AND PRACTICE
OF
VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
SECTION I.
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE.
REMARKS ON VETERINARY SCIENCE, AND THE RELATION IT BEARS TO SocraL
ScirncE—VETERINARY ScIENCE; How TO INAUGURATE IT—WHAT BENEFITS
HAVE WE DERIVED FROM ITs STUDY—INFLAMMATION; ITS NATURE AND TREAT-
MENT.
O explain the cause or causes of disease occurring among
domestic animals is an herculean undertaking, when ex-
pounded by the theory and faulty logic as applied to the ancient
method of reasoning on “ false facts ;” but, thanks to the genial
spirit of progression and improvement, we are enabled to throw
some light on the subject. We have been taught to believe that
many of the causes of disease are invisible and mysterious; but
this is not the fact. We are in possession of evidence going to
show, very conclusively, that the causes of disease may be classi-
fied very distinctly and intelligently under two heads, viz.: PRE-
DISPOSING and ExciTine; yet this classification is not offered by
the author as absolute, but is a more convenient arrangement
than any other to study the multifarious conditions which people
believe are remotely or immediately concerned in the production
of disease. For example, many interesting and valuable facts are
on record, going to show that the peculiar properties, characters,
and qualities of the parent—whether good or bad, healthy or dis-
(19)
20 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
eased, external or internal—are transmitted to the offspring; or,
in common phraseology, are predisposing and hereditary.
“Among horses and cattle, we find, as in the human subject,
ample illustration of the hereditary tendency of external form,
disposition, habit, and disease. The parent transfers to its off-~
spring size, shape, and general conformation similar to its own;
and the aphorism, ‘like produces like,’ is as applicable to faulty
and disproportioned as to beautiful and symmetrical form, to dis-
eased and debilitated as to healthy and vigorous constitution, to
gentle and tractable as to fiery and indomitable disposition. The
size, weight, general appearance, expression of countenance, fleet-
ness, and temper of the horse are all hereditary. Many illustra-
tions might be given of particular families being remarkable,
during several generations, for good or bad points, as for well or
ill-formed head ; for high and well-developed or for low and weak
withers; for fine, strong, and well-turned, or for coarse, weak,
and ill-formed limbs. Peculiarities of color often extend through
many generations, and are so constant in their transmission as
sometimes to form one of the distinctive characteristics of a race.
Indeed, most breeds of horses have a prevailing color, to which
there are few exceptions. The heavy horses of Lincolnshire, for
example, are generally of black; the Cleveland, bay; and the
wild horses of the plains of Eastern Siberia, dun. Particular
markings, also—as white spots on various parts of the body, stars
and blazes on the face, one or more white feet or legs—often con- .
tinue for many generations, and are peculiar to certain families.
“There are some maladies in which it is comparatively easy to
trace the connection between conformation and disease. In the
horse, certain sorts of limbs notoriously predispose to certain dis-
eases. ‘Thus, bone spavins are most usually seen where there is
a disproportion in the size of the limb above and below the hock ;
curbs, where the os calcis is small and the hock straight; strains
of the tendons of the fore-leg, where the limb is round and the
tendons and ligaments confined at the knee; and navicular dis-
ease, where the chest is narrow and the toes turned out. Among
horses so formed, these diseases are unusually common, and are
developed by causes which would be quite inadequate to produce
them in animals of more perfect conformation. But it appears to
us that internal and constitutional hereditary diseases also depend
upon the altered conformation or texture of the parts specially
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. 21
affected, or of some disturbance of the relation which should subsist
between the different constituents of these parts. This abnormal
state of the internal parts is seldom within the limits of our means
of observation or investigation ; but its existing in animals having
an hereditary predisposition to disease can not, we think, be doubted,
as we shall now endeayor to show. The ground of our reasoning
rests chiefly on the analogy which subsists, in all respects, between
external and internal parts. The same law which regulates the
hereditary transmission of form, texture, and relation of external
and visible parts, also operates with equal force in regard to the
form, texture, and relations betwixt the component parts of inter-
nal, and, it may be, inaccessible to ordinary powers of investiga-
tion. Then if, as we have shown, external hereditary diseases,
such as lamenesses, are traceable to external hereditary peculiari-
ties of conformation, we do not think it pushing our analogy too
far in asserting that, in like manner, internal hereditary diseases
must, in great part at least, depend upon some inherent hereditary
peculiarity of the internal parts affected.”
The common disease known as bone spavin is inherent, or de-
pendent on predisposition, as related above; for the author never
knew a horse to be the subject of this malady unless he had faulty
hocks; or, in other words, in so far as the conformation of the
parts were concerned, predisposition was evident. The same re-
marks apply to ringbone.- Either the pasterns are too upright,
thereby causing jar and concussion, or they slant unnaturally,
and the consequence is, strain of the ligamentary structures, end-
ing often in ringbone and other osseous diseases.
Ample evidence can be adduced to show that various diseases
of the eye are hereditary. The tendency to ophthalmia shows it-
self in a peculiar conformation of the eye, and parts in the vicinity
ofit. Periodical ophthalmia is notoriously hereditary, and usually
ends in cataract.
Colic, also, can be traced to inherent tendencies; for animals
subject to flatulent colic are known to have a morbid appetite;
they have, also, a large, roomy abdomen, which gives them an
ungainly appearance. Yet it is true that diseases may occur
accidentally, without the intervention of predisposition ; but pre-
disposition exists in almost all cases, and it only requires some
anatomical and physiological knowledge on the part of husband-
men to detect it.
22 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
F, Dun, a lecturer in the Edinburgh Veterinary College, tells us
that diarrhea and colic are, to a certain extent, hereditary, “ inas-
much as they are very prone to attack horses of particular form
and constitution, as those with narrow loins, large flat sides, and
of what is generally termed a washy appearance. If such animals
be overworked, (especially soon after being fed,) if their food be
suddenly changed, or if they be allowed an unusual quantity of
fluid, they are almost certain to be attacked either by purging or
colic. The tendency to these diseases appears, in such cases, to
depend on a want of adjustment among the different organs of the
body ; a want of balance among the different functions of diges-
tion, circulation, and respiration.
“ Many farm-horses, as well as others without much breeding,
are remarkable for consuming large quantities of food, for soft
and flabby muscular systems, and for round limbs containing an
unusual proportion of cellular tissue. These characters are no-
toriously hereditary, of which indubitable evidence is afforded by
their existence in many different individuals of the same stock,
and their long continuance, even under the best management and
most efficient systems of breeding. Such characters indicate pro-
clivity to certain- diseases, as swelled legs, weed, and grease. If
horses of this description stand long, the circulation of the blood
through the limbs is retarded ; for, as the contraction of the mus-
cles which materially aid circulation are wanting, the blood in the
veins rises with difficulty against its own gravity, while the soft
and lax condition of the venous coats, and of the muscles in con-
tact with them, permits the passage of the fluid parts of the blood,
giving rise toa serous effusion, which is soft, and pits on pressure.
_ This anasarcous condition, although troublesome, and frequently
recurring, is easily removed by friction, exercise, or a little physic,
and does not unfit the animal for ordinary work.
“ But the same conformation and constitution which induce sim-
ple swelled legs also give rise to the more serious affection known
as weed, or a shot of grease. This consists in,a disturbance of the
balance which naturally subsists between the waste of the system
and the supply of new material to repair that waste. Food is as-
similated in larger quantity than the wants of the system require ;
the chyle so formed accumulates in the absorbent vessels and
glands, which become, in consequence, irritated and inflamed.
That part of the absorbent system situated in the hinder extremi-
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. 23
ties is usually the principal seat of the disease. The animal sud-
denly becomes lame; the inguinal and other glands in the groin
become enlarged and very painful, and the swelling and pain
gradually extend downward along the course of the absorbents,
while the limb becomes a great deal larger than its natural size.
There is, at the same time, a good deal of constitutional fever,
with a full and bounding pulse. The swelling of the leg is, in
the first instance, inflammatory, being hot and tender, and the
skin, over the part affected, hard and tense. Such swellings may,
by judicious treatment, be removed; but, in cases of a chronic
character, or where the same limb has been previously affected,
lymph is effused, forming hard and nodulous, and even diffuse
swellings, which often cause lameness, by interfering with the mo-
tions of the joints or tendons. These indurated swellings must
be carefully distinguished from the serous effusions above noticed,
which, although giving the animal an unsightly appearance, do
not materially impair his usefulness.
“ Grease consists in a morbid condition of the sebaceous glands
of the horse’s heels and fetlocks. It occurs in various degrees of
intensity ; sometimes as a mere scurfy itchiness of the skin about
the fetlocks, more commonly of the hind extremities; sometimes
attended with much inflammation, causing great heat, pain, and
swelling, and an ichorous fetid discharge ; sometimesgcausing fall-
ing off of the hair about the heels, and the formation of deep
cracks and fissures; and sometimes becoming so violent and in-
veterate as to cause eversion of the sebaceous glands, formation
of granulations, and secretion of pus, constituting the loathsome
complaint termed the grapes. There are few diseases better de-
serving the epithet of hereditary than grease, and few in which
the hereditary nature can be more easily discovered and traced.
Almost every practitioner can bring to his recollection cases show- -
ing the tendency of this disease to descend from parent to off-
spring. A friend of mine, some years ago, purchased a valuable
four-year old entire horse, adapted for agricultural purposes.
When bought, he appeared perfectly sound, and his limbs were
nearly black, well-formed, and fine; within a short time, how-
ever, they became thick and greasy. And, although the mares
to which he was put were perfectly free from such faults, the prog-
eny have shown, in every case where they can be traced, unmis-
takable evidence of their inheriting the greasy diathesis of their
24 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
sire. They have all been found liable to swelled legs when they
stand idle for a few days; most of them have been the subjects of
repeated attacks of weed; all are affected, particularly in spring,
with scurfiness of the skin of the hind extremities and excessive
itchiness, and lose, at a very early age, their flatness and smooth-
ness of limb. The faults occur, to a greater or less degree, in all
the stock of this horse, by many different mares, and are dis-
tinctly traceable to the third generation. But, although grease
is undoubtedly hereditary, and is, therefore, readily induced by
comparatively simple causes, still it is frequently caused, and is
always aggravated, by neglect of cleanliness; and of this there is
ample evidence in the fact that it is most common in foul and
badly-managed stables, and where no pains are taken to keep the
horses’ feet and legs clean and dry.”
The scrofulous predisposition is very marked in certain breeds
of horses; it occasions rickets, softening, deformity, and various
forms of disease in the bones, as, for example, big head, big jaw,
etc. The same author, just quoted, says in reference to scrofula:
“From their weak and unsound constitution, horses of a scrof-
ulous diathesis are unusually prone to glanders and farcy—two
forms of a disease peculiar (at least as an original disease) to the
equine species, As has been already remarked, it is characterized
by a specific unhealthy inflammation, identical in all important
characteristics with the syphilitic inflammation in man. From the
dire and loathsome nature of glanders, and the terror in which it
is held, animals affected by it are never used for breeding, so that
we have little opportunity of judging of its hereditary nature.
There is no evidence (so far as I know) which proves it to be di-
rectly hereditary,* but there is no doubt that the progeny of a
glanderous horse would exhibit an unusually strong tendency to
the disease. Its ordinary predisposing causes are, many of them,
hereditary ; it is very prone to attack animals of a weak or vitiated
constitution. It is emphatically the disease which cuts off all
horses that have had their vital energies reduced below the
healthy standard, either by inherent or acquired causes. Glan-
* “Though I am not aware of any facts proving glanders to be congenital, yet
I think there is every probability that such is the case; for it is notorious that
syphilis, the analagous disease in the human subject, is congenital, and often
appears at birth in the children of women affected by that disease.”
ON THE CAUSES OF: DISEASE. 25
ders is, also, sometimes caused by inoculation; is frequently pro-
duced in healthy subjects by mismanagement, as by insufficient
food, want of shelter, and overwork; and often supervenes on
bad attacks of influenza, strangles, diabetes, and other diseases
which debilitate the system, or impair the integrity of any of its
more important parts. ‘These causes appear to possess the power
of engendering in the constitution of a horse a peculiar poison,
which, as it reproduces itself, and spreads to all parts of the body,
gives rise to the characteristic symptoms of glanders, causing,
sooner or later, a breaking up of the system, and a fatal prostra-
tion of the vital powers. This poison produces in the blood ab-
normal changes, which vitiate that fluid, and unfit it for healthy
nutrition.* From the irritant action of the morbid fluids passing
through them, the lymphatic glands and vessels become inflamed,
and lymph is deposited. This, however, being of an unhealthy
nature, soon runs on to softening, which extends to the skin over-
lying the part, and ulcerating farey-buds are formed. On the
surface of the more vascular mucous membranes effusions of tu-
bercular matter are also poured out; these take on an unhealthy
inflammation, and degenerate into chancrous ulcers, which may
generally be seen on the mucous membrane of the nostrils in most
bad cases of glanders.
“These are the most common scrofulous diseases of horses; but
an animal of the scrofulous diathesis, besides being specially sub-
ject to these, is little able to withstand ordinary morbific causes,
and hence is also unusually liable to many ordinary diseases; in
such a subject, too, disease is very apt to be severe and complicated,
and to be acted on tardily and imperfectly by all remedies.”
Having now furnished the reader with a few valuable facts
bearing on hereditary predisposition, we shall briefly discourse
* « A comparison of the two subjoined analyses will show the great difference
in composition between the blood of healthy and of glanderous horses—a differ-
ence consisting chiefly in a diminution of the red corpuscules, and a propor-
tional increase of the fibrine and albumen.
Blood of Healthy Horse. Blood of Glanderous Horse.
Simon’s Animal Chemistry, by Dr. Day, vol. 1, pp. 346-7.”
26 DADD’S VETERINARY SURGERY AND ME&DICINE.
in reference to some of the exciting causes which in general pro-
duce those diseases to which the horse, by virtue of his constitu-
tion, is liable. The following quotation, brief and pointed, will
be found pertinent:
“By far the easiest and best mode of curing diseases of animals
is to keep the diseases and the cattle separate. With cattle, as
with ourselves, disease is caused, in most instances, by an excess
of carefulness or of carelessness. ‘Too much and too rich food is
as injurious as too little and too poor. Perhaps fewer diseases,
in proportion to the numbers treated in each way, spring from
privation than from surfeit. Too little as well as too great
exposure to extremes of heat and cold has a tendency to create
disease; in the one case it causes disease, in the other it renders
man or animal more liable to it. -Let a wealthy and a warm-
hearted man own and take charge of a favorite animal, and the
chances are that it will be ‘killed with kindness;’ if it is tended,
in part, by a hireling, the equilibrium may be restored. In our
experience—no very. limited one, by the way—care is more needed
among cattle than cures; and all the diseases which came under
our treatment sprang from the want of judicious care. Has a
cow a cough, has she the hoven, has she the red-water, or the
puerperal fever? it is from overcare—too much warmth or too
much feed. Is she mangy, lousy, hide-bound, or affected with
horn-ail? the chances are that she has been neglected. Of course
there are very many exceptions to this and to every other general
rule. But this is our experience. Let few farmers, however,
feed their animals less than they now do, or give them more airy
lodgings than they now do, because the greater number of the
cattle in this country suffer from privation and exposure to the
inclemencies of the weather rather than from pampering. But
animals, as well as men, will, with the best care we can bestow
on them, become sick at times. Our judgment is often at fault
when our intentions are the best. Sometimes our back is turned,
or our eyes are not opened sufficiently wide. At all events, our
stock will become sick, some of them; and recourse must be had
to medical remedies.”
It is usual to classify causes; yet, for all practical purposes, it is
only necessary for us to know that exciting causes are those from
which disease most directly springs. For example, suppose that in
the act of shoeing a horse a nail is driven in a wrong direction,
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. PA
enters the sensitive tissues of the foot, and lameness occurs; the
nail, in this event, may be classed as a special or mechanical
exciting cause; and, under the same head, we class poisons and
injuries of all sorts.
When horses become the subjects of glanders, or farcy, by being
exposed to the maladies, they are then said to have taken it either
by infection or contagion, and the cause is said to be specific.
The terms infection and contagion are now used as synonymous,
and, undoubtedly, if reference be had to the etymology of the
words, the arrangement is correct. Coming now to plain matter
of fact, the exciting cause of disease is that which, when taken
into the body, or applied outwardly, is followed by disease or
derangement.
The exciting causes of disease may, therefore, be summed up
thus: Debility, induced by bad management, exposure, unwhole-
some food; plethora, brought on by over-feeding and want of
exercise; overdosing animals with improper medicines and
poisons; overtaxing the muscular powers of the animal, and the
breathing of an impure atmosphere.
A great proportion of the diseases occurring among horses and
cattle in the Western States is due to the fact that they are not
properly housed at night, and the food that they often gather in
their exposed situations lacks the nitrogenous and nutritious
matter for the manufacture of good, healthy blood and strong
muscles.
Disease sometimes, however, occurs when no exciting nor any
other cause appears; yet, with the exception of those maladies
supposed to be produced by miasmatic influences, it is probable
that the cause, in such cases, has not been discovered. Finally,
it may be said that the causes of disease among animals are within
their bodies as well as around and about them.
Veterinary Science, and the relation it bears to Social Science.—
The necessity which exists for the services of educated Veteri-
nary Surgeons throughout the United States, and in cavalry regi-
ments of the United States army, is evident to every thinking
man; yet, prior to the advent of our late national troubles, it
_ was found almost impossible to interest the right kind of men,
so that they might use their influence for the purpose of direct-
ing the attention of the General Government to the value and
28 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
importance of veterinary science; but the probability is that Con-
gress will soon legislate on the subject, and before long we may
expect to hear of the appointment of a Veterinary Surgeon and
Assistant Surgeon to each cavalry regiment.
There exists no earthly reason why our profession should not
rank as high in America as in England and France. The great
losses which are continually occuring among army horses is a
monstrous and growing evil, and, in view of preventing unneces-
sary diseases and premature deaths, the Government must organ-
ize a veterinary corps.
It is very important that our science should attract the notice
of legislators; for it bears a very intimate relation with social
science, inasmuch as men and animals are subject to similiar
diseases, which are communicable one to the other, and which
often arise spontaneously, and are transmitted from first to second.
For example, there is a disease which often occurs among cattle,
known as “Anthrax.” It is a malignant disease, and many
persons have lost their lives by absorbing the virulent “anthrax
poisons” from the carcasses of dead animals.
A cutaneous disease often occurs among the bovine species,
known as “ring-worm,” which affects the hands and arms of
some persons who attend such animals. ;
It is asserted, also, that the vesicular murrain, which at times
prevails among cows, gives rise to the development of a virus
which is often squeezed into the milk-pail, and produces very bad
effects on children when fed on the same.
It has been discovered that the little vesicles found in measled
pork are tape-worms, in a certain stage of development, and if
not destroyed by thoroughly cooking the infected meat, may
develop the dangerous parasite in the human intestines.
That awful disease known as virulent “glanders” (spontaneous
in some horses) has destroyed many of our race. A small por-
tion of the glandered matter coming in contact with an abraded
or absorbing spot on any part of a man’s body, will surely cause
him to die the most horrible of all deaths; and the same remarks
apply to the disease known as “ malignant farey.”
We might enumerate many other forms of disease which are
communicable from the superior orders of animality to the in-
ferior, and vice versd@, but the above must suffice, in view of
attracting attention to the value and importance of the subject.
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. 29
In regard to the origin of diseases, it is known to the profession
that the diseases of men and animals are often due to similar
causes ; that the evils of domestication, which operate to develop
disease in animals, are as notorious as the evils of civilization,
which induces unnecessary diseases and premature death among
members of the human family; therfore, our science does bear
an intimate relation to social science, and it appears to us that no
scientific mind can fail to appreciate the advantages to be derived
from a more extended knowledge of the fundamental principles
of veterinary science.
Let the husbandmen and stock-raisers of this country put their
shoulders to the wheel, in view of establishing veterinary schools
and colleges throughout the length and breadth of our immense
agricultural domain, and soon we can boast of having a class of
veterinary surgeons, educated on American soil, conversant with
the diseases incidental to the live stock of America. In that event,
we can do our own doctoring, without foreign interference.
We are not disposed to find fault, nor scold about the itinerant
veterinary practice which prevails throughout the United States,
for we are aware that all try to do the best they can for the relief
of the inferior orders of creation. The fault is not with the prac-
titioners, but with the people, who have failed to furnish the
means of education,
Reswme.—Since writing the above, the “ Trichina” disease has
made its appearance in Berlin, creating a terrible consternation
among the consumers of pork. ‘The disease in its symptoms some-
what resembles cholera, but on making post-mortem examina-
tions, there was soon discovered in the flesh of some persons an
immense number of small microscopic parasites ; these were traced
back to the flesh of the hog, where they were discovered in the
form of chrysali imbedded in a little shell of lime; these, on being
subjected to a slight degree of heat, speedily brought forth myriads
of small parasites, of various forms and sizes, a dozen of which
were frequently found in a piece of tissue as large as a pin’s head.
The process of incubation was discovered to have been produced
in the intestines of those who had eaten the pork, by the animal
warmth of the stomach. Thus freed from their shells, the creat-
ures make their way through the walls of the intestines in every
direction, choosing the hard and fleshy tissues especially, and none
of them have yet been found in the blood. Most remarkable to
30 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
relate, the “Trichina” is said to have come from the “field-
mouse,” which the hog, by eating, introduces into his system, from
whence it is introduced into the system of man. A. few years
ago, a number of persons in London were very seriously affected
with vomiting and dysentery after partaking of sausages, the
meat of which was found to be in a putrid state. Liebig, the
great chemist, informs us that “several hundred cases are known
in which death has occurred from the use of bad sausages in a
state of putrefaction.” This kind of testimony might be multi-
plied to an indefinite length, but what has been written must
suffice, The reader can not fail to perceive that, in the study of
comparative anatomy and physiology, a wide field for investiga-
tion and research is before us, which will amply repay the devoted
student, and be the means of accomplishing much good.
Veterinary Science—How to Inaugurate it— What Benefits have
we derived from its Study?—Shortly after the commencement of
our late national struggle, the author was consulted in reference
to the most feasible plan of inaugurating Veterinary Science, so
that it might be made available for the restoration of sick, lame,
and otherwise disabled horses in the Government service, which
drew forth the following reply: Up to the present period there
exists no law authorizing the employment of regularly-educated
veterinary surgeons; therefore any rational plan calculated to
ameliorate the condition of army horses, or to prevent the many
unnecessary cases of disease and premature deaths which are now
constantly occurring, or to guard against the great pecuniary
losses which the Government and people of this country have ©
been compelled to submit to in the condemnation and forced sales
of deteriorated horses, can not, as I understand the matter, be
considered by the powers that be until Congress shall legislate
upon the subject. I now propose to inform the reader how to
render the knowledge we possess available.
In the first place, I should follow the systems of instruction
and the organizations of the veterinary schools of London, Ed-
inburgh, Alfort, and Saumur, and prepare suitable text-books
adapted to the wants of a nation of people who have never given
the subject that attention which its importance demands,
In the selection of pupils, I favor the plan of General McClellan,
which is as follows: ‘‘ The pupils for the veterinary school might
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. 31
be selected from among the best recruits; indeed, it is not im-
probable that the advantages of such an institution would induce
excellent men to enlist for the purpose of availing themselves of
its benefits. Should such be found to be the results, it would be
well to require them to enlist for longer than the usual time, as a
compensation for the time spent at school.” Cavalry officers,
farriers, or blacksmiths should be permitted to attend lectures on
anatomy, physiology, and the obvious diseases and lameness of
horses.
In cases of emergency, a competent veterinarian should be
employed in each regiment, whose duty it should be to select an
intelligent farrier from each company, and instruct such person,
in a brief and practical manner, on the management of cavalry
horses in camps, the prevention of diseases, and the most rational
method of treating diseases incidental to camp life.
Should it be found impossible to secure the services of a suf-
ficient number of competent veterinarians for the above purpose,
let those who have shown themselves qualified, by an examination
before a medical board, march from camp to camp, give instruc-
tions, see that the sick and disabled are separated from healthy
animals, and that the former be placed in a covered hospital, and
then issue special regulations for the use of mounted troops in
garrison and in the field, for the purpose of guarding against the
consequences of ignorance and abuse of the animal machine.
It would be advisable to establish a veterinary professorship at
West Point, and there locate the National School. The Govern-
ment has there a very fine French model of the horse, a skeleton,
and various preparations of morbid anatomy, etc., which, together
with other material available, will furnish all that is necessary
for the purposes of veterinary tuition. It would also be advis-
able for the Chief Veterinary Surgeon to issue to his subordinates
such orders as shall secure proper sanitary regulations in camp.
The horses should be as well cared for as the troops, for in cav-
alry and artillery service, the success of a campaign, or attack
and defense, depends much on the health and efficiency of horses.
It should be the business of some members of the veterinary
corps to station themselves at accessible points, and there erect
temporary hospitals for the reception of sick and lame horses,
where the latter shall receive the benefits of a rational system of
medication and nursing, whereby, in their restoration to useful-
32 DADD’S VETERINARY SURGERY AND MEDICINE.
ness, many millions of dollars might be saved to the Government
in a short time. I contend that the condemnation and ruinous
sale of sick and lame horses is a wanton waste of property, and
it would be just as rational, if rational at all, to sacrifice, neglect,
or abandon sick or disabled soldiers simply because they are not
in fit condition for present duty.
Importance of Veterinary Education.—The importance of edu-
cating men for the scientific practice of Veterinary Medicine and
Surgery is self-evident, and is further illustrated by the daily
experience of those persons whom, as a matter of necessity, have
been obliged to prescribe for the sick and dying of their flocks
and herds, at the same time, having no knowledge of those advant-
ages which a thorough course of training affords, must necessarily
feel that they are groping in comparative darkness, and when a
ray of medical light does flit across their path, it often serves to
make them better acquainted with their own want of skill. Per-
sons thus circumstanced, unable to procure the services of veter1-
nary surgeons, in consequence of a scarcity of the “genuine
material,” are often called upon to assume the responsibilities of
medical practitioners; and they, no doubt, prescribe with good
intention and honesty of purpose, but disease and death have the
vantage of them, for the disease is not often rightly diagnosed,
nor are they acquainted with the means of securing a favorable
issue; and they will hail, as a great blessing, every attempt made
for the purpose of diffusing a knowledge of Veterinary Science.
We all know that there is greater need for scientific qualifica-
tion on the part of those who propose to practice on brutes than
in the case of a practitioner of human medicine; and if a special
course of study and qualification, obtained under the guidance of
competent teachers at college or elsewhere, be essentially neces-
sary in the one case, surely they can not be dispensed with in the
other. Now, it is well known that prior to the introduction of a
rational system of veterinary medicine in the mother country,
millions of domestic animals were annually sacrificed at the
shrine of ignorance; but science came to the rescue, and now the
disciples of St. BEL, CoLEMAN, their co-workers (the founders of
the science in England), and kindred spirits, ean, by aid of their
vast materia medica—their anesthetic agents, their scalpel, and
other appliances—accomplish unheard of wonders,
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. 33
The Samaritans of our craft have solved the problems on which
the fundamental principles of physiology and pathology are
founded ; they have, to a certain extent, dispelled the awful cloud
of ignorance and empiricism which had reigned in the British
Isles. They have succeeded in illuminating the dense and dark
spots that have existed in horse and cattle practice since the ad-
vent of the ancient Egyptians, up to that period which introduced
anew erainourart. They have done more than this: our crafts-
men have often robbed death of some of its victims, and have
succeeded in blunting the keen edge of many an epizodtic sword ;
and thus they have succeeded in stealing a march on the grim
monarch of epizodtic destiny. Their weapons were often such as
were wielded by JENNER, the benefactor of our race. Our efforts
may not always be successful, but as our veterinary fathers have
accomplished much, we ought not to despair.
The field of enterprise in the United States is composed of vir-
gin soil, and the “bridegroom of promise” hath not yet put on
the complete mantle of fertility ; so that there is a splendid chance
for the teachers and graduates of American schools to Gee
themselves and earn the laurel of fame.
The husbandmen of this country have also suffered immense
losses by the death of valuable animals, and since the landing of
the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock, up to this very moment, death
hath run riot in the camping-ground of horses and cattle, and
people have scarcely been informed of the “why or wherefore.”
The legion host of “ itinerant” practitioners which necessity and
circumstances have created, remain remarkably silent and non-
committal ; and probably this is the best course they can pursue,
for, if “ignorance is bliss,” and that pays well, it would be de-
cidedly unbusiness-like in them to assume wisdom which might
not pay.
There never was a period in the history of this country when
the services of educated veterinary surgeons were so much needed
as at the present time. The live stock of “ Young America” do
not enjoy immunity from those pestiferous epizodtic maladies
which have in former years operated as a “ withering simoom ” on
British husbandry. For example, a dreadful malady known as
pleuro-pneumonia has made sad havoc among live stock in Mas-
sachusetts, and the terrible alarm there created in consequence, is
keenly felt, not only in that State, but in many others. In some
3
34 DADD'’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
€
of the Western States, a malady known as “ milk-sickness,” or
trembles, afflicting both man and beast, sometimes prevails, at-
tended with such disastrous results that many farmers have often
been compelled to abandon the old homestead in view of seeking
a location where there was some prospect of enjoying immunity
from the pest.
Hog cholera, or pleuro-pneumonia, (among swine) has often
slain its millions and tens of millions. Contagious typhus pre-
vails, and puerperal fever has carried off hundreds of thousands
of our best stock. Apoplexy, softening of the brain, dropsy of
the brain, are just as prevalent here as in England. Abortion,
or miscarriage, is fearfully on the increase. Diseases of climate
and spontaneous origin are constantly occurring. In fact, to
shorten a lengthy story, there is scarcely any disease known to
the veterinarians of the Old World that has not prevailed in the
New. The mere mention of these matters should at once arouse
stock-owners to a sense of duty to themselves and their domestic
animals,
We must have educated veterinary surgeons for the treatment
of diseases peculiar to the live stock of this country. It is a mat-
ter of national policy, a work of benevolence; and should we
take a business view of the affair, it is a cent and dollar enter-
prise that will surely pay.
We want schools and colleges in this country, where the young
men of America can acquire a republican veterinary education,
so that in the era before us, the people in this country can employ
the graduates of their own schools, endowed and fostered by their
own enterprise and industry. Some persons have an idea that
veterinary science can only be acquired under the banner of roy-
alty, but this is a great mistake. J am aware that the people of
this country have been so absorbed in promoting its growth and
developing its resources, that there has been but little chance for
great scientific achievement in our calling, yet within the past
few years some of the most learned of our profession, educated
under the auspices of royalty and aristocracy, have been amazed
at the contributions to science furnished by a few devoted men in
this country that never saw the inside of an European college.
As a national affair, therefore, it should be the pride of every
American citizen to put his shoulder to the wheel for the purpose
just indicated, for the enterprise will surely redound to the honor
j
|
j
|
)
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. 35
and glory of the nation. The science which we are laboring to
render popular is vast and boundless as the ocean ; and although
it has been explored by many distinguished scholars, it is capable
of unfolding new truths, and when the united intellect of intelli-
gent Americans shall be brought to bear upon it, will advance
with a rapidity truly astonishing. What the American people
have accomplished, during the past few years, in rendering other
sciences popular, is proof positive of what shall occur when the
current of investigation is directed to the science of veterinary
medicine and physiology.
In the absence of educated veterinary surgeons throughout the
country, it is of vast importance that stock-owners generally
should study, as far as they can, the diseases to which their prop-
erty is subject, and acquire a knowledge of, at least, the ordinary
remedies. By doing so, thousands of dollars’ worth of valuable
horses, cattle, and swine may be annually saved to the country,
and the intense misery which these poor brutes suffer frequently
be relieved. It is our object in this work to simplify the science
so that it may be acquired, to a very useful extent, by any intel-
ligent man. If we shall succeed in enabling stock-owners to
practice the healing art on their dumb but faithful companions,
we shall feel that we have done a good work.
Inflammation; Its Nature and Treatment.—Inflammation is said
to consist of pain, heat, and redness. It is usually considered as
an enemy to the,patient ; and we have been taught to subdue it
by means of bleeding and purging, at all hazards; and some
practitioners, when they undertake the job, generally succeed,
yet they lose the patient for their pains.
Some writers have made inflammation cut up all manner of
pranks. It is now sanative in healing a wound or injury, in
repairing damages which occur in various parts of the animal
economy ; and in the same paragraph the writers declare that in-
flammation is the cause of nearly all the deaths that occur. This
is sheer nonsense, and will not stand the test of logic, nor the
daily experience of that practitioner who deals in fact, and does
his own thinking, independently of the dictum of some of the
schools, and the ancient method of reasoning on false facts. A
distinguished medical reformer, writing on this subject, says:
“ Numerous hypotheses or opinions respecting the true nature of
36 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
inflammation have for ages been advanced, and, for a time, sus-
tained ; but even at the present day the various doctrines appear
to be considered altogether problematical.”
We often hear, in common parlance, that, “if inflammation sets
in, the horse will die.” Now, the very reverse of this is the case ;
for, while inflammation lasts, there is strength, vitality, and aug-
mented action, though there may be much pain. This should be
interpreted as the warning voice of Nature, to apprise us of a loss
of equilibrium in the circulation of the blood, or some deranged
condition of the system; and we should heed the warning, and
array ourselves on the side of Nature, in view of promoting a full
and free circulation of the blood over the system, so that there
shall be no excess anywhere; and the derangement, wherever it
exists, must next command our attention.
While inflammation and pain exists, there is hope. Take, for
example, inflammation of the intestines. While that stage lasts,
the animal is not in danger; but so soon as inflammation and
pain ceases, (often accomplished through the means of bleeding
and narcotism,) we then open up a new page of pathology. In
the course of a few hours the animal dies. Of what—inflamma-
tion? No. He dies of mortification, or gangrene of the bowels.
Therefore death was not caused by inflammation.
So in regard to phrenitis (inflammation of the brain). A cer-
tain amount of pain and activity in the parts are observable; the
inflammation may now be attacked after the true Sangrado fash-
ion; the inflammation is subdued, but still the animal is no bet-
ter. Hedies. Of what does he die? Not of inflammation, for
the autopsy reveals, very often, softening of the brain, and fluid
is found within the lateral ventricles. Softening of the brain is
equivalent to gangrene (death of a part). Then, again, horses
can not be said to die of inflammation when the practitioner de-
clares that he heroically subdued it some time previous to the
death of the animal.
There is no proof that bleeding has any directly beneficial
influence over the course of inflammations, either external or in-
ternal. Surgeons never bleed now in external inflammation ; and
educated and liberal physicians have given up all arguments in
favor of the practice for internal inflammation. Goon, in his
“Study of Medicine,” seems to have given us some definite in-
formation regarding the effect of blood-letting in inflammation,
=
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. om
which should agree with the sentiments of all men desiring to see
veterinary science joined in the march of improvement which is
now progressing in almost every other department of science and
industry. “The immediate effect of profuse and repeated bleed-
ing is exhaustion. While this exhaustion continues there is a
diminution of action of every kind, and hence an imposing ap-
pearance of relief to the symptoms of disease; but it no sooner —
takes place than an instinctive effort is made by the wis medica-
trix natura to remedy the evil hereby produced, and to restore the
system to its former balance of power. This balance is called a
rallying, or reaction of the living principle. The arteries con-
tract to adapt themselves to the measure of blood that remains ;
the sensorial organ is roused to the secretion of a large proportion
of nervous power to supply the inordinate drain that takes place.
During the general commotion, all is in a state of temporary
hurry and urgency, and, for the most part, irregularity of action,
while the instinctive effort is proceeding. And hence, no sooner
is the immediate effect of prostration and exhaustion overcome
than the heart palpitates, the pulse beats forcibly with a jerking
bound, the head throbs, and the eyes flash fire. Now, it often hap-
pens that these concurrent signs are mistaken for proofs of latent
or increased vigor, instead of being proofs of accelerated action ;
and action, too, that adds as largely to the exhaustion as the de-
pletion that produced it; and the unhappy patient is bled a
second, a third, and even a fourth time,* till no reaction follows,
at which time it is strangely supposed that the plethora or inflam-
matory diatheses is subdued and lulled into a calm, because the
patient has been so far and fatally drained of the living principle
that there is no longer any rallying or reactive power remaining,
and gives up the ghost, in a few hours, to the treatment instead of
the disease.” This is the case with thousands and tens of thou-
sands of valuable animals that annually die in this country, in
* My attention was recently called to a valuable stallion, which had lately
been brought from Nova Scotia. He was attacked with what the attending
would-be physician called “founder,” but which was a pure case of acute rheu-
matism. In three different bleedings, forty-two pounds of blood had been ab-
stracted! and I found the patient so weak and prostrated that he was scarcely
able to stand. It seems to me that every man having the least spark of charity
for so noble an animal as a horse, should discountenance such outrageous treat-
ment as this.
38 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
consequence of our misguided notions of inflammation, and vur
want of knowledge of a suitable remedy to treat it. But a
brighter day is dawning, and the antiquated notions of disease
and its treatment are fast giving way to a more rational and suc-
cessful system; and the day is not far distant when blood-letting
for the cure of inflammation will be entirely abandoned.
It is very gratifying to the author to be able to record that
many of the progressive medical writers of the present day are
on the right side of Nature, teaching us that “she is ever busy,
by the silent operation of her own forces, in the cure of disease ;”
and they are inaugurating a very great and desirable revolution
in the theory and practice of human as well as veterinary medi-
cine.
Nature of Inflammation.—The physical characteristics of in-
flammation are, as I have just written, redness, heat, pain, and
sometimes swelling. It is, and always was physiologically, oper-
- ating for the good of humanity and the inferior orders of creation.
Jis curative power none can dispute. We see it, in the form of a
blush, on the cheek of offended humanity. Friction, injuries,
poisons and disease, etc., excite Nature to hoist the symbol of dis-
tress—inflammation. She calls loudly for help, but she does not
always get it; and instead of acknowledging her autocracy, and
furnishing what she wants to use in her own way, viz.: the water,
oil, and wine of the ancient Samaritans, we offer fire, knife, and
poison.
Inflammation being an exalted condition of local arterial cir-
culation, it can only be excited by some mental emotion, injury,
loss of function, or by what is known as disease, in parts adjacent
or remote from its seat. Hence, all diseases of an acute charac-
ter are preceded and accompanied, to a certain stage or period, by
inflammation. Hence, also, according to ancient usage and the
dictum of alma mater, we are constrained to talk and write as
though inflammation was the great evil or disease which required
our services; and thus we coquette with Nature by means of
sharp-edged tools, while the actual disease steals a march on us,
and we lose the patient in consequence of our want of knowledge.
Treatment of Inflammation—Inflammation being more or less
active, according to the intensity of the disease of which it is a
°
ON THE CAUSES OF DISEASE. 39
forerunner, or rather an indication, and being accompanied by
pain, it becomes our duty merely to restore the equilibrium of the
circulation. This removes the inflammation, and promotes a free
and full circulation of the blood all over the system, so that there
shall be no excess (inflammation) anywhere. This is what we
call subduing the inflammation, with this difference, however,
that we resort to natural means and sanative medication instead
of using the fleam and cathartics. The means are warmth, moist-
ure, stimulants, and friction; and clothing to the extremities and
to parts of the body that are cold; and cold applications to parts
that are unnaturally hot. One of the best equalizers of the cir-
culation is the “ Roman bath,” the vapor bath, and wet packing.
Should the inflammation exist internally, then give plenty of
warm water, emolient drinks, and emolient enemas, and keep up
a physiological action and heat on the surface of the body by
means of friction and warm clothing. In this simple way the
circulation of the blood is equalized, or, in other words, the in-
flammation is “ cured ;” and, at the same time, this treatment may
cure the disease as well as the inflammation.
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SECTION II.
DISEASES OF THE EYE.
Amaurosis, or Guass Eye (Gutta SERENA)—FoREIGN BODIES WITHIN THE EYE-
LIDS—SPECKS, OR FinM oN THE EYE, KNOWN AS OPACITY OF THE CORNEA—
CaTARACT—WoORM IN THE EyYE—OPHTHALMIA—TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATION—
PURULENT OPHTHALMIA—SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.
AmaAvrosis (“Guass EyE”—Gutra SERENA.)
MAUROSIS is known to most men as “glass eye.” Physi-
cians, however, have named the disease gutta serena. The
abnormal condition, which consists in dilatation of the pupil, un-
influenced by light or darkness, is occasioned by paralysis of the
optic nerve and its ultimate expansion.
Causes.—Some horses, of an excitable, nervous temperament,
often become the subjects of dilated pupil, without any assignable
cause ; while that form of amaurosis occurring among plethoric
subjects, or those whose digestive organs are deranged or ocenpied
by a large quantity of undigested food, (they, the subjects border-
ing on that state known as stomach staggers,) can easily be ex-
plained on the well-known law of sympathy.
We may, however, with propriety, assign a cause for its occur-
rence in the eyes of neryous, excitable horses; for this very con-
dition of the nervous system, which gives rise to the excitability,
perhaps goes to show that the brain is actually diseased, either in
function or structure. Animals subject to this affection are gen-
erally of a “bony,” spare, muscular development, and have wiry
sinews, thin tapering ears, delicate lips and nostrils, diminution
in the quantity of the hair in the mane and tail, but remarkable
for compactness of texture. We generally find, under ordinary
circumstances, the black color preponderates in nervous horses
over the various shades of equine coloring-matter found in the
(40)
DISEASES OF THE EYE. AT
hair, eyes, ete. I had a case of this kind, and the owner s state-
ment was as follows: The animal (mare) had been in his posses-
sion about five years. She had four successive attacks of blindness,
which had never been treated by a certified surgeon, and it was
concluded that she must have a periodical attack in spite of all
efforts to prevent it. Now, this is what we call a case of idio-
pathic periodical amaurosis, and if it does not owe its origin to
some hereditary idiosyncracy, it is the result of an abnormal con-
dition of the brain.
When our attention shall be called to a case of this character,
we must bear in mind the fact that this animal survived four
periodical attacks of the same malady, and performed the ordinary
duties of a horse, in the intervals of health, with far-seeing eyes,
and without the aid of science; and this goes to show that this
condition of the nervous structure of the eyes of some horses, as
well as many other diseases incidental to them, are often “ self-
limited,” and the subjects will recover, if carefully nursed and
left unembarrassed by “ poisonous drugs.” This opinion is in-
dorsed by some of the most distinguished surgeons of the present
day. I have no desire to try to saddle the reader with any pecu-
liar notions of medication emanating from my own fancy or
brains. I am not offering sensible people a mirror of my own
reflection, but I wish to present the truth in that mirror, so that
they may see it and judge for themselves. Excessive medication
is a quicksand which we must try to avoid. ‘Thousands of well-
meaning medical aspirants have actually committed professional
suicide by clinging to the absurd theory of medication as prac-
ticed in bygone days. The lancet, and many of the heroic medi-
cines which our predecessors placed great confidence in, and in
their writings have urged us to use, are now almost discarded.
It is not because an essential change has taken place in the nature
of equine maladies, but because we have greater faith in Nature as
our curative agent, and have become better acquainted with anat-
omy, pathology, and physiology.
But to resume the subject of amaurosis. If from the history
of the case, we have reason to believe that it is of a periodical
character, and if it be the sequel to, or an accompaniment of,
some hereditary affection, we may be sure that the malady will
exist for a certain length of time in spite of all we may do. In
such cases, all that is necessary is to have the animal comfortably
42 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
housed, fed on a light, laxative diet, and pay careful attention to
the condition of the secretory and excretory functions of the
body.
That form of amaurosis occasioned by a deranged condition of
the digestive organs, plethora, or over-distension of the same, will
cease so soon as the cause is removed, and may be considered as
a sympathetic affection.
What that cause is we must endeavor to decide on by careful
examination, and then frame our plan of treatment in accordance
with the indications to be fulfilled.
Should we consult authorities on amaurosis, we shall find that
much diversity of opinion exists. Youatt, who is quoted in
this country by some persons as high authority, has mistaken the
disease, or else has strangely distorted facts. He contends that
“the treatment of amaurosis is quite as difficult as that of cata-
ract.” Now, every one knows that cataract occurring among
horses is notoriously incurable ; and PERCIVALL writes, “ A man
must be able to perform miracles ere he cures cataract.”
Now, I contend that amaurosis, or dilatation of the pupil, is not
of itself a disease, but the symptom of one; hence, between cata-
ract—a disease resulting from altered structure of the eye—and
amaurosis there exists no analogy. Whenever altered structure
exists in the mechanism of the eye, then we have an incurable case.
Mr. Spooner, the reviser of Youarr’s work on the horse, as-
sures us that amaurosis is often connected with diseased liver,
thus controverting Youatt’s theory of incurability ; for animals
often recover from very severe attacks of liver disease.
I have called the attention of our readers to the opinions of
Youarr, PERCIVALL, and SpooNER merely to show the import-
ance of exercising our own reasoning faculties. We must not
place too much confidence in mere book authority, no matter how
high the source, unless experience and intelligence indorses the
theory or facts in the case.
Speculative and false theories are only surface deep. They need
not the eye of the philosopher, nor the mental genius of a Web-
ster, in order to discover their flimsy texture and develop the
truth. Those who propose to do their own thinking have the
ability to judge between right and wrong. Let us commit to
memory all matters which appear as facts, and forget the rest.
Amaurosis can be artificially produced by administering a few
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 43
doses of extract of belladonna, and this amaurotic state of the
pupil is also observed during etherization, and disappears so soon
as the animal is restored to consciousness.
PERCIVALL informs us that amaurosis may proceed from some
abnormal condition of the optic nerve or brain, which may prove,
as he says, the last link of a series of marked phenomena, origi-
nating in some remote part of the body, operating sympathetically
on the nervous system, and, through it, extending to the eye.
Cases are occasionally met with which may be termed symptomatic
amaurosis, occasioned by congestion, tumors, or hydrocephalus.
Symtomatic amaurosis may follow cranial fracture, and, con-
sequently, depression. In such cases, the skill of the surgeon is
called into requisition to trephine the uninjured region of the
skull, in order to elevate the depressed and fractured parts. The
potent remedy is the removal of the pressure. Amaurosis is oc-
casionally associated with anemia. Now, anemia is a condition
of the body which indicates a loss of the circulating fluid, either
of quantity or quality. The remedy for this condition is carbo-
naceous food, mineral and vegetable tonics. Preparations of iron
and golden seal are the best remedial agents.
Symptoms.—I shall now turn the reader’s attention, for a mo-
ment, to some of the symptoms attending the amaurotic condition.
The head of the patient is elevated, and he is known, in popular
language, as a “star-gazer.” His ears are kept in constant mo-
tion, one turned backward and the other forward, in quick suc-
cession, to catch the sound of approaching vehicles, so that he
may have timely notice of their whereabouts. When started,
and while walking, the fore-feet are raised from the ground to an
unnecessary height. This is probably done for the purpose of
sounding the ground, and, at the same time, of avoiding obstacles
which may lie-in the road; for the sight is defective, and the
animal must depend more on the senses of hearing and feeling.
Should such an animal be attached to a vehicle and left alone
in the street, we shall observe that when an omnibus or heavy-
loaded wagon approaches him he becomes restless, and exhibits
signs of fear. Such are the principal symptoms which usually
accompany defective sight, or total paralysis of the optic nerve,
producing amaurosis.
Treatment.—Sympathetic amaurosis should be treated by means
of antispasmodics and alteratives. One ounce of tincture of assa-
id DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
fetida may be given every morning, and in the evening, one ounce
of the fluid extract of sassafras. So soon as the animal regains
his natural vision, the medicine may be discontinued.
FOREIGN BoDIES WITHIN THE EYELIDS.
When foreign bodies, such as small particles of hay or dirt, get
within the eyelids, they create great pain and uneasiness, and if |
allowed to remain there, produce a very grave form of disease,
often ending in disorganization and total blindness, Should any
thing of the kind be discovered, it may be removed by raising
the upper or depressing the lower lids; then introduce and ex-
plore the eyeball by means of a camel’s hair pencil, to which the
foreign body will usually adhere, when it is easily brought away.
The parts should then be sponged with lukewarm water. After
the lapse of a few hours, should the membranes of the eye and
lids appear much reddened, use the following:
Nov GR Rosenwalert: crac ices we ctetelets clelortsrseneer wee 4 02.
Fluid extract of gelseminum........... 2 dr.
Put the patient on a diet of sloppy bran mash, and place him
where the rays of sunlight shall not affect the eye.
Fitms oR SPECKS ON THE EYE, KNOWN AS OPACITY
OF THE CORNEA.
Opacity of the cornea sometimes results from injuries; at others
they are symptomatic, and accompany other diseases. They are
of very common occurrence in the various stages of influenza and
other catarrhal affections, and sometimes a distinet speck will
remain long after the disease which gave rise to it has disappeared.
The author remembers many cases in which the sight has been
completely destroyed by using substances of a corrosive or stimu-
lating character. The proper mode of treatment is to bathe the
eye occasionally with a portion of the following lotion:
No. 2; Fluid extract of bloodroot. ..)... 22s. selon
Wiateru tenn Cok eae ee lea ee Green RO ZA
Mix.
Give the patient one ounce, morning and evening, of fluid
extract of phytolacca decandra (poke-root), This acts as an
alterative, and will expedite the cure.
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 45
CATARACT.
Cataract in the horse is usually the result of previous attacks
of disease. It consists of opacity of the crystalline lens, or the
capsule of the same. The disease is incurable, because if an opera-
tion was performed for the breaking-up or depression of the
cataract, such as is practiced in human medicine, vision would
still be as imperfect as ever without the aid of magnifying glasses,
which would be a great inconvenience to the horse, and scarcely
of any practical service.
Worm IN THE EYE.
Small parasites are occasionally observed in the eyes of horses.
They float about in the watery humor, often for a great length of
time, without appearing to do any mischief; yet, being a foreign
body, they are, to say the least, injurious. The author has never
seen but one case of worm in the eye, and that occurred in a
horse, the property of a resident of Chicago. The animal was
kept on exhibition for the inspection of the curious, and was the
scource of considerable profit to the owner. It is possible that
such worm might be extracted by a surgical operation. A writer
in the “ Veterinary Review” thus alludes to this affection :
“Tt may also be here noticed that there is a disease which fre-
quently affects the eyes of horses in India, but which, as far as I
know, has never been observed in Europe. A worm, which, from
the description I have received from different people, may be
compared to the common ascaris, is generated in the anterior
chamber, and can at times be distinguished swimming about, with
apparently great vigor, in the aqueous humor. It produces a
great deal of irritation and inflammation, the effects of which
ultimately destroy the organ. The natives of India cure the
disease by making an incision through the cornea, and extracting -
the worm. Though I have never had an opportunity of examin-
ing an eye affected with this curious disease, the circumstantial
accounts, from several accurate observers, leave no doubt in my
mind of its existence; and the fact accords with what is known
to take place regarding the formation of worms, not only in the
human body, but more particularly in the liver, lungs, brain, and
other organs of the inferior animals.”
46 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
OPHTHALMIA, OR ACUTE DISEASE OF THE EYE.
This is a very common affection, yet a most painful one, and
can not well be mistaken. The animal keeps the eyelids closed.
They are more or less swollen, and the internal surface of the same
appears very red. There is an unnatural flow of tears running
down the cheeks. The haw, or nictitating membrane, is swollen
and very vascular. This condition of the haw is known to some
persons as the hooks, and serves as an excuse for the performance
of a barbarous operation, not sanctioned by science or common
sense, viz.: amputation of the haw, which only aggravates the
disease, and deprives the horse of a useful appendage to the organs
of vision. |
In the early stage of this disease, and when scalding tears run
copiously over the cheeks, we denominate it catarrhal ophthalmia.
The disease is not of a very serious nature, but often becomes so
in consequence of the outrageous treatment practiced, such as
bleeding, purging, and the local application of lunar caustic.
The proper mode of treatment is to keep the patient on a light
diet, and occasionally bathe the region of the eye with an infusion
of poppies or hops; sometimes with tepid or cold water, as the case
may seem to indicate, according to the rational judgment of the
owner of the afflicted animal. It is the very best application that
can be made, and is much more scientific, according to the dictum
of the God of Nature, than many of the agents heretofore used.
The fact is, many indications of disease designated as inflamma-
tion are curable only through the intervention of time and a
rational expectancy. Don’t do any violence to nature in the
use of destructive or poisonous agents, and should the case be
curable, it will terminate favorably under this treatment. Ac-
cording to the dictum of the schools of veterinary medicine,
inflammation of the eye, as well as inflammatory action of other
parts of the body, has to be treated heroically, which system of
treatment kills more than it ever cures. As the subject of inflam-
mation is a very important one, worthy the attention and con-
sideration of American husbandmen, I here introduce an article
from the pen of A. S. CopeMAN, who was formerly associated
with me in conducting the “ Veterinary Institute of Boston,”
Massachusetts :
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 47
TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATION.
“Tt must be admitted by all who contemplate the actual state
of medical practice at the present day, that the use of blood-let-
ting and of other antiphlogistic remedies, has, within a recent
period, greatly declined. According to YouarTrT and PERCIVALL,
such remedies, and more especially blood-letting, were formerly
highly successful in arresting diseases, in the treatment of which
we now know they not only fail, but are even highly injurious.
The inference has been drawn from these supposed facts, that in-
flammation itself is no longer the same; that its type has altered
from an inflammatory to a typhoid character. In short, it seems
to have been the opinion of certain writers that an advanced
knowledge of physiology and pathology has had little influence
in producing this great revolution in our treatment, but that the
constitutions of animals are fundamentally altered, and that medi-
cal men were as right in bleeding thirty years ago as they are
correct in now abstaining from it. In opposition to these views,
it will be my endeavor to show, Ist, That little reliance can be
placed on the experience of those who, like BLAIN, PERCIVALL,
and YOUATT, were unacquainted with both histology and organic
chemistry, and, per consequence, the nature of inflammations ;
2d, That inflammation is the same now as it has ever been; 3d,
That the principles on which blood-letting and antiphlogistic
remedies have hitherto been practiced are fallacious, and opposeél
to pathology; 4th, That an inflammation once established can
not be cut short, and that the object of judicious medical practice
is to conduct it to a favorable termination; 5th, That all positive
knowledge of the experience of the past, as well as the more ex-
act observations of the present day, alike establish the truth of
the preceding propositions as guides for the future.
Isr Proposirion.— That little reliance can be placed on the ex-
perience of those who, like BLAIN, PERCIVALL, and YOuATT, were
unacquainted with histology, and, per consequence, the nature of
inflammations,
Inflammation, for many years, was generally recognized, espe-
cially in external parts, by the existence of pain, heat, redness,
and swelling, and in internal parts by fever, accompanied by
pain and impeded function of the organ affected. In fact, groups
of symptoms, in accordance with the nosological systems of the day,
48 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
constituted inflammation. But the school of morbid anatomy,
by showing that inflammation was a diseased condition of a part,
entirely overthrew the errors and confusion inherent in all such
nosological systems; while more recent histological research, by
exhibiting to us that inflammation is, in truth, a disease of nutri-
tion, governed by the same laws that determine growth and waste
of the tissues, has united physiology and pathology into our
science, and has removed our present knowledge still further from
the traditional errors of the past. Now, if it could be shown that
the group of symptoms formerly called inflammatica always in-
duced the same morbid lesions, former experience might still be
useful to us. But we contend that this is what clinical observa-
tion proves to be impossible. Such are the contradictory state-
ments and the confusion resulting from the unacquaintance of the
past race of practitioners with a correct diagnosis and pathology,
that no confidence whatever can be placed in their impressions
as to what cases were benefited by bleeding. Medicine is not a
scientific art, which is dependent for its principles on the study
of a commentary on the older writers. What they thought and
what they said are not, and ought not, in a question of this kind,
to be our guide as to what was or is. On the contrary, it is the
book of Nature, which is open to all, that we ought to study; and
why should we read it through the eyes of past sages, when the
light of science was comparatively feeble and imperfect, instead
of bringing all our improved modern appliances and advanced
knowledge to elucidate her meaning ?
2p Prop.—That inflammation is the same now as it has ever
been.
The essential nature of inflammation has been already alluded
to, viz.: a series of changes in the function of a part, terminating
in exudation or effusion of lymph. Now, what proof is there
that any of these necessary changes have, of late years, undergone
any modification? Ifa healthy animal receives a blow, or any
other injury, are the resulting phenomena, in these days, in any
way different from those which took place in the days of YouaTT
and PERCIVALL? Were the effects which followed wounds in
1830 different from those which resulted from similar injuries in
1860? This has not yet been shown. Again: if a healthy horse,
nowadays, be exposed to wet and cold, and be seized with an
inflammation of the lung or pleura, is not the lung hepatized in
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 49
the one case? and does not effusion follow in the other, in exactly
the same way as formerly ? But what should this asserted change
in the nature and character of inflammation lead us to infer? It
is said that inflammation and its results are entirely changed
within the last thirty years. It is, then, argued that horses, in all
parts of the world, since the days of BLArn, Youart, and PER-
CIVALL, have become so debilitated and deteriorated ; that their
constitutions have been so altered for the worse; that, attacked
by the same lesion, and to the same extent, there is no longer the
same reaction. If so, where is the evidence of this?
For my own part, I have earnestly sought for but can not dis-
cover a shadow of evidence for such a belief. Moreover, I have
a most lively remembrance of all the facts and circumstances con-
nected with the bleeding of hundreds of patients, thirty years ago,
when I first commenced the study of veterinary medicine, and my
impression is, that not the slightest difference exists between the
character of inflammation now and what it was then.
3D PRrop.—That the principles on which blood-letting and anti-
phlogistic remedies have hitherto been practiced are fallacious and
opposed to pathology.
Large and early bleeding have been practiced, under the idea
that, by diminishing the amount of circulating fluid, 1st, the
materus morbt in the blood would be diminished ; 2d, less blood
would flow to the inflamed parts; 3d, the increased quantity of
blood in the part would be lessened; 4th, the character of the
pulse was the proper index to the amount of blood that ought to
be drawn. Let us examine a few of these principles of practice.
The increased throbbing and circulation of blood in an inflamed
part may be shown not to be the cause of inflammation, but the
result of it, and that the idea of so-called determination of blood
to inflamed parts is fallacious. Now, if we attend to what takes
place in the finger from a thorn entering the skin and remain-
ing unextracted, we find the irritating body first acts upon the
cellular constituents—the nerves and blood-vessels of the part;
then comes on the congestion and exudation, and, lastly, follows
the throbbing, which is the evidence of so-called determination,
and result of the inflammation, and not a cause of it. The blood,
in this case, instead of being sent by a vis a tergo, is, in fact,
drawn by a vis a fronte, and, as we shall endeavor to show, for
the most important purposes. But why should Nature, in cases
4
50. DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of inflammation, draw an increased amount of blood toward the
part? She does so, it seems to us, in obedience to one of her
wisest laws, but one which has been too much ignored by medical
practitioners. It must be obvious, however, that an inflamma-
tion haying occurred, the great work now to be accomplished is
the removal of the exudation—to eliminate from the injured part
either directly by discharge externally, or by passage into the
blood, to be finally excreted through the emunctories. In all
such cases, the blood is not sent or determined, but drawn to the
part, in consequence of the increased actions going on in them;
in short, it is absolutely imperative that the part in which these
changes go on should receive more blood than in health. But,
hitherto, medical practitioners have supposed that this phenome-
non is injurious, and ought to be checked by blood-letting and.
antiphlogisties. The rapid flow of blood, which is so necessary,
they have sought to diminish, and the increased amount in the
neighborhood of the part which is so essential for the restoration
to health, it has been their object to destroy. In doing so, we
argue they act in opposition to sound theory, and, as we shall
afterward attempt to show, good practice, also.
The inconsistency of the theraupeutical rules on this head will
become more manifest when we remember that it is necessary, in
' the opinion of many medical practitioners, not only to weaken
the pulse when it is strong, but to strengthen it when it has been
made weak. Now, although it is obviously good practice to sup-
port the strength when the calls upon the nutritive functions
have exhausted the economy, it is injurious to diminish, by blood-
letting, the nutritive processes themselves, when they are busily
engaged in operating on the exudation and eliminating the mor-
bid products. In short, the phenomena of fever and excitability
accompanying inflammation have been wrongly interpreted, and
danger is to be apprehended from them, not directly, but from
the subsequent exhaustion which all great exertions of the animal
economy produce. In themselves, these exertions are sanative,
and indicate the struggle which the economy is engaged in when
attempting to get rid of the diseased processes ; and whenever we
lessen the vital powers at such a critical juncture, we diminish
the chances of that struggle terminating favorably. This propo-
sition seems to be universally admitted in the case of essential
fevers, and its truth ought to be accepted equally in inflammation,
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 51
Tt has been argued, however, that the immediate effect of blood-
letting justifies the practice. But, assuming it is granted that
in some cases the pain is for a time relieved by bleeding, and
that in pneumonia the respiration temporarily becomes more free,
at what a cost are those advantages obtained, should the patient
be so weakened as to be unable to rally! Even if he does rally,
a large bleeding almost always prolongs the disease. Of course,
we are now speaking of a true pneumonia, and not of that com-
bination of symptoms commonly called a chill, or lung fever.
47H Prop.—That an inflammation once established can not be
eut short, and that the object of judicious medical practice is to
conduct it to a favorable termination.
There was a time when it was supposed that the progress of
influenza, distemper, and many other specific fevers which are now
generally allowed to run their natural course, could be arrested by
medical interference. But with regard to them has been estab-
lished the principles, first, of prevention, and, second, when this
fails, of simply conducting them to a favorable termination.
It appears to me that the same rule ought to hold with regard
to internal inflammations, and that this will be admitted when it
is made apparent, not only that every inflammation, once formed,
runs through a definite course, but what that course is. This I
now proceed shortly to consider. If a violent blow or injury has
been received, a greater or less amount of exudation is infiltrated
among the contused and torn tissues, which undergo disintegra-
tion, is absorbed and excreted from.the economy ; if not, it col-
lects, in the form of a fluid, and constitutes an abscess. The
series of changes here referred to have always been found to be
best perfected in animals of vigorous constitutions, while in the
weak, poor, and broken-down they proceed slowly, or not at all.
Surely, it can not be maintained that in cases similar to the above,
we can favor the reparative processess by blood-letting and low-
ering the strength of the economy ?
But in internal. inflammations, say of the lungs or intestines,
are the processes different? Certainly not. But because the pro-
cesses by which Nature relieves herself have been hid from view,
physicians have supposed that instead of treating the inflamed
parts, as the surgeon does, he ought to attack the general symp-
toms which result from the lesion. In cases of fracture and con-
tusion there are also febrile syraptoms, increased pulse, and so on;
52 DADD'S VETERINARY SURGERY AND MEDICINE. ,
but does the surgeon imagine that callous will form better, or an
abscess be resolved or reach maturity sooner, by general blood-
letting and antiphlogistics? Experience teaches him otherwise ;
and in the same manner it may be most reasonably argued that
such treatment can not favor the natural termination of internal
inflammations.
5TH Prop.— That all positive knowledge of the experience of the
past, as well as the more exact observation of the present day, alike
establish the truth of the preceding propositions as guides for the
Suture.
Before it is possible, however, to determine with exactitude the
value of any practice, it is essential to ascertain the natural dura-
tion of the disease we propose to treat. Fortunately, we have
now some data which will enable us to arrive at this information
with regard to many diseases. We have seen many severe cases
of pneumonia submitted to homepathic remedies—that no rea-
sonable medical man can suppose to be any thing else than inert—
yet most of these cases got well, and, I think, may be considered
as excellent studies of the disease left entirely to Nature. Many
years’ experience and close observation have convinced me that
uncomplicated pneumonia, especially in young and vigorous con-
stitutions, almost always gets well, if, instead of being lowered,
the vital powers are supported, and the excretion of effete pro-
ducts assisted. It is in exactly these cases, however, that we were
formerly enjoined to bleed most copiously, and that our systematic
works even now direct us to draw blood largely, in consequence
of the supposed imminent danger of suppuration destroying the
texture of the lung. Such danger is altogether illusory, and the
destruction to lung tissues, so far from being prevented, is far
more likely to be produced by the practice. In fact, the only
cures in which it occurs are in the aged or enfeebled constitutions,
in which nutrients, and not antiphlogistics, are the remedies indi-
cated. We can, however, readily understand how blood-letting,
practiced early, and in young and vigorous constitutions, does less
harm, or, to use a common expression, is ‘ borne better,’ than
when the disease is advanced, or the patient weak, and this be-
cause then the vital powers are less affected by it. But that it
cures the greater number of animals attacked, or shortens the
duration of the disease, is disproved by every fact with which we
are acquainted. Before closing, we have a few words to offer on
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 53
‘mercurials.? The confident belief in their power of causing ab-
sorption of lymph, by operating on the blood, is not only opposed
to sound theory, but, like blood-letting, is not supported by ex-
perience, which has been so confidently appealed to in their favor.
I can not, therefore, resist the conclusion that the principles which
led to an antiphlogistic practice in inflammation were erroneous,
and are no longer in harmony with the existing state of pathology.
I think it has been further shown, that in recent times our success
in treatment has been great just in proportion as we have aban-
doned ‘heroic remedies,’ and directed our attention to furthering
the natural progress of the disease.
Internal inflammations are cured, not by bleeding and drugs,
but by a natural process as distinct and definite as the process of
normal nutrition. What we may do by our interference, may
either aid, promote, and even accelerate, this natural tendency to
get well, or it may very seriously impair and retard, and even
altogether stop, that salutary process. If, then, this view of the
nature of the means by which inflammation is resolved in internal
organs be correct, it is not unreasonable to assume that a very de-
pressed state of vital power is unfavorable to the healing process.
Indeed, if you watch those cases in which nothing at all has
been done, or in which nothing has been done to lower the vital
powers, you will find that the mere inflammatory process itself,
especially in an organ so important as the lung, depresses the
strength of the patient each day more and more. You will per-
ceive, then, that, according to these views, there are strong @ priori
reasons in favor of the policy of upholding our patients, even in
the earliest stages of acute diseases, by such food as may be best
suited to their digestive organs, such as is most readily assimi-
lated, and calls for the least effort, the smallest expenditure of
vital force for its primary digestion—nutritive matters, tea,
sweetened milk, etc., and also alcohol, which is directly absorbed,
and tends to keep up the heat of the body.
Tf, then, it has been satisfactorily shown, in consequence of our
advanced knowledge of diagnosis and pathology, that an anti-
phlogistie practice is opposed to the cure of diseases, it follows that
many of the principles which have hitherto guided us in their
treatment must be considerably modified. That medical practice
has undergone a great revolution during the last fifteen years, is
a fact already so well established that it can be no longer denied.
54 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
In my discourse on inflammation, reference was made to the
views held by the ‘neuro-pathologists.’ - Now, nervous pathology
has been in medicine the ‘great scape-goat’? upon which more
professional sins have been heaped than any other. ‘ Nervous
exhaustion,’ nervous irritation, etc., are a few of the many terms
with which we seek to cloak our ignorance of the real nature of
many disorders, the intimate nature of which is beyond our ken,
Many accomplished practitioners still maintain that abnormal,
vital phenomena may be, and are likely to be, occasioned by
dynamic aberrations alone, and that such phenomena are cor-
rectly designated as functional disease. We can not concur in
this opinion. What is called force of every description is con-
nected with, if not dependent on, changes in the atoms of matter.
Force is the hypothetic agent which underlies the phenomena of
material change ; and to affirm that dynamic modifications of vital
function may exist without alteration of material organization, is
to ignore the fundamental principles of philosophic physiology.
All diseases, therefore, in our opinion, is organic, even mental
and nervous diseases of every kind and form. Not a thrill of
sensation can occur, not a flashing thought or a passing feeling
can take place, without changes in the living organism; much less
can diseased sensation, thought, or feeling occur without such
changes—changes which we are not able to detect, and which we
may never be able to demonstrate, but which we are, nevertheless,
certain of. For, whether we adopt the theory that the states and
things which we call heat, electricity, vitality, etc., are distinct
entities of what is called ‘imponderable’ matter, or the far more
probable theory that they are only phenomena belonging to
ordinary ponderable matter, an atom or a cell, charged with
electricity or heat, or in a state of chemical activity, is essentially
in a different condition to a cell or an atom in chemical or elec-
trical equilibrium with surrounding substances. Organic actions
can not exist without corresponding changes’ in material con-
dition. The only force capable of explaining any of the phe-
nomena of life is the chemical one, and this only in a state of
constant activity and interminable change. In disease, the chemi-
cal composition of the cells, or general matter, is altered from the
standard of health, and this alteration of chemical composition is
the real groundwork of organic disease. Those abnormal states
which depend upon an altered condition of the blood, are not less
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 55
strictly organic than all other diseases ; for not only can no change
take place in the composition of the blood without in some de-
gree affecting all parts which are nourished by it, but that this
fluid is, strictly speaking, itself a living organism, and every
change which takes place therein is organic. Life can not be
arrested without material change in the organs necessary to life.
Every autopsy in which we fail to discover these changes, proves
merely that our knowledge of life and death is defective, not that
the changes do not exist.”
PURULENT OPHTHALMIA.
Purulent ophthalmia takes its name from the profuse discharge
of pus, or matter, which escapes from the eyelids. In regard to
the human subject, the authorities contend that there are several
varieties of this malady prevalent in man, one of which, the Egypt-
ian ophthalmia, is contagious; but no such disease was ever known
to occur among horses.
Causes.—The various maladies which affect the eyes sometimes
owe their origin to accidents; at other times they occur in badly
ventilated stables, where a large number of horses are congregated
together, and then they are supposed to be contagious. But it ap-
pears that there is no necessity, in such case, to advance the theory
of contagion, by way of explanation of the outbreak; for the same
cause which produced the malady in the first horse would be more
or less operative in all the rest. A hot, foul atmosphere has a
very bad effect on the eyes of both men and horses. The mem-
brane lining the eyelids, which also covers the eyeball, is very vas-
cular and sensitive, and is extremely susceptible to irritation from
the action of the ammoniacal gases which prevail in foul stables;
hence, in order to prevent the disease, proper attention must be
paid to ventilation and cleanliness.
Treatment.—For the treatment of purulent ophthalmia the au-
thor recommends the following lotion:
No. 3. Powdered chlorate of potass........+++.4 OZ
Binidvextract of matic ssjesec esele-aste preelin Ze
DW Visi Teac s A el ce De ULE Wel abl a 8 oz
Mix.
A portion of this lotion should be applied to the eyes, by means
of a soft sponge, two or three times a day; the eyes as well as the
56 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
lids must, however, be previously cleansed with lukewarm water.
The patient should have a few doses of fluid extract of poke-root.
About half an ounce of the extract, night and morning, will suffice,
which will act as an alterative.
SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.
This form of disease affects animals periodically, and is depend-
ent on some peculiar predisposition; hence it may be termed
hereditary.
Symptoms.—There usually comes on very suddenly, perhaps in
a single night, a great tenderness in one eye, commonly marked by
the eyelids being shut, a copious secretion of tears, the white of the
eye appearing slightly red, and the whole anterior chamber of the
eye dim and clouded, there being no distinct speck on the cornea,
as takes place in the common inflammation of the eye. The red-
ness of the eyeball is never very remarkable, even though the
disease assumes its most aggravated form; but the dimness of the
anterior chamber increases rapidly, and in two or three days, or
even a shorter period, a yellow spot appears at the bottom of that
cavity, arising from the formation of pus. Sometimes the quantity
of pus is very considerable, and I have seen it fill at least two-
thirds of the anterior chamber. After lasting one, two, or three
weeks, the inflammation and watering usually begin gradually to
subside. The pus, though in very large quantity, is sometimes
almost entirely absorbed, so that scarcely any vestige is to be seen ;
and in other instances thin webs of opaque matter remain, which
destroy the transparency and luster of the eye, and which, by their
adhesion to the edges of the pupil, interfere with its motions and
destroy its form.
It is astonishing how acute dealers in horses are in discovering
an eye which has had an attack of this kind.
Sooner or later, while the horse appears in a state of perfect
health, the eye is again attacked, the disease being accompanied by
the same symptoms, making a similar progress, and having the
same termination, while each new attack is accompanied with the
deposition of more and more opaque matter. These attacks suc-
eeed each other at very different, and sometimes at very distant,
intervals, until the whole pupil is filled with an opaque white
matter, and the sight of the eye completely destroyed.
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 57
During this progress, the disease is often confined to one eye; at
least one eye is usually much more severely affected than the other.
In some cases the two eyes are simultaneously affected, and, finally,
by a succession of attacks, the horse becomes completely blind.
The probability is, that after a horse has suffered several times
from periodical attacks he will finally become blind.
Treatment.—The same treatment as recommended for common
inflammation of the eye is applicable to this complaint.
SECTION III.
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM.
ABSCESS WITHIN THE SUBSTANCE OF THE BRAIN—HYDROCEPHALUS, OR DRoPsY OF
THE Brain—StomacH STAGGERS—APOPLEXY, OR CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE—
-APOPLEXY OF Spine, oR SpinaL HEMORRHAGE, PRODUCING PARAPHLEGIA—
Epiuersy, or Firs—TEeranus—VERTIGO—ACUTE OR GENERAL DISEASE OF THE
BRAIN, KNOWN AS ENCEPHALITIS—SLEEPY STAGGERS—CEREBRAL MENINGITIS—
CHOREA, OR STRINGHALT.
ABSCESS WITHIN THE SUBSTANCE OF THE BRAIN,
HE author, having some doubts about the curability of abscess
within the brain, can not offer the reader much encourage-
ment as regards the cure; yet, for the purposes of research, and in
view of prosecuting our Samaritan-like calling on a noble and
valuable animal, it is proper that the reader be put in possession
of the facts in the case. The symptoms and morbid conditions
connected with various forms of brain disease are, at the present
state of our knowledge, very obscure. Even in human practice, the
authorities contend that the subject of symptoms and conditions is
full of uncertainty and apparent irregularity. Doubtless there is
some constant and uniform connection of cause and effect between
the altered physical states of the brain and the altered manifesta-
tions of its functions, but we have not yet been successful in our
search after those settled relations, nor have we but partial and
imperfect glimpses of them.
Causes.—It is probable that the same causes which produce
abscess in other parts of the body, not clearly traceable to local
injuries, are operative in regard to the brain. Abscess is, as a
matter of course, always preceded by an active stage, known as
inflammatory, and when not called into existence by local injury,
must depend on both predisposing and exciting causes. The pre-
disposition lurks in breed, and the exciting causes may be among
(58)
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 59
SSS
SS
SSS
——— =
———. SS
= LEE Se
al
J Ta
Suh
q
x)
A HORSE BENT ON MISCHIEF—THE SUBJECT OF PHRENITIS.
those which produce disorder in the digestive function or organs.
Tt is well known, however, that this, like some other diseases of
the brain, is constantly occurring among members of the human
family as well as the equine species, they being the subjects of
constitutional defect in the form of scrofula. Derangement of the
digestive organs almost always affect the brain, inconsequence of
sympathetic relations existing between the two. Hence, in view of
preventing disease of the brain, we must keep the stomach in good
working order, by means of an intelligent system of dietetics, and
the exhibition of sanative medicines when they seem to be needed.
Symptoms.—The observable symptoms of abscess within the bran
do not differ materially from those which are present in dropsy of
the brain. In the early stage, the animal appears lethargic, sleepy,
and, when urged to move, reels and comes near falling. The head
is usually somewhat depressed, yet it is often inclined to one side:
the pupil of the eye is dilated, and the membranes of the lids are
congested and reddened. As the disease advances, a state of torpor
sets in. Blindness, from pressure on the brain, ensues; the animal
gets upon the floor, soon abrades the skin from the regions of the
hips and shoulders, until, as a matter of charity, the owner puts
an end to the sufferings of the patient.
60 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
The lethargic condition, therefore—dilated pupils, torpor, and
reeling of the animal—indicate this serious difficulty in the sub-
stance of the brain or its cavities.
Treatment.—Should the surgeon or the proprietor of the affected
animal desire to attempta cure, the author recommends the following :
No. 4 Fluid extract of stillingia, (queen’s-root,) 4 oz.
Fluid extract of bloodroot....).:. 2.0 sis. sere 3 OZ.
Powdered iodide of potass........cecen- 1 oz.
WALD i esaceee'e Sci sieleiens «ce MOMOZs
Dissolve the iodide in the water, and then add the stillingia and
bloodroot.
Dose, two ounces, twice daily. Local treatment in this malady
does not amount to much, if any thing at all, for the only way in
which the matter within the brain can be got rid of, if got rid of
at all, is by exciting the absorbents to action, so that the matter may
be absorbed. At the same time, alteratives are to be used ; and, for
this purpose, the above prescription is recommended.
HYDROCEPHALUS (DROPSY OF THE BRAIN).
Hydrocephalus is the termination of some disorder in the brain
itself, or the membranes surrounding it; yet some medical writers
contend that dropsy is rather a symptom of disease than disease in
itself. It may be so in some cases, which constitutes the exception
to a general rule; but the author regards dropsy of the brain as
the last stage of organic disease of that organ. On the dissection
of the brain of some horses that have died of this malady, scrofu-
lous tubercles are often found in the substance of the brain, and
tubercular deposits also manifest themselves on the membranes coy-
ering the brain. In fact, the pathological appearance revealed on
dissecting the brain of a horse which has died of hydrocephalus
does not differ from that found in the human subject. CONDIE says:
“Tubercles, varying in size from that of a pin’s head to that of
a pea, are very generally found scattered irregularly over the sur-
face of the pia mater, following it between the convolutions. Occa-
sionally, however, they occur in distinct patches of an inch or more
in extent. They are commonly hard and semi-transparent ; some-
times opaque, and of a whitish, grayish, or yellowish color. They
are found upon all parts of the surface, the convex and lateral por-
tions as well as the base, in the infractuosities of the convolutions,
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 61
and in the fissures. According to Rilliet and Barthez, they are
more frequent upon the convex surface of the hemispheres than at
the base. Dr. Hamernjh found them more frequently at or near
the base of the brain. They are much more abundant upon the
brain than upon the cerebellum. ‘They are met with, also, imbed-
ded in the gray matter of the brain, and are here often surrounded
by a halo of redness, usually connected with an enlarged vessel,
ramifying from the pia mater. More rarely, tubercles are detected in
the medullary portion of the brain, where they are often overlooked,
in consequence of their pale, semi-transparent, yellowish tint. ‘The
plexus choroides is, also, often covered with tubercles. They are
very commonly met with, likewise, on the serous membranes of
the thorax and abdomen, in the lungs, and occasionally in the sub-
stance of the liver. In twenty-seven out of thirty-three cases of
hydrocephalus, Barthez and Rilliet found tubercles or granula-
tions associated with inflammation of the pia mater; in fowr cases
the meningitis was unattended by any trace of tubercular deposition
in the encephalon; and in two cases the granulations, or meningial
tubercles, were unattended with any traces of inflammation. In all
the thirty-three cases the symptoms were nearly identical.”
Causes.—Among the causes of this disease, therefore, we may
consider the scrofulous diathesis as being the most potent; yet we
can not always prove the fact until after the death of our patient.
Yet an autopsy held on such a case is really valuable to the inquiring
mind; for, in discovering the true pathology of the affection, we are
not only enabled to comprehend its character, but also the modus
operandi of treatment.
The exciting causes of the malady are not always so apparent.
The author has known it to follow castration, puncture of the foot,
staggers, and acute disease of the stomach.
In some cases, faulty nutrition is the exciting cause; in short,
the symptoms sometimes supervene on the subsidence of some
other malady.
Symptoms.—As regards the symptoms of hydrocephalus, they do
not differ materially from those alluded to in the preceding article.
At first, torpor, unconsciousness, unsteadiness on moving; dilation
of the pupil; the animal gets upon the floor, in many cases never
toriseagain. Stertorous (grunting) breathing takes place; the ani-
mal tosses his head about in an unnatural manner, often throwing
it backward—a very noticeable feature of this affection—occasion-
62 “DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ally raising it from the ground. Finally, convulsions set in, and
the subject dies in that state, perfectly unconscious.
When hydrocephalus occurs after phrensy, or what is known as
“mad staggers,” it always proves fatal.
Treatment. — For the treatment of hydrocephalus give the fol-
lowing :
No. 5. Fluid extract of buchu........ ae oe Bat OZ
Nesey Aba Ieee eat dey RU ROL mrs OE 4 6 I 2 6 0z
Todide of potass....... olstelejaieis sloroleletelene 2 02.
Mix.
Dose, two ounces, morning and evening.
The patient should have injections of soap-suds, once or twice
daily ; and should the disease have made its appearance very sud-
denly, or, in other words, be of an acute character, so that the parts
in the region of the brain feel hot, they should be then sponged very
frequently with cold water; then give two drachms of fluid extract
of gelseminum twice daily, until the pulse feels soft, or until the
acute stage subsides.
STOMACH STAGGERS.
- The cerebral disease usually denominated stomach staggers pre-
vails among horses which are overfed, whereby the function of
digestion becomes deranged ; and thus the food given accumulates,
and finally gorges the stomach, producing cerebral derangement,
which makes the horse reel and stagger like a drunken man. The
horse may be said to be drunk from the effect of food. Sometimes
the cause is accidental. A horse gets loose in the stable, and, find-
ing a lot of meal or oats incautiously exposed, he devours vora-
ciously a large quantity, and very soon after becomes the subject
of stomach staggers.
Symptoms.—A. stomach surcharged with food, without any ac-
companying distension, does not appear to occasion any local pain,
but operates with that kind of influence upon the brain which gives
rise to symptoms, not stomachic, but cerebral; hence the analogy
between this disease and staggers, and the appellation for it of
“stomach staggers.” The unnaturally-filled stomach produces, for
the first time, a sense of satiety; the horse grows heavy and drowsy,
reposes his head upon the manger, falls asleep, and makes a ster-
torous noise. All at once he rouses from his lethargy, and violently
thrusts his head against the rack or wall of the stable, or any thing,
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 63
in fact, that happens to oppose him, and in this posture paws with
his fore-feet, or performs the same action with them as he would
were he trotting, evidently all the while unconscious of what he is
about. His eye, which at first was full of drowsiness, has now
acquired a wild, unmeaning stare, or has already become dilated
and insensible to light. The respiration is tardy and oppressed ;
the pulse slow and sluggish ; the excretions commonly diminished.
The late Professor CoLEMAN used to relate a circumstance, in
his lectures, connected with this disease, which throws considerable
light on its origin. The artillery horses stationed in London dur-
ing the winter of 1817 suffered very considerably from stomach
staggers; so much so that it was considered to be endemical, and
of an infectious character. With his usual penetration, he soon
discovered the cause, and found that, from some new regulations
about that time, the stablemen were not allowed any candles, and
during the winter the horses were bedded up at five o’clock in the
evening, and not fed again until eight o’clock on the following
morning, when they consumed their breakfast voraciously, gorging
their stomach, not to the degree likely to produce acute indiges-
tion, but sufficiently distending them as to oppress the blood-vessels
and the circulation through them. ‘This practice, continued day
after day, caused a specific inflammation of the stomach—an inflam-
mation of a peculiar character, differing from gastritis or inflam-
mation of the part. The symptoms produced were regarded as
resulting from the sympathetic connection between the stomach
and the brain, united to the effects that would arise from the daily
distension, throwing a vast quantity of blood on the brain. An
order was obtained for candles for the use of the stablemen, which
enabled the horses to be fed at a later hour in the evening, and an
earlier one in the morning, when the disease disappeared.
A common error still prevails, in many districts, that staggers is
a contagious disease ; but should the horses on a farm be attacked
occasionally with slight fits of this kind, the farmer may rest
assured that there is mismanagement somewhere in the feeding
department.
From such evidence as this, it will be inferred that there exists
no doubt regarding the cause of stomach staggers.
Treatment.—We now propose to show how this disease ought to
be treated. The proposition of cure is, that the digestive function
shall be aroused, and the only way to accomplish that is by admin-
e
64 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
istering bitter tonics and stimulants. In this view, the following
prescription is offered :
No. 6. Fluid extract of black pepper.......... 4 oz.
Miwid: extract) Ofoineer.:. <ieje wisajs/alereictats ~ 6 02.
Hyposulphite of soda.......+.e-- Boo 4 OF
Walther, cinjeteperetotetnfe.aievojets c axtieioleyeielorepetohetene 4 oz.
Dissolve the hyposulphite in the water, then add the pepper and
ginger. Give the animal a wine-glassful every four hours. A
stimulating injection may be thrown into the rectum occasionally,
composed of a handful of fine salt to about four quarts of water.
The animal should be allowed to stand quietly in the stall, and
the medicine must be given with care, for the least excitement may
augment the cerebral difficulty. So soon as the medicine arouses
the digestive function, and the food gradually passes the pylorus
into the intestines, the animal will obtain relief. Both food and
water should be withheld until there is some marked improvement ;
the patient has had enough of food for some time, and water only
retards digestion.
APOPLEXY (CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE).
As regards the cause of apoplexy, the author has nothing to
offer, except he has noticed that the subjects of this affection gen-
erally have short, thick necks, and, as the saying is, “chunky”
heads. From this he infers that, in so far as conformation is con-
cerned, there lurks in the system of such animals a peculiar pre-
disposition.
Symptoms.—An animal may be on the road, trotting along as
usual, without any apparent impairment of health, when suddenly
he falls down; the pupils of the eyes become dilated; stertorous
breathing sets in; a deprivation of the sense of feeling and of mo-
tion immediately occurs; a tremulous motion of various parts of
the body is observed; the pulse beats with unnatural force, yet
the animal appears to be in a deep, snoring sleep. It may be said
that the functions of animal life are suspended, excepting those of
respiration and pulsation. ‘The animal is unable to swallow, and if
fluids be put into the mouth, they appear to choke him, or they
run out again at the corners of his mouth. The prognosis of apo-
plexy is very uncertain. Some horses die in a few hours, while
others live for several days. This depends on the amount of blood
°
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 65
extravasated on the surface of the brain; but, in most cases of
cerebral hemorrhage, the horse falls never to rise again. He may
be conveyed home on some vehicle constructed for the purpose, but
the finger of Death is on him; his days are numbered, and the
owner charitably puts him out of existence.
The reader must bear in mind that in apoplexy the horse falls,
and is suddenly deprived of all voluntary motion ; is insensible to
the prick of a pin, and the breathing, so soon as he is on the
ground, becomes stertorous. ‘This disease, therefore, is not to be
confounded with others of the brain and spinal marrow. For
example, a horse may have an attack of simple apoplexy without
hemorrhage, fall down, and, by judicious treatment, recover; or
he may be the subject of epilepsy, which occasions a temporary
suspension of consciousness, with spasms recurring at intervals.
Hence, in case of doubt or mistake, it will be advisable to treat
the case in the following manner :
Treatment.—Procure a few ounces of spirits of ammonia, with
which saturate a sponge, then apply it to the nostrils. In the mean
time, sponge the head with cold water, and rub the body and limbs
briskly with a brush or whisp of straw. If he revive under this
treatment, there may be some hopes of recovery; and should it
appear that the act of swallowing can be performed, give a drench
composed of
No. 7. Powdered chlorate of potass.....,+esee+ 2 OZ.
Borlimemweter/s)arerelalslels see's cele dcidic.co Ob $% pint.
When cool, administer. The action of chlorate of potass on the
blood is to oxygenize it, and thus liberate carbonic acid gas.
‘With the same object in view, we apply ammonia to the nostrils,
viz.: to decarbonize unpurified blood.
Blood-letting is inadmissible, for it can not accomplish any
good ; neither will it act as a purificator of the vital current which
the lungs have failed to arterialize.
APOPLEXY OF THE SPINE, (OR SPINAL HEMORRHAGE,
PRODUCING PARAPLEGIA.)
Paraplegia signifies paralysis of the posterior half of the body.
Spinal apoplexy may be classed in the same order of disease as
cerebral apoplexy—that is to say, in so far as the pathology of the
two forms is concerned—and is usually just as fatal.
5
66 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Causes.—These are very obscure, except in cases of fracture of
the spine, or injury to the same, by falling. Then the disease is
accounted for. It always ends in paraplegia—palsy of hind limbs.
Symptoms.—The disease is usually sudden in its attack. A pro-
fuse perspiration ushers it in; next, the hind limbs fail to support
the body, and the animal makes desperate efforts to support him-
self, and gradually crouches and falls to the ground, unable, per-
haps, ever to get up again.
It has been noticed that paraplegia may also be occcasioned by
effusion of serum within the coverings of the spinal cord; yet we
can not demonstrate the fact only by autopsy; and if we could, I
fear that medicine would be of little value. However, if it is the
owner’s wish that the case should be treated, then the same course
“ as recommended for cerebral apoplexy must be pursued.
EPiLersy— Fits.
Epilepsy consists of a temporary suspension of consciousness.
This disease, if properly managed, is not often fatal. It varies in
duration. Sometimes a horse will suddenly fall, lose all sensibility
and consciousness, exhibit spasmodic contraction of the voluntary
muscles, go into convulsions, recover, and get up again in the course
of ten minutes; or he may lie on the ground and have a succession
of paroxysms, which may last for half an hour or more. If pro-
tracted beyond an hour or so, the patient is very apt to die. Ac-
cording to the best authority, “the functions that are affected in
this disease are functions of the brain. Sensation, thought, and mo-
tion, regulated by the will, are the natural functions of that organ:
The temporary abeyance of sensibility, thought, and volition,* and
violent and irregular action of the muscles, which are thus with-
drawn from the government of the will, constitute a paroxysm of
epilepsy.”
The fit is generally brought on by a derangement in the relation
between the arterial and venous circulation within the head and a
temporary pressure on the brain; in other words, a determination
* Horses think and reason just as man does. Their manifestations of mind do
not. differ from ours in kind, but only in degree. “The noble and daring war-
horse, when he sniffs the distant field of blood, neighing for joy, instils a desper-
ate courage into the veteran trooper’s quailing heart, gives evidence of a soul,
the proper attribute of man.”
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 67
of blood to the head. After the horse has fallen, by his struggles
and herculean efforts to battle with the malady, although uncon-
ciously, he soon breaks out into a profuse perspiration. This has
the effect of relaxing the capillaries so that the blood circulates more
freely and uniformly. An equilibrium of the circulation takes place,
and this is the end of epilepsy for the time being. Buta horse once
having had a fit of this kind must be looked upon with suspicion ;
for he is liable, when under excitement from wanton punishment,
or from exercising great feats of strength in drawing heavy loads,
to have a re-attack.
Cause.—The predisposing cause of epilepsy has an hereditary
origin. Horses subject to it have a misshapen head. It is not
symmetrical—does not correspond with the conformation of the
neck and body. In the language of the turf, “the head is too
coarse.” It has been found, also, among members of the human
family, that epileptics have heads of an unnatural shape. Wat-
SON says: “There is no doubt that a tendency to epileptic disease
is frequently hereditary. It may be bequeathed from parent to
child, or it may skip over a generation or two, and appear in the
grandchild or great-grandchild ; or it may be traceable only in the
collateral branches of the ancestry.” Epilepsy, however, may not
always arise as an hereditary affection; for a mere passive conges- —
tion of the brain, owing to a loss of equilibrium in the circulation
of the blood, may produce it. In regard to the horse, it is very
difficult for us to decide on the universal hereditariness of the
malady, because we have no reliable history of the ancestry and
idiosyncrasies of our equine patients; yet if we study carefully the
external conformation of well-formed horses, and make ourselves
conversant with anatomy, we shall be better able to judge whether
or no such an animal carries about with him the inherent tenden-
cies to particular diseases; and this knowledge will make up, to a
certain extent, for the advantage which human medicine has over
the veterinary in this department of knowledge. The principal
symptoms of epilepsy are as follows:
Symptoms.—Suppose the horse attached to a vehicle, and trav-
eling along at any given pace. He gives a sudden, snorting,
loud noise, and falls to the ground instantly, as if felled by some
unknown power. Here he lies, to all appearance, totally uncon-
scious, violently convulsed in every limb, his eyes staring as
though they would burst out of their sockets; the mouth foams
68 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
with saliva, and violent convulsions will sometimes affect the
whole frame, Such are the principal symptoms attending this
formidable malady.
It will be quite a novelty to some of our readers to be in-
formed that the horse is actually subject to the same diseases
which afflict his master; and in view of showing that there is a
reality in the author’s views on the subject now under considera-
tion, the following quotation from the “ Veterinarian” is offered.
It will show, by way of comparison, the features of the disease
as it occurs in the horse and in man:
“Tn the first place, as to the exciting cause or causes. It is
well known that among the exciting causes of epilepsy in the
human subject, mental or moral emotions have long been con-
sidered as holding a foremost rank. Without going into detail
on this subject, or offering illustrations of this statement, it will
suffice to remark that the experience of all adequately acquainted
with medical literature, or tolerably familiar with medical prac-
tice, can not fail to supply them with numerous instances wherein
this class of causes has been in operation as concerned in the pro-
duction of the disease in question. Over and over again I have
myself witnessed cases of epilepsy, either during or after the par-
oxysm or fit, in which I have had good reason for entertaining
the opinion that certain mental or moral emotions had largely,
if not entirely, contributed to this result. Now, without deny-
ing that, in some instances, fright may so far affect the horse as
to prove an exciting cause of epilepsy in that animal, still, I
think that, almost as a general rule, the class of causes now
under consideration may be excluded from further notice as tend-
ing toward the production of this disease in the horse.
Assuming this position for the sake of argument, we thus
eliminate at once, so far as concerns this animal, most of such
cases of epilepsy as, if speaking in reference to the human sub-
ject, would be regarded as cases of epilepsy of centric origin.
Without altogether denying that, in some instances, the presence
of tumors, or morbid growths, or excrescences of any kind, or
of spicule of bone in certain parts of the brain, or spinal cord,
or their membranes, may occasionally operate as causes of epi-
lepsy, yet I am by no means prepared to admit that their pres-
ence in such places, by irritation of these structures, is so frequent.
a cause of this disease as is affirmed by some medical authorities,
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 69
Yet, whatever view of the question, whether affirmative or nega-
tive, may be taken, the same reasoning will apply equally to man
and the horse in regard to the disease under consideration. We
are told that, in some instances, such foreign bodies have been
found in these situations on examination after death. This I do
not deny; but, at the same time, the evidence that these had
much, if any thing, to do in the production of epilepsy, still less
that the disease took its origin from them, is, in my judgment,
far from complete, and, in some cases that have been recorded,
unsatisfactory to the last degree. Again, the circulation of blood
in an unhealthy state, in its accustomed channels through the
substance of the delicately-constructed brain or spinal cord, appears
to me not unlikely to be a frequent cause of this disease in man.
The comparatively recent physiological researches of Dr. Brown-
Sequard have thrown much light upon the heretofore obscure
pathology of epilepsy in the human subject; and I conceive that
his arguments, and the conclusions deduced therefrom, are, for the
most part, perfectly applicable to an animal so high in the zodlog-
ical series as the horse is well known to be.”
Treatment.—So soon as the horse falls, some hay or straw should
be placed under his head and around him. Bathe the region of
the cranium with cold water, and carefully wash the foam from his
mouth, taking care not to let any water, hay, or dirt enter the
nostrils. Officious persons are very apt to attempt, by force of
strength, to raise the horse on his legs; but this ought not to be
done. Let him rest quietly until consciousness returns; then,
should he attempt to get up, help from the bystanders may then
be of some service. When on his legs, deal gently with him. Let
the external surface of the body be rubbed until the skin is dry;
then administer two ounces of fluid extract of valerian, and let
the patient be provided with comfortable quarters. For a few
days the patient should be excused from work, and be fed lightly.
The only way to prevent a re-attack is to keep him at light work,
and treat him in the most gentle manner, both in the stable and
out of it.
In cases of this character, as well as many others, men are apt
to place too much confidence in medicine, and dose the animal ac-
cordingly ; but, as we understand the practice of medicine, it is the
province of the good physician to know when to do nothing.
70 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
TETANUS.
We recognize tetanus by the unnatural condition of the muscles
of various parts of the body, more particularly those of the face
and neck. But the fault lies not in the muscles, but in the nervous
system. This disease constitutes one of the most terrible and fatal
to which the horse is subject. It is not only frightful to look upon,
but is productive of the most distressing agony to the animal.
THE TEST FOR TETANUS OR LOCKED-JAW.
EXPLANATION.—On placing ahand under the angle of the jaw, and pushing the head in an upward
direction, the nictitating membrane (haw) will be suddenly thrown partly over the pupil, as
seen in the above picture. This is the diagnostic symptom of tetanus.
There is no difficulty in recognizing this disease. It is charac-
terized by involuntary and persistent cramps of the voluntary
muscles. . The muscles which seem first to be affected are those of
the jaws, neck, and throat; and soon all the other muscles are in-
volved. One of the principal tests for the discovery of the disease
is to place a hand under the jaw and raise the head. Immediately
the haw, or nictitating membrane, shoots over the eyeball. (See
cut.) There is no other disease with which tetanus can be con-
founded ; therefore, a minute description of the symptoms seems
superfluous at this point of our argument.
When the disease affects the muscles of the jaw only, it is called
trismus; but it is only a variety of the same disease, and, therefore,
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 71
requires the same treatment. In former years the author met with
but little success in the treatment of this malady, yet recently, by
using more mild and sanative agents, he has been very fortunate.
Bleeding, purging, and blistering has had its day, but that day
has now past. We have learned that to do violence to the animal
system is not to do good; and our aim now is to “ pair off” with
Nature, endeavor to sustain the vital powers, or, rather, by sanative
medication and nutritious fluids, keep the animal alive, while the
disease runs its course. Physicians have no power to arrest the
disease, and those who think so only deceive themselves and their
employers; and those who attempt the feat of cutting the disease
short by heroic medicines, are arrayed in hostility to Nature, and
an unnecessary death is often the consequence. Any of our readers
who happen to have great faith in drugs will probably feel little
comfort in the perusal of the following quotation, uttered by one
of the most distinguished physicians of France. It was intended
for the benefit of mankind, but it also applies to veterinary medi-
cine, simply from the fact that the diseases of animals are to be
treated on the same general principles which apply to man:
“ The sick-room no longer resembles the sample department of
of a drug warehouse. Our physicians have consciences and com-
mon sense. ‘They recognize Nature as the great antagonist of dis-
ease, and endeavor to assist her in her struggle to expel it, instead
of negatively helping disease by prostrating the physical strength
of its victims with drastic cathartics, cantharides, and the lancet.
In ailments for which gallons of medicine were given half a cen-
tury ago, as many ounces are not administered at the present day,
and bleeding and blistering have almost fallen into disuse. Not
long before his death, the great French surgeon, physician, and
medical chemist, Majendie, told his pupils, in the college of France,
that the old hospital practice was mere humbug; that he himself
had prescribed the drugs of the dispensary at the Hotel Dieu, in
Paris, without having the least idea why or wherefore, and that on
administering bread pills and colored water to one division of his
patients, and the preparations of the pharmacopoeia to another, he
found that the mortality was least among those who took no medi-
cine! ‘ You tell me,’ said this extraordinary man, in one of the
lectures of his final course, ‘ that doctors cure people. I grant you
people are cured. But how? Gentlemen, Nature does a good
deal; imagination does a good deal. Doctors do very little, when
72 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
they don’t do harm. You ask, then, what is the use of attending
medical lectures? Ill tell you. We come here (to the college of
France) to study Nature, to learn to reinforce and aid Nature, not
to spin fine theories. I would not give a centime for all the theories
in the world. Give me stubborn facts.’
“Such was the bold and candid language of one of the greatest
anatomists and physicians of the age but a short time before his
death. Our medical men do not take quite such strong ground as
Majendie took, but they show their lack of faith in what was
formerly called ‘ vigorous treatment’ by sparing medicaticn, and a
still more limited use of the lancet and other mechanical means
of depletion. Nature, after having been professionally misused for
centuries, seems at last to have found a friend and ally in the
medical faculty.”
We now come more directly to the treatment of tetanus; and, in
view of showing what unwarrautable outrages are perpetrated on
the poor uncomplaining brute, the following article is here intro-
duced :
“ Wounds of tendinous and ligamentous parts are the common
cause of tetanus, more generally known as locked-jaw, so-called
because the first symptoms of the violent spasmodic affection are
detected in the jaw. Castration, nicking, docking, lacerations, and
punctures, particularly of the feet, are the kinds of wounds that
end in tetanus. Even slight contusions will bring it on. It is a
dreadful and, too often, a fatal disease. The animal is nearly
paralyzed by the constant spasm of all the voluntary muscles. .
The symptoms are unmistakable: First, a certain stiffness about
the throat, and difficulty in swallowing or turning the head. This
eradually extends to the jaws, contracting the mouth. The horse
possesses a desire to masticate, but, in the earliest stage of the dis-
ease, the work is imperfectly performed, with great pain. The eyes
become vivid in appearance, and present a retroverted aspect. The
disease continues to spread, and when it affects the voluntary mus-
cles of the trunk and the extremities, the animal becomes a living
picture of agony and distress. The cocked yet quivering tail, the
distended legs, the contraction of the abdominal muscles, the trem-
ulous and irregular pulse, the hurried respiration, the sweat-marks,
and the fixed and sunken eyes, all speak unmistakably of the vio-
lent and painful nature of the disease. The animal sometimes
suffers for six or seven days, when it falls, completely exhausted
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 73
by continued irritation and inanimation ; or it expires in terrible
convulsions. Tetanus, indisputably, is a nervous affection. An
injury to a small fiber of some nerve extends to the origin of the
nerve, when the brain becomes affected, and a diseased action of
the body ensues. When locked-jaw results fatally, it will be be-
fore the expiration of nine days, as the horse dies, without a remis-
sion of the spasms, from sheer exhaustion. ‘The free use of the
laneet is regarded as one of the surest means of curing tetanic
cases, as by a flow of blood we open the bowels and tranquilize
the system. Venesection is the most powerful sedative for mus-
cular spasms. The nervous influence passes off with the blood ;
therefore the flow should be most copious. We may bleed the
horse until he falls, before the triumph is complete. The perma-
nent strength of the animal is not hazarded by the free use of the
lancet, but we simply make an attack upon the seat of the disease.
Physic, also, is a matter of much importance. Profuse bleeding
_ will cause the muscles of the jaws to relax, when the dose may be
introduced into the mouth. Clysters assist the action of the pur-
gatives; therefore are useful. The application to the spine of
green sheep-skins, warm from the slaughtered animal, will some-
times diminish the sufferings of the patient. By gently rubbing
the spine with the hand, and then by using an opiate liniment, a
relief may be afforded. From eight to ten drachms of aloes should
be administered as a physic. The farina of croton-nut is also a
powerful purgative. A solution of Epsom salts constitutes a safe
injection as a clyster. Opium, when given in doses, varying from
one half to two drachms, is a valuable medicine in cases of lock-
jaw. The disease is a violent one, and to check it prompt meas-
ures must be resorted to.”
Contrast this with the following case: While in the city of St.
Louis, a short time ago, I was requested to visit a bay gelding,
aged eight years, the property of Captain Stuva. The messenger
informed me, not knowing that it was a case of tetanus, that the
horse was “all stiffened up.” On an examination, the following
symptoms were presented: The muscles in the region of the neck
and back, rigid; the eyes had a sort of squinting appearance ; the
nose protruded; the ears were erect and stationary ; the nostrils
were expanded to their utmost capacity ; the head, neck, and trunk
seemed to be immovable, so that it was impossible to make him
turn in any direction, or describe the least segment of a circle,
x
74 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
The abdomen appeared “ tucked up,” as the saying is. This arose.
Pl Pp, g
from the rigid state of muscles of the abdomen. The hind limbs
presented a straddling appearance, and the fore ones were unnat-
urally advanced far beyond the axis of the shoulder-blade; the
bowels were constipated ; the pulse was wiry, and the respirations
were accelerated and laborious. The case was diagnosed as tetanus
from puncture of the off hind-foot. It appeared that the animal
had picked up a nail, five days previous, which was withdrawn by
a blacksmith, and the foot was dressed in the usual way. The
treatment was as follows:
The rigid muscles were rubbed, twice daily, with a portion of
the following antispasmodic liniment:
No.8: Cod-hiver oll 223008: PES Oa Zo:
Oiliof cedar. i... PU Perea MERA e rece Ab COVA
Sulphuric ether pecs sto cisleese lene OZ
The application of the liniment was continued during a period of
ten days, in which time four drachms of Indian hemp were daily
placed on the tongue. The jaws now relaxed, so that the patient
could eat bran mashes. At the expiration of two weeks all signs
of tetanus had disappeared.
VERTIGO.
The term vertigo signifies giddiness or dizziness. It is usually
the result of some latent disease within the brain ; and when that
is present, any exciting cause, which we shall presently refer to,
may bring on a fit of vertigo. The following article, by surgeon
Haycock, will, perhaps, prove interesting to the reader:
“By vertigo is meant a chronic disease of the horse, chiefly in-
dicated by a disturbance of the sensitive faculties, oecasioning
derangement in the ordinary functions of life. Much that is incor-
rect has been written regarding the seat, properly so-called, of the
evil. At present, most veterinary surgeons are agreed in seeking
the proximate cause, not as formerly, on the brain, but in the ab-
dominal organs, and on considering the cerebral affection as purely
secondary.”
Vertigo often succeeds acute disease of the brain.
Causes.—Its chief exciting causes are confinement in hot and
badly-aired stables, cold, extreme fatigue, blows and injuries on
the head, indigestion, unwholesome or too much food in proportion
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 75
to the exercise taken. The fear of punishment, especially of the
whip, occasionally gives rise to it, in sensitive and irritable ani-
mals. Some horses have an hereditary predisposition to it, and
mares are considered more subject to it than stallions. Further,
it is scarcely ever observed except in hot weather; and as it is
generally at the beginning of summer that it commences to appear,
it goes away always in autumn, at least with respect to its chief
symptoms.
Symptoms.—The horse having, previous to the attack, been
lively and active, begins, all of a sudden, to appear heavy and in-
dolent. He is dejected, and prefers to keep himself in the dark-
est corner of the stable. Eyes, dull; look, fixed and stupid; eye-
lids, half shut; inattention to every thing, forgetting even himself,
and, as it were, asleep, his head hanging down, or resting on the
manger. His gait is heavy, slow, and unsteady ; he raises his feet
very high, and puts the entire sole to the ground, raising and let-
ting down the limbs in a manner purely mechanical, and, as it
were, unconsciously. He exhibits much awkwardness in turning,
and can not be pulled back except by depressing the head very
much, and pushing it latterly. He also leans to one side in walking.
To maintain his equilibrium the better, he places the fore-legs
beneath the belly, and moves his ears backward in a peculiar
manner. According as the disease progresses, he becomes less
and less sensible to external impressions. Mastication is per-
formed slowly. He takes, from time to time, a mouthful of food,
masticates it, swallows a portion of it, but keeps the remainder
in his mouth. He prefers taking his food off the ground rather
than in any other way, and when drinking, he plunges his head
into the water, even above his nostrils. During and after some
rather violent movements, his symptoms become much aggra-
vated, and the signs of complete insensibility become more and
more marked. The animal runs on quite blind till some obstacle
stops him, or turns round, or remains tranquil, with his head
depressed, and the legs crowded beneath the body, without being
able to change this unusual attitude, unless assisted to do so.
There is never any fever. The pulse is often from ten to twelve
pulsations slower than in the normal state.
In the same way, also, the respiration is constantly slow,
deep, and frequently of a sighing character. In almost all cases,
the tongue is foul, and the mouth dry and clammy. With respect
76 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
to treatment, the remedies which have succeeded best with me are,
camomile (some doses), then sulphur and nux yomica. In a par-
ticular case, where, independently of the symptoms peculiar to
vertigo, the conjunctiva, tongue, and mouth were more yellow,
the horse frequently flexed his fore-legs, seldom lay down, the
feces were hard, and he passed but little urine.
The reader will perceive that many of the symptoms above
alluded to are present in other diseases of the brain; therefore,
some difficulty may be encountered in diagnosing the case. It is
best for us, however, to diagnose the case on the symptoms of
dizziness or giddiness; then a mistake is not likely to occur. Yet,
after all, a mistake in the true nature of the malady will not
prove disastrous, provided the patient be treated on the general
principles laid down in this work, by means of sanative medicines
and little good common sense.
Treatment.—For example, should a horse have an attack of
vertigo on the road, the driver must immediately stop and loosen
the throat-latch and check-rein. Then let the animal stand in
quietude for a few minutes, during which time he may possibly
recover, and soon be able to resume the journey. If not, he must
be taken out of the harness, and carefully led to the nearest sta-
ble, or where he shall be free from annoyances of every kind.
After the excitement is over, the animal may be led home, and
put into a roomy stall, where he must be dieted according to his
condition. If fat and plethoric, bran mashes are indicated, into
which should be stirred a drachm or two of hyposulphite of soda.
Should the patient be poor in flesh, a few good oats are indicated,
to which add a small quantity of powdered ginger and balmony.
The surface of the body being cold, it must be warmed, after the
usual fashion, by means of clothing. But should the surface of
the body feel hot, more particularly in the region of the head,
then tonics, stimulants, and food are to be withheld. A bucket
of cold water is then to be placed before him, into which about
four drachms of nitrate of potass may be stirred.
ACUTE AND GENERAL DISEASE OF THE BRAIN KNOWN
AS ENCEPHALITIS.
The contents of the cranium are called, collectively, the ence-
phalon; hence the term encephalitis, which signifies inflammation
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 77
of any, or all portions of the contents of the cranial cavity.
Various terms are applied to disease of this character, such as
“sleepy staggers,” “coma,” “ phrenitis,” cerebritis,” and “ cere-
bral meningitis,” the latter being formerly recognized as blind or
sleepy staggers. ‘These several terms merely apply to the various
stages of the acute disease as it gradually invades the membranes
covering the brain, or the substance of the brain itself. It some-
times appears to invade at once the whole of the parts within
the skull, or, beginning in one part, it extends rapidly to all the
rest, so that the term encephalitis seems to be more applicable
than those just enumerated. It is a matter of impossibility for
us to tell precisely what are the pathological conditions of the parts
affected. Nor are the.symptoms always the same. They may
range from a state of phrenzy to one of coma. Still, in our treat-
ment, we shall not be led astray ; for, being an acute affection, (or
affections, as some persons may term it,) we have to treat it on the
same general principles which obtain in many or all diseases of
an acute character, viz.: by means of sedatives, laxatives, cold
water, spare diet, and rest.
Should the patient die during the acute stage of disease of the .
brain, an autopsy will reveal great vascularity and softening of
the cerebral mass, and thickening of its membranes; but should
the disease run on unchecked to a fatal termination, pus and
fluid may be found within the lateral ventricles of the brain.
This enables us to explain the difference between the symptoms
which prevail in the early and latter stages of the malady ; for,
at the commencement of the acute stage, the loss of equilibrium
in the circulation sends the red arterial blood, in undue quanti-
ties, to the brain—the part, perhaps, most predisposed to diseased
action, or, it may be, at the time actually in a pathological con-
dition ; hence the loss of equilibrium in the circulation—which,
in consequence of accelerated respiration, becomes highly ca
with oxygen, acts as a potent stimulus, not only to the nervous
system, but to the muscular system also, producing those active
and phrenitic symptoms which have led us to infer that the patient
is going or is actually mad; hence the name which some per-
sons here applied, “ mad stapeonsit This activity can not last
long; for it is potent to exhaust the vital forces. Organs and
parts of the body become overworked; then comes organic
changes—softening of the brain, effusion, formation of pus, which
78 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ends in coma, which is the latter stage just referred to, devoid of
any mad or phrenitic symptoms, but marked by lethargy, or a
prolonged comatose condition, from which no stimulus will
arouse the patient. He is not only the subject of altered struc-
ture within and around the brain, but the latter is compressed by
the serum, or pus, as the case may be, and thus sensibility is
more or less destroyed. The degree of coma, however, will be
directly proportioned to the degree of pressure. Now, the reader
will perceive that the proposition of treatment, just referred to,
for the acute stage will not apply to tle comatose condition ; for
here we have to stimulate and give tone to the system, so as to
sustain the failing vital powers.
In regard to this subject, Professor CopEMAN observes: “In
inflammation of the brain, phrenitis, mad staggers, I have told
you that it may be said to be impossible to distinguish, with any
thing like certainty, in individual cases, acute inflammation of
the substance of the brain from those affecting the membranes
or ventricles. The reason will be obvious when we reflect that
the phenomena, in every instance, are, in fact, attributable to
pressure on the entire contents of the skull, encephalon, viz.:
cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla, oblongata, and membranes; and
if this be rapid and general, it can matter little whether it orig-
inates from the membranes or the brain. Acute inflammation
does, however, sometimes appear to invade at once the whole of
the parts that are lodged within the skull; or, beginning in one
part, it extends rapidly to all the rest. The symptoms which
usually mark an attack of cerebritis are the following: The horse
becomes sleepy, heavy, or more or less comatose, accompanied by
general fever. After a time a convulsive attack supervenes. He
becomes morose, and shows delirium; perhaps rears both fore-
legs into the manger, from which position he may reel around
and fall, kicking and tearing every thing about him. During
the fit his respiration is much excited, and he sweats profusely.
If he gets upon his legs, he makes sudden and violent efforts,
dashing against rack, manger, or stall, totally disregarding any
thing that may be said or done to him. ‘Thus he is continually
struggling, panting, and perspiring, perhaps foaming at the
mouth, leading the ordinary observer to believe he is not only
delirious but actually ‘mad.’ But all these symptoms vary much
in different cases. Coma occurs frequently, but often only tem-
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 79
porarily. Great prostration and muscular debility are generally
observed.
The seat of ‘sleepy staggers,’ or cerebral meningitis, is the so-
called subarachnoid cavity, in which is a quantity of loose areola
tissue, richly furnished with blood-vessels. It generally results
that the exudation poured into this cavity is quickly accompanied
or followed by pus. Hence, we find that what is generally called
a recent layer of coagulable lymph, covering the convolutions in
meningitis, is, in point of fact, a layer of pus, generally present-
ing a molecular character. As to the diagnosis, notwithstanding
the efforts which have been made to distinguish meningitis of the
convolutions from that of the base, or either of these from a sim-
ple effusion into the ventricles, I have in vain sought for any
precise symptoms, which could be relied on, as indicative of the
situation of the disease. Drowsiness and coma, causing slow and
subsequently rapid pulse, succeeded by restlessness. The horse
is excited ; he flings himself about, frequently jerking his head up
and down, sometimes rearing, perhaps, into the manger; tension
of the limbs, thrusting the head into the rack. The faculties of
the organs of sense are lost, for the horse neither hears nor sees.
The state of excitement may terminate, more or less quickly, in
convulsions and death, or the patient may relapse into a state of
coma, and ultimately result in partial or complete recovery.
The gradual mode of invasion, and the succession of the symp-
toms to one another, are also characteristic, and differ markedly
in degree from those whieh attend sudden attacks of apoplexy
caused by hemorrhage. They are both the result of general
pressure on the brain, and hence the reason why mere effusion can
not be distinguished from hemorrhage.”
Treatment.—The treatment of the preceding forms of acute dis-
ease of the brain was formerly, and is at present, to some extent,
conducted on the absurd antiphlogistic plan, by blood-letting,
purging, and blistering, which practice kills more than it ever
cures. The plan now adopted by the author is to give drachm
doses of gelseminum every four hours, until relief is apparent.
The cranial region is kept constantly bathed with cold water ; the
rectum is kept free from excrement by means of injections of soap-
suds; the bowels are kept in working order, by mixing Glauber
salts with thin bran mashes. Half a pound of salts, dissolved in -
about four quarts of mash, will generally prove laxative. Should
80 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
it fail to have this effect, after a lapse of about six hours, the dose
may be repeated. This plan of treatment is more rational, and
has proved more successful, than that just alluded to.
_ Should the disease progress so that the animal manifests symp-
toms of coma, or lethargy, then chlorate of potass is the best
agent. It should be given in half-ounce doses, every four or six
hours, in the form of drench, or it may be dissolved in the water
which the animal is allowed to drink. A few doses of the fol-
lowing preparation must also be given:
No. 9. Fluid extract of golden seal...... \ each ee
Fluid extract of juniper......... ;
Mix.
Dose, two ounces every morning.
Keep the rectum empty by injections, and, if the case be curable,
such treatment as this, followed up by careful nursing, will ac-
complish the object. CoprEmAN, who is authority in this disease,
fully indorses this treatment, and says:
“ Hitherto the treatment of meningitis (sleepy staggers), whether
real or supposed, has been antiphlogistic, but it is impossible to say
that any benefit has ever been effected by the practice. The early
stages of the disease are probably generally overlooked. So long
as the horse retains his appetite and his consciousness, no suspicion
of disease arises. It is only when exudation or effusion has been
poured out in such quantity as to cause drowsiness and stupor that
our suspicions are awakened, and thus it is very difficult to under-
stand how blood-letting or purging could facilitate its absorption.
Besides, we have seen that the tendency of such effusion is to pass
into the circulation. Hence, the treatment which favors the re-
absorption of the exudation, as I have previously explained, must
be most effectual. For this purpose time is required, and the vital
strength, instead of being lowered, should be supported. In short,
the duty of the practitioner is to support the economy as much as
possible, to give nutrients with moderate stimulants, to unload the
bowels, from time to time, artificially, by injections, ete., and in this
way to gain time, which will enable the effused matters to pass
through their natural transformations, to be absorbed and ulti-
mately excreted. It has appeared to me that the collection of
serous fluid, whether in the ventricles or over the surface of the
brain, either with or without exudation, is consecutive on obstruc-
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 81
tion of the vessels, and is, therefore, more allied to the dropsies
than to inflammations. It is the collection of serum which does
the mischief—presses on the brain, and causes the coma and stu~
por. If so, the occurrence of those symptoms should be regarded
as secondary, instead of as primary, and as analogous to ascites,
dropsy, or anasarca, following disease of the kidneys. These
pathological considerations are, it appears to me, wholly opposed
to the idea of blood-letting and antiphlogistics being beneficial
after effusion has occurred.”
EquINE CHOREA, OR STRINGHALT.
Chorea, or stringhalt, consists of an irregular and involuntary
spasmodic action of some of the muscles of the hind extremities.
Equine chorea differs somewhat from human chorea. In the lat-
ter case, it usually begins with slight twitches in the muscles of
the face, or in the upper extremities, and various parts of the body
twitch and contort in such a singular and unnatural manner,
that some persons have denominated the disease “insanity of the
muscles.”
In the case of horses, no such “insanity of muscles” has been
observed. It is mainly confined to the posterior limbs. Mr.
FERON, a distinguished V. S., contends that stringhalt bears
some affinity to what is known in human medicine as chorea, or
“St, Vitus’ dance.” He does not, however, wish to convey the
idea that they are essentially the same disease, only they are both
of a conyulsive or spasmodic character, wherein the mind, will,
or instinct has lost more or less of its control over the voluntary
muscles of the hind extremities, and the peculiar feat is thus ac-
complished. When the animal has lifted his hind leg from the
ground, which is always done with a convulsive twitch, the fet-
lock nearly approaches the belly, and, by some other remarkable
irregularities in its action, before the foot can be replaced on the
ground, displays such unnatural movements as to convince us that
volition is impaired. Hence, we may infer that, in a majority of
cases, stringhalt is the result of some abnormal condition of the
nervous system. What occasions that condition is a matter of
fact and argument, which remains as an open question for some
future pathologist to decide. So far as the author’s experience
goes, he is satisfied from actual dissection of the parts, that some
6
82 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
stringhalt horses are the subjects of ulcerative disease of the hock-
joint, and they finally become sprained. .
In such cases, it is possible that stringhalt may be the result of
hock disease, which irritates the nerves in the vicinity of the part,
and thus affects that portion of the nervous system which controls
the muscles concerned. ANDRAL tells us that “chorea, like epi-
lepsy, may be excited by irritation.” Hence, in the commencement
of spavin, or so soon as osseous incrustations are thrown out, they
may, during the active motion of the joint, produce local irritation,
of nervous filaments, in the vicinity, which irritation may be com-
municated to larger and more important nerves, and thus induce
stringhalt.
We all know that local irritation produced by the prick of a
nail, or sometimes docking and pricking, is often productive of
locked-jaw, simply because some nervous or tendinous structure
is injured; and so the local irritation in the region of the hock
may be productive of the malady now under consideration. The
author has paid considerable attention to this subject, and is con-
vinced that almost all horses of the nervous or excitable tempera-
ment, the subjects of inter-articular spavin, manifest more or less
eatching-up of the limb (stringhalt) at some period during the
progress of spavin, and that when the bones of the hock are
anchylosed (united), and the motion and irritation of the parts
have ceased, the stringhalt becomes modified. The reader, how-
ever, must not receive this opinion as absolute; for at times, in
consequence of some peculiar idiosyncrasy, the stringhalt gradu-
ally grows worse. Among some members of the human family,
of the peculiar temperament to receive the impression, almost any
thing which makes a forcible impression upon the nervous system
may act as an exciting cause of chorea. The subject is a very
important one, and most veterinary writers of the English school
have rather mystified the subject, and at last have come to the
conclusion that the disease is incurable. This was formerly the
author’s opinion, but a change has taken place in his sentiments,
and he is unwilling to deprive the afflicted animal of the benefits
of progressive science. More light on the subject may enable us
to effect many cases of cure; at least it will enable us better to
understand the pathology of the case, which is an important
step in the right direction. In view, therefore, of furnishing the
reader with some useful information, whether he be a veterinary
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 83
practitioner or not, we shall borrow from analogy, in the intro-
duction of the following article from “ Watson’s Practice” :
“Tn certain of M. Magendie’s experiments on animals, the
following curious facts were ascertained: When a vertical section
of the cerebellum of a rabbit was made, leaving one-fourth of the
whole adhering to the crest of the right side of the cranium, and
three-fourths to that of the left, the animal rolled over and over
incessantly, turning itself toward the injured side. The same phe-
nomenon occurred upon the division of the crus cerebelli. The
animal lived for eight days, and continued, during the whole of
that time, to revolve upon its long axis, unless stopped by coming
in contact with some obstacle. How like is this to the symp-
toms exhibited at one period in the girl whose case is related by
Dr. Watts. Nor is Dr. Watts’s case a singular one. M. Serres
has described another much resembling it. A shoemaker, sixty-
eight years old, of intemperate habits, after one of his debauches,
exhibited a kind of drunkenness which surprised his friends.
Instead of seeing objects turning around him, as a drunken person
is apt to do, he thought he was himself turning, and soon began
to revolve, and this lasted till he died; and when his head was
examined, extensive mischief was found in one of the pedicles of
his cerebellum. Again: M. Magendie noticed that when the
upper part of the cerebrum is gently removed in birds and mam-
malia, they become blind; but no affection of the locomotive
powersis produced. No further result is occasioned by the removal
of a portion of the gray matter of the corpora striata; but when
the striated part is cut away, the animal immediately darts forward
with rapidity, and continues to advance as if impelled by some
irresistible force, until stopped by an obstacle; and, even then, it
retains the attitude of one advancing. The experiment was tried,
with the same results upon various species of animals—dogs, cats,
hedgehogs, rabbits, Guinea-pigs, and squirrels. It seems that
there are horses that can not back, although they make good
progress enough in a straightforward direction. Now, Magendie
says that he has opened the heads of such horses, and has always
found in the lateral ventricles of their brains a collection of water,
which must have compressed and even disorganized the corpora
striata. It has been further ascertained, by the same experimenter,
and by others, that certain injuries of the cerebellum cause ani-
mals to move backward contrarily to their will. If the tail of
84 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the animal so mutilated be pinched, he still persists in his retro-
grade course. Injuries of the medulla oblongata had the same
effect. Pigeons, into which he forced a pin through that part,
constantly receded for more than a month, and even flew back-
ward. A section of the medulla oblongata, where it approaches
the anterior pyramid, gives rise to a movement in a circle like
_that of a horse ina mill, the animal, in its walk or its flight,
bearing round continually to the injured side. Surely we have,
in these facts, supplied by experiments on living animals, and by
observation of the phenomena of disease in the living human
body, some of the materials for a more exact knowledge, both of
the physiology and of the pathology of the nervous system, than
we have reached. M. Magendie supposes that different portions
of the encephalon are endowed with energies which tend to cause
motion in various directions; that in the healthy state these bal-
ance each other, and that a preponderating impulse can be given
to any one of these forces by the will; but that when the equilib-
rium is destroyed by disease, the will is not sufficient to counter-
act the tendencies which are then brought into play. Mr. Mayo
offers a different explanation of the phenomena. He supposes
that the injuries inflicted on the nervous matter produce a sensa-
tion analogous to vertigo, and that the animal conceives itself
either to be hurried forward, and makes an exertion to repel im-
aginary force, or to be moving backward, or turning round in
one direction, and endeavors to correct this by moving the corre-
sponding muscles.”
Treatment.—In stringhalt, it is nearly always safe for us to
conclude that it must be treated on the same general principles
which obtain in the management of other nervous disorders of a
chronic character, viz.: in the use of tonics and anti-svasmodics.
Take, for example:
No. 10. Fluid extract of valerian.......... 1 t
Fluid extract of poplar bark...... BY Goan reese
Dose, one ounce, morning and evening; to be placed on the
tongue. The spine and affected limb or limbs should be rubbed
every night, for a couple of weeks, with a portion of the following:
Nowe viluid extract) of popples'.'sisis's se \</s.0ele<1t OZ:
Proof spirit..... eeleleieielene sie seieo overs selon Lmpinits
Mix.
i
1)
|
I
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 85
Should the animal prove to be spavined, the following liniment
is recommended :
Now 120 Codcliverioile 2: cseuescs esses teins
Kerosene) Ollie e cicie\crcle slelcis ee! elec cels
Mix.
\ equal parts.
A small quantity of this liniment should be rubbed on the seat
of spavin, inside of the hock, once or twice daily, until counter-
irritation is accomplished, which shall be known in consequence
of the hair falling off; then discontinue the liniment, and lubricate
the affected parts with olive oil, and wait patiently, so as to see
what Nature will do for the case. “ Patient waiters are no losers.”
The popular, or rather the ancient, method of treatment does more
harm than good.
SECTION IV.
DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND
ORGANS.
ImMPoRTANCE OF VENTILATING StaBLES—BrRiEF Exposition AND DESCRIPTION OF
THE Function or THE LuNas—Spasm OF THE Muscles OF THE GLOTTIS AND EHPI-
GLoTris—Larynaitis, (SUPPURATIVE AND INFLAMMATORY )—CRoUP—CHRONIG
CoucH—RoarinG—-PoLypus—BRONCHOCELE—INFLUENZA, OR Epizootic Ca-
TARRH—PNEUMONIA, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS, INCLUDING TYPHOID
AFFECTIONS, PLEURISY, AND DRopsy OF THE CHEST.
IMPORTANCE OF VENTILATING STABLES, IN VIEW OF
PREVENTING DISEASE OF THE LUNGS.
T was the intention of the Creator that all animals, so long as
they were permitted to exercise their natural instincts, and
thus comply with the requirements of physiology—the science of
life—should enjoy health and long life. Hence a great amount
of disease and death results from the evils of domestication.
One of the conditions which physiology imposes, in order that
a horse shall enjoy health, is, that the atmosphere, at all times,
and under all circumstances, shall be uncontaminated, so that the
blood shall be decarbonized and purified of the defiling elements
acquired in the course of circulation.
Let the reader understand that the lungs are something like a
sponge, elastic, composed of a myriad of cells. In the former,
however, these cells have a vast internal surface, communicating
with each other up to their common origin, the bronchial tubes
and windpipe. On their internal surface we find a delicate yet
highly important membrane permeable to atmosphere. In extent,
it is supposed to occupy a square surface equal to that of the ex-
ternal body. In contact with this membrane comes the atmos-
phere. If pure—zephyr-like—it fans into healthful blaze the
flame of life, upheaving from the living Vesuvius arid lava, in
(86)
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 87
the form of carbonic acid gas, almost as destructive to animality
as that issuing from its great prototype proves to vegetation.
The stable atmosphere being pure, and the lungs in working
order, the blood is well arterialized, capable of supplying the
waste of the animal machine and renovating its tissues. On the
other hand, should the atmosphere be impure, it fails to vitalize
the blood. The latter is unfit for the purpose of nutrition, and
may be considered a non-supporter of vitality. Hence the need
of pure air, the breath of life.
But are horses always furnished with pure air? Let the own-
ers of unventilated, crowded, filthy, down-cellar and low-roofed
stables answer. Let those who have stables in the region of
swamp, sewer, and stagnant pools of water answer. In such lo-
cations disease and death run riot, and the noble companion of
man, instead of being within the ramparts of the science of life,
is on the margin of death’s domain. He may exist for several
days without food and water, yet the consequent result is nothing
when compared to that occasioned by breathing an atmosphere
highly charged with emanations arising from his own body ex-
crements and decomposing bedding.
A horse is said to consume in the lungs, in the course of twen-
four hours, ninety-seven ounces of carbon, furnished by venous
blood. In order to perform this feat, he requires 190 cubic feet
of oxygen. Now, suppose there are ten horses occupying the sta-
ble. They require, in the same time, 1,900 cubic feet of oxygen,
and consume 970 ounces of carbon. They are supposed, also, to
give out from the lungs a volume of carbonic acid gas equal to
that of the oxygen inspired; and supposing the atmosphere to
be saturated with only five per centum of the former, it is a non-
supporter of life. Hence, a horse shut up in an unventilated
stable must, sooner or later, become the subject of disease. The
evil may be postponed, but the day of reckoning is sure and cer-
tain.
Diseases, such as horse-ail, influenza, catarrh, strangles, and
glanders, often originate and prevail to an alarming extent in
the unventildted stable and pest spot; while in other locations,
favorable to the free and full play of vital operations, the favored
ones seem to enjoy a remarkable immunity from the prevailing
disease, or epizootic.
Stablemen and husbandmen are often led to remark, that when
“88 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
they keep but few animals, disease and death, except in cases of
accident or old age, are quite rare, but so soon as they crowded
the same, sickness and death were the consequences. In view of
supporting this theory, we may be permitted to remark that ship
and jail fevers may be manufactured ad libitum, at any time when
a large number of persons are congregated together in a given
space, no provision having been made for the admission of pure
air. The unfortunate prisoners in the Black Hole of Calcutta
are an example, and the mortality occurring on board our emi-
grant ships furnishes another illustration.
A number of horses were once shipped from England to Spain,
and on the passage, a violent gale arising, it became necessary to
batten down the hatchway. The consequence was that most of
them ultimately died of either glanders or farey. We contend,
therefore, that the active or morbid germ of disease enters the
living citadel through the pulmonary tissue in an insidious man-
ner, and, therefore, much oftener than the generality of men
would be likely to realize. Therefore, it is a matter of vital im-
portance that attention be paid to the ventilation of our stables.
If proper sanitary regulations were established, and fully carried
out in all our stables, glanders and other infectious diseases would
be exceedingly rare. They are so among horses free from the
control of man, whose stalls are broad as from ocean to ocean,
their height ranging from earth to regions above, the space per-
vaded by a pure atmosphere concocted by the Great Chemist, pure
as the pearly drops and refreshing as the morning zephyr. In
such locations death has no terrors nor disease any victims.
BriEF EXPposiItvioN OF THE FUNCTION OF THE LUNGS.
The principal function of the lungs is to arterialize or decar-
bonize the blood; that is, purify it. This arterialization of the
blood, which goes the rounds of the circulation, is more essential
to life than either food or water ; for men and animals can exist
for several days, perhaps for two weeks, without food, yet the
same can not live over a few seconds unless supplied with a suffi-
ciency of atmospheric air. Hence, in a popular sense, pure air is
the “ breath of life.”
The functional acts of respiration are necessarily divided into
two parts; and in cattle the number of respirations are about
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 89
twelve per minute, varying, however, according to the tempera-
ment of the animal and the condition he may be in at the time
of making the observation; while in horses the respirations are
more frequent, varying in health, and when at rest, from fourteen
to twenty-five; yet, under excitement and disease, they sometimes
number over one hundred.
THE CONTENTS OF THE THORAX.
EXPLANATION.—Fig. 1, Trache ; 2, Bifurcation of the carotid artery; 3, Internal carotid artery;
4 4, Anterior lobes of the lungs; 5 5, Posterior lobes of the lungs; 6, The heart; 7, Coronary
artery; 8, Cartilages of the false ribs; 9, The diaphragm.
When an animal is located in a pure atmosphere, and the
lungs are in good working condition, all the impurities contained
in venous blood are brought into the presence of oxygen through
the lining membrane of the air-cells, and thus a change in the
color and character of the blood is immediately effected. In the
first place, the venous blood, as it appeared before having been
submitted to the action of the atmosphere, was of a dark purple
90 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
color. By union with the oxygen of the atmosphere, it has
changed its color to one of scarlet. Next, the union of oxygen
with the carbon of the blood liberates carbonic acid gas and vapor.
The blood is now fit for circulation and for the renovation of the
tissues. It appears, therefore, that as carbon exists in the venous
blood, the lungs must be the pulmonary furnaces. The air-cells
are flues or safety-valves, the membrane of the cells being per-
meable to oxygen, yet suffers not the blood to escape. Pulmonary
combustion, therefore, bears some analogy to the combustion of
carbon or charcoal in a stove; for, in that case, the oxygen causes
the generation or evolution of carbonic acid gas.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ANATOMY OF THE LUNGS.
The lungs, in common parlance, are known as the lights. They
occupy the thoracic cavity, or chest. They are divided into right
and left lobes, with a septum or partition between, which makes
a double organ. This partition is a duplicature of the pleura, or
membrane which completely lines the chest. When the lungs
are healthy and properly inflated, they occupy the whole cavity of
the chest; but when an action of expiration is effected, they are in
a comparative state of collapse, occupying but a very small portion
of the thoracic cavity. The lungs are composed of arteries, veins,
absorbents, bronchial tubes, air-cells, and also what is known as
their parenchyma, or substance. A healthy lung, when thrown
into water, will float on the surface; while, on the other hand, a
diseased lung, in a state of hepatization or condensation, sinks like
a stone. In the fetal state, and when the lungs have never been
inflated, they also sink when thrown into water.
SPASM OF THE MUSCLES OF THE GLOTTIS AND EPIGLOTTIS.
The aperture leading into the larynx and windpipe is termed
the glottis. Spasm of the muscles of the glottis is one of the most
terrible accidents that can possibly occur in either man or horse.
I view it in the light of an accident, because it usually occurs
without warning or any other premonitory symptoms, selecting its
victims in the very prime of life, and carrying them off, usually,
in the course of a very few seconds. The terms cramp and spasm
mean the same thing. When a man, while bathing in the river
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 91
or sea, is suddenly seized with cramp, it is nothing more nor less
than spasm of the flexor muscles of bis limbs. Sometimes, how-
ever, the extensor muscles are affected. In either case, unless
assistance be at hand, the person is apt to find a watery grave.
Cramp or spasm of the intestines is the same form of affection,
only it is confined to the muscular fibers of the intestines; and
whenever it occurs in the limbs or intestines, it is always accom-
panied by excruciating pain and torment.
Treatment.—As regards spasm of the muscles of the glottis, it is
very apt to prove fatal, either in consequence of lack of knowledge
of the proper mode of treatment, or in failing to apply the remedy
which the urgency of the case demands. [I allude to the operation
of tracheotomy, which consists of making an incision into the
windpipe and inserting a tube into the same. A tube may not
always be at hand, but this must not deter us from operating ; for,
by some means or other, air must be admitted, even if it be neces-
sary to dissect out a piece of the trachea, which I always do in the
case of a horse, whether I have a tube by me or not. Very little
pain attends the operation, and that only occurs when cutting
through the skin; for the windpipe, being composed of cartilage,
is comparatively insensible. It may be policy, when the subject
is not in immediate peril of his life, to resort to some counter-
irritant and antispasmodic liniment (equal parts of spirits of
camphor and tincture of lobelia); but when the danger is immi-
nent, and the finger of Death is plainly on the patient, we only
waste precious moments in the use of outward applications.
The following case, reported by J. B. Dosson, V.S., may pos-
sibly prove both interesting and instructive to some of our readers:
“ At night a messenger came, saying the horse was very ill.
Upon entering the stable, the animal presented the following
symptoms: He was stretched out his full length in the stable,
apparently in the agonies of suffocation ; and such was the difficulty
attending respiration that he positively screamed, in performing
the act, so as to be heard at some considerable distance. I had
not been with him many seconds, however, before he was slightly
relieved, and in about ten minutes the spasm passed off, leaving
him, with the exception, of course, of great exhaustion, otherwise
as well as ever. Viewing the case as one of spasm of the muscles
of the glottis, I applied stimulants, and ordered constant fomen-
tations to the larynx, and left him with directions to be closely
92 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
watched, in case the spasm might return. In the middle of the
night I was again called, in haste; and this time the breathing
seemed, if possible, worse than before, and it was evident that, if
no relief were afforded, the animal must soon be suffocated. I
accordingly, with some difficulty, owing to his struggles, per-
formed tracheotomy. The relief was instantaneous, and he was
soon on his legs, and anxious to feed. From this time the trach-
eotomy tube was kept in his throat for a week, when, considering
that the glottis might have resumed its normal functions, I placed
a cork in the orifice of the tube and sent him to work, as an
experiment, ordering the cork to be removed if any symptom
of suffocation should come on. We, however, found that the
slightest effort at exertion brought on a fit of bad breathing, and
it became evident that he would not work without the tube.
The horse was accordingly sent to his regular work with the tube
in his trachea, and, for three or four months, he did his accus-
tomed labor with it in. At the end of that time, however, by
an accident, the tube fell out, when he was some miles from
home, and the horse coming home tolerably well without it, the
horse-keeper neglected to inform me of it for a day or two, and
when I saw my patient, the aperture in the muscles of the neck
had closed. As the horse now seemed to work well without the
tracheotomy tube, it was not reinserted, and from that time to
this (more than two years) he had not another attack.”
Should a case of this kind occur, and the consulted party have
no tube at hand, he must pass a ligature through each side of
the orifice, including a portion of skin and muscles. Each liga-
ture is then to be passed over opposite sides of the neck, and tied
at the upper part, just tight enough to keep the lips of the
wound apart. In this way air is admitted into the windpipe,
and thus the animal is out of danger.
LARYNGITIS (SUPPURATIVE AND INFLAMMATORY).
Laryngitis signifies inflammation of the lining membrane of
the larynx. On applying the ear to the region of the throat, the
locality of the affection is very evident, from the fact that no such
embarrassed sound can be elicited in the lower part of the wind-
pipe. Hence it must be inferred that the disease is located in
the upper, or superior, passage of respiration.
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 93
TRACHEOTOMY TUBE INSERTED IN THE WINDPIPE.
The inflammatory condition exists during a limited period,
varying from one to five days. Then commences the suppura-
tive stage, which is accompanied by a copious discharge, from
both nostrils, of a secretion somewhat resembling pus, or matter.
Causes.—As regards the special cause of this affection very lit-
tle is known. It may be supposed, however, to originate in a
common cold,-or catarrh; yet it is well known that horses are
sometimes attacked with it that are not exposed to the ordinary
influences which induce a catarrhal affection. Therefore we may
infer that such disease will occasionally occur, either spontane-
ously or accidentally, as the case may be, in spite of our best
efforts to prevent it. As the old saying is, “ Nature is ever busy
in maintaining the integrity of the vital forces of the animal
economy. Any deviation from the prescribed laws which physi-
ology imposes is a sure and certain cause of disease.”
I now propose to introduce a case which, at the time of its oc-
currence, attracted much attention and curiosity, both on account
94 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of the great value of the animal, and the desperate state of the
case at the time it fell into my hands. It will also serve to in-
dorse the old aphorism that “ where there is life there is hope.”
Record of the Case.—The patient was a Patchen colt, aged four
years, a very handsome and promising animal. He was pur-
chased by Mr. McPuerson, of this city, for the sum of two
thousand dollars, and, at the time of his sickness, was considered
worth three thousand. But disease neither respects man nor
horse. Each have, once in awhile, to suffer and groan, swallow
drugs and get well, or die, as the case may be. And as regards
the horse, the more costly shall he be, the more likely is he to
get sick, from the fact that valuable horses are almost always
overfed and petted, and receive too much care and attention. On
arriving at the stable where the animal was located, I found him
in a dangerous condition. He appeared to be gasping for breath.
A loud stertorous noise, which could be heard at some distance,
indicated the nature of the difficulty as depending on obstruc-
tion within the larynx. The pulse at the angle of the jaw was
very indistinct. Both pupils of the eyes were dilated, or in a
state of amaurosis. The extremities and external surface of the
body were deathly cold. The tongue and visible mucous surfaces
were livid, indicating speedy death. Once in awhile the animal
would be seized with a convulsive or spasmodic fit of coughing,
which, every time, seemed to threaten his life. In those fits of
coughing he passed from the nostrils a sort of cheesy matter,
which appeared to be mixed up with a diphtherial exudation—
yellow secretion and froth. Under the above circumstances, any
attempt to administer medicine was deemed unsafe. I there-
fore decided to perform the operation known as tracheotomy, |
which was done, in the following manner: Having secured the
services of a couple of assistants, the horse was led to a conven-
ient spot in the center of the stable. An incision was then made
through the skin, to expose the trachea, about midway between
the jaws and breast-bone. The trachea was now punctured by
means of a pointed scalpel, and a probe-pointed bistoury was used
to dissect out a piece of the windpipe, corresponding to the size of
the tracheotomy tube. This tube, after being inserted into the
windpipe, was secured in place by means of elastic tape, which was
passed around the neck and tied. On the introduction of the
tube the alarming symptoms immediately subsided, and the act
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 95
of breathing was performed through the tube. I then applied a
counter-irritant to the throat, composed of cod-liver oil and spirits
of camphor, equal parts; ordered a warm bran mash, into which
was sprinkled one ounce of powdered chlorate of potass.
For several days a very copious discharge from both nostrils
occurred ; also from the orifice made in the windpipe; so that the
tracheotomy tube had to be removed and cleansed several times,
both during the day and night. Four days after the operation,
at night, the tube accidentally slipped out of the windpipe, and
the mishap was not discovered until morning, when I found that
air from the lungs had escaped into the cellular tissue, and in-
flated it so that the soft parts in the region of the neck and head
appeared much swollen. I gave the patient, twice daily, one
ounce of hyposulphite of soda, and had the swollen parts well
rubbed with liniment. On the fifth day I removed the tube from
the windpipe, and allowed the animal to breathe through the arti-
ficial opening, he still being unable to respire through the nostrils.
At the expiration of fifteen days from the commencement of the
animal’s sickness, the wound in the windpipe was closed, natural
respiration having been restored. During the treatment of the
patient, he was allowed, occasionally, flaxseed tea, with about one
ounce of chlorate of potass per day. He had good attention, or,
rather, good nursing, and finally was again restored to usefulness.
In the early stage of laryngitis, or, rather, the inflammatory
stage, cold water bandages should be applied to the throat, and
a few doses of fluid extract of gelseminum, at the rate of one
fluid drachm per dose.
Croup (CYNANCHE TRACHEALIS).
Croup (cynanche trachealis), or, as it is sometimes termed,
tracheitis, manifests itself in the form of a violent and sudden
disease affecting the mucous membrane of that portion of the
air-passages which lies between the laryngeal cartilages and the
primary passages of the trachea, or windpipe. CoNnpIE contends
that, in the majority of cases, the inflammation in croup com-
mences in the mucous membrane of the larynx, and from thence
extends into the trachea. The disease is, therefore, strictly speak-
ing, a laryngeo-tracheitis. In many instances, however, we have
reason to believe that the inflammation commences in the bronchi,
96 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and from thence extends to the trachea; but there are, we suspect,
very few cases indeed, if any, in which the disease is confined to
the trachea. In cases of croup that have terminated rapidly in
death, the inflammation and pseudo-membranous exudation which
form so striking a feature in this disease are found only in the
larynx and upper portion of the trachea. When death occurs at
a later period, the exudation is often present in the trachea alone,
or in the trachea and bronchi. It is never found to exist in the
latter tubes alone. It has been attempted to be shown, by JURIN
and others, that in the ordinary form of croup the disease is, in its
first stages at least, simply a tracheitis, and that in the more vio-
lent and rapid form (suffocating croup) the inflammation is con-
fined tothe larynx. Although this is not strictly true, as is proved
by the result of numerous dissections, yet our observations have
shown us that in cases marked by symptoms of great violence,
which are sudden in their onset and rapid in their progress, the
indications of inflammation are to a much greater extent, and the
pseudo-membranous exudation more copious about the larynx, glot-
tis, and upper portion of the trachea, than in cases in which the
disease succeeds to bronchitis, runs a more protracted course, and
is attended by symptoms of less violence.
The disease generally makes its appearance during the latter
part of winter and in early spring, and most frequently occurs
among horses just introduced to city life. The subjects such as
the author has had occasion to treat were young, most of them of
the lymphatic temperament, having short, thick necks, which
abounded in a profuse development of adipose and cellular tissues,
which results in a rotund bodily conformation. This, perhaps,
goes to show that some hereditary idiosyncrasy plays a part in the
creation of the disease.
Causes.—The indirect causes of the disorder are embraced among
the evils of domestication, which include errors in diet, impure
air, and bad management. It usually dates its origin from what
are generally considered as the causes of common cold. Several
days previous to the attack, the animal appears ‘‘ dumpish,”’ drowsy,
and inactive, having little desire for artificial food, and less for
water. The eyes appear somewhat tumefied, and the respirations
are laborious, having a peculiar, croupy sound, accompanied by a
distressing cough. The respirations can be heard at a distance (as
the disease progresses), and on making pressure in the region of
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 97
the larynx, the animal evinces signs of uneasiness, suffocation, and
pain. Soon the mucous, schneiderian, and conjunctivial mem-
branes become reddened, the eyes protrude, the tongue tumefies,
and external tumefaction in the region of the throat may be ob-
served. Febrile symptoms are also present, manifested by cold-
ness of the exterior and increased temperature of the interior
parts. The nose appears dry, and the mouth is full of frothy saliva
(sometimes lymphy mucus), and some difficulty is encountered in
opening the latter.
History of the Disease.—The following case, from the author’s
note-book, will probably prove interesting to the reader: The
patient, a roan mare, aged seven. Temperament, lymphatic.
Just arrived, in company with several other horses, from Ohio.
The property of Mr. Banford, Merrimac stable, Boston. Our
patient had been “ailing” some three or four days before our
services were secured, at which time she was laboring under
“alarming symptoms” bordering on suffocation. The pulse was
indistinct, small, thready, and difficult to number, yet probably
exceeded sixty. The breathing was croupy, or stertorous, and
could be heard at a distance of several yards. The nostrils were
dilated, and from them issued a lymphy discharge, mixed with traces
of blood. The submaxillary space was somewhat tumefied, hard,
unyielding, and seemed to constrict the larynx and its associate
muscles. The eyes were prominent, their membranes congested,
and streaks of tears escaped over the inner canthus. The flanks
were bedewed with a cold, clammy perspiration. The tips of the
ears were quite cold, and the limbs the same. Auscultation, in
the region of the larynx, revealed a very laborious and crepitating
mucous rale. The trachea itself seemed to be free from obstruc-
tion. Thoracic auscultation elicited nothing tending to show that
the lungs were involved.
The patient appeared to be in a deplorable, in fact dying, con-
dition, making a sort of gasping effort to inflate the lungs. There
was little time to spare; and being satisfied that the larynx
was the seat of obstruction, we immediately cut down upon the
trachea, about five inches below the thyroid cartilage, and ampu-
tated, from between two rings of the trachea, a piece, of an oval
shape, corresponding in size to the caliber of Arnold’s tracheotomy
tube, which was the instrument used on this occasion. So soon
as the opening into the trachea was effected, the patient experi-
98 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
enced instantaneous relief from suffocation, and all danger from
the same seemed to have immediately passed away. The tube
was now introduced and secured around the neck in the usual
manner, after which the patient received an aloetic enema, and
had a strong counter-irritant applied to the submaxillary space
and throat, after which the fauces were swabbed with a weak
solution of alum, by means of sponge secured to a piece of whale-
bone. On examining the “swab,” a sort of lymphy or albumin-
ous concretion adhered to it; the mucous membrane of the larynx
was either injected or edematous. The pharynx was not involved,
as the animal, shortly after the operation, drank two quarts of
water, containing two drachms of nitrate potassa.
The tube remained within the trachea for a period of five days,
during which time very little occurred worth recording, except
that one night pneumatosis (distension of the cellular membrane
with air) appeared, which yielded to a dose of hyposulphite of
soda and an outward application of liquor ammonia acetatis; and,
also, on the fifth day, a submaxillary tumor was punctured, which
discharged freely. At the end of the above period, it was ascer-
tained, by holding a lighted lamp to the nostrils, at the same time
stopping up the orifice in the instrument, that the animal breathed
through the usual channel. ‘Then the instrument was removed,
the parts cleansed, and secured together by suture. The wounds
healed by the usual process, and, at the end of three weeks, the
animal was disposed of, and went to work.
The operation of tracheotomy, formidable as it may appear to
some, is unattended with danger; yet, like every other process of
surgery or medicine, is only calculated to relieve certain states
peculiarly adapted to the remedy. For example, the operation is
admissible in cases of nasal obstruction, from the presence of nasal
polypus or other causes; spasm of the larynx, threatening suffo-
cation ; suppurative laryngitis, when the animal is in great dis-
tress for “breath ;” and in case of any foreign body occupying the
Jarynx, which precludes the possibility of continuing the process
of respiration. On the other hand, the operation is worse than
useless in cases of lung difficulty, bronchial obstruction, or when
obstruction occurs within the trachea posterior to the usual point
selected for the operation.
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 99
Coucu IN 1rs CHRONIC AND ACUTE STAGE.
According to veterinary jurisprudence, a cough, so long as it
lasts, renders the animal unsound; hence it is very important that
we should know something about its cause, nature, and treat-
ment. Chronic cough is often the result of indiscretion in the
treatment of influenza, distemper, and disease of the respiratory
apparatus. It usually depends on a morbid and irritable condition
of the membrane found on the interior of the respiratory passages.
The cough is generally aggravated by over-exertion, especially
when the roads are dusty. Food of an inferior quality, and that
of a musty character, has the same effect.
It is generally supposed, by those persons who have not had the
benefit of a medical education, that the presence of acute or chronic
cough indicates diseased lungs, or disease in some parts of the
organs of respiration. But this is not always the case; for, when-
ever the liver becomes diseased, the subject is very apt to be tor-
mented with a harrassing cough, which lasts as long as that organ
shall be the seat of disease. However, there are several symptoms
to be observed in cases of functional or organic disease of the liver
which are not present in lung disease; hence there is no difficulty
in the way of making a correct diagnosis. And for the benefit
of the non-professional, the author would inform them that, in all
cases of liver disease, a marked yellow tinge will be observed on
the visible surfaces within the mouth; the tongue slightly coated ;
the dung unusually dark colored, and voided in hardened lumps,
and the urine also of a dark yellow color.
Treatment of Chronic Cough.—Give the patient daily one ounce
of the fluid extract of Indian hemp (foreign), and offer him occa-
sionally some flaxseed tea; or sprinkle in his food, every night, a
handful of unground flaxseed. Should this fail to effect a cure,
prepare the following:
No. 13. Fluid extract of bloodroot..... wrargievexais
4 02.
Fluid extract of pleurisy-root.......... 6 02.
Common SYrUp..-eeeeeeeeees HOOT COOSA oeus
Mix.
Dose, two ounces per day.
The acute cough may be treated in the same manner as above,
by substituting for the syrup half a pint of syrup of squills.
In the case of liver disease, accompanied by cough, give the
100 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
animal one ounce of fluid extract of mandrake every six hours,
until it operates on the bowels, or the membranes of the mouth
lose their yellow tinge.
ROARING.
Roaring is usually the result of structural alterations within
the larynx, or upper part of the windpipe bordering on the
trachea. In mild cases of roaring, we usually find a thickened
state of the membrane lining the upper portion of the respiratory
passage; and when roaring is occasioned by thickening of this
membrane, its degree depends on the ratio of decrease in the cali-
ber of the tube breathed through. Roaring is a very aristocratic
disease. Many of the very best and fastest horses in England
were, and are now, notorious roarers. “ Flying Childers,” as fast
a horse as ever wore horseshoes, was one of the worst roarers ever
known. The story runs that when “Childers” was at full speed,
his roaring resembled juvenile thunder! He could be heard when
distant half a mile!
The worst form of this disease is whistling. This is the sharp
shrill note not only occasioned by the thickening of the lining
membrane of the primary passages of respiration, but by altera-
tions in the form and structure of the larynx, the larynx being,
in popular language, known as the “ voice-box.”
Roaring is more prevalent among stallions than mares and
geldings, and the kind of horse most subject to it is the one hav-
ing a thick, chunky neck, and having the angles of the jaws in
very close proximity with the neck. Roaring scarcely, if ever,
admits of a radical cure; and when of a hereditary or congenital
origin, a cure is impossible. A roarer should never be incum-
bered with a check-rein; for it has the effect of causing undue
pressure on the larynx, and thus augments the difficulty. Roaring
can, however, be relieved by an operation known as tracheotomy,
which is performed at a point a few inches below the larynx.
At a meeting of the Imperial and Central Society of Veteri-
nary Medicine, M. LEBLANC read a communication on tracheot-
omy which was performed on a carriage horse. The operation
had been performed because the horse was a severe roarer ; and he
wore the tube eighteen years and a half, doing fast work all the
time. The animal was destroyed at twenty-three years of age,
the owner not desiring to make further use of him nor to sel]
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 101
him. Since the operation, LEBLANC had not observed any
change in the horse, except a depression of the bones of the face.
After death, the Jarynx was found very narrow, the mucous mem-
brane and submucous cellular tissues were thickened, the epiglot-
tis deformed, very obtuse, and everted at its free margin. The
changes in the larynx were the original cause of roaring. The
depression of the bones of the face was connected with constric-
tion of the nasal chambers, and was evidently secondary to the
change in the course of the air in the process of respiration. The
parts of the trachea in contact with the tube had undergone a
transformation into very hard tissue. It filled the trachea above
the point where the tube had been introduced, and intermixed
with this firm fibrous deposit-was a cartilaginous and osseous tissue,
which offered great resistance to the scalpel. Roaring, thick wind,
whistling, etc., are often the sequel of strangles, influenza, laryn-
gitis, and other affections of the respiratory passages, and hence
have an accidental origin. In such cases, we may entertain a hope
of doing some good by means of medicinal agents and counter-
irritation.
Treatment.—The medicines which have proved most successful
in my practice are as follows:
No. 14. Iodide of potass......... soocac000SN 4 oz.
Fluid extract of stillingia.. bole geese 12 oz.
HEC Re cr ea Rat Cee eencloiere 4 02.
Mix.
Give the patient two ounces daily, by means of a small vial;
and rub the region of the throat every night with a portion of
the following:
Nor 5s Cod-liver oil fo. 35/esivee's desis s 1 ‘
Spirits) of CamphOr.csienicie sic's/ses Se ee a
PoLYPUS WITHIN THE NOSTRILS.
Polypus is the name given to an excrescence, or tumor, which
has its origin from the surface of the membrane lining the nasal
cavities. It is designated as growing from a mucous membrane,
having a narrow neck and body, resembling, in shape, a pear.
The usual symptoms attending the presence of polypus in the nasal
cavities are as follows: Difficulty of breathing, evidently occasioned
by obstruction in the air-passages.
102 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PERCIVALL informs us that the true polypus is at-
tached to mucous membranes, and is usually found in
the nasal cavities. He tells us that attending the diffi-
culty of breathing is a mucous discharge from one or
both nostrils, sometimes attended by a discharge of
blood. Occasionally, however, pure blood runs con-
tinuously from the nose. Inspection in a full light dis-
POLYPUS
wires tHe loses, higher or lower in the nostril, the rounded base
NOSTRIL.
of a polypus.
Treatment.—The services of a veterinary surgeon are, as a
matter of course, here needed. The patient must be cast and the
head fixed in a position so as to take advantage of the light. The
operator then passes into the nostril and around the tumor an in-
strument called an ecraiseur, which will remove the tumor without
loss of blood. If the instrument is not at hand, the surgeon will
pass a ligature around the base of the tumor, and in the course of
a couple of days it will be detached. PERCIVALL recommends
that, in bringing down the tumor for operation, we must not use
any great force. The pedicle being but a duplicature of the skin,
and not a portion of the polypus itself, may be divided anywhere.
Jn some cases, the polypus is so high up within the nostril that,
in order to get at its base, it becomes necessary to make an incis-
ion through the wall of the nostril.
CHABERT, in his “ Veterinary Instructions,” relates the follow-
ing: “A horse in a cavalry regiment had been gradually losing
flesh, and was quickly and painfully blown at every little exer-
tion. Fetid matter began to run from his off nostril, and the
gland correspondent enlarged. The horse was supposed by the
sergeant-farrier to be glandered, (there being no veterinary sur-
geons then in the French service,) and was treated accordingly.
After a time, to the confusion and astonishment of the man, a
fleshy substance began to appear in the nostril, and which rapidly
increased in size. At length a great mass protruded, and the far-
rier cut it off. No benefit followed; the nostril was still stopped,
the breathing laborious, and the horse daily became thinner and
weaker. After the lapse of a twelvemonth, the case attracted
the attention of M. Tears, the surgeon of the regiment. He cast
the horse and slit up the nostril, when he not only found it com-
pletely filled with polypus, and the septum narium bulging into
the other division of the cavity, but, from long-continued inflam-
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 103
mation and pressure, it adhered to the membrane of the nose in so
many points, and so extensively, that it was impossible to get
round it or move it. He contrived, at length, to pass a crucial
bandage around it, and it was torn out by main force. Jour con-
siderable portions of the turbinated bones were brought away with
it. The hemorrhage was excessive. He however filled the nos-
tril completely with tow, and brought the divided edges of the
false nostril together by sutures. In three days they were all
torn out by the incessant attempts of the animal to get rid of the
obstruction; but the horse eventually did well. The polypus
weighed two pounds seven ounces.”
Gout&R relates a case of a horse who had in his left nostril a
polypus as large as a turkey’s egg, of a grayish color and glossy
surface, too high up to be reached with the finger, which prevented
his breathing on that side, and gave rise to offensive effluvium, to
enlargement of the lymphatic glands, but not to roaring. Go-
HIER slit up the nostril, and, with an iron rod with a notch upon
its end, contrived to inclose its neck in the slip-knot of a liga-
ture. In drawing this tight, however—which was, of necessity,
done in an oblique direction—the pedicle was cut through. Little
hemorrhage succeeded, although the tumor weighed twenty-four
ounces. The slit nostril was sewn up, and-cold water injected into
its cavity. A copious discharge from both nostrils followed, with
swelling of the lymphatic glands. This was met by proper treat-
ment, and in fifteen days the patient was sent out of the hospital.
BRONCHOCELE (COMMONLY KNOWN AS ENLARGEMENT OF
THE THYROID GLANDS, OR GOITRE).
Bronchocele, or enlargement of the thyroid glands, is a disease
which very frequently makes its appearance among certain breeds
of horses and sheep, and is supposed to owe its origin to heredi-
tary predispositions and influences. It is also very prevalent
among members of the human family. It seems to acquire a
home in certain localities in Derbyshire, England, where it is
said to be a very common disorder; but its occurrence in other
parts of that country is by no means frequent. Among the in-
habitants of the Alps, and other mountainous countries bordering
thereon, it is a disease very often met with.
The uncastrated animals seem to suffer, most. After they get
104 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
to be about eight years of age, the tumors acquire such magni-
tude that they press on the vocal organs, so as to decrease the
caliber of the larynx, and thus the animal becomes a “ roarer.”
Judging from what we know of the disease in the human subject,
the glands, while undergoing enlargement, do not occasion much
pain. The danger arises from mechanical causes, and the death
of the subject, if it occur, is due to asphyxia, or suffocation.
Among horses there are very few fatal cases on record. The
reverse is the case as regards sheep. When these glands are
much enlarged, and the animal is near or past the adult age, it
is very unsafe to attempt their removal by means of the knife;
for at this stage they are highly vascular, and the arteries which
run into them are much enlarged. ‘The operation has been suc-
SHOWING THE TUMOR OF BRONCHOCELE IN THE REGION OF THE THROAT.
cessfully performed on lambs, but it must be done when they are
quite young, and the artery must be secured before the gland is
extirpated, or the animal will bleed to death in a few seconds. It
is well known among the members of the profession that the dis-
ease is incurable; and the same remarks apply to all hereditary
diseases, yet the growth of the glands may be retarded by means
of local and constitutional treatment.
The thyroid glands are two ovoid bodies, varying in size from
a filbert to an egg, located in the region of the thyroid cartilage
(throat), one on each side of the trachea (windpipe). Their at-
tachments are cellular. When cut into, they exhibit a porus tex-
ture, highly vascular, well supplied with blood-vessels. Very
little is known of their physiology. They are called vascular
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 105
glands without ducts or outlets, and thus they correspond with
the spleen, thymus gland, and supra-renal capsules, all of which,
when in active operation, are largely supplied with blood. As
regards the function of each, they may be supposed to separate
certain materials from the blood, and only differ from ordinary
glands in not having a direct outlet. Consequently, not knowing
the precise part which the thyroid glands play in the animal
economy, it would be very unwise to remove them, when their
enlargement, in some cases, amounts to little else than an “ eye-
sore.” Their enlargement is generally the consequence, and not
the cause, of disease. Men, horses, dogs, and cattle of the scrof-
ulous diathesis, are known to have what may be termed chronic
enlargement of these glands, and this peculiarity would seem to
indicate that the thyroid glands are somewhat associated with the
lymphatic system. Then, again, we find these glands enlarged
in cases of throat and lung difficulties—in catarrh, influenza, dis-
temper, etc.—so that their extirpation would not remove the
original difficulty. In such cases they decrease in size as soon
as the original malady ceases. The enlargement is not then of
a permanent character.
Treatment.—Should the enlargement appear to exist independ-
ent of febrile symptoms, twenty-five grains of the iodide of
potassium may be given daily, in water (which the patient will
not refuse to drink), and a small portion of the ointment of
iodide of potassium may be rubbed on the enlargement, with
decided advantage :
No. 16. Iodide of potassium............+-.. 1 part.
IVAIls obocooga DOOO oKOODCOS sc eeces - 8 parts.
Mix.
On the Action of Iodine-—Iodine and its compounds are the
principal agents used by veterinary surgeons for the treatment of
glandular affections, and they supersede, to a certain’@xtent, the
preparations of quicksilver, in the form of mercury, which are
apt to be absorbed into the system, and thus produce mischief.
Mor ton, in his “ Manual of Pharmacy,” thus alludes to iodine:
“The action of iodine and its compounds is markedly seen on
glandular structure, and newly-formed and abnormal growths.
For the latter they seem to manifest a decided preference, which
renders them so valuable as therapeutic agents. Their influence
is that of a stimulant to the absorbents; and by means of these
106 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
vessels, when those agents have been long and injudiciously given, —
it is recorded that the mamme of women and the testes of men
have almost disappeared. A case illustrative of the effects of
iodine on the glandular system was related by Mr. Wardle, who
employs this agent largely, and with considerable success. He
had been for some weeks exhibiting the iodide of potassium, and
also applying it externally to a bull for an enlarged parotid gland.
The reduction of the swelling having been accomplished, his at-
tention was directed to the testicles of his patient, which had be-
come so much diminished in size; and it was also found that the
animal had no desire to copulate. Jour months generous feed,
however, effectually restored the parts to their pristine state.
In chronic enlargements of the submaxillary, parotid, mam-
mary, and other glands; in tumors of long standing; for thick-
ening of the integuments, and indurated swellings about the joints,
in all our domestic animals, and for unhealthy ulcerated surfaces,
the use of iodine and its compounds is indicated, combining both
their internal and external employment. The latter should be
accompanied with friction; and so soon as soreness is induced, the
application of the compound must be suspended. A desquama-
tion, or scaling off of the cuticle, or skin, usually follows this, and
a reduction of the swelling will soon after be perceptible. Unfor-
tunately, it is too often the case that, if the expectations of the
practitioner are not at once realized, the agent is discarded as use-
less. Now, the compounds of iodine rank among those substances
whose operation is slow, but which, at the same time, constitute
an important class, as their effects are permanert.”
INFLUENZA, OR EprzootTic CATARRH,
Influenza is a disease of a catarrhal character, always accompa-
nied by gréit weakness or debility. It is apt to migrate from one
tissue to another, and thus produce various complications. In sta-
bles that are badly ventilated, or over-crowded with horses, the
malady is apt to make sad havoc, and assume a malignancy ending
in typhoid or typhus fever.
In some cases the heart or lungs become congested, and thus
their function is embarrassed. The blood accumulates carbon, the
heart fails to propel, and the lungs to vitalize the blood. This
state demands stimulants of a character that shail excite vital action,
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 107
and tend to effect chemical changes in the blood. The most valu-
able agent, in this view, is carbonate of ammonia. In veterinary
practice this agent is considered as one of the most valuable diffu-
sible stimulants. -It acts first on the nerves of the stomach, and
through them excites the whole nervous system. It may be given
in doses from one to three drachms, either in the form of bolus or
drench. Its stimulating influence over the heart and nervous sys-
tem may be increased by the addition of one or more drachms of
good Jamaica ginger. This treatment may be continued until
congestion subsides, which may be known by the fullness of pulse
and heat of the external surface of the body, and by other symp-
toms which usually attend fever in its inflammatory stage.
The exciting or stimulating plan of treatment must never be
entirely abandoned. To husband the powers of the system, and
thus guard against subsequent prostration, must be our chief object.
Although the case may require a sedative to-day, in the form of
two or three drachms of fluid extract of gelseminum, yet, in the
course of a very few hours, the prostration becomes so apparent that
we are again compelled to exhibit life-sustaining agents. Excit-
ants, or counter-excitants, are also, at times, needed externally.
Tf the patient has a deep-seated cough, strong liniment, composed
of oil of hartshorn (and sometimes oil of camphor), must be applied.
Often I anoint the parts with a thick paste, composed of mustard
and vinegar. The membranes of the fauces (throat) are exces-
sively sore; then the same course has to be pursued. At the same
time, a mucilaginous drink, composed of flaxseed sweetened with
honey, must be allowed. The nervous system must also be aroused
by the application of the above liniment to the spinal column.
At another stage of the malady, diaphoresis (increased perspiration)
must be excited by clothing the body with flannel, and drenching
with a preparation known as solution of acetate of ammonia, to
the amount of six or eight ounces per day, until the skin feels soft
and warm. In case edema (local dropsy) of the body or extremi-
ties sets in, the patient then requires diuretics. One or two ounces
of sweet spirits of niter, or two ounces fluid extract of buchu, may
be given in linseed tea, until the kidneys respond, and the secretion
of urine becomes augmented. The bowels are sometimes inactive,
but that inactivity may be corrected by adding to a bran-masb
from four to six drachms of fluid extract of mandrake. Occa-
sionally the patient becomes uneasy, paws with his fore-feet, and
108 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
evinces signs of abdominal pain. In that event, he should have
two or three drachms of fluid extract of Indian hemp. ‘These
latter symptoms indicate danger, showing that the bowels are
congested, and the result may be mortification of the same.
The following case, occurring in the author’s practice, goes to
show that influenza may sometimes be followed by an acute disease
of the brain, pleurisy, etc.: The patient was a bay gelding, aged
about eight years. The groom informed me that the disease was
ushered in by a shivering fit. Soon a discharge from both nos-
trils ensued. The throat became sore; cough and _ laborious
respiration followed, and the animal became so weak that it was
almost impossible to back him out of the stall. He ate but little,
and in the act of drinking, the water returned through his nos-
trils. The treatment was commenced in the usual manner, by
administering tonics and stimulants, which seemed to have a good
effect on him. He also received enemas of soap-suds; yet, not-
withstanding, symptoms of pleurisy supervened. He appeared to
suffer much pain, and was very unwilling to have the region of
the chest explored. The least pressure on the region of the inter-
costal spaces would cause him to grunt or groan with pain. The
pulse was active and wiry, and the visible surfaces were much
reddened. I administered a full dose of powdered niter, and
twenty drops of aconite; and fearing effusion into the chest, I
plastered the walls of the same with hot vinegar and mustard.
The latter made the patient very uneasy, and he cut up all kinds
of capers. In the course of a few hours I repeated the dose, and
left the patient for the night. Next morning I again visited him,
and was informed that he had made several attempts to get up in
the manger. I noticed that his head was elevated, and the eyes
fiery red. He acted wildly and showed decided symptoms of
phrenzy. On attempting to administer a sedative, the animal
went into convulsions, and I was compelled to make my escape
from the stall as quick as possible. He soon got his fore-feet over
the tops of an adjoining stall, five feet in height, remained there
for a short time, when he scrambled over and fell like a log right
into the next stall. I never expected to see him rise again; but
after a few minutes, with some assistance, he got up. I gave him
twenty drops of aconite. During this day the frantic animal
went over a stall twice in succession, and fell very heavily each
time on his back, yet did not appear to have suffered any injury.
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 109
Most of the time he appeared frantic, yet unconscious ; and just
before going into a convulsive fit, he would stamp with his fore-
feet, continuously toss up his head, his neck being the seat of
spasmodic twistings. Next day the symptoms had not altered
much, and, during my examination, he pulled back, broke a por-
tion of his manger to which he was tied, and fell head over heels
on the floor. During the forenoon he became more calm, and lay
on the floor, yet would occasionally jerk his head backward, and
have slight convulsions. I continued the prostrating plan of
treatment, only exhibiting smaller doses, and soon the patient began
to improve. The membranes of the eyes, mouth, and nostrils as-
sumed a more natural appearance; then the plan of treatment was
altered, and the patient received tonics and stimulants, which soon
resulted in convalescence.
Among all the cases that have come under my care and observa-
tion, I have neither found it advisable nor necessary to practice
_ the antiphlogistic treatment, in so far as it relates to bleeding and
purging; and I can not conceive a case, so depressing as influenza
is known to be, that would require any such heroic treatment.
The safety of our patient depends on the judicious application of
remedies such as are here named, and, therefore, I would warn the
farmer against the use of fleam and cathartic in the treatment of
influenza. Yet, after all, the best treatment may fail in restoring
a patient. We require aid in the form of pure air, suitable diet,
and good nursing. Failing in the latter important adjuncts, our
treatment avails but little.
Influenza is a disease accompanied by a discharge from the res-
piratory, conjunctival, and schneiderian membranes; and the
organs of respiration themselves are more or less involved, as
shown by cough and soreness of the throat, lassitude, fever, thirst,
and loss of appetite. Now, if the term influenza means any thing,
it signifies epidemic catarrh, and the cases alluded to were not of
this character, but quite diverse, indicating a low congestive state.
Still, the majority of cases that we have seen do appear to be noth-
ing more nor less than influenza; but if the above diseases appear
simultaneous with the latter, there is danger of persons making
great mistakes in the treatment, for it is very apt to run into
typhoid fever.
110 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
TypHus or TypHoID AFFECTIONS.
The veterinary surgeons of England have hitherto maintained
a remarkable silence on the subject of typhoid affections occurring
among horses; and so late as the year 1850, Mr, PERCIVALL in-
forms the world, through the pages of the “ Veterinarian,” that in
London very little is known about such disease. In view, there-
fore, of lighting up the dark spots that exist in our department on
this side of the water, we furnish a translation from the French, by
Mr. Perctvatu. The article is a selection from a prize memoir
written by a distinguished surgeon. It is preceded, as the reader
will perceive, by a review from the pen of the translator, who
Says:
“Tn the ‘Collection of Memoirs and Observations on (French)
Military Veterinarian Hygiene and Medicine,’ which we have so
lately been engaged in examining, are contained two prize
memoirs—one on Farcy, the other on TypHorip AFFECTIONS
in horses.* On the latter of these we would make a few remarks,
if it were only for the reason of showing what is meant to be un-
derstood by such imposing titles. Typhus and typhoid are words
but rarely heard in our own country in connection with veterinary,
or at least with hippiatric, medicine. Our old writers on farriery
described fevers in horses as very destructive in their character,
requiring antiphlogistic treatment:
“<< Tynhus Fever.—A disease touching which we (the author) are
“in possession of but few observations, and one that has been, and
still is, in our opinion, mistaken for and confounded with either
enteritis or gastro-enteritis—in cases, for example, in which its
consequences are of little importance—though, perhaps, with pu-
trid fever, when, on the other hand, malignant and exhibiting
extraordinary violence, its progress is rapid and its termination
fatal. In its most benignant form, typhus fever, indeed, bears so
great a resemblance to pure inflammation of the primary intestinal
passages, that it is often difficult, very difficult, even to distinguish
them. As for the cause which occasions it to be confounded with
putrid fever, it is no matter of astonishment to us, since, in our
opinion, one fever possesses, in many respects, so great an analogy
*The reader will find an article on Typhus Fever, but in an enzoétic form, in
“The Veterinarian,” vol. xxii, p. 462.
DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 111
with the other; while typhus itself, through causes which remain
latent up to the present hour, is, like the gastro-enteritis of 1825,
dangerous, fatal, and epizootic. In general, typhus fever begins
without any warning, though there are times in which its ap-
proach is marked by dullness and weakness, and a manifestation
of being easily fatigued, sweating through little exertion, etc.,
with loss of appetite.
Of the first stage, the most remarkable symptoms are either a
yellow redness of the pituitary membrane, or a dryness or a dis-
charge of viscous matter, which adheres in thick incrustations
around the ale of the nostrils, with, occasionally, an appearance
of drops of blood. The nostrils are more or less dilated, the res-
piration more or less frequent, according to the sharpness of the
abdominal pains, or the existence of a lamentable complication of
thoracic with abdominal disease. The ear applied to the wind-
pipe or to the walls of the thorax, almost always detects a well-
marked mucous rale; also there is cough, with full, strong, and
frequent pulse.
Tn the second stage, the mouth becomes dry, and sometimes dis-
plays aphthe or cracks of some depth. The tongue is red about
its point and along its sides, but its middle and base are of a deep
yellow tint. ‘The breath is tainted. When abdominal symptoms
are present, which is not always the case, they are sufficiently
well marked. The dung is either very hard, or it is, more com-
monly, liquid; sometimes it is bloody, and issues a fetid odor, the
debility frequently being such at this period as to cause constant
opening of the anus. The pituitary membrane is dry, and covered
with bloody points. The conjunctival membrane is reddened and
infiltrated, and, like the pituitary, presents petechial patches.
The pulse has not its force and fullness, ete. Some veterinarians
have remarked, at this period, upon the insides of the thighs those
little vesicles to which the name of sudamina has been given.
Urine scanty, possessing a remarkable fetor, and voided occasion-
ally with great pain; great dejection, and occasional stupor ; and,
ordinarily, at this period it is that the ataxic or adynamic symp-
toms set in.
In the third stage, the parotids tumefy and ulcerate. Any setons
or rowels that may have been introduced, or blisters, become so
many causes of mortification of the parts in which they have been
applied. And now the mouth becomes quite dried up; the tongue
112 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
acquires a horny feel, and turns brown; the gums and teeth are
covered with a dingy slime. Bleeding from the nose, which mostly
appears during the inflammatory stage, now returns. The pulse
becomes irregular and more feeble; cedema, sometimes consider-
able, of the extremities; great debility. The temperature of the
body sinks. The neck, belly, flanks, axilla, and groins become
covered with cold and clammy sweats; the tympanitis increases,
the evacuations being bloody and fetid to a remarkable degree.
The animal, continually in pain, exhibits symptoms of colic, often
seeking to lie down; but if he does, he soon rises again. Respi-
ration greatly accelerated ; nostrils widely dilated ; pulsations of
the heart tumultuous. At length, beginning to stagger, he falls,
either to die an easy death or to expire amid agonizing convulsions.
When, however, recovery in place of death follows, such symp-
toms as we have last detailed do not occur, or with only modified
force and character. When blood has been drawn for experiment,
under such circumstances, at a time when adynamic and biliary
symptoms prevailed, it has been found to contain but little hema-
tosine, but, on the contrary, a large proportion of serum, of a light
greenish hue. The disease may last from four, seven, or eight to
thirty days. Relapse is extremely likely, even under every pros-
pect of convalescence, unless great care be taken. The diagnosis
at the commencement is difficult, even impossible, when the char-
acteristic symptoms are but scantily and imperfectly developed.
The affections whose symptoms most resemble those of the dis-
ease before us are plegmasia of the intestinal tube, and particular
of the brain. Should sudamina be detected, they are, as in human
medicine, to be regarded as definitely characteristic of typhoid
fever. Prognosis, for the most part, unfavorable; and the more
so according as the nervous accompaniments are more numerous,
more violent, and more early in showing themselves; the stupor
great, the strength failing more, the pulse faltering, the diarrhea
ereater, more bloody, fetid, ete.
Our etiology is all at fault. In truth, we know not the deter-
mining cause of typhus. The post-mortem states are by no means
agreed upon by those who have reported them. Most agree that
the digestive canal exhibits the most constant and marked symp-
toms of disorder. The mouth presents marks of inflammation,
and, on occasions, aphthee or ulcerations, though commonly too su-
perficial to destroy the living membrane. The pharynx sometimes
DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 113
the same as the mouth; at others, nothing. The stomach is fre-
quently the seat of inflammation of a marked character. The
intestines also reddened, to more or less extent. The cavity of
the peritoneum, containing a citron-colored fluid, reddened, per-
haps, the omentum being at times almost entirely destroyed. A
liquid matter—a sort of bloody corruption of more or less consist-
ence—is often found within the cavities of the small guts; and in
those of the large, the cecum and colon in particular, are some-
times to be remarked red and black spots, or ecchymoses, buds of
smaller or larger size (glandes de Bruner) indistinctly planted over
the mucous surface.
Malignant or Putrid Typhus—(Typhus Charbonneaux.)—These
malignant and putrid affections, either constitutional, or, in some
instances, but local in their origin, ever of a highly acute nature
and of unequaled rapidity of progress, since not unfrequently they
cause death in a few hours, are of more consequence for us to be-
come acquainted with, as they are not only susceptible of being
communicated from one animal to another, but even from animal
to man, in whom, losing none of their malignity, they are likewise
most commonly mortal. Frequently sporadic, sometimes epizodtic,
but most commonly enzootic, these diseases at times assume so re-
doubtable a form that nothing can arrest their progress. Invading
farms or other extensive localities, they produce therein terrific
ravages; for, being susceptible under various forms, almost equally
fatal one with another, of prostrating a vast number of animals of
the same or different species, these affections determine, under vary-
ing circumstances, losses which, on occasions, desolate and com-
pletely ruin the country where they have broken out.
Such are the two especial forms of typhus fever which have
been observed among horse-kind—one of which would seem to
occur at times in practice without being sufficiently heeded or re-
cognized by veterinary surgeons in this country, while the other
may be said to comprehend those malignant epidemics by which
our cattle, if not our horses, have, of late years, been too fearfully
visited.’”
In the treatment of typhoid affections, we endeavor to give tone
to the system by furnishing nutritious diet, tonic, and stimulating
medicines. Ginger and golden seal, with a small portion of hy-
posulphite of soda, are the best remedies.
8
114 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
LC re iy
HY
PLAN OF A VAPOR BATH USED IN THE TREATMENT OF LUNG AFFECTIONS.
EXpLANATION.—a, represents a boiler originally erected for the purpose of supplying the infirmary
with hot water; c, is the main pipe issuing from the top of the boiler receiving the steam, and
conducting it, when not required for other purposes, into either a flue or the open air at b; e
and / are branch pipes from the main one (c), f being that which conducts the steam into a
worm (h), winding through a condensing trough (g); e, the branch pipe which conducts the
steam (prevented by stop-cock from going in the other direction! into the bath, the place of
admission (rn) being on one side, close to the floor, at a point intermediate between the horse’s
fore and hind feet while standing in the bath, with his head outside’ m is the bath, being a
horse-box, such as is used for embarking horses on board of ship. with the addition of a lining
of flannel, a roofing of hoops and tilting, and curtains over the doors. front and back, to pre-
vent the escape of steam. The box, being placed upon wheels. serves, besides being used as a
bath, for the transport of sick or lame horses; and, having doors at both ends, anda moveable
platform for the horse to walk in upon, is, in general, entered without any great deal of unwill-
ingness.
PNEUMONIA (INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS).
Inflammation of the lungs, known to veterinarians as pneu-
monia, is not apt to be so prevalent among horned creatures as
among horses, except, however milch cows, when they are located
in filthy, unventilated milking establishments. In such places
diseases of the lungs are often fearfully prevalent, raging as an
epizodtic, as it did a few years ago in the swill-milk establish-
ments of New York. It makes sad havoc when prevalent among
a large herd that may be confined in a barn or stable of con-
tracted proportions. All domestic animals require plenty of
room, as well as light and pure air; for it is now pretty clearly
demonstrated that the pleuro-pneumonia, which appeared in
Massachusetts, in 1860, on the premises of Mr. Chenery, arose
there spontaneously. His barn, or rather the basement, where
the cattle lived, was a room fifty feet square and only eight
feet in height. The walls on the north, and a portion of the
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 115
east and west sides, were composed of brick, and the remainder
of boards, with joints battened. On the south, east, and west
sides were glass windows; on the north side a door opened into
the vegetable cellar, and on the roof there was a sky-light. A
stairway led to the hay-loft above, another to the manure cellar
below, both closed by doors. The manure cellar was eight feet
deep, and extended under the whole room. In the winter and
spring of 1859 were confined forty head of cattle, arranged on
three sides, with their heads toward the center; and within that
center was another square, containing animals, so arranged that
almost all were brought face to face. The manure cellar, about
this time, contained from fifty to one hundred cords of manure,
with from ten to twenty hogs init. “This,” says Mr. CHENERY,
“was my condition in the beginning of the year 1860. I had
buried nearly half of my herd. I had experimentally acquired
a knowledge of the fact that, in order to keep animals alive and
in health, it was absolutely necessary that they should be supplied
with pure air as well as with good food and pure water.”
So far as the direct or indirect causes of pneumonia are con-
cerned, we may safely infer that crowding and a bad system of
ventilation includes them all. Yet, among horses, this disease
often originates as the consequence of laborious work and feats
of speed, which produces rapid and sometimes distressing respira-
tions; but among cattle, whose powers of speed and endurance
are not often put to the test, and whose natural respirations are
slower, we infer that impure air, and perhaps exposure, too, are
more operative than action or ill-usage.
The stimulating and morbid action of an impure atmosphere
may produce a disease of this character by its irritating effects on
the highly vascular membrane which lines the bronchi and air-
cells. But then we all know that impure air fails to decarbonize
the blood ; hence it is rendered unfit to enter the system. It has
been noticed, however, by the drovers of the East, that when cat-
tle have been driven a long distance without food, and in tem-
pestuous weather, they are apt to become the subjects of diseased
lungs. Fortunately for the poor brute, pneumonia is not so pain-
ful as bronchitis, pleurisy, or laryngitis; and having passed through
the acute stage, which is usually brief, it assumes a mild or sub-
acute form, and ends in altered structure of the lungs, known as
induration (hardening) or hepatization (liver-like), or it may end
116 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
in pleurisy, and ultimately dropsy of the chest. I should judge
that cattle, when the subjects of pneumonia, suffer less than horses,
from the fact that the former will lie down during the progress of
the disease, and the horse is scarcely, if ever, known to do so until.
shortly before he dies. In the horse, this malady occasionally
takes a metastatic turn; that is, the disease is translated to the feet
or brain, producing an affection of a very formidable and acute
character. Among cattle, however, such translation is very rare.
Forms of Pneumonia.—Puneumonia is divided into several stages
and forms, but as such refer more to its degree or intensity, I shall
only inform the reader that pneumonia may exist either as a con-
dition of congestion or of inflammation. Congestion signifies a
distended or plethoric state of the blood-vessels of the substance
of the lungs, and slow motion of the blood; and it sometimes
sets in as suddenly as that form which is termed inflammatory ;
among cattle the former form is more prevalent. In the conges-
tive stage the symptoms are those of embarrassment—the blood
courses through its vessels sluggishly, and there is not that activity
of the heart and lungs which is noticed in inflammatory pneu-
monia.
Symptoms of Inflammation of the Iungs.—There are many symp-
toms attending lung disease which are common to various other
forms or affections. These must be inferred ; for, by detailing
them, I might only confound the non-medical reader, and render
the diagnosis difficult, and, perhaps, impossible. The symptoms,
in the early stages, are such as are usually observed at the com-
mencement of febrile diseases, viz.: coldness of the extremities,
and slight shivering fits; loss of appetite; labored respiration:
pulse variable, and the mouth hot and clammy ; the animal heaves
at the flanks, is rather unwilling to move, and the fore-legs are
widely separated, while the head is held in a drooping position.
As the disease progresses, these symptoms vary more or less, and
the appearance of the membranes of the mouth, nose, and eyes
may vary from the color of bright scarlet to that of a leaden hue.
In congestive pneumonia, the pulse is more voluminous, yet less
active, than in health, or in acute disease. A cough, slight or
active, as the case may be, is usually noticed ; it is a sort of deep-
seated, half-suppressed one, and sometimes it is the first symptom
which calls the owner’s attention to the ailing animal.
Treatment.—It is important, at the commencement of the treat-
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 117
ment, that the patient shall be placed in a comfortable shed or
barn, where pure air abounds; for, under such circumstances,
the codperation of Nature in the cure of the malady is secured.
Should the disease be of an acute character, it will be accom-
panied by quick or labored respiration, and a strong, wiry pulse.
In that event, I should give two drachms of the tincture of gel-
seminum. The brisket and sides of the chest are to be rubbed
occasionally with mustard and vinegar. This acts as a counter-
irritant, and diverts the blood from the lungs to the surface. It
was customary, in former years, to bleed and purge almost all
animals when attacked with acute pneumonia; but as the mor-
tality was then very great, and less under a more rational sys-
tem, we are led to believe that bad treatment was the cause of
our want of success. Two or three doses of gelseminum, given
at intervals of six or eight hours, will, together with the elapsed
time, have a tendency to modify the affection. Then active medi-
cation is to be suspended, and we immediately give life-sustaining
agents, which consist of pure air, water, proper food, tonics, and
stimulants. The best tonics and stimulants that I know of
are powdered golden seal and ginger, equal parts. Dose, half
an ounce night and morning, as a drench; or two ounces, night
and morning, of the fluid extract of resin weed may be substituted.
The animal should have one ounce of powdered chlorate of potass
every twelve hours, until it is evident that convalescence is ap-
proaching, or has actually set in, when it may be discontinued.
The best way to administer the chlorate of potass, is to dissolve it
in a few quarts of linseed tea, or an infusion of slippery elm,
which should be kept in a bucket before the animal until he has
partaken of the whole of it. The chlorate of potass is also indi-
cated as a valuable agent in the treatment of all lung affections,
including pleuro-pneumonia and pleurisy ; its use is to be discon-
tinued, however, when the urinary secretion becomes much aug-
mented, or it may overwork the kidneys. Chlorate of potass acts
as a sedative to the nervous system and to the circulation, and is a
stimulant to the digestive organs and kidneys. For all cases of
congestive pneumonia, or when the surface of the body is cold, as
well as the limbs and ears, warm stimulants are indicated—ginger
and golden seal; and, if possible, the body and limbs should be
clothed, for the purpose of maintaining the natural heat of the skin,
and of producing an equilibrium of the circulation; for when an
118 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
equilibrium in the circulation of the blood is secured, then con-
gestion ceases to exist. :
I would caution my readers not to place too much reliance in
art and medicine for the cure of disease. The physician does
much good when he practices rationally—constitutes himself the
servant of Nature, does her bidding, and does the system no harm
in the use of poisons and meddlesome medication. In the treat-
ment of many forms of curable disease it is often a question of
time; they will “have their run.” Hence, what we most need
is patience, great faith in Nature, and a moderate degree of faith
in drugs. The great trouble is, our instruction derived from text-
books and veterinary institutions of learning tends to develop
héroic notions of medicine and its powers, and to depress those
more potent remedies, the vitalizing and reanimating forces of
Nature. A case of heroism of this kind, as an example, I must
now relate, in order to illustrate my position :
Mr. 8 , of Chicago, bought of Mr. P. a fine, promising
young gelding, aged about eight years. The purchaser had used
him during a period of five weeks with perfect satisfaction. Sud-
denly the newly-purchased animal became sick, and the services
of a noted blacksmith were secured. The man of “tongs and ham-
mer,” realizing that the patient was the subject of the prevailing
influenza, gave the patient “ fits,” in the form of the administra-
tion of a physic ball. He then abstracted two gallons of blood.
The horse grew no better very fast. In consequence, he got more
medicine. Purgation set in, which continued for twenty-four
hours, when the horse died, The lives of many valuable animals
are thus sacrificed. Finally, those men generally become the most
distinguished who soonest emancipate themselves from the theory
of the heroic schools of medicine.
The plan of treatment here recommended may appear to some
of our readers as very simple. That is just what we claim for it.
It is the simplicity of the practice which makes it really valuable,
because such a system harmonizes with the law of Nature, and does
not oppose her forces, which are always operating physiologically
for the restoration of the sick and infirm; and it is our business,
as rational physicians, to aid Nature in all possible ways. This
is the kind of knowledge that we require—how to aid Nature, or
give her the required assistance; and, in view of obtaining that
information, we must read the great book of Nature, as its leaves
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 119
are unfolded to us in the various departments of her great domain.
We must altogether abandon a blind faith in doses of poisonous
medicines and bleedings; otherwise, all our efforts are as but a
withering simoom. Tor example, over seventy thousand head of
cattle have lately perished of what has been called the “ rinder-
pest,” in and around the great city of London, which is claimed
to be the model seat of veterinary learning for all British sub-
jects. It is probable that the heroic practice there taught has
something to do with this tremendous mortality; for we learn
that a more simple plan of treatment has been inaugurated by
another class of physicians, whose medicines are almost inert, and
they have been more successful than the advocates of setons, blis-
ters, sedatives, and narcotics, not forgetting their “ sheet-anchor,”
calomel—as Napoleon observed, in derision, when on the island
of St. Helena, “ Bleeding and calomel for ever!” Simple, sana-
tive medicines act potently, yet silently, after the fashion of
Nature’s workings; so that we should never attempt to force her
to adopt our system of cure for that of her own.
PLEURISY.
Pleurisy signifies inflammation of the pleura. This membrane
lines the internal surface of the chest, and furnishes a covering
to the organs within the chest. It also serves to divide the
chest into two cavities, which are known as the right and left.
This membrane is similar in its texture and function to that
which lines the cavity of the abdomen. Both are serous mem-
branes, secreting, on their inner surface, a lubricating fluid, which
guards against friction. This membrane is the seat of pleurisy,
and pleurisy consists of inflammation of it.
Causes.—It may be presumed that the ordinary causes which
produce affections of the lungs are operative in the production
of this malady, viz.: exposure, by which the surface of the body
becomes chilled; injuries in the thoracic region; over-work; an
impure atmosphere; a plethoric state of the system; in short,
any cause which is likely to produce an inflammatory affection
in other parts of the body. I have known horses become the
subjects of this malady that have been confined. to the stable
for weeks. Such cases are clearly traceable to plethora, want of
exercise, and impure air. It is possible that some animals inherit
120 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
a predisposition to pleurisy. It has been noticed that animals of
the sanguine temperament are more prone to the malady than
others of different temperaments. Hence, the only way to prevent
pleurisy is to try and keep up a good standard of health in horses,
by affording them a chance to have regular exercise, pure air in
the stable, and a fair allowance of good wholesome food. Pleurisy
in the horse is very apt to end in hydro-thorax, or dropsy of the
chest; and the case that I am now about to offer will illustrate
this, as well as the symptoms and treatment.
Case of Pleurisy and Dropsy of the Chest.—A few months ago I
was requested to visit a gray gelding, the property of a Mr. Waldo.
The animal had been out of health for a week or more, suffering
from a slight attack of influenza, but was improving—so thought
the person who was in medical attendance; but the owner thought
otherwise, and decided to secure my services.
Symptoms.—On examination, the following symptoms were
found present: Pulse, wiry; respirations, quick, laborious, and
accompanied with a slight grunt, indicating pain within the chest.
When pressure, ever so slight, was made on the sides of the chest,
it elicited very decided symptoms of pain. The animal would
occasionally turn its head toward the sides, as if to inform us of
the seat of his sufferings. Dropsical swellings were observed un-
der the chest and belly, and the hind legs were also dropsical, and
the vascular surfaces of the mouth and nose were tinged slightly
yellow; the feces were scanty, and the urine was high-colored ;
the appetite was much impaired, but the patient was very thirsty.
On the strength of the condition of the animal, and the presenta-
tion of the above symptoms, and percussion revealing water in the
chest, I informed my employer that the case was one of pleurisy
and dropsy of the chest. It is probable that water had been accu-
mulating in the chest for several days, and that the pleura was
involved at the commencement of the malady.
Treatment.—Dropsy of the chest is a very formidable disease to
treat, and there are but few cases of cure on record; yet, I think
if such cases came early into the hands of educated surgeons, and
they use life-sustaining agents in view of husbanding the powers
of the vital forces, more cures will hereafter be recorded. The
treatment of this case was as follows: I rubbed the sides of the
chest occasionally with a portion of camphor dissolved in olive oil,
and gave, morning and evening, during a period of seventeen days, -
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. it
thirty grains of iodide of potass in two ounces of fluid extract of
resin-weed root; an occasional dose of golden seal was given as a
tonic. The iodide of potass acted on the system as a glandular
stimulant, and thus increased the power of the absorbents and ex-
crementitious vessels, to rid the chest of its fluid contents, while
the resin-root acted as a diuretic, thereby carrying off some of the
fluid by way of the kidneys. During the period of the sickness
of this animal, the resonance of the chest gradually became clear,
so that at the end of three weeks not more than a couple of pints
of serum remained in the chest. The animal rapidly convalesced.
During the treatment of such a case as the above, I usually feed
the animal liberally on oats and sweet hay ; and, in order to obyi-
ate constipation, I order an occasional bran-mash. The animal,
however, may not, at the commencement, have much relish for
food, but after a few doses of the medicine here recommended have
been given, the appetite will soon be restored. It will be noticed,
during the progress of this malady, that the animal does not lie
down, but stands with the fore-legs widely apart, although, at the
very commencement of acute pleurisy, the subject will often get
down, in view of mitigating the lancinating pain from which he
suffers, in consequence of the distension of the vessels of the pleura.
Pleurisy sometimes sets in as an accompaniment of influenza,
which almost always ends in dropsy of the chest ; and as a case of
this kind is a good one to place on record, I here introduce one
from my note-book:
Pleurisy ending in Dropsy and Death.—The horse, the subject
of the above-named maladies, was the property of a milkman of
Chicago. The animal had been previously treated for the prevail-
ing influenza, accompanied by pleurisy, and had about recovered
so as to take daily exercise; but finally the owner discovered that
the horse was suddenly taken with a relapse. Feeling alarmed,
he procured one pint of linseed oil, with which he drenched the
animal. Still, the horse rapidly grew worse. At this period, my
services were sought. On auscultating and percussing the chest,
I found that the right cavity was occupied by a large quantity of
water. Dropsical swellings were found in various parts of the
body, viz.: the sheath, limbs, and region of the pectoral muscles.
On applying the ear to the trachea, the respiration was of a mucous
character, and tubular, showing that the lungs were much diseased,
The examination revealed the fact that about one-half the left lung
122 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
was involved in disease. The animal had no appetite, yet was
thirsty ; and when urged to move, would utter a grunt, indicative
of pain. It was evident that the relapse was, or might be, con-
sidered a case of pleurisy, ending in effusion into the chest. The
worst feature of the case was that the animal purged violently
(liquid stools), having a very strong odor of linseed oil; it covered
a large space on the floor, and ran down his hind extremities,
This seemed to me to render the case hopeless ; for super-purgation
of itself will often cause the death of an otherwise well animal.
But this poor creature was laboring under a malady from which
few ever recover. However, I thought that while “there is life
there is hope,” and I commenced the treatment by performing
the operation of tapping for dropsy of the chest. I drew off
three and a half gallons of fluid, of a light straw color, from the
right cavity of the chest. On auscultating the chest, both sides
appeared resonant, showing that the waters must have occupied
both cavities; hence, the mediastinum (the membrane which di-
vides the thorax into two equal cavities) must have been ruptured,
thus permitting an influx and reflux of the fluid. Next, counter-
irritants were applied to both sides of the chest. The patient was
properly clothed, tonics and astringents were given, and the case
was left in the care of an attendant for the night. Next day I
found the patient was respiring very comfortably. The tapping
of the chest seemed to have done much good, yet the purging still
continued ; so I ordered scalded milk and charcoal, and adminis-
tered tonics and stimulants, as before. But it was very evident
that the animal must die of super-purgation, and next morning I
received word that death had taken place. It was unfortunate,
under the circumstances, that the owner should have given linseed
oil; for it is a very powerful irritant and cathartic, and produces
much irritation and inflammation on the surface of the interior
of the stomach and intestines, as well as uncontrollable purga-
tion. It is a remedy which is very quickly absorbed, and finds its
way into the blood in a very few minutes, as the following case
will show: I once gaye a horse a dose of linseed oil for the pur-
pose of experiment. (He happened to be in good health, or I
should probably have lost him.) Ten minutes after administer-
ing the dose, I applied a linen handkerchief to the highly organ-
ized membrane lining the eyelid, and both the odor and color of
the oil could easily be detected. On exposing the handkerchief
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 123
to a moderate degree of heat, for the purpose of evaporation, a
grease spot remained on the same; hence it is an agent that should
never be used in pleurisy, nor in any disease occurring in the or-
gans of respiration. Dropsical diseases, supervening on influenza,
are never benefited by cathartics, for they always lead to debility
and prostration. Influenza is a disease of very prostrating char-
acter; hence the proper plan of treatment is to sustain the vital
power, by nourishing diet, tonics, and stimulants—ginger and
golden seal. While commenting, however, on the linseed oil
treatment, I do not wish to censure the owner of the animal; for _
I should be throwing stones into glass houses, having myself, in
former years, used and recommended this kind of oil for various
diseases ; but, after many mishaps, I am satisfied that it is unsafe
in the treatment of equine affections.
PERICARDITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE PERICARDIUM).
The pericardium is a membranous sac, which surrounds and
incloses the heart. It is composed of two layers, united by cel-
lular tissue. The external layer is dense and fibrous, and is
attached, by ligaments, to the sternum, or breast-bone and dia-
phragm, and above to the roots of the large blood-vessels. ‘The
internal layer exhibits internally a smooth surface, like the lining
membrane of the cavity of the chest. From this surface is secreted
a serous fluid, which lubricates the heart, and protects it from the
friction which would otherwise occur. The pericardium is a wall
of defense for the heart, and keeps it in its proper position.
Pericarditis signifies inflammation of the inner membrane of
the pericardium. It is a disease which is almost unknown to the
ordinary practitioner in this country, and entirely unknown to
the husbandman; yet it is a disease that carries off a large number
of horses and cattle, and often the parties concerned in the treat-
ment and ownership of the animals do not even suspect the true
nature of the malady. After the inflammatory action of the per-
icardium has reigned for several days, unsuspected and un-
checked, an inordinate effusion from the serous lining takes place.
We then have dropsy of the “heart-bag.” Water accumulates
around the heart, which interferes with its action so as to put a
stop to circulation, and this results in the death of the animal.
Pericarditis often accompanies, or is the sequel of, pleurisy and |
124 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
other diseases of the serous membranes; yet, fortunately for the
patient as well as the practitioner, it does not require any special
treatment other than that laid down for pleurisy and disease of
other serous membranes.
Causes.—The causes of pericarditis are the same as those which
are said to be operative in the production of pleurisy and disease
in the serous membrane, viz.: sudden impressions of cold upon |
the external surface of the body; injuries; overtasking the pow-
ers of the animal by laborious and rapid work. Sometimes
foreign bodies, such as pins and needles, have been found within
the pericardium, which must have been taken into the stomach
with the food, and have worked their way so as to penetrate the
pericardium and heart. Such cases almost always prove fatal.
Symptoms.—The general symptoms of the disease are anxiety,
shivering, coldness of the skin and mouth, loss of appetite; the
jugular veins are congested, and they pulsate like an artery ; there
is a sort of tinkling or metallic sound, when the ear is applied to
the chest and lower part of the neck. In the latter stages the
respiratory murmur becomes very indistinct, and there is a sort
of double expiration, and the ribs become contorted, the same as
in dropsy of the chest.
Treatment.—The heat of the external surface of the body must
be restored, and kept uniform by means of leggings and body
clothing. Both sides of the chest are to be briskly rubbed, two or
three times daily, with hot vinegar and strong mustard. One
drachm of iodide of potass, dissolved in five ounces of warm water,
should be given every four hours; but, should the case be seen,
and the true nature of the malady discovered in its early stages,
omit the iodide of potass, and substitute two fluid drachms of tine-
ture of gelseminum. ‘Two or three doses, at intervals of four hours,
will suffice; then resort to the iodide of potass, or substitute for
the same four drachms of chlorate of potass. So soon as the animal
appears to improve, discontinue the above-named medicine, and
give tonics. Four drachms of fluid extract of golden seal, twice
daily, will suffice.
A fatal case of pure pericarditis is related by Mr. WoopcEr,
V.S., in the London “ Veterinarian.” The autopsy revealed a
healthy state of the lungs and pleura; yet the pericardium con-
tained about three quarts of serum, highly colored. The walls of
the pericardium were considerably thickened, and studded with
DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY PASSAGES AND ORGANS. 125
merous bands of lymph, on the inner surface, of a bright yellow
color. Several small patches of inflammation were likewise ob-
served on the ventricles of the heart, near the valves of this
organ. The heart itself was also larger than usual, and much
softened.
HEAVES.
A disease prevails among horses, more particularly in the
Eastern States, known as heaves. The affected animal heaves at
the flanks, or, rather, performs what is known as abdominal respi-
ration, by bringing into play, at the moment of expiration, the
abdominal muscles, for the purpose of aiding the lungs and dia-
phragm in the function of expiration and respiration. The
disease somewhat resembles asthma, it being of a spasmodic
character, and, after continuing for some time, will suddenly
disappear. The disease may be defined as being great diffi-
culty in breathing; continuous; aggravated, by dust on the road,
musty hay, improper provender, impure air, and sudden atmos-
pheric changes. On applying the ear in the region of bronchi, '
or to the upper sides of the chest, a wheezing sound of respira-
tion is heard. These symptoms, together with the heaving motion
at the flanks, constitutes heaves. When the disease is merely
functional—that is to say, brought on by feeding musty hay and
musty clover—a cure is affected by feeding prairie hay, which
contains the well-known silphyum, “resin weed.” The husband-
men who reside in the vicinity of where the resin weed grows
are well acquainted with the properties of this plant, and they
declare that it is a specific for the treatment of asthma or heaves,
I have used the article in the form of fluid extract, prepared from
the root, and I find it to be a very valuable remedy. ‘The dose
of the fluid extract is two ounces, morning and evening. There
are some cases, however, which are incurable, owing to organic
disease of the bronchi, or rupture of air-cells in the lungs. Such
cases are known by the unnatural respiration when the horse is
drawing a heavy load or traveling up hill. His breathing is then
very distressing, and he not only brings into play the abdominal
muscles, but also the muscles of the chest (intercostals). Such
cases, although considered incurable, may be palliated by the daily
use of fluid extract of resin weed. Provided prairie hay can not
be obtained as food, the ordinary hay used should be sprinkied
126 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
with salted water, in the proportion of a handful of salt to one
bucket of water. Sprinkling the hay with weak lime-water has
also a good effect. Sliced carrots, parsnips, or potatoes, fed occa-
sionally, are also beneficial. But, of all our remedies, none equals
a run at grass on prairie lands,
MAIN ARTERIES ON THE INSIDE OF ONE OF THE FORE-LEGS, FROM
SHOULDER TO KNEE,
EXPLANATION OF PLATE.
1. Humeral thoracic, 7. Brachial.
2. Axillary. 8. Branches of the triceps.
3. Internal thoracic, 9. Ulnar branches.
4, Dorsal scapular. 10. Spiral branches.
5, External thoracic. ll. Radial branches.
6. Humeral. 12, Metacarpal arteries, large and small.
SECTION V.
DENTITION AND DIET.
THe Horse’s AGE AS SHOWN BY HIS TEETH—ON THE Diet oF HorsES—THE EFFECTS .
OF VARIOUS KINDS OF Foop—AS REGARDS THE QUANTITY OF FooD REQUIRED—
AS REGARDS CHANGES IN DIET—CONCLUSION.
Tue Horsr’s AGE AS SHOWN BY HIS TEETH.
IGURE 1 is a representation of a foal’s “ mouth,” as it ap-
pears at the age of twelve months; the temporary teeth are
shown, and all, except the corner ones, are worn quite smooth.
(See remarks on temporary teeth.) Figure 2, a two-years old;
the two anterior, or front temporary teeth, are shed, and the per-
manent ones, with their deep pit in the center, and unworn edges,
TEMPORARY TEETH OF THE COLT. TWO YEARS OLD.
are approaching a level with the remaining temporary. Figure 3,
a three-years old; the two permanent middle teeth are seen, with
their deep pits, etc., and are nearly on a level with the two front
permanent teeth, which are smoothed down. Figure 4, a four-
years old; the permanent corner teeth are now “ cut,” and the
tushes have appeared, although the latter may not appear until
(127)
128 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
five. Figure 5, a five-years old; the corner teeth are well up;
the faces of the front and middle are worn more or less, and
the tushes are more developed. Figure 6, a six-years old; the
black marks have disappeared from the two front teeth, and a
Fig. 3.
THREE YEARS OLD. FOUR YEARS OLD.
brownish mark is perceivable. Figure 7, a seven-years old; the
black marks have now disappeared from the two middle teeth, and
a brown spot is seen in the center. Figure 8, an eight-years old ;
the marks and cavities of the corner teeth are now effaced. Fig-
ure 9 is a horizontal view of “ Black Hawk’s” incisors, and, con-
FIVE YEARS OLD. i SIX YEARS OLD.
trasted with figure 10, (a young mouth,) shows the degree of
inclination existing between the incisors of the aged and young
animals,
Tue Cout’s Mourn.—Remarks on the Temporary Teeth. (In-
cisors.) In the course of from ten to fifteen days after birth (varying
DENTITION AND DIET. 129
occasionally), the front nippers in the upper and lower jaw make
their appearance, and, during the period, which occurs between
the third and fifth week, the middle incisors appear. Between the
seventh and ninth month the lateral or corner teeth are cut. The
Fig. 8
SEVEN YEARS OLD. EIGHT YEARS OLD.
colt is now in possession of a full set of temporary incisors. These
temporary, or “milk” teeth, differ from the permanent ones by
being much smaller and (previous to shedding) whiter, having on
their anterior or front surfaces grooves or furrows; also a well-
defined body, neck, and slender fang. They also present oval
surfaces anteriorily, or in front; and within the mouth they are
concave. Their surfaces are generally uniform and smooth, and
resemble the eye of an English horse-bean.
HORIZONTAL VIEW OF OLD BLACK HAWK’S INCISORS AND TUSHES.
THE PERMANENT TEETH.—Constitutional idiosyncrasies are
often operative in hastening or retarding dentition, and the char-
acter of the food, whether it be natural or artificial; and the
9
130 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
mode of obtaining the one or the other makes considerable differ-
ence in the wear and tear of the same, consequently we must
bear in mind that the popular theory of “ age” is sometimes more
arbitrary than truthful, and allowances for the same must be
made. At the age of two, or a few months over, the front perma-
nent teeth ought to appear, and, consequently, at the age of three,
varying a few months, the middle teeth are up. At four, varying
as in the preceding cases, the corner teeth begin to show them-
selves, and are not up square with the others until the fifth year.
The animal now emerges from colthood, and is known as a horse.
As regards the female, during her minority she is termed “ filly ;”
at five she enters the adult stage, and, consequently, is denomi-
Fig. 10.
A YOUNG HORSE’S MOUTH.
nated a mare. Supposing the horse to have a full set of nippers,
or incisors, at the age of five, the marks, or black incrustation,
will have so worn away at six as to leave a faint brown mark.
At seven, similar appearances have taken place in the two next,
or middle, teeth. At eight the marks, or rather the cavities, of
the two next, or corner teeth, are now about obliterated, and the
face of the teeth are nearly level, and the central enamel is nearer
the inward than the outward border. After the marks have all
disappeared in the lower jaw, the exact age can not clearly be
shown. At the age of nine the front teeth appear somewhat
rounded; the middle and corner ones contract their oval faces,
and the central enamel diminishes and approaches the inward
border. At ten the middle incisors resemble those at nine, and
the central enamel has approximated the inward border and is
rounded. At eleven the middle teeth resemble those at ten, and
DENTITION AND DIET. 3
the central enamel is almost worn off. At twelve the corner tecth
take on the triangular form, and their central enamel is very con-
tracted, and a yellow mark is left. At thirteen the sides of the
front teeth thicken, and they begin to assume a triangular appear-
ance, and the whole incisors of the lower jaw complete the trian-
gular form at the age of seventeen. At eighteen the front tecth
are somewhat flattened from side to side; the flattening goes on
in the middle and corner teeth, and is completed at the age of
twenty-one, giying them the appearance of a reversed oval. As
regards the marks in the upper incisors, they disappear from the
front teeth in the course of the ninth year, from the middle in the
tenth, and from the corner or lateral ones in the eleventh year ;
A PORTION OF THE LOWER JAW OF OLD BLACK HAWK,
(Aged twenty-three years and eight months.)
and as the animal increases in years, the upper corner teeth be-
come indented or notched. The inclination of the teeth enables
us to form some idea of the horse’s age. In a young horse, the
teeth are upright (see fig. 10); after the age of eight they gradu-
ally become horizontal, (see “ Black Hawk’s” mouth,) and the
upper teeth overlap the under ones, and thus wear off their outer
edge,
THE TusHES, oR CANINE TEETH.—Between the ages of four
and six the tushes, which, in the male, are four in number, make
their appearance. In shape they are conical, with a sharp point,
and curved. On the inside there are two furrows, which com-
mence at the base and meet at the apex, leaving a triangular
eminence between them. The sharpness of the apex, the degree
of curvature, and the distinctness of the furrows are good crite-
Yions of youth; for, as the animal advances in years, the tushes
132 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
become blunt, less angular, and more rounded, and the furrows
have disappeared. Supposing that the tushes are not completely
evolved until the age of five; in the sixth year the apex of the
cone is worn some; in the seventh the furrows grow shallow; in
the eighth year they are obliterated, after which period the apex
gradually wears away, and the body of the same becomes rounded
and pointed, or blunt, according to circumstances. Aside from
the teeth, an aged horse may be known by the deep pits above the
orbital processes; the sunken eye ; by the prominence of the joints
and loss of plumpness in the muscles; the lips are somewhat pen-
dulous; the withers sharp; the back becomes arched ; the teeth
are lengthened, and become yellow.
Fig. 12.
& PORTION OF THE UPPER JAW OF OLD BLACK HAWK,
(Aged twenty-three years and eight months.)
THE GRINDERS, or MoLArs, afford but very little information
as regards the precise age of a horse. As he advances in years,
however, the outer edges become sharpened, so that it often be-
comes necessary to rasp them. As regards their development, it
is understood that the foal is born with two upper and lower
grinders in each jaw. At the end of a month, sometimes more, a
third appears. At the completion of the first year, or thereabouts,
a fourth grinder in each jaw appears. Thus the yearling has six-
teen grinders. At the age of two, a fifth grinder appears, and at
the age of three the sixth and last appear. It must be remembered
that cribbers and voracious feeders are apt to deface their teeth,
and thus some persons are apt to be deceived as regards the exact
age; but a good judge, who takes into consideration not only the
appearances of the surfaces, but also the marks, points, and the
inclination of the teeth, will not be apt to make any grave mistake.
DENTITION AND DIET. 133
On THE Diet oF Horses—(MEN oFTEN DIG THEIR GRAVES
WITH THEIR TEETH, AND THE SAME IS TRUE AS REGARDS
HorsEs) — VARIETY OF Food NECESSARY — EFFECTS OF
CERTAIN KINDS OF Foop— AS REGARDS THE REQUISITE
QUANTITY, ETC.
It is admitted by medical men, and the experience of the reader
may possibly have confirmed the fact, that a great proportion of
the diseases occurring among live stock are produced, either di-
rectly or indirectly, by errors in diet; consequently the means of
prevention should be known, and used accordingly.
No special form of diet can, for any great length of time, pre-
serve the integrity of the animal system. In order to substan-
tiate this assertion, we shall show the effect of simple elementary
principles on the body of man, inferring, at the same time, that
man’s servant, the horse, is included. The reader has probably
heard of the experiment made by Napoleon Bonaparte, which
was that of trying to supply the nutritive wants of his system by
living on a concentrated preparation of beef, in the form of jelly.
He gave it a fair trial, yet came very near starving on the same;
and he was led to remark that the stomach was a sort of scav-
enger, which required a given amount of rubbish to sort from,
and select the necessary elements for renovating the tissues. He
probably selected jelly because it is highly nutritious, containing
more of the flesh-making principle than most articles of food.
It was rich, not only in nitrogen, but also in oxygen, hydrogen,
and carbon, four of the principal elements which compose the
animal fabric.
The fact is, no single article of diet, let it be ever so rich in the
elements of organized tissues, can long support life. A nation of
men subsisting long on a simple form of diet, without variety,
would soon become emaciated, and die of innutrition. Let the
Grahamites abstain from milk, and live on bread and water, and
they would soon exterminate themselves. Milk is a highly nu-
tritious compound, and furnishes their systems with the equiva-
lents that we obtain from beef and mutton. The inhabitants of
the “Celestial Empire” (Chinese) are great consumers of rice.
It is the principal article of diet among the poorer classes, many
of whom are lank and lean, and would make very respectable
134 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
walking lanterns, (if lighted candles were placed within their
abdomens), only they happen, occasionally, to catch a stray dog
or pig, on which they make a savory meal, and thus furnish the
material for the formation of muscle and fat.
MAGENDIE has proved that even the canine race can not live
more than forty days on any single article of diet, let it be ever
so nutritious, for it is either followed by starvation or disease ;
hence the necessity for variety in food. In allusion to disease
being produced by the long-continued use of a single article of
diet, I would mention that the Scotch peasants are great con-
sumers of oat-meal. This article is little inferior to wheat in the
flesh-making principle, and we might naturally infer that an arti-
cle of diet so valuable and palatable, when properly cooked, should
tend to promote health. This, however, is not the case. Those
who eat the most oat-meal are, according to medical testimony,
the notorious subjects of intestinal concretions, and in the Edin-
burg Anatomical Museum is to be seen a vast and valuable col-
lection of intestinal calculi, most of which caused the deaths of
confirmed oat-meal consumers.
Dr. CARPENTER, an eminent physiologist, says that “no fact
in dietetics is better established than that concerning the impos-
sibility of long sustaining health and life on a single alimentary
principle. Neither pure albumen, fibrine, gelatine, gum, sugar,
starch, fat, nor oil, taken alone, can serve for the due nutrition of
the body. This is partly due to their failing in supplying the
waste of the tissues, and partly to the fact that single alimentary
substances, long continued, excite such a feeling of disgust that
the animals experimented on seem to prefer the endurance of
starvation to the ingestion of the same.”
The reader is probably aware that when a person has long been
confined to any particular article of diet, a craving for something
else is experienced, which very few persons can resist. This
teaches us that, in order to preserve the health of live stock, we
must vary the diet, and are not to be over-particular in selecting
the most nutritious articles. But we want, as Napoleon says, a
little rubbish—coarse rubbish. The internal surface of the stom-
ach and bowels require to be irritated once in awhile, and this
probably was the idea which Graham had when he first recom-
mended coarse food. The stomach must be made to labor hard
at times, or its function will deteriorate. Persons who complain
DENTITION AND DIET. 135
of weak stomachs and dyspepsia are those who live on dainty
viands, and seldom, if ever, distend that organ to a healthy
capacity with coarse material. Consider, for a moment, the con-
dition of Spanish and Italian peasants. They have not much of
our national disease (dyspepsia) among them. The bread that
they eat is made of coarse material ; yet with that, and the addition
of a little oil, wine, and a few vegetables, they can indure greater
fatigue, and often carry a heavier burden than he who lives on
more concentrated food. We may distend the horse’s stomach
with coarse food. and, perhaps, not impair its function so much as
when overburdened with meal and concentrated food.
The stomach must be made to work for a living once in
awhile. Hard work agrees with it, and coarse fodder stimulates
and develops its latent powers, and augments the gastric secretion,
which is the active solvent of the food. Labor operates on the
stomach in the same manner and in the same ratio that it does
on the brain or muscles—increases their capacity. Compare, for
example, the brawny arm of the mechanic with that of the count-
ing-house clerk, or the powerful muscles of the truck and farm-
horse with those of the pet saddle-horse. This comes of work,
hard work. See the king of birds, the eagle, towering above and
beyond the sight and ken of man, darting, with almost lightning
speed, from mountain to valley, buffeting the rude shocks of
heaven’s artillery. He acquires strength of muscle and wing by
extraordinary exertion and desperate feats of flight. After the
same fashion we develop the mental faculties, augment protracted
mental labor, close thought, and study, light up the intellectual
nature of man, and develop the latent powers of his brain; and
the more his mind acquires, the greater and more varied are its
powers. )
It must be borne in mind, however, that the various functions
of the body require periods of rest; for, should a horse be permit-
ted to stand up to a full crib, and spend the greater part of the
day and night in cramming his stomach, disease, sooner or later,
must surely occur. The same is true as regards man. Let an
individual gormandize through the day, and then indulge in a
late supper, and continue the practice, he soon acquires a sympa-
thetic headache, or the stomach grows refractory, and casts up the
burden, for the simple reason that its function is overtaxed. It
must have rest. The same rule applies to the muscular and men-
136 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
tal natures. If, therefore, hard labor develops the function of
either, rest, at suitable intervals, preserves their integrity, and,
therefore, must not be disregarded.
In selecting food for working animals, we must remember that
they require certain inorganic equivalents, which seem to be as
necessary for the support of the system as nutriment. Salt, for
example, is not nutritious; yet neither man nor brute can long
exist without it. Common salt, chloride of sodium, is decom-
posed in the stomach, and is there found in the form of muriatic
acid and soda. The former is supposed to aid digestion, and the
latter eliminates bile. Neither is phosphorus (found in straw)
nutritious, yet that article is absolutely necessary for the support
of animal life. It is an element of both vegetable and animal
organization. The former absorbs it from the soil, and, in turn,
yield it to animals, by the process of digestion. Oats and beans
are nitrogenous compounds, flesh-making equivalents, yet they
furnish only one part in a thousand of the article we need—phos-
phorus; while cut straw, potatoes, and several other “inferior”
vegetables, contain more than double the quantity of the same;
so that a horse must eat such rubbish as straw, potatoes, carrots,
beets, and “stubble,” in order to supply the necessary material.
Then consider that sulphur, iron, chlorine, lime, potassium, mag-
nesium, and several other mineral substances, not in the least
nutritious, are alike necessary for the support and integrity of
the living organism, and, therefore, should be the elements of
food. Some articles furnish the needful in abundance; in others
there is a deficiency. This supplies another argument in favor
of variations in diet.
A lecturer on physiology has remarked that “there exists a
peculiar analogy between vegetable productions and living ani-
mals. Animal and vegetable fibrine—albumen of eggs and the
gluten of wheat—contain about 15 per cent. of nitrogen, so that
they are somewhat identical. If you take 100 lbs. of flour and
wash it in water, frequently changing the same, you get 15 Ibs.
of gluten. This is the flesh-making principle, and represents 15
lbs. of the albumen of flesh. The gluten of flour, caseine of cheese
and peas, albumen of eggs, and the flesh of an animal contain
also a relative amount of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; so that
the flesh of animals is already prepared for them in the vegeta-
ble world. The digestive organs of animals merely change the
DENTITION AND DIET. BES 47,
mieevanical form and condition pp the former ; their chemical com=-
position remain about the same.’
THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS KINDS OF Foon.
It is customary, in some stables, to feed horses, nearly all the
year round, with what is known as “ cut feed,” which is composed
of cut hay, meal, shorts, salt, and caneidere ble water; the whole
is mixed together, and served out, sometimes, without regard to
quantity. This kind of food might, and sometimes does, agree
with horses, but it is not right to feed them, year after year, on
the same, for the reason just set forth. Another reason for ob-
jecting to this food is, that, in the stables alluded to, we hear
of a great many cases of tympanitis and flatulent colic (diseases
somewhat identical), arising, no doubt, from the presence of so
large a quantity of water as some persons are in the habit of
using. It saturates the food, and retards digestion. Not only
this, but when dry food, highly charged with water, enters the
stomach, the temperature of the latter causes the food to swell—
increase in bulk—and distends that organ, and also favors fer-
mentation instead of digestion; hence arises flatulency. We do
not, however, mean to contend that such food is at all times the
direct cause of indigestion, colic, etc., because many stablers are
ready to testify that they have fed the same for many years with-
out any apparent inconvenience to their horses; but we contend
that it acts indirectly in the manner alluded to; and, although
some horses may “ get used to it,” and others, having wonderful
digestive organs, assimilate it, yet the day of reckoning may not
be far off. We contend that water taken with food always retards
digestion. The proper solvents of the food are the gastric fluids,
and the horse has abundant facilities for supplying the requisite
quantity. An ordinary horse is said to secrete, while feeding,
fluid, of salivial and gastric characters, at the rate of one gallon
per hour—enough, we should judge, to saturate a common meal ;
therefore the water is not needed. We urge no objection against
the more rational custom of merely sprinkling the food with salted
water, in view of absorbing dust, which often abounds in inferior
hay, but do seriously object to the practice of using a large quan-
tity of culd water in the preparation of food for horses.
From experiments made by scientific men, it has been ascer-
138 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
tained that parsnips, carrots, turnips, and cabbage, which contain
from 80 to 90 per cent. of water, require over twice as much time to
digest as when the food is free from water. Cabbage, for example,
requires twenty hours, and broiled beef-steak only eight, to digest.
Turn a cow into a luxuriant pasture of grass or clover, and, after
partaking of one or the other, she is liable to become “blown” or
“hoven”—tympanitic; the abdomen becomes enormously dis-
tended with gas, (either carbonic acid gas, or sulphureted hydro-
gen,) and, unless the same be condensed or evacuated, rupture and
death are sure to follow. This imperfect digestion and consequent
generation of gas is due to the presence of vegetable fluids found in
green fodder. Therefore, animals having weak digestive organs,
predisposed to flatulency, should have the privilege of watering
their own food with salivial fluid. The best diet for such an ani-
mal would be “dry feed,” composed of ground oats, cracked corn,
“fine feed,” and a small quantity of sweet hay. On the other
hand, a constipated state of the bowels always indicates coarse
food; and in this view the English use chopped straw and coarse
bran, with decided advantage. Animals should never be watered
immediately before nor after meals, after the lapse of an hour
from feeding time is the best.
AS REGARDS THE QUANTITY OF FOOD REQUIRED.
The adult horse does not require so much of the flesh-making
principle as the young and growing animal, but he seems to require
a greater variety. The adult merely requires enough to replace
the waste—the wear and tear of his system. If he obtains more
than this, the surplus is either excreted from the body, or else
stored up within the same in the form of fat; and every body
knows that a fat horse or fat man are not best adapted for a race
nor hard labor, but of all others, (except those in a state of de-
bility,) they are most subject to acute disease. With the young
and growing animal the case is different. Here we require bone,
muscle, and nerve. Oats, corn, and pollard furnish the same.
The colt obtains from its mother’s milk all the elements of its own
organization in a concentrated form—all that seems necessary for
developing bodily proportions and hereditary traits; therefore,
when weaned, the colt must be furnished with the same equivalents
in the form of fodder: ground oats, wheat bran, and meal furnish
DENTITION AND DIET. 139
the same. It is the young and growing animal that requires our
greatest attention. If our readers desire to raise colts that shall
remunerate them for the trouble and expense incurred, they must
feed the same, during their minority, with a liberal hand. Any
neglect at this period can never be made up in after life. The
subject will always remain lank and lean—living monuments of
their master’s folly or ignorance, as the case may be. In addition
to the food required for the colt’s growth, we must also furnish
enough to supply the waste incurred by expenditure of muscular
power. Weall know that the young are very active and playful.
Every muscular movement involves an expenditure of vital force,
and thus exhausts the system; therefore, in view of developing
their full proportions, and promoting the integrity of the living
mechanism, they must have nutritious food, and plenty of it. They
are not, however, to have a large quantity at a time, but little and
often. heir stomach is small, not larger than that of a man’s.
Should it be overdistended with innutritious food, the organs of
respiration and circulation become embarrassed, and the blood
loaded with carbon. They require food often, because the diges-
tive organs are very active, and soon dispose of an ordinary meal.
Then comes the sensation of hunger, which every one knows is
hard to bear.
The climate or temperature of the surrounding atmosphere has a
wonderful effect on the animal machine. Let two horses be located
in different stables, one of which shall be, like “Jack Straw’s”
house, neither wind-tight nor water-proof; the other built on
the air-tight principle. The occupant of the former will require
more food than he of the latter, because cold air has a depressing
influence on the body, exhausting superficial heat. Our readers
are probably aware that if a hot brick be placed in contact with
a cold one, the caloric radiated from the first is absorbed by the
latter, until a sort of equilibrium be established. The same is
true as regards the body of a horse. He being in an atmosphere
many degrees less than that of his own body, gives off the heat
of the same to the surrounding medium. The heat thus given
off has to be replaced by food, which is the combustible material.
But it often happens that the digestive organs are deranged, in-
capable of assimilating a sufficiency of carbonaceous material to
maintain even the normal temperature of the body. The conse-
quences are, loss of flesh and health. On the other hand, a fat
140 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
horse can endure the depressing influences of a cold atmosphere,
because he has within the body a vast generator and non-conductor
of heat in the form of adipose matter. It has been proved that
the immediate cause of death in warm-blooded animals, when food
has been withheld, was their inability to keep up that temperature
necessary for the integrity of vital operations. The animal located
in an air-tight stable is, probably, surrounded by an atmosphere
almost equal in temperature to that of his own body, and, conse-
quently, he does not require so much food as the former. Hence,
the amount of food necessary in the one case might be too much for
another, and, consequently, operate injuriously. A cold, bracing
wind is said to “sharpen the appetite.” The inhabitants of north-
ern regions require more food than those of the southern. <A horse,
therefore, of weak muscular organization, the subject of debility,
requires a comfortable stable, and food that will develop muscles.
Now, it has been ascertained that horse-beans contain more of the
nitro-albuminous principles than any other article of diet. Eng-
lish horses are very partial to the same, and in such the develop-
ment of muscle is very remarkable; consequently, a fat horse
requires less of the nitro-albuminous principle, and more of the
aqueous, in the form of carrots, potatoes, and beets.
It must never be forgotten that some horses will keep in fair
working order on a moderate supply of aliment. In such cases,
we infer that the digestive organs are in a state of activity capable
of extracting all the nutrient properties from the same. On the
other hand, a horse performs less work than the former, consumes
twice as much food, yet actually loses flesh. The digestive organs
are then at fault. A horse, however, may lose flesh, become weak
in the legs, ete., in consequence of the laborious nature of his em-
ployment. Therefore, any derangement occasioned in this way
prevents the food from being converted into healthy chyme, chyle,
or blood, and thus the necessary deposit of new matter is pre-
vented.
Most voracious feeders are dyspeptic, and such are almost never
. free from intestinal worms. ‘Their breath becomes feted; saliva,
thick and tenacious ; excrement, slimy ; and should the subject be
fed on oats, the same would be found, after traversing the aliment-
ary canal, unmasticated, ‘The principal remedy for indigestion is
change in diet. Sometimes it may be proper to allow scalded oats,
although cooking does not add to their nutritive quality, yet, more
DENTITION AND DIET. 141
or less, completes the destruction of organization, and better pre-
pares them for the action of weak solvents,
Changes in diet will sometimes work wonders in the restoration
of a dyspeptic; yet he will require, also, suitable medicinal agents,
in view of augmenting the digestive function, for which purpose
the following is recommended :
No. 17. Fluid extract of chamomile...........0+6. 4 OZ
Fluid extract of ginger........ Melenet olatelarenn esi Oe
Powdered hyposulphite of soda..... cisileley an OZE
WENGER AG Gdcee doe oe geiecaok eeeccccceee O OZ
Mix.
Dose, a wine-glassful night and morning.
CHANGES IN DIET.
Sudden changes ‘in diet are not recommended. For example,
should an animal have been previously fed on corn, meal, or oats,
he should not be turned out to shift for himself, as the saying is,
and depend entirely on grass for a living. Grass acts on horses
unaccustomed to it as an aperient—scours them—which is a de-
bilitating process. Grass may improve the health of a fat, lazy, or
humory horse—reduce flesh and purify his blood; but the emaci-
ated horse requires, in addition, a daily feed of oats or cracked
corn, to make up for the deficiency of carbon in the former. For
these, and other reasons that we might urge, the reader will per-
ceive that changes in diet can only be made valuable in proportion
to our knowledge of the wants of the animal economy.
A great proportion of our horses are too well fed, obtaining more
food than they require. In this land of plenty, most of our valu-
able horses are overfed; and more especially does this happen
among animals owned by wealthy and liberal individuals. The
impression we wish to convey to the mind of the reader is, that
the food of such is not propertioned to labor; in other words,
there exists a disproportion between the amount of carbon taken,
in the form of food, and the oxygen received, in the process of
respiration. Now, to illustrate this, we will suppose that a man
engaged in mercantile pursuits owns one or more horses. He has
not the time nor inclination to give the one or the other the neces-
sary amount of exercise. They stand up to a full crib, from day
to day, enjoying, or, rather, gorging themselves with, a certain
142 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
amount of fodder over and above what they actually require,
and much more than they really need. The surplus is often stored
up in the form of fat, and this induces acute diseases, and they die
of too much food and care. It is very rare that we have occasion
to recommend a man to feed his horse more liberally, but almost
always the reverse. Starvation is said to be the cause for many
equine diseases; but, so far as our experience goes, such cases are,
in this country, very rare. We conceive the term starvation to be
a libel upon civilization ; and so unfrequent is its application among
a nation of husbandmen, that it is omitted in our dictionaries. A
man on a barren rock, or a horse in the deserts of Arabia, might
probably starve; but the idea of the latter starving in the vicinity
of a well-stocked barn or stable, within striking distance of a land
of plenty, seems to us a very absurd conclusion. There are enough
horses to be found dressed up in the garb of starvation, having
tight skins, prominent ribs, and a cadaverous countenance, living,
yet half dead. But they know nothing of the “ famine in Egypt ;”
they get not only enough, but too much of the same kind. They
probably require a change in diet, or else they are confirmed dys-
peptics, laboring under a chronic form of indigestion ; and if such
should be the case, quantity is objectionable, and good quality more
desirable. The stomach, however, is not at fault, its function being
deranged, Or they probably get enough, and perhaps too much,
for a weak stomach; hence loss of flesh, ete.
Some men are in the habit of bleeding their horses every spring.
This is done in view of reducing fat and flesh, the subjects being
humory (plethoric), their systems abounding in highly carbonized
blood, which is proof positive that the same have been overfed.
The racer, before he can perform a feat of speed, must be prepared,
as the saying is. This implies bleeding and physicking. Some
works on farriery lay down regular rules for putting a horse in
racing condition, and the remedies are fleam, physic, and bran,
proof positive that such animals have had too bounteous a supply
of nutriment.
Some horses—and the same is true of man—grow poor in con-
sequence of having to carry about a juvenile restaurant within their
digestive organs. They probably become exhausted, or plethoric,
as the case may be, in consequence of an overburdened stomach.
A stomach overburdened reacts on the nervous system, deranges
the physiological condition of the subject, and lays the foundation
DENTITION AND DIET. 143
for hypertrophy (which is an abnormal increase of fat or tissue),
or the opposite, which condition is known as atrophy—a wasting
of the same. But most frequently an overburdened stomach in-
duces diseases known as staggers, cerebral congestion, softening
of brain, ete.
Many horse owners are continually devising means to excite the
appetite of their horses, in order to get as much food as possible
into their stomachs. Some men seem to think that an error in
this direction can never occur; and should the animal refuse to
consume the abundance thus placed before him, the liberal owner
is apt to consider his pet sick, or think that he must have a poor
appetite. Now, it were far better, for both man and horse if the
former would only experiment in the opposite direction, and
ascertain how small a quantity a horse may subsist on. A small
quantity of good food, well digested, answers the purpose of nu-
trition much better than a large quantity, imperfectly so. It is
very interesting to contemplate how efficient a little food proves
for the promotion of health and longevity. For example, a little
barley and coarse fodder will suffice for the “ courser of the desert.”
Shetland and Welsh ponies will live and grow fat on the mere
vestiges of vegetation. The best cow in the world—the property
of J. H. Kelly, of Cleveland, Ohio, weighing 1,350 pounds—is
fed exclusively on hay and straw. Very poor fodder some may
exclaim ; yet in the course of ten months the same creature yielded
4,921 quarts of milk, and during a single month, after calving,
she gave 620 quarts, and the least she gave during the winter
months was 562 quarts. A pig will grow fat on small quantities
of the right kind of food, and yet lose flesh when suffered to gorge
himself with the same. Many swine, in the vicinity of coal mines,
consume both coal and charcoal, and little else, yet they thrive
well.
Evidences can be furnished going to show that both the superior
and inferior orders of creation might subsist on much less food
than they are in the habit of using, and without danger to them-
selves. Shipwrecked mariners have been known to exist several
weeks without food; and there is a man now residing in Illinois,
who, during a period of thirty-two days, never tasted food. The
sleeping man of Rochester is another example; and a case is
recorded in one of our medical journals showing that an individual
once lived for several months on nothing but pure water. As
144 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
regards horses, they form no exception to this peculiarity. We
might introduce evidence, convincing and positive, of their ability
to.endure the privations of hunger, and, at the same time, show
that they suffer but little from its effects. A single case will serve
to illustrate this. We once treated a case of tetanus (lock-jaw).
The subject never tasted food during a period of sixteen days; on
the seventeenth the masseters relaxed, and the faculty of swallow-
ing returned. At this period we might suppose him to be “ hungry
as a bear,” yet, on offering him a few oats, he did not appear to be
very ravenous, and partook of food subsequently offered him as if
nothing had happened. These are extreme cases, yet they go to
show that there is no cause for alarm because a horse happens to
be “off his feed” once in awhile. Such condition may ultimately
prove salutary, affording the stomach and its associates time to rest
from their herculean labors.
The fact that most of our adult horses get more food than they
need has been demonstrated by analysis of their excrement, which
has been found to contain a large amount of nutritious material
over and above what the animals actually need. We can develop
the gormandizing powers of very many horses, by placing before
them, from day to day, more than they require. Their appetites,
like some of ours, are not proof against temptation ; and the diges-
tive organs may be trained to dispose of twice the quantity of food
actually needed, and the habit, at first acquired, becomes perma-
ment, and the creature is known as a voracious feeder—a glutton.
Hence, through indiscretions of this character, we can augment
both function and capacity of stomach. We remember examining
the stomach of a horse, the property of a baker, who was in the
habit of feeding the former on brown bread. The animal died of
chronic indigestion, and his stomach exceeded in capacity that of
two ordinary horses. Great care, therefore, is requisite in regard
to the proper feeding of horses; for, in their domesticated state,
they have lost those natural instincts which serve to inform the
untamed animal of the necessary amount of food which his system
needs, and they are in the condition of a thoughtless child that
will eat all day, and, on retiring to bed, will crave and cry for
more.
Our readers have probably heard of the gormandizing propensi-
ties of natives in the arctic regions. Some of them think nothing
of bolting down twenty pounds of meat and oil per day, and
DENTITION AND DIET. 145
making a good supper on tallow candles. A case is related, by
Captain CocHRANE, of a Russian who ate, in the course of twenty-
four hours, the hind-quarter of an ox, twenty pounds of fat, and
drank a quantity of melted butter. He also states that he has
seen three gluttons consume a deer at one meal. But we need not
go beyond our own immediate vicinity to prove that the gorman-
dizing powers of both men and horses are equally extraordinary.
The corn-dealer’s bill furnishes one illustration; and the length-
ened meal which some of our young men indulge in, commencing
in the morning and only ending at night, completes the evidence.
Hence, with these facts before us, we may safely conclude that
errors in diet are constantly occurring, and, consequently, a great
many unnecessary diseases arise in consequence; therefore, we
recommend our readers to make an experiment in the opposite
direction, and ascertain how small a quantity of good food will
answer the purpose of nutrition. Should the quantity be insuf-
ficient for the animal’s wants, we shall soon be made aware of the
fact by loss of flesh and other unmistakable signs. On the other
hand, the error alluded to is not so easily corrected ; for the animal
may die, overburdened with fat, of an acute disease, before we can
reduce his system.
CONCLUSION.
The reader will perceive that in the management and feeding
of horses there opens a fine field of observation and improvement ;
yet, in order to apply that unlimited power which man seems to
possess over his own organization and that of the inferior orders
of creation, he must be conversant with animal physiology ; for
on this science alone do we base the problem of life.
Now, reader, after having presented this essay for your consider-
ation, pray do not find fauit with the stable-keeper because your
horse does not look fat and sleek. You had better trust to the
discretion of the man who, having been long in the stable business,
is perhaps better qualified than yourself to judge of the effects of
food under the states of rest and exercise, and knows how to grad-
uate the same accordingly. We frequently have occasion to notice
_that horses owned by stable-keepers are never so fat as the board-
ers—a very good proof that the latter get more than they require.
Some men are in the habit of ordering a given quantity, say six
or twelve quarts, of oats at a feed, whenever they put up, and the
10
146 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
feeder gives it. At the same time he is well aware that the animal
does not need it, yet he must obey orders; for should he suggest
that the quantity be too great, his motive may be questioned, and
wrong inferences drawn. Depend upon it, therefore, that when
the stabler, by a judicious system of feeding, prevents fat from ac-
cumulating on horses, he is conferring a favor on his patrons and
benefiting the animal.
As regards the number of meals per day, our own observations
satisfy us that working horses require three meals per day—a
bountiful, yet very early breakfast; at noon, a light meal, com-
posed of cut hay and oats; and at night the quantity may be in-
ereased equal to the morning meal. It is very poor policy to feed
or water on the road when performing a short journey ; yet, should
a horse seem to stand in need of something, we should not object
to a handful of oats and a few swallows of water occasionally.
SECTION VI.
GLANDERS AND FARCY.
GLANDERS—GLANDERS CAN BE COMMUNICATED TO Man—ConTaGIoUSNESS OF
GLANDERS—SUSPECTED GLANDERS—How CAME THE DISEASE TO BE CALLED
GLANDERS ?—DrIAGNosTic SYMPTOM OF GLANDERS—TREATMENT OF GLANDERS—
Farcy (DISEASE OF THE ABSORBENTS). ;
GLANDERS.
NE of the greatest evils which farmers and horse-dealers have
been subjected to, during the prevalence of our late national
troubles, was the sale of condemned army horses, many of them
being afflicted, either insidiously or actually, with that form of
equine affection known as glanders; for it is a well-known fact
that this terrible malady is, under certain circumstances or con-
ditions of the animal economy, both infectious and contagious;
hence the great evil.
For example, should a glandered horse be placed in a stable
where the principles of ventilation and of the admission of light
are entirely disregarded, the other inmates of the den, by continu-
ally breathing, over and over again, the contaminated atmosphere
which must necessarily occupy the same, will (provided their sys-
tems are susceptible) take the disease by infection ; that is to say,
the miasmatic virus finds an introduction into the blood through
the lungs and pulmonary circulation. On the other hand, glanders,
under almost every circumstance, can be communicated by con-
tagion or touch; that is, bringing the glandered nasal discharge in
contact with an abraded surface, including cuts and scratches.
GLANDERS CAN BE COMMUNICATED TO MAN.
Within the last quarter of this century, two veterinary sur-
geons—one residing in Walworth, and the other in Wolverhamp-
(147)
148 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ton—are reported as having died from inoculation of glanders.
This terrible disease is not often seen in Scotland, but very fre-
quently in England, and still more so in Ireland. From the latter
circumstance, the malady is often found to be imported about the
west coast of Scotland. London has always been rather renowned
for the prevalence of glanders among omnibus, cab, and other
SECTION OF A HORSE’S HEAD SHOWING ULCERATION OF THE SCHNEIDERIAN MEMBRANE, WHICH
CONSTITUTES THE DIAGNOSTIC SYMPTOM OF GLANDERS.
EXxPLANATION.—On contrasting the above picture with the one on the opposite page, the
reader will perceive, in the above, a number of dark spots on the Jining membrane of the
nose (schneiderian), showing the chancreous ulcerations which constitute the diagnostic
symptoms of glanders. ;
1. The cerebrum, or anterior portion of the brain.
. The cerebellum, or posterior portion of the brain.
. The spinal cord.
. Shows a section of the cervical vertebree, or bones of the neck.
. The cesophagus.
. The windpipe.
. The tongue.
9. Section of the occipital bone.
10. The schneiderian membrane.
11. A muscle known as the sterno maxillarius. It is located beneath the neck, and is in-
serted into the angle of the lower jaw and the front part of the breast bone. Its action is to
aid in closing the mouth and drawing the head downward toward the breast; one muscle act-
ing draws the head to one side. :
12. The frontal sinuses.
13. Section of the anterior portion of the upper jaw.
14. The hard palate.
15. The strong ligament of the spine known as the ligamentum sufflavium.
16. Section of the inferior portion of the cervical vertebree
TIA oF wb
horses. A very strict supervision is maintained, and all glandered
horses are destroyed when discovered; but nevertheless we can
state, on good authority, that the omnibus horses of London have
suffered very severely from this disease, and do so still. The par-
GLANDERS AND FARCY. 149
tial measures adopted by companies are not sufficient to eradicate
it, and the “ glandered night train” is not altogether a thing of the
past. The danger to human life is so great that we feel happy to
seize any opportunity to urge the adoption of the most effectual
measures for the suppression of any practice which tends to pro-
long the life of the glandered horse.
SECTION OF A HORSE’S HEAD IN A HEALTHY CONDITION—ITS ANATOMY.
Description.—a The lining membrane of the nose, known as the schneiderian membrane.
On its surface are seen the vessels which furnish it with arterial blood.
b The anterior portion of the brain, known as the cerebrum.
c The posterior portion of the brain, known as the cerebellum.
d The frontal sinuses.
e The tongue.
f Showing the velum palate, or soft palate.
g The back part of the mouth.
h The pharynx, or top of the cesophagus.
t The epiglottis, or cartilage at the root of the tongue.
j The glottis, or opening intc the windpipe.
k The cesophagus, or gullet.
1 'The trachea, or windpipe.
m The spinal cord.
n Junction of the cerebellum with the spinal cord.
op Showing a section of the cervical vertebre, or bones of the neck.
The dotted lines between a and g, show the direction leading to the trachea and cesophagus.
A fatal case of glander, reported in the Baltimore “ Herald of
Reform,” is as follows: Mr. I. P. Burus, a grocer, died a horrible
death in that city in consequence of poison communicated to his
system from a horse afflicted with glanders. During the admin-
istration of medicine, Mr. Burus thrust into the animal’s mouth
his hand, a finger of which had been previously cut, and the flesh
laid open. Through this wound the virus was absorbed, and mor-
tification supervened. A surgeon was called upon to amputate
150 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the diseased member. Perceiving, however, that the poison had
penetrated to every portion of the unfortunate man’s system, he
declined performing the operation, and stated that no earthly skill
could save him. After lingering in great agony, death closed the
scene.
Death of a Russian Lady from Glanders.—The awful death
of Madame Palesikoff, one of the most charming among all that
bevy of entertaining Russian ladies who sometimes gladden the
winters of Paris, has created a terrible shock among the circles
she so lately embellished by her presence. The unhappy lady left
Paris but a short time ago on asummer tour to Germany. While
stepping from the door of the opera-house in Berlin, to gain her
carriage, she let fall one of her bracelets close te the pavement.
Stooping to pick it up, she noticed, at the time, laughingly, that
“one of the horses belonging to a carriage standing at hand,
dropped his head so close to her face that he touched her, and left
a moist kiss upon her cheek.” In a few days the unfortunate lady
was taken ill with that most horrible disease, glanders, and in a few
days more, breathed her last, in spite of the attendance of the first
physicians of Berlin, and every resource to be obtained by wealth,
or by the ceaseless vigilance of friends.*
Still another case.-—Sidney W. M., aged 23, a horse-slaughterer,
residing at Plumstead, England, was admitted into Guy’s Hos-
pital, on March 13, 1861, under the care of Mr. Birkett. He had
always enjoyed good health, but he lived freely. Six days pre-
vious to his admission he cut his right hand deeply over the dorsal
aspect of the thumb. The wound bled freely, but he felt no in-
convenience from it, of any consequence, until the 10th. He then
had pain in the part, extending upward to the axilla, and also a
numbing pain in the calf of the right leg. His appetite was good,
and he had so little constitutional disturbance that he went as
usual to superintend the work which the accident had prevented
his carrying out. On the 11th the pain in the arm increased, and
that in the leg, on the 12th, extended upward to the thigh. This
had become considerably aggravated, and he then became gener-
ally indisposed, and was unable to stand. The following day he
applied for admission. He stated that he was extremely ill, and
that his limbs felt almost paralyzed. He was quite unable to
* Berlin Court Journal.
GLANDERS AND FARCY. 151
stand. He had constant rigors, a burning skin, white tongue, and
his pulse was 120. The wound in the hand was inflamed, and
the calf of the right leg and the thigh were swollen, and evidently
the seats of abscesses. These were freely opened, with relief. He
was ordered effervescing medicine, and two pints of porter. The
case was then regarded as one of pyzemia. On the 14th he was
much relieved. He had slept tolerably. The abscesses.discharged
freely, and he was able to take his food. On the 15th he was seized
with vomiting, bringing up a dark bilious fluid. His powers were
less. Wine was given freely. On the 16th the vomiting continued,
and he complained of a pain in the left thigh. An abscess was dis-
covered, on examination, which was freely opened. The man, at
this time, was physically in a very low condition. He took brandy,
egos, and other liquid nourishment with avidity. His manner was
peculiar, and somewhat excited. On the 17th another abscess was
opened in the left arm. On the 18th the left foot became the seat
of an abscess, and on the 19th, for the first time, a pustular erup-
tion was observed on the face and body, which suggested to Mr,
Birkett the probability that some animal poison was the cause of
all this mischief.
The eruption was peculiar, having no definite shape. It ap-
peared to be more like small irregular blebs, containing pus, vary-
ing from the size of a pea to asixpence. Some were round, others
oval, and others of an irregular form. Toward evening, also, his
breathing became much impaired, a bloody mucus obstructing the
nostrils, Toward night he became delirious; his powers became
less, the nasal discharge more profuse, and at 1.30, on the 20th, he
died. The eruption, some hours before his death, in parts, had
disappeared ; but in others a fresh crop sprang up, particularly
over the region of the sternum. These were, however, of the
same character, but smaller. No post-mortem examination was
made.*
CoNTAGIOUSNESS OF GLANDERS.
Mr. PEerctvaLu submits the following deductions, regarding
the contagiousness of glanders, as the result of facts gleaned from
his own experience:
“1. That farcy and glanders, which constitute the same disease,
* Medical Times and Gazette.
152 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
are propagated through the medium of stabling, and this we believe
to be the more usual way in which the disease is communicated
from horse to horse.
2. That infected stabling may harbor and retain the infection
for months, or even years; and although, by thoroughly cleansing
and making use of disinfecting means, the contagion might be
destroyed, yet it would not be wise to occupy such stables imme-
diately after such supposed or alleged disinfection.
3. That the virus, or poison of glanders, may lie for months, in
a state of incubation, in the horse’s constitution before the disease
breaks out. Of this we have had the most positive evidence.
4, That when a stable of horses becomes contaminated, the dis-
ease often makes fearful ravages among them before it quits; and
it is only after a period of several months exemption from all dis-
ease of the kind that a clean bill of health can be rendered.”
From the preceding evidence, it is probable that the reader will
entertain but little doubt of the contagious character of the malady ;
yet it is very important that every one, either directly or indirectly
interested in horses, or having any regard for the welfare of man-
kind, should be familiar with all that is important and useful as
regards the cause and nature of the awful malady now under con-
sideration. It is often mistaken for other diseases that (in so far
as contagion is concerned) are perfectly harmless; yet many valu-
able human lives have paid the forfeit, and many priceless animals
have been sacrificed on an altar of ignorance which the light of
science has but recently illuminated. Hence, correct information
is what the people require, in consequence of the emergency of the
peril; and this is what the author aims at in offering this article
for the consideration of the reader.
Many hundreds of times, during the professional career of the
author, have horses been brought to him for treatment, declared
by their owners to be the subjects of glanders, simply because they
had enlarged glands under the jaw, and a nasal discharge; and
by the successful treatment of the same, he has got the credit of
curing glanders, a feat which he never pretends to have accom-
plished. Mr. GAMGEE has very lucidly illustrated this part of
the argument, as regards the mistakes made in diagnosing glanders.
He states that glanders may be suspected, instead of being a real-
ity; hence, many supposed cures are on record. The following
are his remarks, under the caption of “suspected glanders” :
GLANDERS AND FARCY. 153
*Glanders is, fortunately, a rare disease in this country (Scot-
land), thanks to the pole-ax. Englishmen have long since advo-
cated and practiced the shooting of suspected animals, rather than
trusting the lives of men and horses to the chances of escape,
wherever cases of chronic nasal discharge are met with. The com-
mand officer and veterinarian of a British cavalry regiment would
consider it a great disgrace if such a disease acquired any firm hold
in their stables ; and in spite of occasional introductions of the dis-
ease when a number of remounts may be purchased, the unrelent-
ing order to kill rather than attempt to cure, saves the public purse
and the reputation of those responsible for the health and condi-
tion of our troop horses. I am as great an advocate for the
slaughter of glandered horses as I am for the slaughter of cattle
affected with rinderpest. Glanders is more incurable than the
cattle plague, as not even ten per cent. recover, but its commu-
nication is less certain and swift. It never could and never did
destroy its tens of thousands over a country in the short space
of time in which the steppe murrain spreads over the land, but
it is, nevertheless, wise and proper to stamp it out. We have not
indulged, as do our neighbors the French—who manage this
matter, at all events, worse than we—in wild theories as to the
transmissibility of acute and not of chronic glanders. We admit
it to be always contagious and always deadly, and prevent it kill-
ing by shooting its victims.
We must not, however, forget that there are hundreds—nay,
thousands—of cases of chronic nasal discharge which admit of
some diagnosis on the part of skilled veterinarians, and which
are erroneously set down as cases of glanders. Many of these
cases are condemned because they bafile the attempts to restore
them for a great length of time; and, unfortunately, in this
country many forms of nasal disease have been rarely cured,
simply because their nature has not been understood, and bold
surgical operations have been dreaded. I could relate the histo-
ries of many cases which have yielded to radical measures after
several veterinarians had pronounced the animals incurably gland-
ered—more to get rid of them, perhaps, than from a conviction
that they were suffering from the disease. I have seen as many
as half a dozen animals, in a stable containing a score of horses,
given up by practitioners because they had chronic discharge and
swollen glands; and in ten days or a fortnight all the animals
154 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
have recovered under the influence of nasal injections, and the
internal administration of tonics.
It is impossible to enter into details as to the diagnosis. of a
great variety of cures. I may mention, however, that the curable
discharges set out as incurable forms of glanders may be grouped
under six heads.
Ist. Fetid discharges from the nostril, owing to a carious tooth
and caries of the upper jaw. The fetor is characteristic.
2d. Intermittent discharges from an abscess in one of the tur-
binated bones within the nasal chamber. The swelling of the
nasal bones and flow of pus when the head is jerked upward are
diagnostic.
3d. Continuous or intermittent discharge from one or both
nostrils, from accumulations of pus in the frontal and superior
maxillary sinuses, indicated by the shape of the forehead and ab-
sence of resonance on percussion.
4th. Irregular discharge from the guttural pouches, brought
on by exercise, or seen when an animal is made to eat hay, oats,
a turnip, or carrots off the ground. As the head is depressed and
jerked, a somewhat fetid and often abundant purulent matter
flows freely.
5th. Discharges kept up by foreign objects in the posterior
nares, which are continuous and fetid.
6th. Chronic regular nasal discharge—pure ozena—dependent
on constitutional causes and defective management of acute ca-
tarrh.
All the foregoing varieties include the innumerable cases of
suspected glanders for which animals are wrongfully destroyed.
It is not every practitioner who can or’ would venture to open the
guttural pouches, or practice dissection on the bones of the face to
such an extent as we find requisite in overcoming deformities and
curing long-standing diseases. The longer these cases are treated
by any but the right plan, the greater the difficulties encountered
when surgical operations are determined upon ; and for this reason
even those who would not dare to cut should always strive cor-
rectly to diagnose the form of disease presenting itself. It is not
necessary to refer at greater length to the method of dealing with
the very various forms of disease above indicated.”
GLANDERS AND FARCY. 155
How CAME THE DISEASE TO BE CALLED GLANDERS.
PERCIVALL is our authority for the following explanation:
“The derivation of our word glanders is traceable through the
French language, from which we appear to have borrowed it, to
the Latin roots glandula and glans, the latter signifying any fruit
kernel, such as a chestnut or acorn; the former, its diminutive,
any small fruit kernel; and both afterward used in medicine to
denote the glands of the body, many of which—such as were then
so called—are small and comparable, both in shape and size, to
acorns or other kernels. Celsus applies the term glandula to a
swelling in the neck, supposed to be glandular; and Vegetius
uses the same to denote swollen glands ‘between the cheek-bones
and lower jaws:’ from his saying, however, that the glandules are
‘especially troublesome to foales,’ it would appear the disease he
meant to describe was not glanders, but strangles. The French
veterinarians, following the ancient phraseology, called a horse
exhibiting any submaxillary tumor or enlargement, glande ; not
with any special reference to glanders, but simply because his
glands or ‘kernels,’ as our farriers denominate them, had become
enlarged; hence, with the French, a horse was said to be glande
de gourme, as well as glande de morve and glande de farcin. It
seems to have been our English writers on farriery who have
restricted the application of the term to the foul and malignant
disease now known under that appellation. Before then, glanders
appears to have had no other meaning save that the horse had tu-
mefied glands, or that, in the farrier’s phrase, ‘his kernels had
come down.’ The French call the disease la morve. A horse,
however, in the estimation of Lafosse, is not to be regarded as
having la morve proprement dite, unless he be glande, or have tu-
mefaction of his glands.”
Diagnostic Symptoms of Glanders.—Glanders consists in a dis-
charge, from one or both nostrils, of matter which, by transfer or
inoculation, will produce the same disease in another animal (of
the equine or human species), and which discharge is, sooner or
later, accompanied by vascular injection and chancrous ulceration
of the schneiderian membrane of the nostrils, and tumefaction
of the submaxillary lymphatic glands, and by farcy; so that a
horse can not be considered as the subject of glanders until these
symptoms are made manifest.
156 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
On consulting “ Hippopathology,” I find « paragraph, credited
to a French surgeon, who very accurately describes the symptoms
of glanders. It reads as follows: “'The signs by which the disease
may be known are, when 4 horse, already too old to be troubled
with strangles, without a cough, voids matter by the nose, and
has a kernel sticking to the bone; and, besides, in glanders the
matter usually flows from one nostril, whereas, in a cold, it runs
always out of both. Some cast the matter that is voided by the
nostrils into water, and, if it swim on the top, they conclude the
horse to be free of this distemper; but if it sink to the bottom, it
is a sign of glanders, the principal use of this experiment being to
distinguish the pus. But you must not depend on the certainty
of this sign; for if the matter stick to the nostrils, like glue, it is
a bad sign, and you may conclude the disease to be the glanders,
though the matter do swim on the top. When either the breath
or matter that comes out of the nostrils stinks, the disease is almost
always incurable. I have seen horses troubled with this distemper
without kernels, or, if there were any, they were small and move-
able; and the only sign by which we could discover it to be
glanders, was the glueyness of the matter discharged from the nasal
outlet.” ;
Treatment.—The author knows of no remedy for the cure of
glanders. He considers it an incurable disease. In fact, most of
our educated veterinarians contend that the disease, like pulmo-
nary consumption, is incurable.
MAYHEW, one of the most intelligent veterinary teachers of the
present period, informs us that “no medicine can restore the parts
which disease has disorganized. There is no cure for glanders,
which is essentially an ulcerative disorder.” And this opinion is
indorsed by others of equal eminence in the profession, who were
employed lately, by the members of an agricultural society in
England, to ascertain if there was any specific for the disease
known as glanders, and the verdict was that no specific could be
found. So soon as glanders is discovered in the horse, he should,
by all means, be destroyed, and buried deep in the earth.
Farcy (DISEASE OF THE ABSORBENTS).
This disease is usually met with among horses of the scrofulous
diathesis, which diathesis is known by a proneness to diseases of
GLANDERS AND FARCY. 157
the skin, and does not readily yield to medical treatment. Such
horses are noticed as belonging to the nervous temperament, hay-
ing thin, spare muscles, wiry neck and limbs, very quick and
active in their movements, and having a very narrow chest. Yet
it should be remembered that the scrofulous diathesis may exist
in any horse, without regard to his conformation or temperament,
provided he inherit, from either sire or dam, the requisite pre-
disposition.
The disease sometimes steals on in a slow and insidious man-
ner, so that it is not known to exist until, all at once, the animal
becomes lame, and, in the course of a few hours, his legs swell;
large inflammatory farcy-buds appear just as suddenly; a stink-
ing discharge takes place from the nostrils, and, unless the animal
be destroyed, he soon dies. This form of farey may, very prop-
erly, be denominated malignant farecy. When the disease mani-
fests itself after this fashion, it is dangerous for a person to handle
the subject. He should be destroyed and buried.
A case of this kind occurred very recently in a large stable,
the facts of which are as follows: The author was requested to
visit a bay gelding, of the nervous temperament, supposed to be
the subject of a catarrhal affection, He did not show any very
marked symptoms of ill-health, except a slight discharge from
both nostrils. He had performed labor up to within a few hours
of the time of my visit, and had partaken of his usual amount of
food. ‘This was toward evening. I directed the foreman to rub
the throat with stimulating liniment. Two ounces of fluid extract
of resin weed were given him; his legs being cold, they were ban-
daged, and a warm bran-mash was placed before him. Next day
he was a pitiable sight to behold. His limbs and other parts of
the body had become dropsical; his face and eyelids had become
so tumefied that the eyelids were almost totally closed, and scald-
ing tears ran profusely down his cheeks. In various parts of the
body the lymphatics were tumefied, presenting unmistakable farcy-
buds. A stinking discharge ran from his nostrils, and he was so
lame that it was almost impossible to get him out of the stable.
The case being diagnosed as farcy, the animal was shot.
Mr. Prercrvauu alludes to the lameness and rapid tumefac-
tion in the following language: “I have known horses so lame
from farcy before the disease had, in any local or characteristic
form, declared itself, that shoes have been removed and feet
158 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
searched, etc., to discover the seat and cause of lameness, no sus-
picion having existed at the time that farcy was present in the
animal’s system. It may so happen, however, that some of the
preliminary symptoms are observed or observable; that, on the
contrary, farcy at once develops itself in an attack on some local-
ity—most probably one hind limb. Indeed, so sudden, sharp, and
severe are attacks of farcy, in some instances, that, in the course of
one night, the horse’s limb will be swollen to a frightful size, so as
to incapacitate him almost from turning in his stall and walking
out of the stable. Ordinarily, the development of farcy plainly
accounts for the halting or lameness, yet the lameness may appear
without any ostensible cause.”
Symptoms.—The ordinary symptoms of farcy are, slight impair-
ment of the general health; feverish symptoms; a small, quick
pulse; swelling or tumefaction of one of the hind legs, generally
the left, with much lameness; tumefaction of the lymphatics, on
various parts of the body, and in the groin. On the inside of the
thighs, along the course of the femoral vein, corded, nodulous
swellings will be found. Sometimes one or both hind limbs will
swell below the hock, and an abscess may form in the vicinity of
the fetlock, and isolated blotches will break out, suppurate, and
terminate in farecy ulcer. No swelling of a hind limb, or any
other part, constitutes a case of farcy apart from the unequivocal
signs of lymphatic disease. There must be present corded, nod-
ulated swellings, buds in some form or other, together with actual
or approaching tumefaction of the lymphatic glands, or the case is
not farey. ‘The disease evidently affects the absorbents. When
it commences in those which are deep-seated, it usually ends in
glanders. Glanders and farcy are considered the same disease ;
yet, unlike glanders, many cases of cure of mild farcy are on
record, but the author knows of none. A disease known as lym-
phatitis is often mistaken for farcy, and, as the former is curable,
it is often recorded that the latter affection has been successfully
treated.
Treatment.—I do not know that it is good policy for me to re-
commend any form of treatment for the disease known as true
farcy. It is against the laws of this country, and the interests of
society for any one to keep or treat a case of declared farcy ; there-
fore, the advice offered in regard to the treatment of glanders
applies also to farcy. To show the reader that the author is not
GLANDERS AND FARCY. 159
singular in his opinion as regards the treatment of this disease, a
quotation from MayHeEw is here introduced:
“Farcy is, by the generality of practitioners, regarded as a
more tractable disease than glanders. Certainly the course of the
disorder is arrested much easier; but, to cure the malady, there is
a constitution to renovate and a virus to destroy. Is it in the
power of medicine to restore the health and strength, which have
been underfed, sapped by a foul atmosphere, and exhausted by
overwork? ‘Tonics may prop up or stimulate for a time; but the
drunkard and the opium-eater, among human beings, can inform
us that the potency of the best selected and the choicest drugs,
most judiciously prescribed, and carefully prepared, is very lim-
ited. Sulphate of copper, iron, oak bark, cayenne pepper, and
cantharides, probably, are the chief medicines the practitioner will
give. With such the horse may be patched up; he may even re-
turn to work. But at what a risk! He carries about the seeds
of a disorder contagious to the human species, and in man even
more terrible than the quadruped. Is it lawful, is it right, to try
to save an avaricious master the chance of a few shillings, and
incur the risk of poisoning an innocent person? The author
thinks not. Therefore he will give no directions how to arrest
the progress of farcy. The horse once contaminated is, indeed,
very rarely or never cured. The animal, after the veterinary sur-
geon has shaken hands with the proprietor and departed, too often
bears about an enlarged Jimb, which impedes his utility, and, at
any period, may break forth again with more than the virulence
of the original affection.”
SECTION VII.
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS.
LAMPAS—SponTANEOUs SALIVATION—Bots—INFLAMMATION OF StToMACcH—Rwup-
TURE oF STOMACH—GORGED, OR OVER-DISTENDED SToMACH—METEORIZATION
—FLATULENT CoLtic—SpasmMopic CoLtic—INFLAMMATION OF THE PERITONUM—
AscrtEs—INFLAMMATION OF THE INTESTINES—STRANGULATION OF INTESTINES—
WounDS PENETRATING THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY—SPLENIC APOPLEXY—FUNC-
TIONAL DiskASE OF THE LivER—PANCREAS; ITS FUNCTION—PARASITES WHICH
AFFECT THE INTESTINES.
LAMPAS.
AMPAS is the name given to a slight tumefaction of the soft
palate of the horse’s mouth. It usually occurs during the
period of dentition, at which time the mouth is hot and tender.
At the time when the tushes are about making their appearance,
the membrane over the crown of the tooth becomes tense, so as
to cause the root of the tooth to press on the tental nerve. This
causes much pain. In such cases we make a slight incision over
the region of the tooth, which immediately relieves the animal.
But most men overlook this difficulty, and, because the palate hap-
pens to be tumified, it is at once attacked with the barbarous firing-
iron. This treatment was condemned by PERCIVALL, who, in
writing of it, says:
“ Are lampas disease? The complaints, frequent and grievous,
which are daily reaching our ears, are enough to persuade us that
they are disease. Every groom that has an unthriving horse, or
one that does not feed, is sure to search for lampas; and, should
he find any, the cause of loss of appetite, etc., is detected, and the
remedy obvious—burning them out. Many a poor wight of a
horse, even when suffering from a constitutional disease, has been
subjected to this torturing operation, with a view of demonstrating
the sagacity of the groom, and thereby has got added to his other
- (160)
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 161
ailments a foul, sloughy, carious sore upon the roof of his mouth.
This may be said to be the fruits of the removal of lampas.
Supposing that the existence of lampas is owing to the teeth,
surely the teeth should be removed, and not the bars of the mouth..
In cutting or burning away the lampas, we are mistaking the effect
for the cause. If it be contended that lampas do not owe their
production to the irritation of teething, then I should like to be
informed what does give rise to them; and, let what will give rise
to them, I do not imagine there is any veterinarian hardy enough
SY ASS
[ Aw
—//y, \ INWyyyf
Whi iil Wy
BURNING A HORSE’S MOUTH FOR LAMPAS.
(A cruel and unnecessary operation.)
to contend that the cause resides in the palate, and becomes re-
moved by the hot iron. Those who are entering private practice,
and find themselves compelled, at all times, to belie their con-
sciences by the performance of unnecessary operations to please
their employers, may be told that burning out lampas is, after all,
preferable to lancing or cutting the bars; for, unless the palative
artery is wounded, very little blood is obtained by stabbing the
mouth; and the wounding of this vessel, which will certainly take
place, should the punctures be made along the sides of the palate,
or extend forward beyond the fourth bar from the front teeth, is
not always a very safe proceeding.”
It is an unfortunate occurrence that men cap be found who will
perform barbarous and unnecessary operations just to please their
employers. If men were true to themselves and their profession,
neither threats nor promises of reward would tempt them to prac-
dt;
162 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
tice cruelty on animals. It is a fact that some men are often ap-
parently compelled to perform unnecessary operations even when
the inward monitor admonishes them that they are about to out-
rage the feelings of a poor dumb brute. Yet, for the honor of our
profession, let it be recorded that there are but few, if any, of our
educated surgeons that can be induced to perpetrate this outrage.
If medical men will only take the pains to explain this matter, and
prove to the people that the enormity here complained of is both
absurd and barbarous, then the evil will soon cease ; but so long
as horse-owners believe lampas to be a disease, and men can be
found ready to “burn them out,” just so long will the evil exist.
The more intelligent portion of husbandmen are now beginning to
lend their influence to the work of rebuking ignorance, and of re-
forming the barbarous customs of bygone days, and, erelong, it will
be a difficult job to convince them that their horses have lampas,
and that the firing-iron is the remedy indicated. Surely, if the
distinguished PERCIVALL calls lampas a “supposed malady,” and
sets his face against the means used for its removal, the wise men
of the fleam should indorse his sentiments.
Treatment.—Should the colt’s mouth, while teething, be hot and
tender, it should be sponged often with a portion of equal parts of
vinegar and water; and should any of the teeth appear imprisoned
by the membrane of the mouth, a slight incision over the point of
the tooth will give immediate relief.
SPONTANEOUS SALIVATION—“ SLAVERING.”
Persons who own and handle horses must have noticed, occa-
sionally, a foaming at the mouth, and sometimes a constant and
profuse discharge of saliva, This, when occurring without any
assignable cause, is termed spontaneous salivation. The disease is
usually occasioned by some irritation in the immediate vicinity of
the salivary glands, or from perverted function in the glands
themselves. The preparations of antimony and calomel, when
given to horses for any great length of time, in the form of con-
dition powders, are very apt to produce salivation. Musty clover,
and hay that is intermixed with lobelia, will also produce it; so,
also, will sharp, projecting teeth; and diseased teeth haye the same
effect. In such cases, the cause being discovered, the removal of
the same is the first step toward the cure. Then drench the ani-
mal, twice daily, with the following: |
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 163
AW icibercicyoralsteteteictetenators olele: sie faleial sie) ctelelatete 4 pint.
Should the animal show signs of debility or weakness, give one
ounce of fluid extract of golden seal every morning, before feeding.
Should the mouth appear to be sore, from the constant flow of
saliva over its surfaces, or from any other cause, then the parts
should be sponged two or three times daily with a portion of
equal parts of powdered borax and honey, or with an infusion of
bayberry bark.
When spontaneous salivation occurs in an aged horse, it denotes
debility, and thus points out the propriety of sustaining the pa-
tient’s strength by administering tonics and diffusible stimulants,
The following is the best remedy for this state of the system:
No. 19. Fluid extract of chamomile........... 1 oz.
Fluid extract of ginger.......ccecessoe & OZ.
Give as a drench, night and morning. The patient should have
a fair allowance of good nutritious diet.
Secretion of Saliva in Horses.—From experiments lately made,
it appears that a healthy horse secretes from the paroted glands,
which are situated beneath the ears at the posterior angles of the
lower jaw, during active mastication, about one gallon of saliva
per hour, and other glands in the vicinity of the throat and mouth
secrete, in the same amount of time, three gallons, making in all
four gallons per hour, which is mixed with the food during masti-
cation. The following experiment was lately made on an aged
horse, 15 hands 3 inches in height. The tubes leading from the
paroted glands were divided on either side, and so fixed as to
throw their contents into vessels held for that purpose; the ani-
mal was then fed on oats, which he masticated during a period of
thirty minutes, at the end of which time half a gallon of saliva
was caught. This calculation, however, will not hold good in all
cases; for ravenous feeders, who do not thoroughly masticate their
food, fail to secrete the necessary amount of saliva; hence the food
is not properly masticated nor insalivated, and can not, therefore,
undergo proper digestion; and when food is not thoroughly di-
gested, it imparts but little of its nutriment to the body. Slow
feeders, therefore, are more likely to accumulate flesh than the
voracious ones.
164 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Bots (StoMACHIC AND HEMORRHOIDAL).
Some persons contend that bots are always injurious. The
author dissents from this dictum. It is possible that, as in the case
of intestinal worms, which are now recognized as the scavengers
of Nature, that the bots are Nature’s hirelings, created and com-
missioned to do her bidding, to maintain the integrity of her
physiological laws. The parent of the bot, as BRAcy CLARK re-
marks, “selects her snbjects,” or, in other words, pounces on those
who are not in rapport with Nature, and hence have no business
to enjoy good health, nor even to live.
This was the case nen the people of the great city of London
were afflicted with the terrible plague, which ran riot and carried
off about one-fourth of the inhabitants. The sanitary emissary of
Nature, whose shield was emblazoned with the motto, “Thus far
shalt thou go and no further,” pounced upon selected subjects,
the intemperate, licentious, and the gluttonous, and those who had
violated Nature’s laws by wallowing in filth in down-cellar loca-
tions, where the breath of life—puwre awr—scarcely ever entered.
These were the selected sufferers. The same is true as regards the
mortality attending the yellow fever, which made such sad hayoe
in the city of New Orleans some years ago. The medical author-
ities contend that the disease carried off over one thousand of the
inhabitants, without touching a single sober or temperate person ;
hence the plague, the yellow fever, and the cholera may be said to
be the forces which Nature employs to maintain the integrity of
her laws. Intestinal worms, found in the intestinal tube of the
emaciated and the glutton, are said to be Nature’s scavengers, and
the same perhaps is true of bots. They may be the agents of Na-
ture, employed to keep the balance of power within her own hand,
for the purpose, sometimes, of preventing a too rapid multiplica-
tion of the species; at others, to avenge her for crimes committed
against the laws of physiology.
Let us, for example, inquire into the history and habits of some
of the inferior orders of creation, and we may be led to infer that
the presence of bots in the stomach of a horse is no deviation from
the general rule which seems to pervade all creation. Our tenure
of life depends on the use which we make of it, and the same is
true as regards the horse.
In the study of physiology, we discover that animals and insects
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 165
require the operation of certain forces, in order that their peculiar
vital properties shall be manifested. They all require food, water,
and oxygen—food for the development of organized tissues,
water to maintain an equilibrium between the solids and fluids,
and oxygen for promoting various changes, uniting some particles
for the benefit of the whole fabric, and disengaging others destined
for excretion. These have to be obtained under various cirecum-
stances. The number of the different species of reptiles known
to naturalists is about 1,300, and there are at least 160,000 species
of insects. Among this vast assemblage of animate forms, a great
proportion obtain food, water, and oxygen in a situation and at a
temperature which is most congenial to each species, each one of
which, as species, exhibit great varieties in physical organization
and habits ; and hence the necessity for that diversity in geograph-
ical distribution which seems to surprise some men. Lach species
of animal and insect carry about with them, in their own organi-
zation, the fertile embryonic habitation for successive parasitic
development, and all are, to a certain extent, dependent on each
other for both food and life. It has been truly said that there
“is life within life.” Begin with the body of man, for example,
and we shall find that it is infested with thirty-nine distinct spe-
cies of entozoa. ‘These are not confined to a single location, as
the bots to the digestive cavity of the horse; but some are to be
seen in the eye, bronchial glands, kidneys, liver, gall, bladder, in-
testines, muscles, and even in the blood. There are several other
species of entophyta, to the number of ten, inhabitants of the skin
and mucous surfaces. So that the master can boast of a larger
number of living parasites within and about his body than we
have yet been able to find in his servant, the horse. And if the
former can carry about in the living citadel such a myriad of liy-
ing, active creatures, without inconvenience, and he being the
weaker party, why should not the horse, who is stronger, be able
to furnish nutriment for some half dozen or more bots that are
occasionally found in his stomach, and to perform his 2.40 gait
without inconvenience? Some of the inferior orders of creation
are the receptacle of a still greater amount of parasites. The
grasshopper, for example, is infested with a species of gordius, a
sort of hair-worm, which some persons have erroneously supposed
to be a transformed horse-hair. Several of these coil themselves
into the digestive cavity of the former, at times penetrating the
166 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
abdomen, thorax, and cranium. Their bulk and weight often ex-
ceeds that of an ordinary grasshopper ; still you see and hear them,
skipping, jumping, and chirruping, notwithstanding this immense
parasitic mass, just as freely as those not infested.
Then consider the condition of the hog. We frequently find,
in his liver, a vesicle filled with fluid, apparently possessing no
further organization. But examine it carefully, and we shall find
within its enveloping tunic others, the rudiments of successive
cells, in various stages of growth. These are all young hydatids,
which contain still others, which increase in size until the parent
sac is so distended that it finally bursts, and thus liberates a mul-
titude of parasites, which, in their turn, undergo the same evolu-
tion, becoming each a parent hydatid, producing a subsequent
generation, which diffuse themselves over the whole body of the
pig; and hence arises that peculiar feature in pork known as
measles.
Examine the same animal after he is slaughtered, and you may
possibly find in the intestines a large number of the ascaris lum-
bricoides (the common worm of the human intestines); and they
are so prolific that naturalists have calculated sixty-four millions
of ova within the body of a single female, which are, at the proper
season, deposited within the intestinal tube of the pig, who, not-
withstanding, grows fat, and furnishes a savory meal for the lovers
of pork. Sheep, also, are infested with a species of entozoa termed
the “fluke,” besides other different species; and it is only when
the latter become very numerous that they can be considered in-
jurious.
We might go on to show that every living being is more or
less infested with parasites, and that parasites are, in their turn,
the local habitation for other parasites. The very atmosphere we
breathe, and which is the purificator of the vital current (the
blood), teems with an innumerable host of living organized crea-
tures. The water which serves to quench the thirst, that plays
so important a part in our economy, and in the arts and sciences,
whether it be the ocean, lake, river, pond, or gully, all contains
crowds of parasites, or animalcule, at times, so numerous that
several hundred thousand have, by means of a magnifying lens,
been discovered in a single drop of this fluid. Yet such is good
and pleasant to the taste; and the water is not injured thereby ;
neither is it, in turn, injurious to man, Dr. Lerpy states that he
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 167
has, at various times, purposely swallowed large draughts of water
containing myriads of animalcule, without ever perceiving any
effect; and he combats the notion that diseases are produced or
propagated by these parasites taken into the body. The most
curious feature in the history of parasites is their extraordinary
powers of multiplication, which is doubted by some; but it is well
known to others that some species are capable of producing a
hundred repetitions of themselves, and the process can be repeated
ten times in a season. The common white ant is capable of de-
positing eggs at the rate of 80,000 per day, for several successive
weeks, and the common flesh-maggot can be generated by the
million in the course of a few hours; and as regards growth and
development, the common flesh-fly and the caterpillar increase in
weight 200 times in the course of twenty-four hours.
But the bot is a creature that does not multiply nor increase in
bulk at this rapid rate. He may be said to be a “slow coach,”
and when once located in the stomach of a horse, he generally
makes it his abode for a season, at least. He is a sort of aristo-
cratic entozoa. He lives in the upper region, the stomach. He
seldom condescends to mix with the lower orders that infest the
alimentary regions. The little creature seems to exercise consid-
erable tact in selecting his location. Although he has but a squat-
ter’s title to it, yet it is the best and safest in the whole diggings.
He is in the upper part of the stomach, where the fluids (poisons
or medicines) with which you are about to coax or drive him off,
are inoperative, (for they merely give him a sort of shower-bath,)
and pass immediately through the stomach into the intestines,
where all the fluid a horse drinks is generally found; therefore
they can not act on the bot. Then, again, he is located on the
cuticular coat of the stomach, a membrane as insensible as the
horse’s hoof, and, therefore, not liable to become diseased, nor to be
acted on by either medicine or bot nostrums. You may kill the
horse by the same, but the bot, being within his own castle, can
refuse whatever you offer him.
We can not make medicine act on the external surface of the
bot, for it does not absorb fluid; it is impervious. These crea-
tures have been put into muriatic acid, and kept there for a time,
without being injured. You may put them into new rum, and
keep them for weeks, and, on taking them out and exposing them
to the sun’s rays, they will manifest vitality.
168 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
We often hear wonderful stories related of bots burrowing
through the coats of the stomach. This, we think, rarely takes
place while the horse is alive. That cavity is the home of the
bot, its natural habitation; for we know of no other. Here it
generally remains until it is capable of exercising an independent
existence. In this situation the little creature is too comfortably
located to burrow through the stomach into a cavity where it
might perish for want of food. If the time has arrived for it to
vacate its stronghold, instinct teaches it the most safe and expe-
ditious route, which is through the alimentary canal. Turn a
horse out to grass in the spring, or give him some green fodder in
the stable, and the bots will soon leave him, if they are matured ;
otherwise they must remain until that period arrives, unless
Nature has some work for them to perform. We shall not contend
that bots are never found in the abdominal cavity, for some per-
sons have testified to the fact; but, during a practice of several
years, and having opportunities of making many post-mortem
examinations, we have not yet been able to observe the phenom-
ena, except in cases of ruptured stomach. Still, a few solitary
cases are on record, and hence it remains for us to explain how
they got there.
We all know that the moment a horse dies his whole body is
subject to the common law of decomposition; but the central or-
gans, where the greatest activity prevailed during life, are gener-
ally the first to succumb. Our business is with the stomach, the
great chemical laboratory, the center of sympathies—an organ
that is very seldom permitted to rest, consequently an active one,
Its powerful solvents, during life, were busy in transforming hay
and grain into chyme, chyle, and blood; but now that death has
the victory, the gastric fluid acts on the coats of the stomach, and
thus its decomposition is effected; so that what was previously
good food for bots is now their bane, and, unless they escape, their
death is sure and certain.
The peristaltic motion of the intestines, which favored the exit
of the bots through that channel, has ceased; they are too weil
acquainted with its intricate labyrinthian outlet (their usual route)
to even attempt its passage. No! the same energies of one Eternal
Mind, “pervading and instructing all that live,” suggests the
only means of escape from threatening dangers. The stomach
being partly decomposed, offers but little opposition to their en-
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 169
eroachments. They burst their prison-house, and hence are found
in the abdominal cavity; and when there, they may be said to
have jumped from the “frying-pan into the fire!” Open a horse
immediately after death, and, provided his stomach be in a healthy
condition, we shall find that the bots have not penetrated beyond
the cuticular coat of it; but if he shall not be examined until some
hours have elapsed, the bots may be found to have passed through
the walls of the decomposed stomach and its peritoneal tunic.
We can imagine, also, that a large number of bots might con-
gregate at a given point in the stomach of a horse, and, aided by
disease, occasion a loss of continuity in the fibers of that organ;
then, on the slightest distension by wind, its walls might be rup-
tured and its function paralyzed, and thus the bot be involun-
tarily driven from its home, to seek shelter and food in another
location.
We contend that the stomach of a horse is the natural habita-
tion of the bot during its minority, and, at the proper season, the
digestive canal is the usual channel for its introduction into the
external world ; and if these parasites are ever found in any other
situation within a horse’s body, they are there by the force of cir-
cumstances, owing to disease or rupture of the stomach, or from
some morbid condition in the gastric fluids, which arouses a set
of involuntary actions in response to a stimulus; because, during
the whole period of their minority, that is, the larveal state, (a
term which, in the language of entomology, applies to the bot from
the time of emerging from the egg, or nit, up to that period when
it vacates the horse and assumes the form of a gad-fly), they are
in the same condition as a new-born babe or an idiot—the one
imbibing its mother’s milk, and the other performing unnatural
antics, both appearing to lack that train of mental operations
which implies knowledge, motive, or the consequences resulting
from such actions. We very much doubt if the bot can, at any
time, by voluntary act, vacate the body of the horse. Reason-
ing from analogy, we are led to the conclusion that the result
is accomplished through their instinctive properties, which are
common to many insects and parasites—a perfect adaptation of
means to an end—by which they perform a certain set of opera-
tions without choice, purpose, or intention of their own, yet, in
many cases, producing results which man, through the aid of his
superior intellect, has not been able to surpass.
4,
170 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Persons who have paid any attention to the study of physiology,
are aware that these instinctive or involuntary movements, per-
formed without consciousness, are the birthright of a vast number
of the inferior orders of creation; therefore, it is not likely that
the bot would, even if he possessed the power, voluntarily vacate
a location favorable to its growth and development.
Veterinary surgeons have long since discarded the absurd notion
that bots are the cause of any pain or suffering to horses. In fact,
some of the most distinguished of them assert that these little
creatures, with their rough exterior, are rather beneficial than
otherwise, and that, by friction and irritation, they arouse the
sluggishness of the stomach, and thus promote digestion. Per-
sons unacquainted with these facts are, therefore, apt to attribute
effects, during life, to causes which happen after death, and, conse-
quently, the poor horse has to be dosed with all sorts of nostrums.
So popular has been the belief that bots are injurious to horses,
and, therefore, must be expelled at all hazards, that almost all the
old works on farriery contained some favorite recipe for their ex-
pulsion. Popular opinion, too, has been so much in favor of the
theory, that Mr. Percrvauu thought it his duty, as a public
teacher, to make use of the following language:
“You may boldly assert that bots are in nowise injurious. Still,
you can not persuade the world so, and, therefore, you must be
prepared to meet the complaints of those unbelievers, who will,
now and then, declare that their horses have bots, which must be
got rid of. But I know of no medicine that has the power of
destroying ; and even if we possessed such, I am not sure that we
could, even when dead, detach them from the cuticular coat of the
stomach, to which they are attached by small horns.”
In allusion to the parasites which infest the human body, Wat-
SON remarks:
“Jt is a curious fact that numerous parasites do crawl over the
surface of our bodies, burrow beneath our skin, nestle in our en-
trails, and riot and propagate their kind in every corner of our
frame, producing ofttimes such molestation and disturbance as to
require the interference of medicine. Nearly a score of animals
that have their dwelling-place in the interior of the human body
have been already discovered and described, and scarcely a tissue
or an organ but is occasionally profaned by their inroads. Each,
also, has its special or its favorite domicile. One species chooses
“al
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 171
the heart for its place of abode; another inhabits the arteries; a
third, the kidney. Myriads of minute worms lie coiled up in the
voluntary muscles or in the areolar tissue that connects the flesh
fibers. The guinea-worm and chigoe bore through the skin, and
reside in the subajacent reticular membrane. Hydatids infest
various parts of the body, but especially the liver and brain. A
little fluke, in general appearance much like a minature flounder,
lives, steeped in gall, in the biliary vessels. If you squeeze from
the skin of your nose, what is vulgarly called a maggot (the contents
of one of the hair-pellicles), it is ten to one that you find in that
small sebaceous cylinder several animalcules, extremely minute,
yet exhibiting, under the microscope, a curious and complicated
structure. Even the eye has its living inmates; but it is in the
alimentary tube that we are most infested with these vermin.”
It is evident, from competent testimony, that these, as well as
other kinds of parasites, are always more or less injurious; hence
the same may be true as regards the bot in a horse’s stomach. The
best authority we have for the origin and history of the bot is
Bracy Cuark, V. S., a selection from whose works is here in-
troduced :
“The CKstrus Equi, or the Stomach Bot.—When the female has
been impregnated, and the eggs sufficiently matured, she seeks
among the horses a subject for her purpose; and approaching him
on the wing, she carries her body nearly upright in the air, and
her tail, which is elevated or lengthened for the purpose, curved
inward and upward. In this way she approaches the part where
she designs to deposit the egg, and, suspending herself for a few
seconds before it, suddenly darts upon it, and leaves the egg ad-
hering to the hair. She hardly appears to settle, but merely
touches the hair, with the egg held out on the projected point of
the abdomen. The egg is made to adhere by means of a gluti-
nous liquor secreted with it. She then leaves the horse at a small
distance, and prepares a second egg, and, poising herself before the
part, deposits it in the same way. The liquor dries, and the egg
becomes firmly glued to the hair. This is repeated by these flies
till four or five hundred eggs are sometimes placed on one horse.
The skin of the horse is usually thrown into a tremulous motion
on the touch of this insect, which merely arises from the very great
irritability of the skin and cutaneous muscles at this season of the
year, occasioned by the heat and continual teasing of the flies, till,
172 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
at length, these muscles appear to act involuntarily on the slightest
touch of any body whatever.
THE ESTRUS EQUI.
1. The female fly, about to deposit an egg. 5. The newly-hatched bot.
2. The male fly. 6. The bot full-grown.
3. The egg; its natural size. 7. The head of a bot magnified.
4. The egg magnified. 8. The chrysalis.
The inside of the knee is the part on which these flies are most
fond of depositing their eggs, and next to this on the side and back
part of the shoulder, and less frequently on the extreme ends of the
hairs of the mane. But it is a fact worthy of attention that the
fly does not place them promiscuously about the body, but con-
stantly on those parts which are most liable to be licked with the
tongue, and the ova, therefore, are always scrupulously placed
within its reach.
The eggs thus deposited I at first supposed were loosened from
the hairs by the moisture of the tongue, aided by its roughness,
and were conveyed to the stomach, where they were hatched ; but
on more minute search, I do not find this to be the case, or, at
least, only by accident; for when they have remained on the hairs
four or five days, they become ripe, after which time the slightest
application of warmth and moisture is sufficient to bring forth, in
an instant, the latent larve. At this time, if the tongue of the
horse touches the egg, its operculium is thrown open, and a small
active worm is produced, which readily adheres to the moist surface
of the tongue, and is thence conveyed with the food to the stom-
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 173
ach. At the first hatching, as we observe, it is a small, active
worm, long in proportion to its thickness; but as its growth ad-
vances, it becomes proportionably thicker and broader, and beset
with bristles.
Bots are very frequent in horses that have been at grass, and
are, in general, found adhering to the white insensible tissue or coat
of the stomach. They usually hang in dense clusters to the white
cuticular lining of the stomach, and maintain their hold by means
of two dark brown hooks, between which a longitudinal slit is seen,
which is the mouth of the larvee. When removed from the stomach
by the fingers, by a sudden jerk, so as not to injure them, they
will, if fresh and healthy, attach themselves to any loose mem-
brane, and even to the skin of the hand. For this purpose they
sheath or draw back the hooks almost entirely within the skin,
until the two points come close to each other. They then present
them to the membrane, and, keeping them parallel till it is pierced
through, they expand them in a lateral direction, and afterward, by
bringing the points downward toward themselves, they include a
sufficient piece of the membrane, to remain firmly fixed for any
length of time, as if at anchor. These bots pass the autumn,
winter, and spring months in the stomach, and arrive, about the
commencement or middle of the summer, at their full growth,
requiring a year to fully complete their structure.
The Ckstrus Hemorrhoidalis, or Fundament Bot.—The parts
chosen by this insect for this purpose is the lips of the horse,
which is very distressing to the animal, from the excessive titilla-
tion it occasions; for he immediately rubs his mouth against the
ground, his fore-legs, or sometimes against a tree, with great
emotion, till the animal, at length, finding this mode of defense
insufficient, quits the spot enraged, and endeavors to avoid it
by galloping away to a distant part of the field; and if the fly
still continues to follow and tease him, his last resource is in the
water, where the cestrus never is observed to pursue him. These
flies appear sometimes to hide themselves in the grass, and, as the
horse stoops to graze, they dart on the mouth or lips, and are
always observed to poise themselves, during a few seconds, in the
air, while the egg is preparing on the extended point of the abdo-
men. When several of these flies are confined in a close place,
they have a particularly strong, musty smell; and I have observed
both sheep and horses, when teased by them, to look into the grass
174 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and smell it very anxiously; and if they, by these means, dis-
cover the fly, they immediately turn aside and hasten to a distant
part of the field. I once saw, in a meadow or field, upon the
cliffs of Margate, a fly of this sort teasing a horse that was con-
fined to a small space by a spike stuck in the ground, to which a
cord was tied. He could not get away from its attack, and became
quite furious, for in kicking at the fly with his fore-foot, which he
did vehemently, he often struck the bone of the lower jaw, creating
excessive pain; for in that direction, while grazing, the fly comes
to the beard of the lower lip.
THE GSTRUS HEMORRHOIDALIS.
1. The female about to deposit an egg. | 3. The bot.
2. The egg magnified. i 4. The chrysalis.
5. The male fly.
The eggs of this species are difficult to be seen upon the horse’s
skin or beard, owing to the agitation of the beast, and from the
color of the egg being dark, like that of the skin of the horse.
The animal has been generally too impatient, while undergoing
this operation, to let me examine them very well. I ascertained,
however, its form by pressing one of these eggs from the abdomen.
The larvee, or grubs, of this species inhabit the stomach as the
former, generally adhering to the white lining, and are disposed
promiscuously in dense clusters, after the same manner, They
may, however, be distinguished from them by being, in general,
smaller and longer in proportion to their bulk.
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 175
The larva of this species may be obtained from almost any horse
that has been much the preceding year at grass, and exposed to
these flies, and will be found, during the summer months, sticking
more or less within the verge or opening of the anus, adhering to
its soft lining, and producing considerable irritation and uneasiness.
Indeed, I once well remember being on a tour of pleasure in the
Isle of Wight, and experiencing much annoyance from these
larve. The little horse I had hired for the journey became so
‘lazy and unwilling to go on, and moved so awkwardly, that I
could not keep pace with my company, and I was at a loss how
to proceed ; but, on casually taking up the tail, I discovered three
or four of these insects hanging to the rectum, and their removal
instantly proved a cure.”
It is very likely that the fundamental or hemorrhoidal bot
does produce some irritation within the rectum, but not more so
than the ascaris, or the filaria, which inhabit the intestines, in-
cluding the rectum, of both man and horse. Taking a rational
and scientific view of this subject, the author is inclined to believe
that all parasites infesting the bodies (or living citadels) of the, su-
perior orders of creation are only, in their essence, so many modes
of death, more or less sudden or gradual, as the case may be, or
as the exigencies of Nature require. In some cases it is supposed
to be a beneficent provision that some horses, as well as men,
should have a gradual exit out of life, when, by virtue of their
constitution, they inherited no long lease of it. The parasites
here alluded to, and others not mentioned, may be classed as so
many diseases, which never prove mortal unless the individual’s
lease of life has expired, and then, as before remarked, he has no
tenure on longevity. In taking this view of the subject, the
reader will, of course, infer that all extraneous or accidental causes
of death are excluded.
Disease, which probably includes the presence of all parasites,
in the bodies of men and animals, may be considered as the trials
of pilgrimage life, and, therefore, may be classed as the check-
mates to Nature. In order to play the game of life so as not to
get checkmated, we must understand the law of rational physiol-
ogy, and use our intelligence accordingly, to preserve health. In
the ordinary acceptation of the term disease, it does not mean
much of any thing; for it does not express the manner in which
the animal is affected. It simply means that he is sick, from
176 DADD'’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
some cause or other. A man or animal may be diseased without
our expression of the manner in which either are affected, just as
a flower may be said to be colored without designating its partic-
ular hue. In each case we receive definite, although negative,
ideas—in the one, that the creature is not in health ; in the other,
that the flower is not colorless. And so the same reasoning may
apply when bots become the subject of our consideration. In a
given case, they may prove injurious (according to our ideas), and
in another they may remain, for a certain length of time, perfectly
harmless; so that the animal infected or infested may or may not
suffer any infliction, but trot on through the journey of life just
as long as horse-life is worth wearing.
As regards the several modes of death to horse flesh, in which
bots are said to play an active part, they may thus be stated:
Bots sometimes congregate, in large numbers, at the superior or
inferior inlet or outlet of the stomach, and thus produce mechan-
ical obstruction to the passage of both semi-fluids and solids; and
the result is, equine death. ‘The author once held an autopsy,
which revealed the presence of a cluster of bots, numbering about
one hundred, located in the cardiac region of the cesophagus.
They completely obstructed the passage of food into the stomach.
The horse died suddenly, as if suffocated, from. distension of the
cesophagus and pressure on the trachea.
The following case, furnished for the “ Veterinarian” by Sur-
geon Marner, illustrates another mode of death from the pres-
ence of bots:
“The inclosed tongue and larynx I took from a foal this even-
ing, which I shall feel obliged to you for examining, as at the base
of the tongue you will find about a score of what appear to me to
be perfeet specimens of a small bot. I have only made a partial
examination, as I was anxious to send the specimen off to you
before it became decomposed, as the weather is very hot. The
history of the case is as follows: Two days ago I was requested to
go to Lord Glasgow’s breeding establishment, to see a foal that
was unwell. I inquired of the stud-groom how long the animal
had been ill, and he informed me that three days ago it appeared
to have a difficulty in swallowing, and that he noticed some saliva
issuing from its mouth; and that, thinking it had a sore throat,
he had rubbed some embrocation upon the parts. On examining
the animal, I found it in a very debilitated state. Pulse, very
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 177
weak, and numbering 80; ears and legs, extremely cold, associated
with shivering fits of the entire body; mouth, filled with partly
masticated hay and grass; tongue, furred. The animal had seem-
ingly a desire to eat, but was unable to open its mouth more than
about an inch. It was likewise unable to swallow any thing but
liquids, and these only in very small quantities. In spite of all I
could do, the power of swallowing got worse, and this morning it
died, very much to their disappointment, as it was a very high-
bred animal.
Could this foal have taken in the ova of the gad-fly, and some
of them become hatched, and, instead of passing into the stomach,
have become adherent to the base of the tongue, and there set up
such an amount of irritation as to cause the parts to swell so as to
prevent the animal from swallowing?
Observations on the. Case-—We are indebted to Assistant Pro-
fessor Varnell for the following remarks upon this singular case:
‘The morbid specimen forwarded by Mr. G. Mather, is of very
rare occurrence. We have never met with such an one before, nor
are we aware that a similar instance has ever been recorded. The
parts came to hand in a good state of preservation, although the
temperature at the time was very high, so that we were enabled
to form a pretty correct opinion as to the nature of the changes
that had taken place during the life of the animal. The dorsum
of the tongue, its root, the whole of the surface of the fauces, the
velum palati, and the margin of the glottal opening, as well as the
lining membrane of the larynx and pharynx, were very much in-
flamed, and, in places, considerably thickened. These parts were
fibewice covered with a deposit seemingly Came slong of a mixture
of mucus, lymph, and pus.
The most remarkable feature, however, of the case was in the
cause that had giver rise to the inflammatory state of the throat ;
namely, the existence of a number of small bots—the estrus hem-
orrhoidalis (the ‘red-tailed horse bot’ of Braecy Clark)—which
were found to be firmly adhering, by their tentacula, to the mu-
cous membrane. Besides the number which were still in situ,
many others had apparently been attached to the parts, but which
had, most likely, been lost in the handling they had undergone.
By a little reflection, we may probably form a correct opinion
as to how these parasites became located in this unusual situation.
We imagine that the foal, by licking, gathered the ova, in a state
12
178 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of perfection, from the hair of its dam, on which they had been
deposited, rather than from its own coat. The perfected ova,
being thus taken into the mouth, became first entangled in its
mucus, and finally lodged in those shallow recesses at the root of
the tongue, where they became hatched. Some of these creatures
measured as much as three-eighths of an inch in length, and rather
less than one in diameter. They were firmly fixed, by their little
hooklets, apparently to the inner surface of the mucous follicles.
Their free extremities were of a deep red color, and their bodies
of a yellowish brown.’ ”
Treatment.—The only remedy for ridding the system of bots is
a run at grass, in the month of May.
GASTRITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH.
Acute inflammation of the stomach seldom, if ever, occurs
among horses as a spontaneous affection. It is usually occasioned
by irritating medicines or poisons, or food of an inferior quality.
When an irritating poison has been received into the stomach, and
excites inflammation there, or when acute inflammation arises
from any cause, the symptoms which mark that inflammation are
pain, distress, and restlessness ; a loathing of food ; for, if any thing
be given by the mouth, it creates increased pain. The animal
breaks out in a cold sweat, lies down and quickly rises again, be-
comes early and greatly prostrated in strength, and has a pulse
usually quick and much oppressed. Sometimes purging sets in ;
at others, the bowels are constipated. The disease is very apt to
run into gastro-enteritis—inflammation of the stomach and bowels.
Treatment.—The general treatment consists in the administra-
tion of slippery-elm mucilage, and half-ounce doses of chlorate of
potass, two or three times per day. Should gas accumulate in the
stomach or bowels, give one ounce of hyposulphite of soda, dissolved
in a pint of warm water. The ordinary drink should consist of
hay tea, to which a small quantity of molasses may be added.
RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH.
Rupture of the stomach is always a fatal malady, over which
neither art nor nature has any control; yet, the accident being one
of frequent occurrence, it becomes necessary for us to know some-
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 179
thing regarding its cause and symptoms, which are all detailed in
the following case, from the author’s note-book :
Death of a Horse from Ruptured Stomach.—The subject, a black
gelding, nine years old, had been driven a distance of twelve miles
into the city; on arriving at the “City Hotel stable,” he first
manifested signs of uneasiness, by pawing with his feet and turn-
ing his head toward the belly. He finally got down, rolled,
tumbled about, and passed considerable flatus, ete. His owner,
supposing him to be the subject of colic, administered a dose of
“ fire-water,” in the form of gin and cayenne pepper, followed by
three ounces of spirits of niter. He urinated freely, passed con-
siderable flatus, yet grew no better very fast. Four hours from
the commencement of the attack our attention was called to him.
The case then appeared hopeless, consequently we declined pre-
scribing. The following were the symptoms: Pulse, small and
thready; in number, fifty-six; respirations, sixty—laborious,
emitting, occasionally, a sort of grunt, indicative of pressure, from
a distended stomach, on the diaphragm and lungs. The eyes
were amaurotic (pupils dilated and loss of vision); sclerotica
(white of the eye) slightly injected; conjunctival membrane,
within the eyelids, surcharged with blood. ‘The buccal membrane,
within the mouth, intensely inflamed, induced, probably, by the
fire-water drench. The tongue was of a leaden hue, and the nasal
membranes were somewhat reddened. The body, or external
surface, was the seat of profuse perspiration, which ran down the
limbs like rain. They, as well as other parts of the body, re-
mained comfortably warm until within a few minutes of death.
There appeared to be considerable distension in the region of the
stomach, and less at the flanks, from which circumstance we con-
cluded that the patient was laboring under tympanitis (windy dis-
tension) of the stomach. At the moment of death, the reverse
was the case, which circumstance seemed to confirm this opinion ;
for then, the stomach being ruptured, the gas would diffuse itself
in the abdominal cavity and increase in bulk.
Aspect and motions of the body.—The head was kept within
striking distance of the ground; the tail was elevated, and kept
in a quivering condition (involuntary). The fore extremities were
advanced, one leg frequently crossing the other; the hinder parts
maintained a crouching attitude, and the penis hung pendulous.
When not in this position, the patient would revolve in a circle ;
180 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
then lie down flat on his side, turn his head toward the ribs, and,
after a short time, raise the forward parts, and sit on his haunches
like a dog. At last he fell over, gave two or three convulsive
struggles, and died, just thirty-five minutes from the time we first
saw him.
Next morning, in company with Dr. Woop, we proceeded to
Ward’s establishment, but came very near being too late; for the
metamorphosis of the horse into grease, food for swine, etc., had
commenced. We however had an opportunity to make a casual
examination of some of the organs, and found a rupture of the
stomach of some six or eight inches. The contents, some of which
were found in the abdominal cavity, were very imperfectly (crudely)
masticated. It may be proper, therefore, to name the disease in-
digestion ; its consequences, tympanitis of the stomach; the cause
of death, rupture of the stomach. The loss of vision referred to
is one of the symptoms which generally attends acute indigestion.
A person, who was present during the last moments of the ani-
mal’s life, asked if we were not going to give or administer some-
thing. Our reply was, that we never tortured dying horses by
forcing drugs down their throats, One of our duties, as a physi-
cian, was to know when to withhold medicine—when to do
nothing; and another equally important one was to be able to
discriminate between,a hopeless and curable case. The one in
question was beyond the aid of science, and, therefore, in view of
“clearing our skirts” of being the cause of death by administer-
ing the last dose (a charge that is often ungenerously laid at the
door of medical men), we preferred to watch the dying animal,
and give directions calculated to lessen the pains of death.
Unfortunately for us and our patients, many employers form an
estimate of medical qualification in proportion to the amount of
medicine administered. They have an idea that the more medi-
cine we give, the greater are our efforts to control the disease, and
the more willing are they to pay for the same, when, in ninety-
nine cases out of a hundred, the very reverse is the case; for
many diseases to which horses and cattle are subject have a definite
type and limited duration, and would terminate favorably with
less medicine ; provided, however, the patient have the advantages
of pure air, suitable diet, and proper management. Many medi-
cal men are compelled to swerve from the line of their own con-
victions merely to satisfy their employers. This should not be.
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 181
If a man employs a physician, (quacks are not here considered,)
he should have unbounded confidence in the ability of the former
to treat the case. If any thing occur to lessen that confidence, let
the attendant be discharged immediately. The employer has no
right to dictate how or in what way his horse shall be treated when
he abandons him to scientific men. The science of medicine is
never a “ God-send.” No man is thus favored. It is the result
of diligent application and study, in and out of the dissecting-room,
and the legitimate student of medicine is a person entitled to the
full confidence of reasonable men for its legitimate practice.
Therefore, we contend that the qualifications of a veterinary snr-
geon should never be estimated in ratio to the quantity of drugs
administered, nor the length of his newly-invented syringe, nor
by the number of instruments contained in his pocket-case; but
by his works let him be judged.
There is one practice, prevalent among some horsemen, which
we very much deplore; that is, the drenching of sick animals with
gin, pepper, and molasses. This is a universal stable panacea in
certain quarters, and is often the cause of much pain and annoy-
ance to the animal, and more frequently of an aggravated form
of disease. Gin, or the fire-water sold under that name, is not
always to be procured pure. A great deal of it appears to us to
be composed of spirits of turpentine, new rum, and spirits of juniper,
which, of course, in certain cases, excites inflammatory action. We
have seen a horse’s mouth in a most shocking condition—the in-
terior surfaces almost completely denuded—after a drench of the
same; consequently, in cases of inflammation of the stomach or
bowels, (which the stable oracles are apt to mistake for colic, or
“bots,” as they term it,) the remedy (poison) is certainly objection-
able, because it not only operates unfavorably on the horse by ag-
gravating the disease, and sometimes changing a simple into a grave
one, but much valuable time is lost, in not sending for a competent
person to treat the case. Besides, if a medical man be called on
after the animal has been improperly treated, he then has two
things to contend against: a medicinal disease and the original
one; and the former is sometimes more difficult to control than
the latter; and this is the reason why some medical men, ourselves
included, refuse to take charge of what we term a second-hand
case.
The above case illustrates our argument. The remedies were
182 DADD’S VETSRINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
not adapted to the emergency. Even the simple article molasses
was objectionable, because it is an acid. The case required alka-
lies, in the form of ammonia or chloride of lime. Gin was ob-
jectionable, because it is an excitant of the brain and nervous
system, when, instead of the brain, the stomach ought to have
been stimulated. Niter, which was given, is an agent that in-
creases urinary discharges only, and, therefore, was not needed.
The trouble was in the stomach—to arouse its function and con-
dense the gas which distended the same. Alkalies and tonics
should have been administered, followed by such other treatment
as the nature of the case demanded. We look upon this gin and
molasses treatment as decidedly unprofitable to owners of live
stock. It savors too much of our grandmothers’ castor-oil prac-
tice, which often proves more heroic than salutary, does moze
harm than good, and, at the present day, is decidedly unpopular.
Our advice to horse-owners, therefore, is, if you have a sick
animal, and can not comprehend the nature of the disease, never
attempt to prescribe for him, but call in the aid of a professional
man. We give this advice under the conviction that domestic
animals are subject to many of the diseases that afflict our race ;
that the treatment should be somewhat analagous, and the tact
and skill not inferior, but superior, to that of the human practi-
tioner.
GORGED OR OVER-DISTENDED STOMACH.
Gorged stomach is usually the result of overfeeding, by which
means the stomach becomes overtaxed in its function, or over-
burdened in its capacity; so that, in the first place, digestion is
partially or totally suspended ; and, secondly, the stomach, being
distended beyond its physiological capacity, can not perform the
mechanical action, viz.: contraction and expansion, so necessary
for the physiological process of digestion. The act of digestion is
consummated through the aid of Nature’s chemistry, by means of
the salivial fluids, bile and pancreatic juice. These are the solvents
of all the digestible food. This chemical action receives much aid
in the mechanical action of the muscular fibers of the stomach,
which, by alternate contractions and expansions, keep not only the
stomach in motion, but also its contents, and thus the food is di-
gested. As regards overfeeding, however, it may be proper to
remark, lest the eroom or ellos take sey that an animal may
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS, 183
be regularly fed from meal to meal (not carelessly overfed), yet
the stomach, being disordered, does not digest the usual meal. A
portion of it is “left over,” as the saying is, and thus gradually
accumulates in that organ, until over-distension, with its conse-
quences, commands our attention. The reader must also bear in
mind that horses sometimes free themselves from the halter at
night, or when the groom is absent, and voluntarily gorge them-
selves; therefore the person who has charge of and feeds the sub-
ject is not always at fault. When engorgement of the stomach
occurs, and is associated with flatulency, the sufferings are doubly
severe, because then the intestines are also the seat of distension,
and the pain from that alone is sometimes terrific.
The following case, which lately occurred in the author’s prac-
tice, fully-illustrates the condition just alluded to. The subject
was a bay gelding, aged about seven years, the owner of which in-
formed me that the animal had, in the early part of the morning,
broken loose from his stall, and immediately commenced a des-
perate attack on a bag of oats, which happened to be within reach.
- The horse was known as a ravenous feeder, and the probability is
that he did not spare the oats, but took a pretty large dose, so as
to over-distend his stomach. The services of the animal being re-
quired, a few hours afterward he was hitched up. He soon, how-
ever, showed symptoms of distress, attempted to lie down, and
finally got into a profuse perspiration. Shortly after this, my
attention was called to him. I found the patient in great distress—
his head pendulous; breathing, much embarrassed; pulse, very
rapid; body, bedewed with a chilly perspiration; legs and ears,
cold; continual eructations of gas; at the same time efforts to
vomit, which brought away nothing more than salival secretion, ©
which, however, was quite profuse. The patient rolled and tum-
bled about considerably, and would occasionally stand up for a few
seconds at a time.
Treatment.—It appeared that the indications, in view of relief,
were to arouse the action of the stomach, and, at the same time, to
arrest fermentation. J was under the impression that the contents
of the gorged stomach could only be got rid of in the ordinary way,
viz.: by digestion. Jam aware that it is customary to give drastic
cathartics, in view of getting rid of the contents of the stomach ;
yet I would not advise the reader to do this, for the horse may die
ere the medicine operates. The following drench was administered ;
184 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
No. 20. Fluid extract of ginger..........0.. 1 oz.
Fluid extract of golden seal........ 2 2.
Hyposulphite of soda.....-....+-e- 2 drachms.
Wialerers cui ccielcloretele ete sie ese elels ct srenete 4 oz.
After the exhibition of the above, I threw into the rectum a
couple of quarts of soap-suds, to which was added a handful of
salt. In the course of about an hour the animal appeared to be
somewhat relieved, and passed a large quantity of oats, whole.
I repeated the dose; also the enema. The patient very soon after-
ward passed a large quantity of excrement, mixed with oats, and
so rapidly improved that I left him, and did not see him until the
next morning, when he appeared to have entirely recovered.
With the exception of a bran-mash or two, the above comprises
the whole of the treatment.
It was lucky for the horse as well as the parties concerned that
the animal did not get corn instead of oats; for the same quantity
of corn would have surely caused death, from the fact that when this
article of fodder is submitted, within the stomach, to the action of
heat and moisture, it increases in bulk in a ratio of about five to
one, and the usual result is rupture of the stomach. Still, should
any of our readers be called upon to treat a case of the latter kind,
there is no other plan of treatment with which | am acquainted
that will be likely to succeed in saving the animal than the one
here indicated.
Another case—The patient, a gray gelding, aged about eight
years, the property of Messrs. Wright & Bros., of Chicago, had
performed an ordinary day’s work without showing any symptoms
of ill-health. About five o’clock in the evening he was unhar-
nessed and put up for the night. In a few minutes it was noticed
that he began to bloat, and that the abdomen increased in size very
rapidly. A messenger was immediately dispatched for me. On
arriving at the stable, I found the animal in a very dangerous con-
dition. ‘The abdomen was enormously distended, and an eructation
of gas from the stomach, by the mouth, was continually occurring.
The respirations were laborious and accelerated, and very much
quickened ; pulse, very indistinct ; extremities and surface of the -
body, quite chilly ; rectum, protruding ; and the animal was very
uneasy, and appeared to suffer much pain. Occasionally he would
get down and make desperate efforts to roll on his back, yet he
did not succeed, for he was round as a barrel ; and when he could
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 185
scarcely stand alone, in fact, required the services of three men to
steady him, he could walk, and seemed most at ease when kept
in motion. I commenced immediately to inject warm soap-suds
into the rectum; but so soon as the fluid entered the same it was
immediately ejected, there being no room for it within, in conse-
quence of the distension of the walls of the intestines, which
pressed on the rectum. I next attempted to administer a colic
drench, composed of ginger, golden seal, and hyposulphite of soda,
but did not succeed in getting much of it down; for as soon as the
fluid entered the esophagus, it was met by a volume of eructating
gas, which brought the fluid back by way of the mouth and nos-
trils. I learned, however, that, previous to my arrival, Mr.
Smith, the foreman, had succeeded in drenching the patient with
a full dose of the colic mixture. This probably had the effect of
limiting the generation of gas; otherwise the animal might have
died ere my arrival. The case now appeared almost hopeless ; so
I procured a trocar and canula, and plunged them through the
flank into the large intestines. (See puncture of the intestines).
On withdrawing the cutting instrument, a steady volume of gas
issued through the canula for a period of ten minutes. The relief
was immediate. I next gave a dose of colic drench, and left the
animal in charge of the owner for the night. Early next morn-
ing I visited the animal, and found that he was all right. He was
fed lightly for a few days, and, without any other medical treat-
ment, was again put to work.
The dangers to be apprehended in cases of this character are
either rupture of the intestines or diaphragm. In either case,
death is sure and certain. Sometimes, however, neither of these
ruptures occur; then the distended intestines exert such pressure
on the diaphragm and organs of respiration that the animal dies
of suffocation and loss of pulse. When, therefore, it becomes im-
possible for the patient to swallow medicine, in a case of this char-
acter, recourse must be had to the trocar and canula, in view of
liberating the imprisoned gas. The lack of a little knowledge on
- this subject has been the cause of the loss of very many valuable
horses.
186 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
METEORIZATION OR SUDDEN DISTENSION OF THE
INTESTINES.
Meteorization is the name given to a disease known as bloat or
hoven in cattle. When it appears in a horse, it receives the above
name, or else is termed acute tympanitis. This form of windy or
tympanitic distension is always sudden in its attack; animals ap-
parently in the very best of health all at once show symptoms of
enormous distension of the abdomen, and, in the course of a few
moments, their lives may be said to be in peril. The distension
of the stomach and intestines is due to the presence of an immense
volume of gas—probably carbureted hydrogen—which augments
either by spontaneous generation, or in consequence of the food
running into fermentation instead of being digested.
Cause-—As regards the cause of this malady, we may, with
safety, assert that it is the result of a temporary derangement of
either the digestive function or the organs of digestion; and such
condition is inaugurated by overtaxing that function, or those
organs which carry it on, either by feeding indigestible food, or in
feeding with too liberal a hand. I have noticed that many ani-
mals have periodical attacks of this malady. Such are said to be
voracious feeders. Their abdomen is unusually large, and out of
proportion to other parts of the body; hence, in so far as their
conformation is concerned, they may be said to be predisposed ;
yet the disease sometimes occurs accidentally, and without the
intervention of any hereditary tendency.
Physiologists contend that very many diseases which afflict
horses are due to hereditary tendencies. Jor example, diarrhea
and colic are, to a certain extent, hereditary, inasmuch as they are
very prone to attack animals of particular form and constitution,
as those with narrow loins, large sides, and of what is generally
termed a “washy” appearance. If such animals be overworked,
especially soon after being fed, if their food be suddenly changed,
or if they be allowed an unusual quantity of water, they are almost
certain to be attacked by purging or tympanitis, The tendency of .
these diseases appears, in such cases, to depend on a want of adjust-
ment among the different organs of the body—a want of balance
among the functions of digestion, circulation, and respiration.
The following case will give the reader some idea of the symp-
toms and treatment of this malady :
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 187
History of the Case-—The horse had performed his usual daily
labor, without any fault-finding on the part of his driver, when,
all at once, he commenced to bloat, appeared uneasy, and, by
his actions, demonstrated very conclusively that he needed some
assistance. On examination, I found that the abdomen was dis-
tended to its utmost capacity. The walls of the abdomen were
rigid as a plank, and the respirations, in consequence of the great
pressure on the diaphragm and lungs, were very laborious and
much accelerated, amounting to about one hundred per minute.
The pulse was thready and indistinct; the tongue, livid; eyes,
glassy and protruding; surface of the body, bedewed with a cold,
clammy perspiration ; paralysis of the optic nerve had set in, and
the animal was “blind as a bat;” in fact, he was dead to all in-
tents and purposes. This was not the worst feature of the case.
He was continually vomiting from both nostrils, and, as the story
goes, “a horse that vomits surely dies.” Occasionally the animal
would fall on the ground with violence, and then assume a vari-
ety of positions, in view of finding some relief, but, alas! to no
_ purpose. His agony was intense, and there seemed to be no re-
lief for him, unless by a surgical operation. Medicine was out
of the question ; the animal had lost the power of swallowing, and
an attempt to administer a drench would have choked him to
death; so I selected the most salient or tympanitic spot on the
left flank, and then sent a trocar and canula through the walls of
the abdomen into the large intestine. So soon as I had withdrawn
the trocar, the gas escaped very rapidly through the tube, making
a noise like a steam-whistle. The animal obtained almost imme-
diate relief, and the bad symptoms rapidly subsided, so that I was
enabled to give a colic drench. This operated to prevent fer-
mentation, and gave tone to the digestive organs. Two subse-
quent drenches, of four ounces each, were given, and at the end
of twenty-four hours the animal was taken home. The slight
wound made through the walls of the abdomen into the intestine
healed readily, so that I had no trouble with that; and, to con-
clude, I would inform the reader that puncture of the intestine is
the only rational plan of treatment in a case of this character.
Colic drench is made up of the following ingredients :
No. 2s Wiindvextractotneineers. hee se. coe .6 . 2 02.
Fluid extract of golden seal............. 2 oz.
Hyposulphite of soda........ Aietavoletaveiajatatenl e § OZs
188 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
TYMPANITIS.
Case in Illustration —At midnight, June 16, 1865, I was called
upon to visit a horse afflicted with this disease. On arriving at
the stable, I found the animal on the floor, apparently in great
agony. The abdomen was distended with gas to an immense
capacity ; the pulse was feeble; respirations accelerated, and very
laborious ; body was bedewed with a cold, clammy perspiration ;
tips of the ears, cold; extremities in a similar condition. Eruc-
tations of gas from the stomach, by the way of the mouth, were
constantly occurring, indicating that the stomach, as well as the
intestines, were occupied with gas. The animal had bruised him-
self very badly in struggling, and extensive abrasion of the skin
had taken place in various parts of the body. I was informed
that the horse had just returned from a very long journey, and
had not tasted food for sixteen hours. On arriving at the stable,
where I found him, a bountiful supply was placed before him. In
his weak and exhausted condition, this was about the worst that
could have been done; for the stomach and digestive organs,
sharing, either by direct sympathy or otherwise, with other parts
of the body, were not in a fit state, until a period of rest had oc-
curred, to digest even a small quantity of food. The cravings of
hunger, or a morbid appetite, induced the animal to devour most,
if not all, of what was placed before him. The consequence was,
the food, instead of undergoing digestion, ran into fermentation,
and generated gas known as sulphureted hydrogen.
Treatment.—The animal was urged to rise. I then gave him a
colic drench, composed of two ounces of fluid extract of golden
seal, and one ounce of hyposulphite of soda. The surface of the
body was then rubbed with wisps of straw, which produced some
reaction, so that the surface of the patient became warmer. Oc-
casionally the animal was led about for a short distance, and then
was led back again to the stall, where he would get down, and roll
and tumble about, as if in great agony. I administered enemas
of soap-suds and salt, but did not succeed in bringing away either
feces or gas, and all the gas which escaped from the alimentary
cavity passed by the mouth. T'wo hours after the administration
of the first dose, finding that the animal was still unrelieved, I
repeated the dose of colic drench, and threw soap-suds into the
rectum. Soon after some feces were voided, and with them quan-
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 189
tities of gas. A slight improvement was soon perceptible, yet it
appeared that the fermentation was still going on, as the abdomen
did not decrease in volume; so I gave two ounces of hyposulphite
of soda, in view of arresting the generation of gas. This had the
desired effect ; for, as the gas was liberated, the abdomen decreased
in size. It was not, however, until a lapse of ten hours from the
attack that the patient obtained complete relief from his suffer-
ings. This case only differs from meteorization in the sudden-
ness of the attack of the former.
Persons who attempt to treat cases of this character must exer-
cise due patience. The animal must suffer a certain length of
time, notwithstanding the best-selected remedies are exhibited.
In other words, the reader is advised not to be in too much of a
hurry in getting the animal on its legs again. Take good care
of him; give him plenty of bedding to rest or roll on; in short,
nurse him as if he were a child, and, above all, do not give him
too much medicine.
FLATULENT Co.ic.
This is a disease of very frequent occurrence among horses. It
is known by a distension of the intestines and abdomen, with
flatus or gas. In the early stage, no perceptible abdominal dis-
tension occurs, yet it very soon manifests itself. One way of sat-
isfying ourselves of the presence of flatus is, to apply the ear to
the abdominal region, within which a sort of active rumbling is
heard, often accompanied by a tinkling or metallic sound. But
while making our examination, we may, perhaps, perceive that
the horse passes flatus by the anus, or eructates it from the stom-
ach by the mouth. In either case, our doubts, if we have any,
are set at rest. This feature of flatulency, accompanied by others
which will be alluded to, complete the chain of evidence.
In some cases the gas accumulates in the large intestines until
the abdomen resembles, in size, that of an ox when “hoven.” It
is very distressing to witness the sufferings of an animal in this
condition ; and when the intestines are so enormously distended
as to threaten rupture, the only chance of relief is to send a trocar
and canula through the walls of the abdomen, into some portion
of the distended intestine, and thus liberate the gas.
Symptoms.—It may be well to bear in mind that flatulent colie
190 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
is always sudden in its attack, and some horses are liable to it under
every variety of circumstance—in the stable, on the road, or at
grass. At the commencement of the attack the animal becomes
uneasy from pain, and commences to paw with his fore-feet. He
soon gets down, and, if space be sufficient, he commences to roll
from side to side, often remaining for a few moments on his back,
in which position he seems to obtain temporary relief. Sometimes,
as quick as thought, he is on his legs again, gives the body a shake,
and then anxiously regards his flanks, by turning his head toward
one side or the other, as much as to say, “ Here is the seat of my
trouble.” Soon he is down again on the floor, rolling and tum-
bling about. Now and then the animal remains quiet for a time,
in a sort of crouching attitude, the limbs being gathered beneath
the body, until the distension is so great, or the pains so severe,
that he must shift his position, when again we find him rolling,
or standing with his hind extremities stretched backward, and the
fore ones advanced, thus representing the attitude of a horse in the
act of urinating. Supposing, at this period, that there be no flat-
ulency present, yet the respirations are hurried, the pulse wiry,
the eyes glassy, and the patient excessively nervous and uncon-
trollable, the case is then of a spasmodic character (see Spasmodic
Colic) ; but should the animal pass flatus, or the abdomen increase
in volume, the case is unmistakable—it is flatulent colic.
Causes.—I shall now offer some brief remarks on the cause of
colic. If we could only stretch the imagination, so as to take for
granted all the popular causes assigned for the production of colic,
then their name would be legion. Some writers inform us that a
drink of cold water, when the animal is heated, is the most potent
cause. Then we must infer that the horses ridden by the Russian
Cossacs, in a country where cold water is abundant, should be the
subjects of colic; but the very reverse is the case. The disease is
almost unknown among them.
Previous to the introduction of Cochituate water into the city
of Boston, colic occurring among horses was partially attributed
to the cold well-water then used; but now they all drink the °
former, yet colic is just as prevalent, and, indeed, more so, than
at the time referred to.
There are no people that pay more attention to the watering of
horses than the English grooms, and it is customary, when a horse
is taken from his home to a distant race-course, to remain away
>
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 191
only a few days, to have sufficient water transported with him
to last during his stay, such a dread have English grooms of
“strange water,” as they term it. Now, it is a notorious fact that
English horses are more subject to bowel affections than those of
this country. From this circumstance, I infer that bowel affec-
tions are hereditary, or, in other words, a predisposition to such
is transmitted from parents to offspring.
I can well remember the time when physicians would not allow
a fever patient to taste water; but now they act more in accord-
ance with reason, and allow the sick just what they crave for. It
is not good policy, however, to allow a horse, when performing a
journey, a bountiful supply of water, because active exercise some-
what suspends the digestive function, and, therefore, the water
may remain in a portion of the large intestines without undergo-
ing the usual transformation. It then occupies space, and, being
weighty, may, in the rapid movements of the animal, operate un-
favorably in various ways, more particularly on the gut itself, it
being pendulous from the spine.
A horse is often brought into the stable in a state of profuse per-
spiration, and, of course, is somewhat exhausted. Now, it would
be decidedly wrong to either feed or water him until he is rubbed
dry, and has rested awhile; for, at such times food is just as likely,
and, I think, more so than water, to operate unfavorably on an
exhausted animal. Many horses, however, even when in this
exhausted state, will fill their stomachs with food and water, and
yet enjoy immunity from colic. Therefore, should colic occur in a
horse after he has had a hard drive, he having partaken of a
draught of water, it is rather difficult to decide which of the two,
if either, was the cause of the malady. One fact is certain, and
that is, the stomach is deranged, and, therefore, fermentation pre-
cedes digestion ; hence the gas.
Notwithstanding our best efforts to prevent it, colic will occa-
sionally occur. Green grass, clover, carrots, and turnips are said
to occasion it. Then, again, it appears in stables, where nothing
but corn, oats, and hay are used. One horse is attacked imme-
diately after a draught of cold water; another has the chill taken
off his, yet he is often found in the same predicament. Warm
water is the most insipid and nauseating drink that you can offer
a horse; and many would prefer to continue thirsty for some time
ere they would imbibe it.
192 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
It is well known to physiologists, and I presume the reader
must have observed, that both men and animals inherit peculiar
idiosyncrasies. Each are predisposed, either through parental de-
fect, temperament, or conformation, to certain forms of disease,
This peculiarity, or predisposition, is said to lurk in breed, and
those conversant with the horse’s structure and temperament can
readily determine whether he be predisposed to certain forms of
disease or not. For example, a horse predisposed to flatulent colic
is often observed to have a capacious belly, voracious appetite, and
does not properly masticate his food ; and he is not over-particular
as to the kind of diet, for we often find him devouring, with ap-
parent relish, the filthy straw that has served as bedding. Often
he proves to be a “ crib-biter.” (Cribbing is a defect, either in-
herited or acquired.) Ordinarily the salivial fluid is augmented,
yet it does not look healthy ; it is more like soap-suds, and of a
dirty color. The tongue is also foul, and the breath somewhat
fetid. One or more of these peculiarities generally predominate
in colicky horses. I contend, therefore, that some horses are pre-
disposed to colic; and this explains the reason why the ordinary
exciting causes, such as cold water, exposure, fatigue, irritating
food and medicine, are operative on the system of one horse and
inoperative on that of another. Colic is the heritage of some of
the best horses in the world.
Now, should the question be asked, What are the causes of colic?
I answer, It is occasioned by predisposing, direct and indirect
causes, operating conjointly or not. In all cases of colic, the
function of the stomach is either disturbed or partly suspended.
Treatment.—The principal objects in the cure of colic are, to
restore the tone of the stomach, by means of stimulants and tonics,
and to arrest fermentation and absorb the gases of the alimentary
canal. I shall not undertake to say that the remedies here alluded
to are the very best; but, as I have met with remarkable success
in their use, I can safely recommend them. I have an impression
that when a horse is the subject of colic, he requires to be treated
just as any intelligent physician would treat one of us. There
is no necessity to convert his stomach into a “slop-shop.” The
patient should be treated in a rational manner, by the same means
and with the same skill as if one of our race were concerned.
T do not like to see an animal trotted up one street and down
another, followed by a biped, whip in hand, and a crowd of idlers,
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 193
when he is the subject of excruciating abdominal pains, and the
sweat is pouring off him like rain, from sheer agony. The cus-
tom is decidedly wrong. Our reasoning faculties confirm this
opinion ; and what reason teaches, man should endeavor to put in
practice. No practitioner of human medicine dare advise such a
course as compelling a man to hop off a bed of sickness, and start
on a fast trot up and down stairs; for, should he so advise, he
would very soon entitle himself to a ticket ot leave. Should,
however, the attack be slight, a little walking exercise does no
harm; and if the patient appears disposed to roll, it were better
to let him do so—on the ground, rather than in a narrow stall.
My usual directions are: Give the patient a wide stall and
plenty of bedding. Let him lie down, rise, and tumble about
just as much as he pleases, only watch and see that no accident
happens to the animal. The colic drench used by the author,
during the past ten years, is composed of the following :
No. 22. Fluid extract of Jamaica ginger........ 2 oz.
Fluid extract of golden seal........... 1 oz.
Powdered hyposulphite of soda......... 1 oz.
\WEUWEP Saocacodoesoddad sao eaoueeaeee 4 02.
Dissolve the hyposulphite of soda in the water, then add the
other ingredients to it. The dose may be repeated, if necessary.
A good wisp of straw, vigorously applied to the belly and flanks,
and also to the limbs, may do some good, because we thus preserve
the equilibrium of the circulation. Enemas of soap-suds should
be administered often, and, provided the case be a curable one,
the horse will soon recover.
Spasmopic Couric.
The usual causes of spasmodic colic are, mental emotions, ex-
ternal chilliness by exposure, cold water drank hastily, drastic
cathartics, poisons, ete. Spasmodic colic is usually confined to the
small intestines, and they become cramped and contorted. In this
condition the patient is much tortured. The pain occasionally
remits, and the patient will appear easy, but only for a short time.
In some cases the patient will stamp and paw almost continually,
and strike his belly. He throws himself violently on the floor,
and occasionally rolls on his back. The abdomen is not distended,
as in the case of flatulent colic, but is rather tucked up, and the
13
194 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
abdominal walls are rigidly contracted. In the commencement
of the malady, the pulse is usually,hard and wiry, but varies as
the disease progresses; and the same is true of the respirations,
viz.: they are accelerated and laborious. The patient occasionally
suffers much pain in consequence of retention of urine and over-
distension of the bladder, which is the result of sympathetic spasm
in the region of the neck of the bladder. Such are the notable
symptoms of spasmodic colic.
Treatnent.—The disease being of a spasmodic character, requires
the exhibition of medicines of an antispasmodic character, such as
assafetida, lobelia, sulphuric ether, and copious enemas of warm
water, or an infusion of lobelia. The latter is the most valuable
antispasmodic now in use. Should the case, however, be a des-
perate one, I advise the reader to follow the treatment indicated
in the following case, taken from my note-book:
On making an examination of the animal, the following symp-
toms were observed: Pulse, very strong and wiry, averaging
twenty beats above the natural standard ; membranes of the mouth,
nose, and eyes very vascular, or highly reddened; the surface of
the body was bedewed, in patches, with perspiration; there ap-
peared to be much rigidity of the muscles, especially in the ab-
dominal region. All at once the animal would throw himself
violently on the floor, and throw his limbs about in the most wild
and reckless manner. He would assume all sorts of positions, yet
seemed to obtain most ease when flat on his back; still, if closely
approached or touched, he would kick and strike with fury, as if
he were intent on mischief. In short, the horse eut up such an-
tics that it was almost impossible to approach him; yet I finally
succeeded in delivering an antispasmodic drench while the animal
lay on his back, in which position I also gave an enema, composed
of warm water and lobelia.
The animal kept growing more restive and uncontrollable, till,
at last, it became very evident that convulsions had set in. The
breathing had become fearfully laborious and rapid; his nostrils
were dilated to their utmost capacity ; the sight had become so
affected, through temporary paralysis of the optic nerve, that tem-
porary blindness had set in.
There seemed to be little hope for the animal, and, fearing that
he might either kill himself by violence, or injure those in attend-
ance, I concluded to chloroform him, and thus put a stop to his
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 195
4
dangerous performances. He had had the best-of us long enough,
and now it was for me to show what science had in store for such
otherwise unmanageable cases. I procured a mixture, composed
of four ounces of chloroform and the same quantity of sulphuric
ether; next, a sponge was tied to a broom-handle, and covered
with a towel. Thus we were enabled to chloreform him at a safe
distance.
The patient did not seem to relish this mode of practice. He
fought for some time, tried to strike and kick me, but, being tem-
porarily blind, I had the advantage of him. It was soon evident
that the chloroform was beginning to do its work. The patient
gradually settled himself on the floor, and was soon completely
etherized. As it is dangerous to keep a horse under the full effects
of chloroform any great length of time, I now removed the sponge,
and only applied it occasionally, slightly saturated, so as to insure
a sort of incomplete state of insensibility. It was an encouraging
sight to behold the once powerful and furious animal now lying
free from pain, and deprived of the power of injuring himself or
those in attendance; and it is also gratifying to know that science
ministers to the wants and necessities of the inferior as well as the
superior orders of creation.
At the expiration of an hour, during which time the animal
was more or less under the anesthetic agent, he was allowed to
rise. He gave himself a few shakes, and seemed very much re-
lieved and more tranquil. I now gave a drench of spirits of niter
and infusion of lobelia; administered, also, a lobelia enema, and
left the patient to the care of his attendants. A few hours after-
ward I again visited the patient, and learned that he had a slight
spasm occasionally, for which I prescribed two drachms of pow-
dered assafetida. I then introduced the male catheter into the
bladder, drew off a small quantity of urine, and this completed
the whole of the treatment. The patient recovered.
Another case of Spasmodic Colic, treated by Inhalation —The
subject was a large and powerful stallion, aged about eight years,
the property of a gentleman residing in Chicago. The horse was
attacked in the street with symptoms of acute abdominal pain,
and, in consequence, was hurried home to the stable. The mo-
ment he arrived there, he threw himself down and commenced
rolling, and grew excessively uneasy and irritable. In the course
of an hour our attention was called to him. He then exhibited
196 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
symptoms of acute abdominal pain. The eyes appeared wild, and
their membranes congested ; the nostrils were dilated ; pulse, about
sixty ; extremities cold; body, bedewed with perspiration ; no tym-
panitis, yet the animal anxiously regarded his flanks. He would
paw with his fore-feet, and strike forward in a most reckless man-
ner, and fall down, as if in convulsions; then he would roll on
his back, curve his head to one side, and, as quick as thought,
jump up again.
He was now so spiteful and unmanageable that it was impos-
sible to administer either drench or ball. We tried every means
to get something down, but all to no purpose; he was determ-
ined to make us keep beyond the reach of his fore-feet and
mouth. It now became evident to us that the patient must be
mastered, and, in this view, not knowing at the time that the
agent we were about to use would act beneficially on the disease,
we procured three ounces of chloroform, and the same quantity
of sulphuric ether. An old sheet and a sponge were used as an
inhaler. Watching an opportunity, when the horse was down,
we got two men to secure him there by the neck. We then sat-
urated the sponge with the mixture, and applied the same to the
nostrils, enveloping them with the folded sheet, leaving an orifice
for the admission of air. The patient struggled violently at first,
but soon became quieter, and, in the course of two minutes, trem-
bled, breathed deep and loud. The pupils then became dilated,
the breathing stertorous, and the animal was fully etherized.
Having him completely under control, we were not disposed to let
him up in a hurry. The sponge, however, was removed, and so
soon as he showed signs of partial consciousness, it was again re-
plenished with ether, and applied.
Supposing that the case might be running on to intussusception,
or entanglement of the bowels, we thought there could be no harm
in keeping the animal under the influence of an agent that seemed
to act so well; consequently he was kept under its influence for
fifty-five minutes. His head was then brought toward the door,
and a few drops of cold water were sprinkled on him. Soon he
raised his head, looked bewildered, yet showed no symptoms of
pain nor uneasiness. Shortly afterward he got on his legs, but
had to be supported by several men, who soon rubbed him dry.
He was then drenched with laudanum, five drachms ; sweet spirits
of niter, one ounce. He was led to a stall, entirely free from pain,
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 197
partook of some gruel, and rested well during the night. Next
morning he got five drachms of aloes and one of ginger, in solu-
tion; the bowels responded to the same, and four days after he
was at work. We would not, however, have the reader suppose
that the same agent shall suit all cases of this character; for
another similar feat might prove a failure, and a third equally un-
manageable. A case might yield to the ordinary sedatives, how-
ever, provided the patient could be induced to swallow them.
INFLAMMATION OF THE PERITONEUM (PERITONITIS).
The peritoneum is a serous membrane, which not only gives a
covering to the intestines, but also a lining to the abdominal cav-
ity. Our pathologists teach that the peritoneum, like other serous
membranes, is very ready to take on inflammatory action upon the
operation of certain exciting causes. Watson informs us that
“acute inflammation, beginning in one spot, is almost sure to
transfer itself to any other spot that happens to be in contact with
the first, and is very apt to extend itself rapidly to the whole
membrane. ‘The disease tends to the effusion of serum, and of
coagulable lymph. It is of the adhesive kind, and its effects are
those of distending the peritoneal cavity with fluid, or of gluing
its opposite surfaces together, so as to obliterate that cavity, or
of forming partial attachments. In all these respects the analogy
between inflammation of the peritoneum and inflammation of the se-
rous membranes of the chest and the covering of the heart is perfect.”
Peritonitis is generally a manageable disease when treated ac-
cording to the principles of rational medicine; but when treated
according to the dictum of BLAIN and others, who have never
done any original thinking, in so far as veterinary science is con-
cerned, it is decidedly the reverse. For example, here is a pas-
sage from BLAIN’s works:
“The treatment of peritonitis is much the same as for enteritis.
The only difference is, that the animal will lose more blood before
he displays any symptoms of uneasiness. We may also be more
- bold with purgatives. The three ounces of solution of aloes may
be increased to five, the pint of oil enlarged to a pint and a half;
and if this produces no signs of its having acted on the bowels,
it may even be repeated when another three hours and a half have
elapsed. All the other measures are alike, in both cases.”
198 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Those who follow such advice as this would be very apt to lose
their patients, either through the direct influence of meddlesome
medication, or by converting peritonitis into dropsy of the abdo-
men. But let us see what WATSON says on the subject of the
treatment of peritonitis :
“ Most writers whose worth I am acquainted with recommend
purgatives as highly serviceable in peritonitis. I do not think the
good which they are calculated to do, as antiphlogistic remedies,
can at all be put in competition with the harm that I am per-
suaded they may produce, by increasing the peristaltic action of
the intestines, and so causing additional friction and tension of
the inflamed membrane. I believe that in all cases of well-marked
and pure peritonitis, when the inflammation is limited to the se-
rous membrane, it is far better and safer to restrain than to solicit
the internal movements of the alimentary tube.”
In human practice, physicians, instead of giving purgatives,
resort to the use of narcotics, in view of tranquilizing the system,
and for the purpose of mitigating the intense pain which exists
during the acute attack.
Symptoms.—The most marked symptoms of peritonitis are as
follows: In the early stage, the animal paws slightly, but not
with that sort of viciousness which is characteristic of colic or
strangulation of the intestines. Soon, he shows febrile symptoms ;
the pulse runs up to seventy or more, and a shivering fit sets in,
‘When pressure is made on the abdomen, the animal evinces signs
of pain. He will sometimes get down and lie on his back, but
he soon finds out that the best way of lessening his pains and
aches is to keep as quiet as possible. His tongue is usually coated,
and the bowels are inactive.
Treatment.—Give the patient mucilaginous drinks, as in the case
of enteritis, and drench him occasionally with an infusion of poppy-
heads, in pint doses. Empty the rectum by means of soap-suds
enemas, and then throw in a quart of infusion of hops. Cloths,
wet with warm water, should be applied to the abdomen, and the
surface of the body should be kept warm by means of blankets.
This kind of treatment, with good nursing, will probably restore
the animal to health. Should symptoms of dropsy set in, give two
ounces of fluid extract of buchu, daily.
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 199
ASCITES, OR ABDOMINAL DRopsy.
Ascites signifies a collection of serous fluid within the abdom-
inal cavity. The subject of this disease is noticed as having a
symmetrical and uniform enlargement of the abdomen; and, if the
patient be a mare, some persons are likely to infer that she is
pregnant, but examination, by pressure, will suffice to determine
the conditions; for, if pressure be made with the fingers, in the
abdominal region, a waving or fluctuating motion is discovered,
similar to that which follows the forcible displacement of liquid.
This fluctuation is the discriminating symptom between ascites —
and pregnancy, for in the case of pregnancy no such fluctuation
can be elicited.
Ascites is usually the result of some chronic or acute disease of
the peritoneum (lining membrane of the walls of the abdomen),
or, rather, a loss of equilibrium between the local functions of
secretion and absorption. This disease, like many others, may be
rapid or insidious. If rapid or acute, it is apt to prove fatal in
the course of a few days; if insidious or chronic, the animal may
survive for a long time, as the following case will show:
Case of Dropsy of the Abdomen, ending in Rupture of the Stom-
ach.—The subject of the above-named affections was a mare, owned
by the North Chicago Railroad Company. She had been in their
employ during a period of three years, and had always performed
the work required of her without any manifestation of disease; in
fact, had gone her usual trips up to within a few hours of her death.
She had just partaken of a hearty breakfast, when, all at once, she
began to falter, and the surface ot the body was soon bedewed with
a profuse perspiration ; she trembled, the head became pendulous,
and the case assumed an alarming aspect.
This happened at about six o’clock in the morning. At eight;
my attention was called to her, when the following symptoms were
observed. Pulse, small and indistinct; respirations, humid, and
rather laborious; abdomen, quite tense from distension ; percus-
sion over the region of the abdomen yielded a dull sound, yet
fluctuating, showing that the abdominal cavity was occupied by
some kind of fluid. From the peculiar conformation of the abdo-
men, I at first suspected that the animal was pregnant, which
proved not to be the case,
On percussing over the region of the stomach, a tympanitic
200 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
sound was elicited, showing that the stomach contained a large
quantity of gas, and was over-distended. Her extremities were
cold, and other symptoms were present which indicate death. I
suspected that the food was running into fermentation, and, in
view of arresting it, I gave one ounce of the hyposulphite of soda,
and the same quantity of fluid extract of ginger and golden seal.
The body was bathed with new rum, and she was rubbed vigor-
ously, by three men, for about half an hour, from which treatment
she seemed to rally some. Several injections of salt and soap-suds
were thrown into the rectum. They brought away a slimy sub-
stance, but very little feces. Finally nothing came away but that
which was injected, and from this I was led to infer that, either
from pressure or stricture, the small intestines were closed.
I now determined: to send a trocar into the abdomen, for the
purpose of discovering what it contained, and, accordingly, selected
a point in the lower middle of the same. In withdrawing the cut-
ting instrument, a fluid commenced to run, which, in color and
consistence, resembled urine. For an hour and a quarter this fluid
continued to run through the tube, and the amount obtained must
have been over three bucketsful. I was in hopes that the with-
drawal of this large amount of fluid might remove the pressure on
the intestinal tube, and thus the gas, which was pent up in the
stomach, might find its way to the anal outlet. Not so, however ;
for, notwithstanding all our efforts and attention, the mare died,
at noon, with rupture of the stomach.
The autopsy revealed a rent, or rupture, in the stomach, of about
eight inches in length, through which a portion of the food and
fluids of the stomach had escaped into the abdominal cavity. The
small intestines were the seat of stricture in several places; their
external surface, or, rather, peritoneal covering, was studded with
albuminousand fibrous deposits, resulting from abdominal dropsy ;
otherwise, the contents of the chest and abdomen presented the
appearance of perfect health. I should judge that the water had
been accumulating in the abdominal cavity for a long time. The
foreman at the stable observed that the animal always appeared
very portly, so much so that the abdomen was square with the
hips, which had led some persons to suppose that her hips were
“knocked down.”
Most authors contend that when a horse is the subject of rupture
of the stomach or intestines, he squats on the haunches, like a dog;
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 201
but this animal did not exhibit any such symptoms, but stood up
until within a few minutes of death.
Treatment.—A case of this kind requires the exhibition of tonics
and diuretics, and the following is the best remedy which can be
given:
No. 23. Fluid extract of buchu..... Siri coual parte
Fluid extract of snakehead......... ( “1U™ P :
Mix.
Dose, two ounces per day.
INFLAMMATION OF THE INTESTINES (ENTERITIS).
This disease is located on the inner or mucous coat of the in-
testines, sometimes, however, involving the muscular portion of
the same. The causes are various: improper management, bad
food, worms, irritating medicines, musty hay or clover, chilling
the body by cold water, exposure to rain, etc. ?
Symptoms.—The disease often commences with a shivering fit,
to which succeeds heat of the skin, restlessness, loss of appetite ;
the mouth hot and dry ; the inner membrane of the eyelids and
nostrils are redder than usual. As the disease progresses, the pain
increases, and the animal will lie down. There is no intermission
of pain; it is persistent. The breathing is accelerated, and pres-
sure in the abdominal region elicits symptoms of pain. The bowels
are usually constipated, and if any feces are voided, they consist of
small, hardened balls.
An examination after death reveals a gangrenous state of the
small and sometimes the large intestines. Often extravasated
blood is found within the intestinal tube. So soon as the pain
ceases, and the animal appears no better, we infer that gangrene
has set in; cold sweats set in, and the animal shortly dies.
Treatment.—The treatment of enteritis does not, and should not,
differ from that of any other acute affection. Mucilaginous drinks,
chlorate of potass, hyposulphite of soda, in doses as recommended
for inflammation of the stomach. Occasional enemas of soap-suds
are to be thrown into the rectum, so long as the feces remain hard,
or are voided with difficulty. The objectionable method of back-
raking—so highly recommended by some authors—should never
be resorted to; itis a disgusting affair, and actually unnecessary ;
for, let the rectum be ever so impacted, it can be evacuated by
DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
202
“ALIAVO TVNIWOGaV THL ONINTIO NO SUNILSHLNI GHL LO AONVAVEdAV
==—x
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 203
enemeta, composed of soap-suds, to which add a little ginger or
lobelia. If the weather is not too cold, cloths wet with warm water
may be applied to the abdomen, over which throw a blanket, so
as to prevent evaporation and chill. The outrageous treatment
recommended by some authors is a disgrace to the profession.
They recommend bleeding until the horse faints or falls ; then to
seorch the sides with ammonia and cantharides; and, lastly, to
empoison what little blood he may have left in his system, so that
death may occur secundum artem.
Should the subject of inflammation of the intestines suffer much
pain, a drench of half a pint or more of infusion of hops, or pop-
pies, may be given occasionally ; or one ounce of the fluid extract
of one of these agents may be substituted, to be given two or three
times during twenty-four hours.
The treatment of inflammation of the intestines, as well as in-
flammation of any other part of the body, consists in using those
means and agents which ward off or remove any agent which, in
its effects, does, or tends to, deprive any of the organs or tissues
of the living body of their vital action, The remedial means
used to accomplish this object must be such, and such only, as
sustain the weakened or increase the reduced vital action in any
of the organs or tissues. This is the doctrine which the author
attempts to teach in this work. And is the doctrine not plain?
Could any thing accord more directly with reason, or commend
itself more clearly to the common sense and unbiased judgment
of intelligent people? If the vital action of any of the organs or
tissues become weakened or enfeebled, should they not be strength-
ened? Can this be done by any other agent and means than those
which increase and strengthen this very vital action? If this ac-
tion, in any of the organs or tissues of the animal body, becomes
reduced or impaired, must it not be increased by agents and means
which codperate with the vital power? Then, how can agents and
means which always impair vital action (poisons) cure disease?
Different remedial means have different effects upon the organs
and tissues of the system ; but all poisons and agencies which im-
pair the integrity of the organism of a well animal must have a
disastrous effect on one that is sick and suffering. Unhealthy and
poisonous agents impair and reduce the vital action of certain
organs and tissues according to the nature and tendency to affect
various parts of the living structures,
204 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Now, if it can be made to appear that disease consists, in its
nature and effects, in increased vital action or increased health of
any portion of the body diseased, then will it be proved that poi-
sons are, and of necessity must be, medicines or the agents to cure
disease. But what are we taught by our brethren of the heroic
school upon this point? “In spontaneous disease,” that is, dis-
ease which occurs without any apparent cause, HUNTER contends,
“we know of no method that will entirely quiet or remove the
inflammatory action or disposition. All we can do, probably, is
to lessen every thing which has a tendency to keep it up. In-
flammation is either an increase of life or an increase of a dispo-
sition to use it.”
Again: “One of the means of curing this inflammation,” says
the same author, “is by producing weakness. The means of pro-
ducing weakness of an absolute character are, bleeding, purging,
and the exhibition of poisonous agents. The inconvenience, how-
ever, arising from this practice is, that the sound and healthy
parts must suffer nearly i in the same proportion with the diseased ;
for, by bringing the inflamed parts on a par with health, the
sound parts must be brought much lower, so as to be too low.
The first method, namely, bleeding, will have the greatest, the
most permanent, the most lasting effect; because, if it have any
effect at all, the diseased action can not be soon renewed; the
second, purging and poisoning, will act as auxiliary, so that these
processes go hand in hand; but neither these nor sickness can pos-
sibly lessen the original inflammatory disposition. Lessening the
power of action belonging to the inflammatory disposition can
only lessen or protect its effects, which, however, may be of serv-
ice, as less mischief will be done, and this will often give the
inflamed disposition time to wear itself out. But this practice
must not be carried too far. It must be followed with great
judgment. Nothing debilitates so much as purging, if carried
beyond a certain point. Even one purging may kill when the
constitution is much reduced. The internal medicines generally
ordered for the cure of inflammations are such as have a similar
effect to that of bleeding; namely, lowering the constitution or
the action of the parts. As inflammation has too much action,
which action gives the idea of strength, such applications as
weaken are recommended.”
Here, then, are the reasons for the use of poisons to cure dis-
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 205
eases, as believed and taught by our brethren of the heroic school.
Such agents and means we do not want, for the plain reason that
disease can be cured quicker and better without than with them.
Our system of practice, and that recommended in this work, tends
to sustain the vital powers during the progress of disease; and
this is accomplished by resorting to sanative medication. This
sanative system of medication must, eventually, commend itself to
the candid and to the unprejudiced reasoner and scientific inquirer
after truth.
STRANGULATION OF THE INTESTINES.
When an animal becomes the subject of strangulation of the in-
testines, it is very difficult, at first, to diagnose the case, for the
symptoms very much resemble those of spasmodic colic; yet as
the treatment of the two diseases does not differ much, the mistake
in itself is of little consequence.
Symptoms.—The difficulty is, at first, accompanied by uneasi-
ness. The animal moves about in his stall, and commences stamp-
ing with one of the fore-feet. Frequently he gets down and rolls
on his back, in which position he will remain sometimes for sey-
eral minutes. So soon as he rises, he commences to paw and
stamp with a vengeance. As the disease advances, he totters, and
sometimes drops on the floor. The pulse is usually irregular, the
mouth cold, and visible surfaces pallid; the tongue appears of a
bluish cast; and the body is generally bedewed with sweat. Fi-
nally, the animal makes great efforts to evacuate the rectum, and
in so doing strains violently, so as to cause blood to escape from
the rectum ; and sometimes the rectum itself protrudes. Should
the symptoms not improve, the animal soon dies of strangulation
and mortification of the intestines,
Treatment.—This must be of an anti-spasmodic character. An
ounce or two of fluid extract of lobelia should be given, every two
hours, in a pint of warm water; the body should be enveloped
in bandages, wet with warm water, and enemas of assafetida or
lobelia should be thrown into the rectum ; but if the rectum pro-
trude, enemas are inadmissible. On some occasions of the kind,
I etherize the patient, with marked relief.
206 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
WOUNDS PENETRATING THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY.
The treatment of a penetrating wound into the abdomen will
depend somewhat upon the nature of the same. Should the intes-
tines protrude through the wound and exhibit a puncture, put on
the twitch and Rarey-strap. Then return the intestines into the
abdominal cavity, and proceed to suture or sew up the intestinal
rent, by means of a small needle, armed with sewing silk—first,
by means of sutures through the abdominal muscles, one end of
the suture being left long enough to hang out of the wound;
second, close the skin (the sutures should be distant from each
other about one inch); next place a cold water pad on the parts,
and encircle the body in the injured region with a cotton-roller,
over which place a surcingle, and securely fasten it. In the event
of the intestines being swollen and distended, it may be necessary
to cast the patient; then roll him on his back, and thus the pro-
trusion may be returned ; but should they still prove too large for
the orifice, it must be dilated by means of a probe-pointed knife.
SPLENIC APOPLEXY.
Mr. GAMGEE has made some translations from foreign authors
on the subject of Splenic Apoplexy, and he tells us that “ this is
the disease described as carbuncular fever by Renault and Rey-
nal. It is most common in hot and tempestuous seasons. In its
carefully-observed symptoms, M. Anginiard is induced to regard
the disease as dependent on miasmatic exhalation. Until recently,
the author had studied the malady only in sheep, but has fre-
quently observed it, of late, in the horse. It is not so suddenly
fatal in the latter as in the former. The prostration and stupor
are very striking. ‘The horse can barely stand, and is very list-
less; the muscles of the limbs tremble, and partial sweats bedew
the body. In some parts the skin is dry, and the coat staring ;
the breathing is slow and irregular; the conjunctiva, or lining
of the eyelids, is white, and indicative of an anemic or bloodless
state; the pulse is feeble, wiry, and accelerated, offering a remark-
able contrast to the tumultuous action of the heart; the loins are
very sensitive; and there are often indications of pain on pres-
sure on the abdominal walls. Colicky symptoms are frequently
noticed. At first, all appetite is lost, but, as the disease advances,
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 207
the animal eats and drinks freely. In attempting to bleed an
animal, great difficulty is experienced in filling the vein; and
when the blood flows, the animal instantly manifests great weak-
ness. The blood is black, and does not coagulate as in health.
The symptoms rapidly grow worse, the breathing labored, the
eyes sunken, the prostration extreme, and progression impossible,
until the animal reels over and dies. The disease runs a rapid
course, and, on an average, death occurs within fifteen or eight-
een hours. There is an absence of the external swellings char-
acteristic of ordinary carbuncular fever; and the internal disten-
sions of organs, particularly of the spleen, so ably described by
Renault and Reynal, are sufficient, according to M. Anginiard, to
distinguish the two diseases. In the treatment of this disease,
Anginiard trusts mainly to quinine. He administers a drachm
and a half as soon as possible, either in an infusion of coffee or
other aromatic mixture. If the symptoms do not subside two
hours afterward, two drachms are given. Generally this is suf-
ficient. If not, a third and fourth dose have to be exhibited.
Bleeding is to be condemned. The body of the animal may be
rubbed with a wisp, or a turpentine liniment may be employed
as a derivative. Free ventilation, and leaving the animal uncoy-
ered, to permit free exhalation, are essential points in the man-
agement of these animals. M. Dumesnie has tried this treatment,
and found it most successful. Anginiard believes in small doses,
and not often enough repeated.”
Apoplexy is a disease which, if not discovered early, is very
apt to prove fatal. Whether discovered or not, in its early stage
it generally baffles the skill of those who, in this country, have
attempted to cure it. The incurability of such malady may, under
the circumstances, be accounted for on the belief that it often
rages as an enzootic, affecting animals in isolated spots, without
regard to locality, and attacking only those susceptible to its
influence. What the conditions are which favor its propagation
I am unable to determine, for I have known it to affect equally
those which appeared healthy as well as others unhealthy in ap-
pearance; hence it is very difficult for any one to point out the
direct causes of the affection. I have not seen many cases of either
enlargement of the spleen, or apoplexy of the same, occurring in
cattle, from the fact that my practice has been mostly confined to
horses in cities, where cattle were not very numerous; but a friend
208 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of mine, located in a cattle-raising district in the State of Maine,
informed me that this disease, accompanied by enlargement, often
prevails there enzodtically, and that most of the animals thus
affected die. I have had considerable experience in the treatment
of such affections in horses, but, as I have just observed, the result
is very unsatisfactory. I believe I have but one case of cure on
record, and the medicines used on that occasion were stimulants
and tonics, with forty grains of iodide of potass per day. The
spine was also rubbed, night and morning, with equal parts of
cod-liver oil and spirits of camphor.
Symptoms.—The symptoms of enlargement of the spleen in
horses (they do not differ much in cattle) are as follows: Feeble
pulse; respiration not much disturbed; the tongue is usually
coated; mouth, hot, and the breath has a feted odor; the mem-
branes lining the mouth and eyeballs have a slight yellow tinge;
the head droops, and the tips of the ears and lower parts of the
limbs are chilly; the patient is rather unwilling to moye, and,
when urged to do so, exhibits a staggering gait, and sometimes falls
never to rise; the urine is scanty, and, in the last stages, blood
oozes from the anus and nostrils; colicky pains attend the disease.
In a case that terminated fatally, I made the following record
of the post-mortem examination: On opening the abdominal cay-
ity, the spleen was found to occupy a very large space. It was
of immense proportions, and weighed nearly twelve pounds. The
ordinary weight is three pounds. It presented the appearance
of a spleen in the chronic stage of disease, being altered in struc-
ture, of a dark, pitchy color, and surcharged with dark, venous
blood. Before death, I percussed the left side, in the locality of
the spleen, and the sound elicited was of a solid character, which
indicated enlargement of the same.
The early symptoms of splenic apoplexy do not differ much
from the above, only they are of a more acute character. In the
latter stages, the malady is complicated with a painful affection of
the bowels. The diagnostic symptom of splenic apoplexy, with
enlargement of the same, is a notable enlargement on the left side
of the abdomen, well up toward the ribs. When standing behind
an affected animal, and casting one’s eyes carefully along the
sides of the abdominal walls, a perceptible eminence will be seen,
which can not be mistaken. The region of the spleen is between
the stomach and the false ribs on the left side,
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 209
In view of rendering this subject more valuable and interesting,
I now introduce the following, which was written for the “ Edin-
burgh Review :”
“Splenic Apoplery.—This disease broke out in the year 1858,
on a farm characterized by its extreme richness of soil, in the
north of Northumberland. In 1859 the malady reappeared, and
did not cease until twenty-three head of cattle had been affected.
Splenic apoplexy is a malady that has not hitherto been observed
in the north of Britain, and its occurrence recently is evidently
to be attributed to the special method of farming and feeding
stock where it has, for the last two years, proved so destructive.
The farm is a peculiarly dry one. About three hundred head
of cattle are annually fattened on it. One lot was made ready
by Christmas, and sold as fat beef in Newcastle; a second was
kept back until January, when they were allowed an abundance
of turnips, meal, and the best oat straw. The cattle affected were
three years old; and it would appear that those fed on Swedish
turnips, especially from a certain field, suffered most; but some
fed on yellow or white turnips have been affected, and we should
regard the meal, and perhaps the oat straw, as more likely to pro-
duce this disorder. According to Delafoud’s researches, legum-
inosee, or forage very rich in nutritive principles and deficient in
water, from artificial pastures, are frequent causes of splenic apo-
plexy. The farmer in Northumberland suspected that the arti-
ficial manures had produced the trouble, and the following season
he dressed his land with home manure; but the properties of the
last crop have proved as deleterious as those of the preceding one.
The fact is, the crop had nothing to do with the development of
the disease.
The malady stopped suddenly, about the middle of February,
and this was probably due to the cattle suffering only when the
system was taxed by change from rather moderate to very high
feeding. It is an interesting fact that in cows the disorder only
affects those which are approaching the period when the secretion
of milk is stopped, and when there is a tendency to lay on flesh,
they then being liable to plethora. Cows fed on food capable of
producing splenic apoplexy die of it.
Change of diet proved of no avail at the farm referred to (show-
ing very conclusively that the food was not the special cause).
Common salt was recommended as a preventive; but Delafoud
14
F210 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
has shown that salt is not a reliable remedy in such cases. The
malady stopped spontaneously, and the point now to settle is the
prevention of disease during the future seasons.
For the benefit of our readers who may not know the symptoms
of splenic apoplexy, we may mention that often there are premon-
itory signs—the animals apparently enjoying the best of health
early in the morning, may be dead some time before noon. Some-
times there are symptoms of excitement; the eyes are prominent,
and the visible mucous membranes are injected or reddened.
Symptoms of uneasiness suddenly manifest themselves, and col-
icky pains indicate abdominal disorder. The urine voided is high-
colored and red, and there may also be blood in the feces. The
back becomes arched, and the animal fixes himself, hanging on to
any thing by which he is tied, or he will press his haunches on
some resting-place in the corner of the stall. After this the ani-
mal soon drops, and is seized with convulsive pains and twitchings.
In addition to the discharge of feces and urine, tinged with blood,
there is a red, frothy liquid, which escapes from the nostrils; the
animal bellows, moans, and soon dies.”
Treatment.—Tonics, alteratives, and glandular stimulants are
indicated. Take of
No. 24. Fluid extract of blood-root............ 4 oz.
Fluid extract of golden sea.].......... 6 oz.
Chlorate of “potass..)cic.. cies. bu c-ses ete OZe
Dissolve the potass in one pint of boiling water; then add the
extracts. Give the patient a wine-glassful every six hours, until
amendment is perceptible, when the dose may be decreased to two
ounces every twelve hours. Rub the body with a portion of the
following :
No. 255 Proof spiritssc.:\2. asec} s/afere oe te stele a pos
Mincture oh, Capsicuim rs iecchsyeie ei). tile cree 4 oz.
Two or three applications, in the course of twenty-four hours,
will suffice. Should the animal suffer much from colicky pains,
dissolve one ounce of hyposulphite of soda in four ounces of hot
water, to which add half a table-spoonful of powdered ginger,
and drench with the same. Pure air and a light diet will aid in
restoring the animal, provided the case is curable.
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 211
FUNCTIONAL DISEASE OF THE LIVER.
The liver, like other parts of the digestive apparatus, is liable
to become deranged, in either function or structure, by errors in
diet, which is the most potent cause of both functional and or-
ganic disease of the same. In almost all cases of liver disease,
we observe a yellow tinge of the visible surfaces—membranes of
the eye and mouth. In order to account for the yellow tinge, we
must bear in mind that bile is formed in the blood; that -the office
of the liver is to absorb or withdraw it from the circulation con-
stantly, as fast as it is formed. Disease of the liver, simulating
jaundice, manifests itself whenever the due separation of the bile
from the blood is not accomplished ; hence the accumulated bile
seeks other outlets, namely, the kidneys and intestines, and ex-
eretory gland of the skin.
When animals become jaundiced suddenly, we may infer that
the difficulty, whatever it may be, in the liver, is of an acute
character ; that is to say, it is recent in origin and active in form.
Jaundice is a phenomenon of several diseases peculiar to horses.
During the progress of the epizodtic known as influenza, a jaun-
diced state of the visible surfaces is always present, which disap-
pears when the patient convalesces, showing that the liver is only
functionally deranged. When jaundice accompanies indigestion,
and disappears under the action of alteratives or changes in diet,
we may also infer that, if not absolutely functional, it is, at least,
not purely inflammatory.
It is plain, therefore, that jaundice is of but little consequence
in prognosis, since the symptoms with which it is often associated
declare, much more positively than itself, the gravity of the affection
in which it occurs as a symptom. It sometimes happens, however,
that the function of the liver becomes suddenly interrupted, causing
pain, after the fashion of what accompanies the bilious colic of man.
The following case will probably give the reader some idea of
the nature of acute functional disorder of the liver. The patient,
a gray gelding, aged nine years, was suddenly attacked with symp-
toms of colicky pains, for the relief of which the owner had given
a colic drench, which seemed to afford temporary ease; but soon
the symptoms reappeared, the animal got down, and seemed to be
the subject of acute pain. Under these circumstances, the owner
sent for me.
DAW DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Symptoms.—On arriving at the stable, I found the patient stand-
ing, his head somewhat pendulous, appearing dull and sleepy. The
membranes within the eyelids and mouth were of a bright yellow
tinge ; pulse, rather feeble ; bowels, constipated ; in short, the usual
appearances attending functional derangement of the liver were
present ; yet the “ key-note,” or diagnostic symptom, was the bright
yellow tinge of the visible surfaces.
Treatment.—The following drench was given :
No. 26. Fluid extract of mandrake............ 3 0%.
Fluid extract’ of golden’ seal 2. 0.5.00 oz:
Carbomartel of Sodas << '/aie)sie' 5 aleie's wis) eee stn
WW ALE Dae aie: aid cl aig] rig ie: sichevecelel diel io) ie(olel mallee mpEIU!
An injection of soap-suds was thrown into the rectum, which
brought away a small quantity of hardened, dark-colored excrement.
Next day I found the patient in about the same condition, and re-
peated the dose of medicine and injection. In the course of a few
hours the bowels responded, evacuating a large quantity of semi-
fluid, dark-colored feces, mixed with a substance resembling shreds
of albumen. Next day the animal appeared much better. I then
gave two ounces of fluid extract of golden seal, and one drachm
of hyposulphite of soda, and thus ended the treatment.
This case is an illustration of a simple mode of treatment far
superior to the old-fashioned system, which contemplates strong
doses of aloes and calomel, agents which usually intensify the
morbid phenomena, often producing a medicinal affection, which
requires much time for the animal to recover from. It is the
author’s opinion that a vast number of very fine animals in these
United States die from the heroic system of practice, which over-
looks the best means of aid presented by the resources of mild
and sanative medication.
We have long been an advocate of the physiological method
of treating disease, and we contend that is more philosophical,
safe, and the surest means of restoring an equilibrium of vital
action in the animal economy, in all forms of morbid conditions;
and we earnestly entreat our readers to exercise great faith in the
powers of Nature to aid and assist in the cure of all maladies,
and place less reliance in the power of art.
Tn view of strengthening the faith of young converts to sana-
tive medication, we quote the language of Sir JoHN FORBES, a
man of undoubted authority.
»
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 213
“Such has ever been the want of trust in Nature, and the over-
trust in art, prevalent among the members of the medical profes-
sion, that the field of natural observation has been, to a great extent,
hidden from them—hidden either actually from their eyes or vir-
tually from their apprehension. ‘The constant interference of art,
in the form of medical treatment, with the normal processes of
disease, has not only had the frequent effect of disturbing them in
reality, but, when it failed to do so, has created the belief that it
did so, leading, in either case, to an inference equally wrong—the
false picture, in the one instance, being supposed to be true; the
true picture, in the other, being supposed to be false.”
In all cases of liver disease, it is good policy to change the diet,
and offer the animal green vegetables—sliced carrots, and grass
if it can be had. In all cases of chronic disease of the liver, a
run at grass is the most potent remedy for the cure of the same.
It was formerly supposed that the function of the liver was
merely to eliminate bile, but modern physiologists have discovered
that the blood itself is changed while circulating through that
gland, which elaborates fibrine from albumen, and fat from sugar.
The liver stores up fatty matter, so that, should the food be deficient
in fat, the liver yields up what it contains. It is very curious to
notice the peculiarity in the circulation of the liver. Itis supplied,
like other organs, with arterial blood for its own support; and it
also receives an immense quantity of venous blood through veins
commencing on the gastro-intestinal cavity, which terminate in a
vessel named vena porta. This vessel, on entering the liver, ram-
ifies in various directions, like an artery, and ultimately terminates
in the veins peculiar to the liver ; so that the blood, instead of flowing
directly from the stomach and intestines, is made to circulate through
the liver, and thus the various transformations are effected. The
liver must, therefore, perform the double function of secretion and
excretion. It secretes bile, and excretes carbon and hydrogen from
the system. Should an animal labor under diseased lungs, he may,
under proper medical treatment, recover, provided the liver be
healthy. This organ can, for a time, eliminate carbon and hydro-
gen; but, instead of passing off as they do from the lungs, in the
form of carbonic acid, they accumulate in the liver, in the form
of fat, or else the liver increases to an extraordinary size. In
Strasburg they prepare a favorite dish from the livers of geese,
artificially enlarged by the cruel process of depriving them of
214 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
light and liberty, confining them in a warm room, and stuffing
them with food. We find that, under such barbarous management,
there is a disproportion between the oxygen respired and the car-
bon taken in the form of food. The respiration which active ex-
ercise increases and rest diminishes are, now that the animal is
confined, slow and uniform. The lungs fail in eliminating car-
bonic acid, and hence carbon and hydrogen are driven back to the
liver by means of venous circulation. An excess of carbonaceous
material in the liver is liable to result in jaundice, which is a simple
functional derangement of that organ. It occurs generally in the
warm months, and is usually sudden in its attack.
Among the most prominent symptoms are high-colored urine,
yellow tinge of the visible surfaces, languid pulse, and slow action.
If the liver be the seat of inflammatory action, the pulse will be
quick and bounding, respiration hurried, the patient feverish, and
pressure over the region of the liver elicits symptoms of pain.
If simple functional derangement exists unchecked for any length
of time, it leads to organic lesions and structural disease. When
the bile accumulates, it is very apt to thicken and produce gall-
stones or calculi; if these accumulate in the gall ducts, the subject,
unless relieved, soon dies.
Diseases of the liver have hitherto been considered the bane of
tropical climates, but they are equally prevalent in cold and moist
regions. Horses and men are as frequently attacked with it in
northern as in southern latitudes. The celebrated sheep-breeder,
Bakewell, knew that early disturbance of the liver led to the ac-
cumulation of fat, and, in order to derange the liver, he was in
the habit of folding his sheep in wet pastures. Now, the English
agriculturists are well acquainted with the fact that water mea-
dows have a tendency to produce that almost incurable disease
termed rot. Rot originates from a diseased liver, and, in the
early stages of it, the animal accumulates fat very fast; so that
by rotting sheep he was able to bring fat ones early to market, and
thus steal a march on his more conscientious neighbors. This
state of the liver termed rot is associated with the existence
of parasites termed distoma hepaticwm, commonly denominated
flukes, and these parasites are considered the cause of rot, when,
in fact, they are the results of deranged functions of the liver.
The rot, therefore, is not local. It can be produced in any coun-
try by exposing animals to the debilitating effects of moisture and
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 215
neglect. It is not only prevalent in England, but also in Asia,
Africa, and America. In Egypt, on the receding of the Nile, it
spreads to a fearful extent. In warm climates the livers of men
and animals become diseased, not so much from local causes as
from stimulating drinks and diet. If a man attempts to consume
the same amount of food in warm that he has been accustomed to
in cold climates, he is apt to become bilious, and this is a pre-
monitory indication of perverted function of the liver. A very
important fact has lately been discovered in reference to the func-
tion of the liver. A French chemist has ascertained that one
function of the liver was to produce sugar out of the animal or-
ganism. ‘This is the secret of the formation of the fat. Chem-
ically speaking, sugar and fat are nearly allied, the chief difference
being that one contains a small portion of oxygen.
Many valuable animals are lost from organic disease of the
liver, the origin of which may, in many cases that have come to
our knowledge, be traced to simple functional derangement, which
has existed for some time. Its symptoms are either unobserved
or, if perceived, disregarded. Some of the subjects that have been
put under our care for the treatment of diseased liver had a strong
predisposition for the malady, their color being black and tem-
perament bilious. Such horses are the ones that require special
attention whenever they appear to be “ailing.” It is remarkable
to observe, however, that many horses of a temperament diverse
from the bilious are often attacked with organic and functional
derangement of the liver, and this peculiarity can only be ac-
counted for on the ground that the horse has no gall-bladder—
no receptacle, such as is found in cattle, for the accumulation of
bile ; consequently, the horse’s liver must be an active organ,
especially when the animal is permitted to make but one meal per
day, and that meal occupies a period from sunrise to sunset, and
daily and weekly continues to occupy no less time. The conse-
quence is, the organ is overworked, and is the seat of local ex-
haustion. The liver requires regular periods of rest to recover
from fatigue or functional duty, yet how is it possible to secure
the same when a horse is permitted to make a perpetual hay-rack
and corn-bin of his stomach? The herculean feat of converting
a hay-stack and corn granary into bone, muscle, and nerve at the
rate of 2.40 is beyond the physiological capacity of any vital
organ; therefore, in the language of the sailor, the vessel sinks
216 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
from local inundation—the liver caves in from overwork, too much
. food, and too little discretion. A hard pull on an omnibus, or a
similar feat in a marketer’s wagon, would be the very best medi-
cine in the world for a plethoric horse, or one predisposed to
hepatic derangement.
THE PANCREAS AND ITs FUNCTION.
The pancreas is a glandular body lying across the spine, in the
epigastric region, underneath the diaphragm, near the small cury-
ature of the stomach. The body of this gland is pierced by the
vena porta (known as the gate rein); has one attachment to the
spleen, and another to the left kidney. It is divided into head,
body, and tail. Structure, similar to salivary glands. Color,
pale red, speckled. It is composed of many lobules. Every lobe
has a distinct set of nerves, arteries, veins, and ducts. Every lobe
is, therefore, considered as a distinct gland, and the same is true
of the salivary glands. The duct pierces the duodenum (known
as the second stomach), alongside of the hepatic duct.
The pancreatic arteries are derived mostly: from the hepatic.
Several, however, come from the splenic, in its course to the left
side of the abdomen, and one or two from the gastric. The veins
are tributary to the vena porta. The nerves come from the celiac
plecus. The fluid secreted by the pancreas is a colorless, limpid
fluid. It forms an emulsion of fat; hence it dissolves the fatty
matters of the food. It is an active agent in the preparation of
chyle. That the pancreatic juice possesses the property of emul-
sifying fat is proved from the fact that when the pancreas is
destroyed, and the animal fed on food containing fatty matter, the
latter passes with the feces, just like fat in an unchanged state.
Mr. GAMGEE says: “The pancreatic juice has another impor-
tant use which remains to be spoken of, and that is a peculiar
action on nitrogenized substances. If raw meat be placed in
some of the juice, the meat speedily softens und putrefies. The
same occurs with albumen or caseine in the raw state; but if the
azotized principles are previously boiled, or acted upon by the
gastric juice, the pancreatic therefore serves many purposes, and
acts on every kind of aliment.
Circumstances affecting the digestive function in general have a
special influence on the pancreas, and modify its secretion. Such
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 2
is not the case with the salivary glands and their products. The
pancreatic juice may, like every other secretion, be found to con-
tain adventitious substances that have accidentally entered the
blood. Thus, iodide of potassium may be eliminated from the
system by the pancreas. It is not so with every salt, the prussiate
of potash, for example, never being seen in the pancreatic juice.
The pancreatic secretion is formed during infra-uterine life, but
we are at a loss to account for its uses there. It is difficult to de-
termine what nervous influences affects its production. A dose of
ether excites it, and pressure on the abdominal viscera likewise
tends to its increase; the efforts of vomiting stop it.”
On PARASITES WHICH INFEST THE INTESTINAL CANAL.
There are various forms of parasites which infest the alimentary
canal of horses and cattle which, no doubt, are the cause of some
annoyance to the infested ; but really they are not, at all times, so
injurious as some writers make them out to be. They are rarely
if ever found in the intestines of healthy animals, and their pres-
ence is generally due to a deranged condition of the digestive
organs. They very frequently originate spontaneously.
“Certain independent organisms, both vegetable and animal,
are found in the body. The vegetable growths are all microscopic,
and belong to the lowest order of plants, the alge and fungi.
They are never met with except upon cutaneous or mucous sur-
faces, nor while these surfaces remain healthy, usually. A secre-
tion of fibrine or mucus, undergoing decomposition, forms the soil
in which they grow. In some cases, they are believed to be the
media of contagion.
Animal parasites are very numerous. Many of them are in-
fusorial. Many belong to the class of insects and mites, as fleas,
lice, bugs, and the acari, of which the most important one is the
itch-mite. A class of higher consequence comprises several sorts
of worms. Those which infest the intestinal canal are extremely
common, and are the oxguris vermicularis, or thread-worm, which
inhabits the rectum; the trichocephalus dispar, or long thread-
worm, which is found in the large intestine, and especially in the
cecum; the ascares lwumbriccedes, or round worm, whose ordinary
residence is the small intestine; the tape-worm, or tenia, which
also affects the same part. The kidney is occasionally the seat of
218 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
a round worm, called ths strongylus gigas, measuring from five
inches to three feet in length, and from two to six lines in thick-
ness. ;
The diseases with which even large intestinal worms are con-
nected appear to be sometimes the cause and sometimes the effect
of the presence of these parasites. Very often they exist in con-
siderable numbers without producing the least disturbance of the
economy, but in other cases they are unquestionably the cause of
much suffering and ill-health. How far they are themselves the
result of a morbid state of the organs in which they appear is
still an undecided question.
The origin of parasites is extremely obscure, and has long been
a mooted point among naturalists. Jt may not be inappropriate
to present a summary of the opinions which are entertained respect-
ing a subject of so much interest, but, in doing so, we shall confine
our remarks to the parasitic animals which inhabit the interior of
the body, or entozoa.
It is evident that these animals must originate in one of two
ways; that they must be derived directly or indirectly from with-
out, or be created out of materials existing within, and furnished
by, the body. No other supposition is possible. If an entozodn
is in any manner derived from withcut, it must be admitted that
this takes place either through the reception of the animal itself
or of its ova. If either opinion be assumed, it follows that the
parent animal must exist somewhere external to the body. But
the parasites in question have never, in any case whatever, been
detected except within the organism. If it is objected that many
of these animals are so minute that they might easily elude dis-
covery in the elements around us, the argument fails when applied
to the giant strongylus, the stout lumbricoid worm, and the teenia,
measuring many yards in length. Besides, even admitting for a
moment the possibility of the parasites which inhabit the intes-
tine, and other mucous cavities, having once existed externally,
the insuperable difficulty still remains of explaining the entrance
of entozoa into shut cavities and parenchymatous structureés—into
the eye, or the muscles, for example, and their presence in the
unborn child, and even in the bodies of larger entozoa of a differ-
ent species. On the other hand, if it is maintained that the ova
are alone received, it must still be shown that the ova exist exter-
nal to the body, which has never been done. Nor would the
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. -919
admission of this explanation be sufficient ; for many of the entozoa
are not propagated by eggs, but belong to the viviparous class,
so that in regard to them the difficulty remains undiminished.
But granting the existence of ova without, and their reception into
the body, it is still impossible to explain the development from
them of the animals found in the parenchyma, in the embryo, etc.,
without, at the same time, admitting that the ova are not only
carried to these localities through the blood-vessels, but actually
pass through the walls of the capillaries. Such an admission
would be a physiological absurdity; for the extreme vessels will
allow of the passage of a single blood-globule at a time, and no
more, and will not permit any denser fluid than the plasma of the
blood to permeate their walls. How, then, could they afford a
passage in any manner to ova, the least of which is ten times as
large as a blood globule?
If the hypothesis now presented is untenable, it only remains
to adopt the alternative one, to-wit: that entozoa are generated or
created anew out of the materials or the products of the living
organism. It may be urged affirmatively, in support of this doc-
trine, that each organ possesses its own entozoa—the kidney, a
species different from those of the intestine, which are, again, un-
lixe the parasites of the liver. Even more: the several parts of
the same organ generate dissimilar animals. The small intestine
produces the round and the tape-worms; the large intestine, the
two species of thread-worms. ‘These facts seem to show that some
extremely local concurrence of circumstances is essential to the
production of the several entozoa. It may also be argued, and we
think the argument unanswerable, that if spermatic animalcules,
_ which exist in the testicle, are there spontaneously generated, no
violence is done to probability in supposing parasitic animals to
be produced in the same manner. It will hardly be denied that
spermatozoa are literally evolved from the constituents of the
semen ; but it is objected to the doctrine of spontaneous generation
that it ig against analogy, which every-where supports the famous
dogma, omne vivum ex ovo. This objection is a mere begging of
the question. The decision of the case in hand involves the truth
of the theory just quoted, and, as we believe, must be allowed to
show that this theory is not absolutely universal in its application. »
Other facts, also, among which are the following, tend to invali-
date it. Nothing can be more certain than that all organized
te
¥
220 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
beings were, at some time or other, created. Geology proves that
successive genera and species have been thus created, at long in-
tervals apart; and the history of disease renders it probable that
one affection, at least (syphilis), which is only propagated by direct
descent, ex ovo, as it were, is really of comparatively recent origin.
In conclusion, after the review of the preceding outline of an
argument upon the generation of parasitic entozoa, we feel obliged
to admit that the weight of facts and probabilities is wholly on
the side of the doctrine of spontaneous generation. At the same
time, we can not but look with interest to the results of future
observations in this field, nor altogether suppress the hope that
the simple law of Nature, omne vivum ex ovo, may even yet be
found to embrace the classes which now appear to form so striking
an exception to its provisions.”*
Symptoms.—The usual symptoms indicating the presence of
worms in the intestinal canal are, sometimes, a scurfy, yellow mu-
cous accumulation around the margin of the anus; the appetite
is not uniform; the bowels are irregular, sometimes loose, and
sometimes constipated; and the feces are often shrouded with
shreds of mucus, of a yellow color. When ascarides are present
(located in the rectum), the horse is much inclined to rub his tail
against any post or fence he can get at, and he employs himself
at such feats against the sides of the stall, in view, probably, of
allaying the intolerable itching which usually attends the presence
of these parasites,
The lumbrici, or round worms, sometimes exist in the intes-
tines in great numbers. They are then apt to be hurtful. In
such cases, the coat looks unthrifty, and the hair has lost its na-
tural glossiness, and appears rough to the sense of touch. It has
been noticed, also, that when horses are afflicted with intestinal
parasites, their breath gives out a fetid odor, and they have a sort
of dry, hacking cough. It is well known, however, that some
horses, enjoying, apparently, the very best kind of health, are often
the subjects of worms. ‘
Treatment.—Most of the remedies recommended in the ancient
works on farriery are just about as likely to kill the horse as the
parasites, and consequently are, to say the least, unsafe. The true
theory is this: worms are the result of indigestion; hence our
*
* Stillé’s “Elements of Pathology.”
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 221
object, by way of prevention, is to give tone to the digestive or-
gans; and soon after the worms have congregated in the intestinal
canal, bitter tonics and alteratives are obnoxious to them. They
then die, are digested, and pass from the anus as fecal matter.
Suppose we give the infested horse powerful purges, tartar
emetic, calomel, turpentine, etc., as the books recommend. We
may succeed in their expulsion, but that does not mend the mat-
ter; for the agents just named are all more or less prostrating,
and create a worse state of digestive derangement than that which
previously existed, and soon, by virtue of spontaneous generation,
anew crop of parasites make their appearance.
When a horse shows any of the symptoms here alluded to, in-
dicating indigestion, or the actual presence of worms, I recommend
that an occasional dose of the following be given: ae
No. 27. Powdered poplar bark (populus tremuloides).
Powdered sulphur... ee seis clelec cisieis's «ees equal parts.
Powdered salt ......ssceseeees Spon nanh dé
Mix.
Dose, one table-spoonful, to be mixed with bran or oats.
EXAMPLES OF VERMIFUGES,
No. 1.—Fluid extract of wormwood, four drachms; to be given
in the morning, before feeding time, for several successive days.
No. 2.—Give one ounce of fluid extract of pink-root, every
morning, before feeding, for a week.
A GOOD REMEDY FOR THE TAPE-WORM.
Give four drachms of the solid extract of male fern (aspidium
felix mas) every other morning, during a period of about ten days.
This is said to be a specific for tape-worm.
Finally, as regards the treatment of worms, Nature has endowed
these parasites with such tenacity of life, that no matters known
to us will effect their destruction, though a few may answer the
purpose of their expulsion. Bots are so hardy as apparently to
survive immersion in oil, in alcohol, spirits of turpentine, and
even powerful solutions of mineral acids. The continued use of
salt, mixed with the food, appears, however, obnoxious to them;
for sometimes, under its use, their hold gives way, and they are
ejected. Bitters, purgatives, and the mechanical irritation of
222, DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
pointed bodies, as pewter, tin, etc., have no effect whatever upon
bots; but with regard to the other parasites, rather more success
may be expected from medical aid, in the form of vermifuges.
It has been attempted to effect the removal of worms mechan-
ically, by dissolving the mucus they are supposed to be imbedded
in, for which purpose lime-water, oil, solutions of aloes, ete., have
been injected by clyster up the rectum, and which practice is most
to be depended on for the ejection of ascarides when in the rectum.
This practice of washing away the mucus of the intestine, and
thus to deprive the intestine of the secretion given for its protec-
tion, is not to be recommended, though oil, for this end, would be
harmless. Strong purges are given with the same intent, which
may remove them also from the whole alimentary track. Reme-
dies have likewise been exhibited to destroy them within the
body, by the mechanical irritation of their spiculi, under which
view tin, brass, iron, and pewter are thought remedial. The In-
dian caustic barley and Indian pink are reputed vermifuges
against the teres and ascaris. The oil of turpentine has also been
strongly recommended as an excellent general vermifuge; but,
except for the destruction of the tenia, or tape-worm, it certainly
does not appear to deserve that character.””*
* (Blaine’s Outlines.”
SECTION VIII.
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS.
INFLAMMATION OF THE K1pNEYS—INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER—STONE IN THE
BLADDER—SUPPRESSION OF THE URINE—RETENTION OF THE URINE—DIABETES,
on ProruseE STaLLinc—RvuPTuRE OF THE BLADDER—ALBUMINOUS, URINE—
HZMATURIA, OR BLoopy URINE.
INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS (NEPHRITIS).
NEPHRITIC affection is often mistaken for what some
persons term “sprain across the kidneys” (lumbar sprain).
It isa mistake of some importance, from the fact that when sprain.
or strain is suspected, people are apt to resort to the use of irri-
tating embrocations or liniments, which may do much harm, as
their action is to augment heat and pain, which, in case of ne-
phritis, is to be avoided.
Symptoms.—Hard and accelerated pulse ; quickened respiration,
indicative of pain; back, arched; legs, straddling; the head is
often turned toward the loins, or region of pain; the animal is
unwilling to describe a circle with its body, and, while the acute
stage lasts, scarcely if ever gets down on the floor; the urine is
reddened and scanty ; finally, the animal crouches when pressure
is made over the region of the loins, and, as is the case in all acute
affections, thirst and loss of appetite are observable.
Treatment.—The treatment of nephritis, in the acute or inflam-
matory stage, is just such as would be proper supposing the case
to be one of enteritis, or peritonitis. Twenty or forty drops of
fluid extract of gelseminum may be placed on the tongue two or
three times, at intervals of four hours; fomentations of hops or
poppy-heads (warm) should be applied to the loins, and occa-
sional enemas of warm water may be thrown into the rectum.
The drink should consist of what is known as flaxseed or slippery-
(223)
224 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
elm tea. Soon the inflammatory symptoms will subside, the patient
will manifest some relief from pain, and the color of the urine will
change, become lighter and thicker in consistence. We then dis-
continue the above treatment, and administer one ounce of fluid
extract of buchu, morning and evening. This treatment, aided by
rest and good nursing, usually completes the cure.
Should it be suspected that the animal has a fit of pain, caused
by the “gravel,” or passage or presence of urinary calculi, then
two drachms of muriatic acid should be mixed in the ordinary
drink, every time the animal is watered. He should also have a
small quantity of powdered slippery-elm or flaxseed mixed with
the food. Horses the subjects of urinary calculi pass urine which,
on being caught in an earthen vessel, deposits phosphates and other
earthy matter. When this occurs, and the animal has a fit of pain
or gravel, we may infer, in the absence of more positive proof, that
urinary calculi are present in some portion of the urinary apparatus.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER (CYSTITIS).
The principal symptom of inflammation of the bladder is fre-
quent urination, accompanied by straining and pain. Sometimes
the urine dribbles away, involuntarily or not, as the case may be.
It appears that the least distension of the bladder causes pain;
hence the effort to keep it empty. The urine is usually high-
colored, or, rather, of a dull red color. The animal stands with
his hind limbs widely separated. The treatment is precisely the
same as that just recommended for inflammation of the kidneys.
STONE IN THE BLADDER.
One very remarkable symptom attending the presence of calcu-
lus, or stone in the bladder, is, that after the urine is voided there
comes a painful sensation, which causes the horse to groan. This
is caused by the walls of the bladder coming forcibly in contact
with the calculus, which is now a foreign body. Occasionally the
horse is urinating a full stream, when, all at once, the stream is
suddenly arrested, the animal still straining until urination again
commences. This is a pretty sure sign of stone in the bladder.
Stones that have been taken from the bladder, after death, present
a highly-polished surface; hence they do not produce that amount
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 225
of irritation which proceeds from intestinal calculi, the surfaces of
which are always rough.
Mr. Youatt says that “the symptoms of stone in the bladder
much resemble those of spasmodic colic, except that, on careful
inquiry, it will be found that there has been much irregularity in
the discharge of urine, and occasional suppression of it. When
fits of apparent colic frequently return, and are accompanied by
any peculiarity in the appearance or the discharge of the urine, the
horse should be carefully examined. For this purpose, he must
be thrown. If there is stone in the bladder, it will, while the
horse lies on his back, press on the rectum. Several cases have
lately occurred of successful extraction of the calculus, but to
effect. this it is always necessary to have recourse to the aid of a
veterinary practitioner.”
It is not necessary to cast the horse in view of ascertaining the’
presence of calculus. The hand can be introduced into the rectum
while the horse is standing. The rectum should, however, first be
evacuated by enemas of warm water. But we have a better plan
than this. A sound or jointed catheter has been invented, which,
when passed into the bladder, determines, by percussion, the pres-
ence of calculi. The operation of lithotomy can only be performed
by one skilled in the science; yet the reader may desire to know
something about the mode of performing it; therefore I introduce
a case of the kind, which occurred in the practice of Mr, FIBLD.
The following is the case:
“The animal was cast, in the usual manner, and both hind
legs were drawn to the shoulders, as if for castration. Read’s new
flexible catheter being passed into the bladder, a quantity of warm
water was injected sufficient to distend that organ and the urethra
moderately. The catheter being withdrawn, and holding the penis
with the left hand, a slightly-curved grooved staff, two feet long,
was introduced, so as for the curved part to come into the subanal
portion of the urethra, above the posterior edge of the ischium,
extending toward the sphincter ani. An assistant, kneeling on
the left side of the horse, drew the penis forward with his left
hand, and gently pushed the staff backward with the right, at the
same time keeping the groove exactly beneath the raphe. This
elevated the portion of the urethra to be incised. I then made an
incision, a line from and on the right side of the raphe, through
the skin and fascia, extending the length of from three to four
15
226 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
inches; and, pushing the penis a little on one side, I gradually
divided the muscular and spongy portion, and exposed the mucous
membrane of the urethra, when the finger readily detected the
groove of the staff, into which a small incision was made sufficient.
to admit the bistoire cachée, following which with the index finger
of the left hand, the membrane was divided to the rectum. Very
little blood flowed, and the water of the urethra gushed out. The
staff being removed, I easily introduced the small forceps through
the urethra into the bladder, and grasped the stone, a portion of
which flaked off. The large forceps were then employed, and,
my brother holding the handles, I directed the blades upon the
stone, my left hand being in the rectum. Having placed the
stone in a proper position, I grasped it with the forceps, and, with
both hands, gave it a half-turn, so as to place its widest axis be-
tween the pubis and rectum; and thus, with a moderate force, I
gradually and evenly drew it out, the neck of the bladder readily
dilating. Two stitches were inserted in that part of the incision
nearest the anus, the lower part being left to itself.”
‘SUPPRESSION OF URINE.
Suppression of urine signifies that condition in which no urine
is either secreted or voided. The affection is due to either func-
tional or organic disease of the kidneys, or it is an accompaniment
of various forms of disease, and, in such cases, is termed functional.
For example, I lately treated a horse the subject of jaundice ;
he did not pass a drop of urine for two days. I inferred that
the kidneys were inactive, and did not secrete urine, therefore he
had none to pass; but after this period, a slight improvement in
the disease (jaundice) having taken place, he urinated, yet at first
only in small quantities.
When the affection comes on periodically, it indicates organic
disease of the kidneys, and, finally, is apt to prove fatal. Wat-
son says “that if no urine be separated from the blood, coma
soon supervenes, and death. It is believed that these conse-
quences result from the detention of urea in the system. Urea is
a mere excrement, which, in health, is removed from the blood
by the kidneys as fast as it enters that fluid. When it is not so
carried off, it accumulates in the blood, circulates with it to every
part of the body, and acts as a poison, especially upon the brain.
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. DOT
a
To render it thus poisonous, however, its decomposition in the
blood appears to be requisite.
This is one of the numerous instances showing that the carry-
ing fluid of the body may become the vehicle of disease and death,
if it be not duly purged of deleterious matters which pertain to
the unceasing processes of organic life. If carbonic acid be not
extricated by the lungs, the animal functions are as certainly and
almost as speedily extinguished by that gas as the flame of a taper
might be, and we know that when the outlet of the liver is shut
up, when the blood is not pumped from the excrementitious bile,
the powers of animal life are weakened and sometimes utterly
and rapidly destroyed.”
Frequent complaints are made to me, by horsemen, that their
horses do not urinate sufficiently, and I am requested to furnish
diuretics. I usually advise the former not to feel alarmed, for
Nature regulates these matters, and, in time, all will be well; pro-
vided, however, good food is furnished, and proper care is taken
of the animal. The subject being one of importance, both as
regards man and horse, I here introduce the following article
from Wartson’s “ Lectures:”
“Suppression of urine, for a considerable time, is not, however,
necessarily and universally fatal. Patients laboring under the
epidemic cholera would secrete not a drop of water for some days,
and yet recover. It was remarkable how entirely free such patients
were from any approach toward coma. Was the urea here drained
off from the blood in the enormous and unnatural flux from the
stomach and bowels? I think it probably was; but chemical
search has not detected that substance in the fluids so effused.
Schmidt thinks, indeed, that it would be found but for its rapid
decomposition into carbonate of ammonia. There are, however,
some very singular instances on record of persons who have passed
days and even weeks without secreting urine, and without show-
ing any other indication of impaired health. What degree of
credit such narratives deserve I do not know; but assuming that
there was neither fraud nor mistake, it may be suspected that
either the natural secretion was compensated by some vicarious
or supplemental discharge, or that a small quantity of urine was
actually separated by the kidneys, ‘If any water, however small
the quantity,’ remarks Sir Henry Halford, ‘had been made in
these cases, I should have thought it possible that the patient
228 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
might have recovered ; for it has often surprised me to observe
how small has been the measure of that excrementitious fluid
which the frame has sometimes thrown off, and yet preserved
itself harmless. But the cessation of the excretion altogether is
universally a fatal symptom in my experience, being followed by
oppression on the brain.’ The same eminent physician states that
in three of his five cases there was observed a remarkably strong
urinous smell in the perspiration for twenty-four hours before
death. This I believe is of common occurrence in such cases,
Other patients have vomited, or passed by the bowels, watery
matters possessing some of the sensible qualities of urine; and a
urinous fluid is said to have been found in the ventricles of the
brain in some of the fatal cases.
I have spoken of suppression of urine as a malady, though it
probably is never any thing more than a symptom; yet it is one
of those symptoms which, from our uncertainty respecting their
origin and determining cause, we are obliged to treat and to study
as if they were substantive diseases. In the only well-marked
instance that I have seen of suppression of urine coming on in‘an
apparently healthy person, some blood had appeared in the urine
for a day or two before the secretion was totally suspended, and
the kidneys were found gorged with blood. Extreme congestion
or inflammation of the substance of the gland is probably at the
bottom of many of these cases. The same train of symptoms
supervenes not unfrequently upon organic renal disease. They
happen, too, sometimes, when the ureters become impervious from
disease, or from impacted gravel. In this condition urine con-
tinues to be secreted, for a time at least, and distends the ureter
behind the seat of the obstruction. The apoplectic state which
ensues may arise from a reabsorption of the secreted fluid ; or, in
consequence of the obstacle, the secretion itself, after going to a
certain point, may stop, and then the case becomes a case of sup-
pression.”
Treatment.—Persons desirous of administering medicine for the
treatment of this affection, are advised to give half an ounce of
powdered chlorate of potass, dissolved in the drink, every night,
and half an ounce of fluid extract of buchu every morning.
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 229
RETENTION OF URINE.
Retention and suppression of urine are terms very often con-
founded with each other. We have just shown what is meant by
suppression, and now it remains for us to understand the true na-
ture of retention. Retention signifies an undue delay of natural
discharges. The secretion of urine may be active as ever, yet the
animal has not the power to void it. The bladder soon becomes
distended beyond its physiological capacity. Its muscular fibers
are overstretched, and thus have not the power to contract again
until the fluid is evacuated by means of the catheter; hence the
reatment of such a case as this pertains more to the art of sur-
gery than that of medicine.
Treatment.—In most of these cases we find the neck of the blad-
der spasmodically contracted. The spasm may be either primary
or it may accompany spasmodic colic, which is often the case. In
fact some animals, when suffering from retention of urine, act just
as if they had colic; hence it is, in such cases, highly necessary
that the bladder be examined by introducing a hand into the
rectum. By this means, should the bladder be distended, it can
easily be discovered. The catheter must then be introduced, or
the animal will die from rupture of the bladder. Provided no
catheter should be at hand, I should throw into the rectum copi-
ous enemas of warm water, and administer one or two ounces of
tincture of assafetida as an antispasmodic, which may possibly
have the desired effect.
DIABETES, OR PROFUSE URINATION.
Many veterinary writers contend that diabetes is caused by the
administration of diuretics, or else in consequence of improper
food. In some instances this may be true. Errors of this kind
may produce an excessive flow of urine, but this does not consti-
tute diabetes.
Symptoms.—The characteristic symptom of diabetes is a most
remarkable change in the quality of the urine. It becomes loaded
with sugar. It has been found that in true diabetes the urine is
never without sugar. The most ready test for sugar in urine is
as follows: Invert a test-tube, filled with urine, to which a small
quantity of yeast has been added, into a saucer, also containing
* @
230 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
urine; set the mixture in a warm place, and, if sugar be present,
fermentation will soon commence, and carbonic acid rising in the
tube will depress the upper surface of the urine.
Very few experiments have ever been made on the diabetic
urine of horses; but large quantities of saccharine matters have
been obtained from the diabetic urine of man, by a process of
evaporation. Watson tells us, in his “ Lectures,” that he has
seen large flat cakes of beautifully crystallized diabetic sugar.
“Tt differs somewhat from common sugar, the produce of the
sugar-cane, and approaches more nearly to the sugar of grapes.
This kind of sugar, which may also be produced artificially from
starch, chemists have named glucose. By rapid evaporation of
the water, a thick syrup is produced, resembling treacle; but Dr.
Macintyre, who has presented to our hospital museum some very
fine specimens of this sugar, prepared by Dr. Blandford, informs
me that to get it well crystallized, the evaporation in a steam-
bath should be stopped while the urine is of thin consistence. It
may be quickly reduced to one-half, perhaps, of its original quan-
tity; then it should be set aside, in shallow plates, and in the
course of ten days or a fortnight the sugar will be deposited.”
An animal the subject of diabetes is usually very thirsty. The
urine is light-colored, almost transparent. It has not the ordi-
nary odor of common urine, but something like musty hay.
Treatment.—The indications in the treatment of this affection
are, to give tone to the system and sustain the general health. A
drachm or two of the sulphate of iron may be occasionally mixed
with the oats (the latter must be of the best quality), and one
ounce of the fluid extract of buchu may be given every night.*
Good wholesome food and an occasional drink of slippery-elm
tea are also indicated. Should the disease not yield to such treat-
ment as this, the case may be considered incurable.
Cause.—In regard to the cause of diabetes, very little is known ;
but, to set the matter right in the minds of some who believe that
nothing but diuretics and inferior provender excite it, I offer the
following quotation from the pen of the author just named. I
think, however, that bad food is most likely to produce diabetes.
* The buchu is not a direct diuretic, like resin or niter; therefore it may be
given with safety. It acts as a tonic and sudorific, and operates physiologically
on the kidneys.
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 231
“Tt is probable enough that the exciting cause of diabetes may
sometimes lie in the digestive organs, as Mr. McGregor supposed.
The results of his experiments do not conflict with M. Bernard’s.
Mr. McGregor, you may remember, found sugar in the partly-
digested food brought up from the stomach of a diabetic patient.
He detected it also in the saliva; and in the feces, which, when
allowed to dry spontaneously, became covered, after the lapse of
some time, with distinct crystals of sugar. And yeast having been
administered to two diabetic patients, in ounce doses, after each
meal, had soon to be discontinued, because the patients, to use their
own expressions, felt as if they ‘ were on the eve of being blown
up. There being sugar in the blood, we need not be surprised
that he met with it in the gastric and intestinal secretions from
the blood. Dr. Harley has observed that by injecting irritating
matters into the portal vein, (ammonia, ether, chloroform, alcohol,)
a saccharine condition of the urine may be artificially produced.
It is conjectured that these substances act upon fibers of the pneu-
mogastric nerve, whence an impression is transmitted to the nerv-
ous centers, and thence is again reflected upon the liver through
the splanchnic nerves. It is not difficult to imagine that irritat-
ing substances may find their way into the portal blood through
a faulty digestion, or through the use of certain kinds of food or
of medicine. Again: since contrived irritation of the brain at the
origin of the pneumogastric nerves will make the urine saccharine,
the cause of diabetes in the human subject may reasonably be placed,
in some instances, within the skull; and we may understand how
injuries or diseases of the brain, or even mental disquiet and de-
jection, operating through the brain, may produce it. Some strik-
ing cases have been published by Dr. Goolden, in which head
symptoms were accompanied by saccharine urine, and in which
the diabetic symptoms were checked or removed by remedies ad-
dressed to the head affection—by blisters especially, and by pur-
gatives. Nay, we may ask whether there may not, in fact, be two
varieties of diabetes mellitus, in one of which the animal and in
the other the vegetable form of sugar may be present in the urine,
and whether the one of these varieties may not be more hopeful
of cure or recovery than the other. Bearing in mind the name
and the distribution of the pneumogastric nerve, may we not in-
dulge the conjecture that disease or injury of the brain near the
origin of that nerve may directly affect the functions of the stom-
P
Jan DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ach, and thus prevent its digestive power, or the functions of the
lungs, and thus interfere with the chemical destruction of sugar
in those organs? This last notion might seem to receive support
from the frequent association of pulmonary disease or disorder with
saccharine urine.”
RUPTURE OF THE BLADDER.
It is well known that rupture of the bladder may arise from
over-distension with urine; yet it may occur from other causes,
as the following article, contributed by Dr. C. M. Woop, will
show :
“¢ September 1.—My subject was a bay horse, seven years old, in
high condition ; that is, fat. On inquiry, I was informed, by the
man who had the care of him, that when he entered the stable,
at four o’clock, A. M., he found the horse rolling and tumbling,
and in great pain. J asked, What has the horse been doing? and
was answered that, having fallen into other hands, he had done
little more than merely exercise for the past four months. On
examination, the following symptoms were observed: The ani-
mal was standing, with the near fore extremity raised and extended,
and in the act of pawing, but he did not disturb his bedding. He
would suddenly place one foot down and raise the opposite one,
when he would continue to paw, in like manner, for two or three
minutes. He would then cease pawing, and extend himself in his
stall, with the head elevated, and a fixed stare, as if in the act of
urinating. He would then perhaps lie down at full length in his
stall, or throw his head back upon his side, and remain in this
position a few minutes; would again rise and commence pawing,
as before. When standing, his hind extremities were wide apart.
His pulse was forty-two; mouth, hot, but moist; the visible mu-
cous surfaces slightly injected; his respiration little disturbed ; in
fact, his symptoms were not violent. I gave an antispasmodic
drench, and left him. At eight, A. M., again visited my patient.
Found him standing, apparently relieved, yet he occasionally man-
ifested slight symptoms of a kind of dull abdominal pain. His
bowels being costive, I gave him one ounce of cathartic mass, one
drachm of calomel, and half a drachm of pulverized opium, in a
ball. At noon he was still the same. Ordered him a bran-mash,
which he did not eat; nor did he drink. Gave an enema, stim-
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 233
ulated the abdomen, and left him. Six, P. M.—He has laid down
quietly for two hours; stands easy, but neither eats nor drinks.
Nine, P. M.—Still the same; lies down occasionally. When
standing, paws considerably. Has had no evacuation of the bow-
els or of the urinary passages since the man discovered that the
animal was sick. Examined the rectum, but found no feces therein.
Gave half a drachm each of Venice turpentine and copaiba, in an
infusion of linseed; gave also an enema, and left him for the night,
leaving a pail of water in the manger before him.
September 2, six o’clock, A. M.—On entering the stable, my
patient appeared much the same as when I left him the previous
evening. I inquired how he had been during the night. The
groom informed me that ‘he had remained easy until about one
o'clock, when he commenced pawing, as before, but without touch-
ing his bedding; that he would lie down for a few minutes quite
easy, when he would throw himself at full length in his stall, and
remain in that position a short time; then rise up and extend
himself, as if to relieve the urinary passages, but only a few drops
dribbled away, as usual.’ As usual? said I. Have you never
observed any difficulty in his making water before? He answered,
‘I have taken care of this horse for over two years, and have
never seen him make more than a wine-glassful of water at any
one time. He passed a little every ten or fifteen minutes. His
stall was constantly wet, but I have never seen any trouble on
account of it.’ This statement was fully corroborated by several
other persons. I now examined my patient per rectum, and found
the bladder empty. Upon introducing the catheter not a drop of
urine was obtained, nor even could the odor of urine be detected
on the catheter. I now concluded that he had a ruptured bladder,
and gave up all hopes of his recovery. However, from the pain
at intervals, and apparent relief of the animal occasionally, I di-
rected my treatment to the kidneys and bladder, by giving oily
laxatives, emollient enemas, and counter-irritation, in the hope,
not of cure, but of palliation, and each, in turn, gave relief for a
short time. Nine, P. M.—Have seen my patient several times
during the day. His symptoms increasing in frequency and vio-
lence. Pulse, sixty-six; respiration, hurried; body and extremi-
ties, still warm. He paws, rolls, and tumbles violently. Gave
an enema, which had the effect to remove the contents of the rec-
tum, consisting of four or five small pellets of feces, covered with
234 ' DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
mucus. He now, for the first time, drank six or seven swallows
of water, but had no desire for food. I ordered a pail of water
to be placed before him, and that a man should watch him during
the night.
September 3, six, A. M.—Has drank the water. Still paws,
lies down, suddenly rises, paws again, and thus continues. The
body is still warm; he is not at all violent, his pain being, as it
were, dull; the abdomen rapidly increasing in size. Nine, P. M.i—
Have seen my patient several times since morning. See no pos-
sible chance for recovery. His respiration is quick and laborious ;
pulse, seventy-four ; visible mucous surfaces highly injected ; head
and neck bedewed with a cold, clammy perspiration; tremor of
the fore extremities ; still paws, but does not lie down. He puts
his nose in the bucket, plays with the water in it, but does not
drink. Abdomen appears to increase in size. Notwithstanding
every means was used for his relief, the symptoms continued to
increase in severity, and he died at one o’clock, A. M., on the
fourth.
Made an examination thirty-six hours after death, the knacker
neglecting to remove the horse before. On opening the abdo-
men the following appearances were visible: A slight blush of
inflammation pervaded the whole of the intestinal canal. Ex-
treme distention of the cecum and colon, but their contents were
pultacious. The bladder quite empty, and contracted at its cervix
into firm rugce; in substance its walls thickened to half an inch;
its apex bore marks of ulceration, with a rupture of one and a half
inches through its parieties. Had it not been ruptured, I think
the bladder could not have been made to contain more than a
quart; and we think this condition of the organ is sufficient to
account for the constant dribbling spoken of by the groom. ‘There
was an accumulation of several gallons of fluid in the abdominal
cavity, and the peritoneum bore evident marks of inflammation,
which, doubtless, had been rendered less solvent by the medicines
administered. The lining membrane of the bladder was clothed
with a kind of mucus, thick, muddy, and of a dark color. The
kidneys were almost destitute of the investing membrane. What
remained rubbed off with the slightest touch. In attempting to
remove them from their connections, they were torn with very
little force. They were of a brick red color, extremely soft, so
that they could be squeezed between the fingers like a paste; or,
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 235
when laid upon a board, they flattened like soft dough. The liver
was softened, or, as it is generally called, rotten. It appeared
pale, was of a clay color externally, and could be broken down
with the slightest pressure. The stomach was healthy, and con-
tained about four quarts of fluid. The thoracic viscera healthy ;
heart, large and firm ; lungs, sound, but discolored, doubtless from
lying so long after death.
An idea suggests itself in regard to the case now under consid-
eration: that the liver did not properly prepare the blood for the
secretion of the urine; hence the morbid condition of the kidneys
and bladder. But, although these organs are shown to have been
exercising a diseased secretory action, yet doubtless the primary
seat of the affection was in the digestive apparatus, the stomach,
and more particularly the liver. This question is not only a very
important one in a pathological point of view, but it is also one
of peculiar interest to the practitioner in his treatment of disease.
Tt directs him to the proper remedies to employ, and the action
of these remedies on the organs affected. In the treatment of all
diseases, it is not only necessary to understand the cause, but to
know the organ or viscus affected.”
ALBUMINOUS URINE.
This is rather a rare disease among horses; yet, as it does occa-
sionally occur, it may be proper to take some notice of it. Those
cases which have come under the author’s notice have occurred in
animals of the scrofulous diathesis, most of which animals had a
scurfy skin, and were otherwise unthrifty, just the subjects for
disease of the kidneys; for it is well known that when the excre-
mentitious function of the skin is interrupted, the kidneys have
to perform double labor. Their function is then overtaxed ; hence,
disease.
Albuminous urine is often associated with various forms of dis-
ease, or, rather, is the result of disease, or may follow the use of
improper medicines or bad food. Such are said to be the cause
of this malady (functional) in the human; and, reasoning from
analogy, we infer that the same causes operate on the horse, for
all the functions of his body are carried on after the same general
plan that obtains in the body of man.
Watson teaches us “ that some articles of food, and some medi-
236 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
cines, have the effect, in some cases, of rendering the urine for a
time albuminous. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that
certain forms of indigestion may cause this change. Albumen
has, also, been detected after a blister upon the skin, or under that
general state of irritation of the skin called eczema rubrum, which
is produced by the use of mercury. In the crisis of some febrile
disorders, in some cases of pregnancy, of heart disease, and in epi-
demic cholera, the same phenomena has been observed. Whenever
blood, proceeding from the long track of mucous membrane which
lines the urinary organs, mingles with the urine, that fluid, of
necessity, contains albumen, and coagulates, if tested by heat or by
nitric acid.” There is no albumen in healthy urine; neither can
we recognize its presence by mere inspection. Horses often pass
urine of a thick and ropy character, but that does not prove that
it is albuminous. It may be loaded with morbid or excrementi-
tious matter, yet contain not a particle of albumen. Healthy
urine, when recently discharged, possesses the ordinary temper-
ature of the body, is transparent, of a straw color, and exhales
a peculiar ammoniacal odor, which it loses in cooling. About
ninety-three parts in one hundred of healthy urine is water; the
remainder are made up chiefly of urea, saline and organic matters.
Albumen, being similar to the white of eggs, passes from the fluid
to the solid state by boiling; therefore, in order to detect albumen
in urine, it is only necessary to heat the suspected urine to the
boiling point, when the albuminous opacity becomes visible.
A horse the subject of albuminous urine usually has a strad-
dling gait; will stretch backward his hind legs; is stiff, and makes
short turns with difficulty. He is usually thirsty and feverish,
has a quick pulse, and the feuces are hard and dark-colored. When
the disease is of long standing, and the animal loses flesh, and the
mucous membranes of the mouth appear pale, the probability is
that the disease is organic, and the case may be considered incura-
ble. In such cases, the morbid appearances after death denote —
degeneration, or structural change in the secreting surface of the
kidneys, and in the glands also. |
Treatment.—The best remedy for the treatment of this affection |
is fluid extract of buchu, two ounces per day. Green vegetables |
and carrots are also indicated.
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 237
HaMATuURIA (BLoopy URINE).
Heematuria consists of extravasation of blood from the urinary
organs, which is mixed with the urine, giving to the latter a blood-
red tinge. Small quantities of blood is very often excreted from
the kidneys, in consequence of congestion of the renal blood-ves-
sels. The affection often follows injury or sprain in the lumbar
region, and may occur in consequence of active disease, scattered
in either the kidneys or the bladder. Strong diuretics, such as
turpentine, juniper berries, etc., are operative in producing hema-
turia. But many cases are very obscure. Blood is sometimes
voided with the urine without any assignable cause. I have
known mares, when menstruating, to pass considerable blood with
the urine, which ceased on the termination of menstruation.
Treatment.—The proper method of treating this affection is to
apply warm-water dressings to the loins, and drench the patient
with one ounce of fluid extract of matico, night and morning,
Mucilaginous drinks are also needed, which may be composed of,
slippery-elm, flaxseed, or gum arabic.
SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS USED IN VETERINARY PRACTICE.
EXxrLANATION.—Fig. 1, Hobbles for casting; 2, Probang, for the removal of obstruction —
within the cesophagus; 3, Thumb lancet; 4, Artery forceps; 5, Gum scarificator; 6, Tube used
for obstruction in the teats; 7, Castrating knife; 8, Beak-pointed scalpel; 9, Curved scissors
10, Suture-needles; 11, Female catheter; 12, Parturient slip-noose; 13, Parturient laver; 14, Em-
bryotomy forceps, or clasp-hooks; 15, Embryotomy knife; 16, Mouth-gag; 17, Trocar; 18, Canula
or cover of the trocar; 19, 20, Trocar and canula for puncturing the chest; 21, 22, 23, Views of
the several parts of the tracheotomy tube.
SECTION IX.
SURGICAL OPERATIONS.
Or SuraicaAL OPERATIONS AND THE VARIOUS RESTRAINTS IT IS SOMETIMES NE-
CESSARY TO PLACE THE Horse UNDER FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE—CAsTING—
Siincginc—CastTRATION—FreNcH METHOD OF CASTRATION—CASTRATION BY
LigATURE—LITHOTOMY—TRACHEOTOMY—(HsoPpHAGOTOMY—NEvROTOMY— MoprE
or PERFORMING NEUROTOMY—PERIOSTEOTOMY—DIVISION OF THE FLEXOR TEN-
DONS—AMPUTATIONS—AMPUTATION OF THE PENIS—AMPUTATION OF THE. TAIL—
NicKING—FIRING—BLISTERING—AMMONIACAL BLIStER—ROWELLING—SETONS—
ABSTRACTION OF BLooD, OR BLEEDING—DIVISION OF THE TEMPORAL ARTERY—
BLEEDING BY THE PALATE—BLEEDING BY THE TOE—PHLEBOTOMY—BLEEDING
BY THE JUGULAR VEIN.
Or SuRGICAL OPERATIONS AND THE VARIOUS RESTRAINTS IT
IS SOMETIMES NECESSARY TO PLACE THE HORSE UNDER FOR
THEIR PERFORMANCE.
e HEN it is necessary to perform any painful operation on
so powerful an animal as the horse, it is of consequence
to subject him to a restraint equal to the occasion. Horses are
very dissimilar in their tempers, and bear pain very differently ;
but it is always prudent to prepare for the worst, and few impor-
tant operations should be attempted without casting. Humanity
should be the fundamental principle of every proceeding, and we
ought always to subject this noble animal to pain with reluctance ;
but when circumstances absolutely call for it, we should joyfully
close our hearts to all necessary suffering. The resistance of the
horse is terrible, and it is but common prudence to guard against
the effects of it. The lesser restraints are various. Among them
may be first noticed the twircH. The twitch is a very necessary
instrument in a stable, though, when frequently and officiously
used, it may have the ill-effect of rendering some horses violent
to resist its application. In many instances blindfolding will do
(239)
240 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
more than the twitch; and some horses may be quieted, when the
pain is not excessive, by holding the ear in one hand, and rubbing
the point of the nose with the other. A soothing manner will
often engage the attention and prevent violence; but it is seldom
that either threats or punishment‘render an unruly horse more
calm. Inexperienced persons guard themselves only against the
hind legs; but they should be aware that some horses strike ter-
ribly with their fore-feet. It is prudent, therefore, in all opera-
tions, to blindfold the animal, as, by this, he becomes particularly
intimidated, and if he strikes he can not aim. When one of the
fore extremities requires a very minute examination, it is prudent
to have the opposite leg held up (it may, in some cases, be tied) ;
and when one of the hinder feet is the object of attention, the fore
one of the same side should be held up, as, by this means, the ani-
mal is commonly prevented from striking. If this precaution be
not taken, still observe to keep one hand on the hock, while the
other is employed in what is necessary, by which means, if the -
foot become elevated to kick, sufficient warning is given, and thé
very action of the horse throws the operator away from the stroke.
Without the use of these arts, the practitioner will expose himself
to much risk. The TREVIS is the very utmost limit of restraint,
and is seldom used save by smiths, to shoe very violent and power-
ful horses. Whenever recourse is had to it, the greatest caution is
necessary to bed and bolster all the parts that are likely to come
in contact with the body. On the Continent we have seen horses
shod in this machine, and apparently put into it from no necessity
greater than to prevent the clothes of the smith from being dirtied.
Horses have been destroyed by the trevis, as well as by casting ;
or their aversion to the restraint has been such, they have died
from the consequences of their own resistance. The SIDE-LINE is
now very generally used, not only in minor operations, but also in
those more important. Many veterinarians do not use any other
restraint than this, in which they consider there is safety both to
the horse and to the operator. It is applicable to such horses as
are disposed to strike behind, and consists in placing a hobble-strap
around the pastern of one hind leg, and then carrying from a web
collar, passed over the head, the end of a rope through the D of the
hobble, and back again under the webbing round the neck. A
man is then set to pull at the free end of the rope, by which the
hinder leg is drawn forward without elevating it from the ground.
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 241
By this displacement of one leg the horse is effectually secured
from kicking with either. Occasionally it is thus applied: hobbles
are put on both hind legs, and the rope is passed through each of
the rings. According to this last method, the horse is actually
east, as he must fall when the ropes are pulled. Take a long rope,
and tie a loop in the middle, which is to be of such a size as it may
serve for a collar ; pass the loop over the head, letting the knot rest
upon the withers; then take the free ends, pass them through the
hobbles, and bring it under the loop. Let two men pull at the
ropes, and the hind legs will be drawn forward.
CASTING.
The objections to this practice arise from the dangers incurred
by forcing the horse to the ground. Mr. Bracy Clark simplified
casting by inventing some patent hobbles, having a running chain
instead of rope, and which, by a shifting D, made the loosening of
all the hobbles, for the purpose of getting at a particular leg,
unnecessary. These were still further improved by Mr. Budd, so
as to render a release from all the hobbles at once practicable.
Hobble leathers and ropes should be kept supple and pliant with
oil, and ought to be always examined previous to using; nor should
the D or ring of the strap be of any other metal than iron. Brass,
however thick, is brittle, and not to be depended on. To the D
ring, or ring of one pastern hobble, a chain of about four feet long
is attached ; to this a strong rope is well fastened, and, according to
the way the horse is to be thrown, this hobble is to be fixed on the
fore-foot of the contrary side. The rope is then passed from the
hobble on the fore-foot to the D of the hind foot of that side, then
to the other hind foot, and, lastly, through the D of the other fore-
foot. After this, much of the ease and safety of the throw depends
on bringing the legs as near together as possible. This should be
done by gradually moving them nearer to each other, without
alarming the horse, which will very much facilitate the business,
and is really of more moment than is generally imagined. A space
sufficiently large should be chosen for the purpose of casting, as
some horses struggle much, and throw themselves with great vio-
lence a considerable way to one side or the other; and they are
able to do this if the feet have not been brought near together pre-
vious to attempting the cast. The place should be also very well
16
242 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
littered down. The legs having been brought together, the assist-
ants must act in concert. One, particularly, should be at the head,
which must be carefully held throughout by means of a strong
snafile-bridle; another should be at the hind part, to direct the
fall, and to force the body of the horse to the side which is requi-
site. Pursuing these instructions, the animal may be at once rather
let down than thrown, by a dexterous and quick drawing of the
rope, the whole assistants acting in concert. The moment the
horse is down, the person at the head must throw himself upon
that member, and keep it secure; for ali the efforts of the animal
to disengage himself are begun by elevating the head and fore-parts.
The rope is tightened. The chain is fixed by inserting a hook
through one of the links, of sufficient size not to pass the hobbles.
When the operation is over, the screw which fastens the chain to
the hobble, first put upon one fore-leg, is withdrawn. The chain
then flies through the D’s of the other hobbles, and all the legs
are free, save the fore-leg first alluded to; the strap of this has to
be afterward unbuckled. There are also other apparatus used in
casting, as a strong leathern case to pass over the head, serving as
a blind when the animal is being thrown, and as a protection
against his rubbing the skin off his eyes when down. Then a sur-
cingle is also used. This is fastened round the horse’s body, and
from the back hangs a broad strap and a rope. The strap is fast-
ened to the fore-leg of that side which it is desired should be
uppermost. ‘The line is given to a man who stands on the oppo-
site side to the generality of the pullers. On the signal being
given, the men having hold of the hobble-rope pull the legs one
way, while he who has hold of the rope attached to the surcingle
pulls the back in a contrary direction, and the horse is immedi-
ately cast.
SLINGING.
This is a restraint which horses submit to with great impatience,
and not without much inconvenience, from the violent excoriations
occasioned by the friction and pressure of the bandaging around
his body. Graver evils are also brought about by the abdominal -
pressure. Some horses stale and dung with difficulty when sus-
pended, and inflammation of the bowels has not unfrequently
come on during slinging, ‘The slings are, however, forced on us
in some cases, as in fractured bones, the treatment of open joints,
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 243
and some other wounds where motion would be most unfavorable
to the curative treatment. Suspension may be partial or complete.
Suspension of any kind will require the application of pulleys and
ropes affixed to the beams, that the whole body of the horse may
be supported. A sling may be formed of a piece of strong sack-
ing, which is to pass under the belly, the two ends being fastened
firmly to pieces of wood, each of about three feet long, and which
are to reach a little higher than the horse’s back. ‘To the pieces
of wood cords and pulleys are to be firmly attached, by which
means the sacking can be lowered or raised at pleasure. To the
sacking, also, are to be sewn strong straps, both before and behind,
to prevent the horse sliding in either direction, without carrying
the sacking with him. Upon this so-formed cradle he is to Peokne!
If horses when they are fresh should be placed in this machine,
most of them would either injure themselves or break through all
restraint. However, by tying up their heads for three or four
nights their spirit is destroyed. The slings may then be applied
without the fear of resistance. It is the best method not to pull
the canvas firm up, but to leave about an inch between the horse’s
belly and the cloth, so that the animal may stand free, or throw
his weight into the slings when he pleases. In this fashion a
horse may remain for months in the slings, and at the end of the
time display none of the wear and tear so role described by
old authors.
CASTRATION.
This practice is of very ancient origin, and is as extensive as
ancient. It is founded on the superior placidity of temper it gives.
The castrated horse no longer evinces the superiorities of his mas-
culine character, but approaches the softer form and nfflder char-
acter of the mare. Losing his ungovernable desires, he submits
to discipline and confinement without resistance ; and, if he be less
worthy of the painter’s delineation and the poet’s song, he is val-
uable to his possessor in a tenfold degree. In England, where
length in the arms and of the wide-spread angles of the limbs is
absolutely necessary in the horse to accomplish the rapid traveling
so much in yogue among us, the exchange of the lofty carriage
and high action of the stallion is absolutely necessary ; and when
we have added the lessened tendency of the gelding to some dis-
eases, as hernia, founder, cutaneous affections, etc., we may be
244 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
content to leave the sexual type with the racer for his breed;
also with the dray-horse for his weight, and the fancy of his
owner.
Supposing it, therefore, eligible to castrate our horses, what is
he proper age for the operation? What are the relative advan-
tages and disadvantages of the different methods of performing
it? The proper age to castrate the young horse must depend on
circumstances, as on his present appearance, his growth, and the
future purposes we intend him for, observing, generally, that the
more early it is done, the safer is the operation; for, until these
organs begin to secrete, they are purely structural parts, and, as
such, are not so intimately connected with the sympathies of the
constitution. Some breeders of horses castrate at twelve months;
others object to this period, because they think the animal has
not sufficiently recovered the check experienced from weaning
before this new shock to the system occurs. In the more common
sort of horses, used for agricultural purposes, it is probably indif-
ferent at what time the operation is performed, this consideration
being kept in view: that the earlier it is done, the lighter will the
horse be in his forehand; and the longer it is protracted, the heav-
ier will be his crest, and the greater his weight before, which, in
heavy draught-work, is desirable. For carriage-horses it would
be less so, and the period of two years is not a bad one for their
castration. The better sort of saddle-horses should be well ex-
amined every three or four months, particularly at the ages of
twelve, eighteen, and twenty-four months, at either of which times,
according to circumstances or to fancy, provided the forehand be
sufficiently developed, it may be proceeded with. Waiting longer
may make the horse heavy; but, if his neck appear too long and
thin, and his shoulders spare, he will assuredly be improved by
being allowed to remain entire for six or eight months later.
Many of the Yorkshire breeders never cut till two years, and
think their horses stronger and handsomer for it. Some wait
even longer; but the fear in this case is, that the stallion form
will be too predominant, and a heavy crest and weighty forehand
be the consequence. Perhaps, also, the temper may suffer. Young
colts require little preparation, provided they are healthy and not
too full from high living. If so, they must be kept somewhat
short for a few days; and, in all, the choice of a mild season and
moderate temperature is proper.
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 245
When a full-grown horse is operated on, some further prepa-
ration is necessary. He should not be in a state of debility, and,
certainly, not in one of plethora. In the latter case, lower his diet ;
and it would be prudent to give him a purgative. It is also ad-
visable that it be done when no influenza or strangles rage, as we
have found the effects of castration render a horse very obnoxious
to any prevalent disease. The advanced spring season—previous,
however, to the flies becoming troublesome—is the proper time for
the performance of the operation upon all valuable horses; and
be careful that it be not done until after the winter coat has been
shed, which will have a favorable effect on the future coating of
the horse, independent of the circumstance that at a period of
change the constitution is not favorable to unusual excitement.
Castration is performed in various ways, but in all it expresses
the removal of the testicles. There are methods of rendering the
animal impotent without the actual destruction of these organs;
for if, by any other method, the secretion of the spermatic glands
is prevented, our end is answered.
Castration by cauterization is the method which has been prin-
cipally practiced among us; but this by no means proves it the
best. On the contrary, many of our most expert veterinarians
do not castrate by this method. Mr. Goodwin, and many other
practitioners of eminence, never castrate by cautery.
A preliminary observation should be made previously to casting,
to see that the horse is not suffering from a rupture. Such cases
have happened; and as in our method we open a direct commu-
nication with the abdomen, when the horse rises it is not improb-
able that his bowels protrude until they trail on the ground,
Hernia, as a consequence of castration, may easily occur by the
uncovered operation ; for, as already observed, it makes the scrotal
sac and abdominal cavity one continuous opening. It is not to
be wondered at, therefore, if the violent struggles of the animal
should force a quantity of intestine through the rings into the
scrotal bag. Should we he called on to operate on a horse which
already had hernia, it is evident we ought not to proceed with it
unless the owner be apprised of the risk, and willing to abide by
it. In such cases, we would recommend that the method of Girard
be practiced; that is, to inclose the tunica vaginalis within the
clams, (sufficiently tight to retain them, but not to produce death
in the part,) pushed high up against the abdominal ring, and then
246 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
to remove the testicle, being very careful to avoid injuring any
portion of intestine in the operation. When a discovery is made
of the existence of hernia after an opening has been already made
for the common purpose of castration, should the operator con-
tinue his process, and castrate? We should say, By no means;
but, on the contrary, we would greatly prefer the method recom-
mended by Mr. Percivall: firmly to unite the lips of the external
wound by suture, allowing the testicle itself to assist in blocking
up the passage, with a hope, also, that the inflammation caused by
the incision might altogether stop up the scrotal communication
with the abdomen. But, in the appalling case of immense pro-
trusion of intestine, what is to be done? Mr. Coleman, in such
a case, proposes to make an opening near the umbilicus large
enough to introduce the hand, and thus draw in the bowels. Mr.
Percivall would prefer dilating the external ring. But the testicle
must be very firmly retained, and even permanently fixed against
the dilated ring, or the bowels would again descend. The intes-
tines probably would become inflated in any such case.
As unbroken young horses are the most usual subjects of this
operation, and as such often have not yet been bridled, if a colt
can not be enticed with oats, etc., he must be driven into a corner,
between two steady horses, where, if a halter can not be put on, at
least a running hempen noose can be got round his neck ; but which-
ever is used, it should be flat, or the struggles, which are often long
and violent, may bruise the neck, and produce abscess or injury.
When his exertions have tired him, he may then be led to the
operating spot. Here his attention should be engaged while the
hobbles are put on, if possible; if not, a long and strong cart-rope,
having its middle portion formed into a noose sufficiently large to
take in the head and neck, is to be slipped on, with the knotted
part applied to the counter or breast. The long pendent ends are
passed backward between the fore-legs; then carried round the
hind fetlocks, brought forward again on the outside, run under
the collar-rope ; a second time carried backward on the outer side
of all, and extended to the full length in a direct line behind the |
animal. Thus fettered, Mr. Percivall says his hind feet may be
drawn under him toward the elbows. It has been, however, often
found that, at the moment the rope touches the legs, the colt either
kicks and displaces the rope, or altogether displaces himself; but
his attention can generally be engaged by one fore-leg being held
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. Q47
up, or by having his ear or muzzle rubbed, or even by the twitch ;
if not, the rope may be carried actually round each fetlock, which
then acts like a hobble, and this rope may be gradually tight-
ened. This last, however, is a very questionable method, and the
others, therefore, ought to be long tried before it is resorted to.
In this way people have succeeded with very refractory colts; but
it requires very able assistants, and, if possible, the man who has
been used to the individual colt should be present. In either way,
as soon as the rope is fixed, with aman at each end of it, behind
the colt, let themy:by a sudden and forcible effort in concert, ap-
proximate his hind legs to his fore, and thus throw him. Before
the colt is cast, however, it should be endeavored to ascertain that
he is free from strangles and hernia.
Being satisfied that no hernia exists on either side, proceed to
east the colt, turning him, not directly on the left side, but prin-
cipally inclining that way; and, if possible, let the croup be very
slightly elevated. It is usual to place him directly flat on the left
side, but the above is more convenient. Next, secure the near
hind leg with a piece of hempen tackle, having a running noose;
or, in default of this not being at hand, make use of the flat part
of a hempen halter, which should, for safety, be put on before the
hobble of that leg is removed—as may be readily done, if the
hebbles having shifting or screw D’s (as described in casting) are
made use of. Every requisite being at hand, the operator, having
his scalpel ready, should place himself behind the horse, as the
most convenient way to perform his manipulations; and, firmly
grasping the left testicle with his left hand, and drawing*it out so
as to render the scrotum tense, he should make an incision length-
ways, from the anterior to the posterior part of the bag. The
resistance of the cremaster muscle has to be overcome before the
testicle can be forced to the bottom of the scrotum, and this is the -
more readily accomplished if the animal’s attention be engaged.
The incision may be carried at once through the integuments, the
thin dartos expansion, and the vaginal coat of the testicles with
a sweep of the scalpel; but with one less dextrous at the opera-
tion, it will be more prudent to make the first incision through
the scrotum and dartos only, to the required extent, and then to
do the same by the vaginal coat, thus avoiding to wound the tes-
ticle, which would produce violent resistance, and give unneces-
sary pain.
248 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
We, however, take this opportunity of noting that cases have
occurred when the tunica vaginalis was divided no testicle fol-
lowed, firm adhesions between this tunic and the tunica albuginea
having retained it fast. In such cases the scalpel must be em-
ployed to free the testicle, by dissecting it away from the vaginal
sac. When no such obstruction occurs, the testicle, if the opening
be sufficiently large, will slip out; but the operator must be pre-
pared, at the moment of so doing, to expect some violent struggles,
more particularly if he attempt to restrain the contractions of the
cremaster, and, by main force, to draw out the testicle. Prepara-
tory to this, therefore, the twitch should he tightened ; the attend-
ants, especially the man at the head, must be on the alert; and
the testicle itself, at the time of this violent retraction of the cre-
master, should be merely held, but not dragged in opposition to
the contraction. If the clams have been put on over the whole,
according to Mr. Percivall’s method, they will assist in retaining
the retracting parts; but they must not be used with too much
pressure. The resistance having subsided, the clams must now
be removed; or, .if they have not been previously in use, they
must now be taken in hand, and, having been prepared by some
tow being wound around them, should be placed easily on the cord,
while time is found to free from the grip of the pincers the vas def-
erens, or spermatic tube, which is seen continued from the epididy-
mis. The Russians, Mr. Goodwin informs us, cut it through when
they operate. Humanity is much concerned in its removal from
pressure, because of the excess of pain felt when it is included.
It is necessary, before the final fixing of the clams, to deter-
mine on the part where the division of the cord is to take place.
To use Mr. Percivall’s words, ‘if it be left too long, it is apt to
hang out‘of the wound afterward, and retard the process of union.’
On the other hand, if it be cut very short, and the arteries hap-
pen to bleed afresh after it has been released from the clams, the
operator will find it no easy task to recover it. The natural
length of the cord, which will mainly depend on the degree of
the descent of the gland, will be our best guide in this particular.
The place of section determined on and marked, close the clams
sufficiently tight to retain firm hold of the cord, and to effectually
stop the circulation within it. There are now two modes of
making the division: the one is to sever it with a scalpel, and then
to sufficiently sear the end of it as to prevent a flow of blood ; the
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 249
other, and in some respects the preferable method, is to employ a
blunt-edged iron, which is to divide by little crucial sawings, so
that, when the cord is separated, it shall not present a uniform
surface, but ragged edges, which will perfectly close the mouths
of the vessels. This done, loosen the clams sufficiently to observe
whether there be any flow of blood. Gently wipe the end of the
cord, also, with the finger, as sometimes an accidental small plug
gets within the vessel; this had better be removed at the time.
Retain a hold on the clams a few minutes longer; and, while
loosening them gradually, observe to have an iron in readiness
again to touch the end of the cord, if any blood makes its appear-
ance. Satisfied on this point, sponge the parts with cold water.
No sort of external application is necessary, still less any resin
seared on the end of the cord, which can only irritate, and will
never adhere.
On the after-treatment much difference of opinion has existed,
and even yet exists. The powerful evidence of accumulated facts
has now conyinced us of the necessity and propriety of some mo-
tion for the newly castrated horse, as a preventive of local con-
gestion. Such practice is common in most countries, and seems
salutary in all. Hurtrel d’Arboval, thus impressed, recommends
the horse, immediately after the operation, to be led out to walk
for an hour; and it is a general plan in France to walk such horses
in hand an hour night and morning. Mr. Goodwin, in proof of its
not being hurtful, informs us that whole studs of horses, brought
to St. Petersburg to be operated on, are immediately traveled
back a certain portion of the distance, night and morning, until
they arrive at home. We have, therefore, no hesitation in recom-
mending a moderate degree of motion in preference to absolute
rest. .
The French method of castration is advocated by Mr. Goodwin,
and it is sufficient that it receives his recommendation to entitle
it to attention. It is rendered the more so, as he observes, on
the method in general use among us, ‘that the operation per-
formed by the actual cautéry always induces, more or less, symp-
toms that often become alarming, and that it can not be performed
on the adult without incurring more swelling and severer conse-
quences than attend other methods of operation. If I ever use
the actual cautery, it is for the sake of expedition, and then only
on a yearling or a two-year old; but I am resolved never to em-
250 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ploy it again on an adult.’ These observations, as emanating from
such a source, must be deemed important.
Mr. Goodwin then offers the description of the French method
of operating, from Hurtrel d@’Arboval: ‘Castration by means of
the clams is the method in general use, if not the only one now
employed. It is the most ancient, since it was recommended by
Hieroclius among the Greeks. It is performed in two ways, the
testicle being covered or uncovered. In the former, the exterior
of the scrotum, formed by the skin and dartos muscle, is cut
through, and the testicle is brought out by dissecting away the
laminated tissue, the gland being covered by the tunica vaginalis.
The clam is then placed above the epididymis, outside the external
peritoneal covering of the cord. In the uncovered operation, the
incision is made through the servus capsule of the testicle. The
tunica vaginalis being divided, the testicle presents itself, and the
clam is placed well above the epididymis, on the cord. The ope-
ration, performed in either way, requires us to provide ourselves
with a scalpel, a pair of clams, a pair of long pincers, made pur-
posely to bring the ends of the clams together, and some waxed
string. The clams may be formed of different kinds of wood, but
the alder is considered the best, and generally made use of. To
make a clam, we procure a branch of old and dry alder, whose
diameter should be about an inch, and whose length should be
from five to six inches; of course, the dimensions must, at all
times, be proportioned to the size of the cord we have to operate
on. At the distance of half an inch from each end, a small nick,
sufficiently deep to hold the string, must be made, and then the
wood should be sawed through the middle lengthways. Each
divided surface should be planed, so as to facilitate the opening
of the clams, either when about to place them on or take them
off. The pith of the wood is then to be taken out, and the hollow
should be filled with corrosive sublimate and flour, mixed with
sufficient water to form it into a paste. Some persons are not in
the habit of using any caustic whatever; then, of course, scooping
out of the inside of the clam is not necessary. Notwithstanding,
the caustic, inasmuch as it produces a speedier dissolution of the
parts, must be useful, and ought not to be neglected.’ The addi-
tion of the caustic, however, Mr. Goodwin objects to, with great
reason, remarking that, unless it be a very strong one, and there-
fore dangerous to employ, it can not be of any use to parts com-
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 251
pressed and deprived of circulation and life. He further informs
us that he has operated in six cases in succession with the same
effect, without any escharotic matter whatever. An experimental
case of Mr. Percivall’s terminated fatally. By the use of caustic
the cord was’ greatly inflamed, as high as the ring, and which,
unquestionably, produced the unfortunate result.
‘The covered operation,’ continues Mr. Goodwin, ‘is the one
that I am about to advocate, and which differs only insomuch that
the scrotum and dartos muscle must be cautiously cut through,
without dividing the tunica vaginalis. It was Monsieur Berger
who was accidentally at my house when I was about to castrate a
horse, and who, on my saying that I should probably do it with
the cautery, expressed his surprise that I should perform the oper-
ation in any other way than on the plan generally approved of
in France. Being a stranger to it, he kindly consented to preside
at the operation, and, after seeing him perform on the near tes-
ticle, I did the same on the right, but, of course, not with the same
facility. After opening the scrotum, and dissecting through the
dartos, which is very readily done by passing the knife lightly over
its fibers, the testicle and its covering, the tunica vaginalis, must
be taken in the right hand, while the left should be-employed in
pushing back the scrotum from its attachments; and, having your
assistant ready, as before, with the clam, it must be placed well
above the epididymis, and greater pressure is, of course, necessary,
as the vaginal covering is included in the clam.’
Mr. Goodwin further observes that in Russia he has seen hun-
dreds of horses operated on, even after the human fashion, with
safety ; and, he remarks, it certainly produces less pain, the animal
loses less flesh and condition, and is sooner recovered than when
operated on by the actual cautery.
Castration by ligature is a painful, barbarous, and very danger-
ous practice, and consists in inelosing the testicles and scrotum
within ligatures, until mortification occurs, and they drop off. It
is practiced by some breeders on their young colts, but it is always
- hazardous and disgracefully cruel. The substance of the testicle,
in some countries, is also broken down, either by rubbing or other-
wise by pressure between two hard bodies.» This is practiced in
Algiers, instead of excision, and tetanus is a frequent consequence
of it. In Portugal they twist round the testicle, and thus stop the
circulation of the gland. Division of the vas deferens has been
252 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
performed, it is said, with success, on many animals, and is pro-
posed as a safe and less painful process than the emasculation of
the horse. It consists in a longitudinal section through the scro-
tum, dartos, and vaginal sheath, so as to expose the cord, from
which the vas deferens is to be separated and severed from the
artery and vein. There is a certain consent of parts, by which
the sympathy of an organ remains after its functional offices are
apparently destroyed. There can be little doubt but the nervous
excitement would continue, the vein and artery remaining entire.
There are certain nice conditions of the organ necessary for prop-
agation. Thus, the horse who retains his testicles within his abdo-
men, possesses all the roguish qualities of him with one perfectly
evolved; he is lustful, and can cover, but is seldom fruitful.
Of the morbid consequences of castration we have little to say.
By early evacuations, green food, a loose box, a cool air, moderate
clothing, but, particularly, by walking exercise, swellings of the
parts may be prevented; if not, bleed and foment. Should sup-
puration follow, and sinuses form, treat as directed under those
heads; and if tetanic symptoms start up, refer to that article.
There has been lately practiced in India a novel mode of castra-
tion, which is said to be the invention of a Boer, settled at the
Cape of Good Hope. The cord is exposed in the usual manner.
From the cord the artery is singled out. This vessel is scraped
through with a coarse-edged, blunt knife, when the other constitu-
tents of the cord are cut away, and the operation is finished. This
method is much praised by those who have adopted it, and is:said
to be always attended with success.
LITHOTOMY.
Hurtrel d’Arboval’s account of the progress of lithotomy in vet-
erinary practice commences in 1774; the second case was success-
fully operated on in 1794; and at later periods other veterinary
surgeons have also performed it. In monodactyles there are two
methods of operating for the stone—one through the rectum, the
yother through the bladder. The first, which consists in laying
open the bladder by a longitudinal incision made through the
parietes of the part of the rectum adherent to it, by means of a
straight bistoury, is easily practiced, but in its consequences is
dangerous in the extreme ; in fact, it is an operation never to be
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 253
adopted but in a case where the magnitude of the stone precludes
its extraction through the neck of the bladdér. In all other cases,
lithotomy by the urethra is to be pursued. For its performance
are required a straight probe-pointed bistoury, a whalebone fluted
staff, and a pair of forceps, curved at the extremities. The ani-
mal should, if practicable, be maintained in the erect posture.
The tail plaited and carried round on the right quarter, the opera-
tor feels for the end of the staff introduced up the urethra, and
makes an incision directly upon it, from above downward, an inch
and a half or two inches in length. Next, he introduces the sound,
and passes it onward into the bladder. Now, placing the back of
the bistoury within the groove of the sound, by gliding the knife
forward, the pelvic portion of the urethra, and also the neck of the
bladder, becomes slit open—the latter in two places, in consequence
of a second cut being made in withdrawing the bistoury. The
opening made being considered of sufficient dimensions, the oper-
ator introduces the forceps into the bladder, and seizes the calculus,
one hand being up the rectum, to aid him in so doing. The for-
ceps, clasping the stone, are now to be withdrawn, but with gen-
tleness, and with a vacillating sort of movement of the hand
from side to side, in order more easily to surmount any difficulties
in the passage, and the more effectually to avoid confusion or
laceration. M. Girard tells us ‘that the cut through the pelvic
portion of the urethra ought always to be made obliquely to one
side. The operator should hold his bistoury in such a direction
that its cutting edge be turned toward the angle of the thigh. By
this procedure we shall gain easier access to the bladder, and not
only avoid wounding the rectum, but also the artery of the bulb,
as well as the bulb itself; and suspensory ligaments of the penis.
The parts cut through in the operation are, Ist, the fine thin
skin of the perineum, smooth externally, and marked with a
raphe; densely cellular internally ; 2d, adhering to the tissue, the
fascial covering, derived from the fascia superficialis abdominis,
which has here become fibrous, it forms the common envelope to
the parts underneath, and is closely connected with the corpus
musculosum urethre ; 3d, the corpus musculosum urethre, that
penniform band of fleshy fibers which springs by two branches |
from the ischiatie tuberosities embracing the sphincter ani, and
concealing the arteries of the bulb, whence they unite, and pro-
ceed to envelop the urethra; 4th, the corpus spongiosum urethre,
254 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the part immediately covered by the muscular envelope, and which
here is bulbous (it is more particularly worthy our remark, from
two arteries penetrating the bulb, which come from without the
pelvis, ascending obliquely outward to reach the part); 5th, the
suspensory ligaments of the penis, pursuing the course of, and ad-
hering to, the tendinous union of the erectores. An attention to
the relative position of these parts will demonstrate the advantages
of the lateral oblique incision over one made directly along the
raphe. By pursuing the latter, we necessarily cut through the
suspensory ligaments and into the bulb, wounding thereby the
arteries ; whereas, by the former, all this danger is avoided, besides
that it renders the operation more simple and facile.
TRACHEOTOMY.
Cases occur when this operation is required, as in strangles,
when the tumors threaten suffocation, or when any substance has
remained unswallowed in the cesophagus, the pressure of which
obstructs respiration. In a distressing case of gunpowder burst-
ing immediately under a horse’s nose, the effects of which tumefied
his mouth and nostrils, so as to prevent free inspiration, the ani-
mal owed his life entirely to our excising a portion from the
tracheal rings, about ten inches below the angle of the throat.
The operation is a very simple one, and may consist either in a
longitudinal section made through two or three of the rings, or a
portion, occupying about an inch round, may be excised from the
anterior cartilaginous substance. ‘The proper mode, when it can
be done, however, is to make a circular opening with a very nar-
row knife, removing a portion of two cartilages, or taking a semi-
circular piece from each; and this last, although it is seldom
performed, is by far the best method.. The integuments should
be first divided in the exact center of the neck, three or four inches
below the obstruction; then the skin and tissues should be suffi-
ciently separated to allow a tube adapted to the size of the trachea
to be introduced, the tube having an acute turn and a rim, which
must be furnished with holes for the adaptation of tapes, to secure
it around the neck. There are several instruments of this sort in
use, of which that adopted by the French, or the one invented
by Mr. Gowing, of Camden Town, is to be preferred. The oper-
ation has been also performed in cases of roaring, under an idea
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 255
of dividing the stricture which impeded respiration ; but, unless
the exact situation of this were discovered, it would be but an ex-
perimental attempt.
(CHSOPHAGOTOMY.
Tt was long thought that a wound in the cesophagus must be
necessarily fatal, but we have now sufficient proofs to the contrary
on record, so that we are not deterred from cutting into the cesopha-
geal tube when it is necessary; but it is an operation requiring
skill and anatomical knowledge, and its future results are some-
times very serious. ‘The cases that call for cesophagotomy are the
lodgment’ of accidental substances within the tube. An apple
once so lodged was removed by incision by a veterinary surgeon
at Windsor. Carrots, parsnips, beets, etc., are liable to produce
such obstruction when not sliced. Too large a medicinal mass,
also, has lodged there ; and a voracious eater has, by attempting
to swallow too large a quantity of not salivated bran or chaff, pro-
duced an obstruction, which pressed on the trachea and threatened
suffocation. In all cases of obstruction of this kind, we will sup-
pose that a probang, well oiled, has been previously attempted to
be passed, and has completely failed. The probang for the horse,
however, differs materially from that used for the cow. It is
formed after the fashion of the one adopted by the human prac-
titioner, consisting of a pliable piece of whalebone, having a sponge
tied to one end. The operation being determined on, may be
practiced standing. If the swelling be large, no fear need be en-
tertained about cutting important organs, as the enlargement will
push them on one side. Cut down, therefore, directly upon the
center of the impacted substance. If the horse be cast, which is
quite unnecessary, have him, of course, thrown with his left side
uppermost. It will also be necessary to command a good light.
The part of the neck chosen for the opening must, of course, be
governed by the obstructing mass. A section should be made
through the integuments and cellular tissue beneath them, right
into the cesophagus, if possible, with one cut, and into the center
of the pipe. If this be not done at once, and it requires some
dexterity so as to effect it, mind to make all future incisions in a
line with the first opening, as it is important that the cellular tis-
sue should be little interfered with. The csophagus, fairly cut
into the impactment, should jump forth. Should it not do so, do
256 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
not manipulate, or attempt to force it out, but enlarge the opening,
and the substance will come through when that is long enough ;
but no fingering could compel its exit while the opening is too
small. The end gained for which the incision was made in the
cesophagus, the wound may be then closed by the interrupted su-
tures, each holding a small piece of tow above the orifice, and
having their ends hanging out of the external opening, which
should also be brought together by sutures. The after-treatment
should be to interdict all dry food; the animal ought to subsist
on very thick gruel for three, four, or five days. If the condition
appears to suffer much, allow malt mashes, and when so doing
watch the wound ; and if the matters taken in are seen to ooze out,
wash them away frequently with warm water, to prevent lodg-
ment, which might encourage sinuses to form; and after each
washing, syringe with some very mild stimulant, as a very weak
solution of sulphate of zine (white vitriol), ete.
NeEvroromy (DIVISION OF THE SENTIENT NERVES OF
THE Foor).
Neurotomy has now stood the test of very extensive application.
Our writers offer innumerable proofs of its restoring almost useless
animals to a state of much utility; and if there are chances that
it may occasion such injury as to hasten the end of some horses,
it is usually in such as the disease would have done the same for
at no distant period. Having stated thus much in its favor, it
must not be supposed that we recommend it as an unqualified
benefit, even where it succeeds best. No neurotomized horse ever
after goes with the same freedom, nor with equal safety, as he did
before the operation was performed. Indifference to the nature
of the ground gone over is said to have fractured legs; it is quite
common to batter the feet to pieces; and, although horses have
hunted afterward, and hackneys have carried their riders long
distances, yet it is more calculated to prove beneficial to carriage
than to saddle-horses. This we believe to be a just statement of
its merits; but there are benefits which it offers to the animal of
a more extensive and constitutional kind. Those gained by the
bodily system generally have been, in some cases, very marked.
Thus, an aged and crippled stallion, from the irritation constantly
kept up, became so emaciated as to be unable to fecundate; but,
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 257
being relieved from a constant state of suffering by neurotomy,
improved in health and condition, and was again used to cover.
It happened, also, that a mare, similarly cireumstanced, ceased to
feel cestrum ; but after neurotomy it again returned, and she re-
sumed her character of a brood-mare. It appears to act with
most certainty when a portion of the irritated nerve is excised.
One case has actually occurred where the tetanus, occasioned by
a wound in the foot, was arrested and removed by neurotomy.
Tt also promises much in the painful state of some cankers, where
the irritation has rendered the application of dressings almost im-
possible. Here, by depriving the foot of sensibility, we deprive
the horse of that which is injurious to him. The sore’ itself is
often amended by it; but in every instance the dressings can be
effectively applied, na the healthy pieces ts can not be at all
suspended.
With respect to whether the lower or upper incision ought to
have the preference, the decision should be guided by the circum-
stances, as regards the intensity and the seat of the disease. The
operation commonly leaves, for a considerable time, some enlarge-
ment around the spot, the effects of the adhesive matter interposed
between the severed portions of the nerve, and which can be rem-
edied by no application of bandages. This bulging remains so
long as life continues; and, however cunningly the incision be
concealed, this can be felt with ease, and tells the truth ever after
the operation has been performed. Such a circumstance has, how-
ever, led some practitioners, when it has been wished to make the
upper section, and yet to avoid the chance of detection, to operate
on the metacarpal nerve on the outside, and on we pastern or
plantar nerve on the inside.
Mode of performing the operation.—The situation of the section
through the skin being determined on, a guide to which may be
gained from the perforatus tendon, and having firmly secured the
leg to be first operated on, cut the hair from the part. This being
done, and the exact course of the artery being ascertained by its
pulsation, make a section close to the edge of the flexor tendon.
Let the cut be near, but rather behind, the artery, if below the fet-
lock joint. The cellular substance being cleared away will bring
the vessels into view, and the nerve will be readily distinguished
from them by its whiteness. Elevating it from the vessels and
its membranous attachments, by means of a crooked needle, armed
17
258 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
with thread, pass a bistoury under it, as near to the upper angle
of the section as possible. The violent spasm the division of the
nerve produces may be somewhat lessened by pressing the nerve
between the finger and the thumb, when an opportunity may be
taken, either with the scalpel or scissors, of dividing it; then,
taking hold of the lowermost portion between a pair of forceps,
excise about three-fourths of an inch of its trunk. Having fin- ©
ished, if both feet are affected, proceed to operate on the contrary
side of the other leg; after which turn the horse, and repeat the
operations on the like parts of each leg as they come in succession.
The integuments may be now drawn neatly together, and secured
by a twisted suture, the whole being properly covered by a light
compress. ‘Tie up the head for a day or two, after which put on
a cradle. Keep the horse very quiet and low; give mashes, to.
open the bowels; but we should avoid physicking, from the fear
that griping might occur, which would make him restless, or prob-
ably require exercise.
PERIOSTEOTOMY.
This operation consists in having the horse thrown upon his
side, and the leg to be operated upon released from the hobble,
and extended upon a sack, filled with refuse hay or straw. This
is done by means of a piece of webbing passed round the hoof, and
the end given to a man to hold, who pulls rather violently at the
member. The operator then kneels down and feels for the exos-
tosis he intends to perform periosteotomy upon. This may be a
splint or a node, and commonly exists upon the metacarpal portion
of the fore-limb. The operator having found the excrescence, snips
just below it with a pair of rowelling scissors. He then takes a
blunt seton-needle and drives it through the cellular tissue, and
immediately over the enlargement. Next, another slit in the
skin, above the exostosis, is made with the rowelling scissors, and
through this last opening the point of the seton-needle is forced
and then withdrawn. Into the free space thus made a curved
knife is introduced. The point of this knife is blunt, and the
blade curves upward, the cutting part being below. Some per-
sons use a very diminutive blade, but the editor prefers a rather
_ large instrument, as being more under the command of the hand.
Having introduced this knife, he turns the cutting edge downward,
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 259
and with it incises the enlargement, sending the blade right through
the periosteum, and also through the substance of the exostosis, if
it be not too solid for the knife to penetrate. This latter fact is
only to be ascertained by actual experience, and no opinion formed
after an external examination can be of any value, such being much
more the guess of a pretender than the judgment of a surgeon.
' The age of the animal may be some guide, but even this it is
better not to depend upon too entirely. It is true that young
horses freely cast forth exostoses, which aged animals mostly
absorb; but this rule, though very general, has exceptions, and
by no means is to be absolutely depended upon.
The enlargement being cut through, next take a seton-needle,
armed with a tape, and draw it through the channel already made,
Tie a knot at either end of the tape, large enough to prevent its
being pulled through the opening at either end, and the business
is over. The affair is very simple, and the horse may be at once
let up. It is, however, in some cases, and only in some, of so much
benefit that the horse, being thrown ‘dead lame,’ gets up and trots
off quite sound. However, ere you adopt the operation, apprise
the owner of the risk incurred, and that it is by no means a cer-
tain cure. Leave the choice with him, but be sure and tell him
the opening made for the entrance and exit of the seton com-
monly leave a blemish behind them; and where the seton trayv-
eled, often there remains a thickening, which it may require months
to obliterate.
The after part of the treatment consists in merely having the
seton daily moved to and fro, though some persons apply an active
blister all over the parts immediately in the neighborhood of the
seton, under the idea that the vesicatory renders the operation of
greater efficacy, which, however, is very questionable. When pe-
riosteotomy acts at all, it mostly does so at once; and when its
benefits are not immediate, it is better to withdraw the seton, to
prevent after-blemish, rather than hazard further and useless treat-
ment by the application of a stimulant to skin already deprived
of any connection with the deeper-seated structures.
DIvIsion OF THE FLEXOR TENDON.
There are so many accidents and diseases that may produce
contraction of the flexor tendons, that we only wonder we do not
260 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
more often meet with them, which we should certainly do, but
that the attendants, despairing of being able to afford relief, ad- .
vise their destruction. The operation consists in making a longi-
tudinal incision, of about three inches in length, along the inner
lateral edge of the tendon, dissecting each portion from its cellular
attachments, so as to expose the nerve, artery, and tendons. This
opening will allow the perforans to be freed from the perforatus, °
when a division should be made by a scalpel applied to its surface.
It is evident that this should take place below any thickening, or
adhesions, which may have permanently connected the tendon with
the neighboring parts. Any lesser, attachments will be broken
through, by forcing back the foot to the just position. By Mr.
Dick this was done ‘by placing his knee against the front or pro-
jecting part of the pastern, at the same time laying hold of the
foot with one hand and the upper part of the leg with the other,
and using considerable force; and this appears to be necessary, in
order to break any adhesions that may have formed.’ The limb
should now be placed in a poultice; and if any fear of future con-
traction should arise during the cure, lengthen the toe of the shoe
proper to the foot operated on. Some slow exercise, after, the
first week, may be allowed, but previously to that the horse should
be confined to a stall, during which the bowels must be kept open
with mashes,
AMPUTATIONS.
These have been hitherto confined principally to the tail, the
ears, and other parts of minor importance in the animal frame;
but veterinary surgery now takes a wider field, and the extremi-
ties are amputated with a certainty of making horned cattle still
serviceable for the purpose of yielding milk ; and, without doubt,
the same might be done with the brood-mare or stallion, particu-
larly in fractures of the fore extremities.
Professor Dick, of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, furnishes
a case, sent to him by one of his pupils, to the following effect :
‘1 performed amputation upon a cow on the 7th of July. After
having properly secured the animal, and applied a torniquet above
the carpus, I made a circular incision through the integuments
round the leg, a little below the carpus; and, having separated
the skin so as to allow of its being pushed up a little, I cut through
the sinews, and lastly sawed off the stump. The parts are now
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 261
completely whole, although she has been going at grass all the
time, and, now that she has got the advantage of a cork stump,
makes a wonderful shift for herself, and yields a good supply of
milk to her owner.’
Mr. Dick also notices another case of amputation of the fore-leg
_ of a two-year old heifer; ‘and of a third, where the hind leg was
removed above the tarsus. Such operations have occasionally oc-
curred from time immemorial, with a few enterprising characters.
We have heard of them, but sie were mostly regarded as mere
matters of curiosity or wonder, and, therefore, were not imitated.
We shall, however, probably, erelong have them more common,
in cows, at least; for, occurring below the carpus and tarsus, they
are as easily performed as nicking or docking; and there is no
doubt but, were a hollow padded stump applied, such low opera-
tions might be prudent in many cases. Fractures, with great
comminution of bone, considerable ravages of disease within the
foot, or extensive gangrene, are the cases which might call for am-
putation.
Of the method of amputation little need be added to the above.
The principal practical points are, the fixing of a torniquet of
sufficient force, which Should be padded to make its principal
pressure on the leading arterial trunks, while its general circumfer-
ence will act on the smaller vessels. A ring should be cut lightly
below the intended place of operation, only through the integu-
ments, which, when separated from their cellular adhesions for
about six inches, should be turned back; and a circular incision
may then be made through the muscles, etc., taking up by liga-
ture such vessels, both venous and arterial, as display a disposition
for much hemorrhage. The section thus made, free the bone from
the soft parts by the scalpel, where the adherences are very inti-
mate, and, having, by means of a crucial bandage, retracted the
soft parts altogether above the bone, saw it through. Finally,
effectually secure the principal vessels, when, bringing the soft
parts and skin over the bone, retain them there by proper ban-
daging, which suffer to remain without disturbance until the third
or fourth day.
Amputation of the Penis.—Amputation of the penis is not un-
known among us. It has been performed several times, and it is a
found that no canula is necessary to keep open the urethra, the force
of the urinary flow breaking down any incipient cicatrization of its
262 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
orifice. The sheath is first forced back, and the penis brought
forward to its greatest possible extent. Whatever portion it is
intended to remove is now cut through, by means of an ampu-
tating knife, when the remainder is retracted within the sheath,
and little hemorrhage has afterward occurred, except at the time
of passing the urine; but there appears*to have been no alarming
quantity of blood lost.
Amputation of the Tail, or Docking—We are most happy to
state this filthy and unnecessary operation is now discarded. It
never consisted of more than the cutting off a portion of the
stump with brute force, and the cruel application afterward of a
hot iron to the small artery of the tail.
NICKING.
We should be grateful that this barbarous and dangerous pro-
cess is no longer numbered among the necessary operations. It is
so beset with accidents, which no skill or prudence can prevent,
that no one who has a free will ought to mutilate a horse by
nicking.
cm
FIRING.
The practice of firing was not always confined to quadrupeds.
On the contrary, it probably was first used on man; and to this
day, in many countries, it is a very popular remedy among human
surgeons. In India it is applied over the abdomen for the cure
of scirrhosity of the liver.
Firing, in veterinary practice, has, by Mr. Coleman’s pupils,
been justified as only men will justify a favorite operation, the
virtues of which haye been impressed upon their minds by an elo-
quent teacher. When Coleman was the chief of the veterinary
profession, firing, under his rule, was used for any and every
oecasion. It was_ridiculously supposed to act as a permanent
bandage, as if a few strokes with a heated iron could destroy the
elastic property inherent in the skin. It was the favorite styptic
of these practitioners, and was applied to arteries (as of the tail)
as though it possessed within itself some medicinal virtue. It
was used to promote absorption, as in callus; and was likewise
resorted to for checking absorption, as in ulceration. It was called
into action to promote granulation, in broken knees; and was also a
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 263
favorite agent to check granulations, when they were too luxuriant.
In short, there was no folly which a hot iron did not cover. It
has now, happily, fallen into disuse. Most modern practitioners
will now confess that their chief reason for exercising the iron is
to satisfy the proprietor, not to benefit the animal. After such
an acknowledgment, who would submit to have his patient ser-
vant’s skin scored and burnt with red-hot metal?
The mode of cauterization differs according to circumstances.
As a general rule, it ought, of course, to be applied in the direc-
tion of the hair, by which the blemish is lessened; but this rule
ean not be arbitrarily followed, although it ought to do away with
all the false pride of displaying the taste in the figures scored upon
a prostrate beast. The Veterinary College recommends that the
limbs be always fired in perpendicular lines; others advocate all
manner of fanciful marks. Some cast the horse ; many surgeons
perform standing. The irons used are of various shapes and di-
mensions. Some recommend the firing, of all things, to be very
light; others persist there is no virtue in hot iron unless it burns
very deep. The operation consists in having irons of some sub-
stance made red-hot, and then drawing them mechanically along,
or twisting them about upon the skin. The figures are various;
so is the depth of the incision. Both must be decided by the taste,
judgment, or heartlessness of the operator.
BLISTERING.
This is an operation of very great utility, and is, perhaps, com-
pared with its benefits and importance, the safest that is performed.
When a vesicatory becomes absorbed through the pores of the
skin, it inflames the sensible cutis underneath, the consequence of
which is, an infusion of serum through the part, which, in the
human subject, elevates the cuticle into a bladder equal to the sur-
face inflamed, but in the horse, from the greater tenacity of the
cuticular connections, it becomes separated in the form of small
distinct vesicles only. If the irritating cause be quickly removed,
the serum may be reabsorbed, and the surface restored by a slight
effort of adhesive inflammation. If the irritant act in a still
minor degree, it simply irritates the vessels of the cutis to an in-
filtration of fluid through the sensible pores, but produces no
desquamation of cuticle. Such has been called a sweating blister.
264 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
But when, by continued irritation, the cutis is exposed, suppura-
tion succeeds, and the part is fully blistered.
The salutary action of blisters is exerted in several ways—in
promoting absorption, in combating deep-seated inflammations,
and in aiding others. As a stimulus to the absorbents, they act
beneficially in the removal of injurious deposits, as the coagula
remaining after inflammatory lesions; but it is to be remarked
that when any existing deposit is of long continuance, or is osse-
ous, it requires that the action of the vesicatory be kept up.
Mercurial blisters have been thought to have a superior influence
in accelerating absorption. Mercurials, rubbed in some weeks or
days previously to blistering, are certainly great assistants, and
should always be employed in the treatment of obstinate osseous
or ligamentary enlargements. Blisters are very important aids in
inflammatory affections, as counter-irritants, derived from a law
in the animal economy, that two inflammations seldom exist in
the vicinity of each other; therefore, when such an affection has
taken place in any part, and we wish to remove it, we attempt to
raise an artificial inflammation in the neighborhood by means of
blisters, which, if persevered in, destroy, or at least lessen, the
original one. Occasionally, also, we blister the immediate inflamed
part, with an intention to hasten the suppurative process by in-
creasing the activity of the vessels, as in deep-seated abscesses, and
also in those which attack glandular parts. We therefore employ
blisters to hasten the maturation of the tumors in strangles.
When the flagging powers vascillate between resolution and sup-
puration, as they often do in the phlegmonous inflammations of
glandular or of deep-seated parts, blisters may either hasten the
resolution, or they may add their influence to the attempted sup-
puration, and thus bring it to maturity. But we carefully avoid,
in other cases, applying a vesicant to a part immediately in a state
of active inflammation. Particularly we should avoid what is too
often done, that of blistering over the tendons, ligaments, and ar-
ticulatory surfaces of a tumid limb, laboring under a congested
state of the parts from excess of vascular action. Here we should
do great injury were we to blister, by causing a greater deposit
of lymph, and by hastening its organization into an injurious bond
of union between the inflamed parts.
The vesicatory, or blister, for general use in veterinary medi-
cine, as a simple stimulant, should be principally composed of
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 265
Spanish flies. Cheaper substitutes are used, but they irritate vio-
lently. In extensive inflammatory affections, they are, on this
account, perfectly inadmissible ; and wherever a case requires any
thing more, it will be noted. The mode of blistering with the
Spanish fly is sufficiently known. The hair should be cut or shorn
as close as possible from around the part; the blistering matter
should then be well rubbed in for ten or fifteen minutes. If the
pasterns and fetlocks are the parts to be blistered, previous to rub-
bing in the ointment, smear some lard, tallow, or melted suet over
the heels, and within the hollow at the back of the small pastern.
This will often prevent some troublesome sores forming, from the
blistering ointment falling on these sensitive parts. While a blis-
ter is acting, the litter should be removed from under the feet, or
it will tickle the legs and irritate; but, above all, the head ought
to be most carefully secured, for two days and nights, to oppose
lying down, more especially to prevent the horse biting the blis-
tered part. On the third evening he may be permitted to repose ;
but a prevention should even then be continued, by means of what
is called a cradle. This apparatus may be bought at every turn-
ing shop, or may be made of eight or ten pieces of round wood,
an inch and a half in diameter, and two feet long. These are
strung at each end on a rope, and fastened around the neck.
When it is intended to blister repeatedly, the effects of the first
should have subsided before the seccnd is applied, the scurf and
scabs also be cleared away, and the part well washed with soap
and water. In all cases, the third or fourth day after the applica-
tion the part should be thoroughly painted over, by means of a
long-haired brush (such as are in use with pastry-cooks to glaze
their crusts), with lead liniment, which should be repeated every
day. And when it is proposed to turn a horse out, it should never
be done until the whole blistered surface be quite healed ; other-
wise dirt, flies, etc., may prove hurtful.
It remains to observe that, instead of repeated active blistering,
it is, in some cases, preferable to keep up a continual slight irrita-
tion on the original blister by means of stimulants, as iodine oint-
ment, mild blistering applications, ete. Caution is, however,
necessary, to avoid forming an eschar, and thereby a permanent
blemish ; but when a blemish is not of consequence, this plan will
be found often more efficacious than firing, as in splints, spavins,
etc. Some practitioners blister mildly one day, and on the next
266 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
wash off the blistering matter, thereby saving loss of hair; but
there is more of apparent than real good in this plan. If a blis-
ter be necessary, it requires all its activity.
Ammoniacal blister.—Spanish flies are only efficacious when the
animal can afford to wait their action, which is rather slow. In
most of the acute diseases, the horse would perish before the blis-
ter began to rise, wherefore resort has been had to boiling water
and red-hot iron. The action of these last coarse and brutal
measures was alone controlled by the violence of the internal in-
flammation, and, if the practitioner was mistaken in his estimate
of the immediate danger, extensive and lasting blemish was the
consequence. We have in the liquor ammonia an agent quite as
formidable as boiling water or heated iron, but it is rather longer
in displaying its force; wherefore, it allows time for watching its
action, and of ehecking it the instant it has sufficiently blistered
the skin. It is true the liquor ammonia upon the skin can not be
removed, neither need it be counteracted. Ammonia is like steam,
only powerful when confined. The ordinary soap liniment, if
covered over, would, because of the ammonia it contains, produce
a lasting blemish; but every veterinary surgeon knows how very
harmless a preparation that is when simply rubbed upon the sur-
face. So, when we desire the active effects of liquor ammonia, we
double a blanket or rug four or five times and hold it over the
liquid. It takes from ten to twenty minutes to raise a blister, and
it consequently can, from time to time, be observed; and when its
action has reached the wished-for point, all we have to do, eftectu-
ally to stop it, is to take away the rug or blanket. That removed,
the free surface and the heat of the body occasions the ammoniacal
vapor to be dispersed, and the animal is safe.
ROWELLING.
Rowels acts as foreign substances within the body. They cause
irritation and suppuration, whereby more deep-seated inflamma-
tions are supposed to be removed. They are, however, often very
convenient, because they stand as sign-boards to show the proprie-
tor that something has been done. The common mode of making
a rowel is after the following manner: A slit is first made by
means of the rowel scissors, on any part of the integuments, held
between the finger and thumb. With the handle of the scissors
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 267
separate from its cellular connections a circle of two or three inches
in diameter, into which introduce something to prevent the reunion
of the skin. A piece of circular leather, tolerably stiff, with a cen-
tral hole, is a very common substance used, but is objected to by
some on account of the difficulty of changing it without injuring
the skin. Tow, as more pliant, is frequently introduced into this
cavity. If the rowel runs freely, it should be dressed every day,
by changing the plug, if of tow, and by cleansing it, if of leather.
No rowel should go undressed beyond the second day, for the com-
fort of the horse. They are very favorite applications with far-
riers, and frequently abused by being employed indiscriminately,
but are falling into disuse, setons having almost superseded them.
Setons, in their action, resemble a very mild form of rowel, but
are more convenient in their application. ‘There is hardly a part
- of the body where a seton may not be conveniently placed. They
have been put around the eye; they have also been entered at the
withers, and brought out between the humerus and the sternum,
so extensive or so diminutive can they be made. In sinuous ulcers
of the withers and of the neck they may be placed; through the
heels, in foot diseases, they have been inserted. In cavernous
sores, they are entered at the stfperior part, and are brought out at
an inferior, so as to form a depending orifice. The formation of a
seton is very simple. A skein of thread, or a piece of tape, of a
convenient size, may be used. At the one end place a large knot;
arm the eye of a corresponding-sized seton-needle with the free end
of the tape; introduce this into any proposed part, and, bringing
it out at some other, either make a second knot, or tie the two ends
of the tape together; which last method of fastening is, however,
often objected to, from the danger of its catching in something and
being torn out, to the disfigurement of the horse. When a seton
is placed in a sinuous track, for the purpose of inflaming, it is
moved twice a day, frequently, and moistened each time with
some stimulant, as oil of turpentine, tincture of aloes and of ben-
jamin. All setons require daily cleaning and moving. When
they are required to act more quickly, the tape is infused in tere-
binthinate of cantharides, or small pieces of black hellebore are
sewn within it. An old material, composed of woollen, flax, or
cotton and hair, is also used instead of tape. Setons, however,
are of small service in acute cases. They are chiefly in use for
disturbances of a chronic description.
268 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ABSTRACTION OF BLOOD, OR BLEEDING (ARTERIOTOMY.)
Blood is abstracted by opening the conducting vessels, arterial
and venous. When taken from arteries, the process is called
arteriotomy; when by the latter, phlebotomy. Some bleedings
include both these operations, as general scarifications of the soft
parts, bleeding at the toe point, divisions of the vessels of the cor-
nea, ete. Blood-letting is called local when it is practiced on or
very near the affected part; and it is supposed to act more immedi-
ately than general bleeding because it produces more effect with the
loss of less blood. Local bleeding is, therefore, usually practiced
on the minor branches of the arteries and veins, as on the tem-
poral artery, the plate vein, the vena saphena, etc. Leeches are
a means of local bleeding not often used by us in veterinary prac-
tice; but there is no reason whatever why they should not be em-
ployed. When applied to the eye, and occasionally to other parts,
also, they adhere readily, abstracting blood rapidly, and, there-
fore, might be valuable aids in violent local inflammation. Cup-
ping is also practiced, in France and other parts of the Continent,
with very large glasses, and it is there supposed to act remedially
in many local inflammations. BY general bleeding we under-
stand the depletion of the system at large, and this we practice in
extensive inflammations.
Division of the temporal artery.—The proper spot for either its
puncture or division is directly where the vessel leaves the parotid
gland, to curve upward and forward around the jaw, a little be-
low its condyle. When it is punctured, it usually affords much
blood; and in such case, enough having been obtained, divide the
trunk, when, the receding portions becoming pressed by the in-
teguments, and lessening by their own contractility, the hemor-.
rhage is stopped. It should be punctured by a lancet; a fleam
may fix itself'in the bone. Its division can be readily made, also,
either by a lancet or scalpel.
Bleeding by the palate is also a species of arterio-phlebotomy,
and is a very favorite spot for abstracting blood with most igno-
rant persons, who vehemently recommend it in spasmodic colic or
gripes, and in megrims. In such cases, however, a want of knowl-
edge of the anatomy of the parts has occasioned a serious hemor-
rhage to occur; it may prove a fatal one if the artery proper to the
part be divided incompletely. The palatine artery and nerve run
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 269
near each other, on each side of the roof of the mouth, so as to
divide the inner surface of the hard palate into three nearly equal
portions. No other than a direct division of the vein should ever
be made; therefore, when bleeding is determined on at this place,
do it by plunging a lancet or even a penknife in a direct line
across the rugee, one inch within the mouth, exactly between the
middle and second nippers. There these vessels form a curve,
which curve will be divided, and will then yield three or four
pints of blood. If the instrument enter too much on one side, as
about the middle of the second nipper, then a partial and longi-
tudinal division of the artery may be made, and an alarming hem-
orrhage may follow. In this case, the section must be enlarged
and deepened inwardly—that is, away from the teeth—which com-
pletely severs the vessel, and its retraction will stop the hem-
orrhage. A moderate or slight flow of blood from the palate may
be obtained by light scarifications of the ruge. But all bleedings
here, except under circumstances of the most urgent necessity, had
better be avoided.
Bleeding by the toe is also arterio-phlebotomy. By no means
eut out a portion of the sole at the point of the frog, which fre-
quently occasions abscess; but, with a very fine drawing-knife,
cut down exactly in the line of union between the crust and the
sole; then, by puncturing the part with a lancet, a vast flow of
blood may be obtained, the benefits of which, in some cases, are
very marked, particularly in acute founder. If the blood should
not flow with sufficient freedom, place the foot in warm water.
The bleeding finished, cover the puncture with some tow and a
little tar, and lightly tack on the shoe. There are, however, other
methods of bleeding from the toe. Mr. Maver uses a drawing-
knife with a long curve, so that one sweep of the blade may cut a
piece out of the foot. ‘This appears to us bad practice, as it leaves
Nature a space to fill up, instead of a simple incised wound to
heal. Others take away none of the horn, but merely make a slit
through the outer covering on to the vascular portion of the foot.
The flap of horn they hold up, so long as they desire blood, by the
insertion of a piece of wood ; and when they have obtained blood
enough, they take out the wood, so as to let the horny flap down.
This last method, of all others, appears to us the easiest and the
best.
Sometimes the plantar vein is opened as a substitute. Scarifi-
270 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
cations are, also, occasionally practiced, which, of course, divide
both venous and arterial branches. In France extensive scarifi-
cations used to be made into indurations before the suppurative
process had commenced, which, in some cases, prevented that
from going on, and the remedial wounds made were healed by
adhesive inflammation, or by healthy granulation. The same
method has also been occasionally practiced here, but it is not
now often attempted.
Phlebotomy, or the puncture of a venous branch, is the most
usual mode of drawing blood in veterinary practice, and may be
employed on any point of the body; but some vessels are much
more frequently opened than others, and most of all the jugular
vein.
Bleeding by the thigh vein.—The saphena is a prominent vein,
continued from the inner part of the hock, and may be opened by
the fleam, but with much greater safety and propriety by a lancet.
The opposite leg being held up, the operator, placing himself in
front of the thigh, and steadying himself and the horse by placing
one hand on the hock, may fix the vein with the little finger of the
other, while the lancet, held between the thumb and fore-finger,
punctures it. This vein should never be opened save upon abso-
lute necessity, as it is often troublesome to pin up. A horse has
been cast for the trivial matter of stopping the hemorrhage.
Bleeding from the plate vein.—This vein is frequently opened to
abstract blood after injuries of the fore extremities.
The superficial brachial vein is a continuation of the superficial
division of the metacarpal veins, and in the passage upward receives
more than one branch. Its principal trunk ascends along the inner
side of the radius. It may also be well to remark that, when taking
blood from the superficial veins of the arm or fore-arm, if any diffi-
culty is experienced in obtaining a sufficient flow, the lifting up of
the other leg, by throwing the muscles of the punctured one into
action, will force the blood from the inner to the outer set, and an
increased quantity may be obtained. The plate vein, or external
thoracic, is often opened, as it emerges from behind the arm, and
is pinned up without any difficulty.
Bleeding by the jugular vein.—The situation of this important
vessel is well known, but its internal connections are not so fa-
miliar, though such knowledge is essential to the uniform safety of
the operation. The horse has only external jugular veins, a right
Sa
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 271
and a left one. As each emerges from the chest, it is found deep-
seated, and approaching the trachea. It then passes forward, in
company with the external carotid artery. Toward the middle
of the neck it becomes more superficial, and is now distinctly
seen progressing rather above and without the carotid artery and
trachea, or windpipe. ‘The carotid, therefore, in the future course
of the jugular, is situated a little below and more deep-seated than
the vein. The jugular is also separated from the carotid by a
slight muscular band, derived from the levator humeri. Its fur-
ther track is marked in the hollow formed by the inferior edge of
the levator humeri, where it is covered by the panniculus carnosus
and integuments only, when, having. nearly reached the jaw, it
makes its well-known division into two portions. Bleeding by
the jugular is usually practiced with a lancet or with a fleam. The
proper spot for the puncture may be found anywhere between two
inches and six from the division of the vein. This latitude is here
mentioned, because it is prudent to avoid puncturing directly over
a former bleeding-place, known by the scar and enlargement. It
should also be avoided where a little knot in the course of the
vein will sometimes denote the existence of one of the venous
valves. But in all ordinary cases, where these hindrances do not
appear, operate at two or three inches from the division of the
vein, which will be sufficiently evident when it is pressed on below
the place punctured. Avoid operating low down in the neck, as
there the vessel is deeper-seated, and near to important parts.
First moisten the hair and smooth it down; then, steadying
and enlarging the vessel with one hand, with the other plunge the
point of the lancet into the integuments, so as just to puncture
them and the vein; then, by a slight turn of the wrist, carry the
instrument obliquely forward to finish the cut. For opening the
smaller veins, the lancet should always be used. In all but the
practiced hand the fleam is the safest for bleeding from the jugu-
lar. It is always prudent to have the eye of the horse covered,
Unless the eye be covered, the horse will be likely to flinch at the
moment of the stroke, and the puncture may be made in any place
but where we wish. The hair being first wetted and smoothed,
and the fleam being retained in the left hand, the unemployed
fingers pressing on the vein so as to fix and swell the vessel, let
the point rest exactly in the middle of the swelling. Strike the
fleam sufficiently hard to penetrate the skin and vein. A blood-
22, DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
stick is preferable for the purpose of striking the fleam. There is
a vibration between two hard bodies when they meet, which, in
this instance, is favorable to a quick and moderate puncture of the
vein. After the vein has been opened, moderate pressure with the
edge of the can which catches the blood is sufficient to keep up
the flow. It may also be encouraged by putting a finger within
the horse’s mouth. The requisite quantity of blood being drawn,
remove the can. The remaining process of securing the vessel
is of equal importance. The sides of the orifice are first to be
brought in opposition, without pinching them, and without draw-
ing them from the vein. The same cautions should also be ob-
served when the pin is introduced. Let it be small, with an
irregular point, and, when inserted, wrap around it a few hairs
or a little tow.
Common, however, as this operation is, and qualified as every
one thinks himself to perform it, yet there are very serious acci-
dents which do arise occasionally? It has occurred that the carotid
artery has become penetrated. When the puncture has been made
through the vein, the accident is known immediately by the forci-
ble and pulsatory gush of florid arterial and dark venous blood
together. In one instance of this kind, which occurred to a French
practitioner, he immediately thrust his finger into the opening
through the vein, and thus plugged up the artery, intending to
wait for assistance. In this state he remained, we believe, an
hour or more, when, removing his finger, to his surprise, he found
the hemorrhage had ceased, and did not again return. In another
case, where an English practitioner accidentally opened the carotid,
he placed a compress on the orifice, and had relays of men to hold
it there for forty-eight hours, when it was found the bleeding had
stopped.
The admission of air is also another serious accident that now
and then attends bleeding. It sometimes happens from the sudden
removal of the fingers or blood-can, or whatever was used to dis-
tend the vessel by obstructing the return of the blood. This, being
suddenly taken away, allows the escape of the blood toward the
heart, and occasions a momentary vacuum, the air being heard to
rush with a gurgling noise into the vein through the orifice; it
then mixes with the blood, and occasions, in some instances, almost
immediate death, The animal begins to tremble; he next staggers,
and finally falls in a state of convulsion. If the quantity of air
SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 273
taken in has been considerable, death ensues. The remedy must,
therefore, be instantaneous, and consists in again opening the ori-
fice, or making a new one, to gain an immediate renewed flow of
blood, which will, in most cases, renovate the horse, who has been
found afterward to be tormented with an intolerable itching.” *
* Blaine’s “Outlines.”
18
SECTION X.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES.
ItcH anD Manae—Licr on ANIMALS—GREASE AND SCRATCHES—SURFEIT—DROP-
sicAL Limps —Scaruetina — Ringworm — PRuRIGO — POLE-EVIL— FIstTuLous
WirHerRs—WartTs oN THE SKiIN—PurPURA HreMORRHAGICA—OUT OF CONDI-
TION—HiDE-BOUND—HERPES.
ItcoH AND MANGE.
TCH, mange, and scabies are essentially local affections of the
skin, and are occasioned by the presence of parasites known
as “sarcoptes-equi.” The eruption ensuing on the skin of a horse,
when subject to this affection, is very
similar to the appearance of itch in man,
and probably is just as tormenting to
the animal as in the case of his master.
Numerous cases are recorded of trans-
mission of itch from horse to man, and,
when so acquired, it is impossible to dis-
tinguish it from the human itch. Some
persons suffer severely when attending
mangy horses, but a clean person or clean
horse are not apt to take the disease. It
is well known that a healthy and clean
AcaRUSs, ORsARcorTrs-rour, THE horse may stand for weeks near a mangy
TR aioe a bn oes OHS AW out taking the disease, showing,
very conclusively, that the best preventive measures are those
which promote health and cleanliness. As the English groom
says, “plenty of elbow-grease, by means of brush and curry-comb,
on the skin of the horse; regular daily exercise, pure air in the
stable, and a sufficiency of good digestible food are sovereign
remedies against itch and mange.” ‘This, we presume, is all the
" (274)
> SEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. DATED
reader wants to know with reference to the cause of itch and
mange.
Symptoms.—W hen a horse is affected with this malady, in either
of the forms here named, the owner’s attention will be aroused
by the animal rubbing himself, whenever he can get a fair ehance
to do so; and, should the limbs or heels be affected, he will rub
the-fore-legs one against the other, and, at night, will constantly
strike the floor with his hind extremities. ‘The hair looks un-
thrifty, has lost its gloss, and does not lay smooth on the body.
Jt falls off in patches, and an eruption is observed similar to the
appearance of itch on man, yet not so distinctly recognized. A
few pimples, scabs, and a slight reddening of the parts is all that
may, perhaps, be seen. The skin of some horses, however, is
more vascular and more delicately organized than others. In the
latter case the disease is more marked, creates greater irritation,
and the nervous system suffers more from sympathetic irritability
than in the case of an animal having a coarse and comparatively
insensible “hide.” In addition to these symptoms, the affected
animal will be observed to be more or less fractious and unman-
ageable.
Treatment.—The disease being of a local character, requires
topical (local) remedies, and the best medicine is that which most
quickly destroys the life of the itch parasite. It has been found
that preparations of creosote kill the parasite in a few seconds,
and GERLACH recommends the following preparation:
No. 28. Creosote...... nie We odap cdlencPe.euctasa scams 24 OZ.
Spicy ottawinesisoy-ietercle'-/scioievereeichenetarete OZ:
Viferterparr yen) ikea wepche reruns orice 40 oz.
Previous to the application of this, the same authority advises
that the horse be smeared all over the body with soft soap, wash-
ing it off some time afterward with warm water, and having the
animal well brushed; or a wash may be afterward used, consist-
ing of one part of caustic potass to fifty parts of water; or, lastly,
greasing the animal with linseed oil, train oil, etc., and, one or
two days afterward, washing with soap and water or potash ley ;
then apply the preparation of creosote.
The cheapest, and probably the safest, plan of treatment, and
that which has proved most successful in the practice of the author,
is as follows:
276 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
No229) Unslaked laments Riera ares Llb:
Flour of jsulphiar: sts ic cs:cic-s's terre 2 lbs.
Water es oon ea ee ere 12 pts.
Put these ingredients in a stone jar, set it on the stove, or in
a regular water-bath, until] it boils. During the interval, the
mixture must be constantly stirred, both in view of insuring a
complete mixture, and of keeping the lime and sulphur from. de-
positing in the bottom of the jar; for, should this occur, the jar
will crack. The mixture must be stirred with a wooden spatula
or glass rod. Keep the mixture boiling for about ten or fifteen
minutes; then set it aside for twelve hours, at the end of which
time pour off the clear liquor, bottle tightly, and cork the bottles.
These should be put away in a dark closet, as the mixture soon
decomposes when exposed to the sun’s rays. This remedy will
cure the itch on horses and cattle. It is, also, a sure cure when
used on man. It is not adapted to the cure of the malady in
sheep, as the sulphur is supposed to be injurious to wool. The
only objection to its use is, that it has a very unpleasant odor—
smells like sulphureted hydrogen. Before applying this mixture,
the animal should be thoroughly washed with warm water and
common brown soap; then wipe the animal dry, and apply the
sulphur mixture, by means of a sponge. One application, if
properly applied, will usually suffice to kiil the parasites. Should
it fail in the first instance, a reapplication will do no harm, as
the preparation is perfectly inocuous.
Scabies is to be treated in the same manner; in fact, all diseases
of the skin, supposed to be dependent on the presence of parasites,
are to be treated after this fashion. GERLACH, of the Royal Ve-
terinary School of Berlin, has made a series of experiments with
various remedies for the destruction of the itch parasite, and the
following table shows the result of his labors:
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. WE
Dead in
AGENT.
Hours. Minutes.
Creosote, pure........ eesencnsconeccs adbactoococutco || saesesea500c YWy-NMs
Creosote, 1 part
SPE el O DATS) ececccessccecsesvocssscessegeccer|(ssssccsesers 44-1
Water, 30 parts . “l4
Creosote 1 part
Water, 80 parts fcrrstrsssrstsssessssssesseess | ceceeecceees 2-26
Creosote with fat { [3p | ee
. . iD diavevescecessceecesccaell escesutccces 34-7
Creosote with oil { LAO ....cccccccssssseesnenee | coreceeecees 514-9
Iodine, tincture Of, PUre...........cccceceeees | eeeeeeeeees 1-2
Iodine, tincture of, with water, 1.4... |............ 4-6
Iodide of potassium with water, 1.2....|............ 9
Iodide of potassium with water, 1.4...) ........0. 20-26
Caustic potash, 1 part; 24d0. J nveeveceenee 2-214
Caustic potash; t part
Water, ORES site art: 124
Hartshorn oil, 2 “
seas potash i Part
ater, parts 2
Tar, J Qo fbf tatsteneees Seosescess | /seseeccssce 7-12
Hartshorn oil, 2 “
Sulphuret of ( with water, 1.10.........0.| esses 15-30
potassium ( with oil, 1. LORCRERe ney 10-20 |..-....--.++
Chloride of lime with water, 1.80.......]............| 15-30
LATISHOLM POU PULL cce.c-cecccccssccceacesoeee\||conenclaccace 3-t
Hartshorn oil, with water, 1.10.. 30
OiMCOMULPCILINErecs-sccecoesscccesovecevsoeceecee)|(sesssevesess 5-9
AED AG OCShbaterccestssccesesacscedeneresccsecensscee]||scceaenccece
Tar (Pix liquida)
pure
Photogen
Acetic acid with water, L.L.......... scene] cescceeeeees
Concentrated sulphuric acid 1: 24
with water 1.48
Decoction of tobacco ils 1.10...
1.5)
Tessier’s arsenical bath........ esseoacesacarelllactsaness= => 7-25 | 4
Mathiew’s arsenical Dathis...ccscecsccseree| ccccescceees 15-16
Over-saturated solution of arsenic in 23
Suet Le Tals Oseescercecasteereesorecsraccerensetrenoeerces
OBSERVATIONS.
Mathieu.
Were living 7 hours after
immersion.
{ Mathieu.
White arsenic, 1 part.
Sulphate ofiron, 10 parts.
| Water, 100 parts.
Mathieu.
‘White arsenic, 1 part.
Alum, 10 parts.
Water, 100 parts.
peccrseceres Hertwig.
(A dilute solution does
Green SOAP... Scaussarsevshavoncpsscscscccenssas Yoel | lcoscccasccnn 1 not kill.
Liquor AMMONIA..............cccecccseesseceeees fell Nlesccsconeton Hertwig.
Solution of corrosive sublimate, 10
grains, one ounce
Infusions of henbane, belladonna, )
and Persian insect powder, 116 f 12-16
Decoction of black and white helle-
bore, 1.16 \
Infusion of digatalis, 1.16..................
Walz’s ley, containing caustic pot-
ash, hartshorn oil, and tar
peaciaaesces 15-45 | Hertwig.
278 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
THe SKIN DISEASES OF DomEstTIc ANIMALS.
A celebrated writer on the diseases of the skin of domesticated
animals, thus discourses on the subject :
“‘ Few topics have engaged the attention of the successful breeder
of our improved domesticated animals more than skin diseases pro-
duced by insects, in consequence of the manner in which both the
breeding and feeding qualities of stock are affected by them. This
arises from the little progress scientific inquiry has experimentally
made in the physiology of these tiny parasites by means of the
microscope, and the consequent paucity of reliable scientific works
on the subject. Hitherto half the conclusions of our veterinary
surgeons relative to their natural history have been drawn from the
traditionary philosophy of our forefathers, and not from actual ex-
amination, either with the eye of the modern physiologist or mor-
bid anatomist; while our entomologists have had too much to do
to overtake the branches of zodlogical science, to fill their cabinets
with specimens of the class in question—a class far more varied
than the kingdom itself, every different race of animals being not
only infested with a different brood of insects (mites), but almost
every organic substance, animal and vegetable.
A very superficial acquaintance with these facts must convince .
the reader of the importance of the lecture on this subject, de-
livered by Professor Simonds, before the council of the Royal
Agricultural Society of England, accompanied with drawings,
exhibited on the wall, and specimens under his microscope. The
former, drawn to a greatly magnified scale, illustrated, in a very
conspicuous manner, the different stages of vitality, from the ovum
to the insect, in all the vigor of matured life. But to us, and
several other members NG examined them, the latter appeared,
the most interesting, as nothing can exceed the fidelity with which®
the microscope exemplifies Nature, though all but invisible to the
naked eye, confirming, in the most satisfactory manner, the sound-
ness of the conclusions at which the Professor arrived, differing,
as they did, in many respects, from those hitherto drawn, .both by
veterinary surgeons and entomologists.
Referring to the report of Mr. Simonds’ first lecture, the task
which devolves upon us is to apply it to the daily practice of the
farmer, so as to profit by its deductions, These were principally
confined, it will be seen, to scabies and etrus in sheep and other
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 279
animals, with a few observations on the dog-flea (pulex canis).
Scabies is a pestiferous disease, whether it affects the horse, the
ox, the sheep, swine, or poultry, inflicting a loss not easily esti-
mated; hence the maxim of every intelligent farmer is, to avoid.
With him “prevention is better than cure,” and, therefore, his
grand desideratum is to guard against contagion. Sheep are, per-
haps, more subject to it than any of the other animals, arising as
much from the nature of their skins and coats as from the fecun-
dity of the acarus ovis, and the greater vicissitudes of the weather
to which they (the sheep) are exposed. * Certain parts of the body
are more liable to be affected than others; and so is an unhealthy
skin than a healthy one. Indeed, it has been said that an unheal-
thy skin will itself produce scabies (?), but this conclusion does
not appear to be well founded; for a disease dependent upon the
presence of living parasites can never arise spontaneously, but
must be effected by contagion, either by means of their eggs, or
the insect in some other stage of its existence.
Now, from what has just been said, it will appear obvious that
cleanliness, a healthy skin and state of the body, and a separation
from foul animals and ground, are the means necessary to avoid
contagion. The truth of this will, perhaps, be better understood
if we first review the important distinctions which Mr. Simonds
makes between the habits of the acarus scabiei of the human body
and the acari of our domestic animals, the former burrowing in
the skin, but the latter living on its surface, clinging to the skin,
hair, or wool with their trumpet-shaped, vesicular-cushioned feet,
to prevent their being thrown off by the animal when shaking or
nibbling itself. Hitherto distinctions of this kind have been over-
looked, writers generally concluding that the acari of quadrupeds
burrowed in the skin like those of man, thus proving the little
use which had been made of the microscope in examining the
former, as it shows them to be incapable of living in the skin,
from the configuration of their bodies. Indeed, to have made
similar acari for naked skins as for those covered with hair, wool,
or feathers would haye been an oversight on the part of Nature ;
while the fact that the acarus scabiei will not live on the horse,
nor acarus equi on man, or acarus ovis on the ox, or acarus bovis
on the sheep, and so on, proves that greater differences than the
mere configuration of the animal structure exist, all pointing to
the above means as necessary, in every case, to avoid so great a
280 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
pest—one which appears to form an integral part of that curse
inflicted on the whole creation by the fall of man.
The importance of cleanliness, and its concomitant health, to
prevent contagion, may be further illustrated. We have just seen
above that an acarus, although a loathsome pest, is yet very nice
in its taste, and particular about a nidus in which to deposit and
hatch its eggs. It enjoys the highest degree of prosperity on the
unhealthy skin, multiplying there fastest; so that if it creeps
from it to the opposite—the sleek, healthy one of the horse or ox,
or dry wool of the sheep—it feels itself from home, and, before it
even reaches the skin, may be bruised or shaken off. If, however,
it creeps upon the unhealthy animal with its staring coat, it soon
reaches the skin, and commences its direful work, every thing
there being congenial to his happiness; hence the incredible
speed at which it propagates its species, until it either consumes
its victim alive, or is arrested at its fatal work by the timely
unguent of the veterinary surgeon.
Again: when a dirty animal shakes itself, as it invariably does
after rubbing itself against any thing, less or more scurf, dan-
druff, and dust is thrown into the atmosphere, and carried to a
distance by high wind. Now, under such circumstances, when
affected with scabies, it is manifest that the smallest of these puny
insects, as well as their eggs, will be blown from one pasture to
another; that the latter will lodge in the dirty staring coat of
the unhealthy animal, when they will be blown off that of the
clean sleek one, or be brushed off before they reach the skin, or
any nidus capable of hatching them. In this manner we can
trace contagion from one animal to another, and thus account, in
harmony with entomological science, for what has hitherto been
termed spontaneous cases of scabies in some of our domesticated
animals, while others have escaped the disease, though all herd-
ing together in one field. We can also account for the fact why
the disease is more liable to break out among sheep than horses
and cattle, without coming in contact with strange flocks, because
the coats of the latter are more likely to be impregnated with
eggs than those of the former, while they afford a better nidus for
hatching them.
With regard to health, it has even been said that the blood of
scabbed animals is diseased ; nay, that the blood of all animals is
loaded, more or less, with the eggs of acari, and that they are
.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 281
hatched under certain cutaneous affections, thus accounting for
spontaneous cases differently from the atmospheric distribution of
eggs. Hence the reason why sulphur and mercury are taken,
internally as well as externally, to get rid of the disease. But
this sanguiferous doctrine of distribution is more difficult to re-
concile with entomological science than the atmospheric one.
Contagion by direct contact of clean animals with diseased, or
where the former enter foul ground, will be difficult to avoid so
long as the commerce of live farm stock is conducted as at present ;
for diseased animals will be sent to market, although contrary to
the spirit of the law, thus not only communicating the disease to
all they come in contact with, but also infecting the market-place.
According to the experiments made by Mr. Simonds, acari left
upon a post, hurdle, or hedge by a scabbed beast will survive
for fourteen days, and at the end of that time lay hold of any
animal coming in contact with it, and thus communicate the dis-
ease; consequently our weekly and fortnightly markets are little
better, during the warm months of summer, than nests for pro-
pagating malignant parasites. It would be well, then, if very
stringent statutes were enacted, confiscating all diseased animals
offered for sale, and that microscopical examinations were enforced
in all suspicious cases, so as to guarantee its healthy operation.
Tt will thus be seen that the means for preventing contagion may
be summed up in two words—improved management.
At a very early period in our history, acarus scabiei was much
more common among our forefathers than among their posterity
of the present day. The change which has taken place is obvi-
ously attributable to progress in dietetics, clothing, and medicine;
and among our domesticated animals it is no more than reasona-
ble to conclude that similar causes will produce similar effects.
In point of fact, improved management has already greatly re-
duced the prevalence of scabies among both our herds and flocks,
thus holding out every encouragement to persevere in obtaining
further progress. There is, perhaps, no branch of husbandry
where greater advances can be made than in cattle-cookery, house-
hold accommodation, including grooming, etc., and medicine ; and
when we contemplate how much cutaneous diseases are dependent
on management in each of these three respects, it were difficult to
estimate what influence further improvements in them may have
on the disease in question.”
282 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
LicE oN HorskEs.
Lice, in a majority of cases, may be attributed to want of clean-
liness; for they are rarely if ever seen on the body of an animal
with clean skin. Brush and curry-comb, and clean stables, are,
therefore, the preventives.
A short time ago I had occasion to visit a stable, located in
Waukegan, Ill. There I saw a horse almost perfectly hairless, ex-
cept the mane and tail. I asked the owner what occasioned the
depilation of the hair. He informed me that the horse’s body was
completely infested with lice; that he had tried all sorts of rem-
edies without success, and, at last, thought he would try kerosene
oil, and, accordingly, rubbed the body all over with it, using about
two quarts. He said “it killed all the lice, but came very near
killing the horse. It made him perfectly crazy ; his limbs became
swollen to the proportions of a young elephant, and the hair all
fell off.”
The remedy I have found most efficacious is composed of
No: \30.,.Crude,cod-liver,,oils ic. Js.0.0) eecersiis 1 pint.
Polyerizedslobelidey <icistelacesters telecon 2 o7.
Mix.
This should be thoroughly rubbed all over the body by means
of a stiff brush; at the expiration of four hours, carefully wash
the horse all over with soft soap and warm water. It may be
necessary to make a second and even a third application, on suc-
cessive days, ere the parasites are all killed. The parasites can be
seen with the naked eye; therefore the owner of the horse must
be the judge as regards the number of applications needed.
At a meeting of a Farmer’s Club, “ Lice” formed the subject
for discussion. Dr. J. R. Smrry explained that liee, as well as
all similar insects, breathe through holes in the body. These
holes are minute spirules, constantly kept open by an elastic ring,
and surrounded by a fringe of extremely delicate hair, which pre-
vents the intrusion of any solid particles. To kill the insect it
is only necessary to close these breathing-holes, and this is done
by smearing them with any kind of grease or oil. You may
catch a caterpillar and examine him with a magnifying glass, and
you will find these spirules arranged in two rows, one on each
side; then, if you take a moth or butterfly, you will find the
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 283
breathing-holes in the body corresponding with those in the body
of the caterpillar from which it was produced—the same body, in
fact, remaining after the wings are developed. If you dip a feather
in oil, and smear the two spirules nearest the tail, the lower por-
tion of the body will be paralyzed so far as these holes. Proceed-
ing upward, you may paralyze the whole body until you come to
the last two, which are situated just below the jaws. So long as
these remain open, the insect will continue to breathe, but if these
are now closed, he dies immediately. To exterminate lice upon
any animal, it is only necessary to cover the animal completely
with grease or oil. The simplest and cheapest oil is best—lard,
fish oil, or any other that is at hand. When the lice have not
become so numerous as to produce the disease known as pityriasis,
or mange, this application, undoubtedly, is the best that can be
used. In addition to being effective, it is perfectly harmless.
Stock-breeders should always recollect that prevention shows wis-
dom, and saves annoyance and expense; and, by neatness, cleanli-
ness and comfort, the health of the animal will be insured, and the
animals will not become infested with the troublesome parasites.
Poultry lice affecting horses.—Horses, when located near a hen-
roost, are apt to be infested with poultry lice. The remedy is the
same as in the case of the common louse.
DISEASES OF THE HEELS (GREASE, OR SCRATCHES).
In olden times grease, or scratches, and cracked heels, were not
only very prevalent but very formidable affections. Before
veterinary surgeons were employed in the British Army, many
thousands of valuable horses were condemned as useless for active
service in consequence of the prevalence of that loathsome affec-
tion known as inveterate grease; but now, in consequence of the
presence of veterinary surgeons, and the consequent improved
system of management in camp and stable, grease is almost un-
known. Most veterinary writers contend that grease almost
always arises from improper management of the horse, yet I have
seen it occur in horses that were well cared for and properly
treated. The truth is, some horses are predisposed to affections
of the skin of the heels and the sebaceous glands of the same;
and, although cleanliness and good management may stave off an
attack for a long while, yet when the system abounds in morbific
284 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
matter, the same is very apt to gravitate toward the heels, (they
being most remote from the center of circulation,) inducing in-
flammation of the skin of the heels, distension of the sebaceous
glands, and a stinking and unhealthy deposit on the surface, and
a purulent discharge through ulcerated cracks. This constitutes
grease.
Cause.-—It is contended by Mr. BuAIN and others that grease
has local weakness for a cause. As fluids press, not in proportion
to their diameter, but to the height of their column, the venous
blood must find some difficulty to its ascent. Debility is, there-
fore, more felt in the distended vessels remote from the influence
of the heart, under which circumstance the effects productive of
grease necessarily ensue. Some horses are constantly the sub-
jects of swelled legs, and, if the heels happen to be accidentally
abraded, the latter often operates as the exciting cause of a very
formidable affection of the heels. Associated with swelled legs is
a scurfiness of the skin beneath the fetlock. These conditions,
together with the fact that the animal is of the lymphatic temper-
ament (gray color), are sure indications that predisposition to
maladies of the above character are present. Having such horses
under our care, the chief object should be to ward off an attack, by
dietetic and hygienic measures. ‘Too much washing of the heels,
without drying them by rubbing, is just about as bad as if the
filth was allowed to remain. The practice chills the part by a pro-
cess of slow evaporation, and the result is local congestion, ete.
I now propose to illustrate, for the benefit of the reader,
the treatment of grease or scratches. I was requested to see
a gray gelding, the property of the Transfer Company of St.
Louis. On arrival, I examined the animal, and found him to be
a large, flabbily-organized creature, having a large amount of
loose tissue under the skin. I found that there was a bad odor
arising from some ulcerations and exudations about the heels and
sides of the same. Intermediate of the ulcers were dry, horny
scabs; the hair about the parts pointed straight out; the heel was
excessively tender, quite vascular, and blood escaped from its
vessels. The moment a hand was placed upon the locality, the
animal would catch up the limb and appear to suffer much pain.
Treatment.—In the first place, I had the parts well cleansed
with soap and water; then, after wiping them dry, they were wet-
ted, three times daily, with a portion of the following solution:
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES, 285
No. 31. Nitrate of potass (saltpeter)........ ee 20z:
Waiter voptana ets cioietey eke reereten sierstcteyector-ionerel 1 pt.
Glycerine........ SEMEL MBSE BNO BiAe He 4 07.
Every time the solution was applied, the parts were dusted with
pulverized charcoal. This charcoal, completely covering the
abraded parts, and being a good antiseptic, had an excellent effect
in excluding atmospheric air, and in correcting feted odor. I
administered, as an alterative, to correct the morbid habit,
No. 32. Iodide of potass....... elolelelel creyetsie ee) 20) on
Srullpiannnays leyeraretey oletetayorepelea: steel eterenale ooo» 4dr
Powdered sassatras) barkivs wes ecroce sae 2 dr
Gentian vee severe MEY Yeas ats ate eee an Li bes
These were mixed in food, and the same quantity was given
during a period of four days, and the dressings were also contin-
ued. On the fifth day the animal had very much improved, stood
fair on the foot, and seemed to suffer but very little pain. The
limb was somewhat swollen, partly from want of use, and other-
wise from slight effusion into the cellular tissue. I discontinued
the medicine, and ordered the following mixture, to be applied
twice daily:
No. 33. Pyroligneous acid..........- eats
Coal Ce ee, TG \ equal parts.
After each application the charcoal was reapplied.
The following case serves to illustrate that the virus of grease
can be transmitted from horse to man:
Transmission of the Virus of Grease from the Horse to Man.—
Drs. Maunoury and Picnor have published an interesting series
of experiments, tending to prove the identity of grease and cow-
pox. This doctrine, which was always maintained by JENNER,
has received confirmation from the observations of Loy, GopINE,
and others. The following is a summary of the facts, related by
Drs. MAunoury and Picuor:
“Francis Barthelemy B , aged twenty-eight, of lymphatic
temperament, a farrier, presented himself to Dr. Pichot on the
5th of March, 1856. He had not been vaccinated. On the backs
of his hands, which were red and swollen, were several confluent
opaline pustules, depressed in their center, and having all the
appearance of vaccine pustules of the eight or ninth day. The
inflammation with which the pustules were surrounded had ap-
286 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
peared on the second; the pustules themselves preceded the in-
flammation some days. This man had not been in contact with
any cow, but on the 11th of February he had shod a horse suffer-
ing from grease. There existed, at the time, numerous cracks
about the hands. The disease from which the horse was suffering
was certified by a qualified veterinarian. Various inoculations
were practiced with the liquid taken from the pustules presented
by B , with the effect of reproducing the same disease. The
most perfect set of experiments were made by M. Maunoury, who
transmitted the virus through four sets of cases. The following
are the results of his observations:
1. That virus obtained from the hands of the farrier B :
and inoculated on the arm of an infant, produced a full pustule,
having all the character of a vaccine pustule—form, evolution,
termination.
2. That lymph taken from this pustule, and inoculated on the
arm of three persons, had produced identical pustules, which are
truly vaccine.
3. That the transmission of the virus by successive generations
has not diminished the intensity of the force of the poison. One
of the set of cases presented large pustules, depressed in the center,
and filled with matter; each pustule served for several inocu-
lations and the charging of several sets of glasses.
4, That from these facts it is evident that the virus taken from
the pustules of the farrier was identical with the vaccine.” *
SURFEIT.
The term surfeit is used to designate an eruptive affection of
the skin, which usually makes its appearance very suddenly.
There is nothing dangerous about it, and it sometimes disappears,
in the course of a few hours, without any medical treatment.. It
usually appears in warm weather, and especially among horses
that are in a state of plethora, from the use of a large quantity
of meal, or what is known as cut feed.
Symptoms.—A. horse may be taken out of the stable apparently
in perfect health, except that he is fat, and, after being driven a
* Generales de Medecine, April, 1857, pp. 865, 398, from the British and For-
eign Medical Chiurgical Review.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 287
short distance, he is brought back with his neck and sides covered
with blotches or elevations. On pressing them with the fingers
they crepitate, showing that they are gaseous elevations or disten-
sions, originating in the cellular tissue beneath the skin, from the
spontaneous generation of gas. The gas probably arises from fer-
mentation of the food, and instead of accumulating in the intes-
tines, finds its way to the surface of the body.
_ Treatment.—Dissolve two ounces of hyposulphite of soda in one
pint of warm water, and drench the animal with the same. Then
sponge the body with a portion of the following surfeit lotion:
ING, atta: ANGE, EMG NECK A db oouidoldd codoobdE 2 0%.
Avnimal Melivcerinelsy ereie\elers «/s'ete\ ail ole is(els «ENO:
Wiaterjerlserejerctclele efel lel ehnleial=iele\leje/els sere quant,
If taken in time, the affection will disappear in a few hours. The
patient should be kept on bran-mashes, well salted, for a few days ;
or a couple of weeks’ run at grass, if the season permits, will be
of great service.
DropstcaL Limes (SWELLED LEGs).
It is a very serious annoyance to the owner of a valuable horse
to find that, after the animal has been standing in the stable for
only a period of twelve hours, his hind limbs have wonderfully
increased in size; and equally mortifying is it to see some animals
with their limbs continually tumefied, and without any other ap-
parent sign of disease.
Dropsy of the limbs generally proceeds from congestion. The
serum, or more fluid part of the blood, transudes through the walls
of the blood-vessels, and accumulates in the cellular tissue, under
the skin. But dropsy takes place not only in consequence of
venous congestion, but accompanies very many forms of disease,
such as scarletina, influenza, farey; and the cure of such diseases
also accomplishes the cure of *dropsy.
Causes—The cause of that form of dropsical limbs which
seems to occur without any other visible disease is now the sub-
ject for consideration. When a horse’s limbs swell persistently,
after a few hours’ rest, and disappears under exercise, we may
infer that there exists a dropsical diathesis in his system ; that, by
virtue of his constitution, he is predisposed; and such cases are
designated as chronic local dropsy.
288 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Treatment.—The remedies are hand-rubbing, exercise, and stim-
ulating liniment. The best liniment for local dropsy of this char-
acter is as follows:
No. 35. Fluid extract of wormwood.......-. soe 4 07.
Fluid extract of ginger..... oe cess leleles 3 07.
Spirits of camphor. .iei. en s/o. siete sleiee) duping:
Rub the region of tumefaction with a portion of this liniment
every night.
When swelling of the limbs do not assume a periodical char-
acter, and suspicion of predisposition can not be entertained, then,
in addition to the application of the liniment, give the animal,
morning and evening, one ounce of the fluid extract of buchu.
ScARLATINA.
Scarlet fever, or scarletina, as it occurs among horses in the
United States, is a febrile disease of a very prostrating character ;
yet it is not considered by the author a contagious malady. It
has only lately, however, been recognized in this country as a dis-
tinct equine disease, and, being of rather rare occurrence, we know
but little about it. The cases that have come under the author’s
treatment were unattended by ulceration of the throat, and this
may account for the non-contagion; for, in the human subject,
when ulceration of the throat takes place, the case becomes ma-
lignant.
Watson says: “The malignant sore throat may be caught
from a patient who has mild scarlet fever; and mild scarlet fever
may, in like manner, be contracted from one who- is suffering
under the malignant sore throat. The two forms graduate insen-
sibly, in different cases, toward each other; and it would be im-
possible, even if it were desirable, to draw any strict line of
separation between them. Many would say, and probably with
truth, that the difference was this: in the one form, the poison of
the disorder is seeking its vent, principally, by the throat; in the
other, by the skin.” It appears, therefore, that in the human
subject the disease is capable of being communicated at any stage.
The cases that have come under the author’s notice since he first
recognized the malady have all been of a mild form; that is to
say, non-malignant. ‘The limbs, sheath, and pectoral regions were
excessively dropsical ; the skin was the seat of rash or minute ele-
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 289
vations, and scarlet spots or patches were always present on the
visible surfaces of the mouth and nostrils; yet the patients always
drank and ate mashes freely, which they could not have done so
readily had their throats been sore and ulcerated.
The author would intimate, however, that, should the disease
ever become malignant in the horse, it may also become, as in the
human subject, contagious and infectious. Perhaps the reason
why it has not attained a malignant type in this country is, be-
cause it is of recent origin; whereas, among the members of the
human family, scarlatina has been known to exist for several
hundred years, and may have acquired intensity and malignancy
with age. In anticipation of such an event, the author recom-
mends that scarlet-fever patients be separated from other inmates
of the stable.
The following case is from the author’s note-book, and may
serve to instruct the reader on the theory and practice of the
malady: A short time ago, a bay gelding, aged about nine years,
was admitted into the Chicago Infirmary. On examination, the
following symptoms were observed:
Symptoms.—The hair about the neck and fore and hind limbs
was elevated in blotches, with corresponding elevations on the
skin beneath; the membranes within the cavities of the nostrils
had scarlet spots, variable in size; all the limbs were more or less
swollen; the breath was hot and fetid; the animal was unsteady
in his gait, apparently very weak; had great thirst, yet little ap-
petite. The elevations on the surface of the body, and the scarlet
spots on the nasal membrane, constituted the diagnostic symptoms
of scarlet fever.
Treatment.—During the first three days, I drenched the animal
with three ounces of liquor acetate of ammonia, in an equal quan-
tity of cold water. The elevations on the surface of the body
were sponged once a day with a lotion composed of two ounces
of aqua ammonia and one quart of rain-water. A sloppy bran-
mash was occasionally furnished, of which the patient partook
freely. This tended to keep the bowels loose, and moderate the
febrile symptoms. On the fourth day all the limbs became very
much swollen, from dropsical effusions, which feature of the case
is very apt to present itself. I now changed the treatment—
omitted the lotion bathing, and gave, night and morning, two-
ounce doses of compound fluid extract of buchu and juniper ber-
19
290 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ries. A slight discharge of glairy mucus now commenced running
from both nostrils; the scarlet spots had become more diffused, and
of a brighter tint; the appetite had returned, and a few oats and
a small quantity of hay were occasionally allowed, which were
eaten. The limbs were hand-rubbed often, and the body was
clothed with warm blankets. This treatment was followed up for
a period of five days, at the end of which time he had improved
very much, yet the limbs were considerably swollen.
On the tenth day I commenced to give four ounces of fluid ex-
tract of resin-weed per day, with an occasional dose of fluid extract
of golden seal, under which treatment he convalesced very rapidly,
so that on the sixteenth day all medicine was discontinued. I now
turned the animal into a small inclosure, where he seemed to take
pleasure in rolling and exercising himself, which had the effect
of reducing the dropsical swelling of the limbs, and on the fourth
of December the patient was sent home—not exactly to go to work,
but to receive care and attention until he had recovered from the
effects of the disease, and had gained his ordinary strength.
It is very difficult to say to what extent scarlet fever among
horses prevails in the United States; for very little, if any thing,
has ever appeared in print of American origin, except that which
has appeared from the pen of the author of this work. On the
other side of the water, however, the disease is of frequent oc-
currence, and is well understood. The first account of it published
in England was from the pen of Mr. PERCIVALL, in the year 1843,
who says that “the existence of scarlet fever has received such
confirmation from other quarters as to leave no doubt in my mind
that, rare as the malady acknowledgedly is, and hitherto unde-
scribed as it has remained, it will one day find a place in our es-
tablished veterinary nosology.”
Since the above date, Surgeon Haycock and several other
writers have noticed the disease, treated it, and minutely described
its symptoms. They all agree that when the disease does make
its appearance, it is usually the sequel of epidemic catarrh, or in-
fluenza ; and this was probably the case regarding the patient the
subject of this paper, for the owner informed me that the animal
had previously shown symptoms of distemper.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 291
RINGWORM.
This disease usually makes its appearance on the shoulders and
sides of the horse, in the form of circular patches, attended by
scurfiness and loss of hair. Small vesicular eruptions can also be
detected, by means of a magnifying glass. It is usually sponta-
neous in its origin, but probably is generated by filth.
Treatment.—In view of treating the disease successfully, the
body should be well cleansed with soap and water, and afterward
rubbed dry; then apply daily, by means of a sponge, a portion of
the following:
No. 36. Powdered sulphate of iron............ 4 oz.
Fluid extract of bloodroot.........+++. 2 02.
Rain-water ..... Nolet oletoie) aieke/ shale cfaleretsys 1 quart.
Mix.
Give, as an alterative, half an ounce of the fluid extract of man-
drake, in half a pint of water, night and morning.
When the disease has been neglected, the parts are apt to ul-
cerate; in that event, the following preparation is recommended:
INO Rode yrOligneOuUs ACidssie. croke ale oispem ictal) sis 6 oz.
Pm seedy Oiliserrvorsttecoreiel etaiane = casei sel ere 5 OZ.
SMM GH! Gaioee s baGb ooo ob dooce ox 2 0%.
Mix.
Dress the ulcerations twice daily.
A liberal supply of cut grass, sliced potatoes, or carrots should
be allowed, if they can be obtained. Particular attention should
be paid to the matter of keeping the skin clean. The treatment
must be continued until all vestiges of the disease have disappeared,
or it may break out again.
PRURIGO.
This is a disease of the skin, accompanied by a terribly annoy-
ing itching sensation. The torment experienced by animals suf-
fering under this form of malady is scarcely describable. They
often rub and abrade the skin until blood appears on the surface,
and they are rendered perfectly miserable. There are said to be
various forms of prurigo, but they do not differ in kind, only in
degree. Heat aggravates the malady; therefore horses located in
a warm and unventilated stable are apt to suffer most. And the
292 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
same remarks apply to many other’ forms of disease, which shows
how important it is that stables should be properly ventilated.
Symptoms.—The skin in those parts where the affection is lo-
cated shows on its surface small elevations, known as papule ; but
they are difficult to discover in some horses, as they are of the same
tint as the skin. After awhile the rubbing tears away the summits
of the papule, and a secretion exudes which soon forms very minute
scabs.
During the past four years the disease has prevailed very exten-
sively among army horses, and it usually proved very obstinate,
from the fact that very few of the army farriers understood its
true nature; neither were they acquainted with the modus operandi
of treatment. The authorities contend that prurigo is not a con-
tagious affection, like itch and mange, and, therefore, it may be
classed as a local affection, brought on by inattention to cleanliness,
In order to prevent it, the author advises a free use of the brush
and curry-comb.
Treatment.—The best mode of treatment is as follows. Sponge
the affected parts thoroughly with the following lotion:
No. '38.) Powdered borax:< cies cc seis ielare eleioieiiere 4 oz.
Rain-water ..... BHBAS DUO ABS Bodo daddies 2 quarts.
After using the above quantity, at one or two dressings, then
rub the affected regions dry, and lubricate the same with a por-
tion of the following:
No. 39. Kerosene oil........ al acaltoe srattoucnete NANO
Pyroligneous acid.........6- a felcholereters 12 oz.
Mix.
It is usually good policy to put the patient under a course of
alterative treatment; therefore the author recommends that he
have, daily, thirty grains of iodide of potass, dissolved in four
ounces of water, to be given in the form of drench, every day, un-
til the disease has disappeared,
PoLuL-EVIL
The name of this disease originated in England, in consequence
of it being more prevalent in that country than in some others ;
hence, was a great evil, and occurring about the nape of the neck
or region of the poll, it was called “ poll-evil””’ Much of the poll-
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 293
evil occurring in former years was unnecessary, and occurred in
consequence of neglect, injuries,"and abuse. The disease first
makes its appearance in the form of a local tumor, of an inflam-
matory character. Soon it runs into the suppurative stage; pus
or matter is secreted, and we then have a common abscess, which
may result in fistula of the poll.
Causes—The disease may arise from blows and bruises. Horses
when located in low-roofed stables are apt to strike the poll against
the ceiling, or a beam, or the upper part of the doorway, and fre-
quent repetition of the act either ends in induration (hardening)
or poll-abscess. Some grooms are in the habit of occasionally
jerking the animal’s head by means of the halter, and some horses
are very restless in the stall, and are often seen to jerk their heads
upward, forgetting that they have any halter around their necks,
until they feel the pain which they themselves inflicted. The in-
jury, slight as it may be, often remains undiscovered or unattended
to until considerable tumefaction or even suppuration has set in.
The case may then become protracted, and exhaust the patience
of all concerned. Excessive friction on the nape of the neck from
bridle or halter, or pressure from either one of these causes, pro-
duces poll-evil; and the halter, by being fastened too tightly, is a
fertile cause in producing this affection. Dirt and filth are oper-
ative, also, in producing this malady. It is well known that the
poll is a part which very seldom makes the acquaintance of the
brush or curry-comb, yet it is the locality of considerable dust and
scurf; and sometimes, owing to accumulations of the same, a cu-
taneous eruption arises, and the itching sensation consequent causes
the horse to fret and rub whenever he can get achance. The evil
goes on, until what was at first superficial now becomes deep-
seated. The bungling and cruel manner of sometimes forcing a
small collar on a large horse often does mischief, and lays the
foundation for poll-evil. Some persons are in the habit of bracing
the horse’s head downward with the martingale, so as to bring the
lips and chest in close proximity, yet forget that the strain comes
on the poll and bruises the soft parts.
Treatment.—Should the tumor be discovered in its early stage,
before matter has formed, the parts should be bathed often with a
portion of vinegar and water, equal parts; or else a cold-water
dressing or pad may be applied, which should be reapplied as fast
as it becomes dry. Half an ounce of powdered chlorate of potass
294 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
should be given night and morning. This may be dissolved in
half a bucket of water, which the horse will drink. In the course
of a couple of days, the practitioner will be able to determine
whether or not the tumor is likely to suppurate; if so, it will
have increased in size, and have a soft fluctuating feel.
Just as soon as matter can be detected, the abscess must be
punctured at its base, by means of a thumb lancet. It will not
do to allow the matter to accumulate ; for, if so, it will burrow
and spread in yarious directions, making a very extensive and for-
midable abscess. It would be necessary to make a free opening
into the abscess large enough to admit a man’s finger, and if, in
the course of a day or two, the opening should partly close or con-
tract, it must be dilated with a knife. So soon as the abscess is
laid open, all the matter must be squeezed out, which process must
be accomplished by the use of sponge and hot water. We then,
in view of removing every particle of matter, carefully inject the
cavity with a quantity of pyroligneous acid and water, equal parts.
A glass syringe is best, as the acid has a bad effect on a metal one.
It will be necessary to sponge the cavity once daily for several
days, or until matter ceases to form. In the mean time the ani-
mal must be put under treatment, for it is very rare that this dis-
ease can be cured by local treatment alone. My usual custom is
to give. the patient thirty grains of the iodide of potass, twice
daily, in half a bucket of water. The animal will not refuse to
drink it. Should he be weak and emaciated, tonics and «stimu-
lants are indicated. Half an ounce of powdered golden seal and
the same quantity of ginger, given with a small quantity of water,
as a drench, daily, will answer the purpose. Sometimes it is ad-
visable to put a pad of cotton cloth, or a large wad of oakum on
the poll, in view of keeping the skin and sub-tissues in contact, by
which means they more readily unite. The pad may be secured
to the part by passing a cotton roller, five inches wide and three
yards in length, around the neck. At the poll the bandage is to
be further secured, by tying a lock of the hair of the forehead with
a lock of the hair of the mane. This precaution prevents the
bandage from slipping backward. The bandage should be re-
moved and readjusted every day, and the parts are to be cleansed
and syringed, in the manner just alluded to, as long as necessary.
After the lapse of a few days, should the secretion of matter de-
crease, then the chances are in favor of a cure.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 295
Cases, however, will sometimes occur which set at defiance all
our skill. In such we find that either the ligamentary, tendinous,
or fleshy parts, or perhaps the bones, are involved, and it often
happens that fistulas or pipes run in various directions. Such
cases require the services of a surgeon, who will dissect out the
fistulous pipes, and remove all the diseased portions of the flesh
and bone. The after-treatment is then the same as we have just
indicated.
Fistutous WITHERS.
This disease resembles poll-evil, and, in a majority of cases,
owes its origin to the same exciting causes; namely, external
bruises, or injury inflicted by a bad-fitting collar or saddle. The
treatment is the same as that recommended for the cure of poll-
evil.
WARTS ON THE SKIN.
Warts are of two kinds. One of these makes its appearance
upon, and consists in part of an increased development of, the
outer scurf or scarfskin; the other kind is contained under, and,
while it elevates, does not grow from the scarfskin. As it fre-
quently becomes desirable to remove these growths, and to coun-
teract that condition of skin on which their reproduction depends,
we shall briefly describe them. The most common kind of wart,
and that called the true angleberry, is the first of the two to which
we have alluded. It has always a hard, horny sort of investment
externally. This is formed of scales of scarfskin matted together
in great quantities, and prolonged from the true skin, to which
they are attached. As this outer covering increases in growth, it
dries and splits up into shreds or fibers, which generally become
more or less pointed at their free ends. Many of these shreds
may grow from one common stock or pedicle, called the “ neck.”
In other cases there is no well-defined neck, and a large surface
will be covered with a coarse, rough, and horny crop of warts, all,
as it were, united where they originated from the skin.
Cause.—Warts are always produced from what may be consid-
ered as greatly-developed knots, or papille, within the true skin.
Blood, in greater quantities than natural, is sent to these, and the
papille continuing to grow, forms perceptible tumors, which are
somewhat sensitive, painful if exposed to friction, and form or
296 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
throw off the scaly covering which eventually forms the main part
of warts. We see many instances of warts on the human hands
and other parts of the body, and always find that the dry, horny
part grows from the skin somewhat thickened and increased in
vascularity. So great, indeed, is the quantity of blood which
’ some warts receive, that they bleed much more profusely than
other portions of skin when wounded.
The other kind of wart to which we alluded does not cause any
external roughness or scaly appearance. It is formed within the
outer skin, and commonly appears as a circumscribed round tu-
mor. On being examined by the hand, it is felt to be contained
in a sack or pouch, within which it is easily moveable. It is
almost insensible, and consists of a quantity of white fibrous and
sometimes grisly substance, which does not possess blood-vessels
in its interior. We often meet with this kind of encysted wart
near sthe outer organs of generation in the horse or mare. The
horny wart which we first noticed is common in horses, cattle,
and dogs. The encysted wart is comparatively rare in cattle; it
is more common in dogs, but is most frequently found in horses.
Treatment.—In treating warts with a view to remove them, and
prevent their reproduction, it becomes necessary to destroy, in a
measure, the surface from which they sprout. When an angle-
berry has-a “neck,” this should be cut off flat and close with the
skin, and the raw surface thus made should be touched occasion-
ally and freely with caustic or a heated iron. If the neck be so
jarge as to endanger much bleeding if divided at once, a ligature
of thin, strong string may be tied round it very tightly, in order
to cut off its supply of blood. The ligature should be applied
frequently—daily, if convenient. Where a large surface is cov-
ered by warts which do not possess any definite necks, their horny
parts should be cropped or cut closely down to the true skin, with
scissors or other convenient instrument, and the surface thus ex-
posed should then be touched with a hot iron, or rubbed with
caustic potass. Such application is to be continued till the horn
ceases to grow. Encysted warts are removed by cutting the skin
of the sack and squeezing them out. The exposed cavity should
be dressed daily with digestive ointment.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES, 297
PurRPuRA HEMORRHAGICA.
A disease not unfrequently makes its appearance among horses
termed purpura hemorrhagica, known in human practice as the
“urples.” It consists of congestion (extravasation) blood of and
effusion of serum (water) into the cellular tissue. The disease
probably owes its origin to a depraved condition of the blood.
Symptoms.—On making an examination of the affected animal,
we find that the cellular tissue, in various parts of. the body, is
distended with serum and blood. Local swelling will appear in
various parts of the body, more particularly about the face, lips,
and limbs. The disease also affects internal parts. Blood is
sometimes passed with the urine and feces; respiration is embar-
rassed ; the heart palpitates, and abnormal cerebral symptoms set
in. In the human subject the disease is considered strictly as a
hemorrhage. Small round spots appear on various parts of the
body and legs, of a dull crimson or purple color. Pressure upon
them does not efface the color, nor render it fainter, as it does that —
of common inflammatory spots of the skin. There is scarcely any
prominence of the purple stigmata; but they are sometimes inter-
mixed with livid blotches, with appearances exactly resembling
bruises, and they undergo, before they disappear, the same changes
in color which attends the disappearance of a bruise. In fact, the
anatomical condition of a bruise is exactly the same, with the dif-
fused condition as in purpura. In each case the color is the result
of echymosis (effusion of blood beneath the skin).
In the human subject, also, the disease is not confined to the
skin. WATSON informs us that “the spots are not confined to the
skin, nor to the subcutaneous tissues, but are found, occasionally,
upon all the internal surfaces also, and within the substance of
the several viscera (internal organs of the body). I have seen
these purple spots in the mucous surface of the mouth, throat,
stomach, and intestines; in the pleura and pericardium; in the
chest ; in the peritoneal investment of the abdominal organs; in
the substance of the muscles, and even upon the membranes of
the brain and in the sheaths of the large nerves, and I have known
them to be accompanied with large extravasations of blood in most
of the vital organs of the body.”
The same appearances have been observed in equine autopsies,
which accounts for the immobility and deranged condition of all
298 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the functions. Sometimes the throat is so badly affected that
tracheotomy has to be resorted to. Now and then the tongue be-
comes livid and swollen, so that the animal can not partake of
food. In such cases the tongue may be freely swabbed with warm
vinegar, until its volume is reduced.
Treatment.—So soon as the disease is discovered, the animal
should be put under the following treatment :
No. 40. Fluid extract of bloodroots:.. 2.0.6.0. emu.
ga lurdvex tract’ of buch... acess este eae OZS
Hluid) extract of oineers 6) ..0:.e sic wicisterate 3 0%.
Mix.
Give one ounce of this mixture night and morning, in about a )
gill of water. Should there appear to be any trouble with the
throat, lubricate it, twice daily, with a portion of the following:
INO. 41. Oliveoibsc. oss Sie Whebe ettialaletan tle. sheperetets 4 o7.
Camphor......- o eels cielo wie aie exe ahs gece dl Or,
Mix.
In preparing the above, it is best to pulverize the camphor,
when it will dissolve more readily in the oil. A lotion must now
be prepared, with which the whole surface of the body should be
sponged daily.
No. 42. Spirits of ammonia..... o elolelale cele els sues SOs
Spixits! of jeamplion).isics 9 elelele clover cicies 2 02.
Pulverizedinockisaltiso test -ccle clit ere 6 oz.
Rain-water.. 22... ..'.. Hecblooads 5 bi.G00 2 pints
Dissolve the salt in the water, allowing the impurities to settle ;
then add the clear liquor to the camphor and ammonia, previously
mixed.
It occasionally happens that the skin, in various parts of the
body, cracks, and portions slough off. Should there be any appear-
ance of the kind, discontinue the above lotion and substitute the
following :
No}48. Pyroligneous acid. /../62. vs Selene
Bliveloil: acts 4). caus coe eee \ equal aa
Every time the patient is watered, (say about three times per
day,) half an ounce of hyposulphite of soda should be dissolved
in the pail. Vegetables, also, are indicated, if they are to be had.
I should give tomatoes, sliced carrots, potatoes, and green grass.
Bleeding, purging, and all kinds of poisonous and sedative medi-
cines are inadmissible.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 299
, Out oF ConpITION (HIDE-BOUND).
Either from derangement of the digestive function, or in con-
sequence of the animal being fed on poor provender or worked
beyond his strength, debility and emaciation ensue. A horse out
of condition usually loses flesh; the hair loses its glossy appear-
ance; the skin becomes unhealthy and scurfy, and he can not per-
form his ordinary labor without apparent fatigue.
Treatment.—The best remedy, if the season permits, is a run at
grass, taking care to give a good feed of oats every night ; other-
wise the grass will not improve his condition. In the stable the
treatment is as follows: Give the animal one ounce of the fluid
extract of camomile flowers every morning, before feeding, and
at night mix one ounce of powdered poplar bark with the oats.
This, together with good food and rest, will complete the cure.
HERPES.
Herpes is a disease of the skin, manifesting itself in the form
of vesicles, which contain a small quantity of aqueous fluid effused
beneath the true skin. Sometimes they are thinly scattered over
the surface, and sometimes collected into clusters. The vesicles
appear in irregular succession. ‘They terminate, also, In various
ways: by the reabsorption of the fluid, and, in bad cases, falling
off of the hair, and peeling of the skin, in some places. In the
human subject the malady is considered transient and non-con-
tagious, consisting of red patches, of irregular form and variable
size, upon each of which stands a crop of vesicles.
Treatment.—\ have been very successful in the treatment of this
malady by using the following lotion:
No. 44. Glycerine........... S60 oe Sodostodd 2 oz.
MVATINIUTIS Ss ate Mate Weveh ee ce eT ere aVariel Me arate 2 dr.
aime water. eel cre lexee rere eed ochalictsl Gyeteneges 4 oz
Apply once or twice daily, by means of a soft sponge.
Tn the horse the affection sometimes assumes an epizootic form.
In that event it can be communicated to man, as the following
cases will show:
“ At the commencement of 1849, Count Faverges invited Pro-
fessor Papa to the valley of Borne, in Savoy, to see a disease
affecting animals, and which even spread to men. Every facility
300 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
was offered by Government to Professor Papa, and many persons
having affected animals were requested to permit their inspection,
and, indeed, threatened with a fine if they did not. Papa saw
about three hundred horses and mules affected. The disease ap-
peared in circular patches of furfuraceous scales, with grayish-
white scabs. These patches had usually well-defined margins,
about the size of a dollar or five-shilling piece. Usually they
were isolated, but at other times they were confluent, or running
together in groups. The head, neck, withers, shoulders, and loins
were the parts chiefly affected. More rarely the upper portion of
the extremities, and never on the lower part of the limbs, chest,
or belly. The malady commences with a violent itching, and an
eruption in small circumscribed points, about the size of a lentil,
is witnessed. The scabs form, with the exudation drying and
entangling cuticle and hairs. In the vicinity of the first, other
eruptive spots appeared, which, widening, became confluent and
run into one another, especially where the skin is folded and ani-
mals have a chance of rubbing themselves. A scab forms on the
sore surface, and the surface beneath it is red and tumefied, but in
a little time desquamation occurs. A very careful microscopical
examination failed to indicate the existence of any acari.
The disease is contagious, and Papa says all those who come
more or less in contact with herpetic horses or mules, and espe-
cially the conductors of the same, were covered on the arms, legs,
chest, and face with pruriginous eruptions, limited and circum-
scribed, sometimes isolated, occasionally confluent, in the form
of red patches covered with papule and vesicles, which become
incrusted with brownish-yellow scabs, beneath which purulent
deposits formed. In consequence of the violent pruritis‘attending
this disease, it was believed to be scabies or itch by the people,
and, though in many houses individuals were affected, they were
ashamed to confess it, and it was with great difficulty that Papa
collected information on the subject ; but, having gained confidence
on the latter, the people more freely related their cases to him.
The first to be affected were those intrusted with dressing the dis-
eased animals. ‘The parts first attacked were the articular regions,
about the forearm, arm, face, and rarely the lower limbs.
Papa describes one of many cases of direct contagion. It oc-
curred in a lad of sixteen, who had jumped on the bare back of an
affected horse, to take it to a watering-place. Two days afterward,
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 301
on the inside of the thighs and legs, from the pubis to the calf of
the leg, there was extreme pruritis. The skin became of reddish-
brown color, and vesicles, full of yellowish lymph, formed, which
gave way to vesicular patches or scabs, rough to the touch, first
isolated, and afterward confluent.
The transmission occurred from horse to horse, horse to man,
and from man to man; in fact, persons who never touched an af-
fected horse were infected from individuals they came in contact
with. A soldier, having arrived in perfect health from his regi-
ment, slept with his brother, who suffered from the disease, and
became affected. The wives of carters not only took the disease,
but communicated it to their sucking infants.
Papa visited the district at a season when the fetid hellebore was
growing abundantly. He caused some to be gathered, and obtained
decoctions of the roots. With this he mixed equal parts of water,
and distributed the lotion in different parts, to be applied to men
and animals that were affected. Without any internal treatment,
this application had the best effect. He tried tobacco decoction,
but not with a similar amount of success. Papa regards the dis-
ease as the herpes tonsurans, which has been spoken of by many
veterinarians as common in the live animals,” *
.
* Edinburg Veterinary Review.
SECTION XI.
ON BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE, SAME
BREEDING—THE PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING—IN-AND-IN BREEDING—-PERMANENT
VARIETIES—ANIMALS BECOME PARENTS TOO EARLY—OBJECTIONS TO IN-AND-
IN BREEDING ANSWERED—THE ADVANTAGE OF IN-AND-IN BREEDING—THE
ImporTANCE OF Stupying ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
BREEDING.
HE choice of a sire and dam is a point of the utmost conse-
quence in breeding horses (or indeed any other animal), as
the offspring will be found, in almost every instance, to inherit
the qualities of its parents. Peculiarity of form and constitution
is inherent, and descends from generation to generation; hence
the necessary attention to those niceties which breeders are often
apt to forget. Nor is it sufficient that one of the parents be good
and the other indifferent; for the perfection of the sire may be
lost through the deficiencies of the mare, and vice versé.
In the selection of a stallion many things should be observed,
There should be general uniformity and compactness in every
part. The height should depend on the occupation the foal is
destined to fill. The legs should be particularly examined, and
disease should pervade no part of the system. Fat, heavy horses,
with thick legs, and coarse, unseemly heads, should always be
avoided. Horses should be free from specks on the eye—partial
or total blindness. Temper is an essential point, for vice is some-
times hereditary. Stallions that cover too many mares in a sea-
son, in the latter period produce weak offspring.
As regards the mare, it is well known that the dam contributes
more to the integrity of the offspring than the sire. It is essential
that she be in full possession of her natural strength and powers.
The vigor of the constitution determines much in favor of the
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BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME. 303
foal. It is a great error to suppose that a mare that has once
been good, and capable of great exertion, should, when old, and
no longer fitted for work, produce offspring equally efficient as
when in her prime. The foal will certainly inherit some of the
weakness of the present nature and broken-down constitution,
Mares should never be put to the stallion until they have arrived
at maturity, which takes place about the fifth year. Mares are
bred from earlier, but it is a bad practice, for strength and beauty
are absent; and thus not only is the dam rendered inefficient
sooner than in one that is allowed to come to maturity, but the
foal can never be expected to be either healthy or strong in con-
stitution. The period of going with foal is eleven months. After
the sixth month, great care and gentleness should be exercised to-
ward them. Moderate exercise is essential. Hard work in har-
ness, over bad roads, is likely to produce abortion, and mares that
have once aborted are very liable Gif the same causes are in ope-
ration) to a recurrence of the same.
The proper time for copulation is when there is a discharge of
a whitish fluid from the vagina. She neighs frequently, and ex-
hibits great desire for the horse. When she has conceived she
shows no further desire, and the discharge from the vagina stops,
Some writers recommend that the mare be put to the stallion early
after foaling. This is bad policy, for the simple reason that the
dam, if she become impregnated, has to nourish both the foal and
the embryo. This is excessively weakening, and tells on either
dam, foetus, or foal.
Disproportionate copulations are also objectionable, as, for ex-
ample, putting a large horse to a small mare. When improve-
ment in size is the object, it should be attempted by regular
gradations. This is the best method of securing size and beauty,
as well as strength. The best mode of preserving the breed and
making improvements is, to make selections of the best on both
sides. Much judgment and circumspection is necessary, at all
times, in crossing the breed, and many errors arise in consequence
of a want of knowledge on this subject.
When the period of foaling draws nigh, the mare should be
separated from her companions. Having foaled, she should be
turned into a pasture, if possible; otherwise, into a loose box
inclosure, or empty barn. The foal may be weaned at the age
of six months, more or less, as circumstances seem to require. A
304 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
weak foal should run with its mother for a longer period than
one that shows signs of vigorous health. Should the foal die at
the period of parturition, humanity would seem to suggest that
the mare be excused from duty for a week or two, by which time
she will have recovered from the effects of parturition.
THE PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING.
It is a law of Nature that peculiarities of form, size, color, etc.,
shall be transmitted by parents to offspring, (“like begets like,”)
although, under certain circumstances, a modification of this law
is to be expected. If, for example, we liberate an animal from
domestication and its influences, which are known to operate very
markedly on animal organizations and habits, the creature thus lib-
erated loses its acquirements, and, in successive generations, grad-
ually returns to the original type. This is a modification of the
above law, and, supposing our pecuniary interests are the object of
the experiment, it will be an improvement in the wrong direction.
On the other hand, take a wild animal; bring him under the
influences‘of domestication, and he gradually loses all his distinc-
tive characteristics of size, form, and instinct, and, in popular
language, becomes a new creature, improved or not, as the case
may be, under the direction of his lord and master; so that the
inferior orders of creation are really the creatures of circumstances.
These changes are the result of man’s experience or non-expe-
rience. These are general propositions which “ precede beauty
and symmetry.”
Beauty and Symmetry.—If we examine into the methods pur-
sued by some of the most successful raisers of live stock, we shall
see that they paid particular attention to the selection of well-
formed, beautiful animals, They very naturally supposed that ex-
ternal conformation was transmissible; that if they happened to
obtain a good calf or foal from inferior, diseased, or malformed
parents, it was purely accidental, and out of the ordinary course
of Nature. In selecting beautiful animals, they naturally excluded
those of narrow chest, which peculiarity is indicative of predispo-
sition to pulmonary affections and founder (the latter term signi-
fying a worthless or ruined condition, which, in the eye of the
law, renders them actually unsound), because they have that about
them which may impair their future usefulness. Hence, for more
BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME. 305
reasons than one, such are unfit for breeding purposes, unless,
however, the morbid phenomena be neutralized by blood, in one
of the parents, of a superior order, free from taint, as it appears in
the other.
In my adventures in search of the beautiful, I should pass by
all animals having any peculiarity of conformation, general or
local, which experience teaches me are sure to reappear, either
directly or indirectly, in future progeny. This appears to be the
proper course to pursue; yet many, otherwise intelligent men will
invest their money in the purchase of defective animals, merely
because they can be bought cheap, when every body knows, or
ought to know, that cheap animals, like cheap watches, cost more,
in the end, for repairs, ete., than a commodity of more real value.
The same rule applies to horses. Some men, if they happen to
be in possession of a broken-down mare, unable, from faults, de-
fects, old age, and disease, to perform ordinary horse duties, com-
mence a speculation in a different enterprise. The reproductive
organs must be exercised. Just at this time some cent-and-dollar
calculating jockey advertises and exhibits a well-fed, prancing steed,
bearing a popular name; but his whole carcass is redolent of faults
and defects, which the owner is not expected to know any thing
about, and if he does, it is not for his interest to point them out.
The price of copulation is dirt cheap, and the foolish speculator
expects to obtain a smart colt, that will eventually command a
high price. But, alas for such milk-and-water calculations! the
expected specimen of equine animality inherits and exhibits its
parental infirmities and deformities, and ultimately becomes a
living monument of the folly of its owner.
There is no beauty in the faults and defects which must neces-
sarily occur through the sexual congress of faulty and defective
animals; neither can there be grace in the motions of an overfed
or ill-conditioned animal. Beauty, symmetry, grace, and sound-
ness are defunct in the ill-conditioned creature, or otherwise de-
fective one—a mere apology for the handiwork of Nature. The
muscular system of a horse or cow may, in some regions of the
body, be well-developed; but should their limbs be unnaturally
curved, or any part of their system be out of proportion to the
other parts of the body, then beauty has never seated itself on
their thrones. Yet we can improve the appearance of such ani-
mals by artificial means and costly adornments. This artificial
20
306 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
kind of beauty is what most men seek after, and, at a high price,
to their sorrow, obtain it; whereas the real beauty of form and
endowments, which practical husbandmen really require, must
originate unartificially in the living citadel—must be the work
of Nature and not of art.
It is a fact, well known to many men, that animals of faultless
form, having symmetrical proportions, are exempt from many
diseases which are the heritage of faulty and inferior animals, and
insurance companies take advantage of this knowledge, and insure
the former at less rates than the latter. As an illustration of the
above, I may be permitted to remark that the “ Arabian Courser,”
English “blood horse,” American “ Black Hawk,” and pure
“ Devon” cow—all remarkable for good points, beauty, and en-
durance—are exempt from many of the common and unnecessary
diseases and abortions. Beauty and symmetrical proportions con-
tribute to health, because there is a certain degree of relationship
between external and internal organs and functions. For exam-
ple, a fine exterior, good depth of chest, well-proportioned muscles,
and graceful limbs are generally coéxistent with good “ wind and
bottom,” and the subjects, of course, possess active respiratory
organs, a finely-balanced circulation, and a digestive apparatus
that can digest every article in the shape of fodder. In selecting
the beautiful, we therefore obtain material for perpetuating health,
long life, and valuable offspring.
One of BLAKEWELL’s great secrets was, ‘‘ Breed from the beau-
tiful.’ I allude to him because he was the most successful
. “breeder” that England ever boasted of. At the onset he paid
great attention to “beauty of form.” Having developed a fine
exterior, he engrafted on it the useful. He was well aware that
beauty and utility were not always combined, but, being in pos-
session of the former, he could produce the latter to “ order ;” and
he accomplished his object in the following manner. He required
cows that would yield a large quantity of milk; consequently he
selected those whose dams had long been celebrated for their ex-
cellent milking qualities, and from among such he chose the very
best female of the family, and united her with a beautiful male.
Having, in the production of offspring through the above union,
accomplished his object, he then paid less attention to beauty, and
. more to the milking qualities, so as to render the latter permanent
in the breed. Still, in all his experiments he rejected uncouth,
BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME. 307
unthrifty, and defective animals, I am aware, however, that the
evils of domestication are operative, to a certain extent, on all
animals. Still, I contend that the “ well-bred ” animal can resist
the insidious encroachments of disease, and survive longer under
its depressing influence than “ill-favored” creatures. Illustra-
tions are not wanting to prove the correctness of BLAKEWELL’S
theory; therefore, I advise the reader to follow the example’ of
one who has been styled the “ Napoleon of breeders.”
IN-AND-IN BREEDING.
We now inquire, What is breeding in-and-in? I answer, It
implies consanguinity—breeding from animals of the same blood,
or propagating in a close degree of relationship. Some persons
have an idea that this system is pernicious, and leads to degen-
eracy and premature decay; but that is a matter of argument, and,
as I shall attempt to prove, depends on the skill of the “ breeder,”
and his ability to make wise selections. The human race—the
sons and daughters of Adam and Eve—afford a stupendous illus-
tration of the practicability of in-and-in breeding. The millions_
terrestrial all originated (so the Good Book informs us) from our
common parents, and, consequently, we are all “blood” relations ;
and this fact goes to show that in-and-in breeding is in accord-
ance with the laws of physiology, and does not conflict with the
intentions of “Him who doeth all things well.” It is a part of
the great scheme of creation, a physiological law, the problem of
life, to solve which God has endowed us with reason, ‘ God-like
reason,” the exercise of which puts us in possession of the fruit
of the “tree of knowledge.” The non-exercise of the same fur
nishes us with forbidden fruit.
Ill-assorted marriages—consumption mating with consumption,
and scrofula with scrofula—seeks at the altar an introduction to
an early grave. The same is true of animals. Bad selections
thwart the intentions of the Creator, mar his handiwork, and if a
friendly epizodtic sweeps them from the face of the earth, it is
more of a blessing than a curse. From the great human family
I select a branch to illustrate this principle, and I choose to refer
to the Jews. So long as they are so in faith and practice—mar-
rying their own kindred—they are a living illustration of the
above principle. Have they degenerated? No. The distinctive
3808 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
characteristics of the race are just as remarkable as they ever
were. The vicious and defective find an early grave, but the
“race” remains pure.
Now, as regards horses and cows, the same is true; they all had
a common origin. The different varieties that now exist are the
work of time, circumstances, and the art of man. The famous
horses mentioned by Mahomet, in the “ Koran,” resulted from
in-and-in breeding. They have existed and multiplied for three
thousand years without the slightest intermixture of foreign blood,
and, from the time of Solomon up to the present day, their pedi-
gree has been watched and chronicled with great care, so that no
doubt exists as regards their consanguinity. Their fine form,
splendid action, endurance, spirit, speed, and docility can only be
retained by preserving the race pure, and this is an argument in
favor of in-and-in breeding.
No breed can be preserved pure unless the in-and-in system be
pursued. Take the Suffolk pig, forexample. So long as we put
Suffolk to Suffolk we get “ pure” Suffolk, and, if proper selections
have been made, good Suffolks are the result; but deviate from
direct lineage, and the breed degenerates, for better or worse, as
the case may be, and they lose their permanency of type, and cease
to become pure bloods.
‘From the brave descend the brave.
The Suffolks in this country are notorious for a cutaneous disease
simulating scrofula, and many suppose that this arises in conse-
quence of the in-and-in system of breeding; but this I think is
an error. It results from the evils of domestication, and our
want of knowledge in making proper selections. There often is
one or more animals in a litter incapacitated, by fault, defect, or
debility, to perpetuate the stamina and remarkable points of the
breed; these are to be rejected. If we fail to do so, the next gen-
eration, or the next to that, furnish more convincing proof of error,
which I contend exists in making “bad” selections, and not in
the above system.
Turn for a moment to the history of the French Merino, and
we shall find that Vicror GILBERT—a name familiar to Ameri-
ca’s most successful sheep raisers—practiced no other than the in-
and-in system of breeding. A lot of Merinos were sent, in 1786,
by the Queen of Spain, to the King of France. The latter, in
BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME. 309
order to benefit the agricultural community, sent half of them to
Rambouillet, and the other half to Croissy. The climate hap-
pened to suit them, and they were considered superior to the ex-
isting breeds in France. In the year 1800, Vicror GILBERT
bought at Croissy a four year old ram and eight ewes. He bred
from those animals during a period of ten years, occasionally, how-
ever, “ renewing the stock,” as he termed it, by purchasing annu-
ally from two to four sheep. In 1821 he purchased some of the
Rambouillet stock, and asserts that, “ from a union of the same,
he obtained great advantages.” Now, the reader will perceive
that there was an alliance of blood. The two flocks were of the
same lineal descent, belonged to the same “ family,” and of course
the system of breeding was on the in-and-in principle.
Now, as regards French Merinos obtained from the above
source, and imported into this country, we have only to refer the
reader to Tarntor, of Hartford; DrEForrest, of New York;
SAnForD, of Vermont; PARKER and Howarp, of Ohio, and
many others, who are ready and willing, we presume, to testify as
regards the prosperity of the above breed in this country, the result
of in-and-in breeding. S. W. JEWETT, of Vermont, has pur-
chased, up to the present time, over three hundred bucks and
ewes, the offspring of the Croissy and Rambouillet breed, and this
is proof positive of the correctness of our theory.
Now, as regards the advantages of in-and-in breeding, what are
_ they? When Vicror GILBERT purchased the first ram, he car-
ried but 9 pounds of wool ; he finally realized 24 pounds from the
rams, and from the ewes 18 pounds, a tangible illustration of the
advantages. A very fine French Merino, originating from the
above source, was very recently exhibited at a sheep-shearing in
Wisconsin ; the animal weighed 325 pounds, and carried 40 pounds
of wool. Now, the originals, as I have already shown, carried
but 9 pounds; so that the standard, as regards a particular quality,
has been raised, and that is what we understand by “ improve-
ment.”
Mr. V. BARForD, of England, has demonstrated the propriety
of in-and-in breeding. He is a man, however, of superior judg-
ment, and he culls and casts out from his flocks and herds all ani-
mals showing the least predisposition to any defect. A writer in
the “ Mark Lane Express ” considers Mr. VALENTINE BARFORD
“one of the most successful in-and-in breeders of sheep in the king-
310 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
dom; for he has bred from the pure Blakewell blood for sixty-
five years, without the aid of any other sort or kind, and bred
from his own flock for upward of fifty years, maintaining size,
weight, and constitution. I have known Mr. Barford’s flock for
upward of half a century, and, they appear as strong in their
stamina as when I first saw them. Mr. Barford does not use a
ram unless he has a wide loin, a large breast and collar, and very
wide between the forelegs, all of which points denote a hale con-
stitution. Although in-and-in breeding has beat thousands to a
stand, Mr. Barford still shines in it.”
Therefore I contend that great advantages are derived from pre-
serving the breed pure and in making proper selections. I have
been very much pleased in perusing some remarks made by SAn-
FORD Howarbp, and published in the “ New England Farmer ;”
and, as they happen to have a direct bearing on our subject, I
here give them: ;
“ What is breeding in-and-in? While some apply the term
only to animals distantly related, he conceived the only true idea
of the matter to be that it applied to creatures of the same blood.
The consequences of breeding in-and-in, he believed, might be
either good or bad, and depended wholly on the skill of the
breeder. As proof that breeding in-and-in was not contrary to
Nature, he referred to birds, the buffalo, etc., in a wild state.. It
is known that they breed in-and-in constantly, and yet no deterio-
ration takes place. He had known geese to be propagated in this
way for forty years, and not the slightest depreciation in size,
quality, or feather was visible in them. Still cases could be cited
where breeding in-and-in had produced bad results, yet these
might be attributed to imperfections in the parent stock. It is
only necessary to select perfect specimens.”
Having now attempted to show that in-and-in breeding is in
accordance with Nature, and that the birth of inferior and defect-
ive animals, under this rule, resulted from the breeder’s ignorance
or neglect in making proper selections, I shall next introduce some
remarks of a general character.
Permanent Varieties—In-and-in breeding should be practiced
in view of some specific object; namely, perpetuating species capa-
ble of constantly and permanently transmitting characteristic pecu-
liarities, such as may be observed in any particular permanent
variety. As an illustration of the same, we offer the French
%
BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME. 311
Merino sheep, Black Hawk horse, and Devon bull. These are
permanent varieties, the type of each having been established by
a long course of in-and-in breeding. We are told, however, that
many of the imported French Merinos (so called) have produced
offspring scarcely worth the trouble of raising—far inferior to our
common native stock. The principal reason is, many sub-races
of Merinos, existing in France and elsewhere, are the result of
cross-breeding. They are nothing less than mongrels, destitute
of that permanency of type indicative of pure blood. But there
are other causes for the deterioration complained of, which will be
noticed hereafter.
By preserving the race pure through a certain period, we thus
obtain the requisite permanency of type, which can then be trans-
mitted indefinitely. Let us see, now, if we understand what is
meant by a permanent variety, and inquire if such do really trans- .
mit their permanent peculiarities. A permanent variety (Black
Hawk breed, or Devon cow, for example), are animals whose pe-
culiarities were not coeval with the tribe, but have arisen, or been
engrafted on the same, subsequent to the advent of their existence ;
and, therefore, what some may term distinct species are, in reality,
nothing more than permanent varieties. The Shetland pony,
therefore, is a permanent variety. Circumstances have made him
just what he is. He, being an inhabitant of a stormy, tempestu-
ous region, comparatively destitute of shelter and artificial food, is
left, in many instances, like the cattle of Norway, (whose diminu-
tive size is notorious,) to seek such food as the county affords ; and,
owing to their being secluded from other horses, frequent inter-
course among themselves have rendered their small and peculiar
forms permanent in the race; and, with unerring precision, “like
begets like.”
The permanent varieties that now exist among the cattle of the
British Isles is due to local circumstances and the art of man.
Most of the fine breeds now owned by English husbandmen are
named after the location in which they are said to originate.
These are permanent varieties, yet the most of them (in fact all,
except importations) are descendants of the “Wild or White
Forest breed.” Hence the Highland breed, dispersed over the
mountains of North Britain; the Alderney, of the Norman Isles;
and the Devon, from the Bristol Channel, etc., are all permanent
varieties, originally of the White Forest breed. Yorkshire is
a
312 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
celebrated for the production of a permanent variety of horses
known as “ Clevelands.” They are an ancient and unmixed race.
Their bodies have peculiar markings, and if a foal should be born
without them, the owner would give orders for its immediate
destruction. I presume it is now understood what is meant by
permanent variety.
ANIMALS BECOME PARENTS TOO EARLY.
‘Victor GILBERT never allowed ewes to have lambs until they
had passed their third year, and the bucks were never used until
they had arrived at full maturity. He, as well as many other
sagacious stock-raisers that I might name, are probably conver-
sant with the fact that, during the period of growth and develop-
ment up to maturity, the reproductive organs are dormant, while,
at the same time, the nutritive function was wholly engaged in
elaborating chyle and blood fer the development of bone, muscle,
and nerve; and that by calling into requisition the reproductive
or generative organs before the animal had attained full growth,
must necessarily divert the elements of matter intended for nutri-
tion from their legitimate channel, and direct them to the repro-
ductive organs. This is precisely what takes place. A too early
use of the purely animal functions induces weakness and stunted
growth.
The author remembers that, in his school-boy days, it was cus-
tomary, so soon as a boy had accumulated a few pence, to invest
the same in a rabbit (a favorite animal at that period); conse-
quently we had a community of juvenile rabbit-raisers; and from
the results of past experience, as observed by the older boys, a rule
was adopted among us that the doe should not be put to the buck
until she had attained full maturity. The reason assigned for this
rule was, “ Early breeding prevented the doe from growing.” The
facts were evident; still we knew not the why nor wherefore, but
acted on the spur of experience. Physiologists have assigned the
above as the true cause, and have, in their writings, pointed out
the woeful results which often follow a too early use of the purely
animal functions and organs. I seriously urge farmers to give
this subject that attention which it evidently demands. By so
doing they will prevent many of the unnecessary abortions which
are almust constantly occurring. Among the higher orders of
BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME. 313
creation the same law holds good. In fact, there can be no devi-
ation from it without incurring the hazard of paying the penalty.
Heifers should never be put to the bull until they have attained
the age of three or four years. At this period they are in their
prime. If they happen to have acquired too much fat, their daily
allowance must be reduced.
Human growth, according to the best authority, ceases between
the ages of twenty and twenty-five. In very warm regions, how-
ever, where development and decay are universally allowed to be
more rapid, the inhabitants come to maturity much earlier. A
superior class of human beings can only be produced by selections
and exclusions similar to those so successfully employed in rear-
ing the inferior orders. We may rejoice in a Fulton, Franklin,
or Webster occasionally, (by mere accident,) the parents of such
being absolutely ignorant of the first principles of physiology ;
but, in the breeder’s language, such are in possession of the “ pre-
requisites.” In the first place, they had not entered the marriage
relationship prior to the age of reason. The parents, if we mis-
take not, were full-grown men and women, not boys nor girls.
They possibly possessed a sound mind and healthy constitution,
free from hereditary defect of mind and body, which stunted
growth, aided by artificial modes of life, are almost sure to entail.
Until within a few years, a wise and salutary law was in oper-
ation in the British Isles which interdicted marriage until the
candidates had arrived at the age of twenty-one. That law has
been set aside, and, consequently, the mass of the population of
the present day will not bear comparison with that of the past.
One safeguard, therefore, against stunted growth and ill-health
is to avoid a too early use of the reproductive function. And here-
in we are not safe unless proper selections have been made, and
faulty animals or persons rejected. I am persuaded that if hus-
bandmen of these United States could all view this important
matter in its right light, a very decided improvement would soon
be the result. The subject will, however, eventually command
the attention of all.
Many persons urge that the offspring of blood relatives are
weak, nervous, deficient in intellect, complete idiots, etc., and
that further intercourse in the same direction only makes bad
worse. These are facts which can not be controverted, yet the
weakness, nervousness, etc., does not occur from the relationship
314 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
which exists between the parties, but is the result of their defec-
tive constitutions. Many of the cousin-marriages are entered into
without the least regard to the rational theory of selection and
rejection. The question is one of interest, not of utility. These
blood connections are consummated merely to retain property in
families, and to satisfy the caprices of doting parents, superannu-
ated uncles, and disappointed maiden aunts; and thus many an
idiotic or emaciated sprig of aristocracy unites his destinies with a
fashionable cousin the very counterpart of himself, both inherit-
ing family defects of precisely similar character. Should they be
blessed (cursed, rather) with offspring, may we not expect a min-
iature of the originals? “‘ Without due attention to avoiding dis-
ease, it will increase in the progeny.”
Among the human species, therefore, where the objects are of
such immense importance to present and future generations, the
principles of selection and rejection are entirely overlooked. We
pay more attention to the principles of breeding in cattle than we
do to those applicable also to their lord and master. Hence the
faults and defects alluded to are not the result of close affinities,
but result from our indifference or ignorance of the laws of life.
OBJECTIONS TO IN-AND-IN BREEDING ANSWERED.
The two preceding paragraphs are brief answers to the objec-
tions against the sexual congress of blood-relations ; yet, as other
evidence than my own, and of a more general character, may be
demanded by the reader, I have thought it best to introduce other
testimony. The following quotations are from the pen of P. S.
Humprickson, of Ohio, published as a “ Prize Essay : ”
“Many object to what has been termed in-and-in breeding.
Indeed, with most of those who do so, their objections assume
the form of a very strong prejudice. This is attributable to a
certain confusion in their minds, by which reasons, wherein there
is no proper connection, are made, with the aid of imagination, to
assume a form of mutual dependence and coherence in support of
their theory. In the human family, marriages within the Levitical
degree, or, as they are also called, incestuous marriages, are for-
bidden. But the prohibition rests exclusively upon moral, and
not at all upon natural or physical reasons; yet the direct phys-
ical calamities are imagined to pursue the infringement of that law.
BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME. 315
Now, it would seem that where the moral reasons in favor of an
enactment are sufficient not only to justify but to demand it, no
more should be required. And this is in accordance with the
soundest rules of philosophizing. Moreover, if no such moral
reason existed, the authority of the Lawgiver, in the case of the
divine law, is a sufficient foundation and warrant for it; and the
human law is bound by and but follows the divine. Shall we,
then, take the step beyond, and apply to the inferior animal the
rule that was intended for rational, accountable man? We know
that, if left to his own observation and experience, and being him-
self the judge, the objector must avouch the fact that, in the state
of Nature, there is no restraint, and that such connections are and
must be continually taking place.
THE ADVANTAGES OF JN-AND-IN BREEDING.
“ And if there are advantages arising from the having placed in
the line of the direct ancestry, near and remote, of our flocks, a
great number of approved individuals, both male and female, as
has been seen, it follows that there must be far greater advantages
arising from the having the same one individual (if he be of marked —
superiority) placed in that line the greatest possible number of
times. This is done by in-and-in breeding, and is the object of it.
Now, it is easier to find this one unsurpassed individual than to
find many; for in the many there will, most certainly, be one to
be preferred to all the rest. Then, under the operation or the
principle of atavism, the chances that the resemblance of such un-
equaled ancestor will be obtained must be in the ratio of the
number of times that he occurs in the ascending lines; hence
greater uniformity and greater excellence in all the progeny.
An apt illustration of this is found in the frequent occurrence of
the Godolphin Arabian, in the pedigrees of all our best blooded
horses, carried back to him as their founder.”
In conclusion, the author offers the following, in view not only
of benefiting the horse, but his owner also.
Tue IMpPoRTANCE OF Stupyina ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
There is an aphorism which is said to have emanated from a
Divine source, and it appeals to the intelligence of this enlightened
316 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and progressive generation with peculiar force. It is, “ Know
thyself” To understand our moral, intellectual, and physical
natures and tendencies should be the business of every one. The
cultivation of, and proper direction given to, the former, bring us
within the halo of health, purity, and peace. A knowledge of the
physical or physiological laws of life, and in practicing fidelity to
what they teach, places us on the high road to health and long life.
Anatomical and physiological acquirements are needed by every
one, in order that we may know ourselves, and thus be able to
preserve our wondrous mechanism, “the harp of a thousand
strings,” in its normal condition; for without health we can not
enjoy life, nor answer the purposes for which we were created.
We have the testimony of learned men, and our own reflective
minds confirm the facts, that an alarming number of premature
deaths, and an untold amount of physical infirmities, are the result
of either our ignorance of, or indifference to, the uncompromising
laws of Nature. The rational being, free from hereditary taint,
of mental or physical deformities, comes into the world with all
that is essential to his future life and happiness. He has within
his organization a radiant volume of intellectuality, organized,
compiled, and bound by the Divine hand, the first glimmer of
which reveals something adapted to present and future wants and
necessities. The intellectual spark, once ignited, is capable of an
endless increase. We can add ray to ray, power on power, until
the God-like man acquires the mental greatness of a Webster, or
the mechanical skill and distinction of a Fulton. We do not
expect that all can become Websters and Fultons, because we do
not all practice that invariable perseverance and stern energy
characteristic of giant intellect and mechanical skill. We are not
all willing to toil, mentally or physically, with that perseverance
and industry so necessary to success ; and if we were willing, after
having attained maturity or manhood, our minds and bodies being
trained and molded for station and circumstances, are then not so
well adapted, as in youth, for increase and power. Still, at this
period of life, we are not destitute of the means of self-culture.
We are living illustrations of progressive mental capacities
which often transpire in men past the meridian of life, who,
before that period, never considered themselves favored in this
line. How unfortunate it is, therefore, that the generality of
mankind should be so indifferent about the science of life, and be
BREEDING, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SAME. 317
so slow in making it the basis of rational action in warding off
disease, and in promoting the integrity of their existence! The
reason is, our education is incomplete. We are all that Nature
intended in elementary ability, and only deficient in its use.
The means are anatomical and physiological studies; the time is
in youth, when the mind is pliant, capable of receiving permanent
impressions. The place for the engrafting of the same is in our
eommon schools and at the fireside, the mother and the teacher
wielding a common scepter of instruction.
Some people do not realize that our organizations are the result
ef the most positive laws of Nature, and that our ailments are the
result of our own-ignorance or folly. The mass of mankind are
not aware that our physical systems are capable of improvement
analagous to the mental. No; they generally think and act on
the false and ruinous proposition that our diseases, aches, and
pains are so woven into the filamentary mechanism of the living
citadel as to be beyond the power of either art or science to eradi-
cate—a proposition that should never, for a moment, be enter-
tained; for, if we live right up to the laws of life, we are then
within the impregnable ramparts of physiology, where our ac-
“quired and fashionable maladies can not obtain.
Within the bulwarks of physiology certain conditions are im-
posed upon us, and we must observe them. For example, we
require a pure atmosphere, at all times, to vitalize the blood, and
thus deprive it of those defiling elements acquired by venous blood,
and which would otherwise operate, as they often do, in our
crowded assemblies and unventilated sleeping-rooms, as the germs
to excite unnecessary disease. Next, the body should be kept erect,
so that the muscles and organs may acquire and maintain natural
action. We require vigorous daily exercise of all the muscles of
voluntary motion ; freedom from all compression by dress; apparel
that shall afford needed protection ; a quantity of food and drink,
at intervals, that shall furnish materials for the wants of our sys-
tems, and that control of feeling which enlightened reason and
virtue demand. Our time should be distributed into daily periods
of labor, rest, and amusement; and, above all, we must bear in
mind that infirmity wedded to infirmity is a sin against our na-
ture—a wanton violation of the law of Nature and of our existence,
to which a fearful penalty is appended, even unto the “third and
fourth generations.”
318 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
The faithful observance of the physiological laws of Nature re-
sult in health and strength, and promote longevity. Such is the
fruit which the tree of knowledge beareth. The non-observance
of these laws of life places us on a par with the poor idiot, when
sporting with the implements of self-destruction, and furnishes to
us the forbidden fruit. Health depends entirely on the use which
we make of the various organs and functions of the body. Health
never comes to us or our live stock by virtue of good luck. None
are healthy by special Providence or Divine favor. Neither can
health be found in the popular nostrums of the day on the proceeds
of which quacks grow fat and wealthy, and patients often be-
come poverty-stricken, and finally sink into the arms of Death, in
blissful ignorance of what brought them there. Much of what is
here written is equally true regarding horses and cattle. Many of
their diseases spring from the same causes which are operative on
the human subject; hence, knowledge of the above description is
what all interested should seek after.
SECTION XII.
LAMENESS FROM VARIOUS CAUSES.
Curss—E.tzow Tumor—Caprep Hock—Varix, oR Boe SpAvVIN—ATROPHY, OR
Wasting or Muscites—THOROUGH-PIN—NAVICULAR DISEASE, OR LAMENESS—
PLEevRO-DynNIA —AcuTE RHEUMATISM— CHRONIC RHEUMATISM—RING-BONE—
Sprint—Spavin—OstEo Porosis—CuRVATURE OF THE SpINE—Hoor-BounD—
LAMINITIS—SANDCRACK—QUARTER CRACK—NAVICULAR THRITIS—STIFLE OUT
—CoNTRACTION OF THE Hoor—BowrD Leas—Corns—LAMENESS.
CURBS.
URB consists of sprain of the posterior ligament of the hock,
known as the ecalcaneo-cuboid ligament. It is thus named
in consequence of being inserted into the oscalcis and cuboid bones.
The tumefaction is usually confined to the skin and subcellular
tissue. At first the part is hot and painful, and the animal is
lame—does not” flex the hock in a natural manner; yet, when
standing still, the horse keeps the lower part of the limb flexed,
so as to relieve the overstrained tendon. The liability or predis-
position to the disease lurks in breed. Such horses are observed
to have ill-shaped hocks. Such have been denominated “ cow-
hocks.” The parts are not symmetrical. There is an obvious
disproportion between the width of the parts above and below the
hock, which gives it an angular appearance; and the more angu-
larity there is, the more liability is there to sprain, because there
is too much tension on the calcaneo-cuboid ligament.
Causes.—The exciting causes of curb are sprain, occurring in
the act of backing a heavy load, or in leaping; in short the per-
formance of any feat that violently calls into play the flexor
muscles and tendons of the hind extremities ; hence stallions with
faulty hocks, when used for procreation, are very apt to become
the subject of curb.
(319)
DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
320
*HONWOL MOGI GNV Ssauno
EXPLANATION.
11. Curbs, or enlargement in the region of the back or posterior part of the hock, an affee-
tion known to veterinarians as sprain of the calcaneo-cuboid ligament.
2. Elbow tumor, or enlargement at the point of the elbow. The point of the elbow corres-
ponds to the olecranon of man.
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 321
Treatment.—So soon as the injury is discovered, the part should
be fomented often with either an infusion of hops or poppy-
heads. It is best to apply the infusion cold, and by means of a
sponge, the animal being kept at rest during the acute stage.
Sometimes, in view of relieving the tension of the sprained liga-
ment, it is customary to tack on a high-heeled shoe. This may
or may not be necessary, and depends on the severity of the case.
After having modified the inflammatory action, the high-heeled
shoe may be dispensed with. Then, in order to get rid of the
chronic enlargement, the part must be daily anointed, for a short
time, with a portion of the following:
INow452 Powdered Todine: <\s > sos sce c.scere cis ole: 6 oes 1 dr.
Simple soumbmienths./ ieee cre ere cree sista alert cane iar:
Mix.
After a short time, the animal may be put to light work, still
making an occasional application of the iodine ointment.
Should the parts about the hock degenerate into a hard callous,
friction with cod-liver oil may be employed. Should this fail to
have the desired effect, then make a few applications of the acetate
of cantharides, prepared as follows:
No. 46. Acetic acid (fluid).......e.000. syeterenshts 1 oz.
AUCH ey ie Re rey AICS 5 RRO Saves 5 oz.
Powdered cantharides....ceccccoccsecs 1 Ar.
Mix.
Evsow Tumor.
Elbow tumor (see cut on preceding page, fig. 2,) is usually re-
cognized as “capped elbow.” It sometimes grows to an enor-
mous size, and not only becomes unsightly, but seriously interferes
with the action of the elbow and its articulation. At first, the
part is hot, inflamed, and tender. Soon effusion takes place;
then the part is soft and fluctuating; next, albumen is deposited,
and this, finally, is metamorphosed into fibrine, at which stage the
tumor is large and dense ; the walls of the skin are also very much
thickened ; in fact, when dissecting out the tumor, it appears that
the skin is in a state of hypertrophy, or morbid growth. How-
ever, there is usually a central orifice in the tumor which seems
to indicate that the first trouble originated in a bursal sac, from
external injury, either by the calking of the shoe or. the toe of the
21
oo DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
hind foot; or it may arise from a bruise inflicted in the act of
lying down on a hard floor.
Treatment.—In the early stage, and when there is nothing but
fluid in the sac, an opening should be made into the lower part of
it, by means of a thumb lancet. After the fluid has been evacu-
ated, by pressure, inject into it an astringent, composed of pyrolig-
neous acid and water, equal parts; and rub the exterior of the
tumor, twice daily, with a small quantity of cod-liver oil. The
cod-liver-oil will act as a glandular stimulant, and thus aid in the
absorption of the tumor. A seton, inserted through the tumor,
sometimes has a very good effect ; but if the tumor be large and
unsightly, the services of a surgeon will be required for its removal,
by means of the scalpel.
CAPPED Hock.
Capped hock consists of tumefaction, or enlargement at the
point of the hock. Occurring, as it does, at a very prominent
and exposed part of the limb, it is almost sure to attract notice ;
hence is not only an eye-sore, but a serious defect, and, if accom-
panied by lameness, the animal may be pronounced unsound,
during the period of lameness. The tumor is the result of enlarge-
ment of a synovial sae which lies between the bone and the tendon
gastrocnemii. This sac contains synovia, and it is furnished for
the purpose of lubricating the parts for the prevention of friction.
The skin, also, becomes thickened, or, rather, is in a state of hy-
pertrophy (morbid growth), which add largely to the size of the
tumor.
Causes.—Capped hock is generally produced by a blow or
bruise. It is almost always occasioned by the whiffle-tree coming
in contact with the parts. The animal may, however, injure the
parts in the act of kicking. The parts may also be bruised in the
act of lying down or rising in the stall. Therefore, not knowing
any other cause for capped hock, we may safely infer that it is the
‘result of external injury.
Treatment.—In the early or inflammatory stage, refrigerating
lotions are indicated. Take of
INOW Afar SalvamMOniay.\. si... sp «+ + othe evcrcliey ecto Oe
Nitratevof potasse. .'2/.). siete crore arolermteretars 1 oz.
SW Stee alelelerate) sisters iclefofoteletsicre dierla) Sheleseleroimeen UES
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 323
Sponge the part quite often, for a day or two, until the heat and
attendant pain subsides; after which the affection will run on to
the chronic stage, and perhaps acquire magnitude; then the treat-
ment must be altered. The object now is to excite absorption.
In that view, I recommend the following:
No. 48. Powdered iodide of potass........... 2 dr.
Yellow basilicon...... 0.00 Fonu clay OA
Mix.
Apply a portion of this ointment to the enlargement, morning
and evening.
VARIX (KNOWN AS Boa Spavin).
Varix, or “ bog spavin,” consists of an enlargement on the in-
side of the hock, corresponding to a disease of the same character
in the human subject known as varicose veins. It very rarely
produces lameness, and most writers contend that it is nothing
more than an eye-sore. Be this as it may, it is a defect, and, in
the eye of the law, constitutes unsoundness, simply from the fact
that soundness consists in perfection of function and structure, and,
also, because sound horses do not have defects of this character.
The enlargement does not generally impair the usefulness of the
animal for ordinary work; yet sometimes, in consequence of over-
work or sprain, the tumor acquires magnitude.
It is always dangerous to attempt to remove varix, or to punc-
ture it; and the only proper method of treatment, in view of lim-
iting its growth, for it can not be cured, is to bathe it often with
the following astringent lotion :
No. 49. Fluid extract of witch-hazel........... 2 o7.
Fluid extract of bayberry bark........ 4 oz.
Proof spirit..... ey RSET NOT RSM EN Ie 1 pint.
Mix.
Bog spavin is an indication of weak and faulty hocks, unless it
can be shown that the animal has been made to labor too early in
life, or has performed excessive work beyond his capacity. Then
the affection can be accounted for, and may not owe its origin to
either fault or defect.
324 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ATROPHY, OR WASTING OF MUSCLES IN THE REGION OF
THE SHOULDER-BLADE, (KNOWN AS SWEENY.)
Atrophy signifies wasting of muscles, in which diseased parts
become notably smaller than those of the natural, without other
alteration in texture. The author has had several opportunities
of examining horses that have died in consequence of disease or
old age, who, during life, were the subjects of what is known as
sweeny, and found that the muscles of the shoulder had quite a
pale appearance, somewhat resembling those of a calf which had
been bled to death. A condensation or wasting of muscular fiber
was very apparent; the cellular membrane under the skin had
almost disappeared, merely by condensation and contraction of the
skin over the region of the parts, which contraction occurs in con-
sequence of shrinkage of the muscles beneath the skin.
A FOUNDERED OR DEAD LAME HORSE. (See p. 336.)
Causes.—As regards the cause of atrophy, it is a well-known
fact that inaction of a muscle produces a notable decrease in size.
The muscles of laboring men decrease in size whenever, from
choice or necessity, the individual leads a sedentary life. A limb
kept at rest for any length of time undergoes more or less atrophy
(wasting). In some cases, the foot diseases, so common, are of
that character as to cause the subjects much pain in progression ;
LAMENESS, FROM NARIOUS CAUSES.# 325
and, in order to relieve the feet, the horse spares the muscles, which,
for want of free and full action, leads to diminished nutrition and
wasting (atrophy). Some of the readers of this work must have ~
noticed the fact of the shrinking of the muscles of the haunch in
case of disease or severe lameness of one of the hind feet. This
shrinkage often occurs, as in the case of the shoulder, from want
of natural action and full play of the muscles concerned. We
have ample proof that wasting is the result of want of action, in
the fact that when a horse becomes the subject of a painful disease
in the hind foot, he neither advances nor rotates the limb any
more than he can possibly help, but holds the foot up, sometimes
points it. On examination, the atrophy, or wasting, is confined to
the muscles which perform these two actions; and in the case of
pain or lameness in one of the fore-feet, the same faulty action is
observable, and the same class of muscles (whose action is almost
identical with that of the hind parts) are the ones affected.
The author deems it of great importance that husbandmen
should fully understand this subject; for it will enable them to
perceive that, while inflating horses’ shoulders with a quill, or
practicing any other absurd treatment in the vicinity of the wasted
or sweenied shoulder, they are overlooking the real malady (in
the foot), and at best are only treating symptoms. On careful
examination, however, should it appear that the patient is free
from any disorder of the foot or feet, and, on the other hand, it is
clearly evident that myositis or myalgia (muscular pain) exists,
then the treatment must be directed to the affected parts. The
facts in either case can only be determined by a competent practi-
tioner. '
The author has often noticed that when horses have been over-
criven or overworked, they become stiff and lame in those parts
of the body most susceptible to the ordinary influences. For
example, one horse may perform a long journey, with a weighty
man on his back, and the next day show symptoms of lameness
in the lumbar region. His back is arched ; the limbs are brought
under the center of the body, and every movement indicates that
the animal suffers tormenting pains, which are located in the mus-
cles of the back. This is myositis, or inflammation of the muscular
fiber. Sometimes, however, the malady constitutes myalgia (mus-
cular pain and spasm), unaccompanied by inflammatory action.
Another horse may be put to a similar kind of work, and, in a
326 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
few hours afterward, be found stiff and lame. But the symptoms
are not the same as those just recorded. The pathology is proba-
bly identical ; it is the same disease, only it has a different locality.
It is myositis of the pectoral muscles, involving, also, the muscles
of the shoulder-blades. And the intelligent owner of the afflicted
animal will notice that the fore extremities are unnaturally ad-
vanced ; the foreparts of the body are unnaturally hot and tender ;
the fore-feet are feverish, and the hoofs are hotter still. The ad-
vanced position of the fore extremities and shoulders gives a very
marked hollowness to the forepart of the chest, and many men,
on seeing such a case, would declare that the animal was chest-
foundered, this being the name which is sometimes given to such
a condition; but it is really owing to myalgia (muscular pain and
stiffness).
It is well-known that all muscles are subject to inflammatory
action and muscular pain from work disproportionate to their
strength. For example, let any man undertake to saw wood,
practice with heavy dumb-bells, or ride on a horse—feats that he
has never been accustomed to—and, whether the labor be excessive
or not, the individual will shortly complain of more or less mus-
cular pain; and if he be a weak man, the more excessive will be
that pain. Now, the muscles of the horse, being just as suscepti-
ble to pain as those of man, are just as easily operated on through
the well-known exciting causes.
Symptoms.—In the case of a horse, when the work has been ex-
cessive, and of a character to bring the muscles of the shoulders,
their tendons and coverings, into a state of over-exertion, it will
often be found that some of the muscular fibers in the region of the
shoulder are fractured, small blood-vessels are ruptured, and other
pathological changes take place. This is followed by inflammation
(myositis). Suppose, therefore, a horse shows symptoms of myo-
sitis after excessive work, and, in the course of a few days, it is
noticed that the muscles of his shoulders are wasting away, and
continue to waste, so that all persons who examine the animal
pronounce him sweenied, we may then infer that the wasting
(sweeny) is not symptomatic, but is the result of myositis.
Treatment.—The principal treatment is rest ; afterward diminish |
the work, and, by proper diet and tonics, increase the power to do
it. The muscular parts affected should be bathed, morning and —
evening, with a portion of the following:
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 327
No. 50. Fluid extract of wormwood......
Fluid extract of poppies........ \ each BO:
IBTOOL Spirits eorereis cies «boil neivetse oieterel= 1 pint.
Mix.
Should the feet prove to be very hot and feverish, frequent
bathing with cold water, or a cold infusion of hops, will have a
very good effect. In the mean time give the animal two drachms
of fluid extract of gelseminum, once or twice per day, until the
feverish symptoms subside. Then, when the case passes into the
chronic stage (sweeny), the shoulders and wasted parts are to be
well rubbed, often, with a portion of the following:
No. 51. Fluid extract of ginger........ Wisiusieieras 4 oz.
Gumicamphor. ose... . -c- aleleloi feel eiaiele 1 oz.
OIA GIS S oo oS Ge ob vesoacataboobHodTS 4 pint.
Pulverize the gum ; add it to the oil, in which it will soon dis-
solve; then mix with it the ginger, and the preparation is fit for
use.
Should the muscles of the shoulder waste, in consequence of
chronic disease or altered structure about the hoof or within it,
such as ring-bone, ossification of the lateral cartilages, etc., then a
strong counter-irritant must be applied, for a week or so, around
the coronet. At the same time we should treat the shoulder as
above. A good counter-irritant for the coronet may be thus pre-
pared :
Now Zen Codelivier O1lie). css cesiese Gee ee ee
Kerosene oil...... BS CN ie cae a
Mix.
The great trouble in chronic cases of this character is, that it
usually takes a long time to free the animal from lameness, and to
restore the muscles of the shoulder to their original size ; and, after
all we can do, it may be necessary to let the animal have a run at
grass. It will be advisable, in all chronic cases, unless the horse
be very lame, to insure regular exercise, which will tend to develop
the shrunken muscles.
The best way to prevent sweeny is to keep the horse in good
condition by a rational use of his muscular powers, being careful
not to overtax them, and by giving proper attention to his feet,
both in the stable and at the blacksmith’s shop.
328 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
THOROUGH-PIN.
The seat of thorough-pin is between the popliteous (fig. 2) and
the point of the hock, near where the tendon is severed, as shown
in the accompanying engraving. The disease is called thorough-
pin, simply because the fluid contained in the bursal sac can be
squeezed from one side to the other.
VIEW OF SOME OF THE DEEP-SEATED MUSCLES IN THE REGION OF THE HOCK AND STIFLE.
ExpLaNnaTion.—l, Popliteous; 2, Flexor pedis accessorius; 3, Flexor metatarsi magnus;
4, The tendon, common both to the flexor metatarsi and extensor pedis; 5, The groove
in which the extensor plays.
Symptoms.—The disease is similar to bog spavin and wind-galls ;
namely, enlargement of a synovial sac. It seldom if ever lames
a horse, yet, when large, is apt to interfere with the free action of
the joint.
In former years it was customary to open thorough-pins by
means of a lancet, in view of evacuating the fluid; but many fatal
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 329
eases having occurred, the practice is now discontinued. Among
the many fatal cases recorded I select the following, which has
been recorded in the “ Veterinarian,” by W. A. WHEATLEY, V.S.:
“The subject was a five-year old cart-horse, the property of the
South-eastern Railway Company, admitted on the 1st of Septem-
ber, 1855, with an immense thorough-pin on the off hock. The
animal being then in a very high condition, a support shoe was
placed on the foot of the diseased limb, and the frequent applica-
tion of cold water to the diseased parts resorted to, the diet being
restricted to mashes.
October 6.—The horse was considered in a fit state for the op-
eration. Accordingly, I had the animal secured by a side line, and
first punctured the enlargement with the exploring-needle, in four
different places; but, as the imprisoned fluid did not escape so
readily as I expected, I determined upon opening the part with
the lancet, which being done, the fluid escaped to the amount of a
small tea-cupful. It was of a thin consistence, and of a pale straw
color. I then applied bandages dipped in cold water, and kept
the hock constantly wet.
October 7.—The swelling had very slightly returned. I gave
some aperient medicine, and continued the bandages with cold
water, and applied a suitable truss to the hock.
I need not give a report of the case from day to day. Suffice
it to say that the cold water and the truss were continued in use,
and the animal never manifested the least inconvenience from the
operation.
November 21.—He was considered cured, not the least appear-
ance of the enlargement being left.
November 29.—On this day the horse was attacked with abdom-
inal obstruction, and, despite all our remedial measures, consisting
of active purgatives, as solution of aloes, calomel, oleum lini et
crotoni, with the frequent use of medicated enemata, counter-
irritants, etc., he continued to grow worse till the 1st of December,
when death took place. This was the fourth attack of this kind
that the animal had experienced while under treatment for the dis-
eased hock.”
The danger to be apprehended in cases where an opening is
made by the lancet arises from the liability to synovitis, (inflamma-
tion of the synovial membrane,) which reacts sympathetically on
the system, producing derangement of some of the organs or func-
330 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
tions of the body. Therefore I consider it injudicious to lay open
a synovial capsule in any part of the body.
Treatment.—The safest method of treatment is to puncture the
sac, by means of small needles. After having evacuated the fluid
through the sieve-like needle-holes, the part is to be smeared with
ointment of iodine—one drachm of iodine to seven drachms of
simple ointment. Then apply a spring truss, so constructed as to
press on both sides of the hock. By this means the internal parts
of the sac are kept in contact, and they finally unite. Thus the
enlargement is obliterated. If, at any time during the treatment,
the parts become hot or tender, discontinue the ointment, and sub-
stitute a pad on each extremity of the truss, which are to be kept
constantly wet with cold water until the inflammatory action dis-
appears.
NAVICULAR LAMENESS,
Navicular lameness is of very frequent occurrence among horses.
It usually depends upon strain or injury of the tendon, known as
perforans, just where it passes over the navicular bone. Some-
times the navicular bone becomes diseased, ulcerates, and finally
becomes fractured ; at other times the bone becomes the seat of
incrustations, or roughing, and thus irritates the flexor tendon.
Such affections always cause pain and lameness. Horses with nar-
row heels, or those laboring under contraction at the quarters and
heels, suffer much pain in the posterior or navicular region, in con-
sequence of hoof pressure on the sensitive parts of the foot.
A disease known as navicular thritis (inflammation of the parts
in the navicular region) often prevails, This is an inflammatory
affection, very painful, and much resembles laminitis) fever in the
foot).
Symptoms.—Pointing of the affected foot; the animal, while
standing, throws the affected foot forward, by which means the
weight of the forepart of the body is transferred to the other limb;
the animal has a short, tripping gait, and steps cautiously; the
muscles of the shoulder waste ; the spine of the shoulder-blade be-
comes quite prominent; and this condition of the muscles is often
called sweeny. We usually find, also, that the heels are pinched
in, and the walls are thin and weak. The liability to navicular
lameness is very great in horses with narrow chests, upright pas-
terns, and outturned toes. Other defects in the loins exist. Hence
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 3801
it is supposed that a predisposition to this affection may lurk in
the breed; in fact, it is known that a tendency to it exists in the
progeny of certain horses. It is related that the progeny of
“Young Musician,” a thorough-bred horse, all showed a tendency
to navicular disease.
Treatment.—We first ascertain whether the difficulty is of an
acute or chronic character. Should it have made its appearance
very suddenly, and the part feels hot and painful, then we class
it as the acute stage. Should the trouble, however, be of long
standing, it will be in the chronic stage. In the acute stage, cold
water bandages must be applied to the region of the fetlock, which
should be kept wet with water, to which may be added a little
vinegar, merely to acidulate the former; the patient should be
kept at rest, and fed on a light diet. In the chronic stage, coun-
ter-irritants are indicated, yet organic disease may be the result;
in that event, the horse has always a sort of groggy walk, and is
never sound.
Neurotomy has been practiced in view of treating this affection,
but I can not perceive how such an operation can benefit a horse
having an organic difficulty. Neurotomy merely destroys, for a
short time, the sensibility of certain parts of the foot ; but so soon
as the divided nerve reunites, sensibility is again restored. There
may, however, occur some form of lameness which might be bene-
fited by neurotomy, but I think the same thing might be achieved
by counter-irritation, and without the use of the knife. The coun-
ter-irritant I have found most useful is as follows:
INOS Doe Codeliver ollssacs sciec es Sas eleca se art n e 2) Oz
INGROEEING oo 6booaaduo068 AGU OAT ee POOL
Wait hard Gsiisisiwicaiewiiistereiy sleristereiveisie sei bay GT:
Mix.
Apply a portion of the above to the navicular region, between
the heels and fetlock, on the back part, once or twice daily, until
the part is well blistered, which will take place at the end of a
week. The more thorough the blistering, the more chance is there
of doing good. No after-dressing need be applied, unless the
parts become very sore; in that event, I should lubricate with
olive oil.
It will be necessary, in chronic cases, to secure the services of
a good blacksmith, so that the animal may have a shoe affixed
properly adapted to the necessities of the case. If any signs of
Bou DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
contraction exist, the heels are to be opened, and the walls at the
quarters must be rasped thin, so as to remove the lateral pressure
on the sensitive parts.
It may be necessary, in the event of the patient not being bene-
fited by the above treatment, to reapply the counter-irritant; this
. matter is left discretionary with those who take the case in hand.
In the treatment of such cases, the owner of the afflicted animal
must be prepared to exercise due patience, for the day of recovery
may be far distant; often it is a mere question of time, and not
one of skill.
PLEURODYNIA (PAINFUL AFFECTION OF THE PLEURA AND
MUSCLES OF THE CHEST).
Pleurodynia (in human practice) signifies pain in the side, from
a rheumatic affection of the pleura. In horses the malady not
only affects the pleura, but also the intercostal muscles. It is a
very painful malady, and some persons are in the habit of calling
it “founder.” Pleurodynia, however, differs in its origin from
founder, inasmuch as the latter may arise from various causes,
whereas pleurodynia is almost always the result of an excessive
use of the muscular powers, or when the animal has been sub-
jected to long-continued and very severe exertion.
Symptoms.—It will be noticed that the animal moves in a very
stiff manner; steps short and quite slow—he appears about used
up, as the saying is; the back is arched, and the skin is over the
service of the body, and is not only hot but very tender; on mak-
ing pressure over the regions of the sides of the chest, symptoms
of pain will be elicited, showing conclusively that the intercostal
muscles between the ribs and pleura, or lining membrane of the
cavity of the chest, are involved; the respirations are short and
jerking, and the number of pulsations range from forty to sixty
per minute. Both fore-feet are usually advanced, and, on apply-
ing a hand to them, it will be found that they are unusually hot,
and that they are inflamed; the appetite is not good; the urine
is high-colored, and the bowels constipated. Such are the most
observable and common symptoms of this painful malady. It is
something like rheumatism in its pathology, and often migrates
to the brain, or its investing membranes. When this happens
there remains but little hope for the patient.
LAMENESS FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 3)
Treatment.—In view of illustrating the treatment, I introduce
the following case: The animal had been hired of Mr. P——, of
Chicago, by a person who appeared to have but very little respect
or compassion for horse-flesh; for on the return of the animal to
the stable, he showed unmistakable evidences of shameful abuse.
He was completely jaded, and could scarcely stand on his feet.
He received proper care and attention during the night, and next
morning I visited him. On making a careful examination, I
found most of the above symptoms present. It seemed, however,
that his feet were more affected than other parts of the body, and
it was impossible to get him to move. I had his feet bathed
constantly with cold water, and his joints, back, and sides were
rubbed with a liniment composed of equal parts of cod-liver oil
and spirits of camphor. The medicine administered was one
ounce of powdered niter, night and morning, for three days. The
pulse had decreased to thirty-six per minute, and the respirations
were more tranquil; so I discontinued the niter, and commenced
an alterative plan of treatment, by giving one ounce of fluid ex-
tract of stillingia, night and morning, at the same time continuing
the local applications until they were no longer needed. One
ounce of fluid extract of buchu was occasionally given, in view
of exciting the kidneys to action, and this is all the medicine the
patient received until convalescence was established, when he was
placed under tonic treatment. The tonic used was one ounce and
a half of fluid extract of golden seal, daily. The treatment occu-
pied a period of two weeks, during which time the animal stood
but little on his limbs, seldom rising except to partake of food,
which consisted of bran and water, a few oats, and small quan-
tities of hay. So soon as the patient had regained some strength,
he was led to pasture, where he soon got well. It appears that
in the treatment of a disease of this character, light diet, a few
simple medicines, and good nursing are all that are indicated.
AcuTE RHEUMATISM.
The faithful servant of man, the horse, does not enjoy im-
munity from this distressing disease. The same causes which
operate on the system of man to develop a disease of this char-
acter are, with unerring certainty, operative on the inferior
creature. Rheumatism is mostly confined to the fibrous tex-
304 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
tures, or faschia of muscles, and the inter-articular cartilages of
the joints, and, finally, the articulating surfaces of the bones be-
come involved. The disease is always characterized by great
pain, and sometimes swelling in the re-
gion of joint. It is accompanied by a
quick and wiry pulse, and by other symp-
* toms, denominated febrile. It occurs
among men and horses at all seasons
of the year, yet at the period of sud-
den transitions from heat to cold it is
most prevalent. Animals when heated
by exercise, and then suffered to “cool
off,” without ordinary care, are very apt
to become the subjects of this malady, so
that prevention, to a certain extent, is
within our power, and, in the exercise
of preventive measures, we may, in com-
mon parlance, “stave off,’ for a time,
this disease, although it may be latent in
the system as an hereditary affection.
SRTEENAL MUSCLES. AND TENDONE. Mr, E. Dun; who. is;goodauthorityyom
the subject, says:
“Rheumatism is neither so common, nor are its symptoms so
well marked, in horses as in cattle. When, however, it does occur
in the horse, it manifests the same well-known appearances which
characterize it in all animals. It affects the fibrous tissues of
joints, the coverings of muscles, tendons, valves about the heart,
and larger vessels, and manifests a peculiar tendency to shift from
one part of the bedy to another, often affecting, in succession, all
the larger joints—at one time chiefly in the neck, at another, in
the back and loins, while, in many of its more acute attacks, it
appears to involve almost every portion of fibrous and fibro-serous
tissues throughout the body. In all its varied types it exhibits ‘a
full, strong, hard, and unyielding pulse, caused by the inflamma-
tion involving the serous and fibro-serous tissues of the heart and
circulating vessels. During its existence, various excrementitious
matters accumulate in the blood, and the fibrinous constituents
of the same exceed their normal proportions, as indicated by the
production of the buffy coat on the blood. In severe or badly-
treated cases, the inflammation is very apt to be transformed from
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 335
the joints and muscles to the heart, and its investing membranes,
and it is the danger of this change in the seat of the disease that
renders rheumatism so formidable, and often so fatal. It always
leaves the parts affected so altered as to be extremely predisposed
to subsequent attacks, and it is more than probable that this altered
condition is reproduced in the progenies of rheumatic subjects, and
constitutes in them the inherent tendency to the disease.
Horses sometimes suffer from rheumatic inflammation in the
fibrous sheathing envelopes of the muscles of the neck, constitut-
ing what is popularly known as the chords. When thus affected,
the animal is very stiff, remains as much as possible in one posi-
tion, and is unwilling to bend his neck either one way or the other,
or to elevate or depress his head. ‘There is always more or less
fever, with a strong, full pulse. Sometimes, as in lumbago, in the
human subject, it affects the muscles of the back and loins, caus-
ing stiffness, tenderness, and pain, which are especially evinced on
moving or turning the animal. These rheumatic affections are
very readily produced in predisposed subjects by exposure to rain
and cold, especially when accompanied by overheating or exhaus-
tion.
Rheumatism sometimes occurs in horses as a Pe vcincnd symp-
tom of that epizootic affection which usually receives the much-
abused title of influenza. In such cases the rheumatism is of a
somewhat more subacute or chronic character than common, and
is accompanied by that low, debilitating fever so often the con-
comitant of epizootic maladies. It usually affects all parts of the
body susceptible of the rheumatic inflammation, is attended par-
ticularly by those symptoms which indicate disease of the heart
and pericardium, as an intermittent pulse, etc., and often termi-
nates fatally by effusions into the pleura or pericardium, thus
causing death by arresting the motions of the heart.”
Treatment.—In the treatment of rheumatism simulating an in-
flammatory type, our first object is to produce a sedative effect on
the heart and its vessels of circulation. With this object in view,
we administer one or two drachms of fluid extract of gelseminum
every four hours, until the pulse becomes softer. In the mean time
a few dases of nitrate of potass* should be given in the water
* NiTRATE oF Porassa.—In a case of synovial rheumatism this remedy was
given by a Boston physician, in a single dose of one ounce, dissolved in a pint ,
‘
336 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
which the animal drinks, at the rate of one ounce per day, divided
into doses in proportion to the number of times the patient is
watered. So soon as the animal evinces signs of improvement,
the above treatment is to be discontinued ; then give six drachms
per day of fluid extract of prince’s pine. The joints which seem
to be affected are to be bathed occasionally with camphorated
vinegar, in the proportion of one ounce of camphor to eight ounces
(fluid) of vinegar.
CHRONIC RHEUMATISM
Chronic rheumatism is usually the sequel of the acute kind. It
is generally obstinate and lingering, and prone to recur. Unlike
the acute kind, pain is alleviated by counter-irritation and exer-
cise ; and when the patient gets warmed up, as the saying is, he
either forgets his pains or becomes relieved. Bathing with warm
vinegar has a good effect in the treatment of this disease, but I
have found the following liniment useful in almost all the cases
that have come under my care:
No.(547/ Oil Of Cedarie ocis c.e'sie 6 ccs #is\e/sie's/e ele ierel Ml aOZe
SMP NUTIC CHHEL, ..0:5/5)0) ci «/0)e1s clsie a) eiciora) oO
PEGOL Spirit. 0's epee: s/e'e! 21s\neiege\= all cielo tom nO ETCS
First, mix together the oil of cedar and sulphuric ether; then
add the proof spirit, and, after shaking it awhile, it is fit for use.
Give the animal one fluid drachm of the fluid extract of colchi-
cum-root, night and morning, for three days; after which give,
daily, twenty-five grains of the iodide of potass, dissolved in half
a gill of water. Should the animal show any signs of debility or
loss of flesh, tonics, stimulants, and nutritious diet are indicated.
and a half of barley-water. This was followed by one grain of opium. In fif-
teen hours the pulse was found reduced, and the pain absolutely gone; and in a
few days the tongue was clean, and the swelling entirely abated. The remedy
caused neither emesis nor catharsis, but passed off by the kidneys. In another
case of acute synovial attack, following chronic rheumatism, the same dose was
prescribed without any good effect, causing active catharsis. Again, half an
ounce of nitrate of potassa, largely diluted, was given every two to four hours,
until the patient took three ounces in eighteen hours, with two doses of opium
of one grain each, with entire relief to the pain and fever. When the potash
was reduced to drachm doses, nausea and vomiting followed, which were relieved
by vesication with aqua ammonia, the blister being sprinkled with half a grain
of morphine. The patient recovered. Another physician had used the remedy
to the extent of half an ounce in twenty-four hours, for three successive days.
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 330
The authorities teach us, and my own experience has confirmed
the fact, that iodide of potass is a valuable agent in the treatment
of chronic rheumatism. It is most sure to act beneficially when
the periosteum (fibrous covering of the bones) is affected. There
is no doubt that chronic rheumatism often cripples the joints by
producing disease of the bones in the region of their articulations.
This makes a poor horse dead lame, and renders him almost useless.
When the bones become ulcerated or carious there remains but little
hope of cure.
‘ RING-BONE.
Ring-bone is a form of disease the pathology of which is similar
to that of spavin and splent. It is located just above the coronet
or crown of the hoof. The enlargement is called exostosis (a mor-
bid enlargement of bone), and when the large pastern becomes
united to the smaller one, the case is called anchylosis (permanent
rigidity of the joint). et
The term ring-bone is far behind the times as regards our pres-
ent knowledge of nosology (the doctrine of the names of diseases) ;
yet, to the unprofessional, it is suggestive, and, therefore, we are
compelled to retain a name which all can interpret. It signifies
a complete or partial eminence around pastern bones. The ring
is formed by incrustations, or osseous deposits in the pastern, or
involving the joint, as the case may be; yet, in order to make out
a pure case of ring-bone, that comes strictly within the meaning
of the term as horsemen interpret it, there must exist a complete
ridge of bone around the anterior part, extending from side to side.
A pure case of ring-bone generally originates on the surface of the
bone, on or beneath the periosteum, Commencing at the lower
margin of pastern and upper part of the coronet bone, the disease
spreads, involving both capsular ligament and joint. The remote
cause of ring-bone lies in hereditary idiosyncrasies, transmitted
through the sexual congress, The disease itself is sometimes di-
rectly transmitted. I once bought an unweaned colt, and brought
it up by hand. A short time after purchase, I observed enlarge-
ments on the hind pasterns. He ultimately turned out to be a
ring-boned animal, and had stiff joints. I found out afterward
that the mother had large ring-bones on both hind pasterns. The
disease was, therefore, congenital.
Mr. PERCIVALL, whose opinion on such matters is unquestion-
22
338 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
able, says that his attention to the hereditary origin of ring-bone
was first aroused from a remark made by an extensive dealer in
horses, in reply to a question put to him, How it happened that
but few ringbones were met with, compared to the number that
attracted notice in times past? The reply was, “ Because no
breeder of horses nowadays will send a mare to a horse having
ring-bone.” A very good example for American horsemen to fol-
low, for the disease is very prevalent in some parts of this country.
A vast number of our best as well as inferior horses are the sub-
jects of this infirmity. The disease lurks in breed, after the fash-
ion of scrofula and consumption in the human subject. When
both parents are affected, the disease in the offspring is doubly
severe. ,
The author just quoted remarks that “a coarse or half-breed,
fleshy or bony-legged horse, with short and upright pasterns, is
the ordinary subject of this disease ; and there exists satisfactory
reasons why we should expect him to be so. The pastern and
coffin bones constitute the nethermost of the column of bones
composing the limbs, and being so, they receive the entire weight
and force transmitted from above. The pastern, being long and
oblique in position, receives the superincumbent weight on such an
indirect line that, bending toward the ground with the fetlock,
nothing like jar nor concussion follows. The very reverse of this,
however, happens every time the foot of a limb, having a short,
upright pastern, comes to the ground. In such, instead of the
weight descending obliquely upon the sessamoids, and the fetlock
bending therewith, it descends directly, or nearly so, upon the
pasterns, making this bone entirely dependent on the bone beneath
it for counteracting concussion; and should any thing occur to
diminish this, or to throw more weight on the bones beneath than
they can counteract, jar of the whole apparatus ensues ; and an
effort of Nature to strengthen the parts, by investing them with
callous and ossification, is likely to be the ultimate result ; for we
would view ring-bone, disease though it must assuredly be called,
a recourse of Nature to strengthen weak parts, the bones being
unequal to the exertions or efforts required of them.”
Another quotation may possibly interest the reader:
“ Ring-bone is an exostosis (a growth of bone from bone) situated
around the coronet, mostly near the pastern joint, at other times
just above it; and not unfrequently the joint becomes anchylosed,
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 339
owing to the spread of ossification; that is, the coffin bone and
pastern bone become united together by bony growth. Ring-
bones are the result of hereditary predisposition, structural organi-
zation, and accident. As to hereditary predisposition, there is no
doubt but that some sires, the subjects of spavin, ring-bone, and
other forms of exostosis, father foals which often, sooner or later,
themselves become victims of the same disease. The same law
applies to dams. Breeders of horses are fully aware of this fact,
and are, therefore, more careful than formerly in the selection of
parents for the purposes of breeding from. As to form, many
living cases which now exist prove the truth of the statement that
low-bred, coarse-limbed horses, with short, upright pasterns, are
frequently subjects of ring-bone. Why such should be the case
with animals with upright pasterns is easily explained, as follows:
The pastern bones in a well-formed limb ought to form an oblique
angle with the cannon-bone (metacarpus) placed above them;
whereas, if the pastern is upright, the column of bones from the
elbow-joint to the foot is, necessarily, placed in one and the same
straight line, causing, at every step made by the animal during
progression, a severe concussive shock to be produced on the whole
column of bones, but more especially on the pastern bones, owing
to the superincumbent weight of the bones above them. Thus one
or more of the pastern-bones become injured and inflamed, and,
finally, as a consequence, exostosis ensues, the coronet becomes in-
volved, and the disease denominated ring-bone is set up.”
Mr. PeRcIVALL quotes from Gibson: “ When a well-formed,
high-bred horse happens to have a ring-bone, we may conclude it
to proceed from some accident rather than from any natural fault.
The disease may also be produced by a blow to the part, and from
the efforts made to increase speed, when concussion causes injury,
inflammation, and consequent exostosis to the bones of the pastern.
As to treatment, we should recommend the proprietors of young
horses, subject to ring-bones, to place their horses in a state of
nature, by removing the shoes from their feet, and by turning out
to grass. If this, after a fair trial, fail, then the treatment for
spavin and other exostosis must be resorted to, such as blistering
the affected part and keeping the animal on a low diet. No dis-
ease is more troublesome to treat, or more demands the strict at-
tention of a skillful veterinarian.”
Causes.—The exciting causes of ring-bone are ligamentary
340 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
sprains, brought about by overwork, extraordinary feats of strength
in drawing heavy loads, ete. In short, either sprain, injury, blow,
or bruise may act as the pathological spark to bring about the
discase.
Regarding the treatment of ring-bone, it would be interesting,
and perhaps amusing, to call attelition to some of the heroic
methods of combating this malady ; but the animal has nerves of
sensibility, and is as keenly alive to pain as one of us; therefore
it is not really pleasant to dwell on the atrocities which are not
unfrequently practiced.on this noble animal. A very common
error exists in the minds of some people that ring-bone is fed by
a bladder at the posterior part of the pastern, which has about as
much to do in the production of the disease as the author of this
work. This error would not amount to much, however, only it
has led to the infliction of a cruel operation, without the least
advantage ; namely, the cutting out of the bladder. Now, this so-
called bladder is, in reality, a bursal sac, the use of which is te
secrete synovia, to be used for the purpose of guarding against
friction ; therefore, the extraction of it must be disadvantageous to
the parts.
Tt seems that ring-bone is not enough torment for the poor brute
to suffer, but he must, in addition, submit to a species of cruelty
unheard of*in the annals of human medicine. Such treatinent is
wrong, and every man who loves a horse should set his face against
it, and use every effort for the purpose of putting a stcp to the
practice of all barbarity in the treatment of domestic an‘mals.
Treatment.—The question to decide, when we undertake to treat
a case of this character is, whether the disease is in the acute or
chronic stage. Experience teaches us that nearly all Ciseases may
be divided into two classes: First, the acute, or those which come
on suddenly, attended by pain and fever, or, rather, ‘ebrile symp-
toms; for there are no primary fevers in the horse. tquine fevers
are always called into existence, or accompany a pathological con-
dition which frequently existed, and the fever is in exact ratio to
the intensity of the disease. Cure the disease and the fever ceases.
Acute diseases also tend to termination within a short perfod of
time, or else run into the chronic stage. Secoadly, the chronie
stage. Chronic diseases are those of aie progress, and exceed in
duration the ordinary existence of the acute class. They may
arise in consequence of acute disorders, or be developed originally,
|
I
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 341
in the form which they long afterward preserve. For the most
part, chronic disease and lameness are not marked by any violent
symptoms, nor are they accompanied with much pain, if the horse
be kept at rest.
Suppose the disease to have first made its appearance, the parts
will be hot and painful; but the idea of curing ring-bone—that
is, restoring the parts to their normal condition—is really absurd ;
for, when once the bones are anchylosed, the jomt never can per-
form its natural function again. The new growths (exostosis),
and the changes of structure that occur within and about the
region of disease, are a part of Nature’s own handiwork, in view
of strengthening a weak bone or joint. Our object in the treat-
ment, therefore, is merely to aid Nature. Excuse the animal from
work, and apply sedative lotions (cold-water dressings) so long as
the acute stage lasts; then, when the case passes into the chronic
stage, apply counter-irritants for a week or two, and, finally, turn
the patient out to grass. The following will be found an effective
sedative lotion:
No. 55. Spirits of camphor..........-+. craelelohe amOZe
Fluid extract of wormwood.......... 1 oz.
Wiens Soslonoucudnoc BonocDoNHoue . 5 oz.
To be applied twice daily.
The following is an excellent counter-irritant for ring-bone in
its chronic stage:
INion HOt Codeliver Oll-sitn s caiclelel clones cue le os
INGORONOLESS Sao sadboao CoO MOO FOOG
Apply once or twice daily, until a crop of pustules appear ; then
omit the application, and reapply it at the expiration of two or
three intermitting periods.
The remedies used by veterinary surgeons generally, are oil of
cantharides, acetate of cantharides, blistering ointment, ointment
of biniodide of mercury, and, lastly, the actual cautery, or heated
iron. I have tried all except the latter, which savors too much
of barbarity, and I never found any thing to equal the preparation
here recommended—namely, cod-liver oil and kerosene.
NAVICULARTHRITIS (NAvIcULAR DISEASE).
Navicularthritis is an acute disease, supposed to be confined to
the navicular region, or joint, which is in the posterior part of the
oy
342 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
foot. The navicular bone (sometimes called the shuttle-bone) is
so placed as to strengthen the union between the lower pastern
and the coffin bone, and to enable the flexor tendon, which passes
over it, in order to be inserted into the bottom of the coffin bone,
to act with more advantage. There is a good deal of weight
thrown on the navicular bone, and from the navicular bone to
the tendon, and there is a great deal of motion or play between
them in the bending and extension of the pasterns. It is very
easy, therefore, to conceive that from sudden concussion, or from
rapid and unrestrained motion, the delicate membrane which covers
the bone, or the cartilage of the bone, may become diseased. The
bone sometimes becomes ulcerated and fractured, so that it renders
the horse almost perpetually lame.
Symptoms.—The principal symptom of this affection is pointing
of the foot. Ifthe horse be watched, when standing still in the
stable or on the street, it will be noticed that the affected limb is
advanced or pointed in such a manner as to relieve the navicular
bone of any pressure from the flexor tendon, and this occurs in
the chronic stage as well as in the acute. It will be observed,
also, that the animal, when traveling, takes short steps, goes on
the toe, and tries to favor the heel, or posterior parts, as much as
possible. The favoring of the heel tends to destroy the function
of expansibility of the hoof, and contraction of the same is the
result.
Treatment.—Should the disease be discovered early, that is, in
the acute stage, the foot should be placed in a boot lined with a
sponge. The latter is to be kept constantly wet with a portion
of vinegar and water, equal parts. This may be continued for a
period of twenty-four hours, at the end of which time bathe the
coronet and heels with tincture of arnica. Light diet and perfect
quiet, as in every other variety of inflammatory disease, are always
necessary.
In old chronic cases we resort to counter-irritation, through re-
peated applications of the acetate of cantharides. Should there be
any appearance of contraction, the heels of the hoof must be well
opened, and the walls of the hoof, near the heels, must be rasped
thin, so as not only to favor the expansibility of the foot, but also
with a view to relieve the navicular region of any undue pres-
sure.
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 343
STIFLE Out (DisLocaTiIon oR LUXATION OF THE STIFLE
Bone).
_ The patella of the horse, or stifle bone, as it is familiarly known,
corresponds to the knee-pan of man, and answers the same pur-
pose; that is, to facilitate motion, and protect the two extremities
of the bones which compose the stifle-joint. It is retained in situ
at the anterior part of the inferior extremity of the thigh bone.and
superior extremity of the tibia.
An accident of this character is generally accompanied with con-
siderable pain and uneasiness; but the most notable symptom is,
the bone is thrown off its pulley-like articulatory surface, and thus
the recti and vasti muscles (the latter being direct extensors of the
leg or thigh, and the action of the former being similar) are, for
the time being, paralyzed ; that is to say, their action is suspended.
If they act at all, it is under great disadvantage, and at the expense
of their muscular integrity. The liability to luxation of the stifle
bone (patella) is not so great as some persons would have us be-
lieve. ‘The bone is secured in its position by a number of strong
ligaments—has a complete articulatory joint of its own, whose
capsular ligaments have strong attachments to surround them. The
muscles, tensor vaginee, rectus, vasti faschia, panniculus carnosus,
subcellular substance and integument, all operate favorably against
the chances of luxation. The accident, however, does sometimes
occur—not, perhaps, from any disarrangement of the mechanical
order of the parts by violence, such as might be operative in dis-
location of the thigh or arm bones, but often from spasm, cramp,
etc., of certain muscles in the immediate vicinity of the parts.
“T think his stifle is out,” is a very common complaint made
by horse-owners when a horse becomes lame, and the “ neighbors”
can not discover the exact location of the same. They hastily
conclude, if the lameness is in the hind extremity, that the “ stifle
is out” (luxated). Here is a case in point. I received a message
some time ago, to visit a horse said to have “ his stifle out.” On
making examination of the foot on the lame side, I found it much
hotter than its fellow on the opposite side. The owner, at the
moment, remarked that there was “no trouble in the foot.” He,
however, was mistaken; for I found that a nail had entered the
posterior part of the cleft of the frog, which I extracted, and this
was the sole cause of lameness. I might relate a number of mis-
344 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
takes of this kind, all going to show how very apt people are to
be deceived regarding the seat of lameness in horses. In short,
judging from my own experience, and the testimony offered by
other professional men, it may be confidently asserted that luxation
of the patella is quite a rare accident. These remarks are intended
for the instruction of the non-professional reader, Persons con-
versant with the anatomy of the horse are not expected to make
such a mistake as the one just alluded to; hence they do not stand
in need of the author’s advice. H
Method of reducing dislocation of the patella—The means of re-
duction are very simple. The patella will be found on the lower
and outer condyle of the thigh bone. With one hand let the
operator grasp the leg, just below the hock, and raise it from the
ground in an upward and forward direction; the other hand em-
braces the stifle bone, and by a simultaneous action of pressing the
latter inward, and the bones that compose the joint backward, the
reduction is soon effected. The bone, in returning to its natural
situation, emits a sound such as usually follows that of a dislocated
bone just at the moment when slipping into the socket. A recent
dislocation, when reduced, needs no after-treatment, except the
occasional application of an astringent and a couple of days’ rest;
but, should the bone have remained unreduced for many hours, we
may infer that the muscles and ligaments have been stretched or
distended too long in one direction, and that, on reduction, the
fibers of the muscles concerned may not immediately contract;
hence the bone is apt to slip off its articulatory surface again. To
guard against this mishap, a man must be stationed beside the
horse. He must keep his hand on the bone, and by pressure,
when the horse moves, retain it in its proper place. At the same
time, the part is to be bathed with some astringent. An infusion
of white-oak bark will answer; or, failing to obtain this article,
apply alum-water, in the proportion of two ounces of alum to one
quart of water.
CONTRACTION OF THE Hoor..
Contraction of the hoof is so easily recognized by persons accus-
tomed to handle horses, that very little needs to be written on that
subject. A contracted foot “speaks for itself,” as the saying is.
The heels are approximated too closely, and this mars the beauty
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 345
and form of the foot. Contraction is almost always, in its first
stage, accompanied by lameness. Faulty shoeing is said to have
considerable to do in the production of contracted feet; yet there
are plenty of horses, having strong, thick, walled hoofs, very wide
at the heels, often shod in the worst possible manner, and their
heels never contract. It is certain, therefore, that a predisposition
to contraction lurks in some breeds of horses, which is shown by
their having weak quarters and a thin, shelly hoof. A contracted
hoof, which is very thin at the heels, may not occasion lameness,
because it is more elastic than the thick, walled hoof, and gives to
the lateral pressure of the foot when it comes to the ground.
PERCIVALL contends that “shoeing must be regarded as the
main cause, indirect though it be, of contraction ; and to the modifi-
cation or correction of it must we look for the prophylactic. Shoe-
Ing, as it respects horses, has been said to be ‘a necessary evil.’
Without shoes, upon our artificial roads, we can not make use of
horses; and no shoes have been found to answer save such as are
hard and inflexible or metallic, and as are fixed to the hoofs with
nails. Here, therefore, we find ourselves in an awkward dilemma.
We can not do without horseshoes; and from the moment we nail
them to the hoofs, the feet begin to undergo more or less alteration
in form, and, in too many instances, to experience harm from their
application. The art of shoeing has given rise to a wonderful deal
of difference of opinion and controversy, some thinking one shape
of shoe answered best, some another; while some prefer one mode
of nailing it upon the hoof, others a different one. As far as my
own experience has served as a guide to me through this labyrinth
of opinion, I have ever found that method of shoeing the prefera-
ble one which approached the nearest to Nature, or, in other words,
which interfered the least with the economy of the foot. If we
could do without them, horseshoes would, undoubtedly, be best
abolished altogether; but, since this is impracticable, let us adopt
such shoes and modes of attaching them to the hoofs as are found
to work the least mischief to the feet. On this principle it is that
a half shoe is to be preferred to a whole shoe, and for the same
reason it is that tips, of all the horseshoes that were ever invented,
are the best; that is, the least objectionable. If those in the pro-
fession would come forward and inform us of their experience
Gf they have had any) of tip-shoeing, I believe it would uni-
formly be found that, whatever objection might be urged against
346 _ DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the use of tips, no one would deny their tendency the least to
interfere with the operations of the foot. If there be any horse-
shoe calculated to prevent contraction, and navicularthritis as
well, I feel no hesitation myself in pronouncing that horseshoe to
be the tip. In saying so much, I am fully aware that tip-shoeing
can not be introduced into general practice for reason of the roads
horses have to travel and work upon, and of the numbers of horses
having hoofs of too weak and brittle a fiber to stand work without
chipping and breaking and wearing too rapidly away. On horses,
however, whose hoofs are strong and hard enough, and whose
work is light enough to admit of their wearing tips for any length
of time, or in situations where the roads or parts of the country
they have to do their work upon enable them to wear tips con-
stantly, no wholly-shod horses’ feet will ever bear a comparison
with theirs.
Pressure to the frog.—Coleman’s favorite prophylactic against
contraction (considering shoeing to be an indispensable evil) must
certainly be regarded as next in importance, as a preventive, to
getting quit of the shoe itself, or of part of it. The frog being
a body which in action operates in the expansion of the hoof, the
removal of it, or even the impairment of it, must, necessarily, give
facility to contraction. It therefore behooves us, in ordinary shoe-
ing, to look well to the preservation of the integrity of this im-
portant part of the foot.
The cutting away of the bars in shoeing, through robbing the
hoof of a couple of stays operating against the closure of its heels,
conduces to its contraction. Nature gave the bars as a sort of
buttress against either heel of the hoof, to oppose its drawing in-
ward, while the frog, placed between the heels, is operating in
forcing them asunder; consequently, if the bars be removed, the
expansive or counteractive powers of the hoof lose an agent they
can, in many cases, ill afford to be deprived of.
The contracting effects of heat and drought on the hoof may be
guarded against by keeping the horse’s stall free from ferment-
able litter, while the atmosphere of the stable is maintained cool
and unpolluted. The practice, also, of stopping horses’ feet (or,
what I believe to be better, of wearing swabs in the stable) will
‘likewise tend to guard against the contracting effects of these
agents. We now come to the
Treatment of contracted feet.—The first thing to determine, wnen-
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 347
ever a case of contraction is submitted to us for treatment, will be
whether it be one of the pure or mixed description. If the former,
the horse not therefore lame, and his feet be submitted to our in-
spection simply from the apprehension of his becoming lame, and
the contraction be on this account desired to be removed, the simple
and best means of doing so will be to substitute tips for the horse’s
ordinary shoes, and to order that he stand with his contracted feet
in cold water (or, what is better, in a bed of clay) for a couple of
hours, once or twice a day, he being allowed to lie down, as usual,
at night. By such a simple plan of treatment as this will his hoofs,
giving sufficiency of time for Nature to carry out her operations,
become restored to their pristine condition.”
The author’s method of treating contraction is, to soften the
hoof by soaking it often in warm water; then open the heels by
means of the drawing-knife; rasp the quarters of the hoof; then
pare the foot, but do not touch the bars nor frog; then put on a
light shoe, and use the animal, daily, at light work. It will be
proper, also, to anoint the hoof, frog, and sole occasionally with
a portion. of fish oil and spirits of turpentine, equal parts. This
will soon soften the hoof, and render it elastic.
HooF-BOUND.
This term is usually applied to hoofs that appear to be dry,
brittle, unyielding, and having the appearance of more or less
contraction at the heels. The hoof, under such circumstances,
‘pinches the foot,” as the saying is, or, rather, embraces the soft
tissues too closely. The consequence is, pain, fever, lameness, and
perhaps, finally, organic disease of the foot. The condition of the
foot termed hoof-bound usually occurs in horses laboring under
some predisposition to the same; that is to say, they have faulty
feet, which fault may be either functional or structural, and thus
the foot may be affected accordingly whenever the ordinary causes
of disease are in operation.
Causes.—The ordinary or exciting causes of diseases of the feet
are said to be faulty shoeing; allowing horses to stand on plank
floors, or in any situation which is likely to pervert the function
of the foot; sometimes the feet are very much neglected, and
scarcely, if ever, make the acquaintance of sponge and water, and
it is very certain that uncleanliness has a bad effect upon the feet,
348 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
as it is known to have on other parts of the body. “No prince
ever died of the plague,” shows that the ablutions daily practiced
by persons of refinement, occupying an exalted position in society,
operate as a preventive against even a mortal malady. Yet, not-
withstanding all this, it is proper for us to remark that some horses
are occasionally the subjects of foot maladies, notwithstanding the
very best system of shoeing is practiced on them ; and others, that
never stood on a plank floor or inclined plane, are in the same pre-
dicament; so, also, are some that have their feet washed often.
This goes to show that if animals under the very best care and
management get hoof-bound, or contracted feet, it is due to a pre-
disposition which they have either inherited or acquired, and, as
the old saying is, they would not enjoy bodily health unless they
were hoof-bound.
It is very evident that many diseases of the feet are traceable
to bad shoeing. Some persons seem to suppose that the foot of a
horse is as insensible as stone; and, when we see the blacksmith
wrenching off shoes by main force, often fracturing the hoof or
breaking off a portion of the bars, frog, and sole, with as little
care as a man would rough-trim a log, and afterward applying a
red-hot shoe to the thinned sole, we might be led to infer that the
foot is really insensible. The Hon. MarsHaLu P. WILDER thus
denounces such bad practice :
“1 know of no greater evidence of inhumanity to that noble
animal the horse, than the almost universal custom of paring down
the foot and burning on the shoe. It has ever, to my mind, been
among the barbarisms of the age, which I trust will be no longer
countenanced by civilized society ; and I sympathize with the
efforts of every one engaged in correcting such dangerous prac-
tices.” |
The practice, also, of using a pair of pinchers on the feet, in
view of discovering some real or supposed lameness, is equally
barbarous, and often results in bruises of the sole, and should,
therefore, be discountenanced,
Treatment.—The blacksmith should so prepare the foot and fit
the shoe that the frog may be brought in contact with the ground.
over which the horse travels. This not only prevents undue con-
cussion, which would otherwise occur, but tends, also, to expand
the heels, and preserve the natural tread and function of the foot.
Having prepared the foot in a proper manner, we then, if the sea-
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 349
son of the year permits, apply cold water to the hoofs, often and
freely. At night the feet are to be wiped perfectly dry, and, by
means of a sponge, a portion of the following mixture must be
rubbed on: Kerosene oil and honey, equal parts; or neats-foot
oil and turpentine, equal parts. Notwithstanding the very best
treatment, the restoration of the foot to comparative or natural
soundness will be a work of time, and sometimes, in bad cases, or
one of long standing, an impossibility ; yet the above treatment is
the best we are acquainted with. Some persons prefer to use
moistened clay, cow-dung, etc., but they are of no value, only in
consequence of the moisture they contain, and clean water is far
preferable.
' The Mechanism of the Hoof.—A- brief exposition of the mechan-
ism of the hoof may possibly interest the reader. The external
covering of the foot may be divided into four parts; namely, the
wall, bars, sole, and frog. The external portion, or wall, serves to
defend the sensitive tissues within. The wall, or hoof, is composed
of small filaments, or hollow tubes, consolidated in such a manner
as to preserve their canals distinct. These canals constitute the ex-
crementitious outlets of the hoof, from which morbid materials find
an outlet, and in these canals are found the vessels by which horn
is secreted or produced. The small vessels arising from the vas-
cular and nervous tissues of the foot proper enter, also, into these
canals, The bars are a continuation of the external portion just
described. They form an angle at the heels, which terminates to-
ward the toe. They thus serve to give strength and durability to
the hoof, and also to prevent contraction at the heels. When
these bars are cut away or demolished by means of the butteris,
then the foot often goes to “rack and ruin.” The sole is much
more elastic than the crust, and is a medium of the sensitive fac-
ulty, through which, together with its powers of electricity, the
percussion of the foot against the ground is regulated. The frog
is much more elastic than either of the parts just described. Any
unnecessary paring of the same is a monstrous evil.
On the internal portion of the above-named parts we find a
beautiful set of leaves (lamin), resembling those found in the
under surface of a mushroom, Their number is said to be five
hundred. These articulate with a like number given off from the
sensitive tissnes of the foot proper, each lamine having two sides
and an edge, from a series of articulations, numbering three thou-
350 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
sand. The whole surface of these articulations measures four
square feet; hence, the horse having four feet, his body rests on
sixteen square feet of surface, all contained within his hoofs.
The reader will probably realize that a knowledge of the anat-
omy and physiology of the foot is absolutely necessary, in order
to practice, with any degree of success, the art of shoeing. How
is this knowledge to be obtained? Can it be furnished at the
forge, in the blacksmith shop? Can such a complicated piece of
mechanism be thoroughly understood by the craftsmen of the
forge, who have never made the subject one of scientific inquiry ?
Let it not be understood that I am in a fault-finding mood.
The fact is, the husbandmen of this country have failed to put
their shoulders to the wheel for the purpose of establishing and
endowing veterinary schools in this country, and if blacksmiths
and “vets” do not understand the anatomy of horses feet, the for-
mer, who have vast interests at stake, must come in for a share of
the blame. On the other hand, we are disposed to be charitable
toward blacksmiths; and, taking into consideration the unyielding
nature of our paved streets, and the rough ground over which
some poor animals are forced to travel, the wonder is, that their
feet are not oftener diseased.
LAMINITIS, oR AcUTE DISEASE OF THE LAMINZ OF
THE Foor.
Laminitis, or fever in the feet, is an acute affection, confined to
the sensitive tissues within the hoof. It is one of the most pain-
ful maladies to which the horse is subject.
Symptoms.—It manifests itself, very frequently, after a long
drive or race. The horse may be put into the stable at night all
right. In the morning he is observed to be all in a heap, as the
saying is—his flesh quivering, pulse very active, respirations quick
and jerking; the flanks are tucked up, the back is roached, and the
fore-feet are sent forward, so that the animal treads on his heels;
and, when compelled to move, he endeavors to throw the weight
of his body on the hind legs. He is thirsty and feverish, but has
no appetite. All appearances about him indicate that he suffers
great pain. When a hand is placed upon the fore-feet, they feel
unnaturally hot. Such are the most prominent symptoms of
laminitis, or fever in the feet.
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 861
Treatment.—The principal objects to be accomplished are, to
keep the feet cool by frequent sponging with cold water; next, the
bowels must be kept loose my means of bran-mashes, or, if neces-
sary, a dose of Glauber salts—dose, twelve ounces, dissolved in a
pint of warm water, to which add half a gill of syrup—and an
occasional enema of soap-suds, and also a few doses of fluid extract
of gelseminum, say two drachms night and morning. This is the
kind of treatment that the author has found most successful dur-
ing a long period of practice.
EXTREMITY OF ONE OF THE FORE LIMBS.
EXPLANATION.—a, The region of the coronet; b, The sensitive lamin; ce, The point of the
toe; d, The quarters; e, The heel; f, The sole; g, The solar border.
Many who treat such diseases are apt to do too much. Youatt,
and several other writers, recommend repeated bleedings, blisters,
and purges, and even tell us to bleed in the chronic stage. This
is all wrong, and such outrageous treatment is almost sure to end
in suppuration, founder, or ruin. (See article on Inflammation.)
The patient must be kept at rest, and, if he should lie down, must
not be disturbed. I never remove the shoes, because the patient
is in so much pain that he can not stand on the frog or sole, and
the shoes are a protection to the frog.
352 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
SAND-CRACK.
“The name of sand-crack seems of questionable application. It
is, evidently, a compound of the word sand and crack, as though
it denoted a crack with sand in it, ora crack occurring in a sandy
country, or in a dry, sandy season, which several derivations have
been ascribed to the term. May not the word sand admit of res-
olution into its primitive signification, and mean in this, as in
other instances, a sundered crack? A sand-crack may be defined
to be a longitudinal division in the fibers of the wall of the hoof,
amounting to a flaw simply, or else to a cleft or fissure through
the substance of the horn.
The direction of the crack is slanting, from above downward,
and from behind forward, following the course of the fibers of the
hoof. A sand-crack in the side of the wall slants more than one
in front, owing to the greater obliquity of the course of the horny
fibers, as we proceed from the toe to the heel of the foot.
There are two kinds of sand-erack, quarter sand-crack and toe
sand-crack, the former occurring in the fore, the latter in the hind
foot. At least this is generally the case. It is rare to find the
reverse, though there are occasions on which we meet with sand-
crack in the toe of the fore-foot and the quarter of the hind foot.
It is possible for cracks to occur in other parts of the hoof; but
in these two situations it is that veritable sand-crack occurs, and
there are here, as we shall find hereafter, special causes for their
production, Let us first consider
QUARTER CRACK.
The situation of this crack’ is the slanting line of the wall of
the hoof, directly opposed to the extremity of the wing of the
coffin bone ; and it is oftener found in the inner than in the outer
quarter, added to which the hoof in which sand-crack occurs is
always a contracted one, quarter sand-crack, no more than toe
sand-crack, neyer happening in a hoof disposed to obliquity and
flatness. The same description of foot which is predisposed to
contraction is, for the same reasons, predisposed to sand-crack.
There is an obvious connection between contraction and quarter
sand-crack. The light, near-the-ground stepping horse, with
strong, narrow, upright hoofs. will be equally likely, under cer-
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 353
tain conditions, to have the heels of his fore hoofs becoming con-
tracted, and exhibiting quarter sand-cracks. Hot stables conduce
to this, but, more still, hot climates. Hurtrel d’Arboval informs
us that at the time the French army was in Egypt, their horses
were continually having sand-cracks; and he adds that long
voyages on board of ship are, on some occasions, attended with
like results,
The proximate cause of quarter sand-crack is, then, contraction.
The horn, from dryness, or other cause, rendered cracky and
fragile, breaks at the quarter of the wall, from being at that
part bent across the edge of the ala of the coffin bone, during the
curving in of the heel, the result of contraction ; and this oftenest
happens to the inner quarter, from its being the thinner and
weaker one, as well as from being the one which is the first and
most disposed to contract—not that sand-crack is the necessary
consequence of contraction, but that contraction becomes a neces-
sary precursor to sand-crack. If this were not the explanation
of the case, sand-crack would be as likely to occur in any part of
the wall as at the quarter, and on the outer as often as on the
inner side of the wall. This likewise accounts for the compara-
tive unfrequency of quarter sand-crack at the present day among
our nag and cavalry horses, since that which has tended to dimin-
ish the frequency of contraction has had the same effect in regard
to the occurrence of sand-crack. Greater attention to shoeing,
and increased care about the condition of the hoof itself, has, no
doubt, had a very beneficial effect in the prevention both of con-
traction and sand-crack.
The origin of sand-crack is usually sudden, both in the fore
and hind feet, though in the former case, from its situation in the ©
inner quarter, a part not exposed to transient view, it is possible
for a crack to exist for some time, unless lameness happens to
arise from it without being discovered. The crack first takes place
'through the superior or coronary border of the hoof, that being
‘composed of newly-formed horn, and, consequently, thin and
fragile. Quickly it extends downward, through the thickest part
of the wall, stopping, as it does in some instances, at least for a
time, half way down, and afterward reaching nearly or quite to
the bottom.
Sand-crack is either penetrant or non-penetrant. It is usually
penetrant, by which we mean the crack extends completely through
23
304 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the thickness of the hoof, and produces lesion of the sensitive parts
underneath the horn, giving rise to some little hemorrhage in the
first instance, and subsequently to more or less inflammation—
occasionally, even to suppuration, depending, of course, on the
extent and nature and duration of the lesion, as well as on any
treatment, or aggravation from non-treatment, it may have re-
ceived since being occasioned. When the crack does not extend
through the substance of the wall—which it sometimes does not
at first, though it may do so afterward—it may be said to be non-
penetrant; and this, when it happens, seems to be referable to
a sort of natural fusion there certainly exists between the solid
horn, as it descends from its secreting gland, (the coronet,) and
the horny lamin (new matter), which become glued to it in its
course downward. It isin this uniting horny medium that seedy
toe commences and progresses.
Lameness is the usual accompaniment of penetrant sand-crack,
but not the invariable one. When penetrant it is said to arise
from the sensitive laminz getting pinched between the sides of
the crack. However this may be, inflammation following the
lesion has certainly its share in causing pain during action. In
general, the lameness does not amount to much, nor is it of long
duration, provided the sand-crack receive proper and timely at-
tention ; but if the crack is not heeded, action of the foot will much
ageravate the malady, and end in lameness increased so much as
fo)
to forbid further use being made of the animal.
ToE SAND-CRACK.
Occurring in the hind foot, as this crack almost invariably
‘does, occupying a different situation in the hoof, and arising alto-
gether from a different cause, toe sand-crack may be regarded as
almost a distinct affection.
The subject of it is not the light horse, but the heavy one—the
art and wagon-horse, the dray-horse, the latter especially ; and
in particular, I believe, in paved cities, they are the sufferers from
this disease. I say ‘sufferers,’ because it is only those veterinary
surgeons whose practice lies among horses of this description that
have any conception of the amount of pain and irritation with
which sand-crack—simple as it may seem to those who are in the
habit of meeting quarter crack only—is found to be accompanied,
———————e
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 355
The cause of toe sand-crack is violence. Shoeing, also, may
have something to do in its production. The horses who are the
subjects of it are those employed in laborious and straining draft.
The toe of the hind foot is the grand fulerum through which the
hind limbs, the propellers of the body, exert their power; and it
is in some violent and forcible effort that the hind hoof, strained
as it is to its uttermost, and in particular at the toe, splits, com-
monly first at the coronet, the same as in the fore-foot, where the
horn, but newly-formed, is then unresisting, the crack subse-
quently extending gradually down the wall, even as far as the
point of the toe. Digging the tip of the toe into the ground, or
stamping it hard down upon the pavement, and especially when
this stress upon the forepart of the wall is at all times promoted
by high caulkings to the shoe, must certainly, one would think,
be the main producer of toe sand-crack—an opinion still further
favored by the observation which has been made of shaft-horses
in drays being more subject to the accident than trace-horses,
Still, however, for all this, it behooves me to say that, with the
best judges of such matters, the point is one not yet set free from
doubt and difference of thinking. Short and upright pasterns,
with clubby prominent hoofs, indicate a predisposition to toe sand-
crack, the disease being in no instances seen in flat, shelvy, ob-
lique hoofs. It is said sand-crack may originate in tread. Un-
doubtedly any lesion of the coronary body, sufficient to injure or
destroy its secretory apparatus, may occasion imperfect or morbid
formation of horn, or loss of horn altogether; but I do not believe
this to be a very common cause of sand-crack.
The consequences of sand-crack in the hind hoof are, as I have
before hinted, apt to be of a much more serious nature than any
usually arising from a quarter sand-crack. Whether the crack
extend to the bottom of the wall or not, being uniformly of the
-penetrant description, lameness, to greater or less degree, is the
‘invariable result. And when the fissure does reach down to the
toe, the wall opens and exposes the laminz, probably the whole
‘way from the coronet downward, the consequence of which is in-
‘flammation and suppuration ef those parts, and sometimes even
‘mortification and sloughing of them; and not of them alone, but
of the bone to which they are attached as well, which not unfre-
quently runs into a state of caries, ending in defalcation of sub-
‘stance, to be filled up by the effusion of callus, which usually
356 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
terminates in exostosis, coated with some tissue very imperfectly
representing the original laminated structure.
Mr. Braby, the intelligent veterinary surgeon to Messrs. Bar-
clay and Perkins’ establishment, to whom I am indebted for much
of the information I possess on this part of my subject, has had
many cases of this description, one of which, of extraordinary char-
acter, I shall relate here. One of his dray horses had suffered long
and severely from toe sand-crack in one hind foot, but, at length,
had recovered, and returned to work. Some time afterward, how-
ever, during the season of influenza, he was attacked with a vio-
lent laryngitis, which increased to a degree to call for the operation
of tracheotomy, to save him from suffocation. Notwithstanding
this temporary salvation, however, the patient, in the end, suc-
cumbed to the disease. His post-mortem examination became
doubly attractive, owing to the circumstance of the long-standing
and obstinate sand-crack he had suffered from heretofore, and the
result in this latter respect proved extremely interesting. Tha
coffin bone, along its front, occupying the line of the surface be-~
tween the coronal process and the toe, exhibited a channel or loss
of substance half an inch in breadth, and fully the same in depth,
thereby robbing it of a quarter of an inch of its solid diameter.
This, of course, left the bone considerably weakened, the result of
which subsequently was, transverse fracture in two places, the
fractures commencing upon the articulatory surface, whence they
extended directly crosswise through the middle of its body, so as
to become apparent upon its concave surface underneath. In
addition to this, growing from the laminated interior of the wall
of the hoof, opposite to the middle or deepest part of the channel
in the coffin bone, was a projection of hard, horny, callous sub-
stance, having a covering of imperfectly-formed horny lamine.
At the time this horse was suffering in the greatest degree from
this extraordinary product of sand-crack, constitutional irritation
ran so high as even to create alarm for the animal’s life. The ©
treatment of sand-crack, whether it be in the quarter or in the toe, |
will have to be conducted upon principles applicable to both forms :
of the disease, though one must be regarded as of much more con- _
sequence than the other. The treatment of quarter sand-crack, |
generally speaking, is but comparatively a simple affair; indeed, ©
so lightly is it looked upon by horsemen in general, that we should _
run some risk of their displeasure, and our own reputation as _
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 357
well, were we to talk about laying a horse up for so trifling an
accident. Nay, some horses, with non-penetrant sand-cracks, or
with sand-cracks that have been penetrant, but have become horned
over, showing little or no lameness, continue to work on without
evincing any pain or inconvenience from them. Whether a horse
be lame or not, however, should he have a sand-crack, and we be
consulted about it, it becomes our duty to arrest the extension of
the crack so long as it be but partial; and, besides that, to take
measures for the cure or permanent removal of the crack. The
owner of the horse should be given to understand that no flaw or
crack in the hoof can, by possibility, unite the same as a wound
in a vital part does, but must, as the saying is, grow down; that
is, must be replaced by new horn, and be itself, by degrees, re-
newed, as it continues to come under the operation of the drawing-
knife every time the horse is fresh shod; so that, in fact, the cure,
or obliteration of the crack, is necessarily a work of some months,
though the lameness may be cured in as many hours or days.
Paring out the crack, the shoe being taken off the foot, is the
first thing to be done. The cutting cautiously away of its rugged
edges, and the scooping out, with a light hand, (probably with
the back of the drawing-knife,) of its cavity, will enable us to
examine into the condition of it. Should there be no lesion or
exposure of the lamine detectable, nothing further will be needed
from the drawing-knife than the cleaning out of the erack.
Firing the crack is the next operation. Cross-firing will be
advisable below or above, or in both situations, according to cir-
cumstances. So long as the crack has not reached to the bottom
of the wall, it will be requisite, with an ordinary firing-iron, at a
red heat, to burn a deep but short fissure, or ‘mark,’ across its
lower extremity; and whether a similar operation be required
across the superior termination of the crack, must depend upon
its extension or not through the horn at the coronet. If there be
any interval of sound horn between the hair and the crack, of
sufficient breadth and substance to bear firing, a very slight burn
may do good. In all cases it is the practice to finish the firing
with running the sharp edge of the iron down the crack; and this
certainly proves beneficial in destroying any tendency there may
_ be (supposing the laminz to have become denuded) to abnormal
| action, as well to stimulate any vascular parts exposed to issue
i horny matter to cover in the bottom of the crack.
358 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Binding up the crack is a good practice after firing. With a
wax-end of sufficient length (such as shoemakers use) bind round
the wall of the hoof, so that any tar or pitch-plaster it may be
deemed advisable to place in or upon the crack may be maintained
there; at the same time the hoof itself is, by the tight binding,
restricted in any tendency it may have to expand, and thereby
open wider the crack.
A bar-shoe is the preferable one for a sand-cracked foot. By
it, the bearing being taken off that part of the wall which is oppo-
site to the crack, the pressure and jar, so continually splitting
afresh the new-formed horn over the crack at the coronet, is put
a stop to, the formation of an undivided coronary horny band be-
ing the commencement of the radical cure of the sand-crack. As
T said before, horn being an inorganic substance, no union what-
ever can take place in the crack itself. Permanent cure can be
effected only through obliteration by the growing out or down of
the crack. This, I repeat, is the reason why a sand-crack occupies
so long a time in its removal; though, by way of compensation, a
horse is not kept out of work while cure is being effected; for,
after the crack has been bound up, and the hoof shod with a bar-
shoe, it is quite surprising to find how soundly and firmly the
animal sometimes steps upon the foot of which he had but now
been so lame.
The treatment adopted by the late Mr. Read, V. S8., of Cred-
iton, carries the same object into execution, through a different
method of procedure. This, as detailed in the volume of the
‘Veterinarian’ for 1848, consists in simply isolating the fissure
within the segment of a circle, by means of an ordinary firing-
iron. The best plan is to operate with the heel of the iron, be-
ginning at the coronet with either extremity of the segment, and
bringing the iron to a finish at the center. The iron should be at
a strong red heat, and be carried through the horny crust until it
touches lightly the sensible laminee, and so throughout the entire
semicircle. As you recede from the coronet, so, in proportion,
you will require to deepen the fissure in the crust. The iron
ought to be applied every week or ten days. The first effect de-
sirable to be produced is a bulging of the crust around the coronet —
within the segment, and when once this is fairly established, the
cure may be said to be effected, it being seldom necessary to apply
the cautery afterward. The old method of making a line with
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 359
the iron across the fissure can not prevent the opening and closure
of the fissure during the action of the foot ;. whereas, isolating the
fissure (or part of it) within the segment of a circle completely
effects the object. No tar-cord or strapping, or alteration of the
shoe, is required to limit the motion of the crust, all motion being
suspended within the segment, and especially after bulging has
commenced.
The objects of treatment, after what has been stated, will clearly
appear to be, first, to place the hoof in such a condition as shall
not render it liable to crack again; second, to remove that state
of it which, in the first instance, disposed it to crack, if it were
not of itself the immediate cause of cracking. The way in which
the first object is effected has been already shown, and when this
has become accomplished, past all risk of return, we may set about
to bring into effect the second. A bar-shoe, from its taking the
bearing off the quarters and placing it upon the frog, will, in a
measure, give facility to what we now are desirous of preventing ;
namely, the expansion of the heels of the foot; but a tip (pro-
viding it can be worn, which it frequently may, with great ad-
vantage, after a bar-shoe) will bring about greater reform still—
will, in fact, by persistence in its use, bring about, in time, that
improved form of hoof which will be no more liable to quarter
sand-crack.
The treatment of toe sand-crack is, in some respects, a different
affair from that of quarter sand-crack. This disease is not only
different in its relative situation as regards other parts of the foot,
but it arises, as we have seen, from a totally different causation.
When once it has occurred, it becomes, compared with the other,
a serious affair. The horse is lame, too lame to continue his work,
probably, and we have a penetrant crack to deal with, extending
all, or nearly all, the way from the coronet to the toe, discharging
blood, or, perhaps, matter of some ichorous, offensive description,
plainly calling upon us for, not binding up, ete., as in the former
ease, but for opening, cleansing, and dressing the same. The shoe
being taken off, let the crack be pared out, and freed ‘from all
horny rags and asperities, and laid completely open to view, so
that the bottom can be inspected and dressed with whatever may
be deemed requisite. In fact, when once the fissure is dilated into
a clean and open channel by the drawing-knife, warm baths or
poultices, or dressings of any kind, as may become necessary, are
360 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
now applicable, the case being in this stage no more than one of
dilated sinus in the foot, similar to what might, in another situa-
tion, be called quittor. As with the quarter sand-crack, the cure
will, of course, be tedious in its duration, since we know that all
complete repair can only come from the coronet. The sensitive
lamine having the power of secreting horny lamine, may, as in
the quarter crack, issue a sort of horny covering-in of the bottom
of the fissure; but fissure or cleft will ever remain so long as an
integral formation of horn does not grow down from the source of
secretion.
Whenever the horse is in a condition for work, a bar-shoe, so
made that at the toe the sides of the shoe remain unjoined together,
an interval being left of sufficient width to receive the crack in
front of the hoof, is, perhaps, the best. Binding the hoof up with
circles of wax-end, as in the case of quarter sand-crack, with some
plaster or dressing underneath it, will also now become advisable,
It will restrict the spreading inclination of the hoof, as well as
keep dirt and wet out of the crack. Repetition of this, and the
continuance of the bar-shoe, will be required so long as there ap-
pears any risk of an extension or renewal of the crack.’ ” *
The diseases of the hoof here alluded to are very apt to occur in
horses whose walls of the hoof’ are thin and brittle. They are, to
a certain extent, non-elastic, and, therefore, do not ward off the
necessary amount of concussion when the animal is traveling over
hard roads. At the same time there is always a liability to incip-
ient and permanent contraction in such hoof. More especially is
this the case when the foot is mutilated by paring or cutting away
the bars (the main stages or supports which prevent the heels
approximating). These are the kind of feet on which the but-
teris-knife and rasp should be used with great caution ; for, being
naturally weak, and perhaps congenitally defective in the function
of secreting horn, and the necessary amount of moisture to keep
the part pliant, any unnecessary tinkering with such tools is inad-
missible. Such hoofs lack moisture; therefore they should be
well soaked, night and morning, in warm water ; afterward wiped
dry, and then smeared with a portion of the following :
Nowa TaeNieats-footiol si. aka ua ee 8 oz.
GOTO SEM E e Weetelias giclee eraver suse 4 oz.
Mam -DlaCk es: ./< e's o's 6 s\eieic c/s 6 1 table-spoonful.
* London “ Veterinarian.”
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 361
Mix well, and apply twice daily, by means of a common varnish-
brush.
Very many diseases of the feet, which are of daily occurrence,
might be prevented by proper attention to the feet. ‘“ No foot, no
horse ;” hence the feet need to be kept as free from filth as other
parts of the body. I think that a great majority of English
grooms pay as much, if not more, attention to horses feet than to
other parts of the body, and thus many forms of foot lameness are
avoided.
CURVATURE AND DISEASE OF THE SPINE.
The annexed engraving, represents a case of curvature of the
spine in a downward direction, known in stable language as hol-
low back. It usually, when it makes its appearance, occurs in
aged horses, and probably arises from putting too much weight
on the animal’s back.
yi) 4 oy
af et i ‘ ei raft
i i Hi KN i
Ht | | tt \ i
SECTION OF THE SPINE.
It will be observed that two of the superior spinous processes
of the vertebree are united (anchylosed), and ossific deposits are
thrown out on the surfaces of the spine. On the lower part, be-
neath the diseased spine, a cleft is seen, showing that there is an
incomplete dislocation, and the capsular ligament was probably
dislocated or torn.
It may be interesting to the reader to know, if he does not
already, that the bones, like other parts of the body, are composed
of arteries, veins, absorbent vessels, nerves, and a cellular texture.”
They are endowed with vitality, are nourished, grow, waste, and
are repaired, and undergo various mutations, according to the age
of the animal; and they are subject to disease analagous to the
362 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
soft parts. To the phosphate of lime, which is, more or less, dis-
tributed in their texture, they owe their solidity; and perhaps it
is to the same earthy substance that the difference in their vital
properties, and in their diseases from those of the rest of the body,
is to be referred. In fact, this particular organization and inferior
vitality of the bones are generally supposed to account for the
small number, peculiar character, and general slow progress of
their diseases.
Treatment.—So soon as a horse shows any symptom of undue
curvature of the spine, he must not be used under the saddle ; but,
provided he can work, he may be used lightly in a buggy. If
unfit for work, the owner knows what is best to do with him. I
should give an animal afflicted with this disease a wine-glassful of
cod-liver oil, two or three times per week, and one table-spoonful
of flour of bone, every night, in the food. If this article can not
be procured, substitute for it phosphate of lime.
OsTEo PorosiIs (KNOWN AS Bic HEAD AND Bie Jaw).
The terms big head and big jaw#are used by husbandmen and
others in Ohio, and, indeed, throughout the Great West and South,
to designate a disease of the bony structure of the horse—a disease
about which very little of a reliable character has ever been said
or written; yet the subject is one of great importance to the peo-
ple of this country, for the simple reason that the evil is one of
alarming proportions; and should the disease multiply in a ratio
equal to that of the past few years, it will be a terrible blow to the
laudable and hitherto profitable enterprise of raising colts in sec-
tions where this disease prevails.
We do not wish to create any unnecessary alarm, but urge the
husbandmen of the South and South-west to give this subject
their earnest consideration ; for the disease probably has an hered-
itary origin—is “inbred ”’g-and that, as the saying is, “ constitutes
the root of the evil.” The disease having been pronounced incur-
able, our only hopes of success in putting a stop to its propaga-
tion and development is, to adopt preventive measures, by reject-
‘ing, as breeders, all animals (sire and dam) that show the least
predisposition to or for this affection.
Let the reader understand that the disease itself is incurable in
so far as the enlargement, dilatation, and softening of the jaw-
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 363
bones are concerned ; yet, like spavin, ring-bone, and various other
diseases, it is accompanied, in certain stages, by pain and lameness,
and our services as physicians are only secured in view of remoy-
ing this pain and lameness, so that the animal may be enabled to
perform the ordinary equine duties. This is what some persons
please to term a cure, whereas it almost always happens that some
alteration in the structure of the parts remains, which actually
renders the horse unsound, because he has that about him which
may, from overwork or other exciting causes, impair his useful-
ness.
i
\
THE PATELLA, OR STIFLE BONE.
This cut shows the appearance of disease on articulatory surfaces when the animal is the
subject of Osteo Porosis, or Big Head.
As regards the “alarming” features of big head or big jaw, we
would inform the reader that almost every lame horse examined
by us, during a period of six months, in Ohio, had either one or
the other jaw enlarged. In some cases one angle of the lower jaw
was the seat of thickening and enlargement, but among the majority
both angles were affected. These remarks do not apply to other
obvious or accidental lamenesses which are constantly occurring.
A short time ago we visited, in company with a practicing vet-
erinarian whose attention had never been called to this affection,
three horses, the subjects of lameness, which was said to be occa-
sioned by eating Hungarian grass. To the astonishment of the
parties concerned, we demonstrated that they were all the subjects
of enlargements of the lower jaws. From the history of the cases,
364 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and the character of the lameness, it was very evident that it was
of an inter-articular character, and this is a peculiar feature of this
affection. Then, again, the reader must bear in mind that the jaws
of animals do not dilate nor enlarge suddenly, nor make their ap-
pearance all at once, like a meteor in the regions of space. The
affection is insidious, progresses in an. almost imperceptible manner,
and usually escapes the notice of those who daily have charge of and
handle the animal, as the following case, which is selected from
among others, will serve to illustrate :
A few years ago a gentleman purchased what then appeared as
a fine family horse—a sorrel gelding, aged five years. About the
beginning of March, one year after the purchase, in attempting to
walk the animal from one stable to another, but a short distance
off, he became suddenly lame in one of the hind limbs, low down,
toward the foot, and it was found almost impossible to urge him
forward. Finally, assistance was procured, and the animal had,
literally, to be carried into a stable. Our services having been
secured, we visited the sufferer, and found him standing on three
legs, the near hind one being placed resting on the toe. The parts
around the coronet were hot, and the patient was very unwilling
to have the parts handled. He seemed to suffer much pain, was
breathing hurriedly, and the pulsations were quick and wiry. The
near approach of any person seemed to terrify the animal, and he
actually trembled, from fear and pain, when urged to move. On
making an examination of the jaws, we found that both angles
of the lower jaw were enlarged to about two inches in thickness.
This explained the nature of the sudden and otherwise mysterious
lameness. The articulating surfaces of various bones, and the
bones themselves, had become diseased, as is often the case in
big jaw. The owner assured us that the horse had never before
been lame, and he was very much surprised to find the lower jaw
enlarged. .
Here the reader will perceive that the animal had been in the
owner’s possession one year; had performed ordinary duty, yet
was the subject of a gradual enlargement of the jaw and a consti-
tutional disease, which probably existed, yet in a slight degree, at
the time of purchase.. Hence we contend that the disease, in its
early stages, is of a hidden or insidious character, and requires some
tact and knowledge of the subject in order to detect it.
Nature of the disease.—Big head and big jaw are but one form
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 365
of disease, only located in different parts. When the upper jaw
becomes the seat of affection, an enlargement of the facial bones
will be observed, and the examiner’s attention will be attracted by
the unnatural appearance of the face. As the disease progresses,
ARTICULATING SURFACE OF THE THIGH BONE.
Expianation—1 11, Articulating surface of the lower or inferior part of the thigh bone occur
ring in the disease known as Osteo Porosis, or Big Head.
the face looks more like that of an elephant than a horse; and now,
the disease being incurable, the subject should mercifully be put
out of his misery. The enlargement of the lower jaw is discov-
ered by manipulation. On removing the skin from the sides of
the face of such a subject, and dissecting the muscles and perios-
teum (covering of bone), the bones appear to have undergone a
softening process, and particles can be separated by means of the
finger-nails. At the same time, if a transverse section of any of
the shaft-bones be made, they will be found to have undergone
structural changes. For example, they will not only appear soft-
ened, but honey-combed, and many of the lamin and cartilagi-
nous braces will have been decomposed or dissolved, so that the
bone looks like fibrous net-work. In most cases, the vacuities
366 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and canals are filled with material resembling soft cheese, which
is probably fatty matter. This occasionally degenerates into pus.
Dr. Gorpon forwarded me, some time ago, the head of a horse
who had long been the subject of this malady. The transverse
diameter of the bones of both upper and lower jaw was very much
enlarged; the periosteum was very highly organized with blood-
vessels; the bones were softened and elastic, and could be easily
cut with a knife. On submitting them to the acid test, earthy
matter was found in excess, and, by burning them, it was found
that they contained very little animal matter; hence we were led
to infer that the disease was one of mal-nutrition. The articular
surfaces of various bones, and sometimes all the bones of the body,
are often ulcerated and studded with incrustations. ‘This explains
the why and wherefore of the sudden and tormenting pains which
animals suffer, and goes to show how little of benefit can be ex-
pected from the ordinary treatment, which is principally directed
to the enlarged jaws.
On removing these diseased cartilages from the articulating
surfaces of the bones, the latter are found to be affected—in fact,
ulcerated. In some cases the ligaments and tendons are separated
by decomposition, or necrosis of bone, and the animal “breaks
down,” as the saying is.
The subjects of this disease sometimes show lameness in the
vertebral region, and in that of the head of the thigh bone. In
such cases, we may safely infer that the lameness is of an articular
character, and the interticular cartilages, as well as the surfaces of
the bones, are incrustated and ulcerated. In this condition, the
animal is liable to become useless, or “break down” at any mo-
ment. ‘The following case will illustrate what is meant by break-
ing down:
We were requested, a short time ago, by Prof. Muzzy, to ex-
amine an aged gray gelding, the subject of lameness in the hind
feet. Examination revealed considerable heat, tenderness, and
tumefaction around both the hind coronets, and both angles of the
lower jaw were much enlarged in their transverse diameters. We
advised the owner to let the animal have a run at grass. Accord-
ingly he was sent into the country about thirty miles, which was
too long a journey for him. A few days afterward, Prof. Muzzy
received a letter that the horse’s strings (tendons) became loose,
and he broke down and traveled on his fetlocks, and was then
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 367
dead. We infer that necrosis took place, and the extensor ten-
dons lost their attachment, which accounted for his breaking down.
Prof. VARNELL lately consulted Dr. Haruey, of London, in
reference to this formidable malady, which is said to havé been
almost unknown in England until November, 1859, when several
cases occurred among some horses the property of Mr. Champion
Calcot, near Reading. ‘Three of this gentleman’s animals had
died, a fourth was not expected to live many days, and two others
were laboring under the same disease, in a less acute form. The
most singular feature of the disease, as it appeared on the prem-
ises of Mr. Calcot, was, that it did not appear to owe its “origin
to any perceivable cause, and it was not known to be prevalent in
any other part of England. Still, our opinion is that it does
exist in that country, only, not being suspected, is not sought for.
It prevails very extensively among horses brought to Ohio, and
hundreds of horses have been purchased for the American Goy-
ernment having more or less enlargement of the lower jaw, yet
we do not believe that either seller or purchaser suspected the
same. This arises from a lack of knowledge on the subject, and
the same remarks, as far as our ignorance of the subject is con-
cerned, may apply to England.
In answer to questions put to Mr. Calcot on the subject of man-
agement, etc., he contends that the affected animals had plenty
of exercise. ‘There were no chemical factories or works in the
vicinity. One horse affected was purchased at a distance; the
rest had been bred on his farm. The sires and dams all appeared
free from the disease, and they were not all got by the same sire.
The food consisted of good grass, hay, pollard, oatmeal, and roots.
Other horses were on the farm, fed in the same manner as the
affected ones, yet they had no symptoms of the disease. (Perhaps
they will show symptoms when the jaws shall be examined. They
may have the disease, yet not be lame nor apparently ailing.)
Mr. Calcot never saw a case of the kind before.
From the above testimony, we may infer that the causes of this
affection are not yet discovered in England; but our impression
is that overfeeding has a good deal to do in the production of
the malady. It appears to me that this disease, as I have already
stated, is one of malnutrition, or defective nourishment; hence
may be considered as a scorbutic affection, like that affecting the
human subject, which is known to be the result of faulty nutri-
368 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
tion, and which often results in division of bony parts which
were once immovable (the epiphysis of the pelvis, for example) ;
also in the separation of cartilages from the ribs, and the shaft
bones softened and ruined by caries (ulceration or death of bones).
Big head and big jaw are terms sufficiently explicit in ordinary
conversation ; but, in view of scientific inquiry, it is necessary to
employ terms indicative of the pathology of the disease. We can
not expect, however, to select any one name that shall apply to
all the pathological conditions during the rise, progress, and ter-
mination of this peculiar malady. The condition of the bones
is a state of enlargement, (porousness and softening ;) hence the
name osteo porosis.
Causes.—We have already informed the reader that the disease
may have an hereditary origin; otherwise, we can not account for
its universal prevalence. In certain localities, under the ordinary
modes of feeding and general management, we grant that at first
the disease might have had an accidental or spontaneous origin,
and finally become permanent and transmissible. For example,
glanders and farcy afford illustrations of a spontaneous disease
becoming contagious and transmissible. There must have been a
time when neither of the two latter diseases existed ; hence, when
the first subject became glandered, he could not have taken it by
infection or by contagion, but it must have had a spontaneous
origin, and, finally, became permanent. We do not pretend to
urge that the active disease itself is transmissible; yet, in certain
cases, a predisposition is transferred to the progeny. ‘This may
be called the predisposing cause ; the ordinary exciting causes are
those which disturb and derange the digestive function. The
digestive or nutritive function is deranged, both by excessive and
defective functional labors, or by the animal existing on food that
does not contain the necessary amount of nitrogenous or muscle-
making matter. This is the case when Indian corn is used as
food for a great length of time. It is hard to digest, is deficient
in nitrogen, and almost always over-distends the stomach; for,
when submitted to the action of heat and the gastric fluids, it
increases in bulk to about five or six times its original capacity.
I have noticed that where much whole corn is fed, as in Ohio and
Indiana, the disease is most prevalent. Associated with the pre-
disposing causes are others—for example, hard usage, sore abuse,
and bad stable management.
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 369
This disease is rarely ever heard of in England, probably from
the fact that the food of horses is rich in phosphates and nitrogen,
while corn contains more of starchy matter, which, instead of fur-
nishing material for the preparation of muscular or animal matter,
merely furnishes that which is consumed in process of respiration.
Treatment.—The ordinary treatment, as practiced by some per-
sons, is to bore into the jaw-bone, and inject the same with some
corrosive poison. Others expose the jaw-bone, and saw out a
section of the same. Some persons blister, or apply preparations
of iodine. Such treatment, I think, only tends to create unneces-
sary irritation and pain, and can not possibly be of any benefit;
for I contend that the disease is not local, but constitutional, and
the reader will probably, after perusing this dissertation, come to
the same conclusion. The disease has extensive ramifications in
various parts of the bony fabric, and, therefore, the local treatment
must fail in curing the malady. Cases may arise which require
surgical operations, and if so, I have no objections to offer. I
have often been told that horses, after having all sorts of barbar-
ities practiced on them, have recovered. ‘This, so far as the treat-
ment is concerned, is in accordance with the spirit of the old
error, “ He got well after taking my medicine; therefore, in con-
sequence of taking it.” This is assuming a falsehood for a fact,
and then giving fanciful reasons for it.
In view both of prevention and cure of this organic disease of
the bones and their articulations, more is to be accomplished by
regimen than by medicine. The animal should always be pro-
vided with wholesome diet, and whenever green vegetables can be
obtained, they should be fed liberally, or, what is much better,
provided the season permits, allow the animal to roam in 9, pasture.
Whenever I have a case of this kind under treatment, I furnish
apples, beets, carrots, cabbage, or any other kind of vegetable that
Ican procure. I find that such articles are usually devoured with
good relish. The object in feeding green food is to combat the
scorbutic diathesis which usually exists. The patient should also
be allowed from five to seven quarts of oats per day.
When a horse with an enlargement of the lower or upper jaw
is suddenly attacked with acute lameness, he should be placed in
a wide stall, and the parts where the lameness appears to be lo-
eated, as well as the jaws, should be diligently rubbed, twice daily,
with a portion of the following:
24
370 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
No. 58. Spirits of camphor..... siajiekelleyolede(eyshetere 6 oz.
Cod-liver (OU eer s.eseiclcleio exe tole © bepeteioners 4 oz.
Oilvotcedarey. «sc Meiers ci siete store ooieneiete 2 02.
Diluted acetic acid.......ccescceccecs 1 pint.
Mix.
Then procure the following:
No. 59: (Chlorate tof potass.... csc. «0 eiacise mie 2 02.
Powdered ginger...... ei e'e'eeie ohsiavetevetehe 4 02.
Gentians.i's cc « icicles ele «ciel oleteleleneletets 3 04.
Podophyllum........ o cic ole s/s os laletetenees 2 02.
Poplar bark...... 0. 910s coo wjsiletoisiteicte 6 02.
Mix.
Dose, one ounce night and morning, to be incorporated in the
food.
This treatment usually palliates the lameness. Should it not
do so, the owner must be patient, and give Nature time to restore
the animal to comparative usefulness. Flour of bone or phosphate
of lime may be given, at the rate of a couple of ounces per day.
Such agents are always indicated in the treatment of the above
malady.
SPAVIN.
Spavin consists of an exostosis of the hock, commonly located
on the inner side, whereby bones before moveable become cemented
and fixed together, and which is often productive of ulceration of
the articular surfaces of one or more of the joints of the hock.
Sometimes, however, spavin makes its appearance on the anterior
or front part of the hock, and sometimes there is no enlargement
to be discovered. Such cases, unaccompanied by enlargement, are
called inter-articular spavin.
Symptoms.—“'The symptoms of spavin,” says Mr. PercrvaL1,
“are, in general, plain, simple, and unequivocal. The horse mani-
fests lameness in one of his hind limbs, and, on examination, a
circumscribed spheroid tumor, of the magnitude of half a walnut
or more, is evident enough both to the sight and feel of the man
practiced in such matters. Lameness, however, the effect of spavin,
may be present without any detectable tumor.
My own observation has led me to note two kinds of lameness
in spavin—one, the effect either of the ordinary subacute or chronic
inflammation, or of partial anchylosis of the parts, is but compar-
atively slight, and consists, for the most part, in stiffness on motion,
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 371
or in defective flexible power of the hock-joint ; the other, the effect
of acute inflammation of the spavined parts, or else of ulceration
of the joints, consists in a sort of spasmodic catching up of the
spavined limb the moment the heel of the foot comes down upon
the ground, something after the manner of string-halt. Stiffness
may not unfrequently be observed even in the horse’s side move-
SPAVINED IN OFF HIND LEG—RINGBONE IN ALL THE PASTERNS.
ment in his stall. With such characteristic lameness as this, and
with spavin present as well, evidently hot and tender to pressure,
there can exist no doubt about the case. Where, however, the
lameness is but slight, although a spavin is present, yet, from the
absence of any heat or tenderness in the swelling, as well as from
its duration, many doubts arise as to the cause of the lameness.
In such a case as this, we should take advantage of the well-
known fact of the fluctuating or evanescent character of spavin
lameness, to which end it is advisable to have the horse under
examination hard ridden or driven, or otherwise exercised, until
he be in a profuse sweat, and afterward kept standing tied up in
a stall, until he be cold and stiff in his joints, and then trotted
out again. A knowing vender of a spavined “horse would take
care to ‘warm’ him by a good ride or drive before he took him
to show to the presumed purchaser; and then, while under ex-
ol DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
amination, by dint of whip and spur, and management in the
bridle-hand, he might pass his merchandise off to an unwary
buver as sound. Indeed, so much is sweating work, or exercise
approaching thereto, apt to prove a foil to showing lameness,
that one is almost inclined to say no horse ought to be examined
under such circumstances; certainly no horse suspected of spavin.
The time, of all others, that a spavined horse will be apt to man-
ifest his lameness will be the day following after a hard day’s
work; and when he makes his first egress from the stable in the
morning is the critical period for examination. Horses that go
limpingly lame from spavin, lame at all times, and lamer still
when they work, often experience pain in the seat of disease to a
degree which, in the language of Solleysell, causes them ‘to pine
away, especially about the flanks.’ They have probably been
blistered and fired, perhaps setoned ; have had their hocks fright-
fully scarred, and yet are lame to that degree that they are unable
to do more than gingerly put the toe of the foot of the spavined
limb to the ground, and so painfully hobble along ; and, although
they may still maintain their appetite, yet they are low in condi-
tion, tucked up in their flanks—evidently, in short, ‘ pining away.’
Such pitiable subjects, it is true, may be kept at work. The
little, however, they can do, when put to any thing requiring
strength of action or pull, together with the wretched condition
they are generally in, is a fact so well known to coach and omni-
bus proprietors, and horse-keepers in general, that at the horse
auctions such animals fetch little or nothing. Even for agricul-
tural work such laborers as these prove of but little worth. Now
and then, however, it happens that the spavined horse, although
treatment has failed to render him sound, continues, in respect to
his disease, in that state in which he appears to suffer no local
pain at all while at rest, and but little while at work, and so is
able to do a considerable amount of some kinds of labor, lasting
in it perhaps for years. Still, such a horse is more likely than
another to receive injuries, to experience aggravation or relapse
of disease in his already diseased hock; and, under such return
or augmentation of ailment, unless great care be taken, and fre-
quently with all the care we can take, may and will fail altogether,
Spavins exist which occasion no lameness. How this comes to
pass will appear when the time arrives to consider the reasons why
spavins in general cause lameness, and, on occasions, very great
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 373
pain as well, which can not be done before we come to treat of the
pathology of spavin. It is sufficient for our purpose here that we
note and establish the fact that lameness is not a necessary conse-
quence of spavin. Nothing is more common than to meet with
horses, colts even, who have what the dealers call ‘knots’ in their
spavin places; and the time was when such ‘knots’ (which have
always been regarded as spavins) were certificated as constituting
unsoundness.
Lameness arising from spavin is sometimes present without the
outward appearance of spavin. ‘This is a form of disease better
known to veterinary surgeons in general, I believe, under the de-
nomination of occult hock lameness. My own attention to the
subject was first drawn so long ago as in the year 1815, though
then I was quite in the dark as to the nature of the case. On
my return from Belgium, after the battle of Waterloo, I had in
my possession a bay blood mare, who was lame in one of her hind
legs (I forget which), but whose lameness was of that nature that
no external sign whatever was apparent to account for it. The
limb had been searched over and over again, by myself and some
other veterinary surgeons, and the mare had been trotted and
walked, circled and paced, and put to all other known trials and
tests, without the examinations ending in any thing like concur-
rent opinions respecting either the seat or the nature of her lame-
ness. The mare returned home, marching with the troops, led
by a man on horseback—for, notwithstanding her lameness, she
walked very well—and, as soon as she arrived at head-quarters
(Woolwich), I showed her to my father, at the time senior veteri-
nary surgeon of the Ordnance Department. He examined her,
and without hesitation pronounced her ‘lame in the hock,’ and
she was treated accordingly ; and the result was, at no great dis-
tance of time, her complete restoration to soundness.
It is true, so far as the case above related goes, that the only
proof that the mare’s lameness was in the hock, was her restor-
ation to soundness after the application of remedies to that joint.
There is, however, te be said, in addition, to induce us to believe
that it was so, that, of all the joints of the hind limb, no one is so
frequently or so likely to be deranged as the hock; and, conse-
quently, from this fact alone, is a prima facie case made out.
Moreover, we have, to assist us in our diagnosis, the stiff or im-
perfect flexion of the hock-joint in action, and the wearing away
374 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of the toe of the shoe, showing that the heel is rarely or but very
gingerly put to the ground; also the circumstance, often observ-
able by the groom, of the animal resting the lame (hind) limb in
the stable; on occasions, perhaps, knackling over upon it, and so
bearing the weight upon the toe alone. And it has happened
before now that, while doubt was impending as to the locality
and nature of the lameness, a spavin has made its appearance, and
dissipated all further conjecture; and with this development of
the spavin, the lameness, so far from being augmented, is not
unlikely to become better. This is an observation made so long
ago as the time of Solleysell. This admirable observer, in one
part of his chapter on spavins, says: ‘At their first piercing, they,
generally speaking, make a horse halt, and afterward the swelling
growing bigger, the horse halteth no more with it.”
I have noticed that spavined horses are usually the subjects of
ill-shaped hocks; hence this peculiarity of conformation would
seem to indicate that such animals have a certain amount of pre-
disposition lurking in their systems. The ordinary exciting causes
are sprain or strain, and overwork. '
Now, what will cure spavin? This question was propounded
to the author, some time ago, and the following answer was
elicited. The answer is as good to-day as when first written.
“What will cure spavin?” I answer: Time, rest, and the appli-
cation of remedies adapted to the various stages of the disease.
The usual remedies, in the early stage, are rest, frequent use of the
shower-bath, and refrigerating lotions. In the chronic stage, and
when the disease has commenced on the articulating surfaces of
the hock-joint, or an ossific bony enlargement has made its ap-
pearance, then we resort to counter-irritation, by using some one
of the preparations of cantharides or iodine. “ What will cure
spavin?” is a tough question for a medical man to solve; for, if
he has been properly educated, he knows well enough that bone
spavin, like hip-joint disease in the human subject, is, to all in-
tents and purposes, incurable—I mean in so far as the physiology
and pathology of the parts are concerned. Soft tissues, once
having been changed into bone, never can be remetamorphosed
into the original condition so as to possess their inherent qualities
of elasticity (contraction and expansion). At the same time we
are all horsemen enough to understand what the term “cure”
- means when applied to the disease known as spavin. It signifies
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 375,
freedom from sensibility and lameness, and a partial disappear-
ance of the enlargement, or “eye-sore.” As the reader may like
to refer to the opinion of some well-known author, as well as
what I here advance, I select a quotation on the treatment of bone
spavin from the pen of Mr. BLAINE:
“This disease does not differ from splint, except that it is much
oftener a cause of serious lameness. Occurring, however, as it
commonly does, in older horses, it also proves more obstinate, and
the treatment required, therefore, should be more active. Among
the old farriers, who, like some of the moderns, thought nothing
too strong for a horse, violent mechanical operations were resorted
to, as the mallet and chisel to chip it off, boring the exostosis with
a gimlet, punching it with a hot iron, or applying caustics. The
first removing it mechanically, and the three latter methods de-
stroying its vitality, promoted its exfoliation. As might be ex-
pected, for one case which succeeded (and in some it certainly did
succeed) in many it incréased the lameness, or ended in anchy-
losis and sometimes death. It is not improbable that instruments
may yet be devised which will operate on these bony enlargements
without risk, though the chances are fewer in the hock, from its
connection with capsular and bursal ligaments, than in any other
parts.
Treatment.—The treatment pursued by veterinarians of the
present day varies somewhat. Those bordering on the old school
still rub with some violence, and then stimulate them with oil
origanum, oil terebinth, etc. Those of a later day blister and fire.
At the Veterinary College setons are used, by ripping up the in-
tegument and pushing a needle around, with tape through it, so
that the seton within the skin exactly opposes itself to the spavin.
If the skin is tender or tumefied, it is more proper to make an
opening above and below the exostosis, and to push a blunt seton-
needle or eyed probe from one opening to the other, armed with
a tape smeared with mild blistering ointment, or common turpen-
tine. In this way, report says, the College practice has proved
very successful. Blistering we have, however, found, when re-
peated over and over, commonly prove equal to all the benefit
these obstinate cases can receive; for, when the bone deposit is
fully formed, it is in vain to expect its entire absorption. Even
its partial absorption is frustrated. The removal of acute lame-
ness is generally the only benefit which can be anticipated. Our
376 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
principal hope lies in preventing the increase of the bony deposit,
and likewise in removing that inflammation which is the existing
cause of much of the pain, stiffness, and tumefaction in the sur-
rounding ligaments. Our hopes of success must also greatly de-
pend on the time the evil has existed. When it is early attended
to—that is, before the bony deposit has gained its full solidity—
stimulants act more favorably, and lessen it more materially. It
remains to add that, when repeated blistering fails, the firing-iron
generally concludes the business, but commonly answers no further
purpose than being a publication of the animal’s infirmity, and a
warning to practitioners as regards the previous treatment.”
The remedies and means used by the author of this work for
the treatment of spavin are the same as recommended for ring-
bone. (See article on Ring-bone.)
> FRACTURE OF THE PELVIS.
My attention having lately been called to two cases of fractured
pelvis, I am led to make the following remarks for the benefit of
those who feel an interest in matters pertaining to veterinary sci-
ence. The accident of fracture of the pelvis is of very common
occurrence, and I think that many such cases might be prevented
by the exercise of a little judgment on the part of horse-owners.
For example, the great majority of cases with which I am ac-
quainted have occurred in the stable, after the animals have been
put up for the night “all well,” as the owners have informed me,
and to them the matter seemetl very mysterious and unaccounta-
ble. But I think that the mystery can easily be explained.
Ifa horse is put up for the night all well and free from lame-
ness,-and in the morning is lame, and it is observed that the hip
is knuckled down, as the saying is, (fracture of the pelvis,) or, in
other words, he is “ hip-shot,” the evidence then seems conclusive
that the accident occurred within the stable. Then the question
arises, How did it occur? We all ought to know that the stalls
in our city stables are too narrow; many of them do not exceed
four feet in breadth. Now, let a large horse throw himself vio-
lently down, as, they often do when tired or in pain, and he is
very apt to strike the point of the hip against one side of the sta-
ble. The point of the hip being but imperfectly protected from
external or lateral injury, except by the common integument, the
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 377
jar or concussion thus received often occasions fracture. I know
that this is the case; for, on making examination of some of these
fractures, I found the skin over the region of the point of the hip
bruised and abraded. Then, again, horses frequently get cast at
night, and are the subjects of colic, or other aches or pains. They
struggle violently, get imprisoned, as it were, in their narrow
apartments, and, when released by assistance, fracture of the pelvis
is often discovered.
This is not all. Sometimes sufficient bedding is not furnished
to protect the animal from the effects of hurriedly reclining, or
slipping down, on a hard plank floor, and the result is often the
same as that just alluded to. Then, in view of prevention, these
facts suggest the propriety of having wider stalls, and a liberal
supply of shavings or sawdust for bedding; that is, when straw
can not be obtained; yet I think that when sawdust can be ob-
tained, it is the most wholesome and economical bedding for
horses. Taking a pathological view of the matter, I have to in-
form the reader that a great proportion of these fractures occur
among horses well advanced in years; and it may be that their
bones, in some cases, are brittle and very easily fractured, as is
the case with some aged members of the human family, whose
thigh bones have been easily fractured by a slight fall, or jumping
out of bed in a hurry, many such cases being on record.
The horse is occasionally subject to a disease of the bones known
as fatty degeneration, which is said to be partly occasioned by an
exclusive Indian corn diet. In such cases the vacuities in some
of the bones are filled with oily miatter, are light, and easily frac-
tured. He is also subject to a disease known as rickets, which
may depend either on hereditary predisposition or imperfect nu-
trition. The bones are defective in early constituents, and, con-
‘sequently, give way under the weight which they ought otherwise
to sustain. The remedy is, a nutritive diet, partly composed of
oats, and occasional doses of phosphate of lime.
Horses very frequently fracture the pelvis by falling in harness,
but for this I know of no remedy except careful driving; yet
sometimes, in spite of due care, they must fall when traveling on
slippery pavements, and when improperly shod.
Treatment.—As regards the treatment of fracture of the pelvis
I have but little to offer. It is all contained in the words rest
and counter-irritation (seton or blister), yet requires time for
378 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Nature to unite the bones after her well-known fashion. If the
horse is a valuable one, and the fracture slight, he should be
placed in slings. The hair may then be shaved off the region of
fracture to the extent of one foot in diameter; then smear on,
while warm, a strengthening plaster, composed of pitch, resin,
and beeswax. But should the fracture be of a very grave char-
acter—the bones broken in several places, the animal down and
in great agony—then the sooner he is put out of his misery the
better.
SPLENT, OR SPLINT.
Splent, or splint, makes its appearance on the inner and lower
part of the knee-joint. It consists of a bony tumor (exostosis),
and, finally, the small bone known as the metacarpus purvus
becomes united to the cannon or shank bone. This constitutes
anchylosis, so that the disease is of the same nature as ring-bone.
Splent sometimes appears on the outside of the leg; but the dis-
ease is oftener found on the inside, from the fact that it is nearer
the center of the weight of the body than the outer, and receives
the greatest amount of concussion. The inner bone is said to
receive nearly the whole weight transmitted to the small bone of
the knee. A splent on the inside is often the result of a blow
inflicted with the opposite foot, which bruises the soft parts and
periosteum, and, finally, the bones become affected. Faulty shoe-
ing has also a direct agency in the production of splent. For
example: if one caulk of the shoe be higher than the other, or
should the foot be pared more on one side than the other, the
effect will be to throw the limb into a false position, which may
result in ligamentary lameness and splent. Splent, however, ap-
pears sometimes without any assignable cause. On dissecting the
limbs of aged horses, we frequently find the splent bones firmly
united to the shank. The following is the opinion of Prof. Cole-
man in regard to splent:
“<¢ A splent once is a splent always.’ The two bones being once
united by ossific matter, this connection, whatever we may do or
apply, will never be altered. It used to be the custom to remove
the splent with a hammer and chisel, but the production of a
large blemish, from the destruction of skin, was the consequence
of this barbarous method. Another practice, as ancient and bar-
barous as the former, was the application of corrosive sublimate,
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 3/79
Situation of
the Splint.
A PERFECT FORE-LEG. A Seton for
the Splint.
LAL Lo
Situation of the
of firing it all
\\Y .
' LO
a
,
\
LIL LIL
Ze
\
Vii Le TEs
\ \
IAG
\ .
\ \
\\ Ss:
\
Situation of the
& method of firing.
Situation of Blood Spayin.
2
ig
A
Situation of the Bone Spavin
firing the same.
BOTTOM OF THE HOOF.
cc the bars.
aa the crust. :
4 d d the frog.
6b the sole,
380 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
or other strong caustic, so as to occasion a slough. In this case,
too, the remedy was as bad as the disease; the horse was disfigured
for life. Better and more recent treatment than this was either
firing or blistering. The objection to the former, however, was
the marks it produced; and to the latter, in common with the
former, that though the lameness was removed, it very frequently .
returned with the resumption of labor.
The more modern, successful, and scientific treatment of splents
consists in the operation of periosteotomy, or division of the peri-
osteum, which covers the bone.
Professor Sewell has introduced, within the few past years, an
excellent mode of performing the operation. The horse is cast,
_ the leg properly straightened and secured, and then a small open-
ing is made just below the splent sufficient to introduce a long,
narrow, convex, probe-pointed knife, the edge of which is on the
convex side. The knife is then passed up under the skin, and by
drawing it backward and forward on the splent, pressing firmly
at the same time, the periosteum is completely divided. A small
opening is then made through the skin above the splent, and a
narrow seton passed from one orifice to the other, after which a
bandage is placed on the leg, and the horse released. The seton
should be moved and dressed daily with digestive ointment, and
at the expiration of a week removed, and the wound permitted to
heal. I have found the operation succeed whenever I have adopted
it. In the very numerous cases that occur of splents being unat-
tended with lameness, it is ‘better to let well alone;’? but when
the lameness is slight, and the horse can not be spared from work
more than a few days, it is well to apply a mild blistering appli-
cation, such as the tincture of cantharides, about a tea-spoonful of
which will be sufficient for one application, which may be repeated
according to the action it produces and the benefit it occasions.”
Treatment.—Our practice in this country is to treat splent on
“the same general principles that obtain in spavin and ring-bone—
namely, in the acute stage, when the accident of striking has
happened, we apply sedatives and refrigerents, and in the chronic
stage, counter-irritants and absorbents. For the treatment of the
acute stage, a selection from the following articles may be made:
Arnica, infusion of hops or poppies, cold water, or equal parts of
vinegar and water. In the chronic stage, and in view of lessen-
ing the tumefaction, I recommend the following:
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 381
No. 60. Powdered iodide of potass.....cceeeee> 2 dr.
Simple Cerates - cis) ciaierysieke pisinieietalele elie 1 oz.
Cod-liver Ol. 2c). occ e cc. cle eleesicles 4 oz.
Rub these ingredients together in a mortar, and when thor-
oughly mixed it is fit for use. A daily application of this oint-
ment for a short time will suffice. There are many cases of splent
that do not occasion the least lameness- therefore they had better
be let alone.
BowrEp LEGs or SPRUNG KNEES.
The following case will illustrate the method of cure for sprung
knees. The subject of this operation had met with an accident,
which resulted in “bowed limb,” and had so progressed within
the period of a few months as to render the limb the most de-
formed one I ever saw; for when the toe touched the ground, the
heel was-elevated about four inches. At the same time, the infe-
rior extremity of the cannon overlapped the large pastern some-
thing like three-quarters of an inch. Such a deviation from the
perpendicular line would, as a matter of course, bring a tremendous
strain on the extensor tendons in front and the suspensory liga-
ment, and this appeared to be the case; for the tendons and liga-
ment were rigid as a bowstring.
The horse was cast on the off side, and, after securing the limbs,
the near fore one was released from the hobble and held by assist-
ants. A puncture in the outer lateral region of the flexor tendons
was made through the integument. A convex, probe-pointed
bistoury was then introduced, and, by a gentle sawing movement,
the flexors perforatus and perforans were divided. On straight-
ening the limb, which was done without the least difficulty, the
edges of the tendons had separated almost two inches. These
would, of course, after awhile, become reunited by granulation and
interstitial deposits. Thus tendons would, finally, gain in length
something less than two inches, which would render the leg al-
most straight again. The puncture through the skin being small,
a single suture sufficed to close the orifice. This being accom-
plished, a cold-water bandage was neatly applied, and then the
patient was permitted to rise. He walked to the stable tolerably
well, yet still had a slight “ knuckling over” at the fetlock. This
was probably owing to the distended or lax state of the capsular
ligament and extensor tendon, A shoe was now applied to the
382 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
foot, having a straight piece of iron, eight inches in length, welded
on to the ground surface of the toe of the shoe. The object in
applying this contrivance was to prevent flexion, to keep the di-
vided ends of the tendon apart, and to guard against direct union
of the same. The operation finally proved successful.
The following case occurred in the practice of Professor BRACHET,
as given in the “ Veterinary Record :”
“ This most extraordinary case was observed in September, 1856,
three months after the inundation of the Rhone, on a farm near
this river. The subject of the disease was a filly, three months
old. She was born perfectly straight on her legs, but about fifteen
days after birth the fore-limbs became bent, and the deformity
increased so rapidly that when Brachet saw the animal it moved
on its knees. It was with great difficulty that, by efforts to extend
the limb, the acute angle formed at the knee could at all be
widened, and such an experiment gave. great pain to the animal.
The dam being taken out of the stable, Brachet was astonished
to see the filly walking after her on her knees, almost as fast as if
progressing naturally. On the front of the knee the skin was hard
and callous, the tendons behind it were rigid and immovable, and
Brachet decided on performing tenotomy. The animal was cast
and the near fore-leg operated upon. An incision was made, about
an inch in length, at the back of the arm, in a line with the upper
part of the carpus; the tendon of the flexor metacarpi externus
was first cut, then one of the medius, and, lastly, that of the inter-
nal flexor of the metacarpus, when the limb straightened. A
splint was placed in front of the leg. Eight days afterward the
off limb was operated upon; fifteen days later the splints were
removed, and, in the course of a month, the filly stood well, but in
moving carried her fore-legs forward in a piece. Flexion at the
knee could not be effected, but the young animal improved rapidly ;
the limbs became strong, and though slightly bowed, their action
was perfect. Brachet believes the deformity arose from rheuma-
tism, induced by the damp on the occasion of the overflowing of
the river near the farm.”
The following is Mr. PERCIVALL’s method of performing te-
-notomy for sprung knees:
“The operation of tenotomy, though a formidable one for the
patient, is not a difficult one for the operator. The object is sec-
tion of the flexor tendons, the effect of which, as we have seen, is to
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 383
let down the heel of the foot, not the fetlock, to the ground. The
flexor tendons support the pastern and foot-joints principally, the
fetlock-joint having the additional strong support of the suspen-
sory ligament, which it still retains after the tendons have been
cut through. This accounts for the heel of the foot, without the
fetlock, being let down by the operation of tenotomy.
Having cast the horse, and so secured the limb to be operated
on that there is not much chance of any interruption being occa-
sioned through its motion, I recommend that a longitudinal in-
cision, three or four inches in length, be made through the skin,
along the back of the leg, down upon the middle portion of the
flexor perforatus tendon. This incision freely and boldly made at
once, the operator will be able to stretch the mouth of the wound
he has made round to the inner side of the leg, in which stretched
position the skin is to be held by an assistant, while the operator
introduces the fore-finger of his left hand, to push back the blood-
vessels and nerve (which run along the inner borders of the ten-
dons) against the suspensory ligament, so that they be safe out of
the way, while with the right hand he insinuates his bistoury
between them and the flexor tendons. Opposing now the cutting
edge of the bistoury to the tendons themselves, he commences
incising them by a steady but firm and strong sawing movement,
until both be completely divided. I say he is to hold the bistoury
(which ought to be a stout one) firmly, and to use it with some
force, since such is the dense and tough texture of these tendons
that they are not cut completely through without some determi-
nation. Complete division being made of them, the heel of the
foot may not (in all probability will not) come down without
some extension of the leg; and this must be made, not by such
violence as Mr. Goodenough found himself compelled to use, still
with such force as will, if possible, make the limb straight, by
stretching or even tearing through adhesions of moderate stand-
ing, so far as this can be effected without the risk of rupturing
ligament or fracturing bone. The giving way of adhesions, in
such cases, is frequently attended with a sort of snap or jerk, de-
notive of their being overcome, and by this the end is known to
be answered, such adhesions and impediments to extension being
commonly situate about or in the vicinity of the fetlock-joint.
‘The usual and most effective mode of accomplishing the extension
is, to place the knee against the front of the fetlock, and, grasping
384 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the back of the foot with one hand, and the upper end of the leg
with the other, to use such steady and moderate force as will ac-
complish the object without doing harm thereby. This done, the
divided ends of the tendons recede from each other, leaving a gap
between them of one or two inches, or even more, dependent upon
circumstances.”
Corns.
What is known as corns, occurring in horses, is very different
from that affection in the human subject, which bears the same
name. In the horse the affection is caused by bruise of the sole,
and consists of extravasation of blood. On making an examina-
tion in the angle between the bars and quarters, the horn of the
sole will appear red. This may not be seen, however, until the
blacksmith has pared away a flake or two of the sole.
Treatment.—Neglected corns are very apt to end in suppuration
(formation of matter within the hoof). This matter sometimes
burrows in an upward direction, and breaks out at the top of the
hoof. It then forms what is known as a quittor, the remedy for
which is to make a small opening into the sole, and thus allow
the matter to escape in a downward direction. After making the
orifice in the sole, it should be dressed with a paste composed of
equal parts of sugar and brown soap. As a dressing for common
corn, without suppuration, I recommend equal parts of tar and
olive oil. This I conceive to be one of the best dressings ever
used for corns.
Many corns are produced by suffering the shoe to remain on too
long. It thus becomes imbedded in the heel of the foot; the ex-
ternal crust then grows down on the outside of the shoe, and the
bearing is thrown in the angular portion of the sole. In unusually
troublesome cases of corns, recourse should be had to the bar-shoe.
Youatr says: “ Mr. Spooner, of Southampton, very properly
states that the corns occasionally fester, and the purulent matter
which is secreted, having no dependent orifice, ascends, torturing
the animal to a dreadful extent, and breaks out at the coronet.
These cases are very troublesome. Sinuses are formed, and the
evil may end in quittor. A large and free dependent orifice must
then be made, and a poultice applied, to which should succeed a
solution of sulphate of zinc, with the applichion of the compound
tar ointment.
LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 385
The cause of corn is a most important subject of inquiry, and
which a careful examination of the foot and the shoe will easily
discover. The cause being ascertained, the effect may, to a great
extent, be afterward removed. Turning out to grass, after the
horn is a little grown, first with the bar-shoe and afterward with
the shoe fettered on one side, or with tips, will often be service-
able. A horse that has once had corns to any considerable extent
should, at every shoeing, have the seat of corn well pared out, and
the butter of antimony applied. The seated shoe should be used,
with a web sufficiently thick to cover the place of corn, and extend-
ing as far back as it can be made to do without injury to the frog.
Low, weak heels should be rarely touched with the knife, or
any thing more be done to them than lightly to rasp them, in
order to give them a level surface. The inner heel should be
particularly spared. Corns are seldom found in the hind feet,
because the heels are stronger, and the feet are not exposed to so
much concussion; and when they are found there, they are rarely
or never productive of lameness. There is nothing perhaps in
which the improvement in the veterinary art has relieved the
horse from so much suffering as shoeing. Where corns now exist
of any consequence, they are a disgrace to the smith, the groom,
and even to the owner.”
LAMENESS.
We have already considered the nature and treatment of vari-
ous forms of lameness, occurring in consequence of strain or sprain
of different parts of the body; also that attending rheumatism and
diseases of the feet. It only remains to offer a few remarks on
some special forms of lameness. Lameness occurs in one of two
forms. We either find it in the acute stage, when, from injury
or other causes, it comes on suddenly ; or else in the chronic stage,
that form whieh has existed for some time. Therefore, there being
only two forms of lameness, there are only two indications to fulfill,
namely: in the acute stage, we endeavor to lessen the activity in
the circulation, heat, and pain of the parts by rest and cold-water
bathing; and when pain exists, we mitigate it by bathing the af-
fected parts with cold infusion of hops or poppy-heads. When
the affection assumes a chronic type, we apply stimulants and
counter-irritants. The following is the best remedy in use:
26
386 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Nov 61;"Aqua ammonia. 20.0. jeden aioe seman
Spirits, of camphor. 1-2/2 ciecsis sae cat MOHNOZe
Salt (bay.or rock salt) oo. 1. no)... Oumome
Water ines islohesia es oiais ela eselsi sere sie lee mun InCGe
Dissolve the salt in the water, with a few drops of aqua am-
monia; allow the impurities to settle, and add the clear liquor to
the camphor and ammonia, the latter having been previously
mixed. A portion of this should be rubbed on the region of
lameness morning and evening. Sometimes the actual seat of
lameness may be somewhat obscure, yet we can generally find out
which limb it is in; then, to make sure that we shall hit the mark,
the whole limb may be treated. Should counter-irritation be nec-
essary, strong liniments and blisters, such as are in general use,
are recommended, ,
This plate represents the fore extremity, cut off a little above the
condyles of the humerus, with the flexor metacarpi internus,
medius and the ulnaris accessorius muscles remoyed.
A, The origin of the ulnaris accessorius muscle.
B, The flexoy metacarpi internus.
C, The flexor metacarpi medius.
F, The radial nerve.
G, The radial artery.
H, The radial vein.
I, The superior suspensory ligament, cr band.
J, The tendon of the flexor metacarpi internus muscle.
K, The cut edge of the posterior annular ligament turned back.
L, The inferior suspensory band.
M, Oblique branch of nerve crossing the perforatus tendon.
N, The perforatus tendon.
O, The perforans tendon.
P, The inner metacarpal nerve.
Q, Metacarpal artery.
R, Suspensory ligament.
8S, The metacarpal vein.
T, One of the lumbrici muscles. ;
U, Cut edge of the thin, dense membrane which invests the perforatus
from a little above the front of the fetlock downward.
V, The perforatus tendon.
W, A portion of the tendon lined internally with synovial membrane,
removed, to expose the perforans as it passes through the bi-
furcation of the perforatus.
SECTION XIII.
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC.
Pro.tapsus ANI—HEMORRHOIDS, OR PinES—PRICKING AND Nicki1ne Horsss Tatts
—Docxinag Horses—AN#MIA—THE UsrE AND ABUSE OF THE CURRY-COMB—
Horsks AND CATTLE SHOULD HAVE A SUPPLY OF PURE WATER—GALLED Back
—THe HEART—THE QUANTITY OF BLOOD CONTAINED IN A Horsz’s Bopy—
RapipIty OF THE CIRCULATION—THE TRANSFUSION OF BLOOD—MANAGEMENT
OF THE HoRSES PUT IN THE STABLE—STRANGLES.
PROLAPSUS ANI (FALLING OF THE FUNDAMENT OR RECTUM).
ROLAPSUS ANI, or protrusion of the rectum, is a calamity
much to be dreaded. Fortunately it very rarely occurs, yet
when it does, a valuable horse is almost sure to be the subject;
hence it is a matter of importance that persons who own valu-
able horses should know something about the nature and treat-
ment of this mishap. The best authority on this subject is Mr.
PERCIVALL, from whose works the following is quoted:
“Tt consists in inversion and prolapse of the mucous coat of
the rectum, either confined to the mucous membrane itself, or
otherwise involving more or less of the entire substance of the
intestine along with it. The aspect of the protrusion will mainly
depend on the nature and volume of the parts ejected, and upon
the time such evolution has been in existence. When recent, so
readily does tumefaction (swelling) of the parts follow their pro-
trusion, that this speedily opposes all attempts at return, should
the animal make any, though, in truth, his efforts in general have
the effect of straining more gut out, and through his straining, in
some cases, tearing the membrane, and thus augmenting instead
of diminishing the evolution as well. In this manner arises a
large (sometimes enormous) rotund, red, wrinkled redness of skin,
consisting of cylinders of mucous membrane, having an aperture
(387)
388 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
closed through constriction in its centre, though, when open, issu-
ing a mucous and sanious matter, especially at such time as the
animal is straining afresh. The circumflex action of the sphincter
ani around the neck of the swelling, together with its distension
with gas, and the action of the air upon its surface, all add to ‘its
increase of volume and change of color; while the straining, at the
same time, increases the difficulty of any effort the practitioner
may make toward effecting a return of the protruded gut. With
its augmentation of volume comes a deepening redness, turning,
through the constriction of the sphincter, to a darker, and even
purple hue, the membrane becoming, at the same time, inflated
and swollen, and gradually changing its color from red to yellow
and to brown, though still having a humid shining aspect, now
becoming glairy from albuminous secretion, which is not only
mucous, but at times purulent.
Causes.—These may be summed up in irritation, either direct
or sympathetic, of the mucous membrane lining the anus and
rectum. It is possible that prolonged constipation, from giving
rise to violent straining efforts at expulsion of dry and hardened
feces, might bring it on, or even the strains of parturition. The
action produced by excessive purgation may cause it, but more
especially irritation of a mechanical kind, arising from direct in-
jury to the membrane or rectum during the operation of raking
or manual exploration of the gut, or of clystering. It may prove
an accompaniment of an enteritic, colicky, or diarrheal condition
of bowel. It is possible it may ensue on nicking, though I never
knew it to follow that operation. Violent struggles of any kind,
as in such a case as is mentioned in the ‘ Veterinarian,’ by Mr. J.
Brown, V.8., London, wherein the horse ‘had forced out nearly
a foot of the rectum in struggling violently to release himself,’
while being cast.
Tr patient aiBhe formidable, and indeed awful, aspect of this
disease is apt to operate in the mind of the owner of the animal
favorably for the veterinary surgeon, inasmuch as it gives rise to
his being called to the case sooner than he otherwise would have
been. Should the summons be an early one, at the time that
the protrusion is recent, and its volume nothing so very alarming,
judicious exercise of the taxis, if employed at the moment, may
succeed in the return of the gut. Distributing the fingers of both
hands over the wrinkled and swollen body of the protrusion,
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 389
steady, firm, and forcible pressure ought to be maintained against
it for such length of time as appears to afford any chance of suc-
cess, augmenting the force used whenever there be any remission
of the straining. Should the first efforts of this description fail,
the protruded mass may have its bulk lessened and constricted as
much as possible by local application of some sort, than which
none offers a better chance of succeeding than such as follows
from sudden and intense cold, though to a part so sensitive and
vascular the practice is not devoid of danger. Ice may be pow-
dered and inclosed in a linen bag, so as to form a sort of bolster,
that may be held or braced with firmness upon the tumefaction.
The contrary of such treatment as this, however, though the ob-
ject be the same, is generally preferred—namely, fomentation,
medicated or not, with scarification of the exposed membrane—
though in other cases astringent applications are employed, with
a view of causing contraction and diminution of the mass, such as
lime-water, decoction of oak bark, solution of alum, etc.; and
while such proceedings are going on, it is advisable to have the
hind parts raised. Supposing we succeed in accomplishing the
reduction, the chances are in favor of the relapse of the prolapsus,
and these chances seem great in proportion to the facility with
which the return of the inverted gut has been effected. Indeed,
so constant and troublesome does the return in some of these cases
become, that it is necessary to contrive some sort of truss to op-
pose the descent, the same as is done for rupture in man. Mr.
Dycer’s truss consisted of ‘a new wet chamois leather, a breast-
plate, and a hip (human) truss.’ Should constipation be thought
to operate against reduction, in addition to clysters, we may ex-
hibit cathartics and aloes in solution, and should there be plethora
and great irritability in the membrane of the rectum and anus, a
blood-letting will be advisable, while an opiate or belladonna clys-
ter will be advantageously administered, in order to allay all local
irritation as much as possible.
As a dernier and effective mode of procedure in prolapsus
ani, when the case proves either irreducible, or, after return, con-
tinually protrudes on any slight effort, such as coughing afresh,
we have recourse, with safety and certainty, to an operation con-
sisting in excision of more or less of the inverted membrane en-
veloping the protruding portion of the gut. This is an operation
of ancient date, though to Dupuytren is ascribed the credit of
390 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
introducing it into human practice, and to the French veterinarians
that of transplanting the same into veterinary practice. For-
merly the actual cautery was the instrument employed for the
removal of the parts obstructing reduction ; but in our own day
this has been thrown aside for the scalpel, an instrument quite as
effective, while the simple act of cutting with a knife gives so
much less pain than cutting or dividing with the actual cautery.
In general, it is considered necessary to cast the horse for the ope-
ration; but Mr. Gregory, V. 8., did not cast his patient, but
merely put on a side-line, and had one leg held up and the tail
kept’ on one side; and, most assuredly, the standing position of
the patient is one which, in such an operation, offers no mean
advantages to the operator, provided he can avail himself of it
without any personal danger. <A great preservation against re-
fractoriness in an operation of the kind, at the moment when any
pain is felt, is a twitch, well put on, and well and timely turned.
The horse secured, with his tail turned out of the way, an incision,
forming a circle, is to be carried around the protruding mass, at
sufficient distance from the constricted part of the neck of the
protrusion to leave behind it such parts as are distended from
tumefaction or infiltration, whose removal will render the retrac-
tion of the gut an easy and natural effort. In making incision,
it may be advisable to take up and tie with a silk ligature any
vessel met with of size enough to issue a current of blood, though
sometimes no such precaution is required.: In the case mentioned
by Mr. Gregory, not more than a quart of blood was lost. The
incision ought to be made of sufficient depth to penetrate com-
pletely through the substance of the mucous membrane, however
morbidly thickened that may be, without, however, running a
risk of wounding the muscular coat beneath it, the object being
to dissect the former away and strip it off the latter, so as to lessen’
the bulk of the mass to that degree that return becomes a volun-
tary and facile action of the animal himself. So soon, however,
as this denudation has been carried near to the inverted anus,
care must be taken not to dissect or otherwise injure the sphincter
of that part, lest we leave the horse with an imperfection in closing
an outlet of so important a function. A soft or mash diet should,
for a few weeks, succeed the operation, with abstinence from hay,
which, from its fibrous, prickly nature, must be particularly offen-
sive to the denuded gut. Occasional emollient clysters are also
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 391
recommendable, especially when there appears any pain or diffi-
culty in giving exit to the feces.”
: \
HEMORRHOIDS, OR PILES IN THE HORSE.
The following case of piles, occurring in the practice of Mr.
P. Wats, V.S., is here introduced from the “ Veternarian:”
“On the evening of March 13, 1851, I was summoned hastily
to attend a brown carriage-mare, belonging to an employer about
a mile distant from Norwich, which was reported to have some-
thing ‘bloody’ hanging out of her rectum. The coachman who
came said it had made its appearance two or three times during
the day after dunging, but had always returned again, until just
before he left home, when a portion of it was left out, and the
mare became very uneasy. On my arrival, I found, as reported,
the mare in pain, indicated by a peculiar switching or lashing of
the tail, and stamping of the hind feet; but she had not lain
down, although she made several attempts to do so. It first struck
me as a case of prolapsus ani, but, on examination, it proved to be
a true case of piles. The tumor protruding was about the size of
a duck’s egg, presenting precisely the appearance of a pilous grape
in the human subject, only, of course, much larger. I had some
difficulty in returning it, in consequence of the powerful action
of the sphincter ani, which, no doubt, accounted for the pain; but,
having accomplished it, the mare became easy, and continued so
for some little time. I thought it right, however, to have her
removed to my infirmary, as I anticipated a return of the tumor
when she again dunged, in which I was not deceived, since, on her
arrival at my stable, I found it out again. On making a more
minute examination, I discovered smaller tumors round and about
the larger one, the latter, however, being the only one that pro-
truded. The mare being naturally of an irritable temperament,
and consequently dunging more frequently than one less so would
have done, induced me to have a careful assistant remain up with
-her during the night, for the purpose of returning the tumor
whenever it made its reappearance, which it invariably was said
to do after each evacuation, pain being constantly present at such
time.
Reflecting on the case next morning, and observing consider-
able mischief was being done by the necessary manipulation, I
392 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
foresaw I should have a very troublesome case, unless I could hit
_upon some plan of dilating the sphincter so as to allow of a return
of the tumor without so much handling of it. This I accom-
plished in the following manner: I had the mare placed in a nar-
row stall, the back part of which was well bedded with litter, so
that, in standing, her hind quarters were elevated six or eight
inches higher than the fore ones, I then procured a pair of glove-
sticks, such as glovers use for opening the fingers of gloves, and,
having dipped their ends in oil,-gently introduced them about an
inch or an inch and a half into the rectum, underneath the tumor,
letting it, in fact, rest upon them. In this way, by pressing the
handles, dilatation took place, and the tumor receded with little or
no difficulty. This treatment I persevered in for four days, in
conjunction with a constant application of cold water to the parts,
at the end of which time such great improvement had taken place
that the use of the sticks became no longer necessary. In four
days more the parts appeared to have become quite reinstated,
which, of course, rendered any further treatment unnecessary. I
gave no medicine, except a very mild aperient in the first instance,
but kept the bowels lax with bran, linseed, carrots, etc. The mare
being sold shortly afterward, I lost sight of her, and am unable to
say, in consequence, whether any return of the difficulty has taken
place, but I should think such an occurrence not improbable.”
PRICKING oR Nickine Horsss’ TAIts.
The English method of nicking horses is, instead of inserting a
knife and making a subcutaneous section of the muscles of the
tail, known as the depressors, to make three straight incisions at
equal distances right across the tail. By this method the muscles
of the tail are effectually or completely divided. The first incision
is usually made about two inches from the root of the tail, and
the other two at equal distances from the first, in a direction toward
the end of the tail. The tail is then kept perpendicular, in the
usual manner, by pulleys. It is said that by this method a more
graceful curvature of the tail is secured, which I believe is a fact,
yet the operation is any thing but pleasant to the horse. It is one
of the fashionable barbarisms of civilization.
The English method of nicking, although the most unsightly
and barbarous, is still the safest, as there is less liability to lock-
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 393
jaw. It is well-known that lock-jaw more frequently ensues
from a punctured wound than a clean cut or incision; yet when
nicking or pricking, after the American fashion, (if care be taken
to make the orifice through the skin sufficiently large, so that pus,
afterward secreted, may escape,) I think there is no danger. The
danger arises from the imprisonment of pus by closure of the
orifice in the skin. In healthy subjects the orifice made through
the skin will often unite in the course of a few hours; then, should
morbid matter accumulate within the substance of the tail, it bur-
rows, forms an abscess, or else becomes absorbed, producing lock-
jaw. ‘Therefore, I would advise persons having pricked or nicked
horses under their care, to pay strict attention to such, and see
that the orifices are kept open, which may easily be done by oc-
casionally inserting the point of a penknife. The skin should be
the last to heal. The healing process must be perfected in the
interior first, and, lastly, the skin. Should fungus or “ proud
flesh ” appear, apply powdered bloodroot, burnt alum, or red pre-
cipitate. When an abscess forms at the base of the tail after
pricking, apply a poultice of flaxseed; and when the tail is much
inflamed and swollen, it should be bathed frequently with the
following :
INfon G2) Acetic ACIM.. << close esses ccin's vie's . 1 part.
NWiatien rere oraccler clots SOO KOOM OO LOO ODDO 7 parts.
Mix.
When horses are nicked in warm weather, the tail should be
moistened with tincture of aloes; this will keep the flies off.
Persons who are not experts in the art of pricking are apt to
wound, and sometimes completely sever the coccygeal arteries,
thereby causing an unnecessary and dangerous hemorrhage. In
such cases, I should advise the operator to crowd into the orifice
a small piece of dry sponge. This will arrest the hemorrhage,
and, at the same time, keep the divided ends of the muscles apart,
so that they can not reunite; hence it is not necessary to put the
tail into pulleys for some hours, or until bleeding has ceased.
When this is the case, the sponge may be removed by means of
a small pair of forceps.
The success in securing what is denominated a fashionable tail
depends altogether on the skill of the operator, who must make
a complete division of the muscles beneath the tail only, as their
action is to compress and depress that useful appendage ; for,
394 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
should the incision be made too high on the side of the tail, the
curvators may be partly or wholly severed. Then the tail will
ultimately diverge laterally, or, in stable language, it will be said
that “the horse does not carry his tail straight.” To remedy
this, the curvator on the opposite side must be divided; then the
tail has to be forcibly drawn and kept in an opposite direction
from the curved side, so as to prevent the muscle from reuniting.
In the course of a short time granulations are thrown out from
the surface of the divided ends of the muscle. It then acquires
length, and thus the tail becomes straight.
ZAUNGAY TR OUMG Yo O;Bye TUE ACT ia
For the benefit of those who wish to practice the art of “ nick-
ing or pricking” understandingly, I now propose to give a brief
exposition of the anatomy of the tail.
Bones of the Tail—The bones of the tail, numbering fifteen,
sometimes sixteen, are situated at the back of the rump-bone, or
sacrum, ‘They are not a continuation of the vertebral bones, but
are an appendage to the haunch bone. The bones entire are termed
coccyx (from the Greek, which signifies cuckoo, the bill of which
bird the appendage to the sacrum, or haunch-bone of man, is said
to represent); and, in order to prevent confusion in anatomical
terms, veterinary surgeons have applied the same name to the tail
bones of the horse. Hence, when the terms coccygis or coceygeal
are used, they have some relation to the tail. The bones are
roughened on their surfaces, and have depressions and eminences
for the insertion of ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
Muscles of the Tail.—These muscles are divisible into four pairs.
They are most distinctly seen at the root of the tail, but, in their
course toward the end of the same, they become blended one with
another.
The first pair of coceygeal muscles are situated on the upper
part of the tail. They are attached to the sacrum and to the
bones of the tail. Their action is to raise or erect the tail.
The second pair are termed depressors coccyx, and are situated
at the under part of the tail. They are attached to the under-
neath part of the sacrum, and to the same locality on the bones
of the tail. They are antagonistic to the first pair, and their di-
rect action is to depress the tail. These are the muscles which
should be divided in the process of pricking or nicking.
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 395
The third pair are termed curvators coccyx. These muscles are
situated on the sides of the tail, between the first and second pairs.
They are attached to the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebra, and to
the sides or transverse processes of all the bones of the tail. Their
action is to curve or flex the tail toward the quarter and sides, and
the division of one of these muscles causes permanent flexure of
the tail in an opposite direction. Considering the tail as a means
of defense in switching off flies, ete., these muscles are the principal
ones called into action.
The fourth pair are termed compressors coccyx. ‘They are lo-
cated at the sides and root of the tail, and are inserted into the
back part of the hip bones’ (ischium), and into the five first bones
of the tail. The action of these muscles is to maintain the tail
forcibly against the anus. In the mare, these muscles protect her
from ravishment.
The arteries of the Tail are termed coccygeal arteries. Those lo-
cated at the sides are called lateral coccygeal, and the one found
in the lower or inferior region is called inferior coccygeal.
Nerves of the Tail—As with the muscles, so with the nerves.
There are four pairs of coccygeal nerves. They are not a con-
tinuation of the true spinal cord, but are given off from it. They
are distributed to the muscular filaments, to the skin, and at the
extremity of the tail.
Dock1ne Horsss.
All persons familiar with the old tactics of “jockeyism” and
the tricks of horse trade, will understand what is meant by the
above caption. It is a most cruel and barbarous outrage on one
of Nature’s menials, and I feel inclined to indorse the sentiments
of the profound poet Tupper, when he says, “In that great day,
when crime is sentenced, cruel man shall not go uncondemned
because no complaining brute stands there accusing, for our Fa-
ther careth when a sparrow dies.”
Horses should never be deprived of any part of that valuable
weapon of defense known as the tail. It is a part and parcel of
the organization of the horse, and to deprive him of what Nature
gave him, after the fashion of “doing all things well,” is an out-
rage which should be considered beneath the dignity of a gentle-
man to perpetrate. Besides the cruelty which is acknowledged
396 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
to be identified with the operation, there are other reasons, on the
grounds of physiology, why the tail should be left entire, espe-
cially in the case of a mare; but, as the reader is probably con-
versant with the facts in the case, I shall not enter into a discussion
of the same, but prefer to introduce the following paragraph,
written by a person who aims at reform:
“T am glad that the abominable practice of docking and nick-
ing horses is going out of fashion. It prevails in no country in
the world besides England and the United States. We got it
from the mother country, and the sooner we leave it off the bet-
ter. It is wonderful how any body but an ignorant, narrow-
minded blockhead of a jockey should ever have thought of it,
being as offensive to good taste as it is a violation of every hu-
mane feeling. Has Nature done her work in such a bungling
manner in forming that paragon of animals, the horse, that a large
piece of bone should be chopped off with an ax to reduce him to
symmetry, or that beauty and grace can be obtained only by cut-
ting a pair of his large muscles? ‘The docking and nicking of
horses,’ says an intelligent writer on farriery, ‘is a shockingly cruel
practice, and ought to be abandoned by the whole race of mankind.
Every human being, possessed of feeling and a magnanimous
mind, must confess that it is cruel and entirely uncalled for; but
that creature called man attempts thus to mend the works of his
almighty, wise Creator, in doing which he often spoils and dis-
figures them. What is more beautiful than a fine horse, with an
elegant, long tail and a flowing mane waving in the sports of the
wind, and exhibiting itself in a perfect state of nature? Besides,
our Creator has given them for defense as well as beauty.’ The
same author relates an instance of a fine hunting horse, owned by
an Englishman, which would carry its rider over the highest five-
barred gate with ease; but he thought that the horse did not carry
as good a tail as he wished; he therefore had him nicked, and
when the horse got well, he could scarcely carry over two bars.
‘Thus,’ said he, ‘I have spoiled a fine horse; and no wonder, for
it weakened his loins.’ Any man of common sense would give
ten per cent. more for a fine horse whose tail had never been
mutilated, than for one which had been under the hands of a
jockey.”
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 397
ANEMIA,
This signifies an impoverished state of the blood, usually oc-
casioned by want of nutritious food and exposure to inclement
weather. I was called, a short time ago, to see a yearling, said
to be ailing and unthrifty, and had been so for some time.
Symptoms.—The principal symptoms were as follows: The
head, face, and eyes were in a dropsical condition and much swol-
len; underneath the heart, and along the lower part of the abdo-
men, dropsical swellings were also observed; the membranes of
the mouth and nose appeared pale, almost bloodless; the pulse was
quite slow, and the action of the heart feeble; the respirations
were somewhat hurried, yet the lungs were not expanded to their
full capacity. I was informed that the urine was thick, and of a
eream-like color, and the feces hard and scanty. The muscular
system was spare and wiry ; the ribs could be easily counted, and
the animal was unsteady on his legs. From such symptoms as
these the reader will perceive that the case was one of debility,
and from the fact that the animal had been confined to an innu-
tritious diet, or, rather, like a hen, had to scratch for a living.
It will also be inferred that the debility was the result of partial
starvation.
Treatment.—I gave the animal one drachm of sulphate of iron,
and three ounces of the fluid extract of resin weed per day, dur-
ing a period of ten days. At the same time, he was liberally fed
on oats and good timothy hay, under which treatment he rapidly
gained in health and strength, and soon recovered.
THE UsE AND ABUSE OF THE CURRY-COMB.
I do not advocate that the curry-comb shall be entirely dis-
pensed with ; for, in the first place, it is needed for the purpose of
removing scurf and dirt which has been removed from the ex-
ternal surface of the body by means of the brush, and, probably,
this was the intention of the man who first invented a curry-
comb ; and, in the next place, the curry-comb may be needed to
scratch off or remove mud that may have become dry and stiff on
_ the limbs of horses ; and for these reasons, if for no others, I sup-
pose we can not dispense with the curry-comb. ‘There are some
parts where the curry-comb should not be used—for example, on
398 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the inside of the thighs, flanks, chest, and face, where the skin is
not so thick, and more sensitive than some other regions of the
body. Some horses, especially those of a strongly-marked, nervous
temperament, have very sensitive skins, and can not even bear a
fly to light on their bodies without. evincing signs of pain and
irritation. On such the curry-comb should be used gently and
in a spirit of mercy. There are other horses, however, especially
those of the lymphatic temperament, and whose skins are less
sensitive, who can bear the action of the curry-comb without
much flinching, and it is the duty of a merciful man to consider
this matter when cleaning a horse. Thoroughbred horses, which
include a vast number of the sanguine temperament, have a very
active circulation over the whole surface of the body, and this
vast circulation, through the superficial vessels, argues a delicate
sense of touch. To them the curry-comb, unless used very gently,
is severe torture.
HorsESs AND CATTLE SHOULD HAVE A SUPPLY OF
PuRE WATER.
Although few persons think it worth while to pay much atten-
tion to this department of husbandry, yet a little reflection will
convince any reasonable person of the value and importance of
furnishing animals with a constant supply of pure water. Pure,
cool water is said to be a God-send to a thirsty throat ; and as ani-
mals are apt to have thirsty throats, they should be permitted to
enjoy a luxury which costs but a trifle, and operates very favora-
bly in promoting their health. All classes of domestic animals
have as great an aversion to impure, filthy water as ourselves, and
the former will often turn away with disgust from the filthy stuff
called water which is often found in water-troughs on the road-
side, and within the precincts of the barn and in some pastures.
The common, stagnated pond-water, which many poor creatures
are compelled to imbibe, is often the exciting cause of disease,
especially in the Western States, where decayed vegetable matter
abounds.
Pure water will never injure an animal. I do not believe the
stories which are told about horses becoming foundered in conse-
quence of drinking pure water. In a majority of cases, Mr. Fast-
man is blameable. He has probably either overdriven or over-
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 399
worked the creature, or else has suffered it, when heated, to cool
off without the necessary care and attention which should always
be observed when animals are fatigued or perspiring freely. Hard
usage, willful neglect, and wanton cruelty are more likely to pro-
duce disease than the universal beverage, so acceptable to the palate
of a weary or thirsty horse. How often do we see a “ let” horse
come into the stable all exhausted and used up, scarcely able to
‘ advance one limb before another! Examine into the facts, and we
shall find that the powers of the subject have perhaps been over-
taxed. He has been driven too far, or at too rapid a rate, for the
present state of his constitution to endure, and perhaps he has not
had sufficient nourishment to repair the waste incidental to the
living mechanism under the states of rapid and protracted labor.
Is not this enough to account for the used-up condition? Is it
not more rational to suppose that abuse of the respiratory organs
and those of locomotion operates far more unfavorably on the
horse than water? It is. But’ Mr. Fastman must, if there be
any blame rightly belonging to him, try to shift the same from his
shoulders, and, therefore, he avails himself of a popular error—
“He drank too much water ;” yet the individual had no means of
ascertaining the precise quantity needed.
We might say, as regards some horses, whose labors are very
fatiguing, that they come from their work, and, as soon as unhar-
nessed, go to the trough, and imbibe from one to three buckets
without any bad effect. Some animals need more water than
others. The kind of work, the temperature of the atmosphere,
and the nature of the food, whether it be wet or dry, all tend to
diversify an animal’s wants. The domesticated horse requires a
bountiful supply of good water. His body is composed of seventy-
five per cent. of the same, and he can no more exist without it
than he can without food. A cow or ox is probably the best judge
as regards its own wants as to the quantity of water needed. It
is not the quantity which a rational animal imbibes which does
harm, but it is the quality that demands our attention.
Thirsty people drink all the cold water they need. Then why
deprive a cow or horse of what they actually require? Consider
the condition of the inhabitants of populous cities during the sum-
mer season. Thirst amounts almost to a disease, and, in view of
quenching it, the thirsty are continually imbibing water, rendered
cold, hot, sour, sweet, or alkaline, just as fancy dictates or as fashion
400 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
prevails. Cold icings and other fixings are called into requisi-
tion to smother the fire of thirst which rages within. Every body
partakes freely—the young and the aged, the exhausted and vigor-
ous, the laborer wearied by a hard day’s work, and the rich man
of no work—each and all are doing their best to see the bottom
of the pitcher, and to pitch their bodies into the watery element.
Yet, after all, how few persons complain of any bad effect from it.
Inquire into the history of some of the acute maladies that are
supposed to arise from water-drinking, and it will be found that
many of the sufferers have a peculiarity of constitution which ren-
ders them amenable to the laws of primogenital disease, which,
although latent under ordinary circumstances, can, by disturbing
the life forces, through neglect, cruelty, and overwork, be developed
at almost any time of life.
Animals should never be allowed to drink pond-water. They
should either have access to a running stream or a clean water-
trough.
GALLED BAcK.
Galled back, or sore back, is usually occasioned by bad-fitting
saddle or harness. If that be the case, the shape of the same must
‘be altered so as to correspond to the shape of that portion of the
back which comes in contact with it. This can be done by pad-
ding the concavities with lamb’s wool, and in chambering the con-
vexities so that there shall be no unequal pressure nor causes for
irritation. Yet, after all, it may be more economical to procure a
new article and a better fit; and this may also be the most humane
policy.
Treatment.—So soon as an abrasion is discovered on the back,
the animal should be excused from duty for a few days. The
abraded part should be lubricated two or three times daily with
common tar and olive oil, equal parts, and this will soon restore
the parts to soundness. Should there be no abrasion, yet tume-
faction, heat, and tenderness, a cold-water pledget, renewed as
occasion seems to require, will improve the condition of the parts,
when recourse must be had to the tar and oil lotion. Sometimes,
in consequence of neglect, the integument becomes callous or indu-
rated. This condition was termed by ancient farriers “ sit-fast.”
The treatment for this consists in smearing the callous with the
following :
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 401
No® 63. Todide of potass. 20... 600..6. MEDS 2hiahe da:
Simple ointment........... Bott cepted Ouida
GAVGSINAG Gos odosodespssdsowdd beets 2 dr.
Mix these ingredients well together, and they are then fit for
use. A few applications of this ointment will have the effect of
removing the callous, when a healthy surface will appear.
Some animals, owing to a peculiarity of constitution or of form,
will chafe in those parts which come in contact with the collar and
saddle, and no human foresight nor mechanical contrivance can
always succeed in preventing the same. Jor example, some horses
are humory, as the saying is—perhaps have a taint of scrofula
about them—and if they perform a hard day’s labor in the warm
season of the year, notwithstanding they be harnessed in the best
possible manner, they will come home at night with either galled
shoulders or sore back. For such cases as these the harness-maker,
with all his skill and ingenuity, has no other remedy than that of
a palliative character.
THE HEART. .
The current of blood is said to be put in motion by a muscular
organ known as the heart, which is located within the thorax, or
chest. The blood is distributed to all the various ramifications
of the body by means of vessels called arteries, and it is returned
to the heart by the veins. The red color of the blood is due to
the presence of red corpuscles, which are always to be found in the
blood of the vertebrata. In some of the invertebrata the blood
is white, or resembles the color of chyle.
Mode of Cireulation.—The blood, having been propelled from
the left or posterior ventricle of the heart to all the various rami-
fications of the body, passes through the extreme vessels (capil-
lary) into the veins. These veins terminate in a vessel known as
vena cava, anterior and posterior, both of which sections termi-
nate in the right or anterior auricle. This auricle contracts, and
the venous blood thus finds its way into the right ventricle, where
the pulmonary arteries have their origin. By aid of the muscular —
power of this ventricle, the blood is sent through the pulmonary
arteries to the lungs (aeration and oxygenation.) The color of
this blood is dark, almost black. | It is highly carbonized, abounds
in morbific matter and the worn-out materials of the body, and
in this state is a non-supporter of vitality. In this condition,
26
402 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
then, venous blood enters the pulmonary tissues. The arteriali-
zation of the blood which follows is a process more essential to
vital integrity than the assimilation of food; for animals can live
a long time without food, but they can only exist a short time
unless the blood be oxygenized.
The pulmonary arteries branch off into minute ramifications on
the surface of the air-cells of the lungs, and where these minute
divisions terminate others commence, termed venous radicles,
which ultimately become large veins. By the pulmonary veins
the oxygenized blood is returned to the left auricle and ventricle
of the heart. This route of the blood from heart to lungs, and back
again from lungs to heart, is termed the lesser circulation. The
left ventricle delivers the blood into the great aorta, and thence
to every part of the body. This is called the greater circulation.
Difference between Veins and Arteries—The veins differ from
arteries in being less dense, having no muscular nor ligamentary
tunics like the arteries, and, therefore, offer but little resistance to
tight collars and tight-fitting harness and circingles, which are apt
to interfere with the return of blood to the heart. The incapacity
of veins returning blood to the heart in the same ratio in which it
is carried by the arteries, is proved from the fact that. the former
are twice as voluminous as the latter. The veins also differ in
their internal arrangement from the arteries, the former being
furnished, at proper distances, with valves, which guard against a
retrograde venous action.
THE QUANTITY OF BLOOD CONTAINED IN THE Bopy
oF A Horse.
Mr. Perctvau, who is our chief authority on this subject,
contends that, for many reasons, the quantity of blood contained
in an animal body may be made matter of speculation, but can
not, for many reasons, be ascertained with any degree of precision ;
_ for, says he, “if we attempt to draw all the blood out of the body,
the animal sinks and dies long before its vessels are evacuated;
and as we possess no means of measuring what remains behind,
any calculation we may make from the quantity that has flowed
must necessarily turn out vague, if not altogether incorrect.” He
contends, however, that the following experiment offers a datum,
or guide:
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 403
“The weight of an animal being ascertained to be seventy-
nine pounds, a puncture was made with a lancet into the jugular,
from which the blood flowed in a very free stream, and was col-
lected. ‘The vein having ceased to bleed, the caroted artery of
the same side was divided, but no blood came from it. In a few
seconds afterward the animal was dead. The weight of the car-
cass was found to be seventy-three and one half pounds; conse-
quently, the animal had sustained a loss of 5.12 pounds, precisely
the measure of the blood drawn.
It appears, therefore, from this experiment, that an animal will
lose one-fifteenth of its weight of blood ere it dies, although a less
quantity may so far debilitate the vital powers as to be, though
less suddenly, equally fatal. In the human subject, the quantity —
of blood has been computed at about one-eighth part of the weight
of the body; and as such an opinion has been broached from the
results of experiments on quadrupeds, we may fairly take that to
be about the proportion of it in the horse; so that if we estimate
the weight of a common-sized horse at about 12 ewt., the whole
quantity of blood will amount to 84 quarts, or 168 pounds, of
which about 45 quarts, or 90 pounds, will flow from the jugular
vein prior to death, though the loss of a much smaller quantity
will sometimes deprive the animal of life.”
THe RAPIDITY OF THE CIRCULATION.
In 1827, Herine,* a German physiologist, performed the ex-
periment of injecting into the jugular vein of a dog a harmless
substance, which could be easily recognized by its chemical reac-
tions, and noted the time which elapsed before it could be de-
tected in the vein of the opposite side. ‘This gave the first correct
idea of the rapidity of the circulation; for though the older phys-
iologists had studied the subject, their estimates were founded on
calculations which had no accurate basis, and gave very different
results. The experiment of HERING is often roughly performed
as a physiological demonstration, and we have thus had frequent
occasion, in a general way, to verify its accuracy. If, for ex-
ample, we expose both jugulars of a dog, inject into one a solution
of ferro-cyanide of potassium in water, and draw a specimen of
* Milne-Edwards.
404 _ DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
blood from the other, with as little loss of time as possible, it will
be found that, in twenty or thirty seconds after the injection, the
salt has had time to pass from the jugular to the right side of the
heart, thence to the lungs and left side of the heart, and from
this, through the capillaries of the head and face, back to the
jugular on the opposite side. Its presence can be determined by
the distinct blue color produce on the addition of the perchlo-
ride of iron to the serum, if the specimen be allowed to stand, or
a clear extract of the blood be made by boiling with a little sul-
phate of soda and filtering, treating the colorless liquid thus ob-
tained with the salt of iron. The experiments of Herrne were
evidently conducted with great care and accuracy. He drew
blood at intervals of five seconds after the commencement of the
injection, and thus, by repeated observations, ascertained pretty
nearly the rapidity of the circuit of blood in the animals on which
he experimented. Others have taken up these investigations, and
introduced some modifications in the manipulations. VIERORDT
collected the blood as it flowed, in little vessels fixed on a disk
revolving at a known rate, which gave a little more exactness to
the observations; but the method is essentially the same as that
employed by Herrine, and the results obtained by these two
observers nearly correspond.
Hering made observations on horses by increasing the fre-
quency of the pulse, on the one hand, physiologically, by exercise,
and, on the other hand, pathologically, by inducing inflammation.
He found, in the first instance, that in a horse, with the heart
beating at the rate of thirty-six per minute, with eight respira- |
tory acts, ferro-cyanide of potassium injected into the jugular ap-
peared on the vessels on the opposite side, after an interval of
from twenty to twenty-five seconds. By exercise, the number of
pulsations was raised to one hundred per minute, and the rapidity
of the circulation was from fifteen to twenty seconds. The obser-
vations were made with an interval of twenty-four hours. The
same results were obtained in other experiments.
THE TRANSFUSION OF BLOOD.
J. FARRELL, V.S., has lately been experimenting in an inter-
esting department of veterinary science ; namely, the transfusion
of equine blood in diseases attended with low, vital action. ‘Trans-
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 405
fusion signifies the transfer of blood from one living animal to
another, by means of a hollow tube inserted into the jugular veins
of each horse. His method was as follows:
“T commenced a series of experiments, so as to discover the
simplest, safest, and most effectual method of conveying blood
from one animal to another. I first tried the transfusion syringe,
which has been used by medical practitioners for this purpose ;
but, whether from want of skill in its use, or from some defect in
the instrument, (which had beer recommended to me as one of the
best,) or from some other cause, I can not tell, but certain it is I
was in no case so successful with it as I was with a more simple
apparatus. I fancied that the blood lost much of its vitality by
being exposed to atmospheric action, and also by its being forced
and compressed within the cylinder of the instrument. These
impressions as to the cause of failure induced me to undertake
several experiments, with a view to the construction of an instru-
ment which would fulfill the requisite indications ; namely, to allow
the blood to pass freely from the vein of the healthy into that of
the diseased subject, without coming in contact with the atmos-
phere, and without alteration of its temperature. I at length
adopted an exceedingly simple apparatus, which may be described
in a few words. It consists of an India-rubber tube, some two
and a half feet long, and.three-eighths of an inch in diameter ;
that is, about the caliber of the vein in the adult horse. To either
end of this is fitted a silver tube, curved somewhat like a syphon,
so that the end, which is slightly rounded at the point, might be
easily passed into the vein, both tubes being exactly alike. A nar-
row zinc or tin trough is required, to contain hot water, in which
two-thirds of the tube should be immersed during the time that
the blood is flowing. This completes the apparatus; and, being
prepared, and the horses ready, held by assistants, the jugular
vein of the healthy horse from which the supply of is to be taken
may be opened, and into it one of the silver tubes carefully passed,
-point upward, so as to receive the current of blood as it flows back
from the head—the operator holding the other end, and, having
previously opened the corresponding vein in the patient, he should
wait till the current is passing freely down the tube from the
healthy horse, and then bring it in contact with that which is now
flowing slowly from the patient. He should pass the end of the
tube carefully into the vein, point downward, by which means the
406 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
possibility of any air getting into the tube is avoided. The quan-
tity to be transfused is readily ascertained by watching the expres-
sion of the eyes and noting the pulse carefully. So long as there
is no dilatation of the pupils, and so long as the heart’s action is not
very much affected, the blood may be allowed to flow on uninter-
ruptedly ; but as soon as the pupils become dilated, it is necessary
to lessen the supply gradually, by compressing the tube with the
finger and thumb. If the dilatation disappear after a minute or
two, the blood may be again allowed to flow; but if it increases,
further transfusion must be stopped, or, otherwise, injurious con-
sequences will result.
In the cases of two animals which I purchased for the purpose
of experiment, I purposely allowed the blood to flow after dilata-
tion of the pupil had manifested itself, in order that I might see
the result, and I found it to increase ; and in one of the cases, .
after winking both eyes three or four times, in rapid succession,
the horse reared up and fell back. In the other case, I forced the
blood in from an India-rubber enema bottle. The pupils first
became still more dilated; the breathing very quick and difficult ;
the eyes assumed a wild, agonized look, and the animal, with a
sudden bound, fell forward dead. I had my finger on the artery
during the entire time, and observed a great unsteadiness and flut-
tering of the pulse, which increased in frequency until the instant
before he fell. In the first of these cases, I did not force the blood
into the vein, but allowed it to flow until I perceived the injurious
effects upon the horse. He tottered and fell, but in a short time
recovered, and was walked back to his stable. He died in the
course of the night, and, on examining his head the next day, I
found considerable congestion of the brain. The tube used for
the experiments transferred about three quarts of blood in eight
minutes; at least it might be so inferred, from the fact that when
used as a syphon, it passed three and a half quarts of water (and
a little less of oil) from one vessel to another in that time.
I think, however, that I am correct in saying that this disease
is by no means so likely to occur in horses as in human beings, and
is certainly not so formidable ; but, nevertheless, I am quite sure
that it may happen as a consequence of the operation, if the instru-
ment be not kept scrupulously clean, and also if great care be not
taken in its introduction in the vein. Having, from these and
other experiments, not necessary to detail, determined on the mode
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 407
of operation most likely to be successful, I shall now proceed to
state the result of four cases in which I have operated, and which,
I think, I may look upon as haying been followed with entire
success. In three of the cases the patients had been bled a short
time previous to my having seen them, and were so much weak-
ened that they could scarcely walk. In the fourth case, a drastic
purgative had been administered, causing superpurgation and great
prostration of strength. In each of the four cases, the condition
of the patient was so similar that the description I have already
given may answer forall. Having selected a healthy young horse
from which to obtain the blood to be transferred, I opened the
jugular vein in the patient and in the healthy subject; and hav-
ing inserted the tube, as before described, into the vein of the
healthy horse, I placed the India-rubber tube in the tin trough
containing hot water, to maintain the right temperature, and the
other curved tube into the descending portion of the vein in the
patient. As soon as the current from the healthy horse had com-
pletely expelled all atmospheric air, the instrument being thus
arranged, the blood flowed freely from the vein of one horse into
that of the other in an unbroken current. The average quantity
of blood transferred in each of these cases was about three quarts.
I observed no particular symptoms to follow from the transfusion,
until two quarts or more had passed from the healthy to the dis-
eased subject ; but as soon as about that quantity had flowed, there
appeared to be produced an amount of stimulation, indicated by an
increased action of the heart ; at the same time the pupils began to
dilate, and the countenance evinced an anxious expression. My
former experiments led me to watch with great care the progress-
ive dilatation of the pupil, and I deemed it expedient, in each case,
when this symptom was well developed, to compress the tube so
as to diminish the current, and allow the transfusion to proceed
more gradually and slowly. Occasionally I almost completely
interrupted the current until the subsidence of this symptom, and
I found that when about three quarts had been transfused, any
additional quantity was followed by unpleasant symptoms, which
indicated the necessity of stopping the operation. On removing
the tube and closing the vein, all symptoms of irritation ‘gradually
subsided, and the pulse, from being rapid and irritable, became
slower, stronger, and fuller, gradually approaching the healthy
standard.
408 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
In each of these four cases the reaction was steady and progres-
sive. The natural warmth of the extremities was gradually
restored, and, in the course of ten or twelve hours, the patient
presented other equally unmistakable symptoms of amendment,
such as returning appetite, more quiet and steady respiration,
cheerfulness of countenance, and a willingness to move about.
From this point there was a gradual improvement, and, in a short
time, they were pronounced cured.
I have been induced to submit these few remarks, much less
with a view to record any little success I may have had in per-
forming the operation myself, than with a hope that others, far
more capable, will take up the matter, and test it thoroughly ; for,
whatever obstacles and objections there may be to its performance
in the human subject, there are none to prevent its becoming a
most valuable agent in veterinary science.”
Soon after the discovery of the circulation of the blood by
Harvey, transfusion was attempted on animals, and afterward
on man. In some cases the experiment was successful, while
others failed to afford relief; in fact, a majority of the cases ter-
minated unfavorably ; and of late years transfusion has been aban-
doned, and regarded as “useless and even dangerous.” We can
conceive, however, of cases which might occur—when, for exam-
ple, a horse has lost a large quantity of blood accidentally—to
warrant us in resorting to transfusion; and if any of our veter-
inary friends are disposed to make experiments of this kind, we
urge them to do so, notwithstanding the opinion of the Parlia-
ment of France against it, and that of some scientific men who
have pronounced it “useless and dangerous.”
One among the many reasons which may be urged against
transfusion is the fact that venous blood is a non-supporter of
vitality. It is saturated with the excrementitious material ab-
sorbed from the intestinal canal, fibrous membranes, and cellular
tissues, and a vast amount of morbific matter is mixed with the
venous blood in the course of its circulation, so that it can not be
of any benefit to the system of a sick or dying horse until it shall
become oxygenized or vitalized, or changed from venous to arte-
rial blood, which change can not possibly take place until this
fluid has reached the air-cells of the lungs. It would appear,
therefore, that the transfusion of vitalized arterial blood, if the
process can be conducted with the relative amount of safety at-
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. A409
tending that of the transfer of venous blood, would be a procedure
more consistent with the known laws of physiology than is the
case when venous blood is transfused. It is possible that some
animals might be benefited by the*transfusion of venous blood,
provided the heart and lungs of the patient are in a healthy state,
so as to insure sufficient oxygenation; otherwise, the rapid con-
sumption of the little oxygen absorbed would be likely to end in
asphyxia. If the function of the lungs be impaired by disease,
then the process of aeration of the blood is checked, and the blood
can not circulate, notwithstanding the healthy state of the heart.
In verification of this fact, as regards the very important function
of respiration and aeration, we may mention that Dr. Austin
Furnt, Jun., has lately demonstrated that the condition of oxy-
genation of the blood is necessary to the performance of the vital
functions, and that a want of capillary power (occasioned by im-
perfect oxygenation) throws all onus on the heart, and that the
heart is insufficient for the labor. In one of his experiments, after
eapillary circulation had entirely ceased, the chest was opened
and the heart found beating regularly.
MANAGEMENT OF THE Horsek’s Foot IN THE STABLE.
It is my firm belief, based on a knowledge of the physiology
of the foot, that soft bedding, containing the usual amount of
filth, is, in many cases, the exciting cause, not only of tender-
ness and contraction, but also of many muscular affections. I
rejoice to find horse-owners exercising their reason in this depart-
ment of stable management, because it is one step in the right
direction, and will put a stop to those glaring absurdities which
are constantly practiced just because they have the sanction of
antiquity, or because Neighbor So-and-so recommends them.
Reason teaches that the health of the whole animal fabric is best
promoted by cleanliness and ventilation (by which a pure atmo-
sphere is insured), and by food suitable in quantity and quality
to the special wants of the animal. Hence, what reason teaches,
man should practice.
It is unreasonable, therefore, to suppose that a horse can be
benefited by standing on a soft bed, composed in part of the de-
filing excrements of his own body, which are constantly decom-
posing and forming gaseous vapors unfit for respiration. If dirt
410 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and filth are innoxious, in what does the value of our sanitary
regulations consist? Why do our city authorities spend so much
money to purify the pestiferous cesspool and sewer, and to rid our
streets of accumulating rubbisl and filth? Let human beings wal-
low knee-deep in muck, and revel shoulder-deep in an atmosphere
saturated with ammoniacal and carbonic acid gases (as some horses
are compelled to), and death would run riot—our cities would be
converted into immense charnel-houses, fit receptacles for a race
of beings that would not adopt the means which reason and expe-
rience suggest for averting the calamity.
Horses that have no better care than that alluded to, are in
close proximity with disease. That they are often found dead in
their stalls from the effects of carbonized blood I can testify, and
many more would die, only they are permitted to take a little of
the breath of life during the day, which, to some extent, dilutes
the poisonous gases with which their system has been saturated
during the night, and thus their life, which, under the best cir-
cumstances, is a weary toil, is prolonged.
Without attempting to prove the general effects of impure air
and filth on the system of a horse located in a stall from one to
two and a half feet deep of soft bedding, let us consider, in a brief
manner, the local phenomena. Our readers are all aware that the
combined action of heat and moisture tends to relax—enervates
the tissues of the body, and, if carried beyond a certain point,
ends in decomposition. Take, for example, a common poultice,
apply it to a horse’s foot, and renew it as soon as it becomes dry.
In the course of two or three days the hoof will separate from
its matrix, the frog and heels soften, the tissues be in a state
of relaxation, and, if the poultice is continued, the. hoof will
separate from the sensible parts; if the foot is already diseased,
the separation is accelerated. Warm water has the same effect.
Applied externally for any length of time, it relaxes and pros-
trates; applied internally, it relaxes and vomits. Hence the soft, —
(which implies moist,) hot bedding, tends to create morbid action
in the feet, and whatever disease the horse may be predisposed to
in those parts will generally manifest itself. Some animals, how-
ever, escape the evils alluded to, owing to their insusceptibility ;
for disease of the foot can not occur without a susceptibility to it
and the application of a cause. Soft bedding, cow dung, and other
unmentionable filth, are often resorted to as remedies for con-
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 411
traction, but they are classed among the irrational barbarities of
the past, with which they ought to have sunk into oblivion.
Veterinary science has discovered that if such articles possess
any virtue, it is owing to the moisture they impart to the foot.
Therefore, on the score of decency, and in view of relaxing the
contracted foot according to the principles of reason and modern
science, we should avoid every kind of filth, and resorts to pure
water or wholesome poultice; or take off the shoes, wash the feet
daily, and let the horse run to grass, so that he may bring the sole
and frog in contact with the ground, and thus promote expansion
of the heels.
As regards the manufacture of tender feet, in both the young
and aged, it makes but little difference whether they have the
range of a filthy barn-yard or are confined in a bedded stall; the
effect is tenderness of foot, and subsequent lameness; and the
same, or a disposition to it, may be transmitted through the sexual
congress to future offspring. In view, therefore, of preventing
diseased feet, strict attention must be paid to cleanliness. The
stall floor should be composed of brick or plank, having just suf-
ficient declivity to conduct fluids into a gutter, running along the
entrance to the stall, which should terminate exterior to the stable,
so that the ammonia, in which the urine is abundant, is carried
beyond the stable atmosphere. The bedding, which, according
to long custom, is stowed under the crib, there acting as a sort of
noxious smelling-bottle to the horse’s nostrils, should be spread
out in the open air, sorted, the refuse and excrement removed to
a dung-heap, located as far from the stable as possible; for the
common manure receptacle, under the stable floor, is one of the
worst features of stable economy. The stable floor should be
washed clean as often as circumstances permit.
STRANGLES.
This disease is most prevalent in young horses. After the age
of eight the disease is more rare. I have, however, seen some
well-marked cases occurring in horses whose ages varied from five
to eight years. Strangles is, without doubt, one of the evils of
domestication, and often results from errors in diet and man- -
agement, which, if we make some exceptions, will generally bear
improvement.
412 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Strangles is supposed to be a disease to which all horses are
subject once in their lives, yet Mr. PERCIVALL contends that
many horses escape the disease. Hence, if many escape, it is very
natural for those who know the value of pure air, natural food,
and exercise to conclude that the colt, while enjoying these great
luxuries in the open air, by the side of its mother, guided by her
superior dnstinct, is not liable to be attacked with a disease which,
as already stated, we believe to result from depriving animals of
those blessings which Nature has in store for them in their unre-
strained state. But it often happens that young colts, after run-
ning a season with their mother, partaking of the invigorating
country air, grow up to be strong and robust, and then the period
arrives for weaning them. How changed the scene! Instead of
being permitted to gambol in their native element, they are con-
fined to a small space, not large enough to swing a cat round, and
perhaps as dark ag the grave; and the animal, after fretting for a
season, and making unsuccessful efforts to escape from its prison-
house, tamely submits to the discipline, not, however, until he has
cut and bruised and otherwise injured himself. I was called, a
short time ago, to visit a young colt that had lacerated his head,
breast, and fore-legs in a most shocking manner, in making an
attempt to escape through a window from the horrors of confine-
ment. His companions were about a dozen cows, more calculated
to alarm and render his position a perilous one than otherwise ;
and the impure atmosphere, rendered so by the emanations from
the excrements and from the lungs of his companions, was a source
of great mischief. ‘Then, who can blame such an one for attempt-
ing to escape and regain liberty? If strangles should appear in
such a subject, it would not be surprising.
Then, again, take a colt from its mother, whose milk contains
all the elements for sustaining life and developing the organization
of the young subject, and place it upon a diet of hay or like innu-
tritious trash, a whole truss of which would not afford one-half
the quantity of nutriment contained in a quart of its mother’s
milk. However profitable and well-adapted hay may be for stock
of mature growth and powerful digestive organs, it is a sad mis-
take to suppose that it will do for the young. A case of this kind
“came under my observation last year. The subject, aged two and
a half years, died in a state of marasmus (a gradual wasting of the
system without any apparent disease). A post mortem examina-
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 413
tion failed to detect any disease other than general emaciation.,
On making inquiries concerning the food, the owner replied, “The
colt has been fed on good sweet hay and corn-stalks ever since it
was weaned.” This was capital food for the poor thing, provided,
however, its stomach had a grist-mill within it; otherwise, it was
hard fare, and must derange the digestive function, and, ere the
colt has attained maturity, dyspepsia, in either a mild or aggra-
vated form, has secured a victim.
Mr. PERcrvauu has defined strangles to be “a diffusible swell-
ing under the jaw. The tumor consists in a circumscribed inflam-
mation, having all the characteristics of simple phlegmon, attack-
ing the subcutaneous cellular substance included between the
branches of the jaw, which, in consequence, become gradually
filled and distended with effusions of lymphy and serous matters,
acquires a firm and solid feel, tenderness on pressure, and a sense
of unnatural heat. This commonly proceeds to suppuration, end-
ing, to all appearances, in a common submaxillary abscess. Now,
this, and this alone, constitutes strangles. There are in the books
a variety of other symptoms described, but they are all concomi-
tant or accidental, none but these being, properly speaking, essen-
tial to its existence. The usual concomitants are, membranous
inflammation, giving rise to soreness about the throat; reddening
and discharge at the nose, and perhaps cough; tumefaction of the
salivary glands, producing pain and difficulty of deglutition ; and,
lastly, some slight febrile commotion of the system.”
Contagiousness of Strangles—We learn from the “ Veterina-
rian” that M. Reywnat, clinical professor at the Alfort School,
submits a number of observations corroborative of the contagious
character of strangles. He states that “young horses having
strangles, and put into stables with horses of adult age, doing
their duty, have communicated the disease to those of the latter,
who have stood in adjoining stalls, though some few have only
exhibited the disease in a catarrhal form. Even the foal has been
known to suck the disease from its dam. Moreover, experiment
has been had recourse to to inoculate for strangles. M. Damalix
smeared with a sponge, impregnated with matter taken from the
abscess of strangles, twice daily, both sides of the pituitary mem-
brane and the internal surfaces of the linings of the eyelids, in a
sound horse, about to be cast for spavin. This was continued for
seven days. On the eighth, he remarked that the horse had lost
414 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
his appetite, had commenced running from both nostrils, coughed
softly and loosely, and had swelling under the jaw, which ended
in resolution, all the symptoms terminating eight days from their
commencement.
Tt has been remarked that strangles is more surely communi-
cated at an early than a late stage, and in a certain form more
readily than in others. Strangles will assume the herpetic char-
acter, simulate farcy and glanders, settle in the mesenteric glands,
or may follow castration. In regard to contagion, may be men-
tioned, as most readily communicable, that form of strangles which
assumes the character of eruptions on the lips, nose, and pituitary
membrane.” .
The Tumor of Strangles is not always confined to the submax-
illary space, as will be observed from the following case, which
occurred in the author’s practice, a short time ago, ina gray mare,
and which speedily ran to a fatal termination. The subject had
previously suffered from some internal disorder, and, on recovery
from which, did not appear to regain its usual health, but re-
mained in an unthrifty condition. A few days before our atten-
tion was called to the case, a tumor made its appearance on the
near hip, which suppurated and discharged. On the morning of
our visit, the animal had been attacked with abdominal pain, for
which remedies had been prescribed. They not appearing to
afford relief, the owner called in the aid of some person, who in-
serted a knife into the mouth, and wounded the palatine artery,
from which the blood had flowed for several hours, but was now
arrested. We found the extremities icy cold, and the pulse very
feeble. The eye appeared glassy, mucous surfaces pale, and the
lips hanging pendulous. ‘There was a painful tumor on the near
hind leg, close to the stifle, and another on the flank of the same
side. ‘The animal was exceedingly stiff and lame in the hind ex-
tremities, and appeared to be failing very fast. Considering the
case a hopeless one, we merely recommended some restorative cor-
dial and a few quarts of gruel. The animal died in the course
of a few hours, and its death, no doubt, was hastened by the loss
of blood; for, as the owner expressed himself, “the horse had
some life in him before being bled,” thereby intimating that the
abstraction of blood deprived him of that life.
Treatment.—So soon as matter can be detected in the tumor or
abscess beneath the jaw it should be laid open. This will liber-
HORSE MANAGEMENT, ETC. 415
ate a quantity of pus. The orifice thus made must not be allowed
to close, but must be kept open for a few days, or until matter
ceases to run. During this period, a liniment, composed of cod-
liver oil, half a pint, and powdered camphor, two ounces, must
occasionally be rubbed about the region of the jaws. Half an
ounce of powdered chlorate of potass should be mixed in the
drink, or with some flaxseed tea, if the patient will drink it. A
couple of drachms of fluid extract of pleurisy-root may be given,
night and morning, for a short time. Active medicine is not
indicated ; good nursing, aided by pure air and voluntary exercise
in an inclosure, will soon restore the patient to health.
We close our labors in the Equine DEPARTMENT by entering
our solemn protest against the unwarrantable use of the lancet or
knife in Veterinary Practice. It is a disgrace to humanity, an
outrage on the rights and privileges of that noble animal, the
horse, over whom God has given us dominion and power—not to
abuse and render their life a weary toil, and extort front them all
the labor we can, but to protect them, to administer to their wants
and necessities, and render their condition as happy as possible.
A moral responsibility rests on every man to see that the claims
which these poor creatures have upon our race are respected ; that
their rights are not violated; that, when sick and in a dying con-
dition, they shall be treated with mercy, and be protected from
their tormentors, the unmerciful phlebotomists. Any misguided
man who can draw from the veins of an emaciated or dying horse
the little blood they contain should be sent to the insane asylum,
and never again be permitted to disgrace the noble nature of man.
We can respect the man who conscientiously practices blood-let-
ting; but where is the medical man who can conscientiously bleed
a dying brute with a view of saving life?
END OF EQUINE DEPARTMENT.
BOVINE DEPARTMENT.
27
RHALEY
4
\
K.H.CUTLER
Sg
“iC
——
x2
ey OWE
8 uN Sa
ger
ole |
py et \
CHENERY
PLEURO =PN EUMONIA.\
EXPLANATION.
The above cut represents the geneology of pleuro-pneumonia, as it occurred in Massachu-
setts, a few years ago. It commenced with Mr. Chenery’s herd, and spread in the above
order. The names are those of the parties whose herds took the disease by infection or con-
tagion. (See article Pleuro-pneumonia,)
(418)
PART SECOND.
DISEASES OF CATTLE.
SECTION XIV.
THE RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-
PNEUMONTA.
ORIGIN OF THE DISEASE IN MASSACHUSETTS—SPREAD OF THE DiIsEASE—THE
CatTTLE PLAGUE IN KENTUCKY.
ORIGIN OF THE DISEASE IN MASSACHUSETTS.
N the early part of the spring of 1859, Mr. W. W. CHENERY
sent to Holland for three cows and one heifer. They arrived
in Boston on the 23d of May. Two of the cows were found to
be in very bad condition. The first died at the end of a week,
and was buried; the second one died two days afterward, and
was also buried. About the 26th of June the third cow was found
to be sick; she died the 29th day of June. The next cow found
to be diseased was taken sick in August. This cow was imported
from Holland in 1852. She died in about a fortnight from the
time she was first taken. The disease then spread among the
rest of the herd owned by Mr. CHENERy, of which he lost a
large number.
I examined the two cows that were landed sick. They did not
appear to manifest any symptoms of pleuro-pneumonia, but seemed
to have suffered terribly from the effects of the voyage. They had
got down during the latter part of the voyage, and the external
surface of the body was so bruised and abraded that some of the
bones were visible. But perhaps Mr. CHENERY’s own history of
(419)
490 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the origin of the disease in Massachusetts may be the best that can
be given, which I here present to the reader:
Boston, Mass., March 7, 1860.
Dear Sir: In compliance with your request, I take pleasure in fur-
nishing you a succinct account of my last importation of cattle from
Holland, and also of the disease that subsequently prevailed in my
herd at the Highland Farm, in Belmont, as is now generally supposed,
in consequence of that importation.
It may be remarked that I had previously made two importations
from Holland, and the extraordinary superiority of the animals received
from that source, in comparison either with our native or any of the
foreign breeds heretofore imported, induced me to increase my stock
of Dutch cattle by further importations, rather than await the natural
increase from those already imported. Accordingly, in December,
1858, I transmitted an order to my correspondents in Schiedam, Hol-
land, instructing them to employ a competent person expressly to pro-
ceed to the north of Holland and make selections of the best animals
that could be obtained, without regard to the expense. Following my
instructions, four cows were procured from Purmerend and the Beem-
ster, and were duly shipped at Rotterdam, on board the barque “J.C.
Humphreys,” which vessel sailed from that port early in April, and
arrived here on the 23d of May, 1859.
Upon examination, the cows were found to be in an extremely bad
condition—very much bruised and emaciated—one of them, as the
mate of the barque stated, not having been on her feet during the
twenty days preceding her arrival, while another one was totally una-
ble to walk, and these two animals were accordingly carried to the farm
in wagons. The remaining two were driven out. Deeming it impos-
sible for the first-mentioned cow to recover, she was, on the 31st of
May, slaughtered, and on the 2d of June following the second cow
died. At that time, in common with every one knowing the facts in
the case, I was so fully persuaded that the bad condition of these ani-
mals was caused by neglect on the voyage, that I libeled the vessel,
and went through a course of one hundred and fifty dollars’ worth of
law in my endeavors to obtain indemnity for the loss; but the law is
uncertain, and the barque went on her way. My mind, however, re-
mains unchanged with regard to the treatment the animals received on
the voyage. The third cow of this importation seemed to be doing
well until about the 20th of June, when she became sick, and died in
ten days after. The fourth cow, “ Lady Beemster,” has, down to this
time, shown no indications of sickness, but is, on the contrary, in a
thriving condition.
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 42]
Early in the month of August following, symptoms of disease were
observable in the Dutch cow, “ Lady Louise” (imported in 1852).
She died on the 20th of the same month. About this time several
other animals were taken sick, in rapid succession, and then it was that
the idea was first advanced that the disease was identical with that
known in Kurope as “ epizodtic pleuro-pneumonia.”’ From that date
every possible precaution was taken to prevent the spread of the sup-
posed distemper, strict orders having been given that no animals should
be allowed to leave the farm, nor any strange cattle to come upon the
premises. A temporary building was erected, in a pasture at consider-
able distance from the farm barn, to which the animals not infected were
removed, and disinfecting agents were used about the premises, etc.
The following extract from my letter-book, in answer to an applica-
tion for stock during the prevalence of the disease, will serve to show
my views with regard to it at that time: ‘I am at present obliged to
decline any applications for stock, owing to an epidemic disease in my
herd. The disease is that known as ‘ pleuro-pneumonia,’ and I have
already lost seventeen head, and have ten more very sick. I am using
every precaution to prevent the disease from spreading, and you will,
of course, see the propriety of my refusing to allow any animal to leave
the farm until the infection has ceased.”
It is manifest that the means used to prevent the spread of the dis-
temper have so far proved eminently successful, inasmuch as, notwith-
standing I have lost some thirty animals (nearly half of my whole
herd), there has not been a single case of the disease elsewhere in the
neighborhood of my farm.
As there seems to be an impression abroad that the disease in my
case was confined exclusively to the Dutch stock, I would remark that
such is not the fact; that, on the contrary, they have, comparatively,
been more exempt from it than any other breed. It is not, however,
confined to any particular breed, or to any age or sex, as the full-grown
ox, the mature cow, and the young calf have been alike prostrated by
it; and of the animals lost, five were thorough-bred Dutch, five Dur-
ham, one Ayrshire, one Guernsey, two Jerseys, five Devons, two natives
(all the natives on the farm), and the remainder were grade Dutch.
There has been no new case of sickness in my herd since the death
of the mammoth cow ‘“ Lady Washington,” which occurred on the Sth
of January, and I am, therefore, induced to believe that, so far as my
animals are concerned, the disease has run its course.
From the foregoing remarks, it will be perceived that some months
ago, when the disease was raging, I believed it to be infectious or con-
tagious; but I confess that more recently the conviction has forced
itself upon me that it was of an entirely local character; that the
422 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
lungs of the cattle had become diseased by breathing carbonic acid
gas, generated in the cow-house in consequence of insufficient ventila-
tion. The recent developments with regard to the spread of the disease
in North Brookfield and vicinity—in tracing its origin to the calves
that went from my farm in June last—together with the information I
have just received in a letter from Holland upon the subject, will, I
fear, force me back again to the belief that it is the veritable Huropean
scourge.
With regard to the treatment of the disease, I can only say that
several of our most eminent veterinary surgeons have availed them-
selves of the opportunity to study the disease, by post mortem exami-
nations and otherwise, and are, doubtless, competent to give valuable
information upon the subject. My own private opinion, based upon
costly experience, is, that whenever an animal becomes really sick with
this distemper, the best teatment is to slaughter and bury forthwith.
In concluding this long letter, I beg to say that, if it shall prove
that through my efforts to improve the breeds of neat cattle, I have
been the means of introducing this disease into the country, I am sure
no one can possibly regret it more sincerely than myself. At the same
time, I feel some consolation in believing that, provided the disease
can be restricted to any thing like its present limits, the benefits con-
ferred by the introduction of the Dutch cattle here will more than
outweigh the losses incurred by the introduction of the disease.
Respectfully,
WintHrop W. CHENERY.
SPREAD OF THE DISEASE.
The disease was introduced into North Brookfield from Bel-
mont. Mr. C. SropparpD, a young man of North Brookfield,
purchased of Mr. CHENERY three calves. After arriving (by
rail) at North Brookfield, they were driven toward the place of
destination (about five miles). On the way, one of the calves was
observed to falter, and at the end of the journey seemed to be
quite sick. In two or three days, the father of the young man
took the calf away to his own barn for treatment. In this barn
were about forty head of cattle. The calf growing no better, the
son took it back again to his own residence. In about ten days
it died. Soon the senior Stoddard observed that one of his oxen
was sick; itsoon died. ‘Two weeks after, a second was taken sick
and died. Finally, in the course of a short time he had lost eight
oxen and cows, Young Stoddard lost no animal by the infection
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 493
at that time. He sold, however. eleven heifers, and retained nine
of the most valuable himself. These nine were four oxen and
five young cattle. The four he took to his father, three of the
others to his uncle, and the remaining two he left with his father-
in-law. It was finally discovered that wherever these animals
went they scattered the infection, without a single failure, show-
ing that the disease was of a contagious character. It turned out,
finally, that the herds of both father and son were badly diseased.
Out of the nine formerly belonging to the son, seven were the
subjects of pleuro-pneumonia. ‘The elder Stoddard lost fourteen
of his animals before the commissioners for the extirpation of the
pest were appointed. The elder Stoddard kept about eight oxen,
which he employed in teaming. He was drawing some lumber,
and stopped over night at a neighbor’s named Needham. The
disease was communicated, and Mr. Needham finally lost his whole
herd. Many died, while others were destroyed by order of the
commissioners. Finally, Mr. Stoddard sold an animal to Mr.
Woodis, of New Braintree, who had twenty-three fine cows.
Seven or eight died before the commissioners got there, and the
whole herd had to be condemned. Next, Mr. Stoddard sold a
yoke of cattle to Mr. Olmstead. At the end of five days they
had infected the whole herd. Finally, these cattle came into the
hands of Mr. Doane. They were put in with twenty-two yoke
of cattle, and employed a day and a half in moving a building
from Oakham to North Brookfield. It was afterward proved that
the whole of these cattle took the infection. Belonging, as they
did, to eleven different herds, they carried the infection to eleven
different farms, and thus, by contagion or infection, the cattle for
miles around became the subjects of pleuro-pneumonia. The
disease assumed such proportions that the commissioners had not
funds sufficient (ten thousand dollars) to perform the operations
required by law—namely, extirpation. And here it may be proper
to inform the reader that the commissioners had no power to
order an attempt at medicinal treatment. ‘They were ordered to
extirpate the malady—to kill and bury all infected herds; and
this has, finally, proved to be, both in this and other countries,
the cheapest way of getting rid of contagious pleuro-pneumonia.
The following is a brief record of the autopsies made by veter-
inary surgeons employed by the State of Massachusetts:
Autopsy 1—This cow appeared badly. She coughed, but, it
494 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
was said, ate well. The posterior lobe of the lung adhered to the
diaphragm, was indurated, and contained a cyst, in which was a
very small quantity of pus and a mass of detached lung of the
size of a quart measure. This was connected with the main por-
tion of the lung by bronchi, some of which had been cut off in
such a manner as to admit air into the cyst. The mass was offen-
sive, friable, and, on incision, did not present the bright, mottled,
organized appearance of similar masses lying in air-tight cysts.
There was no serum in the chest.—Dr. Martin, April 12, 1860.
Autopsy 2.—An ox, 7 years old. The lung was extensively
and firmly adherent in various parts, and almost “as hard as a
stone.” On incision, there was found a large cyst, containing pus
and lymph.—Drs. Dapp and Tuayer, April 19, 1860.
Autopsy 3.—A steer, 3 years old. The owner said that this
animal was but slightly, if at all sick. The left lung was adher-
ent to the pleura costalis and diaphragm. On incision, there was
found, in the middle, a large cyst, containing pulmonary tissue.
The right lung was adherent, but its substance healthy.—Drs.
Dapp and Tuayer, April 19, 1860.
Autopsy 4.—A steer, 2 years old. Marked adhesion of the
posterior superior portion of the lung to the diaphragm. Some
consolidation of the lung. The right lung contained a cyst, in
which was a mass not entirely separated—Drs. Dapp and
TuHayer, April 19, 1860.
Autopsy 5.—A cow, 8 years old. The owner said that this
animal was one of the most healthy in his herd. At the apex of
the left lung was a very large slough. There was also red hepa-
tization.—Drs. Dapp and TuHayer, April 19, 1860.
Autopsy 6.—An ox, 7 years old, owned by Curtis Stoddard, and
exposed to the Chenery calf during the illness of the latter. The
superior anterior portion of the right lung was much enlarged,
and contained a large cyst, in which was a quantity of pus and a
mass of detached pulmonary tissue. Left lung adherent to the
diaphragm.—Drs. Dapp and Tyrer, April 20, 1860.
Autopsy 7.—The anterior lobe of the right lung adhered to the
sternum. A portion of the pulmonary tissue was separated and
contained in a cyst.—Drs. Barrs, Dapp, and THayeEr, April
21, 1860.
Autopsy 8.—A yearling heifer. Much serum was found in the
chest, and the pleural surfaces were extensively adherent. The
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 425
substance of the right lung was completely: marbled, some parts
having suppurated, while others were only indurated.—Dr. Ty-
LER, April 27, 1860.
Autopsy 9.—Killed a cow which had been sick nineteen days.
She was feeble; had but little appetite; diarrhea, cough, and
shortness of breath; hair rough, ete. Percussion dull all over
the left side of the chest, with absence of normal respiration. The
left pleural cavity contained several gallons of serum. Over the
costal pleura was a firm layer of lymph, resembling the velvety
parts of tripe. The whole lung was indurated, especially at its
base, and brittle, like liver. No pus. Right side and lung
healthy.—Dr. Martin, April 11, 1860.
Autopsy 10.—Killed a cow, 10 years old. Sick since January.
Dullness over the left side. On opening the chest, there flowed
from it a stream of fetid matter as thick as tar. Strong adhesions
to the ribs. In the lung was a large tumor, enveloped in a cyst,
or sac. Right lung indurated——Drs. Dapp, THAYER, and Ty-
LER, April 19, 1860.
Autopsy 11.—Killed a calf, 3 weeks old. In the right pleural
cavity was a quart of serum. Jymph, easily separated, was spread
over the surface of the lung. ‘The left lung adhered to the ribs,
sternum, and pericardium.—Drs. Dapp, THAYER, and TYLER,
April 19, 1860.
Autopsy 12.—Killed a cow, 10 years old, which had been sick
three or four months. The posterior superior portions of the right
lung adhered so strongly to the ribs and diaphragm, that the
knife was necessary for their separation. On opening the poste-
rior part of the lung, a detached mass was found, very soft, sur-
rounded by pus, and contained ina sac. Left lung healthy.—Drs.
Bates, Dapp, and THayer, April 21, 1860.
Autopsy 13.—Left lung healthy, but slight adhesions to dia-
phragm. Right lung firmly adherent to the diaphragm. In it
was found a mass of consolidated lung, not entirely separated.—
Drs. Bates, Dapp, and THAYER, April 21, 1860.
Autopsy 14.—Killed a calf, 4 weeks old. Right lung inflamed.
Left chest filled with serum. Lung covered with lymph.—Drs.
' Bares, Dapp, and THayver, April 21, 1860.
Autopsy 15.—Killed a cow, 9 years old, and mother of the calf.
In the right lung was a cyst of the size of a pullet’s egg, filled
with pus. The left lung contained a small cyst, filled with the
426 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
same. Heart flabby»—Drs. Bates, Dapp, and THayer, April
21, 1860.
Autopsy 16.—Killed a stag that was in the “big team.” Three
months before, he had been sick for four weeks, but had recovered,
and had been working very hard. Serum in the right pleural
cavity. Lung indurated, and adherent throughout so strongly to
the ribs and diaphragm, that it was necessary to cut or scrape it
off. In this lung was a small cyst—Examined May 9, 1860.
Autopsy 17.—Killed the other stag. Left lung useless. Serum
in the chest. Right lung in the acute inflammatory stage.
These stags were taken December 3, 1860, in exchange for a
yoke of oxen sold at the same time to William IF. Doane, and
kept with Olmstead’s diseased herd. They were in the “big
team ”’ December 19.—Examined May 9, 1860.
Many other autopsies were made by members of our sister pro-
fession, human medicine, and the disease was always found to be
seated within the chest. It was not of so formidable or malig-
nant a character as it has proved to be in some parts of Europe,
and probably this is owing to the fact, if fact it be, that in the
transplantation of the disease from Holland to this country it has
undergone some modification.
From my own experience, I am led to believe that the Holland
cattle inherit in their systems an idiosynerasy or predisposition to
pleuro-pneumonia, and that when the circumstances are favorable
for its development—namely, impure air and bad management—
the latent disease to which, by virtue of their constitution they
are liable, is thus fanned into a flame. Being in its character
contagious, it then spreads, according to the laws, or after the
fashion which govern or obtain, in other epizodtic contagious
maladies. This must have been the case as regards Mr. CHEN-
ERY’s herd. Before his Dutch stock left Holland, they were care-
fully examined by competent surgeons, well acquainted with the
national disease pleuro-pneumonia, and a élean bill of health was
rendered. It was also ascertained that the malady was not then
prevailing in the localities where the animals were purchased ;
hence it manifested itself in the manner here described. The
same is true as regards its introduction into the Cape of Good
Hope. The animal was in perfect health on leaving Holland,
but on arriving at the place of destination manifested the disease,
and communicated it to others.
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 427
The history of the disease in South Africa is quite interesting ;
hence I introduce the following testimony, as given before a com-
mittee of the Legislature of Massachusetts, by Rev. D. LinpLEy,
lately a missionary in South Africa. He said:
“The disease, whatever be its name, and it has different names,
was introduced into South Africa a few years ago. It was intro-
duced from Holland, imported in the body of a bull. A gentle-
man in Cape Town, wishing to improve his stock, made that
importation, and with it that disease which has been to South
Africa the severest scourge that has ever fallen on its property
interest. It was about six weeks after the animal landed (he
having been on board the vessel on the passage about two months)
before any sign of sickness appeared in him, At the time, it was
not suspected that the disease was the lung contagion, so long
known in Holland. However, he died. He communicated that
disease to a considerable number of cattle, and before the people
became aware of the evil that threatened them, it had scattered
about them very extensively.
“The question may arise in the mind of the committee, Why
was it not at once exterminated there, as you propose to have it
here? The answer to this question will be found in this statement
that I must make, in order that you may understand the circum-
stances of that country. You will imagine New England, and a
great part of the United States, divested of its woods, its forests,
leaving, here and there, thickets and jungles, and a grass country
that is without fences or any inclosures, and all this country spread
over with cattle by the thousand (for the property of the inhabit-
ants of the country consists in cattle and in sheep). I have seen
1,600 in one herd, but generally the herds are from one hundred
to five hundred. In those parts of the country where the lions
and tigers have been exterminated, these cattle are allowed to roam,
night and day, where they please, and they wander considerable
distances, sometimes miles around. In addition to that, all the
produce of the country that is brought to market, whether to supply
the city of Cape Town or Port Elizabeth, or other towns lying
along the coast, is brought down from the interior in large wagons,
drawn by oxen. All the goods imported into the country and
taken inland are conveyed on these wagons, drawn by oxen ; and
to each wagon the custom of the country gives six pairs of oxen.
428 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
The country is large, it being from Cape Town to the extremity
of any civilization in the interior, twelve hundred miles, and across
the plains to where I live, twelve hundred miles more. Well, this
country is passed through, up and down, crosswise, and backward
and forward, by hundreds of wagons and thousands of cattle every
day. ‘They have no railroads, no rivers—no other way of trans-
porting goods from one point to another but this ox-wagon. Well,
they are great sheep-raisers in this country, having five to ten
thousand sheep in a flock, and I have seen as many as fourteen
thousand in one flock. Their clips of wool are all sent down in
these wagons to the coast.
“Tn a country of this kind, where there are so many cattle, and
where every thing is done by means of cattle, and they are trav-
eling night and day, there is no possibility of killing out this dis-
ease by extirpation. ‘The seed had been so widely disseminated
before the people knew what the matter was, that such a system
was looked upon as hopeless, and the Government adopted no
measures to stay it, and every man was left to look out for his own
interests. I will say that, after it had got fairly spread abroad
to a considerable extent, the inhabitants very generally resorted to
inoculation; and I will say, in passing, that we are indebted to
that for about all the cattle we have left. We should have been
flat on the ground, and no man could have got to the coast with
his products or returned with his merchandise. Inoculation has
saved us what we have, after six years. The disease was still at
work when I came away, but it was more under subjection. It
has killed hundreds and thousands of cattle, and I can assure
you, gentlemen, that where it has come into a flock it has not
left more than five out of a hundred. I was happily surprised
when I heard Dr. Loring state that in the past year, in this State,
not more than twenty per cent. had died.
“With us, when an animal is known as having the disease, we
look upon it as already dead; and I can affirm, without hesita-
tion, that where it has got into a herd of cattle, not more than
five out of a hundred have been spared. Occasionally one has
passed through, and has not had the disease at all; and a few, on
the other hand—two or three in a hundred—have recovered, and
no more. I know of one man who had five hundred head of
cattle. The disease got in among them, and, finally, he had but
five left. If I speak with emphasis, it is because I have had sad
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 429
experience; and I have been afraid that the good citizens of Mas-
sachusetts might not be aware of the evil that I do most firmly
believe threatens their property interest more than any thing that
ever threatened it yet.
“The disease has spread in every direction from Holland, and
by contagion. I will give you facts on this matter of contagion.
Well-meaning men—men of science, and who hold high and in-
fluential stations—said it was not contagious; that it was impos-
sible for a lung disease to be contagious, and, through their influ-
ence, some herds suffered that might, to my certain knowledge,
have been saved. One of the commissioners appointed was a
man of some science, and he said, ‘Poh! poh! it can not be
contageous,’ and the cattle were left, and the consequence is, it
has spread over all the country around them.
“J will tell you how the disease came to my particular neighbor-
hood. A native went out as a peddler, over the Cathumba Mount-
ains, into the interior, nearly three hundred miles. There he
took cattle in payment for goods. He brought down a herd of
oxen to the eastern coast. While on the way down, some of his
oxen became sick, and he quietly put them out of the way; for
he could travel one or two days, perhaps, and not see a single
person, and the dead cattle were not likely to attract attention.
He had that failing which we can pardon in others, as we see it in
ourselves, that he cared a little more for himself than he did for
his neighbors. He put the sick oxen out of the way, and brought
down the rest and sold them. They were bought by a gentleman
who had about one hundred and twenty oxen. ‘The peddler’s
cattle, looking apparently well, were put into that herd. Pres-
ently the disease broke out. It was in that instance that this
doctor had the influence to prevent the slaughter of that herd, be-
cause he said the affection was not contagious. These cattle were
running about in the neighborhood—out on the plain twenty
miles square, without fence and without tree, save here and there
a bush—where were grazing thousands of cattle, and they ran
just where they pleased. From this flock the contagion was
communicated to all the cattle in the region. Oxen were travel-
ing through the country every day (at least a hundred passing in
a day), and in that way it was carried widely through the country.
Until it was brought from a contaminated region in the interior
by these oxen, the disease had never been within three hundred
430 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
miles of us. I might give a thousand facts just equal to this,
but I am mentioning what occurred in my neighborhood.
“The disease had not crossed to the northward, to the Ungani
River, until this happened: A man wished to convey a boat from
Port Natal to a place about sixty miles to the northward. He
put the boat on a wagon, and took his six yoke of oxen to draw it.
He traveled one day, and camped just outside of a village through
which he had passed. In the morning he found one of his oxen
sick. He had camped on a piece of ground where cattle grazed
every day, and in a place where the people had thought them-
selves safe. Finding his ox sick, he quietly took him and his
mate out of the wagon, and, leaving them there, started on.
These oxen remained through the day, and mixed with the many
cattle owned in that village. ‘The second day after they had been
there, it was discovered that there was a sick ox in the field. The
inhabitants were all out at once. They killed the ox, and, from
the description, they saw that he had the disease they had dreaded.
They immediately inoculated their cattle, and saved a goodly
number of them. Now, in regard to that, I wish to make this
statement. J made a statement which was honestly reported, I
suppose, but mistakenly as a statement, that they had saved ninety
per cent.; in some instances not more than thirty per cent. Be-
tween this and ninety is probably the average percentage saved.
In this case, I mentioned that there was a clear, distinct instance
where the sickness had been brought from the interior three hun-
dred miles, and in the last case it was carried twenty miles. In
another instance, two natives were trading, and brought the dis-
ease from the country where they went, two hundred miles, and
set it down in a perfectly healthy region, in a herd of about eighty
cattle, and there it spread, and they were every one carried off.
“ Another fact, and one with which I had to do myself. <A na-
tive, a stupid heathen, was working for an Englishman in an
infected region. He took his pay in cattle—two calves, I think,
a year or a year and a half old. He carried them into a healthy
district, where the disease had been kept out, and within twenty
miles of which it was not known. Presently these calves fell
sick and died, and the cattle with which they were placed began
to be sick. I had in my service a young man belonging to that
village, which was twelve miles from where I lived. A messenger
came to this young man to say, ‘ Your cattle are sick.’ When I
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 481
heard that, I began to inquire if any cattle had been brought from
within the infected region to his krial. They said such an one
(meaning the native before mentioned) had been working with a
man, and taken two head of cattle for his pay. He came back,
a little more than two months ago, with these cattle, and they
took sick and died, and now our other cattle are sick. I saw at
once what the matter was; for I knew that the region where these
two cattle were taken from was wholly contaminated. I said,
‘Your cattle will all die; you ought to tell your neighbors to keep
their cattle away from you.’ I asked him, further, if his cattle
had mixed with other cattle, and he said, ‘ There are three krials
that have mixed with ours; so it was too late, and the result was,
they all died. I told the young man whom I sent to go and warn
the neighbors. He did so, and they took their cattle in the oppo-
site direction to grass, and for two years before I came away not
a single herd of the cattle around them had taken the disease.
Just those that were exposed to the contagion, and no others, died.
The neighbors’ cattle continued in a state of perfect health for two
years after those four herds (one hundred or one hundred and
thirty head) had died, right out there in the heart of a healthy
region, a region as large as a county.
“T can not doubt that the disease was communicated by con-
tagion, and that if the animals can be cut off, the disease will be
kept off. It was kept off in the region in which I lived in this
way. The chief with whom I have lived occupies a considerable
extent of territory, and he is fortunately fortified on one side by
a range of mountains, and on the other by a precipice some hun-
dred feet in height. He had assembled his tribe for another pur-
pose, and, wanting my advice in reference to some political diffi-
culties, he sent a messenger to tell me of his trouble. I went to
him, and, after that matter was settled, I took occasion to tell him
that the sickness was within some forty miles of us. I told him
what the disease had done and would do, and I said to him,
‘There is just one thing to do, and that is, to keep your cattle
where they are, and not allow any to go out or come in.’ The
people there love their cattle, as they say, better than they love
their lives. They took the alarm, and every effort that was made,
on the part of any one, to bring cattle into the country was im-
mediately and stoutly resisted. The intruder was met with spear
and shield, and threatened with death and destruction to himself
432 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and his cattle if he came a step further, and so was made to go
back. Only half a mile off, within sight of these cattle, dead
animals were lying unburied that had been exposed to this con-
tagion. The disease was brought there by the oxen of an indi-
vidual who had been into the interior, and when he came home
his oxen died. They communicated the disease to all the cattle
in that neighborhood, and I never saw more complete destruction.
There was not a single head left in all those kréals, Those cattle
came up to within half a mile of our boundary, and you could
look down and see herds of them lying dead. That was three
years ago, and yet, when I came away, the disease had not got
one inch over that line.
“These are facts that I have seen and know; and in that coun-
try, if you should ask us, ‘Is the disease communicated by con-
tagion?’ we would say ‘ Yes,’ and we should just as soon doubt
that the sun made daylight. There are thousands upon thou-
sands of facts to prove it. We have no more questions to ask on
that subject. You will see how widely the disease might spread
in a country like that, where cattle are so abundant, where the
travel is continued day and night, and where thousands of oxen
are on the road every twenty-four hours. It has been to that
country a great scourge. Thousands and hundreds of thousands
of cattle have died, and many of the people have been made poor
by the ravages of the disease, and the only hope they have of
securing a comfortable subsistence, and recovering a comfortable
position in respect to property, is through sheep. They have
given up all idea of grazing cattle, and are now turning their at-
tention to sheep; for the disease is so widely spread, that they
have no hope that it will ever be exterminated.
“T do not know that I have any thing further to state. I might
repeat hundreds and hundreds of facts of precisely this character.
If I have appeared earnest in my statements—somewhat as if I
was making a speech, which is, perhaps, my profession—I hope
you will not attribute it to any other motive than a wish to make
you fear as I think you ought to fear. Massachusetts has enacted
some glorious history, whereof you have famous monuments, and
I hope that pluck will not be wanting now.”
From such evidence as the foregoing, there can not be any
doubt regarding the contagious element of the disease.
ey)
wy)
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 4e
THE CATTLE PLAGUE IN KENTUCKY.
The Cattle Plague of Kentucky is known in Texas as “ Texas
Fever.” There are, at the present time, about one hundred thou-
sand head of cattle pastured along the eastern and north-eastern
limits of the State of Louisiana, destined for the markets of the
Mississippi. They are detained where they are by the statutes
of neighboring States, which forbid their being driven through
them before the 10th of November, the reason being a disease
called the “Texas,” or cattle fever, which prevails in the summer
months, and is contagious.
Some of these Texas cattle were brought into the State of Ken-
tucky early in August, 1866, and shortly after the disease made
its appearance, the details of which were communicated to the
“Lexington Observer and Reporter” in the following letter:
Scorr County, Ky., September 1, 1866.
Cou. L. J. BRapForD, President of Kentucky, State Agricultural Society :
Dear Sir—This section of the country has been much disturbed,
in the last few weeks, owing to a frightful disease which has made its
appearance among the cattle, killing many, making some blind, and
otherwise affecting a large number. There was no disease among the
cattle of these interior counties prior to the introduction of a large
lot from Texas by General R. Gano. It has been asserted, and be-
lieved, for a long time, that the Texas cattle would propagate a pecu-
liar and destructive disease. Missouri, in consequence, established a
cattle quarantine, and, I believe, passed a prohibitory law; hence, for
some time, that State has not been visited with this fatal malady.
Kentucky has it now, and there can be no doubt, in the minds of
those who have been informed of the facts, that it was introduced by
the Texas cattle.
Reason.—My mother-in-law, Mrs. James K. Duke, who lives nine
miles from Lexington and four from Georgetown, in this county, on
one of the best and most beautiful farms in the State, on which no
disease of any kind had ever occurred, took upon pasture, the 25th
of June last, over three hundred of these Texas cattle. None of her
own ran with them. They remained until the 3d of August, looked
healthy, and grazed well. Within five or six days after they had been
taken away, a lot of Kentucky cattle (a great many raised on the
farm) were turned on the pasture which had been occupied by the
Texas cattle. No danger was apprehended, but, within a week or ten
28
434 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
days, it was discovered that the disease had broken out among them.
Attention was immediately given. All were removed from the pas-
ture, and the sick separated from the well. Two or three died almost
immediately.
External Symptoms.—Dull, stupid, stiff; separation from the herd;
drooping of the head; disinclination to eat; trembling, cramping,
staggering, falling, and, in many cases (I do not know that there is
an exception), compression of the jaws. Some are made perfectly
blind—none on this farm, but on an adjoining one, that of Mr. Charles
Herndon, whose milch cows, calves, and a few steers were affected first
in the eyes (some in one, some in both); and it was a week or ten
days after the disease manifested itself in this way before these or
others began to seriously sicken and die.
Internal Symptoms, as far as Observed.—Blood, very black and
thick ; heart, only slightly affected ; lungs, perfectly sound and healthy;
the manifold, or second stomach, very much contracted, with the fecal
matter, hard, dry, and compact; the paunch, or first stomach, almost
empty, and with no apparent change ; bowels, contracted, nearly empty,
and extremely costive; bladder, generally containing only a small
quantity of thick, high-colored urine. In a few cases they discharge
a considerable quantity of bloody urine.
Up to the present time Mr. Herndon has lost eight or ten out of a
lot of twenty-five or thirty; Mrs. Duke, with a herd of seventy-five,
has lost twenty. Another neighbor, Mr. James Kenney, where only
Texas cattle remained, lost two. A gentleman near Oxford, Scott
County, lost twelve; another near Midway, Woodward County, lost
sixteen, from turning on a pasture where the Texas cattle had been
but one night and part of a day. Many others have died in the wake
of these Texas cattle, yet it is a remarkable fact that the disease has
broken out nowhere in a malignant form save where these imported
cattle have been. On the farm of Mrs. Duke, her milch cows and
calves, which were kept near the house, and in the central part of
the place, and not allowed to mix with these foreign cattle, or run
on the pasture where they had been, are and have been free from,
the disease, and milk and butter used all the time.
What ts the Disease?—I think it is nothing less than the cattle
plague, of which we have heard so much of late as raging with such
terrible fatality in Hurope. In England it is called the rinderpest ;
in Russia, cattle plague; in Mexico and Texas, the Spanish fever.
The symptoms are very similar. In almost every case thus far it
has proved fatal. The rinderpest could not be worse.
How is it Communicated?—Dr. J. Burden Sanderson, of England,
discovered that the blood of the animal affected with cattle plague
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 485
contained the poison of the malady, so that serum obtained from it
would give the disease by inoculation. Now, how did these Texas
eattle communicate this disease, when they were apparently healthy ?
Spanish fever is an endemic disease of Texas, and cattle have been
for years dying with it, sometimes, in certain localities, prevailing as
an epidemic. No disease, however, even in the form of epidemic, is
always fatal; but I am sure, from the natural course of things, the
discovery of Sanderson, and from facts herein given, that some of those
Texas cattle had this disease in their systems, and brought it to
Kentucky, so that the poison has inoculated our cattle and produced
the disease from which they are now suffering.
Our grasses seem to have had the effect to eliminate the poison
through their kidneys, bowels, and, perhaps, through the lunes, which,
being deposited on the pasture, was left ready for the first that fol-
lowed after them. Our Kentucky cattle, of course, not being acclimated,
are readily susceptible to the infection of the poison, and have suf-
fered accordingly. The disease is entirely distinct from any we have
ever had in the State before—attacks suddenly, affects singularly,
and kills in almost every case. One who has ever seen a case can
point out the cattle affected with it as soon as they begin to sicken.
Thus far, Mrs. Duke has lost twenty out of twenty-six cases. On
the 25th of August she commenced feeding green corn. Since that
date only one has died—five getting well, and no others sickening.
Every case, with the exception of blindness at Mr. Herndon’s, one case
of purging at Mr. Kenney’s, and two of bloody urine, were affected
precisely alike; so much so, that the description of one would answer
for all, the symptoms being more uniform than in any epidemic I have
ever seen or known. The fact that this disease has been brought here
by Texas cattle I regard as perfectly certain, no such disease having
ever appeared here prior to their coming into the State, and none
occurring, so far as can be ascertained, save where they have been.
It is well known that they introduced the same disease into Mis-
souri for several consecutive years, and the State was only relieved
of the pestilence by the Legislature passing prohibitory laws, making
it a heavy penalty to bring a single one into the State. It is true
they come here seemingly healthy, but may they not, as I suggested
before, bring it in their systems, and, through the effect of grasses
upon their bowels and kidneys, deposit the poison upon our pastures
by their urine and dung? The theory that the disease is communi-
eated through the feet, or by the ticks, I think fallacious, and will not
discuss it. Their feet are healthy, smooth, and sound, and the ticks
on them can be found almost anywhere in Kentucky. I have seen
them often.
436 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Prior to using the green corn, I am informed, by Dr. A. B. Duke,
that salt and ashes, soda, sulphur, copperas, bleeding in the mouth,
neck, ears, and tail were resorted to without any good effect; but it
is not conclusive that green corn will be of any material service. It
was only an experiment, did good in a few cases on Mrs. Duke’s farm,
but has not yet checked the cases on Mr. Herndon’s. It is impos-
sible to give a remedy so soon. It requires much experience and ex-
periment, and it would be well for farmers in Kentucky to look into
the matter and prepare for it.
An Agricultural College has been established near Lexington.
Would it not be well to have Veterinary Surgery studied—in fact,
have a special chair for that profession? Many young men will
study it, and it is as important as any other. The diseases of cattle,
horses, hogs, and sheep are as little known and understood in Ken-
tucky as though stock never did suffer from disease. Kentucky has
long been known and noted as a cattle or stock-breeding, raising, and
feeding State. If she would maintain prominence, and protect her
greatest interest, she must establish quarantines and pass laws shut-
ting out this terrible pestilence from her borders, and prepare for
the cure and relief of her fine stock.
Most respectfully your obedient servant,
G. Cuay SmirTH.
‘The following is my reply to the above:
Curicaco, Int., September 13, 1866.
G. Cuay Suiru, Esq.:
Dear Str—Through the kindness of R. W. Carroll & Co., of Cin-
cinnati, I am in possession of an article, over your signature, having
reference to the “Cattle Plague in Kentucky.” I have carefully
perused the article and compared the symptoms, as described, and
find that the disease bears no analogy to the rinderpest in Europe,
nor the pleuro-pneumonia of Holland, which was imported into Mas-
sachusetts about six years ago, where I had ample opportunities of
studying ‘it, having been appointed by Governor Banks as surgeon to
the commission appointed to extirpate the pest.
The Texas bovine malady, just introduced in Kentucky, is peculiar
to the breed of Texas. In that country the disease has acquired a
home in the constitutions of animals bred and reared there. The
disease lurks in the breed in a latent form, and, when circumstances
are favorable for its development, it manifests itself, and becomes both
contagious and infectious; and thus it spreads after the fashion of
the rinderpest and other bovine epizodtics.
-
RINDERPEST, OR CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 487
Your suggestion in regard to establishing a special chair for Vet-
erinary Science in the Agricultural College of Kentucky is a move
in the right direction. The husbandmen of Kentucky have great in-
terests at stake in the ownership of a vast number of some of the
finest stock in the world. They are subject to most of the diseases
that afflict the superior orders of creation, and the theory and prac-
tice of veterinary medicine and surgery rests upon the same intelli-
gent basis as that which obtains in human medicine. It makes no
difference whether we prescribe for a man or an animal, the laws of
the animal economy are the same; each one is susceptible, and can
be benefited by the same plan of treatment. Hence the need of vet-
erinary schools of learning in the United States for the instruction
of those who shall engage in the practice of our art. The science
has been sadly neglected in this country, but a period has arrived
when we must have educated men to prescribe for our flocks and
herds. Humanity demands it—our own interests reiterate the de-
mand. Thousands upon thousands of valuable animals die annually,
prematurely and unnecessarily, in consequence of a want of knowl-
edge of the nature of the disease and the modus operandi of medicine.
I know of no better locality in the United States than Kentucky
for the establishment of a rational system of teaching veterinary
science at an Agricultural College; and permit me, dear sir, to urge
you to use your efforts for the above purpose. Such an undertaking,
if successful (and I have no doubt of it), will reflect great credit on
you, and finally crown your State with the laurel of veterinary fame.
Yours respectfully,
Cin els JD Asso. NSIS).
Causes.—There is a great deal of doubt in regard to the manner
in which infectious and contagious principles invade the economy,
yet I think we shall not miss the mark in contending that it is
chiefly through the medium of the lungs that they are introduced
into the system; and, finally, the pernicious substance is absorbed
into the blood, which it, more or less, quickly vitiates, and thus
occasions the subsequent symptoms. A1l contagious diseases differ
from one another. Every one possesses its own peculiar powers,
by which, when they have come into bodies favoring their action,
through the proper channel of communication, they every one pro-
create their own distinct form of disease by a constant and uniform
law; hence the contagion of rinderpest produces its specific effect
on the system, spending its force principally on the respiratory
organs. The virus of glanders will not produce any other dis-
438 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ease than glanders. The same remarks apply to rabies, scarlet
fever, small pox, ete.; so that the virus of Texas fever produces
that disease and no other. The agents through which the virus
is most readily concocted are animal emanations, or secretions,
particularly the effluvia arising from the excretions of infected
animals, and that arising from the carcasses of those that have
died of the complaint. Hence, all that succumb to the same
should be buried or burned.
When a large number of animals are crowded together, and
the disease makes its appearance, the location may be designated
as the center of infection. In that event they need more space,
and must have it, or the disease will run riot among them; yet
the cordon sanataire must be drawn around them, for, if fresh
cattle come within breathing distance, the chances are that the
malady will spread.
Treatment.—In regard to the treatment of this malady I have
but little to offer. Medicine has but little control over diseases
of this character, yet I should recommend isolation, pure air, and
a free use of chlorate of potass, hyposulphite of soda, sulphate of
iron, and ginger. ‘Take of 7
No. 64. Powdered chlorate of potass..... cece e onOd
Powdered hyposulphite of soda........ 4 04.
Powdered sulphate of iron..... ésecese 2 0%.
Powdered ginger .......+. a) solidi ele elevere MUOZs
Mix.
‘ Dose, one ounce, morning and evening; to be mixed each time
in half a pint of flaxseed tea.
SECTION XV.
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION.
Crovurp—LARYNGITIS—BRONCHITIS—INFLAMMATION OF THE Lunas—HoosE or
Common CaTaRrru—Epizootic CATARRH—CoNSUMPTION—PHARYNGITIS (SORE
THROAT)—PULMONARY APOPLEXY-——PLEURISY, AND DESCRIPTION OF THE
PLEURA.
Croup.
HIS disease is generally supposed to occur among young ani-
mals, but CLAUDE relates a case of false membranes in a
nine-year old ox. Young calves are frequently attacked with
“laryngitis,” and very many die from obstruction in the air-
passages. ‘These, after death, are found to be occupied by semi-
organized lymph. Such cases are known to veterinary surgeons
as membraneous croup, and, in the latter stages of the disease, the
false membranes are found to occupy the intestinal canal, as well
as the air passages.
Symptoms.—The animal is observed to be in imminent danger
of suffocation ; there is some discharge of morbid matter from the
nostrils, yet it is evident that the respiratory passages are fast
filling up with the morbid secretion. The only chance of saving
the animal is to perform the operation of tracheotomy; but this
operation, in order to be successful, must be performed in the early
stage of the disease, or when false membranes are confined above
the point selected for the operation; for when the obstruction
exists at or about the lower end of the trachea, in the vicinity of
the bronchial tubes, the case is hopeless, The only medicine of
any value, in the early stage of this affection is
MO Go Cheeta oogoaoe song dasbuouCuuUOoo V4 Wt
Minveture Olobeliamaacimcelsleecls cece «20 OL:
Water sane DW HEE EHD Agr ght attang io Uera i eK OD
A second dose may be given at an interval of two hours. If
(429)
440 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the patient does not improve, and the danger appears imminent,
tracheotomy must be performed.
LARYNGITIS.
This disease often commences as an ordinary cold; but soon the
throat becomes husky, followed by prolonged sonorous respiration.
The respiration soon becomes quickened, and, finally, the patient
may die of suffocation. Laryngitis consists of an inflammatory
affection of the submucous cellular membrane of the larynx, often
ending in cedematous laryngitis. This is one of the most danger-
ous of all diseases, for, after cedema has once set in, the animal is
liable to die of asphyxia (loss of pulse) at any moment.
Symptoms.—Commencing, as it often does, as an ordinary cold
or sore throat, it has some symptoms in common with the latter.
The animal protrudes the nose, so that the head, instead of being
pendulous, is thrust forward, and he very rarely turns his head
sideways. The region of the throat is usually tumefied and ten-
der, and pressure on the larynx occasions great distress. These
symptoms, associated with the alarming character of the breath-
ing and livid appearance of the visible surfaces, will enable any
one to determine the true nature of the disease.
Zreatiment.—The first object is to endeavor to prevent effusion.
In this view, I recommend that the patient be carefully drenched
with the following:
No, 66.) FluidjEixtract: buchitivs se sie siete ccs ecche anne lGOZe
Chloratevot potas tsilets cere ec oleclorers 2 dr.
Witberegseniveleeiereleratolelela\aicleve\ele alate stat lelate 3 OZ
Mix.
At the end of three hours, repeat the dose. In the mean time
bathe the jaws and throat with a strong infusion of lobelia; then
apply a cold-water bandage around the jaws and throat. The
body and limbs should be well rubbed with a wisp of straw, so
as to keep up an active circulation on the surface of the body.
An enema, composed of soap and water, may be thrown into the
rectum. Should the symptoms become more alarming, the serv-
ices of a veterinary surgeon will be required, to perform the
operation of tracheotomy, which consists in taking a circular piece
of cartilage out of the trachea, and inserting therein a common
tracheotomy tube. If the disease be confined to the parts above
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 441
the seat selected as the place of operation, the animal may yet be
saved. When the disease passes into the chronic stage, we have
a purulent discharge from the nostrils. This discharge may be
modified by giving a few doses of the following:
INOW OMe Minecture Of maticorls/ isa cnielererecvellsicis) aleve 2 oz.
SV LU OL Caves iia elsisrer Siejctslelscleisiesy oN OZ:
Sweet spirits of niter............0. coe 2 OZ.
Mix.
Dose, two ounces, morning and evening. The throat should
be rubbed occasionally with a small quantity of tincture of blood-
root or hot vinegar. It often happens that chronic laryngitis ends
in thickening, or altered structure, of parts within and around the
larynx. Should this be the case, the patient should be put on a
course of iodine. Twenty grains per day of iodide of potassium
may be given in a small quantity of water; and the region of the
throat should be anointed every night with the following oint-
ment: .
No. 68. Powdered iodide of potassium.......... 2 dr.
Simple /OMMtMeMUyeyeieistals aleleiesaicvelailsle.alels)< 2 02.
Mix.
Description of the Larynx.—The larynx is seated at the upper
part of the windpipe, to which it is joined. It occupies that part
known as the throat, between the broadest part of the angles of
the jaw. It is composed of several cartilages, which are under
the control of the laryngial muscles. These cartilages are so con-
trived as to be movable on each other, in various directions.
The first cartilage is named thyroid, or shield-like. It forms
the most extensive part of the larynx, and protects the other parts
from external injury.
The second cartilage is named cricoid, or ring-like cartilage.
Tt overlaps the first ring of the trachea, or windpipe, in the form
of a helmet.
Thirdly, there are two ewer-shaped cartilages, termed arytenoid.
They are found on the upper and back part of the trachea. They
form a canal which leads to the glottis.
The fourth cartilage is named epiglottis, in consequence of being
situated upon and over the glottis. It is the door-keeper of the
larynx, and every particle of food or drop of water which the ani-
mal swallows must pass over it. If it fail to perform its function
449 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
for a single moment, when the animal is either drinking or eating,
death is sure to follow. But the ox is rather more favored in the
mechanism of the epiglottis than the horse. The epiglottis of the
horse is just adapted to the caliber of the glottis, he being a non-
ruminant; but in the case of the ox, the rough, unmasticated
particles of food have to be returned to the mouth for a second
mastication. This would peril the life of the animal if he had no
other protection than that found in the larynx of horses. The
fact is, the epiglottis of cattle, instead of being confined to the
caliber of the rim of the glottis, overlaps it, and this securely pro-
tects the parts from the accidents which may occur in the process
of remastication.
The larynx is lined by a membrane very susceptible to irrita-
tion. It is abundantly supplied with exeretory glands and ori-
fices, for the emission of a. secretion peculiar to itself.
BRONCHITIS. *
Bronchitis is a disease of the bronchial mucous membrane. In
its early stage, the term acute has been applied to it; this having
subsided, it assumes a chronic type. It is very rare that this is a
primary affection, for it is generally preceded by cough or catarrh,
or else is an accompaniment of an abnormal condition of contigu-
ous tissues. Its existence may be demonstrated very readily by
applying the ear to the trachea, in the region of the point of the
breast-bone, the peculiar sound differing from that in any other
part of the trachea, having what is termed a sibilant, or whistling
sound.
Treatment.—The treatment will be about the same as that
recommended for common catarrh, with the addition of a counter-
irritant to the sides of the chest. A little mustard and vinegar will
answer the purpose. <A bronchial difficulty, of a very alarming
character, sometimes prevails as an epizootic, and this must be
treated the same as epizootic catarrh.
Description of the Bronchial Tubes.—The bronchial tubes are a
continuation of the trachea. It having entered the thorax, becomes
forked or bifurcated. They are constituted of several pieces, mak-
ing up so many segments of the circle, overlapping each other so
as to admit of extension and contraction in the respiratory acts.
These are connected together and invested by an elastic cellular
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 443
substance, which imparts to them both strength and elasticity. A
further subdivision of the bronchial tubes takes place as they pen-
etrate the substance of the lungs, so that they become very numer-
ous. As they proceed onward their caliber continually grows less,
until they end in the extreme ramifications known as air-cells,
The bronchial tubes are lined by a membrane common to the
trachea.
INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS.
Inflammation of the lungs, known, also, as pneumonia, is not
usually so prevalent among the bovine as it proves to be in the
equine species, excepting, however, milch cows, located in unven-
tilated milking establishments. In such locations diseases of the
lungs are often fearfully prevalent, raging, at times, as an enzodtic
affection, which generally proves fatal when a large number of
animals are confined in a small space.
Among horses this disease is often occasioned by laborious work
and feats of speed, which produce rapid and sometimes distressing
respiration ; but among cattle, whose powers of speed and endur-
ance are not often put to the test, we may reasonably infer that
the exciting causes vary in their general character.
The stimulating and morbid action of an impure atmosphere
may produce this disease by first creating irritation on the lining
membrane of the respiratory passages. It has also been noticed
that this disease frequently appears among cattle that have been
driven a long distance, and have also been compelled to go hungry
and thirsty for many hours. Fortunately for the poor brute, this
disease is not so painful as bronchitis, pleurisy, and laryngitis ;
and, after having passed through the acute stage, it assumes a sort
of mild, subacute, or chronic type, which, apparently, appears less
dangerous than the acute kind ; yet, after all, is more so, as it is
apt to terminate in altered structure, hepatization, induration, and
- tubercles.
Pneumonia, now and then, terminates by metastasis; that is, by
translation of the formidable lung difficulty to one equally formi-
dable, which locates in the feet, known to veterinarians as laminitis
(fever in the feet), Among cattle, however, this termination is
rather rare, yet very frequent among horses. When the disease
does not take this course it often ends in “ resolution,” which sig-
nifies a return to health, without leaving any perceivable evidence
444 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of altered structure; so that, after awhile, the animal may become
sound as ever.
Pneumonia is divided into several forms or stages, but, as they
all have reference to its degree or intensity, it seems unnecessary
to refer to them. It may, however, be proper to inform the reader
that pneumonia may exist either as a state of congestion or of in-
flammation. Congestion signifies a distended or plethoric state
of the blood-vessels of the parenchyma of the lungs, and slow
motion of blood. Congestive pneumonia sometimes sets in as sud-
denly as that which is termed “ inflammatory,” and among cattle
the former is most prevalent. In the congestive stage the symp-
toms are those of embarrassment, the blood courses through its
channels sluggishly, and there is not the activity of heart and
lungs which is perceivable in pneumonia.
Symptoms.—The symptoms, in the early stage, are such as are
generally observed at the commencement of any inflammatory
affection ; namely, coldness of extremities and shivering fits; loss
of appetite; labored respiration, quick pulse, slight cough; mouth
hot and clammy. The animal will not lie down, and refuses to
move; the head is extended, perhaps drooping, and the fore-legs
stand wide apart. As the disease progresses these symptoms vary,
and the appearance of the membrane of the mouth, nose, and eyes
vary also, from the color of bright scarlet to that of a leaden hue.
In the congestive stage, the pulse is more voluminous, yet less
active, and the visible surfaces are highly congested. A cough,
slight or active, as the case may be, is usually noticed; it is a sort
of deep-seated, half-suppressed cough, and sometimes is the first ”
symptom which attracts the owner’s attention to the ailing animal.
- Treatment.—I have little faith in the heroic remedies so highly
recommended by YouarrT and others, and even by myself only a
few years ago. I now have more faith in Nature and in regi-
menal means, and find that more cases are cured in this way than
by the old method. It is very important, at the commencement
of the treatment, that the patient shall be placed in a clean, com-
fortable location, where pure air abounds; for, under such circum-
stances, the condition favorable to the operation of Nature in the
cure of the malady are secured. Should the animal labor under
accelerated respiration and full, strong pulse, I should administer
one ounce of powdered niter in a quart of cold water; after which,
four ounces of the liquor acetate of ammonia may be given, every
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 445
four hours. This agent, also, should have a quart of cold water
added to it at every dose. The: brisket and sides may be rubbed
with a portion of the following: Powdered mustard and strong vin-
ear, enough of each to form a thin paste. When mixed, a small
quantity of oil of cedar may be added. This application should
be repeated two or three times in the course of twenty-four hours.
Nauseants are next administered, in view of relaxing capillary and
muscular constrictions, and this is desirable, as such conditions
tend to equalize the circulation of the blood, and prevent an undue
quantity accumulating in the pulmonary organs.
In cattle practice, having had a case of this character under
treatment, I prefer to administer the nauseating remedies by the
anus; hence, a couple of quarts of infusion of lobelia may occa-
sionally be thrown into the rectum. Considerable of the active
principle of lobelia will be absorbed within this gut, and, under
the circumstances, it is much better to introduce the medicine
into the system in this way than by the stomach. The propor-
tions of the lobelia to the water are—
INGO.) Wobeliay Cierb)s te. sie) ie speletel sels sievelere) 4) OZ,
Boiling water......... sileiereeliels ole see wee a Gite
When cool, strain, and it is fit for use.
It may be necessary to give a dose of medicine; if so, I should
use the following:
INowvsOs Glauber salts cies ciesuis seis sue cle Ovo
Crime ruerahelenedehe(erets aisieiciele)oieleicleicle: eich dr:
Wir mawacertia: sae esis Nciale saree cp ee Sook Gite
It should be known to all husbandmen that a disease of this
character, located in such important organs as those of respiration,
is very prostrating, and operates very unfavorably on the inher-
ent vitality of parts; hence, so soon as the activity of the mor-
bid phenomena is somewhat subdued, all active medication should
cease, |
The affection is likely to continue for some days, and all we
have to do is to try to keep the patient alive while the disease is
running its course. Careful nursing, pure air, and light diet are
the remedies. After the first twenty-four hours, I pay little at-
tention to the pulse, but more to the patient, for I can conceive
of but two conditions in this disease. One I call acute, the other
chronic. ‘The very moment the acute condition subsides, it merges
446 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
into the chronic, and requires life-sustaining agents. After the first
twenty-four hours, I generally resort to the following medicine:
No: Ti Glycerines ) sc). eels isie's eje0 wis eilste lel eleverate 8 oz.
Powdered bloodroot......s.00+-..c2e0+2s 4 dr.
Powdered golden seal....... ee sale rel oele Loz,
Waterss. cise. cities etersleleteuelsisle ¢ elerte wee 4 102:
Mix.
Dose, one table-spoonful, to be smeared on the tongue night
and morning. a
Management of the Patient while under Treatment.—As I have
already intimated, a full supply of pure air must be insured ; for
a practitioner would be more likely to save an animal in the open
air (provided the weather was not too cold or tempestuous) than
in the unventilated cow-house. Should the limbs at any time be
cold, they are to be hand-rubbed and bandaged; the body being
in the same condition, must also be clothed. I should also give
the chilled patient some warm ginger-tea, or any other non-alco-
holic stimulant or carminative, in view of arousing the action of
the heart and capillaries, by which means the red arterial and
life-sustaining blood would be forced to the external surface and
extremities, imparting to them a genial warmth, and thus insur-
ing an equilibrium of the circulating fluid. The patient should
be furnished constantly with a bucket of pure, cold water. When
morbid thirst prevails, the water must be acidulated with either
lemon-juice, cream of tartar, or acetic acid. Any symptoms of
debility or lassitude are to be opposed by a few doses of some veg-
etable tonic. ‘Tincture of golden seal, or tincture of matico, in
ounce doses, every twelve hours, are the best remedies that I am
acquainted with.
My experience in the treatment of this formidable disease is,
that in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred, the patient dies of
a meddlesome medicinal disease; in fact, he dies secundem artem.
In view of furnishing a logical argument to support this theory,
I refer the reader to Youarr, PERCIVALL, and others of the or-
thodox stamp, (very learned men,) who are apt to place too much
confidence in art, to the exclusion of Nature.
It is my opinion, after many years study and practice, that dis-
eases are not cured by art; but art may so modify the diseased
condition that the recuperative powers of the system can thereby
induce salutary changes, without which they can not so readily be
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 447
effected. Thus art, when understandingly applied, may be said
to aid Nature in the cure of disease.
Hoosr, oR ComMon CATARRH.
Cattle, as well as horses, are subject to a catarrhal affection,
known among English farmers as “hoose.” This consists of a
defluxion from the nasal cavity, accompanied with cough, loss of
appetite, and loss of flesh. In popular language, it is nothing
more than a common cold, induced by the ordinary causes, such
as exposure, errors in diet, and management. It generally ap-
pears during spring, or toward the latter part of autumn, when
the temperature of the atmosphere undergoes the most sudden
changes; and it generally selects its subjects; for many animals,
subjected to the ordinary causes of cold, enjoy immunity from the
same; hence, I infer that a predisposition to this affection is
hereditary, and manifests itself at periodical intervals, without
the intervention of the common exciting causes, although they
may prove operative in developing a latent disease.
I conceive that it sometimes has an hereditary origin, from the
fact that some breeds are more subject to it than others. In some
cases, however, this hereditariness exists only so far as the animal
is of a peculiar temperament, so that, when removed from a warm
to a colder region, it is apt to contract catarrh. ‘This is the case
with many of the Alderney breed of cows imported into the
northern region of the United States. Ere they have been here
long, they have an attack of catarrh, which often runs into the
chronic stage, and ends in consumption.
Symptoms.—The first symptom which the farrier will observe,
is loss of appetite. Succeeding this are febrile symptoms, such
as quick pulse and respiration, heaving at the flanks, dry muzzle,
glairy discharge from the nostrils, reddening of the visible sur-
faces. The limbs are generally colder than usual, and the hair
loses its glossiness and appears roughened. The animal will occa-
sionally snort and discharge more or less of glairy mucus, and
some soreness of throat may be observed. Such are the early and
most noticeable symptoms of this disease; and this is the most
proper period for the animal to receive attention, in order to pre-
vent the malady running into the chronic form; for, should it do
so, ten chances to one if the case is not called “horn-ail,” and
%
448 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
thus the poor animal has to submit to a routine of barbarisms,
such as boring horns, letting daylight, pepper, and turpentine into
the frontal sinuses, much to the annoyance of a sick brute, and
very significant of the ignorance of the itinerant cattle-slayer.
Treatment.—The treatment depends somewhat on the condition
of the patient, as regards the preponderance of fever or debility.
A high-fed animal, abounding in morbific material, and neces-
sarily of a febrile diathesis, must have aperients. Eight ounces
of Glauber salts, dissolved in warm water, and sweetened with
molasses, may, without the least danger, be administered, followed
by a liberal supply of warm, sloppy, bran-mashes; and, should
the pulse be voluminous and excessively active, thirty grains of
powdered niter may be added to the above, which, in all proba-
bility, will reduce the action of the heart. In the mean time, we
keep the patient quiet. Withhold all fat and muscle-making food,
and allow the patient to breathe a pure and cool atmosphere; for
a cool atmosphere is, perhaps, a better sedative than niter, and
certainly more requisite; and, after the medicine shall have had
time to traverse a portion of the intestinal surface, say a lapse of
five or six hours, an enema of Glauber salts may be given, in the
proportion of half a pound to half a gallon of water.
In the early stage, and having a plethoric subject under treat-
ment, it may, by some persons, be considered necessary to resort
to the fleam; and some highly-educated physicians decide this to
be the best course. There may be cases, occurring in pampered
and stable-fed animals, which demand a prompt use of the above
instrument ; but the author has never seen a case of catarrh which,
in his judgment, demanded the abstraction of blood. Bleed by
the bowels, if there be need of depletion. This is my doctrine.
Catarrh, whether it be simple or epidemic, in one feature re-
sembles influenza occurring among horses. It is a prostrating
disease, inducing debility. However, I have no desire to force my
opinions on any man. ‘Try sanitive medicines; if they have not
the desired effect, the judicious practitioner has no other remedy.
We have now only to keep the patient alive while the disease
is running its course, and this is accomplished by means of “ good
nursing.” ‘There are a great many remedies that might be recom-
mended, in view of hastening convalescence, but “ good nursing ”
supplants the whole. A sore throat may accompany the malady,
and, if so, | recommend the following:
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 449
No: 72: Olive oils a ose sacl: cise widichele's\e.e's«) 1G 02,
Oil of cedars. 5 is5\5).14 0-5/0 eeecceesoeves Loz:
Spirit of ammonia....... shsloll eich) stelete «- $ 02
Timeture sof capsicum. .!jcs sss cocsees 1 02
Mix.
Apply a portion to the throat twice daily.
In order to promote a discharge from the nasal outlets, we
resort to vapor, which may be generated by dropping water or
vinegar on a hot brick; and to insure the full effect of the same,
I envelop the head with a cloth or blanket, so as to direct the
current of vapor through the nasal passages. In view of pro-
moting a nasal discharge, a small quantity of bayberry bark (pul-
verized) may occasionally be blown up the nostrils, from a quill
or a hollow tube of paper. The after-treatment will depend upon
the observable symptoms. While a febrile diathesis continues,
we depend on sedatives and aperients. In the chronic stage, tonics
and alteratives are indicated, and must be resorted to, in view of
warding off a chronic cough and its consequences,
Eprizootic CATARRH.
Epizostic catarrh is infectious, yet animals having once had an
attack of the same may enjoy immunity from it thereafter. It
usually appears and spreads over various parts of the country
when great variations in the weather are noticed. It generally
appears in the spring, and disappears when the weather becomes
warmer and more uniform.
Symptoms.—The symptoms of epizootic catarrh, in the early
stage, do not differ materially from those alluded to in the pre-
ceding article (common catarrh). In a very short time, however,
the animal begins to grow very weak, and becomes debilitated.
Tumors form in various parts of the body, emitting, when pressed,
a crackling sound ; the glands in the region of the throat are en-
larged; the neck, stiff; the odor from the breath and feces is
very offensive; the animal loses flesh very fast, and, unless re-
lieved, will surely die.
Causes.—The direct causes of this, like that of any other epi-
zootic and endemic affection, are involved in obscurity. Specu-
lation is rife as regards the causes of cholera and the potato rot,
which probably have analogous origins, but it is very difficult, if
29
450 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
not impossible, at the present time, to define the precise character
of the morbid germ which, “like a little leaven,” leavens the
whole body.
Treatment.—The principal objects in the treatment of this mal-
ady are to sustain the vital powers, and thus guard against the
subsequent prostration and decomposition which, under the ortho-
dox treatment, is sure to occur. The proper mode of treatment
is to drench the animal with the following:
No.7. Tincture of matico... 0005 occ. ose elelee OZ
Hyposulphite of soda..........ee- Aas U0) (lies
Powdered golden seal......eeeeeeeeees 2 dr.
Warm water......+. aie sieleleieicislelveretslonete 1 pint.
Having administered the above medicine, anoint the throat and
all tumefied parts with a portion of the following counter-irritant:
No. 74. Oil of cedar..... ose ee Se CE al atozs
Oil of sassafras... .ccesscececssees oo & OZ.
Cod-liver oil....... Bie gly Lk ee ae ee - 6 02.
Mix.
Apply by means of a small piece of sponge. Should the breath
become fetid, and the odor from the evacuations almost intoler-
able, as is often the case, very powerful antiseptics will be needed,
to arrest the morbid fermentation. The most efficient and valu-
able article for this purpose is pyroligneous acid. A couple of
ounces of the same may be given in a quart of oatmeal gruel,
every four hours, until the odor is exterminated. The diet should
consist of well-salted, scalded shorts, sliced carrots, and parsnips.
In the absence of rumination, give a drachm of powdered golden
seal and half a drachm of carbonate of soda, twice in twenty-
four hours.
CONSUMPTION.
This disease, as it appears among cattle, is supposed to be the
sequel of other diseases of the respiratory apparatus, and some
writers contend that phthisis is the termination of chronic disease
of the lungs, characterized by the formation of tubercles within
the substance of the lungs.
Symptoms.—The most notable symptoms are emaciation, debil-
ity, cough, fever, and purulent expectoration. Expectoration,
however, is a feature of this disease, more marked in the human
subject than among horses and cattle ; yet, in the last stages, we
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 451
occasionally observe nasal discharges of a purulent character. In
diagnosing this disease, it is necessary to make ourselves acquainted
with the history of the case, and the physical conformation of the
animal; for, if the patient be the subject of neglected catarrh,
bronchitis, or any other pulmonic or pleuritic difficulty, we have
the data for an intelligent diagnosis; provided the physical con-
formation corresponds to that which physiologists regard as sus-
ceptible of phthisis ; namely, a lean, lank organization, associated
with an active, nervous temperament.
Referring to PercrvALt for evidence on the subject now under
consideration, I find that he considers a colt having long legs,
overgrowth, narrow chest, flat sides, pot belly, and an appearance
of weakness and unthrivingness, a capital subject for phthisis. A
cough occurring in such an animal, of a feeble, painful, hoarse,
rattling, or gurgling character, shows conclusively that disorgan-
ization of the lungs has commenced. The cough will also be ac-
companied by a sound which gives us an idea that it is deep-
seated.
Causes.—Aside from the well-known direct hereditary causes
which are known to exist in breed, there are others operating
insidiously to produce disease and altered structure in the lungs.
The climate may be prejudicial. I have known this disease to
make its appearance among cows unsuited to our New England
climate—the Alderneys, for example. On the other hand, if cows
be removed from a warm, comfortable location, or barn, to a region
involving a material difference in temperature, a derangement of
the respiratory system is very apt to occur. It may appear at
first under the guise of a simple bronchial affection, which insidi-
ously steals on until the substance of the lungs is affected. Ani-
mals shut up in close and hot stables, where they can not obtain
sufficient oxygen to vitalize or decarbonize the blood, are apt,
after a short time, to die of tuberculated lungs; or, perhaps, a
worse form of disease, known as infectious pleuro-pneumonia,
soon terminates their wretched existence. Impure air is at all
times operative in exciting pulmonary affections. The least de-
viation from purity may occasion very serious difficulties ; there-
fore, it should be the business of the farmer to see that his cattle
have constantly an abundant supply of pure, uncontaminated air—
the breath of life.
Treatment.—In the first place, the patient must be removed to a
452 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
comfortably warm and well-ventilated barn. Should the weather
be chilly, a blanket may be thrown over the body; and it will be
expedient, also, to clothe the limbs, up to the knees and hocks,
with strips of flannel. By this means we promote cutaneous and
subcutaneous circulation, and every drop of blood invited and
maintained at the surface in the extreme vessels tends to prevent
internal congestions. Without proper attention to these matters,
we might as foolishly attempt to raise a dead cow to life. Next,
the patient, whose appetite is almost sure to be impaired, should
be fed on that kind of food which contains more carbon and nitro-
gen than common hay; namely, oatmeal. In case of a complete
suspension of rumination (loss of cud), a due proportion per diem
of oatmeal gruel, sweetened with some saccharine matter, may be
administered from a bottle. Every morning the patient should
have four ounces of the best cod-liver oil. This can be continued
until its action is made manifest by purging. Every evening,
give the patient a dose of the following:
No. 75. Powdered phosphate of lime.....2+.+. 3 02.
Powdered bloodroot...... Srindca tanto JO
Powdered bayberry bark.....sececees 4 dr.
Powdered sassafras. .ecescecccesceces 2 OL.
Divide the mixture into sixteen parts. The above is, according
to my experience, the most rational method of treating this disease ;
but the farmer must not feel disappointed if he fails in arresting
it, for it frequently baffles the most consummate skill.
PuHaryneitis (SoRE THROAT).
The term pharyngitis signifies inflammation of the membrane
lining in the pharyngial inlet, or funnel-like entrance into the
cesophagus, or gullet.
Symptom.—The diagnostic symptom of this affection is as fol-
lows: The subject is unable to swallow, and thus the food taken
into the mouth is apt to be returned by the nostrils. This hap-
pens occasionally, although the passage of the nasal inlet is much
smaller than it is in the horse. On exploring the inferior region
of the throat, from ear to ear, considerable swelling or tumefaction
is encountered, yet the pharyngial muscles appear to be constricted.
It generally appears among cattle as a simple local affection, yet
it often accompanies other diseases of the respiratory character,
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 453
and whenever it does appear as a local malady, it is apt to merge
into something else. It is a very distressing affection, and the
animal gets but little relief until suppuration commences ; then a
free discharge takes place.
Lreatment.—Let the animal’s throat be rubbed twice daily with
No. 76. Oil of cedar......... Ags eh poe gS, ia LY A,
Codcliwertoilisis:scisie esto ure cio 6 eaters deat 6 oz.
Spirits of ammonia..... aievolsleletareiersislels 2 dr.
Mix.
Keep a sloppy bran-mash before the patient, or some flaxseed
tea, into which stir a small quantity of powdered niter of liquorice.
This will relieve the cough, if any be present, and tend to lessen ir-
ritation of the lining membrane of the pharynx. When the patient
begins to expectorate, or has the least discharge from the nose, give
INOsnas balsamyon toluy. jscisiosicc ale a eicieie ss cele 2 oz.
Sweet spirits of niter.....,--scssecs-s 3 0%.
Mucilage of gum arabic.......eeeee2- 8 0%
Mix.
Dose, one wine-glassful, twice daily.
Description of the pharynx.—The pharynx is the commencement —
of the tube known as the cesophagus, or “ gullet.” It is a funnel-
shaped cavity, lodged between the mouth, gullet, and windpipe.
The pharynx is composed of muscular and membraneous tissues.
The most important muscles which enter into the composition of
the pharynx are the constrictors. They give the membrane form-
ing the funnel-shaped sac a complete covering, and their function
is to force the food beyond the action of the tongue, into the ceso-
phagus. The pharynx is divided from the mouth by the soft
palate and the epiglottis ; therefore, except in the act of swallow-
ing or coughing, there is no direct communication. The interior
of the pharynx is lined by a membrane haying within its structure
a vast number of minute glands, with excretory ducts, from which
a viscid or lubricating fluid issues. This lubricates the pellets of
food, so that, by this process, their passage into the esophagus is
insured without the casuality of friction.
PULMONARY APOPLEXY.
This disease occasionally appears among cattle in the Western
States. It attacks animals irrespective of age, sex, or condition.
454 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
It is generally sudden in its attacks, and death frequently ensues
‘ in the course of a few hours.
Symptoms.—The pulse and respirations are very much acceler-
ated, the former sometimes running as high as 110; an augmented
salivary secretion is observed to run from the mouth; the tongue
is much swollen; so, also, are the eyelids, and tears run down
each side of the face; various parts of the body are swollen and
congested ; the stomach is distended with gas, and the evacuations
are profuse and watery. Post mortem examinations reveal a highly-
congested state of the lungs; in fact, they are engorged with blood,
and the muscles in the region of the tumefied parts are in a similar
engorged condition.
Treatment.—No time should be lost in administering the follow-
ing drench, for it will preserve the tissues against decomposition,
and, perhaps, save the animal :
No. 78. Pyroligneous acid. ose eci oie cwsie LOnGc.
Waters clererstcrcta'ee oe stere cece e cece ce ot MeMpInE:
Tincture of maticO....scssceccesscee 1 02.
Repeat the dose after a lapse of six hours, and rub the tume-
faction occasionally with
No. 79. Oil of cedar..... o| dio cielle cisiel obs oieleie sleiere mel mOr:
Tincture’ of capsicumis.«.. ass. se woolen OZe
Tincture of bayberry bark............ 4 oz.
Mix.
It appears that in this disease there is a morbid impulse directed
to various parts, which results in local accumulations, rendering
the parts turgid. Then the blood is thrown out of the capillary
vessels, and sometimes they suffer a rupture, which accounts for
the engorgement and extravasation.
As there is generally some effusion present in this malady, some
good may be accomplished in acting slightly on the kidneys; yet,
as the pulse and respirations are both accelerated, the ordinary
diuretic (sweet spirits of niter) is not admissible, for the simple
reason that it is too stimulating; therefore I recommend the use
of common niter—half an ounce, every four hours, to be given in
a little water. The tumefied tongue should be rubbed often with
table salt. The animal does not require any kind of food until
amendment takes place. The best drink for the patient is cold
water, to which a little table salt may be added.
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 455
PLEURISY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PLEURA.
The delicate, transparent membrane which lines the cavity of
the thorax, or chest, is duplicated as an external tunic on the
lungs, and forms a partition called mediastinum, which divides the
cavity of the chest into two equal parts, termed right and left
cavities of the thorax. It is, therefore, a reflected membrane.
That portion which gives a lining to the chest is termed pleura
costalis, and that which invests the lungs is called pleura pulmo-
nalis, although, at all points, they are precisely similar in structure
and function. The pleura is called a serous membrane. It is
dense, shining, and transparent; its texture is penetrated by blood-
vessels, nerves, absorbents, and exhalents. The minute ramifica-
“tions of the arteries give origin to a vast number of exhalents;
and these furnish a serous or watery vapor, which is distributed
over every part of the pleura, and thus all friction and irritation
is prevented. In the disease known as hydrothorax (dropsy of
the chest), the effused fluid found in the cavity of the thorax comes
from the exhalents. The absorbents play a very different part.
Their function is to absorb or drink up any superabundant serum
or blood that may be found in the chest. The functions of these
vessels, however, are limited; for when, in consequence of disease,
augmented serous secretion takes place, the absorbents are unequal
to the task imposed on them, consequently the subject of hydro-
thorax often dies with his chest loaded with water.
Symptoms.—This disease is generally ushered in like other febrile
affections, by fever and trembling of the fore extremities. The
cough accompanying pleurisy is painful, and the animal tries to
suppress it as much as possible. The breathing is not laborious,
but short, the intercostal muscles not admitting of their usual exten-
sion and contraction without intense pain. The diaphragm has to
perform the respiratory movement, without the aid of the former
muscles. Ifslight pressure be made on the intercostal spaces, be-
tween the ribs, the animal will evince symptoms of intense pain.
If a person attempts to back the patient, the latter will moan or
grunt, and be very unwilling to move. The patient stands with
his fore-legs wide apart, and seldom, if ever, lies down. On ap-
plying the ear to the sides of the chest, a slight sound, resembling
that of friction, is discernible. This is probably occasioned by the
presence of effused lymph on the pleural surfaces. The pulse is
456 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
generally quick, tense, and small. These are the principal symp-
toms of pleurisy in its early stage. They will vary as the disease
progresses, or become complicated. ‘The minor symptoms, such
as loss of cud, etc., are not worth noticing, as they are present in
various other forms of disease.
Treatment.—Give two drachms of fluid extract of gelseminum
every four hours. This acts as a powerful sedative, and will
soon afford much relief. In the mean time, let a preparation of
mustard and vinegar be applied to both sides of the chest and
breast. The patient should now have one ounce of powdered
chlorate of potass, dissolved in flaxseed tea or thin gruel. This
may be given morning and evening. Should the animal refuse to
drink it, give it as a drench, by adding to it one pint of water. In
view of mitigating the cough which may be present, and of relieyv-*
ing pain, the patient may be made to inhale an ounce or so of sul-
phuric ether from a sponge, the latter being merely covered with
a towel, except that part which comes in contact with the nostrils,
It would not be proper to completely etherize the animal, but
merely to stupefy him for atime. This will have an antispasmodic
effect, and may be repeated, or not, at intervals of four hours, ac-
cording to the nature of the effects produced.
It will be proper to administer an occasional enema, and this
should be of an antispasmodic character; therefore an infusion of
lobelia is recommended. ‘The very moment the animal appears
to be relieved of urgent symptoms, the treatment should not pro-
ceed on the same principles. The intention should be to guard
against debility and hydrothorax, two mortal enemies to the bovine
species. Golden seal and buchu are the best remedies to prevent
the one and guard against the consequences of the latter. They
may be given in the following proportions:
No. 80. Powdered golden seal...........00. 2 dr.
Mimcture) of buch ws )tc/sictis,- o)crele ereeerete 4 fluid dr.
Hyposulphite of soda.............4. 3 dr.
WiciGeTere( tie areca fel are aiuiersieyaanaie tote sie 6) ypimity
This quantity is sufficient for a period of twenty-four hours.
The animal appearing much better will be the signal to discon-
tinue all medical treatment.
SECTION XVI.
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS.
DESCRIPTION OF PHE (ESOPHAGUS—FOREIGN BopDIEs IN THE GULLET—(MsOPHAGOT-
OMY—LACERATION OF THE (HSoPHAGUS—APHTH H—DESCRIPTION OF STOMACH—
RuMINATION—BLOAT— DISTENSION OF THE RUMEN WITH Foop—GAsTRO-INTESTI-
NAL INFLAMMATION— DENTITION OF CATTLE—SYNOPSIS OF DENTITION—SUSPENDED
RumMInAtTrIoNn, on Loss or CupD—INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS—INVAGINATION
oF InTESTINE—DIARRHEA—CHRONIC DIARRHEA—GuT TIE—INTERNAL RUPTURE
OF OXEN—FLATULENT COLIC—SPASM OF THE BOWELS—CONSTIPATION OF BOWELS.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHSOPHAGUS.
HE esophagus, or gullet, extends from the mouth to the
' stomach, and passes down the left side of the neck, outside
of the windpipe, between the two first ribs, and then runs back-
ward, along the upper part of the thorax, until it reaches the
diaphragm. Having passed through the latter, it enters into the
mechanism of the digestive canal. It is composed of three coats.
The outer one is made up of cellular substance, and admits of
much distension. The middle one is muscular, and composed of
two layers, arranged spirally, and running in opposite directions ;
that is to say, the fibers wind round the gullet, in contrary direc-
tions. This allows or aids the food which has been masticated to
pass down the tube into the first compartment of the stomach,
viz., the paunch, and, by a reverse action of the other set of spiral
muscular fibers, the pellet (cud) ascends into the mouth for re-
mastication. The inner or third coat is similar in structure to
the pharyngeal membrane, or that which lines the pharynx, he
it is so arranged as to admit of considerable distension.
FoREIGN BopIEs IN THE GULLET.
When an animal attempts to swallow a substance too large for
the caliber of the cesophagus, it becomes impacted in the same, and
(457)
458 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the creature is said to be choked. On examining the left side
of the neck, the foreign body can be both seen and felt. When
an accident of this character occurs, half a pint of olive oil should
immediately be administered. This will lubricate the internal
surface of the esophagus, and aid us when attempting to force the
impacted material toward the stomach. Before any attempts are
made to introduce the probang, some efforts should be made to
manipulate the obstruction, and thus force it downward. If it
can be felt, yet can not be moved by external manipulation, there
is very little chance for the animal; yet we are not without re-
source. The probang is our remedy. This is to be introduced
through the mouth-piece into the esophagus. Some slight degree
of force may be used to push the obstruction downward. If that
fail, no time should be lost in futile efforts, and an operation must
be performed termed cesophagotomy.
(KsoPHAGOTOMY.
This operation is performed as follows :—Place the animal in
the trevis, or cast, and etherize him. Then make an incision over
the region of the obstruction, through the skin and subcellular
tissues. The cesophagus will then be seen. The only vessels in
this location that are of any consequence are the jugular vein and
common carotid artery ; but there is no danger of wounding them
when the esophagus is distended. The obstruction having been
found, an incision is to be made through the coats of the gullet
sufficiently large to admit of the extraction of the incarcerated
body. So soon as this desirable object is effected, the edges of the
gullet may be closed by sutures or stitches, one end of which
should be cut off close to the knot, and the other left long enough
to hang out of the external wound. The integuments are then to
be brought together by another set of stitches, taking care to leave
a small orifice at the lower part of the neck, for the escape of any
morbid matter. The wound, with the exception of this orifice,
should be well coated with collodion or liquid cuticle. For a few
days after the operation, the patient should be kept on a light,
sloppy diet, sufficiently seasoned with common salt to prevent fer-
mentation. In the course of a fortnight the wound will be quite
healed.
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 459
LACERATION OF THE CKSOPHAGUS.
This accident very frequently occurs from the objectionable
practice of attempting to force a foreign body, such as an apple,
potato, or turnip, that the animal has greedily attempted to swal-
low, down the cesophagus into a more dilated part of the digestive
apparatus, by means of such rude instruments as a whip-stock or
common stick, in lieu of a proper instrument, known as a probang,
The operator sometimes succeeds in removing the obstruction, but
soon a swelling is observed in the
region of the neck. The animal
evinces signs of pain, and symptoms
of suffocation ensue. In such cases
it is evident that the cesophagus is
ruptured. The following, from the
author’s case-book, is introduced in
view of showing the folly of forci-
bly removing such obstructions :
October 10, 1855.—Saw a cow,
at Feltonville, the property of Mr.
Welch and others. The animal
had calved about ten days previous,
and done well. Two days after
parturition she was purchased by
another man for the above party,
and driven to her new home. On
the way thither she picked up an
SECTION OF A COW’S STOMACH.
ExpLaNnation.—1, A portion of the cesopha-
apple and got choked. ‘The apple
was discovered in the upper half
of the cesophagus. The attendant
tried to manipulate it either one
way or the other, but, failing in
this, he procured a whip-stock, and
forced the foreign body toward the
rumen. ‘This induced convulsions,
gus, or gullet; 2, The terminating portion
of the gullet; 33, Lining membrane of the
first compartment of the stomach; 4 4,
Portions of the lining membrane of the
second compartment of the stomach, dis-
sected and raised, so as to show the mus-
cular mechanism beneath it; 55, The lips
of the demi-canal, which are the bounda-
ries of the groove. At the lower part is
the entrance into the third compartment
of the stomach, termed ‘‘many-plies.”
and the subject threw herself violently down, with the whip-stock
in her throat. This feat she repeated several times, to the immi-
nent danger of limb and life. She shortly, however, recovered,
and appeared to do well, and the next day, I believe, was received
by the above firm. After a brief space, she appeared to be “ail-
460 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ing,” and the owners, thinking the apple was the cause of the
same, gave her a full dose of oil. Soon afterward inverted peri-
staltic action took place, and, whenever she attempted to swallow
fluids or solids, vomiting or regurgitation took place. This was
her condition at the same time I saw her—ten days after the first
attack. I prescribed alkalies and counter-irritation. Next day
she appeared better; that is, the vomiting had ceased. She was
then drenched with Glauber salts and spearmint, and during the
next day received several alkaline injections, and such other treat-
ment as the urgency of the case seemed to require. Notwithstand-
ing this, she died on the third day from my first visit. ‘The owner,
in accordance with my request, notified me of the death, and I made
an autopsy. The heart, lungs, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys,
stomach, and bowels all appeared in a healthy state. They pre-
sented, however, evidences of debility, in the condensation and
pale aspect of their tissues. The omentum-caul was exceedingly
dense, scarcely thicker than a piece of writing paper. Tracing
the cesophagus internally from the mouth to its termination, or
base, there were no symptoms of laceration or inflammation ; but
in the dilated portion of the same, which is contiguous, and re-
ceives food after primary mastication, I found a mass of juvenile
corn-stalks, about the size of a man’s fist, and twice the length of
the same—seven inches. This part being considered as the ter-
mination of the esophagus, and commencing link of the stomach,
was distended beyond its ordinary capacity, and in a high state of
gangrene (mortification), and particles of corn-stalk were protrud-
ing through its disorganized and lacerated tissues. This accounts
for the death; but the reader will probably want to know some-
thing about the cause, and may, possibly, say that the whip-stock
was the exciting one. This would appear, on first thought, as a
rational conclusion, because many valuable animals, both in this
and the mother country (as records show) have been destroyed by
lacerating the cesophagus with the above or some such instrument ;
and we might reasonably assign the cause of death to the same,
and thus terminate this article. But my readers, I opine, desire
the truth, and nothing but the truth. I am satisfied that the
whip-stock, however injurious it may have been in other cases
(and it is in most cases an objectionable remedy), was inoperative
in this; that is, so far as the vitality of the animal was concerned.
Now for the proof. The seat of the disease proved to be, by care-
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 461
ful measurement, forty-three inches from the tip of the lips. The
whip-stock was three feet six inches in length, and, according to
the testimony of the operator and others, six or eight inches of the
same never entered the mouth. Computing the medium at seven
inches, the reader will perceive that the diseased location was just
seven inches beyond the reach of the instrument.
How, then, are we to account for the death of the animal? I
shall try to satisfy the reader on this point. The animal, at the
time of purchase, had not recovered from the pain, labor, and ex-
citement of parturition. She was an invalid; in the same condi-
tion, yet less well provided for than her lordly mistress, who has
the advantages of science, skill, and sympathy to alleviate her
woes and mitigate her pains. The poor brute was compelled to
perform a journey when she ought to have been kept at rest, and
kindly cared for. The common sympathies of our race ought to
have been extended to her. She ought to have been dosed with
groaning cordial, instead of corn-stalks; and, instead of perform-
ing a journey through apple orchards, she ought to have been kept
at home until health and strength reappeared.
Changes in food, location, and barn management, are, at times,
and under certain circumstances, operative in inducing disease,
especially when the subject be in a weak or delicate condition.
Corn-stalks, therefore, being very indigestible, tend to overtax and
irritate the stomach, and the oil, probably, induced nausea. In
efforts at vomiting, the rough particles of food found a lodgment
at the point indicated, where they accumulated, produced irrita-
tion, inflammation, and, finally, mortification. The direct cause
of death, therefore, was obstruction within the gullet; the morbid
appearances were the consequence of the same.
The best instrument I know of for the accident of choking, or
obstruction within the gullet, is a flexible probang; but, as that
instrument is not always to be obtained, every farmer should be
provided with the next best instrument, which consists of a piece
of smooth, flexible rattan, about five feet in length, armed at one
end with an oblong ivory ball, which must be securely fastened.
If much fore be used, laceration of the cesophagus is apt to occur ;
therefore, if the foreign body will not yield to gentle pressure, I
should pour down a little olive oil, wait awhile, and then try the
probang again. If, however, the foreign body can be detected,
and the probang fails to remove it, we should immediately perform
462 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the operation of cesophagotomy, which consists of making an open-
ing into the gullet large enough to remove the former, and then
bringing the divided edges together again by means of sutures
(stitches).
Cases like the above (when the medical man is not called on
until after the lapse of several days from the time of the accident)
do not admit of the introduction of a probang.
The following case, which occurred in the practice of W. San-
ders, student Royal Veterinary College, goes to show that an ani-
mal should never be consigned to death until the skill of a qualified
person proves unavailing: “In the month of March, a young
Alderney cow became choked with a Swede turnip, which was found
to be impacted about the termination of the third of the cervical
portion of the cesophagus. The owner immediately sent for a
person whom he had been in the habit of employing, but who,
not having a proper probang, substituted a common ash stick.
After some difficulty, the obstruction in this way was removed.
In the course of a fortnight the neck was found much swollen, and
the animal not only evinced a great deal of pain, but sometimes,
as I was informed, appeared as though threatened with suffocation.
It was supposed that the cesophagus must be ruptured, in conse-
quence of, as it appeared, a considerable portion of food having
protruded between the muscles of the neck, just anterior to the
sternum. A small orifice was made through the skin, and a por-
tion of the food (for food it proved to be) removed. The cow
continued to get worse for several days, and putrefaction had ap-
parently commenced. The attendant now advised the owner to
have the cow slaughtered; but, as her condition precluded the
prospect of selling her advantageously, it was deemed expedient
to risk the chances of recovery, especially as she was young and in
calf. Under these circumstances, my brother, who resides in that
locality, was consulted. On his arrival he gave but little hopes
of recovery, seeing she was to so great a degree debilitated. A
stimulant was administered, and an incision, about seven inches
in length, was made in the most depending part of the swelling,
through which more than a quarter of a peck of food was removed
from between the muscles. The wound being now held open, and
a candle placed in front, the rupture of the esophagus became
quite apparent. It proved full three inches in length. The
wound was cleaned. A common side-saddle was placed upon her
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 463
back, and fastened on with a girth in the usual manner; a small-
sized piece of ash-wood was shaved so as to render it pliable at
one end. The large end was then tied to the crupper-loop of the
saddle, and passed then between the pummels, which kept it in
its place, and elevated it half way along the neck. The cesopha-
gus at this part being rather deep-seated within the loose fleshy
part of the dewlap, it was not convenient to pass sutures through
the edges of the laceration. A pledget of tow, dipped in some
digestive, was put into the wound, and pressed against the ruptured
part. A pad of flannel was then placed over the outside, and a
broad bandage, with some thin but flat pieces of wood sewn to it,
to prevent its becoming too narrow. ‘This was carried round and
over the stick above the neck, which, being pliable, acted as a
spring, that kept a moderate but equal pressure as she moved her
head up and down. She was mainly supported upon gruel made-
of barley and bean and wheat flour; but in addition, occasion-
ally, was allowed a little green food. Tonics and stimulants
were administered. Any food that accumulated in the wound was
removed, and it was regularly dressed twice a day. Three weeks
after she calved a live calf; but, from the weakness before partu-
rition, she became so reduced as to require assistance to get up for
a short time. I went home from college on the 6th of May. On
the 8th I saw her myself. There was then a small circular open-
ing, leading into the cesophagus, sufficiently large to admit the
finger, which was prevented healing by the frequent escape of
food. The edges of the wound were thickened, and apparently
healed over. They were occasionally scarified, with the view of
promoting cicatrization; for it was my opinion that, should the
wound heal, it would leave a stricture in that part of the tube, and
consequently render the animal susceptible of becoming again
choked. The food continued to pass, more or less, through the
opening until the beginning of June, when the wound became
entirely closed. Since then she has become again in calf, and
from that has continued to go on well; nor has she ever, that I
am aware, again shown any symptoms of choking, although she
has taken her chance as to the nature of her food. She is still in
the same person’s possession ; cousequently I know, from the in-
formation I have received, that she continues, up to the present
time, apparently as well as ever she was; and it is now eight
months since the wound healed over.”
464 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
APHTH A,
This disease is commonly known as “thrush, or sore mouth.
It appears as a vesicular eruption on the tongue, gums, and on the
buccal and palatine membrane. When the disease is mild, and
confined to the above parts, it is easily cured by daily applications
of a portion of the following:
No. 7. Powdered golden seal....... Stel eotene ose OZ.
Tincture’ of smatico. so. Cee ee ee ee OZ:
Honey eeeeeoeesveswetseeoeee@ PEND eeeUnM IR NY WN Gy 4:
Apply by means of a swab or sponge.
When the disease is violent and of long standing, it is apt to
extend through the whole course of the alimentary canal, from the
mouth to the anus. If this be the case, the animal will purge, as
if a powerful cathartic had been administered, and will be other-
wise unwell. The method of cure, in this event, is to prescribe
tonics and astringents. The remedies are tincture of matico,
golden seal, and sulphur, in the following proportions:
No. 8. Tincture of matico....... BHA Gabo So60 4 dr.
Powdered golden seal....... cate eee she 2 andr.
Sulphur vececiet. BE er iS eS Ot 4). (Oe
Waters. a). ssc cies siciceolsic eee sie ae dei oDINbs
Mix. r
The patient’s diet should consist of oatmeal gruel, slightly
alkalized with hyposulphite of soda.
The following article upon epizodtic aphthe is from the “ Vet-
erinarian :”
“ Epizodtic aphthe, commonly known as foot and mouth com-
plaint, is a febrile, very contagious, and panzodtic affection ; that
is, readily communicable from one species to another—met with in
the horse, goat, pig, fowl, hare, etc., but most commonly in the
ox and sheep, in which two last-mentioned animals it consists of
vesicles breaking out on the mouth, gums, lips, teats, and around
the coronary surface of the foot, between the skin and the hoof.
It is an epizodtic affection, spreading over large tracts of country,
interfering very seriously with the capability of the ox to put on
fat ‘while preparing for the butcher,’ and in the milch cow, ren-
dering the supply of milk small, if not altogether suspending it.
In this disease the ox exhibits the following symptoms: Suspen-
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 465
sion of rumination; constipation ; sometimes, though rarely, diar-
rhea; great flow of saliva from the mouth, and severe lameness.
Milk taken from cows affected with this disease should never
be drank, as it will most readily produce aphthe in man. To
prove this fact, Professor Hertwig, together with two medical
men, Mann and Vilion, drank the warm milk of an aphthous
cow, and the result was that each became the subjects of severe
inflammation of the throat, associated with*the vesicular eruptions
mentioned above as indicative of this malady. Professor Simonds
also gave the warm milk of an aphthous cow to pigs, with a simi-
lar result.”
DESCRIPTION OF THE STOMACH.
The stomach of a ruminating animal presents a very complex
arrangement, of which the purpose seems to be to favor the me-
chanical reduction of the food, and its impregnation by the salivial
and gastric fluids, before it is subjected to the action of the biliary
and pancreatic juices.
The stomach of an ox is divided into four parts or cavities, viz.:
rumen, or paunch ; reticulum, manyplus, abomasum.
The rumen, like the cesophagus, is composed of three coats. The
internal one is studded with numerous papille, which incline in
the direction that the food takes. They are erectile, and by inclin-
ing in different directions, they can, to a certain extent, favor or
oppose the passage of food.
The openings into the rumen are two—one at the base of the
cesophagus, through which the food and fluids pass; the other is
below this. It is much larger, and communicates with the second
stomach. The paunch is not so highly organized as some other
parts of the stomach. This compartment is capable of extraordi-
nary distension, and, in some cases of tympanites, becomes so dis-
tended as to produce suffocation by pressure on the diaphragm and
lungs.
The reticulum, or second stomach, sometimes called the honey-
comb, presents a very irregular surface, consisting of open cells,
varying in size and depth, looking very much like a piece of
honeycomb on a large scale. There are two openings into this
stomach—one through the floor of the gullet, the other into the
paunch. The pellet of food to be returned for remastication is
thrown into the cesophagean canal by the reticulum.
30
466 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
The manyplus, sometimes called manyplies or manyfolds, is
made up internally of lamine, or leaves, which hang down from
every part of it. By this arrangement an immense digestive sur-
face is crowded into a small space. The cuticular covering of
these leaves or lamine is very singular. It is thickly studded with
eminences, varying in size and form. In some places they resemble
little hooks, others look like papille; some are soft, others are
hard and durable, like horn. The function of the lamine and
papille is to comminute and properly prepare the food ere it
enters the fourth compartment.
The abomasum is the true digestive stomach. Its function is to
secrete the gastric juice; at least the gastric juice is secreted by
small glandular bodies, having ducts which terminate on the
villous membrane, which lines the abomasum. The lower orifice
of this part of the stomach is termed pylorus. It is guarded by a
projecting body, which answers the purpose of a sphincter muscle,
to guard against regurgitation from the duodenum.
RUMINATION, OR REMASTICATION AND INGESTION OF Foop.
The ox, a member of the group ruminantia, has four compart-
ments in the stomach, yet two of them are nothing more than
dilatations of the cesophagus.
The food having been gathered by the lips, tongue, and teeth
within the mouth, it undergoes a grinding process between the
molars, and receives the admixture of salivial fluids secreted by
the submaxillary, parotid, thyroid, and sublingual glands. It then
passes down the cesophagus into the paunch. The character of the
food, however, regulates its passage into the various compart-
ments. Ifthe pellet of food be solid, the paunch receives it; if it
be semi-fluids, it goes beyond the paunch to the second and per-
haps third compartment. This is the case with a sucking calf.
The milk, which forms its nutriment, requires no remastication,
and, therefore, passes directly into the true digestive cavity—the
fourth compartment.
It appears, therefore, that the functions of digestion and remas-
tication are involuntary, and are governed by the same sort of
power which causes the heart to pulsate, expands. the lungs, se-
cretes the bile, pancreatic juice, etc., without the aid or consent
of the animal. We may, however, to a certain extent, increase
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 467
or decrease these functions, by artificial means; but their primary
operations are uncontrollable, simply because they are involun-
tary. Some persons have doubted the fact of rumination, and if
any of my readers be skeptical on this subject, let them satisfy
themselves by experiment. The best subjects for demonstrating
the acts of rumination are animals with lean necks. For exam-
ple, let a person stand on the left side of the animal, in the region
of the neck (supposing the latter to be in the ruminating mood).
He perceives the cud re-ascend through the gullet, and re-descend
again into the stomach. At the period of re-ascension, place the
ear in the region of the gullet, and a gurgling sound will be heard,
different from that accompanying re-descension. The action has
been described as undulating, alternate, coming and going, like
the motion of a ship; but this is regulated by the respiratory
movements and different attitudes of the body. We can, how-
ever, at the moment of the reascent, perceive a flank movement,
deep inspiration, succeeded by a rapid expiration, showing con-
clusively that a powerful nervous concurrent force (involuntary)
controls the action of rumination.
Finally, the cud can be made to ascend or descend, in the fol-
lowing manner: We perceive the cud descend; now grasp the
gullet firmly, and it re-ascends intothe mouth. We next perceive
the cud ascending; arrest it by compressing the gullet, and it
rapidly descends again into the stomach ; hence the phenomenon
of remastication can readily be demonstrated.
The solid food, when once in the paunch, receives the admix-
ture of fluid secreted from its walls. After maceration for a short
time, the more solid parts are returned to the mouth, where they
undergo another mastication, and are again saturated with the
salivial fluids and swallowed. If properly masticated it reaches
the third stomach (manyplus or omasum). Here it undergoes a
further reduction, becomes quite pulpy, after which it enters the
fourth stomach.
CARPENTER thus describes the phenomena of rumination:
“The direction of the food into one or the other of the digestive
cavities, appears to be affected without any voluntary effort on
the part of the animal itself, but to result simply from the very
peculiar endowments of the lower part of the esophagus. This
does not entirely terminate at its opening into the first stomach or
paunch, but it is continued onward as a deep groove with two
468 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
lips. By the closure of these lips it is made to form a tube,
which serves to convey the food onward into the third stomach ; ,
but when they separate, the food is allowed to pass either into the
first or second stomach. When the food is first swallowed, it has
undergone but very little mastication; it is, consequently, firm in
consistence, and is brought down to the termination of the ceso-
phagus in dry bulky masses. These separate the lips of the
groove or demi-canal, and pass into the first and second stomachs.
After they have been macerated in the fluids of these cavities,
they are returned to the mouth by a reverse peristaltic action of
the esophagus. This return takes place in a very regular man-
ner, the food being shaped into globular pellets by compression
within a sort of mold formed by the ends of the demi-canal,
drawn together, and these being conveyed to the mouth at
regular intervals, apparently by a rhythmical movement of the
esophagus. After its second mastication, it is again swallowed
in a pulpy semi-fluid state. It now passes along the groove
which forms the continuation of the esophagus, without opening
its lips, and is thus conveyed into the third stomach, whence it
passes to the fourth.”
Buoat, Hoven, or TYMPANITES.
The term “bloat” has long been discarded by veterinarians as
an indefinite term, signifying a state of turgescence, dilation, in-
flation, or puffiness, which is merely indicative of changes in the
form and condition of parts, without regard to the actual seat or
nature of the difficulty. For example, a horse is bloated when
he becomes the subject of subcellular emphysema (distension of
the cellular membrane beneath the skin with gas), or cedema
(dropsical tumefaction), ete. However, as every farmer appears
to be somewhat conversant with the condition of the animal
known as “bloat,” or “hoven,” we shall not offer any remarks
calculated to mystify him, but merely suggest that the term tym-
panites be substituted for “bloat.” Tympanites intestinalis signifies
a distension of the intestines with wind or gas, accompanied by
an elastic distension of the abdomen. The latter, when struck or
sounded by a blow, sounds like a drum, and indicates a windy
distension of the abdominal viscera (a bowel or organ within the
body), commonly known as flatulent colic. Tympanites rumenites
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 469
signifies distension of the rumen in the bovine species—the ox
and cow—and, in the phraseology of the grazier, is known as
bloat or hoven.
Causes.—The direct cause of flatulency and windy distension
_is imperfect digestion. In such cases the food, instead of under-
going the normal process of digestion, whereby it is converted
into chyme and chyle, ferments and evolves gases, either carbonic
acid, or sulphureted hydrogen, and, as “a little leaven leavens the
whole loaf,” so the fermentation, once commenced in the stomach,
goes on until the food is in a state of putrefaction, or up to the
period when all its gaseous material has been extracted. Before
this takes place, it frequently happens that the animal dies, either
by rupture of the rumen or some portion of the abdominal viscera.
In some cases, unrelieved, the distension is so great that the ani-
mal dies in a state of suffocation, occasioned by the pressure on
the diaphragm, and other important parts and organs.
Imperfect indigestion may be occasioned by a deranged condi-
tion of the digestive organs, induced by various causes, such as
give rise to the same phenomena in man, namely, errors in diet, or
sudden changes of the same. Thus, if stall-fed animals be turned
into a field of clover, or into a luxuriant pasture, they not only eat
greedily, and create an undue distension of the stomach, but they
partake of food containing a large amount of aqueous matter,
which, every one knows, is more indigestible than dry food; and
such a sudden change of diet is not always to be tolerated. There
can be no dispute about the causes of bloat, hoven, or tympanites.
It evidently is occasioned by imperfect digestion. As a general
proposition, therefore, we may contend that all indigestible matter
may, directly or indirectly, produce a tympany of the abdominal
viscera ; and we may also contend that an animal may occasion-
ally become tympanitic, under the most intelligent management,
owing to some inherent idiosynerasy in the local organs, honestly —
inherited from sire or dam, or their ancestors. Hence, the reader
will infer that this dyspepsia, or indigestion, is, like various other
diseases which seem to appear without any direct cause, transmis-
sible, not always directly, but by predisposition to this and other
maladies, which is said “ to lurk in breed and conformation,” over
which we have but little control other than palliative.
Treatment.—Supposing the abdomen to be distended to its ut-
- most capacity by the extricated gas, and the animal is oppressed
470 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and distressed in the act of breathing, there is no time to be lost.
It is useless to resort to drug medication. The case is imminent.
The gas must be evacuated immediately, and we therefore punc-
ture the flank on the left side, in its most salient region, by means
of the trocar and canula (an instrument somewhat similar to that
used for tapping the chest). Immediate escape of the gas is the
result, and the patient is soon relieved. Now we may resort to
medication, and that medicine is the best which is calculated to
arouse the action of the stomach and arrest fermentation. With
these objects in view, I recommend the following:
No.9. Hyposulphite of soda... ssie cis fede 4 dr.
Tincture of ginger..... avaseteseinista chetnetenens 2 02.
Water. ccasessccccees Selebeste etetet ei terete 1 pint.
Dissolve the hyposulphite in the water, and then add the tinc-
ture of ginger. Drench the animal with the same. If the tinc-
ture of ginger can not be obtained, then substitute four drachms
of the pulverized root. If the case be curable, the above treat-
ment is almost sure to afford relief. The medicine, however, may
be repeated at the end of four hours, if necessary.
Remarks on the introduction of the Trocar.—Having ascertained
that the animal is in a dangerous condition, owing to the great
quantity of gas present within the rumen, the most prominent
point of the left flank should then be selected. Here make an
incision through the integument, sufficiently large to admit the
instrument. Then draw the skin upward, and puncture the ab-
domen ; in this way we make an indirect opening, so that, when
the trocar is withdrawn, the integument covers the orifice made
last. The trocar must be kept very sharp or keen, so that it may,
without using much force, penetrate the peritoneum, and, lastly,
the rumen. Once within the latter, all resistance ceases. The
trocar is now withdrawn, and the canula remains, for the passage
of the gas. In bad cases, the moment the cutting instrument is
withdrawn from its sheath, the gas will escape, with a noise resem-
bling a steam-whistle, which conveys to us the idea that we are in
the presence of a living locomotive, issuing a blast of warning to
keep out of smelling distance, for ofttimes the odor is intolerable.
It is best to let the tube remain in the stomach or paunch until
the abdomen is reduced to about its natural size. The instrument
must occasionally be drawn forth a little, or pushed forward, as
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. A471
the case requires; and when it becomes obstructed with any por-
tion of the contents of the stomach, a quill or straw may be used
to clear the obstruction, and, as the gas escapes and the paunch or
bowels recede, the canula, which is about six inches in length,
must be pushed forward as far as it will go.
Relief may sometimes be obtained by passing the probang into
the stomach, and I should advise its use in such cases as those at-
tended by eructation of wind by the mouth from the stomach.
DISTENSION OF THE RUMEN WITH Foop.
It occasionally happens that the function of the stomach, as a
whole or a part of the same, become impaired. The food is then
very apt to accumulate in the rumen. Or it may happen that an
animal has partaken voraciously of meal or corn, which, becoming
saturated with the fluid found in the paunch, swells to such an
extent that there is danger of its bursting.
Symptoms.—At first the aninial is noticed to be uneasy, and fre-
quently shifts its position ; occasionally moans; the left flank is
swollen and hard. This swelling may be determined by a person
taking a position directly behind the animal; he will immediately
perceive the enlargement. On striking the part with the hand, it
has no drum-like (tympanitic) sound, as in hoven or bloat, but has
a solid sound, showing that the distention is owing to the presence
of a quantity of solid food. Should the medicinal preparations
fail to relieve the animal, rumination then ceases, the symptoms
become aggravated, the brain sympathizes, unconsciousness and
convulsions occur, which soon end in death.
Treatment.—In cases of extreme distension, it is all folly to
waste time in administering medicine. An incision, about five
inches. in length, should be made through the left flank into the
stomach. Then, by means of the hand, the indigestible mass is to
be removed. This should be done carefully, so as to prevent the
food falling into the abdominal cavity. The incision made into
the rumen is then to be stitched, or sutured; and, lastly, the integ-
uments are brought together in the same way. It may be proper
to apply a little tincture of matico or tincture of aloes to the
wound. Having finished the operation, the next object is to
arouse the action of the stomach, for which purpose I recommend
the following:
472 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
+
No. 10. Powdered golden seal.....cceseee.ee. 3 Gr.
Hyposulphite of soda.....ccceseocscees & Gr.
Powdered ginger..s...2sccecccecnsecs 4 Ml.
Warm) water. .2\s's's,a.6 cs sto o's oo oielcerercme en plubE
Mix.
Drench from a bottle. The patient had better be kept hungry
the first twenty-four hours after the operation; then an occasional
bran-mash, well seasoned with table salt, may be allowed.
Many cases of very considerable severity have been relieved by
the above treatment. There is very little danger attending an
operation of this kind, for the rumen is not very highly organized
with either blood-vessels or nerves. I have known several in-
stances in which this operation has been performed in the rudest
possible manner, with a common jackknife, and yet the animals
operated on recovered. The intelligent husbandman, however,
will, if possible, secure the services of a surgeon for the perform-
ance of all operations requiring skill and good judgment.
Removal of the Sutures, or Stitches.—The incision into the ru-
men having been secured by very fine yet strong thread, and the
ends cut off, needs none of our attention, The external sutures,
however, will have to be removed in the course of a week or ten
days. We merely cut the knot and withdraw the suture.
GASTRO-INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION.
Gastro-intestinal inflammation of the stomach and bowels is fre-
quently occasioned by the presence of concretions and hair-balls,
or some other foreign bodies. There are many plants, such as
hemlock, crowfoot, henbane, wild poppy, etc., which act as poisons,
and induce an inflammatory condition of the stomach and intes-
tines. An animal may feed on substances which are too dry and
fibrous. They accumulate and distend the stomach beyond its
normal capacity. Or the manyplus may contract spasmodically
and imprison the food. In either case an inflammatory condition
is the result. The treatment of a disease of this character is very
unsatisfactory, and it is very difficult to write out any directions
that shall meet the emergencies in cases of the above character.
The following case, communicated for the “ Veterinarian” by
Surgeon Repwoop, will give the reader a better idea of this
malady than the author can furnish, his experience being rather
limited in treatment of this affection :
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 473
“T have forwarded to you a jar containing portions of the
abomasum of a cow that I have had slaughtered, seeing that
further treatment was altogether useless. You will perceive a
large gangrenous spot on the inner coat of the above viscus, which
I consider was the cause of the symptoms presented, I have also
sent you portions of the ilium and jejunum, which will afford you
some idea of the intensity of the spasmodic action with which
these intestines were affected. The whole of the small intestines
presented the most marked spasmodic condition ; in fact they were
like so many muscular cylindrical cords, and impervious to any
body larger than that of an ordinary-sized goose-quill.
Now, all the diseased conditions are enumerated in the above
brief description. Every other organ—except the liver, which
had a little deposit of earthy matter in a few of its larger biliary
tubes, a very common condition of the gland—both in the thorax
and the abdomen, presented the most healthy aspect. The animal
was ill but thirty-six hours.
The following were the symptoms observed and the treatment
adopted: The patient was a dairy cow, five years old, in excel-
lent condition, living on straw alone for the last fourteen days,
five months advanced in pregnancy, and never had been ill before,
being bred on the farm. When I first visited her she evinced
all the symptoms of hoven, and that, to a great extent, so much
so, that at one time I was about to introduce the trocar, for the
purpose of affording relief; yet, knowing the animal could not
have had access to succulent diet, I came to the conclusion that
this was the effect of the chemical laws acting on vegetable mat-
ter, over which the stomachs had, in some degree, lost their vital
influence. The poor animal was in great agony, shown by loud
groaning, though rarely lying down ; eyes, sunk in their orbits;
pulse, quick and irritable, but not such as to indicate or warrant
depletion. Occasionally a quantity of the fluid contents of the
rumen were regurgitated through the nose and mouth, almost, it
would appear, involuntarily. She also, at intervals, voided a
small quantity of commingled aqueous and mucous fluid per
anum, although, as before remarked, from the moment she was
observed to be ill, not the smallest portion of ingesta passed the
abomasum, which, together with all the other stomachs, was par-
tially filled with food in a pultaceous state. It appeared to me
evident that the obstruction to the passage was caused by spas-
474 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
modic action of the pyloric orifice, the action extending throughout
e greater portion or all of the small intestines.
Will you favor me with your opinion as to the cause of the cir-
cumscribed and intense inflammation of the villous coat of the true
stomach, and say if you think it arose from any chemical irritant?
The treatment consisted in the exhibition of spirits of ammonia
aromatic with the carbonate; aperients, and at last the chlorides;
but all proved inert, no benefit whatever accruing therefrom. Had
I suspected spasm to such a marked extent, I should certainly
have given large doses of extract belladonna and hyosciami, both
in the form of enema and by the mouth. As it was, my treatment
was directed solely to the symptoms evinced ; and when I found
that all the usual remedies were of no avail, as the animal was in
high condition, I thought it best to have her destroyed.
[The lining membrane of that portion of the alimentary canal
forwarded by Mr. Redwood was, throughout, in a state of conges-
tion, presenting here and there depressed or cup-like patches, which
apparently resulted from ulceration, commencing in the submucous
tissue. The ulceration had also penetrated, in spots, the substance
of the mucous membrane. This condition of parts is somewhat
singular, and might have had its origin in the existence of some
local irritant.] ” .
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IMPORTED DUTCH COW PURMER.
{Imported by W. W. Chenery, of Belmont, Mass.]
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. “475
DENTITION OF CATTLE.
APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORABY APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY
INCISORS AT BIRTH. INCISORS ABOUT ONE WEEK AF-
TER BIRTH.
APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY INCISORS
INCISORS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFe ABOUT THREE WEEKS OB A MONTH AFTER
TER BIRTH. BIRTH.
APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY
INCISORS AT THE AGE OF EIGHT INCISORS AT THE AGE OF TEN OB
OB NINE MONTHS. ELEVEN MONTHS,
476 DADD'’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY IN-
INCISORS AT THE AGE OF FIF- CISORS AT THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN 0B
TEEN OR SIXTEEN MONTHS. NINETEEN MONTHS.
APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPORARY APPEARANCE OF THE PERMANENT
AND PERMANENT INCISORS AT AND TEMPORARY TEETH AT THE
THE AGE OF ABOUT TWO YEARS. AGE OF THREE YEARS.
APPEARANCE OF SIX PERMANENT INe APPEARANCE OF ALL THE PERMANENT
CISORS AND TWO TEMPORARY AT THE TEETH AT THE AGE OF FIVE.
AGE OF FOUR.
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 477
APPEARANCE OF THE PERMANEN?P ° APPEARANCE OF THE PERMANENT
TEETH AT THE AGE OF ABOUT TEETH AT THE AGE OF ABOUT
§IX YEARS, TEN YEARS.
SYNOPSIS OF DENTITION.
INCISORS.
Temporary incisors all prominent at the end of one month.
The two central permanent incisors appear in from twenty to
twenty-four months.
The two inner middle permanent incisors appear at about the
age of three years.
The two outet middle permanent incisors appear at about the
age of four years.
The corner permanent incisors appear between the ages of five
and six years.
MOLARS, OR GRINDERS.
Temporary molars, three in each jaw, above and below, on both
sides, are prominent at birth, or within four weeks of that period.
Fourth temporary molars are cut at the age of six months.
Fifth temporary molars are cut at the age of fifteen months.
Sixth temporary molars are cut at the age of from two years to
thirty months.
The first and second permanent molars are cut at the age of
about two years.
The third molar is cut at about the age of three; the fourth
appears at the age of four; the fifth at the age of five; and the
sixth at the age of six.
478 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
SUSPENDED RUMINATION, OR Loss oF Cup.
Some people, who are in the habit of prescribing for loss of eud,
more properly termed “cessation of rumination,” suppose that if
they can only restore the lost function the trouble will end. This
is certainly very desirable, for an improvement in the appetite of
sick animals is a sure sign of rapid recovery ; yet a restoration of
the cud alone will not always insure a cure, neither are the reme-
dies prescribed by some calculated to accomplish this object. One
man reccommends a red herring to be thrust down the throat;
_ another a portion of the quid, or cud, of a healthy cow. Others
recommend raw beef, pork, pepper, etc. This results from mis-
taking symptoms for disease ; for loss of cud is nothing more than
a symptom of deranged digestive function, or that of other organs
sympathetically associated with it. Those who have the care of
cattle, and prescribe for them when sick, are not supposed to be
able to trace loss of cud to derangement of one or a class of organs,
unless they shall have had the advantages of a medical education,
which is not often the case. They are not acquainted with the
various sympathetic relations that exist in the animal economy,
neither can they understand why an abnormal condition of one
organ produces a corresponding effect in one or a class of organs
remotely situated ; nevertheless, such are the facts. Many a poor
cow has been thus forced to swallow down a red herring (bones
and all) or “another cow’s quid” (not of tobacco, for none other
than two-legged animals chew quids of this description), and we
can readily conceive that such articles may, for the time being,
arouse the digestive organs, and create an unnatural appetite in
animals of such refined taste and nice discrimination as the cow.
A red herring, either whole or comminuted by the grinders, and
then swallowed, only creates irritation on the mucous surfaces of
the various compartments of the stomach; an unusual abundance
of blood flows into the walls of that organ, the circulation of that
fluid is quickened, the gastric juice flows more readily, and the
digestive function is exalted. A repetition of the practice enfee-
bles the power of the stomach ; its action is quickened at expendi-
ture of power, for all unnatural excitement of a natural function
is followed by a corresponding depression. A stimulant—and red
herring may be classed as such—creates a desire for food ; but then
the animal may be laboring under an acute disease of some organ,
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 479
when food would be inadmissible; or the stomach may be over-
burdened and unable to digest what is already there, and, there-
fore, requires rest, as any other organ would after long-continued
action.
The stomach is one of the most important organs, and performs
some of the most delicate operations in the animal economy. Its
functions may be suspended from various causes, and it is the
province of the practitioner to learn and understand the why and
wherefore of its derangement. In many cases the stomach craves
no food, because it can not digest it; and merely creating an
appetite by stimulants is worse than useless, for whatever is then
eaten can not be converted into chyme, nor can the lacteals take
it up and apply it to the purposes of nutrition. Whenever an
animal is suffering from disease, pain, or excitement, there will
often be absence of appetite (loss of cud), and this function is
suspended because the animal is drawn from it by his sufferings. —
The real seat of sensation of hunger is in the brain, not in the
stomach alone, as some suppose. ‘The latter may first communi-
cate some such sensation to the brain, yet if that organ be in a
deranged condition, unable to recognize the want, then we must
impart healthy action to it, and establish an equilibrium between
the nervous and general system, in order to produce a natural ap-
petite. Do you wish to know how to do this? If so, study the
veterinary art. That the appetite is affected by the state of health,
both of the body and mind, is certain. Human practitioners real-
ize that. “In fever, pain, and in certain dyspeptic states, the
stomach craves little or no food. So in mental distress, in times
of great fear, or sorrow, or extreme anxiety, the appetite fails,
Even in a single moment the appetite may be suspended by any
sudden mental affection or emotion.” Animals are known to man-
ifest mental emotion when separated from their offspring, or from
those with whom they have been accustomed to work or associate ;
and many cases are on record showing that animals, when deprived
of the society of their fellows, refuse their food, and die of grief,
so that, in this particular, the brute does ngt differ from his mas-
ter. Is it not a matter of importance, then, to ascertain the cause
of loss of cud (appetite) before we prescribe red herrings, etc. ?
“Loss of cud,” says Mr. Youart, “is more a symptom of dis-
ease than a disease of itself. It accompanies most inflammatory
complaints, and is often connected with those of debility. It will.
480 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
be the duty of the practitioner to ascertain the cause of this sus-
pension of second mastication, and to. adapt his mode of treatment
to the nature of that cause. A dose of physic, with a small por-
tion of aromatic medicine, will be indicated if any fever can be
detected. More than the usual quantity of aromatic should be
added in the absence of fever, and still more, with tonic and
alterative medicine, if general debility is indicated. The cara-
way and ginger powder are the best aromatics, and will supersede
every other. The gentian and ginger, with Epsom salts, will
prove a very useful tonic and alterative in cases of loss of cud
that can not be traced to any particular diseased state of the
animal.”
A word to the farmer, and I have done. If you have permit-
ted your animals to subsist on innutritious diet, so that their diges-
tive powers have been overtaxed, and that function is paralyzed,
then the blame rests with you. On the other hand, have you been
preparing them for market—piling on the fat, at the same time
depriving them of pure air and exercise? If so, you are equally
blamable. Is your barn and dairy management consistent with
the received opinion of those who are the best judges in these mat-
ters? Ifnot, make them so, and, depend upon it, your cattle will
thrive and be blessed with a natural appetite; for disease, in nine
cases out of ten, results from violating the laws of Nature.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BowELs (ENTERITIS).
Inflammation of the bowels, occurring in any of the divisions
of the intestines, is one of frequent occurrence ; yet among cattle
it is not liable to become so suddenly fatal as among horses.
Symptoms.—This disease bears some analogy to colic, in the
suddenness of its attack. A healthy animal is all at once attacked
with abdominal pain; gets down, and moans from incessant or
persistent pain; The pulse generally ranges from 60 to 70; rumi-
nation has ceased, and the feces is hard, covered with slime or
streaked with blood; .the flanks heave (as the saying is); the
limbs are tremulous, and the animal has a staggering gait; the
visible surfaces of the eye, mouth, and nostrils are reddened ; pres-
sure upon the abdominal region (which is generally tucked up),
elicits symptoms of pain. As the disease proceeds, these symp-
toms are aggravated, and intestinal hemorrhage or mortification
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 481
terminates the sufferings of the animal. The post mortem exami-
nation generally reveals engorgement of the blood-vessels of the
intestines, with highly-carbonized and coagulated blood; the lin-
ing membrane is of a dark velvet color, and the large intestines
are, more or less, inflamed or gangrenous.
Treatment.—The principal objects in the treatment of this dis-
ease are, to lubricate the interior of the stomach and intestines
with mucilage of slippery elm, and to equalize the circulation and
nervous action over the general system. ‘The remedies are as
follows:
No. 85. Mucilage of slippery elm........ Serelter 1 quart.
Powdered gum assafetida............. 2 dr.
iRowdered lobeliaiia::.sn= sissies 2% NOSE chine Gabo bes
The above dose may be repeated at the expiration of eight hours,
In the mean time, apply a mustard poultice to a part of the abdo-
men, and excite the circulation on the surface of the body and
extremities by friction with wisps of straw. An occasional anti-
spasmodic injection should be thrown into the rectum. Two
quarts of hot water to one ounce of powdered lobelia are about the
proper proportions. Should the patient appear to suffer from dis-
tension of the intestines with gas, then give one ounce of hyposul-
phite of soda, two drachms of powdered golden seal, and one pint
of water.
Animals in the above condition can not bear cathartics, yet cases
now and then occur which require a gentle aperient, merely to aid
in the removal of fecal accumulations. When such remedy is in-
dicated, I recommend the following, to be used as a drench:
No. 86: Glauber salts sc.i.5 ciesimea oset~) 802.
\Weyeiy SWAMP G Sosa hn coca odjodc) lh youn
Molasses ..... SoboeccosdodaobO oy fall
Powdered ginger.........-..-. 1 table-spoonful.
Mix. ;
INVAGINATION OF INTESTINES.
Invagination of intestine signifies a portion of intestine drawn’
within another, there becoming strangulated. This difficulty
does occasionally occur, and the symptoms do not differ materially
from those attending strangulation occasioned by the cord, or vas
deferens.
31
482 - DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Symptoms.—The animal passes nothing from the rectum but a
small quantity of blood; suffers incessant pain; is very uneasy,
and rumination is suspended ; he will occasionally anxiously regard
the flanks and moan: This trouble is generally preceded by
flatulency.
Treatment.—The best plan of relieving the animal is to etherize
him, for it often happens that, during etherization, a relaxation of
the muscular tissues takes place, and such condition:is favorable
to the return of the bowel. It may be proper, while the animal
is down, and under the influence of ether, to introduce a hand into
the rectum and try what can be done by manipulation and traction.
The small intestines, in which the difficulty occurs, can be seized
through the wall of the rectum, and, perhaps, by some slight trac-
tion or movement, the difficulty may be remedied. It is impossible
to tell what is the result of our efforts until the animal is relieved,
and has had time to recover from the effects of the ether. This
having taken place, without improvement, I should immediately
perform the right-flank operation, search for the seat of the diffi-
culty, and reduce the invagination.
This operation may appear to some as a very formidable affair—
very dangerous and painful; but a skillful surgeon, armed with
the great Godsend, ether, can perform the same without the least
danger. I have opened the abdominal cavity several times, in
cases of sterility, merely to explore the uterus and ovaries, and
never met with any accident; and to encourage those who have
never had any experience in the performance of this operation, I
relate the following incident: I was requested, a short time ago,
to visit a very valuable Durham cow, the property of Mr. G.
Clarke, of Hyde Hall, Otsego County, N. Y., which had been |
purchased of Lord Ducie, accompanied by a warranty of pregnancy
by one of the best bulls in England. Time revealed the fact that
she was not pregnant. She had afterward several connections with
the opposite sex, yet could not be impregnated. The object in
securing my services was to solve the problem of her sterility.
Now comes the pith of the matter. I cast her and explored the
vagina. It appeared that there was a sort of hour-glass contrac-
tion in the vagina, so that the hand could not be introduced more
than six inches. At this point there appeared to exist a mechani-
cal obstruction to further penetration. This was sufficient evidence
of incapacity of the sexual congress, yet, having traveled a long
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. . 483
distance, at great expense to the owner, and there being some pros-
pect of litigation in the matter, I was determined to remove all
doubts. I therefore performed the flank operation, and explored
the uterus and ovaries. The whole were in a state of atrophy,
except the right ovary, which was as large as the kidney of an ox.
Being desirous of ascertaining what the character of the enlarge-
ment was, I put my thumb and finger into it. By so doing I
ruptured a vessel, which bled very profusely. My immediate im-
pressions were that the animal must die of internal hemorrhage.
It was a matter of impossibility to secure the bleeding vessel, so I
sutured the incision, expecting that the animal would die in the
course of a few hours; but, contrary to my expectations she got
well.
DIARRHEA.
Diarrhea consists of an increased number of lower-bowel dis-
charges, augmented peristaltic motion of the bowels, irritability
of the same, and a too rapid propulsion of the secretions. Di-
arrhea is sometimes salutary—an effort of Nature to rid the
system of morbific matter. It frequently occurs at the com-
mencement of various fggms of disease, and is scarcely, if ever,
an isolated affection. GALLUP, in his “ Institutes of Medicine,”
contends that the muco-intestinal discharges are portions of the
centrifugal circulations, which probably have their functions ac-
celerated by the force of the heart and arteries, above that of the
centripetal series. A fluid, quite similar to the cold sweat of the
skin, and by a similar process, is forced out in abundance, and
produces the diarrhea.
A moderate diarrhea, occurring in a plethoric animal, is often
salutary ; for it relieves the relative plethora of the vascular sys-
tem, which occurs at the onset of acute disease. When the dis-
charges are of a yellow or greenish color, there is, generally,
functional derangement of the liver. When an abundance of
mucous material is observed, it goes to show that the mucous
membrane is congested. Sometimes an excess of serous fluid is
observed. This occurs more particularly in dropsical affections.
There is also an alvinous variety of diarrhea, caused by an abnor-
mal secretion or exudation of coagulable lymph. It frequently
comes away in shreds, or detached pieces, from various portions
of the intestinal canal.
-
484 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Treatment.—Almost any form of this affection, except the
chronic kind, can be checked, and perhaps cured, by administer-
ing a few doses of charcoal and lime-water. I use these agents
in the following proportions:
No. 87. Finely powdered charcoal..........06. 8 02.
Dime-watery 3/5/36 sve to ssa ce weno 4 oz.
Tineture vot matieo.:isik/.i sits a's ewiele seers 2 02
Wiatersccinie\sinveelelessisinielsscie s,s areletereler late 1 pint
Mix.
One-fourth of the above is a dose for an ox or cow, which may
be repeated every four hours. The same remedy answers for calves,
only they require a smaller quantity. The astringent properties
of the above mixture can be augmented by increasing the quantity
of matico, or by adding a small quantity of powdered bayberry
bark.
In all cases of diarrhea, I usually order a change of diet; for,
in some cases, the food is operative in producing the difficulty.
If it oceur while at grass, the animal should be taken to the barn
for a short time, and allowed a few moderate meals of ground
oatmeal. When sucking calves are under treatment for diarrhea,
the mother should also have a few doses of the above remedy ; for
it often happens that she is ailing at the time, and her milk has
a morbid tendency on the calf. In the advanced stages, when the
fecal discharges emit a bad odor, and rumination is suspended,
the patient should have a few quarts of milk porridge per day.
Scealded milk alone will sustain and benefit the calf.
CHrRonic DIARRHEA.
Chronic diarrhea is usually accompanied by loss of condition ;
the coat stares, and, although the animal is allowed the very best
kind of food, still it thrives not; the skin and ribs seem to have
entered into permanent relationship. In a case of this character,
I recommend the following:
Noi788. Phosphate of lime......0..scceeeecee ONUz
Powdered ginger.......seee. © sale cleie sie) OZ
Powdered charcoal.......0000 elejs| ole se OZe
Powdered colden ‘seal. c:.c.< cee c.4 eve isratels 2 02.
Powdered bayberry bark...........0. 1 oz.
Mix.
Divide the mass into eight equal parts, and mix one of them
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 485
‘in the food night and morning. This will generally have the
desired effect. Should it fail, I would increase the quantity of
bayberry bark to three ounces.
GUT-TIE.
Tt would seem that an apology is due the reader from the author
for introducing such an apparently vulgar term as the above; but
the fact is, this term has a meaning—perhaps better understood
than any other that can be introduced at the present time. It
would appear that “ gut-tie” is often occasioned by a faulty method
of castration, or “altering.” This is the testimony of experts ; but
it is my opinion that gut-tie often occurs more accidentally than
otherwise, for animals have been known to die of gut-tie after being
castrated in the best possible manner. I once operated on an ani-
mal for this mechanical trouble, and am satisfied that the castrator
was as well qualified to perform the operation as the best of the
craft ; yet the cord had retracted into the abdomen, formed a false
tissue, and had also a large bulbous extremity, which no skill or
foresight could have possibly guarded against.
Symptoms.—The animal operated on presented the following
symptoms: Pulse, small and quick ; respirations, hurried ; animal
very uneasy (all the time), down and up again very often; rectum,
empty, yet coated with slime; the patient refused both food and
water, and had not ruminated nor passed any feces for several
hours.
Treatment.—I proposed an operation, with the intention of ex-
ploring the abdominal cavity, to which the owner consented.
The patient was cast on the near or left side, and etherized. An
incision, five inches in length, was then made through the integu-
ments of the right flank, midway between the last rib and ante-
rior part of the ilium, about three inches below the transverse
spines of the lumbar vertebra. The muscles and peritoneum were
also divided in the same manner as when spaying a cow. After
introducing my hand, I found a portion of intestine incarcerated
by the remains of the spermatic cord, which seemed, together with
séme false membrane, to have entangled the intestine. After lib-
erating the latter, the divided muscles were closed by suture, one
end of which was left long enough to hang out of the wound. The
integuments were then sutured, and dressed with tincture of aloes.
486 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
The patient staggered a little when he got up, but soon commenced
eating. I did not see him afterward, but, a fortnight from the
time of the operation, was informed that the animal experienced
immediate relief from the difficulty, and was then well.
Up to the present time there appears to be no information afloat
in this country regarding the cause and remedy of this singular
difficulty ; hence, I presume that some reliable account from other
sources may be acceptable to the reader of this work. The fol-
lowing account of “ gut-tie” is from the pen of Surgeon Crow-
HURST, published in the “ London Veterinarian :”
“T was requested on the 15th of last month, to attend a two-
year old steer, the property of W. W. Daws, Esq., of Ewhurst,
which was taken ill the day previously; but, it being late when
the illness was observed, and my residence nine miles distant,
some aperient medicine was administered, and orders given to
send for me the next morning. When I arrived, the steer was
lying down in a shed, but soon got up and walked across the
yard. His back was arched, and the abdomen tucked up. He
was somewhat excited at first, but soon began to tremble, and to
step in a backward direction, by putting one hind leg directly
behind the other. Occasionally he turned his head toward his
side, and would kick at his belly, and, now and then, stretch
himself out, and curve his loins to a considerable extent. After
being in the yard for a short time, he returned into the shed and
lay down again, doing this in a very careful manner. He soon
got up a second time, and stepped backward as before, seemingly
for the purpose of getting his hind-quarters against some resisting
body. The man in charge of the animal explained that the symp-
toms had undergone but very little change since he was taken ill,
and that he had not eaten any thing nor voided any feces. There
were, however, several evacuations of mucus lying about the yard,
which had been expelled from the bowels.
Having procured a wagon-rope, and obtained the assistance of
two or three men, I had the animal cast, and examined him per
rectum. There were no feces present, but, on passing my hand
onward, I readily detected a band, which was drawn tightly round
the bowel. It appeared to pass from behind forward, and undér
the rectum. By pulling at this the animal struggled from pain.
Finding this state of things, I at once decided upon operating, as
I could not see the patient any more that day, having many press-
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 487
ing professional engagements. I first cut off the hair from the
right side, which I prefer to do while the animal is standing, that
I may know better where to commence my incision when he is
east. I will here describe my plan of casting the animal, that,
should any person have a preferable one, I may put it in requi-
sition in my after-proceedings. I first fastened one end of a
rope to the off fore-leg, then passed it in front and around the
near fore-leg, and afterward under the part of the rope between
the legs, so as to pull them close together. Next, it was carried
between the hind legs and round the near one, and then under
that part which passed from the fore to the hind legs. By then
bringing the end of the rope over the bullock’s back, I was en-
abled to throw him on his near side, and prevent his rising by
drawing the near hind leg forward, and fixing it between the
fore-legs. As the off hind leg was still at liberty, it was secured
by drawing it backward, and fastening it by another rope to a
crowbar fixed in the ground. A man was then placed on the
animal’s neck, to keep his head down, and prevent his rising,
Every thing being ready, I commenced the operation by cutting
through the common integument and abdominal muscles, midway
between the antero-inferior spinous process of the ilium and the
last rib, a short distance below the transverse processes of the
lumbar vertebra, so as to avoid the arteries of the part. The peri-
toneum was then broken through with the fingers, and afterward
the left hand was introduced into the abdomen, in a direction
toward the pelvis. I experienced no difficulty in finding the
band, which consisted of the vas deferens, and which formed a
semicircular projection in the abdomen from the intestines pass-
ing behind it, or from below upward, as the steer lay on his side.
It was drawn quite tight, and had produced strangulation of the
intestines. JI was soon enabled to liberate the intestines, after
which I drew the vas deferens toward the opening in the muscles
and divided it, excising a portion to the extent of about three or
four inches. The part cut through retracted, and was left floating
free in the abdomen. The operation was completed by passing
some interrupted sutures of wide tape through the common integ-
ument only. After the animal was released, I gave him some
aperient medicine, and ordered gruel to be administered at regu-
lar intervals.
Before I was a student at the college, I attended a post mortem
488 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
examination of an old Welch runt, which my father ordered to
be killed, as the proprietor neglected sending soon enough for him
to be of any service. In this case there were about six inches of
the small intestines strangulated, and quite black in color. The
question arises, Is this affection produced from any particular
mode of castration? My father has castrated animals in the same
way as taught him by his father for forty-five years, and has
never had one case among those he has operated upon, although
he has been called to several which had been operated upon by
other persons.
The calf which I have alluded to was not castrated by him, nor
was the two-year old steer, (the subject of this communication,) by
either of us, which tends to prove that castration has to do with
its production, these cases having occurred in our district. I had,
until recently, supposed that the spermatic artery, on being drawn
at until it ruptures, in the operation of castration, might recede
into the abdomen, and, hanging loose, afterward strangulate the
interne wis getting around them, but I feel convinced this is not
the case.’
The following, which lately appeared in the Edinburgh “'Vet-
erinary Review,” is offered for the reader’s instruction. It is a
translation from GIERER, by Mr. GAMGEE:
“ON THE INTERNAL RUPTURES IN OXEN.
“ Gierer alludes to the fact that all authors agree as to the na-
ture of the internal or peritoneal ruptures termed ‘ueber-wurf,’
by the Germans— gut-tie’ by the English. There is a separa-
tion of the atrophied spermatic cord from the sides of the pelvis,
and, under peculiar circumstances, the peritoneum is lacerated; a
portion of intestine slips downward and backward, and the cord
is entwined round it, so as to constrict it, obstruct the passage of
excrement, and inflammation, with other consequences, result.
Gierer especially describes his method of discovering the seat of
the constriction, and his plan of operating. He says that it is not
always so easy to find the spermatic cord, and to discover precisely
which intestine is incarcerated. Most cases occur in oxen from
a year and a half to four years old. When symptoms of colic,
and no discharge of feces induce him to suspect ‘gut-tie,’ he
examines per rectum, and, by careful manipulation, can always
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 489
detect the spermatic cord and imprisoned intestine. Gierer has
never seen this strangulation relieved spontaneously; and there
are two methods of cure to adopt—the one palliative, and the
other radical. ‘The first consists in the return of the intestine
through the fissure in the spermatic cord, by quickly driving an
ox or raising his hind-quarters in a stall. This should be tried
soon after the first appearance of the disease. When this does not
answer, the normal condition of the parts must be restored by the
taxis effected through the rectum.
Very often there may be a relapse, from the loose spermatic
cord and fissure of the peritoneum remaining in statu quo. There
are two methods of radical cure—one by the introduction of the
hand through an incision through the abdominal walls, and the
other by the rectum. Gierer always operates by the rectum, and
his method consists in the simple return of the spermatic cord in
contact with its natural point of attachment against the abdominal
wall. To effect this a limited, successive, and slightly outdraw-
ing traction forward, or from behind forward, of the intestine is
effected ; and, having accomplished this, the soft part of the thumb
of the right hand, which is used from the beginning of the oper-
ation, is applied through the coats of the rectum in the lower and
posterior part of the cord, and, with a jerk, or forward movement,
the operation is completed.
Gierer says that the introduction of the hand in the abdomen
is only needed when, from the amount of intestine imprisoned, it
is difficult to feel the rudimentary spermatic cord; but, under
these circumstances, inflammation and gangrene would have en-
sued already, and the operation would, therefore, be useless, and
it is many years since he had occasion to perform it.”
FLATULENT CoLic.
This disease is generally occasioned by some derangement of
the digestive organs, whereby the food, instead of being properly
digested, undergoes fermentation, and thus carbonic acid gas, or
sulphureted hydrogen is evolved.
Symptoms.—It is attended by considerable pain; the animal
will be very restless, continually lying down and getting up again ;
discharges gas from the anus; strikes the belly occasionally with
the hind feet, and the abdomen is enlarged.
490 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Treatment.—This species of colic can generally be relieved as
follows: Take one ounce of hyposulphite of soda, dissolve the
same in a quart of water; then add tincture of ginger and tincture
of golden seal, of each, one ounce. Drench the animal with the
same. Clysters of soap-suds, to which a little salt may be added,
should be thrown into the rectum occasionally. The belly should
be well rubbed with coarse straw, and, in severé cases, I should
rub some mustard, moistened with vinegar, on the lower part of
the abdomen. After a lapse of two hours, should the patient ap-
pear unrelieved, a second dose of the colic drench may be given.
Generally, however, one dose is sufficient.
SPASM OF THE BowELs.
Spasm of the bowels, generally termed spasmodic colic, is oc-
casioned by contraction of the longitudinal and circular fibers of
the muscular tunic of the intestines. In this disease nearly the
same symptoms are observed as those alluded to in flatulent colic,
with the exception of flatulency. The patient, however, is more
irritable and dangerous to handle than in flatulent colic, and he
has periods of relaxation from pain which return at intervals with
increased violence. It is supposed that this affection is caused
_ by the presence of irritating matters in the intestinal canal, either
in the form of bad food, poisonous plants, or water impregnated
with lead. As the muscles of the intestines belong to that class
known as involuntary, it follows that the state of spasm is the
result of some excitability or deranged condition of the nerves of
involuntary motion; hence antispasmodics are indicated. In view
of relieving the spasm, I recommend the following:
No. 89. Powdered assafetida.:....sceeccasssns Lidar:
Sulphuric ether...... eevee seccse recs Ali
Mhin gruel... . 22. cise cecceecese see e Lupine:
Mix.
Use as a drench; then administer, occasionally, an antispasmodic
clyster, composed of warm water and a small quantity of pow-
dered lobelia. ;
Failing to relieve the animal by the above means, I should get
him under the influence of sulphuric ether, to be applied to the
nostrils by means of a sponge. There is no necessity for fully
etherizing the animal, for, if kept in a partial state of stupefaction
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 491
for about twenty minutes, the spasm will relax; after which, let
the patient be kept on bran-mashes for a day or more.
CONSTIPATION OF THE BOWELS.
Constipation is generally the result of impaired digestion, yet,
now and then, it is the precursor of some definite malady. The
old method of resorting to powerful cathartics generally aggravates
the symptoms, and the animal dies unrelieved of the constipation.
The best method of treating this affection is to administer, with
an aperient, stimulants and bitters; in this way we arouse the
action of the digestive organs, and create a lax state of the bowels.
Let the following drench be given:
No. 90. Glauber salts... 1... cecceecesce cone 12 oz.
Powdered golden seal........-escee 3 dr.
Powdered ginger.....seessorecoores 2 dr.
Dissolve the Glauber salts in one quart of tepid water; then
add the other ingredients. After a lapse of eight hours, the animal
should be walked about, have its belly rubbed, and’an occasional
clyster of warm soap-suds may be thrown into the rectum. Should
the medicine not operate at the expected time, administer two
drachms of powdered mandrake, the same quantity of golden seal,
and half an ounce of hyposulphite of soda, in about a quart of
water.
To prevent a recurrence of the constipation, let the animal have
half an ounce of equal parts of golden seal and carbonate of soda
daily, which may be mixed in the food. It is important, also, in
view of guarding against constipation, to make some change in
the diet. Thus, if the animal has been long fed on meal, some
coarser material (shorts) should be substituted, for a brief period
at least.
SECTION XVII.
PARTURITION.
Stens or Lasor, ok Parturition—NaturaL Lasor—UNNATURAL LABOR~
For&-LEGS PRESENTING—ONE FoRE-LEG PRESENTING— HEAD PRESENTING
WITHOUT THE LEGS—EXTRACTION OF A CALF ON ITs Back--Hinp Lecs PRE-
SENTING—BREECH PRESENTATION—CLEANSING, OR REMOVAL OF THE AFTER-
BIRTH—BACK OF THE CALF PRESENTING AT THE BRIM OF THE PELVIS—UTE-
RINE HEMORRHAGE—BiRTH OF Twins—TRIPLETS.
Siens oF LABor, OR PARTURITION.
T the end of two hundred and seventy days from the period
of a cow’s impregnation, some enlargement of the udder
will be perceived, and the labii pudendi (external parts of the
genital organs) are relaxed, and appear tumefied, and a sort of
glistening discharge issues from the same. The animal is also
restless, and appears desirous of avoiding the society of other
cows. Her respirations are somewhat quickened; she becomes
nervous and irritable, and labor pains set in, occurring at stated
periods, until, at last, the neck of the uterus dilates, the fcetal
membranes present themselves in the form of a watery tumor,
and the parts admit of the delivery of the foetus.
NATURAL LABOR.
Natural labor consists of the presentation of the placental mem-
branes, inclosed fluid, with the head and two fore-feet of the foetus.
In the act of natural expulsion the membranes become ruptured,
and the liquor amnii (water) escapes. This lubricates the parts,
and greatly facilitates the birth of the foetus. After delivery a
few after-pains occur, by which means the placenta, or after-birth,
is expelled. This completes the painful routine of natural labor.
(492)
PARTURITION. 493
UNNATURAL LABOR.
A cow failing to give birth after the fashion described in the
preceding article, and being in a state of parturition, having regu-
lar uterine pains, increasing in severity as they successively occur,
yet no appearance of the foetus, is probably the subject of false
presentation. The character of this presentation must be ascer-
tained, and our efforts then directed to the replacement of the part
to its natural position. The person who intends to render assist-
ance to the parturient cow should be clad in suitable garments.
His arms must be bared to the shoulders, and, in view of guard-
ing against the absorption of morbid virus, the person’s arms
should be lubricated with glycerine or olive oil. The instru-
ments required are, embryotomy knife, embryotomy hooks, and
slip-nooses. (See cut of instruments.)
ForrE-LEGs PRESENTING.
The most common false presentation is that when the two fore-
legs are advanced into the vagina, sometimes beyond it, and the
head turned upon the fcetal body. This is occasioned by the
muzzle having caught at the brim of the pelvis. The delivery
can not be effected until the position is changed, without danger
to the mother and certain destruction to the calf. The best plan
is to attach a cord, or the slip-nooses, to each fore-leg, which are
then to be forced back into the uterus. The head must then be
sought for, and constant pressure exerted on the same until it is
sent forward far enough to enable the operator to release it from
the brim of the pelvis, and guide it into the vaginal outlet. A
noose may then be slipped over the lower jaw; then traction on
it and those of the fore-legs will accomplish the delivery.
If the calf is dead I should use the embryotomy hook in pref-
erence to the noose; but, in view of saving the calf, the latter is
the safest. Some care, however, is necessary in drawing out the
fore-feet, lest the points of the hoofs lacerate the vagina. While
the assistants are drawing steadily on the cords, the operator
should give them a lateral action, from side to side, and upward
and downward. This is far better than pulling persistently in
one direction, for it tends to loosen and alter the position of im-
pacted parts.
a
494 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ONE FORE-LEG PRESENTING.
This is also a common occurrence, and, if seen early, the de-
livery may be safely effected by attaching the noose to the pro-
truded leg. This is to be pushed back, the other sought for and
secured in the same manner, and again to be returned. The head
must then be properly placed, the legs drawn outward, and the
delivery may be accomplished with every prospect of bringing
forth a live calf.
HEAD PRESENTING WITHOUT. THE LEGS.
In a case of this character, it is evident that the legs are doubled
up within the vagina and uterus, and, unless attended to early, the
calf will be dead; therefore, in order to save time and trouble, I
should decapitate the calf, which is done as follows: Make a cir-
cular incision around the neck through the integuments; then cut
down in a region between the first and second cervical vertebra,
and sever the capsular ligaments and spinal marrow. A person
not expert in these matters will probably succeed better in de-
taching the head at this point than at the base of the cranium.
Before the neck is returned, the embryotomy hooks should be in-
serted into it, and the blades secured by tying the cord which
passes through them. Having pushed back the neck, I run my
hand along one limb at a time, and find the hoofs. These are
brought forward and noosed. ‘Traction now being made on the
three cords, the delivery is secured.
Supposing the calf to be alive, I proceed as follows: A noose
is affixed to the lower jaw; the head is then pushed back as far
as it can be got; the fore-legs are then to be brought into posi-
tion as above described, after which the calf is readily brought
away. Some difficulty may be experienced in extracting the hind
parts. If they require much force in extraction, the probabilities
are that the pelvis of the fcetus is impacted in that of the cow.
The long diameter of the pelvis is crosswise of the body, so that,
if the calf be in a position that opposes its long pelvic diameter
to the short one of the mother, it must be pushed back a few
inches, and turned, so that its feet shall be downward, in a line
with the cow’s limbs.
It is very important that the calf should be in the right posi-
PARTURITION. 495
tion as regards the diameter of the pelvis, for many valuable cows
are ruined by the violent means used in the extraction of the hind
parts when in a faulty position. A little tact in securing a right
position for the exit of the calf would save a vast amount of
unnecessary and cruel traction, which in our rural districts, where
veterinary surgeons are not to be found, is too often employed.
EXTRACTION OF A CALF ON ITs Back, Hinp Leas
PRESENTING.
Some persons have an idea that when a wrong presentation of
this kind takes place the calf may be turned. This is an impos-
sibility, and it is only a waste of time and a feat of ignorance to
even attempt it. The calf must be extracted in the manner of pre-
sentation. The traction, however, should be made in a direction
toward the bones of the coccygis, or tail. In the early stages of
this kind of parturition, the back rests on the belly of the mother,
and the feet come in contact with her spine. If my services were
sought at this early period, I should endeavor to bring the feet
down, one at a time, and noose them, and proceed to deliver with-
out making any futile attempts to change the position of the calf.
In a case of this character, which occurred in my practice a short
time ago, I found it impossible (the cow being down) to dislodge
the feet from the spinal region. I therefore procured a double
and single block tackle, and fastened it to a beam which ran
across the barn; ‘the hind extremities were then attached to the
single block by means of straps, and in this way the posterior
* parts were elevated. The consequence was, that the whole fcetal
apparatus receded into the abdominal cavity, the feet were dis-
lodged from the spine, and I had the satisfaction of delivering the
animal of a live calf.
The following case is related by Surgeon CARTWRIGHT, in the
“Veterinarian :”
“On the 30th of April, 1850, Mr. came for me to see a
cow, four years old, that could not calve, as, in a former instance,
another celebrated man at such work had been in attendance on
her, but, from the state of the os uteri, was fairly frightened
from making an attempt to remove it, as, he said, ‘an operation’
must be performed on it. I found her well off at the hips, and
about the vulva well relaxed. On introducing my hand into the ©
496 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
vagina, I ascertained that the os uteri was dilated to about five
inches in diameter, in an apparent rigid state. On passing my
hand through the os uteri, I found that the calf lay on its back.
The hind feet could be felt, but they were doubled up at the fet-
locks, and pressed against the rectum and inside of the upper por-
tion of the os uteri. In consequence of the calf lying on its back,
and its feet being doubled up, the latter was not forced into the
os uteri, from which cause the os uteri could not be dilated for the
cow to calve. I immediately got one of the legs straight, brought
it forward into the vagina, and passed a cord around it, and then
served the other the same. Afterward we used gradual traction
to the feet, until the os uteri was fully dilated, and, in the course
of an hour, we removed a live calf, which, together with the cow,
did well. I fear such cases as these may induce persons to divide
the os uteri, thinking it ina scirrhous state. In a fortnight after,
this person had an exactly similar case; but, from using gross
force, they burst open the pelvis somewhere, and the consequence
was, the cow was obliged to be destroyed.”
BREECH PRESENTATION.
A presentation of this kind is generally attended with difficulty
and danger. The difficulties depend, however, somewhat on the
length of time which has elapsed since the commencement of the
labor. If it be recent, there is some hope for both mother and
calf, but in a protracted case there is little hope for the mother;
and one reason is, the vagina or uterus is often injured or rup-.
tured by the struggles of the foetus in trying to free itself from its
uncomfortable position. Then, again, the uterus has contracted
upon the foetus so as almost to imprison it, at least forcing and
impacting it within the cavity of the pelvis, so that the little ani-
mal is almost immovable. Let a person unacquainted with bo-
vine midwifery introduce his hand and arm in a case of this char-
acter, and he will be astonished at the amount of force it will
require to thread his hand between the foetus and pelvis; and
after accomplishing his object, the hand and arm become so be-
numbed by the pressure that he can not accomplish much, if any
thing, until he can succeed in forcing the feetus forward, which,
in some cases, when uterine action is strong, can not be effected
without elevating the posterior parts of the cow by means of a
PARTURITION. 497
hoisting tackle. It requires a person with a long arm to be of
much service in a case of this kind, for the limbs are extended a
long distance into the abdomen. A breach presentation is very
readily detected by the presence of the calf’s tail, which occasion-
ally hangs out of the vagina.
The mode of extracting the foetus when the breech presents is
as follows: Pressure must be made upon the buttocks of the calf
in the interim of labor pains. Having succeeded in pushing the
calf forward, the hocks may possibly be reached; afterward the
feet. These are to be brought into the vaginal passage; then, by
traction, and altering the position of the calf, if necessary, the
delivery is completed. Should it be found impossible to push the
foetus forward, I should lose no time in raising the hind-quarters
of the cow by means of hoisting apparatus, which most farmers
have on hand. In order to avoid hurting or injuring the cow’s
limbs when hoisting the hind parts from the ground, I encircle
the legs, just above the fetlock, with some old gunnybag, or
something of the sort; then affix a strap to each leg, into which
the tackle must be hooked. The cow is, of course, raised from
the floor, belly upward.
CLEANSING, OR REMOVAL OF THE AFTER-BIRTH.
After the delivery, the after-birth should be detached, if pos-
sible; for, if it be allowed to occupy the uterus, the latter contracts
upon it, and there it may remain for a week or more, and, at last,
come away a mass of putridity—not, however, before the cow has
suffered some derangement of health. So soon as the calf is born,
I introduce my hand, and pull, in various directions, on the um-
bilical cord. Failing to bring the placenta away, I introduce my
whole arm, and carefully detach the now foreign body from the
cotyledons of the uterus. The uterus shortly afterward contracts,
and thus effectually prevents uterine hemorrhage.
It has been my universal custom, of late, to remove the placenta
immediately after the birth of the calf, and I do so because I con-
sider it unwise to allow it to remain; for the labor is not then
completed. No practitioner of midwifery in human medicine
would ever deem it proper to leave his patient until the “after-
birth” was removed, for it would, most undoubtedly, endanger
the mother’s life if it were left to rot away, as is too often the case
32
498 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
with the poor uncomplaining cow. In the removal of the placenta,
I am careful not to pull too hard on the umbilical cord, lest in-
version of the uterus ensue. A little tact and patience will often
accomplish wonders. The placenta may be detached from the
cotyledons, and yet can not be drawn away. The probability is
that some irregular contraction of the uterus retains it. Now we
ist exercise a little patience, and then introduce the arm and
cel for the seat of contraction. This can probably be dilated by
the fingers, and then the placenta may easily be removed.
In cases of protracted labor, when the cow is much exhausted,
the placenta may remain in the uncontracted uterus for want of
muscular power in the same to expel it. In such a case I should
give the cow about a quart of ginger tea, and if any tympany of
the intestines exist, I should add a small quantity of carbonate of
soda.
The absurd practice of attaching a weight to the membranes, or
rolling them on a stick, as heretofore recommended, is not in ac-
cordance with my views of an enlightened system of practice. To
say the least, it is unscientific, and presents an unsightly appear-
ance. The odor which arises from the putrid mass, in the course
of a few days, is enough to sicken a dog, and no doubt it does
sicken pregnant cows, and may induce abortion. The membranes
must be removed.
The abominable practice of allowing the cow to devour the
after-birth is much to be deplored. JI know the custom has the
sanction of long usage, but that, in my opinion, is no argument in
its favor. The cow is not a cannibal nor a carniverous animal,
yet, for the sake of getting rid of an unsightly and filthy mass of
carrion, which ought to have been removed from her sight, she is
tempted, and finally does devour it. She may, however, some-
times be led to devour the placenta and foetal membranes through
the promptings of a morbid appetite. The best and safest way
to dispose of the after-birth is to burn it, for the odor arising
from it under the process of decomposition has a bad effect on
pregnant cows of a highly imaginative and nervous temperament,
and the odoriferous morbid germ is more active in warm than cold
weather.
PARTURITION. 499
Back OF THE CALF PRESENTING AT THE BRIM OF THE
PELVIS.
This unfortunate presentation is one of rare occurrence, I never
saw but one case, and that I now propose to introduce for the
instruction of my readers. I was called, a short time ago, to visit
a cow, the property of Mr. R , of Winchester. The animal
had been in labor, with strong parturient pains, for twelve hours.
In the mean time several persons had tried their skill on the poor
brute, without doing the least good. At the time of my visit, she
was in a deplorable condition. Her ears, horns, and extremities
were icy cold; she was delirious, throwing her head about in a
reckless manner, as if in convulsions; the vaginal lips were very
much tumefied, their lining membrane being highly inflamed. I
immediately gave her a good drench of stimulating medicine,
which appeared to have a good effect in restoring warmth on the
_ external surface and in the extremities. On making an examina-
tion, I discovered that the back or spinal column of the foetus was
firmly impacted within the brim of the pelvis; consequently every
uterine effort to expel the same was only making matters worse.
I employed all the usual means to change the position of the calf
to no purpose. Finally, I proposed an operation, to which the
owner consented. I now etherized the cow, turned her on her
left side, and made an incision through the right flank, beginning
at a point two inches beneath the transverse processes of the lum-
bar vertebra, mid-distance of the last rib and anterior spine of the
pelvis. The length of the incision was about ten inches. I then
divided the muscles in this region known as the transversalis,
external and internal oblique. Having thus exposed the perito-
neum, I punctured it, and, by means of a probe-pointed bistoury,
dilated it to the extent of the external incision. I then made an
inciSion through the uterus,.disemboweled the calf, so as to reduce
its bulk, and, finally, removed the heart and lungs; yet I could
not extract the carcass (which was of extraordinary size). I there-
fore made a section of the spinal column, and removed the fetus
in halves; then took away the placenta, and removed all fluids
by means of a sponge. The incision was properly sutured, and,
after a short period, the cow got up and partook of a bran-mash.
Twenty-four hours after the operation the cow died. This proba-
bly occurred from the exhausted condition of the animal at the
500 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
period of operating. When nothing except an operation of this
kind can save the mother, I recommend that it be performed early,
so that there shall be vitality enough in the system to bear up
against it.
UTERINE HEMORRHAGE.
Uterine hemorrhage is known, in common parlance, as flooding
from the womb. Occasionally it does occur as a sequel of forcible
extraction of the calf, followed by an unwarrantable harshness in
extracting the placenta and its membranes from the uterine coty-
ledans. The best plan of arresting this kind of hemorrhage is to
drench the cow with two ounces of tincture of matico, and then
encircle the body, in the region of the small of the back, with a
cold-water bandage. The object, in a case of this kind, is to in-
duce contraction of the uterus, for, when once contracted, the flood-
ing will soon cease.
Brirta oF TwIns.
There are many cases on record of cows giving birth to twins,
and even triplets, without manual assistance; yet occasionally, in
consequence of two presenting in the passage at once, some assist-
ance is needed. When called to a case of this character, the object
should be to ascertain if the parts presenting belong to one or two
calves. If the latter be the case, one must be pushed back and
the other advanced ; for they can not both be born at once without
periling the life of the mother.
TRIPLETS.
Three years ago I visited Keene, N. H., on the occasion of the
State Fair, and saw a cow of native breed, the property of “Mr.
Aldrich. I learned that at two previous births she had brought
forth twins, and now was the mother of three at one birth. These
were milk-white, and a perfect counterpart of each other. I un-
derstood Mr. Aldrich to say that the cow had never been bred to
the same bull, so that the plural and triple births were the result
of a peculiarity of constitution on the part of the cow. This re-
markable peculiarity seems to favor the hypotheses of Pythagoras
and Aristotle, who maintained that the female parent affords all
PARTURITION. 501
the materials necessary for the formation of the offspring, the office
of the male being merely to awaken the dormant formative powers
residing in the female ovaducts. The “ ovists” further assume
that the foetal germs already exist, with all their organs, in some
part of the female organs of generation, and that the action of the
male is merely that of exciting and endowing the feetus with vi-
tality. These theories, however, appear irreconcilable with the
phenomena of the offspring inheriting the faults and defects of
the male. The cow alluded to never required any assistance in
labor. This may be accounted for from the fact that the mother
had a large pelvis, and her offspring at the time of birth were all
small.
But here are two other remarkable cases, as related by Mr.
GAMGEE, in his translations:
“The subject of this notice had been delivered of her first calf
in January, 1857, when two years old—a fine heifer of the Brittany
breed, and of medium size. Soon after she was served (only once)
-by a bull of the district, and became impregnated. During gesta-
tion the animal was healthy, walked easily, and her belly presented
no uncommon appearance as regards size. On December 26, her
term of gestation having closed with little pain or expulsive efforts,
she gave birth, in a very few minutes, to two calves (male and fe-
male), the first being in the normal position, the last having the
posterior limbs presented first. At the same time the foetal envel-
opes of the calves came away.
During delivery the cow showed no suffering, and would eat
and drink as usual. Shortly after, the attendants perceived, be-
tween the lips of the vulva, two white, soft tumors, which they
took for inverted uterus, and at once hastened for the cow-doctor.
Meanwhile, a neighbor, thinking he recognized in them the water-
bags, pricked them, and, on the escape of the water, another calf
was seen, with a natural presentation, which. was soon delivered
by the efforts of the mother. This was immediately followed by
a fourth, which was also easily expelled. These two last—the
first a female, the last a male—died in a few seconds, though,
doubtless, had the liquor amnii been at once evacuated, both
might have survived, as they were even stronger than the two
first. They were very fat, and weighed, when given to the
Butcher; 25 kilogrammes each,
“The cow which has shown such remarkable feoumdity (five
502 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
calves in one year) has all along preserved the most perfect
health.”
Remarkable Fecundation in a Cow.—Mr. M. B. Fores sent the
London “ Veterinarian ” the following particulars relating to the
birth of five calves at one time: “ A cow of the short-horned breed,
six years old, the property of Mr. Richard Knight, farmer, Santon,
about a mile from Ryegate, was safely delivered on Monday morn-
ing, the 21st of February, three weeks before her time, of five
calyes—four bulls and one cow. Three of the calves died a few
hours after birth, but the fourth survived until Tuesday, and the
fifth until the following day, Wednesday.” Mr. ForBes saw the
cow on the 23d, and found her going on well. It was her third
calving.
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SECTION XVIII.
DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS.
CoNsTRICTION OF THE NECK OF THE UTERUS—EMBRYOTOMY—TREATMENT OF Cows
DURING PREGNANCY—SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY—DROPsY OF THE WOMB—PUER-
PERAL FEVER—FALLING OF THE WOMB.
CONSTRICTION AT THE NECK OF THE UTERUS.
WING to some abnormal condition of the neck of the uterus,
it is occasionally the seat of constriction. The difficulty can
only be determined by introducing the hand into the vagina; then,
by bringing the fingers in contact with the mouth of the womb, it
is found in an undilated and indurated or hardened state. Should
the labor pains be quite strong, and no signs of relaxation appear-
ing, I should then introduce a probe-pointed bistoury or the em- |
bryotomy knife into the neck of the uterus, and dilate the stricture,
by making incisions into the inner border of the strictured or har-
dened mass. This will allow of some slight dilatation, large
enough for a bladder of foetal membrane to gain entrance. After
this takes place, the labor will gradually progress, and, if every
thing goes right, as the saying is, a live calf may soon be expected
to make its appearance, and the cow may also be expected to sur-
vive the operation.
EMBRYOTOMY.
The operation known among medical men as embryotomy, sig-
nifies dismemberment of the calf within the vagina and uterus. I
presume no man, except he be acquainted with the anatomy of the
parts, would dare to attempt the dismemberment and disemhowel-
ment of the foetus. It is an operation, however, which has to be
performed very often, and it has saved the lives of very many
valuable cows; therefore I shall try to “ post” the reader on the
: : (503)
504 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
subject. The instrument used for this purpose is called an embry-
otomy knife (see cut of instruments), and is introduced into the
uterine cavity, concealed in the hand, so that its cutting edge shall
not injure the genital organs of the cow.
Mode of Operation.—Having introduced the knife within the
uterine cavity, I run my hand along the feetal limb to the top of the
shoulder, if possible, and there turn the knife and send its beak
point through the integument, and slit the same to the region of
the knee. Here I make a circular incision of the integument
around the knee. A slip-noose is affixed to the fetlock, and, while
an assistant is making steady traction on the same, I loosen the
integument from the limb; then, by a little dexterity in the use
of the knife, at the top of the shoulder and elsewhere, the whole
leg is drawn away. After amputating the shoulder, I make an
incision through the cartilages of the ribs. This exposes the whole
of the thoracic viscera, which I remove. If the bulk of the calf
appears to be sufficiently reduced to insure its extraction, I affix
a noose to the remaining fore-leg, and, by traction, remove the
carcass. The only difficulty in the way of a prompt extraction
occurs, oftentimes, in consequence of the foetal head being bent
round on the opposite side of the chest ; but, under ordinary cir-
cumstances, the calf can be extracted without proceeding to disem-
bowel or decapitate it. If, however, either of the latter operations
will facilitate the birth of the calf, I should certainly perform one
or the other, or both. Having extracted the whole of the foetus,
I next remove the placenta and membranes, and then drench the
cow with the following:
No? Ol luidvextract’of cimeer. s dsse ss «cet 4 072.
Mincturesopimaticonsse acces cele eee 1 oz.
Wiarmcwa bere iauae cua tccsk dean aun Raniaey 1 quart.
This will improve the condition of the prostrate animal, and in-
sure contraction of the uterus. The uterine expulsive power, so
favorable to the liberation of the calf, if dormant, can readily be
aroused by administering a stimulating drench.
TREATMENT OF Cows DurRING PREGNANCY.
The cow is the only animal with which I am acquainted that
yields milk regularly during the trying and prostrating probation
of pregnancy. She has not only to yield milk for the profit of
DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 505
her owner, but she must also furnish an identical preparation for
the nourishment of the foetus in utero. Then, again, the integrity
of her own system requires that her digestive organs shall furnish.
enough of chyme and chyle for the manufacture of good, rich blood,
to repair incidental and extraordinary wear and tear of her system ;
therefore she should be well fed and cared for. Any stinting or
miserly economy in the feeding of pregnant cows is very poor
policy, and is a sort of starvation procedure, which can never be
expected to pay. It is impossible for the cow to discharge these
treble duties unless she be generously fed on nutrimental agents,
containing the necessary equivalents. I am aware that most cows
are too well fed, hence milk fever and other inflammatory affec-
tions; yet the food given to some cows in this region, such as swill,
brewer’s grains, corn-stalks, coarse, damaged hay, etc., is not suit-
able for pregnant cows. They should have a mess of roots occa-
sionally, and about a quart of meal night and morning, which may
be stirred in a bucket of water, to which add a tea-spoonful of
salt. A reasonable quantity of good, sweet hay should be allowed
daily. This will not only keep the stomach distended to a healthy
capacity, but will also furnish matter for remastication, by which
process a large amount of saliva is secreted, and passes into the
stomach, where it operates on the food therein contained as a pow-
erful digester.
A pregnant cow should never be confined to the cow-house, for
want of proper exercise induces plethora, and a plethoric condition
of the system retards the development of the foetus ; hence the cow
is very apt to go over her time. The pregnant animal needs, and
must have, exercise. It aids in the circulation of blood through
her system: it brings the blood oftener in contact with aerating
surfaces, and thus invigorates it; in short, the whole animal econ-
omy is benefited by exercise in the open air. If the season of the
year admits, the cow should be sent to pasture. Here, under the
advantages arising from pure air, natural food, etc., she will get in
fine condition, so that when the period of calving arrives she will
be strong and vigorous, and can bring forth a healthy calf. It
must be borne in mind, however, that the petted, stall-fed cow is
not a safe subject to leave in the pasture at night. The cold, damp
ground and air are apt to derange her health; therefore she should
be housed at night and on stormy days.
As regards milking the animal during pregnancy, it must de-
506 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
pend on circumstances. A cow in good condition may be milked
longer than a poor one, and the poor, overmilked animal must
“oo dry,” as the saying is, for a couple of months prior to calving.
Should a pregnant animal yield milk up to within a fortnight of
calving, she should have a few bran-mashes, and the daily quan-
tity of food and drink must be diminished. She should also have
free access to salt, and occasionally a table-spoonful or so of phos-
phate of lime may be sprinkled over her fodder.
SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY.
A cow in healthy condition will be in heat (a state of menstru-
ation) about once a month. ‘This lasts for a period of four days,
more or less, About three or four months after conception has
taken place, the belly is enlarged, and, on making pressure on the
right flank, the motions of a live fcetus can be distinctly felt.
Pregnancy may be determined earlier than this by auscultation
‘(the art of diagnosis by listening to the sounds of the heart). The
beating of the foetal heart can be distinctly heard. The ear should
be applied to the right flank.
DRopsy OF THE WOMB.
This affection generally prevails among aged cows, in the latter
period of pregnancy. The causes of jt are, perhaps obscure ; yet
it may be attributable, like other dropsies, to a debilitated condi-
tion of the system, and an impoverished state of the blood.
Symptoms.—The symptoms noticed in this affection are as fol-
lows: An unhealthy and debilitated state of the animal; visible
membranes, pale and watery ; a pendulous and much enlarged con-
dition of the abdomen; spinal column, curved in a downward
direction ; and the animal, when down, is observed to rise with
difficulty.
Treatment.—It often happens that in dropsy of the uterus, the
walls of the abdomen are ruptured, and the fluid escapes into the
cellular tissue beneath the common integuments. This is readily
detected by an unnatural tumefaction, or swelling, in some part
of the abdominal region. My usual practice in a case of this char-
acter is to puncture the integument, and allow the fluid to escape.
I then direct that the animal have a few doses of the following:
DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 507
No. 92. Fluid extract of buchu...........-... 1 oz.
Powdered chlorate of potass........ Seo ws chy
\NWETIB ES SO BAS CSS SSNS SIAC GOB S His . 1 pint
Mix.
Give a dose of the above once or twice daily.
Dropsy confined to the uterus is a formidable affection, because
it requires the services of an experienced surgeon, who will, prob-
ably, tap the dropsical membranes through the vagina; yet the
operation is not always advisable, for it frequently results in pre-
mature parturition.
PUERPERAL FEVER.
During the past few years, very many valuable cows have died
of “ milk fever” (puerperal fever), puerperal convulsions, etc. It |
is a remarkable fact that this disease almost always attacks cows
in high condition; hence, in view of prevention, we should en-
deavor to guard against the accumulation of fat; and this can be
done by withholding meal and substituting shorts, and also by
allowing considerable quantities of roots and grass, when they can
be had. :
Puerperal fever is a disease of an inflammatory type. The state
of plethora, which is observed among fine cows owned by wealthy
individuals, who dispense provender liberally, because they hate
to see a “ poor” cow, is more likely to occur in a cow when preg-
nant and stall-fed (from the fat of the crib) than otherwise, be-
cause, under such management, she does not get exercise enough
to make away with the carbonaceous material, and, therefore, it
increases from day to day, and is harvested into the cell reservoirs,
proving in its bulk detrimental to full and free circulation, respira-
tion, and intestinal peristaltic action.
The warm and impure atmosphere which the stall-fed animal is
compelled to respire is decidedly operative in bringing about that
condition known as plethora; therefore our object should be to
secure a current of cool and pure air throughout the cow-stable.
Pure and cool air is a very potent physiological, sedative, contra-
stimulant, and, as the fat animal is in a morbid state of excitation
from the stimulus of the food, as well as artificial atmosphere, the
suffering creature will surely be benefited by inhaling the requisite
amount of an uncontaminated atmosphere.
The principal causes of puerperal fever in women are said to
508 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
be misplaced benevolence, which benevolently(!) furnishes her
with choice viands, rich caudles, and stimulants, in view of obvi-
ating debility and insuring hilarity of mind. Now, the condition
of the pregnant female being one of increased susceptibility, it
fully demonstrates the incompatibility of using even what may
be considered as the ordinary stimulations of health. Therefore,
in the case of the cow, stimulating food, and an unnecessary
amount of the same, given daily after the cow has “come to her
growth,” as the saying is, may be termed misplaced benevolence ;
whereas, if the cow has not attained her full growth, the practice
of feeding liberally is not objectionable, for she requires a large
amount of nutriment to develop the various parts of her organ-
ism, and promote the integrity of the same, and also to nourish
the foetus in utero, and, lastly, for the purpose of furnishing the
necessary material for the lacteal secretion. It has been noticed
that great milkers, aswell as fat animals, are often the subjects
of puerperal fever; and probably the suppression of the milk
secretion, in the advanced stage of pregnancy, may be an exciting
cause of the difficulty, yet not in all cases, for we are pretty cer-
tain that some cows, owing to a peculiarity of constitution, are
predisposed to puerperal hysteritis. In view, therefore, of guard-
ing against the consequences which may occur when the animal
is suddenly “dried up,” we should be careful to diminish the
daily allowance of food, and also feed lightly from this period up
to that of parturition.
Milking the cow before calving, in view of preventing puer-
peral fever, is very mischievous, for it is apt to excite premature
parturition. Many of the cows I have attended for the above
complaint had been so treated. Occasionally the udder becomes
distended to a painful degree, so that it is necessary to sane
moderate milking, otherwise the practice is injurious.
It is generally supposed that this disease first manifests itself
in some parts of the tissues entering into the composition of the
reproductive organs; or, in other language, primary congestion
and irritation of the womb, ending in cerebral congestion and
convulsions. The cerebral congestion, however, is not always the
cause of convulsions, for we have many cases on record in which
phlebotomy was practiced on the heroic plan (an incredible amount
of blood having been abstracted) without arresting the convul-
sions ; hence, in such cases, congestion is the result, not the cause,
DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 509
of convulsions. A very eminent physician (Dr. Locan) has
stated, as the result of observation, that puerperal convulsions
were generally found in females of highly organized nervous sys-
tems, and who were peculiarly susceptible to irritation of that
system; yet our experience in this country, in cattle practice,
confirms what we have written in the preceding part of this arti-
cle; namely, that puerperal convulsions are more frequent among
fat animals than in those of lean condition. The theory of Dr.
LOGAN may, in the main, be correct; for a lean animal (nervous
temperament) can, by artificial means, be brought into the condi-
tion known as plethora.
Youatt contends that “cows in high condition are most sub-
ject to an attack of puerperal fever. ‘Their excess of condition,
or state of plethora, disposes them to affections of an inflammatory
character, at all times and under all circumstances.” If it shall
prove to be the case that puerperal fever is the result of uterine
inflammation, we should diagnose the case as puerperal hysteritis,
and treat accordingly. Puerperal hysteritis may, however, occur
at any period of pregnancy.
Symptoms.—The early symptoms attending a disease of this
character are such as are found to prevail in a disease of a febrile
character ; namely, loss of appetite, accelerated pulse and respira-
tion (the latter attended with strong but quick abdominal flank
movements); tongue, slightly coated; mouth, hot and clammy ;
muzzle, dry. ‘There is also a sort of wildness about the eyes ; the
animal is nervous, and some unusual spasmodic twitchings of the
muscles will generally be observed. Soon the animal grates her
teeth, foams at the mouth, dashes her head recklessly on the floor
(for she is now on the floor). Examine the eye at this stage, and
the pupil will be found in an amaurotic state. The udder be-
comes swollen, hot, and tender, and the lacteal secretion is partly
suspended.
The disease generally appears within a fortnight after calving,
and it may occur within a very few hours. Its duration is very
brief, both the curable and incurable cases terminating either one
way or the other in a short time; and if violent convulsions set
in, we generally find that the patient has but little time to live.
Especially is this the case when paraplegia be present, or paralysis
in any form. The principal symptoms in which the diagnosis
must be founded are as follows: We first ascertain whether or not
510 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the animal has, within the period of a fortnight, given birth to a
calf. If so, and she manifests the usual symptoms of convulsions,
(refuses to notice her calf, has lost the use, more or less, of her
limbs, and the eyes present a wild stare, the pupils being dilated,
and the udder swollen,) we may then safely conclude that we have
a case of milk fever to deal with.
Treatment.—The professional man treats the disease according
to its indications, and the non-professional, if he attempt to treat
a case of this character, must endeavor to do likewise. I can not
possibly commit to paper all the necessary information, but shall
merely lay down a few simple rules for the management of such
cases. At the same time, I would advise the owner of the sick
cow to secure, if possible, the services of some competent veteri-
narian. Some practitioners recommend the abstraction of blood
from the jugular vein, but my practice is to bleed from the bow-
els, by administering purgative medicine. In this way the animal
can be depleted with greater safety than by blood-letting. The
cathartic is as follows:
No. 93. Glauber salts........ a gah, (ata valle a ieeerets 12 oz.
Powdered ginger........ sls sins alalle islets 4 02.
Warm water) <a 2 3) ie ts He ee 1 qt.
First dissolve the salts in the above amount of water, then add
the ginger. Drench the animal by means of a quart bottle. Take
* time to pour it down the esophagus, and the more speedily will
it act. If I have no faith in blood-letting, I may be said to have
great faith in purgation; for, as PERCIVALL very truly observes,
in regard to the treatment of staggers in horses, “ Purge a horse
and you cure him,” so I say in regard to the treatment of puer-
peral fever, Purge a cow and she shall be cured. The bowels
must be made to liberate their contents. After having adminis-
tered the medicine, the patient must be watched, and, when, she
lies down, let her have a comfortable bed of hay ; and the attend-
ant should occasionally sponge her head with cold water. When
down, a good stimulating alkaline enema may be thrown into the
rectum, composed of
No. 94. Warm water.......... sitelolchepotedoveneneneclons 2 qts.
Gilt oe Terake ekerottate ove Nepsl cilaneieielelcbel ote eiere bens, $1 OZ.
IMO USalitye ereilsi's.s 6 e's si'e\e|w: sleveielcledmbe lela etolere 2 02.
Supposing that, after a lapse of six or eight hours, the bowels
PARTURITION. 511
fail to respond to the purgative, half the quantity just recom-
mended may be given; and perhaps it may be proper, in view of
creating a vacuum in the rectum, to repeat the enema; for pur-
gation once established our patient is safe; yet, in view of pro-
ducing this very desirable result, it is not a rational procedure to
convert the stomach into an apothecary’s shop, and gorge it with
useless drugs, as is, unfortunately, too often the case; for, by this
means, a medicinal disease is created, which is generally more
uncontrollable than the original one.
In curable cases it is very rare for the above medicine to fail in
exciting catharsis; however, such remedy is not always at hand
(I mean the salts). The next best remedy is common table salt,
to be substituted for the Glauber or Epsom salts.
Other indications to be fulfilled in the Treatment of this Dis-
ease.—The palsied limbs require attention. Let them be diligently
rubbed with tincture of capsicum (hot drops), in view of producing
reaction. By this means we equalize the circulation, and thus
relieve internal congestion. Should the bowels be tympanitie, or
distended with gas, a quart of ginger tea may be given; and it
may do more good if a small quantity of carbonate of soda be
added to the same. Should the animal be thirsty, a small quan-
tity of powdered niter may be dissolved in water or thin gruel,
and offered to her. After the bowels have operated, the danger
passed, a few doses of alterative medicine may be given. This is
composed of
No. 95. Fluid extract of sassafras... /...ccccee. 1 oz.
Hlurd extract’ of Nops.. sc. «1. ace eo omdis
Water ci.0i. stetalets) ic) ohe bodoacnoe scoce reall
Mix.
The following case, from the author’s note-book, is here intro-
duced to illustrate a new mode of treatment. The case occurred
in a five-year old cow, the property of Mr. G , of Malden,
Mass. The animal gave birth, without assistance, to a healthy
male calf. The birth took place during the night-time, at pas-
ture, the weather being rather tempestuous. Three days after
parturition, the cow showed symptoms of failing health, and the
owner, like a sensible man, instead of boring the animal’s horns,
at the suggestion of the neighbors, preferred to seek advice;
hence my services were secured.
The patient was down on the left side; pupils, amaurotic ;
512 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
pulse, scarcely perceptible; respiration, of a stertorous character,
and accelerated; surface of the body, comfortably warm; visible
surfaces, of a leaden hue; abdomen, slightly tympanitic. The
animal occasionally turned its head toward the costal region, and
returned it recklessly to the floor; mamma, tumefied and hot; in-
ternal surface of the labia pudendi, inflamed. The patient takes
no notice of its offspring. Applied counter-irritants to the spinal
and pectoral regions, and then applied sulphuric ether to the
nostrils. The object in administering sulphuric ether was to
diminish the reflex excitability of the nervous system, and so cut
short the convulsive paroxysms. ‘The ether appeared to prove
invaluable; for, soon after its administration, the animal appeared
calm, tranquil, and rational, and soon began to take notice of its
offspring. I then administered table salt, eight ounces; water,
one pint. Flannels, saturated with infusion of hops, were now
applied to the mamma, and renewed occasionally. In the course
of thirty-six hours after the administration of the ether, the pa-
tient was standing up, nursing her offspring, and, at the same
time, partook of a bran-mash. The following three days, the pa-
tient got two drachms of fluid extract of chamomile flowers per
diem, and was then turned out to grass, and did very well.
Remarks on the Preceding Case-—The treatment of puerperal
fever, in bygone days, is.a disgrace to what has been considered
as a “learned profession.” It is a very unfortunate circumstance
that such learned men as RAMSBOTHAM, CHURCHILL, MEIGs, and
other equally distinguished midwifarians, should contend that
“the lancet is our sheet-anchor in puerperal convulsions.” They
inform the world of medical non-thinkers that the daring use of
“the lancet is demanded ;” that ‘‘ the lancet is our sheet-anchor ;”
that “blood must be taken largely ;” yet a great proportion of
their patients thus treated prematurely pay the debt of Nature
secundum artem. What a libel on a “learned profession” is this
state of affairs! And, unfortunately, the distinguished French
surgeon CAZEAUX has indorsed the reckless tactics of Eng-
land’s universally wretched practice; namely, “sanguine emis-
sions.” Now, I contend that the routine practice of the acknowl-
edged authorities will not stand the test of modern medical logic ;
that it is contrary to all demonstrative experience, and, therefore,
should receive the seal of oblivious antiquity, never to be reacted
or countenanced by sensible men. ‘The old school heretics are
PARTURITION. SIs
great sticklers for the support of their tottering fabric—namely,
that fever and inflammation must be subdued ”’—and they com-
mit outrages on the physiological laws of animality by instituting
a series of manipulations, redolent of the aroma, acceptable to the
god of pathology, whom they worship with the spontaneous faith
of a new convert.
FaLurne (or INVERSION) OF THE Woms.
This sad accident is generally occasioned by extra uterine ex-
pulsive action, at the moment of the birth of the calf, aided by
adhesions of the placenta to the cotyledons, by which means, in
the process of delivery, the uterus is actually turned inside out.
The relaxation of the ligaments, which ordinarily confine the
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FALLING OF THE WOMB.
Expranation.—Fig. 1, Pudendum ; 2 6, Region of the neck of the womb; 3, Vagina; 4, The
cotyledons of glands of the uterus; 5, Body of the womb turned inside out.
uterus to the pelvic cavity, may be one among the various causes
which tend to induce inversion. The accident, so far as my ex-
perience goes, is apt to occur in animals of an inferior class, coarse
and flabbily organized, and among others in a debilitated condi-
tion. The only way to prevent a recurrence of inversion is to
spay the cow.
Treatment.—The old method of introducing the arm, in order
to force back the protruded parts, is now superseded by a bulbous
rod of iron, which must be applied to the fundus or base of the
33
514 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
womb, <A due amount of pressure being steadily made, an assist-
ant manipulates the sides, and the womb is re-inverted. Some-
times it is very difficult to get the womb back, in consequence of
latent uterine action, which convulsively resists our efforts, and
violently sends it out again at the moment of return. Should
the convulsive action of the uterus continue any great length of
time, I should etherize the animal, and, when fully under its in-
fluence, the reduction may again be attempted, and probably con-
summated. The instrument should be kept in the womb for
some time after reduction, so as to give the muscular fibers of its
walls time enough to contract; and it may be necessary to have a
man in attendance for a whole day or more, in view of accom-
plishing this result.
So soon as the reduction is complete, I should sponge the loins
often with cold water ; or a better plan, perhaps, would be to pack
the loins, after the fashion of hydropathy. The loins and abdo-
men will, by this method, receive considerable support, which ll
be favorable to induce contractile power in the uterus.
Sometimes the presence of the bulbous instrument in the uterus,
after reduction, tends to keep up the after-pains, or expulsive ac-
tion, and if so, it must be removed, previous to which, however,
some stout tape should be sent through the thick skin in the re-
gion of the prominences found on each side of the vaginal outlet,
known as the tuberosity of the ischium. This is a much better
plan than that of stitching the vaginal lips. After removing the
instrument, a pad may be placed on the lips of the vagina; then
tie the tape sutures moderately tight. T’wo sutures will answer,
and they can be allowed to remain until all danger of re-inversion
has passed. The animal should be placed in a 1 situation where the
hind parts can be elevated a few inches.
The following cases appear interesting enough to obtain a
space in this work, and I recommend them to the reader’s perusal.
They occurred in the practice of Surgeon YOUNGHUSBAND:
“On the morning of the 3d of January, 1850, I was sent for,
in great haste, to attend a cow that three days before had calved,
and, apparently, up to this time, had done well; but on that
morning, on the cow-keeper attending as usual, he found the cow
down, and the whole of the uterus protruding through the vagina.
On my arrival, I found her as described, with the uterus in a most
loathsome state, from being suffered to remain unprotected among
PARTURITION. 515
the dung and urine of the cow-house, and also the placental mem-
branes adherent. Plenty of assistance being at hand, we had her
up, well-raised her hind parts, and in that position secured her, so
that she could not well slip down again. Having carefully de-
tached the placenta, I next proceeded to cleanse the parts by
washing them with a mixture of weak spirit and water. Hav-
ing accomplished this, I proceeded to return the part; but, on
minutely examining that viscus, before attempting its replace-
ment, I discovered in it a large rent, through which I easily in-
troduced my hand; and, for the better satisfaction of the owner,
I caused one of the bystanders to do the same, to show them that
it was not through any mismanagement of mine that this unto-
ward accident had taken place; for, in my belief, another cow
had trod upon it while she was down, and thus done the mischief.
After this, I effected its return without much difficulty. Judging
that I had got all the part into a right position, ete., I made an
attempt to withdraw my arm; but, in doing this, the cow imme-
diately began to strain with such violence that it was not without
the greatest difficulty that I could retain the part in statw quo.
But, by a fortunate slip, her anterior parts were brought so near
the ground that I now easily accomplished that which, for a length
of time, I had found the greatest difficulty in attempting to do;
namely, getting the part into a right position, retaining it there,
and withdrawing my arm without difficulty. The cow now
straining very little or none, I applied the usual means of pre-
vention, gave an anodyne, had her set up from the awkward
position into which she had got, and waited to see the result. I
retreated for a short time, leaving a watch, in case any thing
untoward should again take place. On my return, I found her
still up, attended with no bad symptoms, very little straining,
and appearing to be more comfortable than her situation would
warrant. She was now offered a little food, of which she seemed
to partake freely. Still, I warned the owner of the danger, and
told him I had not the slightest hope of her recovery. To be
brief, from that time she had a little fever medicine occasionally,
and I paid her a few visits, still finding her apparently improv-
ing, and on my last visit, on the 10th, found her in so favorable
a situation that I told the owner that, being at a great distance,
unless I heard more from him, I would discontinue my attend-
ance; nor had I more occasion to repeat them. The cow did well,
S
516 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and has since had two more calves, without needing any of my
assistance. ;
The second case was that of a cow belonging to Mr. T. Monk-
house, of Moredale, in my neighborhood, which calved appar-
ently with the greatest ease, showing no signs of particular
uneasiness; but, on paying her a visit, he found her with the
uterus protruded and the placenta attached. They immediately
secured the part, so as it might receive little or no injury from
the contact of foreign bodies. In the mean time, a messenger
was dispatched for me. Being at home, I was not long in being
at my post. After having her put in a position which I con-
sidered favorable, I proceeded to detach the placenta, which was
easily done, and the part being free from dirt, was soon ready for
returning, which, from the dilated state of the parts of genera-
tion, was, of all cases I ever had, the most easily accomplished.
But mark the sequel. When i imagined I had made all right,
the cow, appearing to suffer very little from the effects of the op-
eration, was let up from her situation, and I had withdrawn my
arm, when, behold, a portion of the small intestine made its ap-
pearance through the vulva! Judge of my consternation now,
having no cause to fear such an untoward act. I told the owner
how the case stood, and frankly confessed my ignorance of its
cause. I now proceeded to find out the rent in the uterus, which
I soon did, it being in its posterior part, and, without much diffi-
culty, got the intestine returned. My next aim was to cause as
much contraction of the uterus as I could, so as to bring the
divided edges of the organ together. ‘This I did by the appli-
cation of camphorated tincture of opium, and which, I am proud
to say, soon gave me the required satisfaction—so much so, in-
deed, that before I withdrew my arm the laceration was scarcely
distinguishable to the touch. The cow, in this case, appearing in
so easy a state, no truss was applied the first night, but a person
stayed with her, if possible to prevent future ills. Now, I must
say, of all cows, this one has gone on most favorably. To give a
description of her treatment would be a waste of time and paper,
since as to the medical treatment it amounted almost to nothing.
Careful nursing, with a few solitary doses of medicine, constituted
the whole.”
SECTION XIX.
DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC.
Mammitis—SrricturE In Cows’ Teats—OBsTRUCTION AT THE END OF THE TEATS—
OBSTRUCTION IN THE TEATS—TUMORS IN THE TEATS—INJURIES TO THE TEATS—
Sors Teats—Cuaprep Treats AND Cuarep UppER—INVERSION OF THE VAGINA
—LACERATION OF THE VAGINA—ABORTION—INFLAMMATORY AFFECTIONS OF THE
Hinp Limps arrerR CALVING.
Mann ITISs.
AMMITIS signifies inflammation of the udder. It usually
consists of tumefaction, attended with heat and pain, and
generally sets in shortly after calving. The treatment of this af-
fection should be antiphlogistic. Let the animal have a full dose
of Glauber salts, and apply a refrigerating lotion to the udder
(cold water will answer), in view of reducing the temperature of
the same. In this state of the udder scarcely any milk flows, and
what comes is often bloody. Soon an entire obstruction takes
place, or nothing but a watery secretion can be got away. Next,
the udder hardens in places, abscesses form, and then the secretory
function of one or more quarters is destroyed. The animal now
has the “ garget,” and ten chances to one if the part or parts are
ever restored. The only way to prevent garget is to let the calf
suck immediately after it is born, or else introduce a tube into one
or more of the teats, and thus evacuate the milk ere it coagulates.
Symptoms.—The disease, at its commencement, invariably con-
sists of an inflamed condition of the mamma, or “ bag,” character-
ized by pain, heat, swelling, and more or less febrile symptoms.
It is precisely the same disease which many nursing women are
prone to and suffer from, and its terminations, when not arrested
in the early stage, are exactly the same; namely, suppuration, form-
ation of an abscess, induration, or hardening of the walls of the
(517)
518 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
bag. In the human female the suppurative stage is known to
nurses as “ broken breast ;” and the state of induration or harden-
ing which follows, or may exist independent of an abscess, is com-
monly called “ caked” breast; hence the term caked udder. Such
is the character of this disease as it occurs among cows in the
United States. In Europe it occasionally assumes a more malig-
nant form, and it often becomes necessary to extirpate the whole
gland.
Treatment.—The disease should be attended to in its early stage,
and the milk must be evacuated, so that it shall not accumulate
nor coagulate. In order to do this, a metallic tube may be inserted
into the teat, and allowed to remain there, so that the milk shall
flow as fast as it is secreted. The inflamed part must be bathed
with cold water several times during the day, to which add a few
drops of tincture of arnica, and, if the part be very painful, an in-
fusion of hops may be used. Afterward anoint the parts with a
small quantity of glycerine. The animal must be kept on a very
light diet (scalded shorts are good) ; and if she be fat, or the least
constipation of bowels exist, I should give one pound of Epsom
salts, dissolved in warm water, to which may be added a small
quantity of molasses and a tea-spoonful of ginger.
Supposing the case to be in the suppurative stage, and it is evi-
dent that pus or “ matter” is forming within the “bag,” or its
walls, it may be poulticed with flaxseed, or rubbed twice daily
with some stimulating liniment—say linseed oil, two ounces;
spirits of hartshorn, one drachm. So soon as the matter burrows
to the surface, and a soft spot can be detected, it should have a
free opening made into it, by means of a ‘thumb-lancet. The
matter must then be squeezed out, and into the cavity syringe
some salt and water, or a little tincture of aloes. In the suppu-
rative stage I generally order a generous diet.
In the indurated’ stage, the treatment consists in exciting ab-
sorption of the parts; and in this view I recommend iodide of
potassium, known as “ hydriodate of potassa.” It is one of the
most efficient remedies for the absorption of abnormal growths
that I have ever used, and it is highly recommended in our text-
books by men well acquainted with its modus operandi. The dose
of hydriodate of potassa is twenty grains per day, to be pulverized
and dissolved in water. Being inodorous and almost tasteless,
there is no trouble about the patient drinking it. The medicine
DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 519
may be continued until the enlargement disappears, when the
dose may be gradually lessened. If I were called upon to treat
a chronic case of long standing, I should, in addition to the above,
besmear the parts daily with a portion of the following:
No. 96. Todide of; potassium...........s0540015% 1 dr.
GiliyCeRITLG te elepelscapaletoie) sielesekeiclelaiaietelels'« 7 dr.
Mix.
STRICTURE IN Cows’ TEATS.
T was lately consulted in reference to the case of a very valu-
able imported cow, that had obstruction in the off posterior teat.
She had given birth, about a week previous, to twin calves. The
obstruction appeared to be located about half way up the teat. I
fomented the parts with an infusion of lobelia, after which the
tube was easily introduced.
OBSTRUCTION AT THE ENDS OF THE TEATS.
It occasionally happens that a fungous or warty excrescence
makes its appearance at the end and center of the teat, which ob-
structs the flow of milk, and is very annoying and painful to the
animal, This should be removed by the scalpel, taking care to
dissect away every portion of the morbid growth. The part is
then to be sprinkled with powdered bloodroot, in order to prevent:
union of the edges of the outlet of the teat. The milk-tube, well-
oiled, must now and then be introduced,
OBSTRUCTION IN THE THATS.
A simple obstruction in the teats is frequently occasioned by
imperfect union in the lining membrane.
Treatment.—This is easily remedied by introducing a tube con-
structed for the purpose, which should be well lubricated with
olive oil, and allowed to remain in the lactiferous channel for
several hours daily, or until all danger of readhesion has passed
away. The lactiferous outlet is sometimes obstructed by false
membranes running across its channel. These must be annihi-
lated by the introduction of the tube.
520 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
TUMORS IN THE TEATS. vf
Tumors are occasionally found in the teats. Their presence
is determined by bulbous enlargement, which, on manipulation,
appear very evident.
Treatment.—The method of operation in such cases is to intro-
duce a tube, well smeared with iodine ointment, and repeat the
operation, two or three times daily, until the milk passes freely.
INJURIES TO THE TEATS.
I have met with several cases of injury to the teats in the form
of an incision, which occurred accidentally on the animal rising
from the ground, cutting or lacerating the same with its own hoofs.
Treatment.—When the accident is discovered shortly after it
happens, the parts may be brought together by uninterrupted
suture. ‘The seam is then coated with collodion, and the milk
must be evacuated wholly by the tube until the parts have united.
Sometimes the union is not complete, but a small fistulous opening
is left, through which the milk is constantly dribbling. The only
«way to remedy this is to convert the fistula into a simple flesh-
wound, This is done by means of a sharp-pointed knife, which
removes the thin callus forming the interior of the fistula. The
raw edges are then to be brought together by suture, and collo-
dion and the tube used, as before.
SorE TEATS.
Treatment.—First, wash with warm water and castile soap; then
lubricate the parts with equal portions of lime-water and linseed
oil.
Ff
CHAPPED TEATS AND CHAFED UDDER. ~,
Treatment.—Foment the parts daily with an infusion of chamo-
mile flowers for at least fifteen minutes at a time; then wipe dry,
and use the lime liniment. These temporary, or what might,
with more propriety, be termed local maladies, will, if the system
be free from morbid matter, generally yield to local remedies. If,
however, no change for the better can be observed, the following
aperient should be given:
DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 521
No. 97. Fluid extract of golden seal..... 3 dr.
Powdered mandrake............ 4 7.
Powdereds oineenpyaitseisiaa cele « » 1 tea-spoonful.
Dissolve in warm water, one quart, and drench the animal with
the same. In the event of the above remedies failing to give relief,
anoint the parts twice daily with a compound composed of glyce-
rine, four ounces, and fine elm flour enough to form a thin paste.
INVERSION OF THE VAGINA.
Inversion of the vagina generally occurs in the latter months
of pregnancy, at a time when the digestive organs are somewhat
impaired, either actually or sympathetically. In either condition
the food is very apt to be imperfectly remasticated, and ferments.
This gives rise to the formation of gas within the alimentary, canal,
and occasions tumefaction of the compartments of the stomach and
large intestines. In this state they take up more room than can
be spared for their occupancy ; hence the pressure in a posterior
direction, which forces the vagina out of its location.
Treatment.—W hen this difficulty occurs in a cow on the eve of
parturition, there will be some danger of inversion of the uterus,
unless the reduction is effected before delivery ; therefore I should
endeavor to make room in the abdominal cavity, by putting a stop
to the fermentation which is going on in the stomach. In this
view, I recommend that the animal have the following drench:
No. 98. Hyposulphite of soda..............0- 1 oz.
Powdered) coldenjseale:;. (2). <2)... e166 » 4 dr.
Wriaterey ccm mreraieum bette fell svelevonete Sgt:
Mix.
Having administered this drench, procure a soft sponge, and
foment the part (if it be much inflamed and painful) with a tepid
infusion of hops. If the inversion be of recent origin, and not
much éofivested, cold water may be used instead. After awhile
pressure and manipulation may accomplish the reduction; yet it
is apt to reappear, and continue to do so until the animal has got
rid of her burden. The reduction, however, must be effected, if
possible, every time the protrusion makes its appearance, or the
cow will suffer from retention of urine.
It is very evident to me that very many cases of inversion of
the vagina are caused by indigestion; therefore great care should
522 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
be exercised in the feeding of cows during the last months of
pregnancy.
LACERATION OF THE VAGINA.
This is an accident of very frequent occurrence among cows, yet
seldom proves fatal. It often occurs from the rough manner,
sometimes practiced, of bringing the feet forward ; therefore great
care is necessary in conducting an artificial labor to a successful
termination, |
The following case of extensive laceration of the vagina of the
cow, given by the “ London Veterinarian,” goes to show the po-
tency of Nature in the cure of disease and injuries :
“Mr. J. W. Maw, veterinary student, has sent us the following
particulars relating to a case of willful laceration of the vagina,
and contiguous parts of a cow: ‘Mr. Crosby, who is in practice
at Thornton Pickering, Yorkshire, as a veterinary surgeon, was
called, a short time ago, to attend a milch cow which presented
symptoms of colic. On his visiting her, he observed a piece of
stick, about three inches long, protruding from the vagina, and,
on removing it, he found that it was about a yard in length, and
had been thrust through the vagina, and likewise the rectum, into
the abdomen. Previous to its removal the cow did not evince
such symptoms as one would have been led to expect in an animal
suffering from such a severe injury. There was but little external
hemorrhage, the symptoms, upon the whole, rather indicating that
internal hemorrhage was going on. Anodynes were administered,
and quietude enjoined. No inflammatory symptoms supervened,
and, in the course of ten days or a fortnight, the animal had re-
covered. The atrocious act is supposed to have been perpetrated
by some gypsies, who were located near the place at the time, from
their going, in the following morning, to beg the carcass, thinking,
probably, that the poor animal was dead.’ ”
ABORTION IN Cows.
The cow is the most liable of all domestic animals to abortion,
and those that have once been the subjects of this mishap are lia-
ble to a recurrence of the same, Mr. YOUATT, in his work on
cattle, furnishes some very useful information on this subject ; still,
the direct causes of abortion are, like many other enzodtic‘and epi-
DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 523
zootic affections, involved in obscurity. That it occasionally rages
as an enzootic pest, is clearly shown by the records of the past, and
by what occurred, a short time ago, among the dairy cows of a
milking establishment at Concord, N. H., without mentioning
other cases, which of late have been chronicled in our agricultural
periodicals.
It occasionally appears as an insolated evil. An Alderney cow,
the property of Mr. Burnet, of Southboro, has, in the course of
three years, aborted four times. At the time of writing this arti-
cle my attention was called to her. I recommended that she should
be spayed ; the owner consented, and, of course, she thereafter be-
came a more useful animal in supporting other offspring than her
own. I call this an isolated case, because Mr. Burnet informed
me that his other cows had not aborted. She inherits a tendency
to abort.
A theory has been broached by some writer that severe winters,
succeeded by warm springs, hilly pasturage, the practice of allow-
ing young stock and one and two-year old bulls to run with the
breeding cows is likely to end in abortion. This is sheer non-
sense, and is not entitled to the least consideration; and, relying
on the intelligence of my readers, I refrain from offering any ar-
gument in view of controverting evident absurdities. The fact is,
some cows will abort, no matter what may be the nature of the
pasturage or condition of the atmosphere; and so will women mis-
carry occasionally, in spite of their own precautions and the advice
of their physicians to prevent it. It is evident, therefore, that
there exists in the animal economy of some subjects peculiarities
of constitution termed idiocynerasies, which, under certain cireum-
stances, and on the application of the cause, (indirect,) develop the
latent pathological fire, and thus they abort.
When abortion prevails among a whole herd of cows on one
man’s farm, I should consider it as an enzodtic, arising sponta-
neously, and afterward propagated by infection or by sympathetic
influence. YOUATT gives a quotation which favors these views:
“In the Leipsic ‘ Agricultural Gazette,’ it is stated that, ‘by an
unheard-of fatality, the abortion of cows in that district was almost
general, and that, after the most anxious search, no assignable
cause for it could be discovered, nor would any medicine or medi-
cal treatment arrest the plague.’ ”
T shall now, in a brief manner, throw out a few hints for the
524 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
consideration of dairymen and breeders, in view of the adoption
of preventive measures; for, since neither “ medicine nor medical
treatment” can arrest the plague, our only hopes of stopping abor-
tions, which in this country are alarmingly on the increase, lies in
the practice of preventive measures,
A very objectionable, and I may add, ruinous, practice prevails
at some milking establishments, of keeping the cows impregnated
all the time. The mother no sooner gets through the pains and
perils of parturition than she is again, ofttimes, compelled to sub-
mit to a re-impregnation. This is what I call an excessive use of
the reproductive organs, which must eventually impair their integ-
rity. It is well known to all physiologists, and I presume that
the reader must have some knowledge of the facts, that the uterine
organs, like those of digestion and respiration, can be overtaxed ;
and disease, in some form or other, is very apt to occur in over-
worked organs. If actual disease does not set in, debility of func-
tion or organ must eventually ensue. The uterus, like various
other organs of the animal economy, must have periods of rest, or
the day of reckoning will surely arrive. An excessive use of the
reproductive organs generally, if not always, impairs the integrity
of the nutritive organs, and vice versa ; hence, if a cow is kept
pregnant all the time for the unwise purpose of making her yield
a constant supply of milk, it should not appear strange if she fall
off in the quantity of milk, appear unthrifty, be off her feed, and
have a glairy discharge from the vagina. These are the symp-
toms which usually precede abortion.
I lately visited an imported cow, the property of a gentleman
in I]linois, who informed me that she had aborted three times at
about the seventh month of her pregnancy, and she was generally
put to the bull shortly after the mishap. I told him that this bad
practice was the sole predisposing cause of the trouble; for the
short space of time which occurred between the premature expul-
sion of the fcetus and re-impregnation was not sufficient for the
entire recovery of tone in the sexual organs; hence, so long as
this practice continued, his cow would never go her full time. I
strongly urge the necessity of spaying such an animal. She ought,
at least, to be separated from the breeding cows, and her feetal calf,
membranes, and placenta should be burned in the open air, for
there is no safety in burying them a few inches under the earth’s
surface.
DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 525
It is very probable that many cases of abortion occur through a
deranged condition of the digestive organs; therefore the means
most likely to prove effectual in keeping the stomach in a healthy
state should be adopted. What an immense amount of labor
the digestive organs have to perform! They have to be almost
constantly engaged in converting the elements of good and bad
food into chyme and chyle; and they must not slacken much, else
where are sixteen quarts, more or less, per day of milk to come
from? How is the feetus in utero to be nourished, and the wear
and tear of the cow’s organism to be provided for, when the
stomach is not in working order ?
The practice of milking cows to within a short period of par-
turition is highly injurious, yet some persons with whom I have
had conversations on this subject contend that, in some cases, it is
impossible to “dry the cow.” I advised them to reduce the ani-
mal’s food to less than one-half, or even one-fourth, if necessary ;
in fact, there would be no harm in withholding food altogether for
a short time, and in substituting for food a dose or two of aperient
medicine. This course must necessarily soon lessen the amount
of blood in the system, and as the milk is concocted from the blood,
it will decrease in the same ratio, or, rather, be essentially lessened ;
and in view of reducing the quantity of milk, I also urge the
necessity of keeping the cow on a small quantity of water. This
practice may not, on all occasions succeed in arresting the lacteal
secretion, still it is the only rational way of accomplishing the
object.
Abortion is sometimes attributed to a debilitated state of the
animal. ‘This also arises from a derangement of the stomach.
Then an opposite mode of treatment must be pursued, such as a
change of food to that of a more nutritious character, and the fre-
quent administration of small doses of ginger and golden seal.
Breeding cows require a great deal of care and some watching.
Careful selection of the right kind of food for the necessary wants
of the animal and her fcetus in utero is indispensable. Neither
the one nor the other can be expected to enjoy good health on a
diet of slops, swill, brewer’s grains, corn-stalks, rotten potatoes,
frozen turnips, damaged meal, musty hay, or sour apples, ete.
Care is also requisite in providing for the animal’s wants in re-
gard to “watering.” This is a subject of great importance, yet
very few husbandmen give it that attention which its importance
526 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
demands, The horrible stagnated stuff found in some pastures
and water-troughs, which the thirsty creatures are compelled, from
sheer necessity, to imbibe, is surely operative in producing very
many unnecessary diseases, derangements, and abortions.
Some watching is necessary. A cow likely to abort is gener-
ally “off her feed,” does not ruminate according to her accustomed
activity ; she fails to yield the daily quantum of milk; her condi-
tion is noticed to be unthrifty, and, on inspecting the vagina, it
is observed to be the seat of a glairy discharge. Such an animal
should be immediately isolated from the rest of the herd, and
proceeded with as above directed. It is said that a very common
cause of abortion is sympathetic influence.
There is another matter of some importance to be considered in
view of prevention? I allude to breeding. It is my opinion
that thousands of the abortions which occur among our domes-
ticated animals of this country are for the benefit of the several
races present and to follow; for if the offspring of cows whose
systems have been debilitated by a too early use of the sexual
organs, and those of other parents, laboring under organic disease,
malformation, and stunted growth, together with the apology of
offspring of cows doomed to drag out a miserable existence in
some horrible “ swill-milk establishment,” where death runs riot,
or runs into the milk-pail, to kill off unnursed infants, these being
permitted to come into the world with their inherited imperfec-
tions, and being suffered to grow up and become parents, issuing
a worse edition than the original copy in turn—these bad speci-
mens, not of Nature’s handiwork, but of man’s ignorance and
folly, or willful transgression of the law of Nature, being permit-
ted to live, they would be so many libels on creative power ; and,
in order to remove them from the face of the earth, and put a
check on the monstrous evil, a friendly pestilence must eventually
ensue. ‘This would be a mournful event; for many valuable ani-
mals might, by infection or contagion, be involved in the general
ruin ; therefore Nature adopts the lesser evil, and applies the law
of destruction prior to the birth of monstrosity.
The laws of reproduction and destruction are nicely and wisely
balanced. ‘Thus far shalt thou go, and no further.” The off-
spring of weak, emaciated, ill-formed, scrofulous, consumptive,
and otherwise defective animals, should never be used for breed-
ing purposes; in fact, they are not even fit for the butcher.
DISEASES OF THE UDDER, TEATS, ETC. 527
Finally, I would advise breeders to let the female get her
growth ere she is forced into copulation; for prior to maturity
“all the energies of her system are concentrated upon the perfection
and integrity of her organism, and, until that important period
arrives, the reproductive system can not be exercised without
running great risk of violating one of the fundamental laws of
Nature. .
I have now directed the reader’s attention to most of the causes
likely to influeffce or induce abortion, and I leave the rest, if any
there be, to be discovered by their own experience. It is impos-
sible for me to furnish definite instructions as regards the treat-
ment of individual cases, either prior or subsequent to abortion, as
each require a certain course, according to the condition and pre-
vailing symptoms; yet, if I have succeeded in pointing out only
a few of the errors which prevail in our present faulty system of
breeding and management, and have been practical enough to
secure the reader’s attention in a perusal of this article, I have
accomplished more than I expected at the time of its composition.
INFLAMMATORY AFFECTION OF THE HIND LIMBS AFTER
CALVING.
Some cows, after calving, suffer from an inflammatory affection
of the hind limbs, which renders them lame, or they are unable
to use the parts with that promptitude which characterizes the
physiological condition or state of health. The limbs are gener-
ally hot, and, in certain localities, are swollen, and the general
health of the animal seems to be impaired, yet there is no great
danger attending the condition. The tumefaction appears to con-
sist of a local effusion (dropsy) of serum into the cellular tissue,
which readily disappears through the local application of cold water,
and the action of the calf on the teats.
The attention of veterinarians has been directed to this affec-
tion by LEcouTuRIER, in the following paragraph, translated by
Mr. GAMGEE:
“A few days after parturition, and always when it has been
normal, a difficulty in the movements of the hind-quarters is to
be observed. The hocks become sensitive; the anterior surface
swells up; the synovial capsule is disturbed ; great pain is felt at
the slightest touch, accompanied with heat. Then the appetite
528 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
is lost; the secretion of milk diminished; pulse quick and strong;
and a certain amount of fever sets in. The patient can not lie
down, and still is not safe on its legs. The writer never saw
the affection but on recently-calved cows; never after the ninth
day, and almost always from the fourth to the seventh. This
disease affects generally the good mother, and is of a most be-
nignant nature. <A friction of turpentine and alcohol is sufficient
to restore to health in most cases; otherwise, brandy and soap.
When the fever is strong, a dose of niter, with digftalis, is useful.
This disturbance is always of a benignant nature, and is coinci-
dent with parturition, as the parturient fever, and a serous diarrhea,
which occurs from the second to the third day after calving, easily
checked, and never lasting more than twenty-four hours.”
Treatment.—My treatment is as follows: Give the patient a
drachm, three times per day, of fluid extract of gelseminum, and
bathe the limb with a cold infusion of hops, just so long as in-
flammation and fever exist. Then prepare the following:
No. 99:"Elnid extract’ of buchwii'./).. ste cre crores 8 oz.
Chloratexoft potass sadist. scelev. dian eines 2 02.
Watery... ic ok\s!s of oeiioyelereys syelolaeieketer - 1 pint.
Mix.
|
* Dose, a wine-glassful night and morning. Rub the limbs with
a portion of the following: .
No. 100. Fluid extract of wormwood...........- 3 oz.
(PLOOL Splut celcrere steels ete ele etclere chores 1 pt.
SECTION XX.
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS.
DxEscRIPTION OF THE URINARY SystTeM—Tue Ureters—THEe BiappER—TuHE
UrnEetuHRA—H £EMATURIA—INFLAMMATION OF THE KipNEys—URINARY CaAL-
CULI—CALCULI IN THE BLADDER—Biack WaATER—RED WATER.
DESCRIPTION OF THE URINARY SYSTEM.
HE primary organs of the urinary system are the kidneys,
two ovoid conglomerate bodies, of a purple color, located in
the lumbar region, or loins, separated from each other by the in-
ferior part of the spinal column. ‘They are generally imbedded
in adipose tissue denominated suet. The kidneys are the great
emunctories of the body, are constantly engaged in secreting waste
and morbid fluids from the blood, and we find them much larger
in cattle than in horses. When the function of any other excre-
tory organ is impaired, an extra amount of work is in store for
them to perform. In health their function never ceases—a con-
stant secretion of urine is going on all the time. Whether the
animal be awake or asleep it matters not, there is no rest for the
kidneys. On cutting through the kidneys, it is found to be com-
posed of two substances, termed cortical and medullary.
The kidneys are supplied with blood by the emulgent arteries.
They are of large caliber, and furnish a large quantity of blood
from which the urine is secreted. Within the center of each kid-
ney is a receptacle known as the pelvis, which terminates in a
funnel-shaped outlet, the commencement of the ureter. The
emulgent arteries, which supply the kidneys with arterial blood,
are derived from the posterior aorta. They subdivide and ramify
into the substance of the gland, and end in a very complex net-
work. The emulyent veins are much larger than the arteries.
They accompany the latter, and, finally, converge into one trunk,
34 (529)
530 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and terminate in the posterior vena cava. The nerves of the
kidneys are derived from the renal plexus,
THE URETERS.,
Each kidney is connected with the bladder by a common duct
or tube, known as the ureter. These ducts are much stronger
and larger than those found in the horse. They are composed of
two tunics. The external one is both fibrous and muscular in a
longitudinal direction, which permits it to contract and extend in
exact ratio as the bladder contracts when empty, and expands
when filled. The internal membrane is of mucous texture, and
is constantly lubricated with a mucous secretion, which defends it
against the irritating qualities of the urine.
THE BLADDER.
The bladder of an ox is much larger than that of the horse. It
is a musculo-membranous sac, or bag, and is located within the
pelvis, bounded above by the rectum, and below by the internal
surface of the pubic bones. In the cow we find the bladder
located between the rectum and the uterine organs. The bladder
has a transverse ligament inserted into the lateral parts of the
pelvis. It has three coats. One is derived from the peritoneum,
or lining membrane of the abdominal cavity, which gives the
bladder an external covering. The middle coat of the bladder is
composed of muscular fibers, which run in longitudinal and cir-
cular directions. The internal membrane, or coat, is more highly
organized than the others. It is furnished with excretory out-
lets, from which issues a mucous secretion for its own protection,
The bladder is divided into fundus, body, and cervix. The
fundus is that prominent part which faces anteriorly, or toward
the intestines, and when the bladder is full of urine, it protrudes
into the abdominal cavity. The body is the bulky or eapacious
part, generally more rounded, when full, than in the horse’s
bladder. The cervix is the neck, or contracted part of the blad-
der. It is surrounded by muscular fibers that involuntarily con-
tract, so as to close the passage, except in the act of urinating.
Some anatomists consider this muscle as a distinct one in the
horse, and have given to it the name of sphincter ; but in oxen it
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 531
does not seem to be a distinct muscle, neither does it contract with
that force or persistency which is known to occur in the case of a
horse.
THE URETHRA.
The urethra arises from the neck of the bladder, and extends
from it to the end of the penis. It is much smaller in caliber
than in the horse. It affords a passage for the urine and seminal
fluid. Interiorly it is composed of mucous membrane, which is a
prolongation of that found within the bladder.
H#MATURIA.
Hematuria signifies voiding of blood with the urine. In
cattle-raising districts, this disease, or rather the symptoms of
one, is generally known by the term “ red water,” although a very
marked difference exists between hematuria and mere discolor-
ation or reddened appearance of the urine; for in the former case
blood globules are invariably present, and their presence can be
determined by procufing a sample of the urine. After letting it
stand for a short time, the blood coagule may be detected by the
naked eye, at the bottom of the vessel in which the urine is
caught.
Causes—Its Character and Symptoms.—The voiding of blood
with the urine is generally supposed to be occasioned by some vio-
lence, such as local injury in the lumbar region, calculi within the
ureters or the bladder; from local hemorrhage, occasioned by con-
gestion, or inflammation of some portion of the urinary organs.
Congestion is apt to occur in overfed animals, and, perhaps, is
an effort of Nature to phlebotomize the subject and reduce the
amount of circulating fluid, and thus lessen the liability to accu-
mulate adipose tissue. If such be the case (the patient being in
a state of plethora), no immediate danger is to be apprehended.
Especially is this the case when the hemorrhage is merely passive,
unaccompanied by symptoms of pain either at the time or between
the periods of urinating. A case of this character might very
properly be termed congestive hematuria, and may be treated on
the same principles which prevail in the practice of intelligent
physicians in the management of other local congestions. Ne-
phritis (inflammation of the kidneys) may occasion hematuria,
532 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and is almost always accompanied by sure and unmistakable
symptoms; namely, those of pain and irritation, either in the act
or else before or after urinating. It may be difficult to deter-
mine what is the exciting cause of this inflammatory condition.
It may be purely idiopathic, or may arise from the irritation
consequent on the passage of urinary calculi through the parts
involved; and, notwithstanding there are certain diagnostic symp-
toms attending both varieties, still the medical attendant (who
has just seen the case for the first time,) may find it hazardous to
venture an opinion on its exact pathology; yet he shall not be at
fault in treating the case as a local inflammatory affection. If it
can be shown that the animal has been dosed with strong diuret-
ics, and no hemorrhage had existed prior to their administration,
but is now quite profuse, we may safely conclude that the hemor-
rhage is occasioned by the local stimulus. It may, therefore, be
laid down, as a general rule, that all cases of hematuria, attended
with symptoms of pain, are occasioned by the irritation of some
foreign body acting on some part of the secretory surface of the
urinary apparatus, or else is the result of some external violence ;
and it is the business of the person who prescribes to carefully
consider these matters, in view of forming a correct diagnosis.
Hematuria does occasionally occur in nursing women of a pleth-
oric diathesis. At the period of weaning the infant, the woman
notices, on urinating, that the fluid is tinged with blood; but, as
the act is unaccompanied by pain, and nothing of the kind being
felt in the region of the kidneys, she feels no alarm about it, and
searcely if ever consults a medical man on the subject. In the
course of a few days, all things being favorable, the urine assumes
its natural appearance ; therefore, if hematuria shall appear in a
cow at the period of “ drying her up,” as the saying is, or if a cow
shall be observed to pass blood in the urine at the time of wean-
ing the calf, and neither one nor the other manifest any discern-
ible symptoms of pain, nor any perceivable manifestations of
derangement in the vital functions, there will be no necessity to
resort to any very active mode of medication, and an intelligent
physician would merely recommend a mild laxative, light diet,
and a little nursing. A few doses of liquor acetate ammonia
might be indicated as a febrifuge. This may be given from a
bottle. : |
Treatment.—Should the owner of the animal be unable to obtain
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 533
the services of a professional man, let him prepare some flax-
seed tea (a quart); then add half an ounce of powdered blood-
root; after which let the animal have six drachms of tincture of
matico, diluted in a small quantity of water, night and morning.
Should the disease be traced to the presence of urinary calculi, a
lithontriptic will be indicated, which is prepared as follows:
Noel Oilese Nuria Ceracid ts iaher-t «1c la sislesiers eis e¥oit) slerers i <oz:
IWialkery tree eleehe qaelele sieht llevaieys’ oteyalefo reir 1 pt
Fluid extract) of hops,..<</. .04.05. 3. 3.) 1 oz
Dose, half the above quantity, night and morning.
INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.
Symptoms.—Cattle affected with inflammation of the kidneys
will be observed to have some slight roaching of the back; that
is to say, instead of the back or spinal column being straight or
slightly concaye, as it ought to be, it now presents a convexity,
or, in other words, is arched in an upward or superior direction.
The arching of the back is occasioned by tonic spasms of the psoas
and iliac muscles, located above the kidneys in the lumbar region.
These muscles are known to butchers as “tenderloin.” On
making pressure over the region of the kidneys, the animal will
be observed to flinch, the parts appearing very tender and hot.
The animal is generally dull; the muzzle, dry; a chilliness of the
horns and external surface is observed, showing very clearly that
there is an unequal circulation of the blood. There is, generally,
some difficulty in passing the urine; the animal strains in the act
of passing it, and it is redder than usual. The symptoms vary as
the disease progresses, but the above are the principal ones on
«which the diagnosis must be founded.
Treatment.—Drench the animal with twelve ounces of Glauber
salts, dissolved in a quart of warm water; then apply warm-water
bandages to the region of the loins, which may be retained in their
place by encircling the body with a bandage. An emollient clys-
ter of slippery elm should occasionally be thrown into the rectum,
and the patient should be drenched with four ounces of the liquor
acetate of ammonia every six hours, until an improvement takes
place. Then give tincture of matico, in half-ounce doses, night
and morning, until the patient is better.
534 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
URINARY CALCULI.
Cattle are occasionally the subjects of urinary calculi, yet there
are not many cases of the kind on record ; and, during a practice
of twenty-five years, the author has never been called upon to
prescribe for nor treat a case of this character. This testimony
is diametrically opposed to that of Youarr and others. Youarr
contends that “concretions are oftener found in the urinary pas-
sages of cattle than of the horse.” This is not in accordance with
the experience of American husbandmen. In:England, however,
cattle may inherit some peculiarity of constitution, which causes a
tendency to the formation of concretion ; or perhaps the water they
drink may be impregnated with alkalies, so as to induce an alka-
line diathesis. Urinary calculi are generally composed of carbo-
nate and phosphate of lime, carbonate of magnesia, and some
animal matter. ;
Treatment.—Should calculi be present in either the kindeys or
ureters they are sure to occasion some degree of pain. The urine
will be reddened, and sometimes blood corpuscles can be detected
in the same. After awhile some muco-purulent fluid will be dis-
charged with the urine. In this stage, it might be advisable to
give the animal one ounce of acetic acid, in sixteen ounces of.
water, per day, to be continued a week or so. Should the general
health be impaired, let the animal have a few doses of the follow-
ing:
No. 102. Fluid extract: of. hops............ s/osiPOMOZ:
Per anas Oia odat a vous eueneteser diene =e (0%:
, Water. sjickaflele lo rexeleiiel elie) <laie) essvelse «>< lL pint:
Mix.
CALCULI IN THE BLADDER.
A stone once having formed in the bladder will defy all our
attempts to dissolve or decompose it; yet if any one wishes to try
the experiment, they can resort to the use of muriatic acid, suffi-
ciently diluted with water to render it harmless to the animal tis-
sues with which it may come in contact. The stone can, however,
be removed by the operation of lithotomy, which will require the
services of a skillful surgeon. In such a case the owner may pos-
sibly decide upon slaughtering the animal. Perhaps this is the
best thing he can do.
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 535
Symptoms.—There are various symptoms of deranged health
which often attend stone in the bladder; yet, as they frequently
accompany other diseases, and throw no special light on this, I
shall take no notice of them, but offer something brief, yet more
reliable. The presence of a stone in the bladder will generally
occasion some interruption to that free and uniform flow of urine
which takes place in a healthy animal without any symptoms of
stone in the bladder; consequently if, in the act of urination, the
flow of fluid is suddenly stopped, to commence again a few mo-
ments afterward, at the same moment a slight trembling of the
hind limbs is observed, and the animal strains ineffectually to
urinate, only passing a few drops, and this state of things has ex-
isted for some time, it may be inferred that a stone is present in
the bladder, and if so, the animal had better be slaughtered.
Buiack WATER.
A discharge from the urethral outlet of fluid quite black in
color very frequently indicates a grave form of disease existing in
the liver. Should black-colored matter be detected in the urine, .
the probabilities are that the animal will die; for the disease which
gives rise to the abnormal discharge is probably organic.
Symptoms.—In some cases black water is occasioned by engorge-
ment of the liver, spleen, or kidneys, and when an animal dies of
these engorgements, we find the capillary veins much distended ;
and these engorgements frequently occur, also, in many of the dis-
eases of an epizodtic or malignant character. Such condition or
congestion is owing to a loss of equilibrium in the circulation.
The arteries are very impressible to excitation, and hold out their
physiological actions the longest. The veins being more distensi-
ble than arteries, the blood is forced into the venous radicles faster
than they can absorb it ; hence the free egress of blood is retarded.
The result-is an accumulation of blood, distending the organs or
veins, producing engorgements and a darkened color of the blood
and tissues. The blood assumes a darkened color partly from de-
lay and partly from deficient pulmonary absorption and aeration.
The causes of these local congestions are not always to be deter-
mined, yet they almost always receive their chief force from a
morbid habit pervading the general system; at least this is the
case when no local disease exists to account for them.
536 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Treatment.—The principal object in the treatment of black
water is to equalize the circulation and decarbonize the blood.
Diffusible stimulants and nauseants fulfill the first indication, and
ammonia the latter; therefore I use the following:
No. 103. Fluid extract of cinger.. 0... 6 «sce 1 oz.
Chioraterofpotassyel ls oa. Vas Pee 1 oz.
Spirits) of jamamonial. is Sees sieliejeiteovepsie 2 dr.
MEIGS HH MAIR: REC sis GaEserd Senecio €bicllb 1 pint.
Give the above quantity once daily.
RED WATER.
The changes which occur in the color of the urine are the results
of various causes. In a preceding article the reader is informed
that hematuria (voiding of blood with urine) is traceable to cer-
tain direct causes, hence the difficulty is of an acute character.
Now, suppose we take a well animal as a subject for experiment.
We administer repeated doses of sweet spirits of niter or tincture
of juniper. The first thing we notice is, the urine is augmented,
or rather more profuse than usual, and of a pale color. Continue
the medicaments over a given period, and the urine assumes a
darker color—first, yellow; next, brown, or coffee color, purple, or
even black. This shows conclusively that the color of the urine
can be altered by the use of medicinal agents; therefore, if a red-
dened appearance of the urine follow the exhibition of strong
diuretics, the cause is plain enough, and the cure is effected by dis-
continuing the diuretic medicine, and in restoring the equilibrium
of action which should exist among the various excretory orgaris.
Various kinds of food are also operative in producing changes in
the color and quantity of the urinary secretion. Beets and car-
rots, when fed in quantity for a sufficient length of time, alter
essentially the color of the fluids of the body, urine included. As
regards quantity, musty oats and an excess of stimulating food
are notorious causes in explanation of augmented and discolored
urinary secretion.
Discoloration of the urine, which some of our Western farmers
term “red water,” is usually occasioned by derangement of the
liver and other parts of the digestive apparatus. The urine, how-
ever, is more likely to have a tinge of brown or yellow than red,
and, therefore, several writers, Mr. Youatt included, have termed
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 537
such cases “chronic red water;” and they all agree that such an
affection is not primarily one of the kidneys, but of the liver, and
I presume that the “ red-water” which prevails among cattle in
the West owes its origin to the same causes as above. For exam-
ple: A friend informs me that he lost a valuable cow, “ which died
of red water,” and that the urine was of a “ yellow-brown color,”
indicating, very clearly, that the animal labored under an affection
of the liver; and, in view of dispelling all doubt on the subject,
I here introduce a short paragraph from my correspondent’s letter :
“On skinning the animal, I found that the parts beneath (sub-
cellular tissues) had a yellow appearance. On cutting open the
abdomen, I noticed that the liver was of a very dark color, and
appeared to be filled with black blood. ‘The gall-bladder was very
large, and appeared darker than usual; the manyplies (manyplus)
was full of caked food, and there were no appearances of disease
in any other parts.”
Of course, it will be perceived that my correspondent was far
from being an adept in the art of autopsy ; however, the appear-
ances which he has described lead us to the necessary conclusion
that the so-called red water (which he contends caused the death
of his cow) was the result of functional, perhaps organic, disease
of the liver.
Mr. Youart, when discussing the theory of the pathology of
chfonic red water, offers the following:
“Chronic red water is more prevalent than that which is acute,
and in its first stage is far more a disease of the digestive organs,
and especially of the liver than of the kidney. The urine is ob-
served to be of a brown color, or brown tinged with yellow. The
beast feeds nearly as well as before, but ruminates rather more lazily.
In a few days a natural diarrhea comes on, and the animal is well at
once ; or a purgative drench is administered, and a cure is presently
affected. This occurs frequently in cows and calves of weak con-
stitution. At other times there is manifest indisposition. The ani-
mal is dull, heavy, languid; the ears droop, the back is bowed; she
separates from the herd; she refuses her food, and ceases to rumi-
nate. Presently she gets better; she rejoins her companions, but
this is only for a little while.. The urine, which at first was brown,
with a tinge of yellow, has now red mingled with brown, or it is
of the color of porter. It is increased in quantity; is discharged
sometimes with ease, at other times with considerable straining-—
538 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
in little jets, and with additional bowing of the back. The milk
diminishes; it acquires a slight tinge of yellow or brown; the
taste becomes unpleasant, and it spoils all that it is mingled with.
The pulse is accelerated; it reaches to 60 or 70. If the blood is
drawn, the serum which separates from it is brown. The skin is
yellow, but of a darker yellow than in jaundice; it has a tinge of
brown. The conjunctiva is also yellow, inclining to brown. The
urine becomes of a darker hue, and is almost black. The animal
usually shrinks when the loins are pressed upon. Occasionally
there is much tenderness, but oftener the beast scarcely shrinks
more than he is accustomed to do when laboring under almost
every disease. The belly is not so much tucked up as drawn to-
gether at the sides. ‘There is considerable loss of condition; the
legs and ears get cold; the animal is less inclined to move; there
is evident general debility. In every stage there is costiveness,
and that exceedingly difficult to overcome, but, on close inquiry,
it is ascertained that there was diarrhea at the beginning, and
which was violent and fetid, and which suddenly stopped.”
Testimony of this description, emanating from reliable authority,
is entitled to our consideration ; and it should teach us to seek for
the cause of discolored urine beyond the region of the kidneys,
except in those cases which are evidently the results of the action
of diuretics or stimulants in the form of improper food. It will
generally be found that discolorations in the urine are the symp-
toms of a disease located elsewhere; hence the disease should be
treated instead of the symptoms.
Treatment.—If the disease appears to be located in the liver,
indicated by a yellow tinge of the visible surfaces, dark-colored
feces, and yellow tinge of the urine, the animal being dull and
sleepy, showing symptoms of febrile action, it may be proper to
administer a dose of purgative medicine, combined with some
agent calculated to restore the physiological action of the liver, and
I therefore recommend the following :
INO: TOA EPSOM, SAltS: <<! cle's efsiarcie wie eerie seers oars 12 oz.
Podophyllum peltatum (mandrake)... 2 dr.
Dissolve the salts in tepid water, one pint ; then add the podo-
phylum, and administer the same by means of a “ drenching-
horn,” or bottle.
In administering medicine to cattle, our object is to get it beyond
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 539
the rumen or paunch into the digestive compartment of their com-
plex stomach, and, in aiming to do this, we pour the medicine
down the cesophagus slowly. After the bowels have responded to
the action of the medicine, it may be proper to administer altera-
tives which are known to change morbid action. Powdered sul-
phur and mandrake may be given, in small doses—not sufficient
of either to keep up the cathartic action of the salts, but merely
to keep the bowels in a soluble condition for a day or two; and if
there be any danger of superpurgation, neither mandrake nor sul-
phur are indicated. In such case I should give an occasional dose
of powdered golden seal, two drachms, and the same quantity of
carbonate of soda. The patient should be fed sparingly ; and if
the season permit, a run in the pasture will prove beneficial.
SECTION XXI.
THE HEART—ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES.
DEscRIPTION OF THE HEART—THE HEaArtT’s FuncTtIoN—DIsSEASES OF THE HEART—
DILATATION OF THE HEART—PERICARDITIS—HYPERTROPHY—ENDOCARDITIS.
DESCRIPTION OF THE HEART.
HE heart is a wonderful and powerful piece of muscular
mechanism. Its function is of the involuntary order, so
that regular contractions and expansions, or beatings, occur in the
normal state, without the knowledge and consent of the animal.
These contractions and expansions, however, can be modified by
means of various medicinal agents which act upon the nervous
system, thus producing a sort of mixed action (voluntary and in-
voluntary). For example, all medicines known as sedatives op-
erate so as to depress the heart’s action, and lessen, for a given
period, the number of its pulsations; while, on the other hand,
stimulants augment the action of the heart, and increase the num-
ber of its pulsations. The average weight of the heart of an ox
is eight pounds, yet it is frequently the seat of fatty degeneration,
when its weight and bulk is then materially increased.
The heart is anatomically divided into four cavities, two of
which being in a superior and anterior direction, and, in conse-
quence of bearing some resemblance to the ears of a dog, are
termed auricles. These cavities, known as right and left (or
rather anterior and posterior), are divided by a wall, or septum,
known as the septum auriculorum. The right auricle is the re-
ceptacle for venous blood, and three venous trunks terminate in
it; namely, the anterior vena caya, which returns the venous
blood from the anterior extremities, head and neck; next, the
¥ena cava posterior, which returns the venous blood from the
posterior parts; and, lastly, the coronary vein. The latter returns
(540)
THE HEART—ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. 541
blood which has circulated through the heart itself for its own
nourishment. A considerable quantity of dark, venous blood is
generally found in this auricle after death, and it opens into the
right or anterior ventricle by an aperture denominated the au-
riculo-ventricular opening; yet, in consequence of a valvular con-
trivance within the ventricle, the blood can not recede into the
auricle.
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THE HEART; ITS CIRCULATION.
ExpLaNaTION.—a, The left ventricle; b, The right ventricle; ce jf, The aorta; ghz, The ca-
rotid and other arteries springing from the aorta; k, The pulmonary artery; 7, Branches
of the pulmonary artery in the lungs; mm, The pulmonary veins emptying into the left
auricle; n, The right auricle; 0, The ascending vena cava; g, The descending vena
eaya; r, The left auricle; s, The coronary vein and artery.
Internally, the right auricle is lined by a glistening vascular
membrane, having, on various parts of its surface, small muscular
eminences, termed musculi pectinati. The small cavities which
occur, in consequence of this arrangement, are termed cul-de-sacs.
The right or venous ventricle is also lined by a nicely-organized
membrane, and has beneath it several muscular prominences,
named carne columne, which give origin to as many tendinous
542 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
slips. ‘These are known as corde tendine. They are inserted
into a fibrous membrane in the region of the auriculo-ventricular
opening, and then get the name (membrane included) valvula
tricuspis. The lateral contractions of this ventricle are aided by
small tendinous cords, having muscular origins from the wall and
septum. The venous blood passes from this cavity into the pul-
monary tissues of oxygenation, through the pulmonary artery,
’ which emerges from the superior part of the ventricle. At the
commencement of the pulmonary artery are found three valves
termed semilunar. Their function is to guard against a retrograde’
movement of the blood, so that it has no other channel than that
which leads to the lungs.
The left ventricle has scarcely any anatomical or structural dif-
ferences from those observed in the right, although its cavity is
smaller, and its walls are somewhat thicker, than those found on
the right. It receives the blood from the lungs after purification,
by means of the pulmonary veins, which have four openings into
this cavity—two proceeding from the right and two from the left
lobes. ‘The left or arterial ventricle is the reservoir for arterial
blood, which is destined to reanimate, replenish, and perpetuate
the vital economy. Having a vastly more important function to
perform (which requires augmented muscular mechanism) than its
duplicate found on the right side, the thickness of its walls must,
therefore, necessarily exceed those of the right. This is found to
be the case, so that the outer wall of this is about three times as
thick as that found on the other side; and this guide is useful to
us in determining at sight, after the heart is detached from the
body, which is the left ventricle, and vice versé.
The channel of communication between the left auricle and
ventricle is named, as is the case on the opposite side, awriculo-
ventricular opening. It is furnished, however, with only two
instead of three valvular openings, termed valvula bicuspis, or
mitralis. This ventricle is one of importance for our considera-
tion, from the fact of the great aorta (the plastic hose, which
seldom if ever requires cobbling or repair) here originates. Its
margin, or outlet, is guarded by a complete set of valves, three in
number, termed semilunar, similar to those found at the origin of
the pulmonary artery. This ventricle is divided from the one on
the opposite side by a muscular and tendinous vartition termed
septum ventriculorum,
THE HEART—ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. 543
Form, Situation, and Attachment of the Heart.—Its form de-
scribes that simulating a cone having a body, base, and apex.
Its base being in a superior direction, it follows, as a matter of
course, that its apex has an inferior insertion downward and back-
ward. ‘The heart lies in the region occupied by the fourth, fifth,
and sixth dorsal vertebra, right in the central region known as
the cavity of the chest. Its apex is inclined to the left side. It
appears that in the ox the heart differs in construction from that
of the horse in the following peculiarities: There is a bone found
In the heart termed os cordis, the function of which has never been
explained; yet it is evidently intended for some useful purpose—
perhaps to give strength and durability to the sanguinous force-
pump. Next, we notice some difference in the internal mechanism
of the right ventricle. There are several fleshy bands, running
across from side to side, which prevents abnormal dilatation ; for,
taken as a whole, the venous system of the bovine species is more
developed than in the horse—the veins are larger and more numer-
ous, and more blood is constantly accumulating in the right auricle
and ventricle; hence the need of additional muscular mechanism,
THe HeEArRtT’s FUNCTION.
The blood having gone the rounds of the circulation, enters the
anterior or right cavity (auricle). It then passes into the venous
or right ventricle. By the contraction of this ventricle the blood
is forced through the pulmonary arteries into the lungs; there
having undergone certain changes (which have been alluded to in
another part of this work), it returns by the pulmonary veins to
the left auricle; from thence it descends into the left ventricle.
The contractions of the left ventricle force the blood into the
great aorta (anterior and posterior), which gives rise to a numer-
ous set of arteries, through which channels the blood reaches the
extreme parts of the system.
€
DISEASES OF THE HEART,
Diseases of the heart in cattle are very common, yet they fre-
quently elude detection, simply because the symptoms are very
obscure. Mr. GAMGEE contends that the most common cause of
diseases of the heart in cattle is the passage of needles, and other
544 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
foreign bodies, from the reticulum through the diaphragm. At
the same time, he alludes to many drawings in his possession of
polypi in the heart, growing from the auriculo-ventricular valves;
also to drawings of deposits beneath the endocardium (lining of the
heart’s cavity) ; of tumors, also, outside the heart, consisting in
masses of cysts, and due to the development of hydatids of the
echinacoccus veterinorum.
DILATATION OF THE HEART.
The heart is often the seat of dilatation, or amplifications of
one or more cavities, with attenuation of the walls of the same.
This dilatation is supposed to arise from the mechanical effect of
over-distension.
Cause.—The cause of dilatation is deficient power in the heart
in proportion to that of the system. This may be acquired or
it may be congenital. All obstructions, also, to the circulation,
whether situated in the orifices of the heart or in the aortic or
pulmonary systems, may induce this dilatation.
Symptoms.—The pulsations are feeble and oppressed, and, on
moving the animal about, he becomes distressed ; the pulse is soft
and feeble; languor in the arterial circulation, as shown by the
congested state of the mucous surfaces. The respiration is some-
what affected, not primarily, but through the intervention of
irregular nervous action. The jugulars are engorged, and various
parts and organs of the body are congested, and the surface and
extremities are below the natural temperature.
Treatment.—The principal object should be to improve the
general health, by alteratives and tonics. The surface of the
body should be kept warm, and often rubbed, so as to excite
capillary action. This will also have the effect of relieving the
venous congestions. Any hygienic measures, regarding both diet
and management, will certainly do good. Pure air, for example,
is absolutely needed, to vitalize the blood as it tardily courses the
veins. Without such there is Wery little chance of restoring the
animal. The alterative and tonic may be thus prepared:
Now LOpsModide sof notags 1.98. cise eh eau ce 4 02.
Fluid extract of sassatras. .’. «diese. += 3 02.
Pilurd extractor hops. eae ke she ecto iale ete 1 oz.
Wiaiter. svstereieieedine te @oeoeoeeeve see eo eo eee 1 pint.
THE HEART—ITS FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES. 545
Mix, and dissolve the potass in the water; then add the other
ingredients. Dose, one-fourth of this quantity night and morning.
THE PERICARDIUM AND ITs DISEASES.
The pericardium is a membranous bag that surrounds the heart.
It is known to the butchers as the “ heart-bag,” and is attached
to the sternum, diaphragm, and to the roots of the large blood-
vessels at the base of the heart. It is composed of two layers,
united by cellular tissues. The external one is composed of
fibrous tissue; the internal one is a smooth, serous membrane,
similar to that which lines the cavity of the chest. This serous
membrane is studded by numerous vessels called exhalents. From
these issue a vapor of fluid, the purpose of which is to guard
against friction. The insertions of the pericardium are such that
it confines the heart in its proper situation, and aids in sustain-
ing a reciprocal action between the heart and lungs. It is often
the seat of a disease known as pericarditis.
PERICARDITIS.
This disease consists of inflammation of the pericardium, the
causes of which are supposed to be nearly the same as those of
pleurisy, or inflammation of other serous membranes; namely,
sudden impressions of cold on the external surface, violence, etc.
A special cause has also been assigned for this disease; namely,
the penetration of the pericardium by foreign bodies, such as nails,
needles, wire, etc., coming from the interior of the stomach, and
working their way through it into the former.
Symptoms.—There is considerable increase in the force of the
heart’s pulsation; the jugular veins are engorged (larger than
usual), and an undulating movement is observed in them. There
will be acute inflammatory fever, generally preceded by rigors,
shivering, and coldness; the visible surfaces of the nostrils and
eyes are highly reddened in the early stages, and rumination has
ceased, with loss of appetite. The animal occasionally directs its
head near the region of the heart, and if pressure be made on the
sternum (breast-bone), it elicits distressing symptoms. As the
disease progresses, the jugulars increase in volume, the pulse be-
comes feeble, and an cedematous or dropsical state of the lower
30
546 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
parts of the thorax sets in. This latter feature indicates that a
considerable quantity of fluid is present, both in the pericardium
and thorax. In this stage the case is incurable.
Treatment.—In the early stage of pericarditis, the treatment
should be about the same as that recommended for acute pulmonic
and pleuritic affections. Iodide of potassium, in doses of twenty-
five grains per day, may prove serviceable; and some form of
diuretic medicine may also be exhibited, to increase the action of
the kidneys. So soon as the patient shows signs of amendment,
tincture of matico, in ounce doses, may be given, twice daily,
until the patient has fairly recovered.
The London “ Veterinarian ” publishes the following case, fur-
nished by Surgeon LEPPER:
“T herewith send you what I think is a rare specimen of a dis-
eased heart, with its investment, which was taken from a cow of
the short-horn breed, about seven years old, the property of Mr.
Bliss, of Windmill Hill, Waddesdon. On the fourth day after
calving she was noticed to fail in her appetite, and her milk also
became greatly diminished in quantity. In walking across the
yard she staggered and fell. She laid for some considerable time,
when, with difficulty, she got up and walked to a shed, where she
soon laid down again. It was in this condition that I first saw
her. The expression of her countenance did not materially differ
from that of a healthy animal. The bowels were regular in their
action; the pulse did not exceed fifty beats in the minute, and
was soft and full. On the left side of the chest there was an
emphysematous swelling, extending over four or five of the mid-
dle ribs, and about eight or ten inches wide. On auscultating
the chest, I could not discover any unusual sound in the respira-
tory action; the breathing, also, was regular. The jugular veins
were filled to repletion, so as to be observable when standing by
the side of the animal—a state of things which I have invariably
found to exist in effusion into the pericardium, and, especially, if
much fluid is present. I felt satisfied that this was a case of this
description, and, consequently, formed an unfavorable opinion as
to the issue. To relieve the distended vessels, I took away eight
or ten pounds of blood, and gave a slight purgative, which ap-
peared to afford temporary relief. For two or three days the
appetite improved, and the cow appeared to move with greater
freedom and less pain. On the sixth day after my first visit she
THE HEART—ITS FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES. 547
we
suddenly relapsed, and died on the seventh. This animal had, for
some time past, wasted in flesh, but, as her general appearance was
healthy, little notice was taken of it. It is surprising that she
should have gone on so well as she did with so extensive disease
of the heart. As to the nature of the affection I shall offer no
remarks, but leave this to be explained by you.”
The following remarks are added by the editor of the above-
named journal :
“This was but another of several specimens which we have
received, from time to time, in which the external surface of the
heart was covered with layers of effused and partially-organized
fibrine. The pericardium was thickened to three times its natural
substance, and within it was contained several ounces of colorless
serous fluid. The effused fibrine hung in grapelike appendages
from the base of the heart, each of which had a flocculent condition.
These bodies were devoid of color, and had altogether such an
appearance as would lead us to doubt whether the effusions re-
sulted from active inflammation. The muscular substance of the
organ, and its internal lining membrane, were alike free from
organic change.”
The following case, which occurred in the practice of Mr.
WILLIAMS, may also prove interesting and instructive to the
reader : i
“On the 16th of June, I was requested by Mr. Thomas Tatum,
Gwernafield, to attend a cow of his. Her history he gave as fol-
lows: ‘She has been unwell since she calved, three weeks ago.
The foetal membranes were not expelled for a fortnight after the
event, and they came away piecemeal, in a state of putrescence,
Her appetite has been very capricious all along, and her bowels
rather costive. A discharge of white matter has taken place from
the vagina for the last week or so. She gives but little milk.
The breathing is tranquil, and she does not cough. She has a
peculiar stare in the countenance, and takes a great deal of notice
of every thing.’
On inspection, I found her as the owner had stated, the symp-
toms, to a casual observer, being any thing but indicative of
extensive organic changes, but more of general debility after par-
turition. She was rather emaciated. On closer examination, I
found the mucous membranes to be rather pallid; the mouth, cool
and moist; the temperature of the body but slightly below the
548 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
e
natural standard, and equal over all parts of the body; the pulse,
very weak, beating 96 in the minute, and regular; the breathing
only very slightly hurried. °
After advancing thus far in my examination, I must confess
that the case fairly puzzled me, and I was inclined to look on it
as one of general debility and leucorrhea; but as the discharge
from the vagina was very slight, I thought it could not be the
sole cause of the loss of appetite and other symptoms present. I
now auscultated the chest, and, on applying my ear, the respira-
tory murmur was heard distinct and natural, but I thought a little
increased at the anterior portion of both sides. On auscultating
the region of the heart, I failed to detect the sounds of that organ,
and on still further examination, both the sounds and the impulse
were indetectible. This struck me as being curious, but, on ac-
count of the regularity of the pulse, I did not consider either the
heart or its membranes to be the seat of disease, and treated the
case as one of general debility, loss of appetite, and leucorrhea,
The animal lingered for about four weeks more, the symptoms
remaining nearly the same as at the time when I first examined
her, with the exception of increased emaciation.
The post mortem examination revealed anzemia, the tissues being
exceedingly pale and sodden, the blood in the vessels scanty and
pale, and scarcely staining the fingers. The abdominal viscera
were healthy, with the exception of the liver, which was congested.
The gall-bladder was distended with dirty, lemon-colored bile,
of thin consistence, and seemingly containing a large amount of
mucus. On opening the cavity of the thorax, the pericardium
was seen distended to an enormous extent, filling the floor of the
cavity, and adherent to the sternum and pleura costalis by a thick
layer of exuded lymph, this having no appearance of organization,
but seemingly consisting of a shapeless basis-substance, easily
separated from the parts it was in contact with. The cavity of
the pericardium contained in its inferior part about two pints of a
fetid, whey-like fluid. With the exception of that part which
contained this fluid, the cavity was obliterated by exudation,
matter about two inches in thickness surrounding and gluing to-
gether the visceral and parietal surfaces of the pericardium. The
heart itself was flabby, pale, and its cavities contained a small
amount of blood, of the same thin consistence as that in other
parts of the body. The endocardium was healthy. The lungs
THE HEART—ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. 549
presented no appearance of disease; they were pale, excepting
in the parts lying undermost after death. The plure, excepting
where they were involved in the pericardiac disease, presented no
abnormal appearance. The thoracic and abdominal cavities con-
tained a little fluid.
Reflecting on the appearance presented by the pericardium, by
its being adherent through the accompanying pleuritis to the
walls of the thorax and sternum, and by the heart itself being
thus in a manner bound down and fastened by a thick layer of
plaster, and elastic material existing between it and the ribs, I
was satisfied that the absence of the sounds of impulse was due to
these pathological changes, and not, as I had foolishly supposed,
to general debility. But, before giving publicity to this opinion,
I thought it better to wait for more proof.
September 4, 1857, I was called to attend a cow, the property
of W. Gregg, Esq., Syntroll, Mold. I had attended her in May
previous for ‘retention of the foetal membrane.’ She seemed to
be very languid and depressed for some days before and after the
removal of these; but, as she fed pretty well, I was not requested
to prescribe for her. She had given milk freely all the summer,
but had not appeared so lively as she ought to be. She seemed
as well as usual on the evening of the 3d of September. On the
morning of the 4th her quantity of milk was diminished. On
examination, I found her wet and cold from the rain of the pre-
vious night, standing ‘all of a heap;’ head depressed, and ears
pendulous; mouth and nose, cold; breathing, tranquil ; bowels,
costive; pulse, 100, very feeble, but regular; the mucous mem-
branes slightly tinged yellow. Auscultation failed to detect the
sounds of the heart, and the palpitation was absent. I pronounced
the case to be one of pericarditis, and that exudation had taken
place to some extent; also that congestion of the liver existed,
this being secondary, and owing to the feebleness of the circula-
tion.
The treatment consisted in the administration of purgatives and
stimulants. Counter-irritants were also applied to the sides, and
as the case advanced, tonics were given. But nothing seemed to
affect the pulse; it remained feeble throughout, and it was only a
few days before death that irregularity was detected.
On Friday, September 18, diarrhea set in, and on the 21st cede-
matous swellings appeared in different parts of the body, but more
550 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
especially on the dewlap and fore-parts. On the 23d she dropped
down and died without a struggle.
All throughout, this animal exhibited the same watchful state
as observed in the first case, and the appetite was very capricious
indeed. One day she would feed pretty well; then, again, she
would not touch any thing for days. The bowels were very ir-
regular, and, on account of rumination being suspended, the food
passed through her in a half-masticated state.
The post mortem, four hours after death, revealed general anemia
of the subcutaneous and muscular tissues, these being seemingly in
a broken-down condition. The blood in the veins was pale and
thin. The abomasum, small intestines, and liver were congested ;
but even here the blood was of the same watery character as in
other parts. The gall-bladder was distended with thin, lemon-
colored bile. The thoracic cavity contained rather a large amount
of clear serum. The pericardium was distended by a layer of
lymph, about two inches in thickness, gluing together its two
surfaces, and containing, near the apex of the heart, nearly a pint
of dirty, whey-colored fluid, of a fetid odor. The lymph was
easily removed from the heart, and between it and the muscular
tissue of the organ was a layer of cartilaginous substance, about a
quarter of an inch in thickness, covered by a serous glistening
membrane. ‘Toward the apex of the heart this had formed bands
of connection between the two surfaces of the pericardium, but in
all other parts it was confined to the visceral pericardium only.
The lungs were slightly congested. The plure were as described
in the former case.”
HYPERTROPHY OF THE HEART.
Hypertrophy signifies augmentation—thickening of the muscu-
lar substance of an organ, resulting from increased nutrition. It
generally pccurs in animals of the sanguine temperament, of vig-
orous health, their muscles being much harder and firmer than
usual. In such animals the blood is rich, and nutrition is very
active. I have often visited market for the purpose of inspecting
the hearts of slaughtered oxen, and [ have observed that hyper-
trophy generally occurs in the left ventricle. Sometimes its walls
are thickened, the cavity retaining its natural dimensions. Occa-
sionally the cavity is dilated and the wall thickened, but, in the
_ THE HEART—ITS FUNCTION AND DISEASES. 551
majority of cases, the walls are thickened and the cavity dimin-
ished. This constitutes the disease known as true or concentric
hypertrophy (enlargement).
This disease, when moderate and uncomplicated, is not pro-
ductive of much inconvenience to the bovine species, whose mo-
tions are slow; yet occurring in a horse, it would produce much
inconvenience, and render the animal almost useless for speed.
Symptoms.—A. person unacquainted with the heart’s sounds will
find it impossible to diagnose a disease of this character; in fact,
such a disease will sometimes defy the scrutiny of experts. A
deadened sound is always heard when the ear of a person is applied
to the region of the heart, yet this depends somewhat on the form
of the disease, its complications, the nature and intensity of the
exciting causes, and the condition of the patient. On applying
the finger to the pulse at the angle of the jaw, or on the temporal
artery, it will appear that the circulation is embarrassed.
Treatment.—No rules can be laid down for the treatment of this
affection, and the only agent of any value is iodine, or iodide of
potassium. It is possible, however, that in a case of this character
the butcher may prove to be the best doctor.
ENDOCARDITIS.
Endocarditis is an inflammatory affection, located in the mem-
brane within the heart. It is a rare disease among cattle, yet very
frequently occurs among horses.
Symptoms.—Like all inflammatory conditions, this is attended
with heat about the base of the horns; hot and feverish mouth;
vitiation of the secretions; cessation of rumination; some degree
of suffering, of a peculiar character, not noticed in any other af-
fection. The pulse is violent, abrupt, strong, full, and may range
up to eighty; every motion the animal makes accelerates the
respiration ; yet the lungs show no signs of disease. On examin-
ing the heart after death, its internal membrane is thickened, and
appears of a dark purple color; clots of extravasated blood are
also present on its internal surface.
Treatment.—Administer a cathartic drench, say about sixteen
ounces of Glauber salts in a couple of quarts of tepid water; then
give half an ounce of powdered nitrate of potassa in a little water,
every four hours, until the force of the pulse is essentially lowered.
552 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
In the mean time, administer an occasional clyster of soap and warm
water.
This disease has occasionally a rheumatic origin; so that if the
animal be taken suddenly with inflammatory muscular lameness
assuming the features of rheumatism, shifting from one limb to
another, and then leaving the region of the first attack and going
to the heart, I should prescribe two fluid drachms of wine of col-
chicum, in a gill of water, every morning, and at night, twenty-
five grains of iodide of potass, in half a gill of water.
CELEBBATED BULL *' DUTCHMAN.”
SECTION XXII.
DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES.
* DESCRIPTION OF THE EyE—Humors OF THE EvE—Coats oF THE EyE—MuscLES
OF THE EYE AND EYELIDS—OPHTHALMIA—FOREIGN BopiIEs IN THE EyES—SpPE-
CIFIC OR PERIODICAL OPHTHALMIA—CANCER IN CATTLE.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EYE.
HE eyes of oxen are frequently the seat of various forms of
disease, hence it is necessary that the farmer should know
something of their wonderful mechanism; I therefore propose to
give a description of the same. ‘The eye is protected by a bony
casing known as the orbit, which appears to be much stronger than
that found in the horse. In the interior part we find a large quan-
tity of fatty matter which acts as a soft cushion for the eye to
repose on, and, at the same time, as the fatty matter accumulates,
it gives prominence to the eye and increases the range of vision.
HuMoRS OF THE EYE.
The humors of the eye are named aqueous, crystalline, and
vitreous—three in number. The aqueous humor fills the interval
between the cornea and crystalline lens, and is surrounded by a
capsule of its own, on the inner surface of which is secreted the
aqueous humor. The uses of this limpid fluid appear to be to
transmit the rays of light and permit free motions of the iris. ‘The
fluid is frequently evacuated and reproduced. -
Crystalline Lens.—This is situated in a concavity behind the
aqueous humor, and anterior to the vitreous, opposite to the pupil.
In appearance it resembles a crystal or lens of magnifying glass,
and is composed of concentric lamellx, and these of radii. Its
form is spherical, yet the posterior surface is more convex than
(553)
554 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the anterior. Like the other humors of the eye, it is enveloped
in a capsule, and the disease known as cataract consists of altered
structure in the lens or its capsule; sometimes both are involved.
Acids, alcohol, and boiling water convert it into an opaque, solid
body, resembling the white of an egg when boiled. The function
of the crystalline lens is to concentrate the rays of light so as to
form a distinct image on the interior of the eye.
Vitreous Humor.—This jellylike substance derives its name
from its glassy appearance. It occupies the posterior concavity of
the globe of the eye, known as the “dark chamber.” It fills the
membranes, aids to maintain the form of the eye, and keeps the
crystalline lens at a proper and physiological distance from the
retina. Anatomists have hitherto failed in detecting any signs of
vascularity in the vitreous humor.
CoaTs OF THE EYE.
1. Tunica Conjunctiva.—This membrane is very highly organ-
ized, lines the eyelids, and is reflected over the anterior part of the
eyeball. It covers the region known as the pupil, yet is pervious
to the rays of light. Previous, however, to being reflected over
the globe, it gives a covering to the membran beneath, carunculee
lacrymale, and puncta lachrymalia.
2. Tunica Sclerotica.—This tunic is made up of fibers, which
are very dense, yet elastic. It constitutes what is commonly
known as the “ white of the eye,” extends from the junction of the
optic nerve with the globe to the cornea, and, more than any other
tunic of the eye, tends to preserve its form. It also affords attach-
ment for most of the muscles of the eye—the retractor and four
recti.
3. Cornea.—This is a dense and compact membrane, yet com-
posed of laminated structure, which accounts for the opacity or
“ filmy ” obscurity so often encountered in veterinary practice ; for,
in a physiological condition of the eye, the lamin are compact,
like a house newly shingled; but, in consequence of untoward
circumstances, a leak occurs ; a watery exudation then sets in. The
cornea may be considered as the shield that protects the eye, yet,
in consequence of its transparency, it is also operative in the pro-
duction of vision.
4, Iris.—This is the movable curtain of the eye, adapts the eye
DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 555
to vision, possesses the property of contraction and expansion. In
its center is a perforation commonly known as the pupil. The
dimension of the pupil depends entirely on its contraction and di-
latation. In a very dark barn (provided the eye be in a healthy
condition), the pupil will be very much dilated; in a barn well
lighted, the pupil will be quite small. The iris is a fibro-muscu-
lar membrane, abundantly supplied with blood-vessels and nerves,
and coated with a substance known as uvea, which is derived from
the pigment. The arteries of the iris come from the ciliary ; its
nerves are derived from the ciliary.
5. Choroid Coat.——This coat, or membrane, lies beneath the
sclerotica. It extends from the optic foramen to the ciliary edge
of the cornea. Both of its surfaces are coated with pigment,
which absorb the rays of light. The outer coating is entirely
black ; the inner one is a mixture of black and green, which lines
the posterior half of the dark chamber.
6. The Retina.—This is the third or inner coat of the eye. It
is a delicate, transparent membrane, highly vascular. The prin-
cipal part of it, probably, consists of an expansion of the optic
nerve; it is the part on which the object of vision is depicted. It
is supplied with blood by branches from the central artery of the
retina,
MuscLukEs OF THE EYE AND EYELIDS.
The first muscle which attracts our attention, on removing the
palpebral integument, is the orbicularis palpebrarum, so named
from the spherical or circular arrangement of its muscular fibers.
It is inserted into the orbital portion of the ungis and os frontis
to the palpebral ligament, and to the skin of the lids. Its use is to
shut the eyelids.
Levator Palpebree Superioris—The action of this muscle is to
corrugate and draw the lid upward. It is located above the orbit,
and is attached to the forehead by means of an aponeurotic expan-
sion, and is inserted into the upper eyelid, its muscular fibers being
blended with those of the preceding muscle. Its action is to raise
the upper eyelid, in which action it is aided by the levator palpe-
bree internus.
Next, we find four muscles known as recti; namely, levator
oculi, depressor oculi, abductor oculi, adductor oculi. They are
inserted into the cavity of the orbit and external part of the scler-
556 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
otica, at points equidistant from each other. The action of these
four muscles are as follows: The levator raises the eyeball in a
superior direction ; the depressor, as its name indicates, depresses
the eyeball; the abductor turns the eyeball from the axis of the
body outward; and the adductor rotates the eyeball inward, or
toward the axis of the body.
The three remaining muscles, making seven proper to the eye,
are named obliquus superiora, et inferiora, and retractor oculi.
The obliquus superiora is found in the upper part of the inner
cavity of the orbit, and is attached to the margin of the optic far-
amen. At the inner canthus of the eye it passes through a fibro-
cartilaginous pulley-like arrangement, by which means the eyeball
is rotated in an oblique direction upward and outward.
Obliquus Superiora.—This muscle is found beneath the eyeball,
in the front and lower part of the orbit. It is attached to the os
unguis, and to the lower and outer part of the sclerotica, at its
junction with the transparent part of the globe. Its action is
antagonistic to that of the preceding muscle.
The seventh and last muscle to be described is the retractor.
It is one of the most admirably-arranged muscles in the whole
animal economy. In figure it resembles a hollow cone—its apex
turned backward, its base pointing forward, the inner edge sur-
rounding the optic foramen, and, at the same time, offering pro-
tection to the optic nerve. Around its sides, equidistant, are found
the four recti muscles, making a very complex and wonderful piece ~
of mechanism. The action of this muscle is to draw the eye back- ©
ward within the orbit.
I shall now make some brief yet instructive allusions in rela-
tion to the appendages of the eye. The appendages comprise the
eyelids, eyelashes, tarsal cartilages, meibomian glands, lachrymal
glands, caruncula lachrymalis, punctu lachrymalia, lachrymal sac,
and ductus ad nasum,
Eyelids—The upper and lower eyelids may be considered as
the movable blinds of the eye. The upper is the most capable of
corrugation, and borders the greatest surface of the eyeball. It is
readily resolved into wrinkles. At the junctures of the aperture
which separates the eyelids are the canthi, or angles of the eye.
The loose portion of integument entering into the composition of
the upper lid is derived from the skin covering the frontal region,
and that of the lower lid is derived from the face. The lids inter-
DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 557
nally form two cavities, thus adapting themselves to the convexity
of the globe. Their internal surfaces are lined with the tunica
conjunctiva. The borders of the eyelids have two margins. On
the outer one we find eyelashes; between the latter and the inter-
nal margin we find the orifices of the ciliary glands, through which
issue a secretion for the lubrication of the surrounding parts. The
edge, or surface between the two margins just alluded to, conduct
the tears into the puncta lachrymalis.
Eyelashes.—The eyelashes (cilia) are so familiar to the reader,
and their function is so apparent, that I need not trouble him
with any remarks about them, only to observe that, by their
advantageous arrangement, the rays of light, come from whatever
direction they may, are somewhat intercepted; and they also op-
erate as feeders to the seeing as well as the sightless animal, and
warn him of his proximity with bodies that he can not immedi-
ately perceive.
Tarsal Cartilages—These fibro-cartilaginous substances are
found at the ciliary margins of the upper and lower lids. They
possess firm and thick ciliary margins, yet grow thin as they
recede from the cilia. In consequence of their close connection
with the rim of the orbit, they are called, by some anatomists,
“tarsal ligaments.” Their function is to give some degree of
firmness to the eyelids, or the soft parts of the same, and they
also preserve the physiological curvature of the eyelash.
Ciliary or Meibomian Glands.—On inverting the eyelids of a
horse, and carefully running the eye over the borders of the lids,
within the grooves, occurring in the concave part of the tarsal
cartilages, we perceive, through a very fine tunic or membrane, a
number of opaque sacs, having a miniature canal, capable of pene-
tration by a small body equal in caliber to the point of a common
needle. They are evidently glandular bodies, and, therefore,
have excretory ducts, which pour out the necessary lubricating
material to prevent the agglutination of the lids.
Lachrymal Gland.—This gland lies underneath the process of
bone known as the orbital arch. It is covered by the lining
membrane of the orbit. It is a gland of the conglomerate class,
being composed of many lobules. These lobules are composed
of granules, from which spring the excretory ducts, and they, by
interunion, form a set of tubes which terminate on the conjunc-
tiva of the upper lid. The office of this gland is to secrete the
558 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
tears, which run into the ducts, and are then poured on the con-
junctiva. ;
Caruncula Lachrymalis.—At the inferior canthus of the eye,
between the eyeball and eyelids, is seen a small, black tubercle,
called the caruncula lachrymalis. It is not a secretory organ, but
appears to be placed there for the mechanical purpose of directing
the tears into the puncta lachrymalis.
Lachrymal Puncta and Conduits—The puncta are two small
orifices, seen in the inner margins of the lids, at the root of the
caruncle. They are the openings of two canals found within the
substance of the lids, termed lachrymal conduits; they terminate
in the lachrymal sac.
Lachrymal Sac.—The lachrymal sac is a funnel-shaped mem-
branous bag, lodged in close proximity with the lachrymal for-
amen. ‘This sac serves as a reservoir, into which the tears flow
from the lachrymal conduits. The lachrymal sac terminates in
the ductus ad nasum.
Ductus ad Nasum.—The office of this duct is to convey away
the tears as fast as they are collected within the lachrymal sac.
The duct terminates at the inner and inferior part of the nostril.
It is formed by a prolongation of the membrane which enters into
the composition of the Jachrymal sac.
OPHTHALMIA.,
Symptoms.—Ophthalmia, or inflammation of the eye, is quite a
common affection among neat stock. It frequently occurs with-
out any assignable cause, except the concentration of morbid
action or morbid material in the tissual membranes. It is always
attended with more or less pain, tenderness, and tumefaction, and
the tears being secreted faster than they can be carried through
the ductus ad nasum, flow over the lower lid. This simple dis-
eased condition differs from what is known as specific or periodi-
cal ophthalmia. There is no constitutional disturbance to be
noticed, nor symptomatic fever, and the affection appears to be
confined to the conjunctivial membrane only.
Treatment.—The treatment should commence by giving the
animal a dose of Glauber salts, which consists of twelve ounces
of salts dissolved in one quart of tepid water. The action of this
medicine will be to remove morbid matter from the system. The
DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 559 ©
eye should be carefully fomented with a warm infusion of hops,@
after which lay a piece of wetted rag over the eye and fasten it
to the horns. I could name many favorite local applications
(lotions) for the disease in this stage, but, in my opinion, cold
water surpasses them all. The food should consist of scalded
shorts, the animal to be kept quiet in comfortable quarters.
FoREIGN BopIEs IN THE EYE.
If an animal should suffer in consequence of irritation and
tumefaction of the lids of one eye, and a little pus or matter can
be detected, the probability is that some foreign body, such as a
piece of hay, straw, or dirt, has insinuated itself between the ball
and eyelid, and has become lodged there. In a case of this char-
acter, the lids must be carefully inverted, one after the other, and
examined. The removal of the foreign body is equivalent to a
cure; for very little, if any, after-treatment is needed, with the
exception of cleansing the eye with cold water.
SPECIFIC OR PERIODICAL OPHTHALMIA.
_ This dangerous form of disease is termed periodical, because,
having once made its appearance, there is a liability of a recur-
rence. It is not, however, so prevalent among cattle as among
horses. It is a disease which, finally, is sure and certain to end
in cataract, or disorganization of the eye. In this stage perhaps
the butcher would be the best doctor.
It may be proper, however, to give the reader some idea of the
nature and symptoms of this malady, so that common ophthalmia
may not be confounded with nor mistaken for it. It has been
observed, in the preceding article, that common ophthalmia was
confined to the membranes of the eye. The disease now under
consideration makes its ravages on the inner structures of the eye,
the external covering being only sympathetically involved. On
parting the swollen lids, and if the cornea be not too opaque, we
shall find that the aqueous humor is thick and muddy; the iris,
lens, and other internal parts are altered in texture and structure ;
in fact, the eye has all the appearance of being ruined, which is
probably the case. The remote causes of this disease are consti-
tutional predisposition.
560 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
. There are several other affections of the eyes of oxen and cows,
but, as they are incurable, the subjects mustebe referred to the
butcher.
CANCER IN CATTLE.
Cancer is a peculiar malignant growth, affecting one or more
parts of the body. It probably owes its origin to some pecu-
liarity of constitution. It is usually divided into two stages,
The first is that of scirrhous, or hardening of the soft parts; the
second is that of open cancer, or ulceration. In this stage, a foul
fungus sore is observed, having an irregular surface of varied
hue, with elevated, everted, and rough margins.
Treatment.—The popular method of treating this dreadful mal-
ady is to dissect out the diseased parts; but this rarely succeeds,
for the disease generally has an origin beyond the reach of our
scalpel. The only remedies of any value, in curable cases, are
bloodroot and iodide of potassium. The parts should be sprinkled
often with powdered bloodroot, and the patient should have twenty
grains per day of iodide of potassium.
A writer in the “ Eclectic Journal” offers the following as the
pathology of cancer :
“ According to the researches of the most eminent physiolo-
gists, malignant growths are composed of two parts, granules or
cells, with cell germs, and granules within them, nourished with
fat cells and globules, and of fibrous tissue or stroma, in which
the former parts are embedded. Malignant growths are com-
posed chiefly of albumen, supplied with blood-vessels, but differ
in their essential elements—namely, in their chemical and micro-
scopic—from healthy tissue. The development of this disease is
evidently a perversion of the ordinary process of nutrition. The
lymph, or blastema, which exudes through the capillaries, either
in the ordinary course of nutrition or through some accidental
inflammation, appears to have its vitality perverted; so that,
instead of forming itself into one of the proper tissues of the
body, it forms the irregular abnormal cells, which constitute this
species of growth. These abnormal cells are deposited in distinct
masses, or else spread through the tissue of the organ or part,
which it ultimately supersedes. When once formed, they in-
crease in size by the constant formation of new cells, which are
supplied with fresh material from the blood. In the course of
DISEASES OF THE EYE AND ITS MEMBRANES. 561
time, the older portions of cancerous growth lose their vitality,
soften down, their outer surface ulcerates, and a sanious discharge
follows.”
The following case appeared in the “ Veterinarian,” and is
selected for the instruction of the reader:
“ About two years since, we were called in to attend a cow, the
property of a gentleman residing in our neighborhood. On ex-
amination, we perceived a cauliflower excrescence growing from
the membrana nictitans, about the size of a strawberry, from
which issued an ichorous discharge that excoriated the adjacent
parts, and which bled on the slightest touch. We at once de-
cided upon taking it out, and this was accordingly done, the parts
being subsequently touched with lunar caustic. After this the
cow appeared to go on -well for about twelve months, without any
reappearance of the cancerous growth. At the conclusion of that
time, we were again sent for, and found the cornea had become
of a bottle-green color, and that the sight of the eye was com-
pletely gone. About three months after this a fungoid growth
sprouted from the cornea, which increased in size very rapidly,
but was repressed by the application of a little burnt alum.
Shortly after this the eye receded considerably into the socket,
and eventually it sloughed entirely away. Some weeks after-
ward she became partially paralyzed, and was unable to masti-
cate. The lower lip was pendulous; the ear hung down by the
side of the neck on the affected side; difficulty of deglutition
was experienced, and the saliva flowed from the mouth, mingled
with the partially-masticated food. Attenuation of the paralyzed
muscles quickly followed, and much general emaciation of the
frame. ‘The owner being desirous of obtaining another calf from
her, she was kept alive with gruel; but, as it was soon seen she
could not live so as to give birth to a calf, she was destroyed.
This being a fortnight before her time, the calf was immediately
taken out, and it seemed likely to live and do well. It however
lived only three days, the immediate cause of death being inju-
dicious feeding.”
36
SECTION XXIII.
HERNIA, OR RUPTURES.
Forms oF RvuprurE—In@vuINAL HERNIA—STRANGULATED HERNIA—VENTIRAL
HERNIA.
HERNIA.
ERNTA signifies rupture, or unnatural protrusion of a por-
tion of the intestines or the omentum. In consequence of
the rough encounters which horned creatures frequently engage
in, they are liable to suffer from the consequences of external
violence, and a pregnant cow, with a distended abdomen, is more
apt to be injured in this way than the male. Still, an accident
of this kind will occasionally occur without the intervention of
external injuries ; for the cow is often the subject of dropsy of the
‘womb, and in such condition the abdomen is distended to an enor-
mous capacity. The only thing that can be done in a case of
this character, is to rupture the foetal membranes by means of a
blunt instrument, introduced through the neck of the uterus.
This will not only evacuate the fluid, but also bring on premature
labor, and thus the lives of both mother and calf may be saved;
provided, however, the calf be full grown.
Forms oF RupruRe.
‘There are various forms of rupture. A calf is occasionally
born with a tumor or enlargement in the region of the navel.
This is known as congenital umbilical hernia. It is termed con-
genital in consequence of being present at birth, and umbilical
because it is found in the umbilical region,
Treatment.—This form of hernia is not a very serious matter,
(562)
HERNIA, OR RUPTURES. 563
and very rarely requires an operation. My usual course is to
apply some cotton-batting, wet with an astringent (infusion of
bayberry bark), and over the same a bandage, which must be
passed twice round the body ; yet, if the part is bathed occasion-
ally with infusion of bayberry, the bandage and batting can be
dispensed with. The reason why a case of this kind is not a
serious affair, is because there is no rupture of the walls of the
abdomen, but a mere purse, or dilated state of the common integ-
uments, exists, which, if necessary, can be sloughed off by the
application of a common pair of clams.
INGUINAL HERNIA.
When rupture in the groin appears at birth, it is congenital,
and consists of a portion of intestine, which has found its way
through the inguinal canal (the channel through which the tes-
ticle descends into the scrotum).
Treatment.—This can readily be reduced by raising the animal
by its hind legs, and giving it a few jerks upward. If the intes-
tine slips down again, and the case requires it, I should castrate
the animal, and put a stitch or two in the external ring, or else
castrate by the clam method, which will produce considerable
swelling, and block up the passage so that the bowel can not de-
scend. The clams may be removed at the end of twelve hours.
STRANGULATED HERNIA.
The intestine will occasionally descend into the scrotum, and
become strangulated, so that itcan not be returned.
Treatment.—In a case of this character, the operator must dilate
the ring (through which the intestine descended), by means of a
probe-pointed bistoury. Having returned the bowel, let the ani-
mal be castrated, and then apply the clams. Strangulated hernia
occurring in any other part of the body must be treated as fol-
lows: If the protruded bowel is tumefied in consequence of gas
within, it may be punctured, in one or two places, by means of a
suture-needle. This will allow the gas to escape. Then efforts
should be made to return the protrusion. Failing to accomplish
this object, in consequence of stricture or thickening of the walls
of the abdomen, I should introduce the bistoury, and dilate the
564 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
wound. The reader will infer, and rightly so, that I am alluding
to a case in which there is an accidental external wound; other-
wise it would constitute what is called ventral hernia.
VENTRAL HERNIA.
This form of hernia consists of an escape of a portion of the
intestines through a rent in the abdominal muscles, creating a
tumor beneath the common integument. This tumor may exist
for some time without affecting the animal’s health, but when it
increases in size, so as to be bulky, or becomes strangulated, an
operation must immediately be performed. In performing the
operation, however, it must be borne in mind that the protruded
bowel has pushed before it a portion of the peritoneum (the lining
membrane of the cavity of the abdomen) ; therefore the intestine
is contained in a sac, which should also be returned, along with
the intestine, into the abdominal cavity.
Treatment.—The mode of operation in cases of ventral hernia
is to cast and etherize the animal. A semilunar incision is then
made over the tumor, the convex border of the flap being down-
ward. The panniculus carnosus (subcutaneous muscle), or super-
ficial fascia, is also divided. A. probe-pointed bistoury is then
introduced between the bowel and edge of the wound. This must
be dilated or made sufficiently large to allow the return of the
intestine. The rent in the muscles is then to be strongly sutured,
and one end of the suture should be left long enough to hang out
of the wound; the integuments are then to be brought together in
the same manner, after which dress the wound with tincture of
aloes. In the course of eight or ten days a pull may be made on
the ends of the deep-seated sutures, to see if they are ready to
come away, yet it is best not to remove them until they are quite
loose.
It is impossible in a work of this character to furnish the reader
with all the information necessary to meet the emergencies which
may occur in the various forms of hernia; for their management
and treatment require more than ordinary skill, and many persons,
who consider themselves competent to prescribe for the ordinary
diseases of cattle, are willing to acknowledge themselves at fault
when consulted on the subject of rupture; and, lest my own re-
marks on this subject may prove of little avail in furnishing the
HERNIA, OR RUPTURES. 565
husbandman, in the hour of need, the necessary instruction, I
introduce the two following cases, selected from the “ London
Veterinarian.” Mr, JAMES Srowar furnishes the following case
of strangulated hernia:
“On the 17th of September, 1850, I was called to the farm of
Ashogle, to see a cow which had been injured by the horns of
another; but, as I had left home that afternoon for a distance,
and did not return until late next day, I did not see the cow until
the 19th. I found her with a hernial tumor protruding from the
right iliac, which remained covered within the skin, so large that
a bushel measure would not have contained it. She was evidently
in much pain while standing, and would stand only a very short
time. I was told that she had eaten a good deal since the acci-
dent, and, as a stoppage of the dung was observed, they had given
her a pound of Epsom salts. Her abdomen was enormously dis-
tended, notwithstanding the largeness of the hernial tumor. The
non-escape.of the feces was proof positive, under the circum-
stances, of the hernia being strangulated.
I had her laid on the left side, as carefully as possible, and,
after every attempt to return the hernia by external manipulation
had failed, I cut into the sac, and attempted to knead in, inch by
inch, the gorged intestines; but in this, also, I failed. The hernial
opening was large enough to admit three of my fingers, so that it
was not want of room in that, but in the abdominal cavity, which
was so fully distended by the intestines forming the hernia, that
caused the difficulty. I had her laid upon her back, with her
hind legs drawn up, so as to throw the contents of the abdomen
as much as possible upon the diaphragm. Even then, however,
I could not succeed. I therefore, with a sharp-pointed scalpel,
cut into the intestine, and emptied it entirely of its semifluid
contents, stitched up the wound, and washed it carefully, and so,
ultimately, accomplished the reduction. With a strong cord I
closed the hernial opening, as well as the one I had made through
the skin, nine inches further up; I then turned her on her left
side, and in a few minutes the feces began to escape by their
_ proper channel. I gave linseed oil, twenty ounces, and tincture
of opium, one ounce. Next morning I found her up, stepping
through the shed, inclined to eat, her bowels acting freely. I had
her tightly bandaged, to support the abdomen, and made an open-
ing to allow the escape of discharge at the bottom of the sac. I
566 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
saw her daily for a week, and prescribed according to the state in
which I found her. On the whole, her health proved good, and
her wounds healed pleasantly. She was fourteen years old, and,
like most cows, had a large belly. She fattened well, and was
sold for the shambles in April. The butcher told the farmer that
he found a large abscess in her side when he cut her up.”
The next case is that of ventral hernia, furnished by Mr. G.
Lewis:
“Tn September last, I was requested to examine a heifer, which
was said to have a ‘swelling on her right side.’ I found her with
a pendulous bag, hanging very low on the right flank, and of an
immense size. Upon a close examination of the parts, I ascer-
tained that the enlargement was produced by an escape of the
intestines through a rent in the abdominal muscles. I informed
the owner that nothing short of an operation could be productive
of benefit to the animal, and I also pointed out to him the nature
of the case, and its probable results.
According to the arrangement, the heifer was sent to me on
September 6, when, after due preparation by medicine, ete., I had
her cast and secured, and then carefully made an opening through
the skin and panniculus muscle, immediately over the laceration
in the other muscles, but a little longer than it. I thus exposed
the rent which existed in the external and also the internal
oblique. The edges of the aperture were very uneven and much
thickened; and I may state in this place that the enlargement
had been observed a month prior to this date. A large portion
of the intestines were found to have escaped into the sae formed
by the panniculus and common integument ; besides which, a con-
siderable quantity of serous fluid existed beneath the skin, and
externally to the panniculus, which had doubtless been thrown
out by the injured vessels.
The intestines being returned into the abdominal cavity, the
edges of the laceration were brought together with strong metallic
sutures, and properly secured. The external wound was then
closed; and, before allowing the animal to rise, I passed a seton
through the most depending portion of the integumental sac, with
a view to give a gradual and continuous exit to the serous effu-
sion. A compress was also placed upon the part to remove as
much of the pressure of the viscera as possible, after which the
animal was allowed to rise.
HERNIA, OR RUPTURES. 567
For several days the bowels remained obstinately constipated,
and some symptomatic fever was also present; but, by proper
measures, these unfavorable symptoms were soon removed. The
animal was allowed only linseed tea and thin gruel for a few days.
Subsequently a large amount of serous fluid was discharged through
the openings made for the introduction of the seton ; it however,
soon ceased, The sutures also came away in due course, leaving
but little appearance of the original injury.”
SW Se
SS ‘\ "N
S BZ y ij 4 \
1 SSS
‘ | |
VIEW OF SOME OF THE SUPERFICIAL MUSCLES.
SECTION XXIV.
DISEASES OF THE BONES.
CacHEexia OssarraGsa—Bonr DisorDERS—MECHANISM AND STRUCTURE OF BoNES—
Composition OF BonES—ULTIMATE ConsTITUENTS OF BoNES—DILATATION OF THE
JAw Bonrs—ABSCESS BENEATH THE PERIOSTEUM, AT THE ANGLE OF THE JAW—
Exosrosis, oR DEPosIT OF THE CALCAREOUS MATTER ON THE SURFACE OF BoNES
—Cartes, oF Utceration or Gones—PRELIMINARY TO Horn-A1L—On SyMPaA-
THY AND THE SYMPATHETIC RELAVIONS WHICH EXIST IN THE ANIMAL EconomMy—
Horn-A1L—Tart-AI.
CACHEXIA OSSAFRAGA (THE “ CRIPPLE”’),*
: LTHOUGH using this term as the title of my subject, I do
not consider it to give an idea of the exact character of the
disease I am about to describe, but merely to convey an impression
of a very prominent symptom of the disease. As many other
maladies existing in different localities, this one is very differently
treated of in our veterinary works. The inefficiency of our works
on cattle medicine is sufficiently apparent to the practitioner, who,
after a nominal term spent at college, enters into the world of
medicine a sufficiently-educated person, as his diploma gives him
to understand ; but how frequently is he wofully disappointed when
called to any of the several enzodtics in cattle which he finds have
not been treated of, perhaps not mentioned either at college or in
the books!
The present subject is one, among others, which is not discussed
in British works on cattle medicine. It is a disease very preva-
lent in many districts I am personally acquainted with, and in all
of which it passes under the very expressive term of ‘ cripple,’ the
appearance of the animal fully confirming the term. It seldom
happens that a solitary case occurs on a farm which is subject to it;
* P, Sarginson, V. 8.
568
DISEASES OF THE BONES 569
for all the milch cows, and perhaps some of the younger stock, are
more or less affected by it. Such farms are considered-to be of
much less value than other places on which it does not occur, not
only from the unthrifty condition of the stock, but also as regards
fertility, as they are never found to be very productive, and among
farmers they pass under the cognomen of ‘crippled places.’ The
disease will never be found to exist on farms that are fertile and
rich ; in fact, a certain guide to the locale of this affection is to
look out for farms that are situated on high lands, possessing
stunted hedges and trees, a barren, or, at least, a poor soil, produc-
ing a dry, short, and innutritious herb. On passing over the
farm, the limestone rock will, most generally, be seen to project
out of the soil, proving that it is situated on the limestone; or by
examining the rivulets, if any, that flow through the farm, the
water will appear to be beautifully transparent, so that the smallest
pebble may be discerned on its bed. There is, also, in the gener-
ality of instances, the limestone rock forming its bed. When this
is present, any old farmer will tell you that the water which seems
to be so limpid and pure is ‘hard,’ and that the cattle confined to
it are certain to be crippled. I have, however, noted farms where
the water which supplied them was charged with a carbonate of
lime, and still no cripple exists on them. This is, undoubtedly,
owing to the character of the soil, which, on examination, is found
loamy and free, and lying on the red sandstone rock. ~ I have also
noticed ‘cripple’ prevailing on farms supplied with water running
over mosses, etc., which, from the experience of intelligent farm-
ers, has been said to be antagonistic to this affection. This, in my
opinion, is caused from the character of the soil proving to be of
an undoubted calcareous character, intermixed with clay. Al-
though it can not be doubted but that the water supplyitig farms
impregnated with any principle of an injurious character will have
an influence in the production of disease, yet, in the instances
quoted, it appears that the character of the herbage produced on
such farms either counteracted the injurious influence of the water,
or, on the other hand, destroyed or overbalanced the influence of
the mossy water.
From what has been stated, it will be seen that the ‘cripple’
will and does exist on those farms where the soil is calcareous and
clayey, and that it is evident that such soils are incapable of pro-
ducing a succulent and healthy plant; in fact, will the herb not be
570 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
surcharged with calcareous and silicious elements? and is there not
a deficiency of azote-producing principles? As it is well known
that where nitrogen abounds a luxuriant herbage is the result, we
need go no further in support of this than a farm on which an
abundant supply of its manure is spread. How much more abun-
dant and luxuriant is the character of the vegetation from the use
of decomposed vegetable matter and animal excrete than from
any thing else. If, therefore, the herb. grown on these ‘ crippled
farms’ be unhealthy, as there is little doubt, the animals partak-
ing of such will, without doubt, in the course of time, have their
systems seriously deranged, and the character of derangement will
depend either upon an insufficient supply of nitrogenous material,
inducing, consequently, emaciation and pure debility; or it may
be that, where this deficiency of azotized material exists, the earthy
salts may not exist in an abnormal degree, but still, from a want
of other nutritious material to counteract their ill effect, the sys-
tem may become charged with them. When the herbage and other
produce of the soil is charged with earthy salts, whether carbonates
or silicates, they would, in all probability, become assimilated, or,
at least, there would be a tendency to the deposition of these salts
into the various textures, such as the cartilages, ligaments, and
cardiac valves, ete., all of which lesions are apparent, to a greater
or less degree, in all the animals which have died of this disease
that I have examined. Some are of opinion that it is owing alto-
gether to an excess of carbonate of lime in the soil and waters;
but if this were the case, the character of the farm could not be
altered, nor the disease be removed, as has been done, and which
will be noticed hereafter.. It is most probable, at least, as far as
my humble opinion goes, that it is induced from the combined
influence of poverty in the soil, and an excess of astringent salts,
silicates, ete. When I refer to the poverty of the soil, it must not
be understood that I mean an exhausted state of the soil, because
many of those places have not been broken up with the plow to
any extent. Many farmers are of opinion that the labor and ex-
pense required in the cultivation of such lands would not be com-
pensated by their produce, If it were turned up by the plow, the
advantages it would derive from exposure to the atmosphere and
rain-water would be considerable.
There are many farms which are termed crippled farms, and
many cattle called crippled, which are not really so. The mystery
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 571
of this is easily explained. On strict inquiry, you will find that
the reason the stock display so many of their bones, and walk off
so stiff, is owing altogether to imperfect feeding. It answers as a
good excuse for the farmer who overstocks his farm, and is thus
compelled to serve out short rations, to say that it is the cripple
(or any other name it may possess) that is the cause. The climate
will, without doubt, have a great influence in modifying this dis-
ease, as is shown by the greater severity in form on those lands
that lie the highest, where the protection is scanty from the in-
clemencies of the seasons. A fact connected with this affection is
that when cattle are taken from those farms which are subject to
it, even when suffering severely from it, to farms existing on the
eastern banks of the river Eden (which flows through the vale of
Westmoreland), they recover completely from its effects, and are
perfectly free from a recurrence of the attack if they remain in
that district. Itisa common saying among farmers that ‘there is
no cripple on that side of Eden.’ The character of these farms
that are free from the affection is essentially different from those
afflicted with it. They have a free, sandy, and rich soil, produc-
ing excellent oats and rich meadow-grass, but their climate is
colder, owing to their being situated near a range of mountains;
but if the cattle are brought on to those farms situated on the
western bank of Eden, where the cripple prevails, they soon begin
to show the symptoms of an attack. I do not include all the farms
on the western bank, as some are perfectly free from it.
From this instance, we may again be led to infer that the herb
and water to which they had been previously subject were not
sufficiently nutritious, or else impregnated with some injurious
matter, because, on removal to farms producing a superior herbage,
they have recovered, sometimes in an incredible short time, for the
sad state they were in. On all these crippled places cows that
yield a great quantity of milk are the soonest attacked, and the
farmer knowing this will not take such to his farm, because he
would soon have to ‘dry’ them, or they would rapidly fail; but
animals that have been reared on these places are less liable to its
attack, and are seldom so severely afflicted by it.
Many have confounded this affection with rheumatism, but it is,
without doubt, a distinct disease in character, as in no case of
cripple will be seen the acute symptoms and fever which exist in
both the acute and chronic form of rheumatism. In those cases
572 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
where suppuration exists in the joints, and the limbs even rot off,
it is, in my opinion, produced from the friction of the joint from
ossified cartilage, and an evident deficiency of synovia, these in-
ducing a local inflammation altogether differing from the peculiar
characteristics of rheumatism, and, unlike it, the osseous system
seems to be the principal seat of disease.
Some cattle evince a greater predisposition than others to an
attack, as the elderly cow and the cow that yields a great quantity
of milk. I have never noticed young calves become affected by
it. Some have stated them to have been so, but, on inquiry, it
has been found to be pure arthritis, or joint-felon, from cold and
damp houses. While one of the stock of calves has been so af-
flicted, the others were perhaps perfectly healthy. The symptoms
vary in degree of virulence on different farms. Some farms have
a very slight attack, while others are very severely afflicted with
it; but the symptoms will vary frequently on one farm, as, on en-
tering a cow-house with a collection of ‘ crippled’ cattle, it will be
seen that some are slightly affected, while others are evidently
suffering greatly. The disease being of a subacute character, the
period from its first appearance in an animal to its last stage occu-
pies frequently some years, according to the vigor of their consti-
tutions, and the mild or severe form of the disease. ‘There is one
farm I am acquainted with where the owner is compelled to change
his stock every two years, to prevent heavy losses occurring.
Symptoms.—In the primary stage of the disease the animal pre-
sents a lean, emaciated condition. The bones in every part of the
body are prominent; the skin is tight, hard, and void of all sup-
pleness; the hair presents a coarse appearance, standing almost
straight up, having none of its naturally smooth character about
it; but if we see our patient walk, it will strike us that there are
no joints in her limbs, as she is peculiarly stiff, knocking her
hock-joints up against each other without any regard to the un-
stateliness of the gait. She will, also, while walking, make an
extaordinary cracking noise, showing an insufficiency of synovia
to lubricate the joints; the pulse, on pressure, feels flaccid, but the
ealiber is rather, increased than diminished; rumination is per-
formed rather slow and sluggishly; appetite is not indifferent,
eating her hay, straw, or turnips with a degree of zest. If we
allow her to come in the neighborhood of the hedge where the
farmer’s wife has displayed her linen, she will indicate the phe-
DISEASES OF THE BONES. , © 573
nomenon of bulimia or depraved appetite. She will seize with
avidity the first article she reaches, and chew it with wonderful
pleasure; she will also hunt with avidity any sour or filthy liquids,
even human urine, and drink them greedily; and when in the
pasture will pick up a bone, if such can be found, and chew it for
- an hour at a time, seeming to enjoy the occupation. Stones, iron,
sticks, clothes, ete., are all alike objects of attraction to her. This
peculiar habit is attributable, I should think, to acidity of the
stomach, The farmer imagines that a sod, cut from a field and
placed before her, will palliate her affection, and the cow, to ap-
preciate his kindness, commences to lick it, and even to devour the
soil that is on it. I have noticed them chewing these different
articles, and never saw one display any anxiety to swallow the
object, but merely a desire of chewing. When such articles are
swallowed, it will, I think, be more accidental than intentional
on the part of the animal, but I can not be positive on this point.
They show a particular desire to chew articles of clothing, as is
testified by a person going to a stall-head between two of them.
They will immediately seize his dress and chew it. The bowels
are always more or less constipated, and the secretion of milk is
partly checked, although but slightly. They may continue in
this manner for a longer or shorter period, according to constitu-
tion and external circumstances, before they display any of the
worst symptoms concomitant on the termination of the disease.
It is a gradual declining from the primary symptoms to those of
a more fatal character. ‘These may be marked by the appearance
of tumors over the hips or stifle-joints, or, perhaps, a tumefaction
extending from the stifle to the hock-joint, which, in the course
of time, suppurates. In the mean time, the system, it is evident,
is sinking. The pulse is flaccid, but still retains its caliber, al-
though accelerated ; appetite is impaired, and rumination is per-
formed very lazily; constipation, if a milch cow; the milk is now
wholly suspended, or nearly so. If, perchance, the animal has
swallowed any irritating or indigestible substance, which is almost
always the case, the symptoms of indigestion will be more severe,
with perhaps an intermittent pulse, great lameness, increasing to
such an extent that the animal is either unwilling or incapable of
rising; or, perhaps, on closer examination, some bone will be
found to have become fractured, either the scapula, femur, or the
pelvis, or it may have occurred in any other bone, as there is the
574 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
same tendency in all the bones to fracture, although the animal is
fastened up in his stall, and, therefore, not subject to any of the
ordinary causes of fracture.
I recollect a case in which the animal could not stand. On ex-
amination, it was found that the radius and ulna were completely
fractured; next day the scapula and femur were broken; in fact,
one after another, all the bones of the limbs became fractured,
until the animal died from the extent of irritative fever set up,
consequent on the fractures. Another instance of this brittleness
of bone: A mileh cow was purchased as perfectly sound. She
was poor, and the excuse was that she was rather crippled. A
fair price was paid for her. She walked to her new home ex-
tremely stiff and lame. Next morning I saw her, and found the
os ilium fractured ; afterward the femur broke, and she died.
In the greater part of cases the brittleness of bone is present,
and in such I never noticed any suppurative tumors, excepting
some cases where the joints were affected, and opened from local
inflammation. On examining some cases after death, I found at-
tenuation of muscles, the bones polished at their extremities, and
brittle. In some rare cases exostosis may be noticed on the body
of the bone, but such are scarce. On the epiphyses of the bones,
however, they will frequently be found, more especially at the
lower extremity of the tibia. Sometimes they have existed to such
an extent as to anchylose the hock-joint. In all the articulations
there is evident deficiency of synovia. ‘The different articulatory
cartilages displayed an undoubted tendency during life to the depo-
sition of osseous matter in them, as all of them possessed a degree
of hardness inconsistent with nature.
In regard to prevention, it will be evident enough that the re-
moval of the animal from the innutritious farm to one of a richer
and more luxuriant character will be attended with the greatest
benefit. Many cases have been recruited even when the animal
has been compelled to lie and eat. An important fact I wish to
mention here is, that there are some two or three large farms in
this neighborhood which were formerly severely afflicted with this
disease ; but now, since they have become possessed by enterprising
agriculturists, the disease is much abated, in fact, proving a very
rare visitor, although these farms possess the characteristics pre-
viously described as ‘crippled places,’ and were, in fact, situations
where this disease prevailed to a serious extent. The means which
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 575
have been resorted to by these men were irrigation and extensive
use of artificial and other manures on the farms, thus altering the
character of the herbage, as it is not only more luxuriant, but evi-
dently of a more succulent and nutritious character. They also
cultivate a good quantity of the mangel-wurzel and linseed for
consumption by the stock. These articles were never known on
the farms while suffering from ‘cripple.’ These means have evi-
dently produced a wonderful effect, as they are seldom if ever af-
flicted with it. As the disease is found to be worse during the
autumn and winter seasons, when the cattle are brought in to dry
food, the necessity of a succulent diet is obvious; but still I have
seen many bad cases during summer, on farms where the soils were
calcareous or clayey. Where there is a scanty supply of turnips,
and where oil-cake or other of these useful articles of diet are
scarce, the ‘ cripple’ will be the most severe. In a word, to pre-
vent it, soft nutritious diet, as turnips, mangel-wurzel, oil-cake,
etc., must be resorted to; and the hay or straw with which the
animals are supplied should not be the stunted and dry material
which is produced by those lands on which the ‘cripple’ is known
to exist, but such as is produced by the plentiful use of artificial
and other manures, to counteract the tendency of the soil to pro-
duce a dry and stunted herb. The use of crushed oats and barley,
along with other nutritious food, will, in the course of time, have
a very beneficial effect also.
When the practitioner is sought to a case of confirmed ‘cripple,’
where the preventive means have not been resorted to, it will be
necessary to employ more active measures. Many remedies have
been tried, with more or less benefit, according to the advance-
ment of the disease, where the cachexia ossifraga is so predom-
inant, and one bone becoming rapidly fractured after another, the
case may be looked upon as altogether hopeless; but in those
cases where the tendency to fracture is not so great, the animal
may be recruited most generally. In recommending remedies for
a disease possessing different phases, it is necessary to apply those
means which seem most applicable to the one particular case in
hand. Many disappointments have originated from the reported
success of a particular remedy from parties who, no doubt, did
succeed with it, while others, without taking into consideration
the modifications of the disease, ruled by circumstances, climate,
etc., have unmistakably failed, although the same remedy may
576 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
have been employed, thus showing that one remedy may succeed
admirably in one district, while in another it is sometimes nearly
useless. hi
Treatment.—The means which I have seen applied with success,
according to the modification of the disease, were, in the cases
where the attack is primary, the use of malt ale, administered in
pint doses every night for a length of time; water acidulated
with sulphuric acid, diluted, or with nitric acid, allowing the
animal no other water to drink excepting this; also administer-
ing the diluted sulphuric acid, twice daily ; and where constipa-
tion is threatened by its use, it must be obviated by a laxative
diet. Hydrochloric acid and nitric acid have been used, but the
preference is given to the sulphuric. Sulphate of soda, in quarter-
pound doses, combined with vegetable tonics, will sometimes be
found useful. Camphor, in large doses, combined with tonics,
given in cold ale instead of gruel, have been attended with good
success; also, the use of a decoction of the willow or poplar barks,
given in pint doses, will be found an admirable tonic for advanced
eases. As to the use of sedatives, the animal rapidly sinks under
their influence. ‘The only class of medicines that have been the
most successful were tonics. There are many cases of chronic
rheumatism and arthrites that have been confounded with cripple,
but any one acquainted with these diseases will readily recognize
an essential difference between them. But, in fact, every remedy
will be comparatively useless unless the animal be put upon a
more nutritious diet—a diet free from astringent qualities.”
BonE DISORDER.
During the past few years I have noticed a number of articles
in our agricultural periodicals referring to a disease named by the
writers “ Bone Disorder.” The name, as the reader will perceive,
does not throw the least ray of light on the pathology of the mal-
ady; in fact, it savors strongly of the so-called “horn-ail” and
“tail-ail””—terms which apply to symptoms rather than to any
real disorder. One writer informs us that when an animal be-
comes the subject of bone disorder, “the bones threaten to cave
in—have wasted away.” If they do threaten to cave in, the best
method I am acquainted with to insure an opposite tendency, is
to promote the healthy functions of the body, and thus keep dis-
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 577
ease and the cattle separate. Ifthe bones waste away, and then
assume their original shape by merely feeding bone meal, as the
writers contend, then the bones of cattle must possess some pecu-
liarities that | have never, in my professional capacity, been able
to discover.
If the animals recover (as we are told they do), then it might
be inferred that the bones possess properties analogous to that of
the soft tissues—an inference which the reader knows is not
correct. I would observe, however, that all parts of the animal
organism undergo a very perceptible augmentation, and decrease
or waste. ‘Thus, up to the period of adult life, all parts of the
animal frame increase in bulk, and give to the animal that rotund
and symmetrical appearance which attracts the eye of all those
who love to admire the works of Nature; but, at last, old age
comes on, which is attended by a gradual waste or shrinkage.
This occurs, however, more in the muscles than in the bones;
yet the latter undergo some condensation, which may possibly
lessen their volume. This, however, is a physiological result, the
work of uncompromising Nature, over which human agency (bone
meal included) has not the least control.
Whenever the bones do become diseased, it is the result of he-
reditary predisposition, of local injury, or of impaired digestion.
So far as my inquiries have extended in relation to the character
of the so-called bone disorder, I infer that it is a disease of a de-
bilitating character, originating, in most cases, in the digestive
and nutritive organs affecting not only the bones but various
other tissues of the body, and, therefore, the only rational plan of
treatment consists in improving the general health of the animal.
The ways and means of accomplishing this very desirable result
are as various as the causes which occasion the derangements. If
it be evident (as the bone disorder theorists contend) that the:
animal organism, in such cases, is deficient in phosphate of lime,
I have no objection to offer against the popular custom of giving
the patient a few doses of bone meal; for, whenever there shall
be a deficiency of carbon in the system, bone meal may be useful
in supporting pulmonary combustion, and thus insure healthy
action of the organs and functions of the animal economy; yet I
would suggest to the intelligent reader that as bruised oats, ground
corn, and linseed meal contain a large amount of phosphates, they
should be selected in preference to bone meal, which I think is
37
578 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
more valuable as a remedial agent for a carnivorous than for a
herbivorous animal.
As I understand the complex theory of digestion, the value of
food or remedial agents is in exact ratio to their adaptation for
assimilation; so that if their elements are only held in union by
an uncomplex chemical affinity, as is the case with all vegetable
productions known as food, their solution is easily and promptly
effected by the ordinary process of insalivation, mastication, and
remastication ; but bone meal (a popular remedy) is actually an
animal production, (vegetable matter animalized,) and, in order
to convert the same into the component parts of the cow’s struc-
ture, it will perhaps require more chemico-vital force to effect the
solution than when oatmeal, etc., are used, the chemical affinity
PELVIS AND RIBS DISEASED AND DISTORTED.
here being weaker than is the case with bones. In the treatment
of any and every disease, it is usual to endeavor to ascertain the
direct causes, and, if possible, effect their removal, and whatever
seems to be indicated we are justified in supplying; so that if
phosphates are indicated, they may be prescribed ; yet in cases of
emaciation, when weakness and debility preside, I should prefer
to use nutritious food, tonics, and stimulants, instead of bone
- meal. Why not add the bone meal to the barnyard manure?
In this way the animal would get the benefit of it in the form of
fodder.
In reference to a deficiency of phosphate of lime in the milk,
which the writers alluded to have noticed, I remark that it may,
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 579
in part, arise from functional derangement in the digestive organs
(in such cases a large quantity of phosphate, etc., is expelled from
the system in the excrement) ; or the fodder itself may be deficient
in its usual yield of phosphate of lime. We then have an eyi-
dence of vegetable disease, for I believe that the phosphate of lime
is as necessary for the growth and integrity of the plant as it
seems to be for the same purposes in the animal kingdom. But I
believe that the plant can not lack phosphates without there being
a corresponding deficiency in several other constituents which go
to form the healthy vegetable; so that, in such cases the disease is
general, not local. The plant is not fiber-sick nor the cow bone-
sick, but, in both cases, (the food of each being innutritious,) de-
bility is the disease.
It is well known that successive cultivation exhausts the soil,
and uses up the constituents necessary for the growth and maturity
of grains and fodder ; yet the pastures and plowed land might be
made to yield good crops and rich harvests by depositing in the
soil (in the form of animal excrement, straw, wood, ashes, lime,
charcoal, ete.,) as much as we take out of it. The soil can not
create any thing of itself; therefore an increase in crops can only
be obtained by adding more of certain agents to the soil than we
take out of it.
“Tn Flanders the yearly loss of the necessary matters in the
soil is completely restored by covering the fields with ashes of
wood or bones, which may or may not have been lixiviated. The
great importance of manuring with ashes has been long recog-
nized by agriculturists as the result of experience. So great a
value, indeed, is attached to this material, in the vicinity of Mar-
burg and in the Wetterau, (two well-known agricultural districts,)
that it is transported, as a manure, from the distance of eighteen
or twenty-four miles. Its use will be at once perceived, when it
is considered that the ashes, after being washed with water, con-
tain silicate of potash exactly in the same proportion as in the
straw, and that their only other constituents are salts of phos-
phoric acid.”
It is a fact well-known to husbandmen, that some breeding
cows do not come up to the standard of health or fair condition,
although they are fed from the cream of the crib, on the best kind
of fodder. The inference is that the digestive organs are not in
working condition; therefore, in such cases, the food operates as
‘580 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
an exciting cause of disease. The effects of cheap and damaged
food are too well known. Poor food is dear at any price which
may be asked for it. It may not furnish sufficient carbon ; if so,
the animal is deprived of the power of reproducing itself, and
must, eventually, suffer.
MECHANISM AND STRUCTURE OF BONES.
Bones have many things in common with the soft tissues and
organs; for example, arteries, veins, nerves, lymphatics, and a
connecting cellular web. Their structure, in the embryotic state,
is highly vascular, yielding, and gelatinous. They have exter-
nally a fibrous investment, known as periosteum, which is well
supplied with arteries, veins, nerves, and absorbents; and it is
through the intervention of this fibrous tunic that the vessels
proper to bones reach their ultimate destination. On the interior
surface of hollow bones we find a membrane of similar structure,
only more delicately organized. The cavity of the shaft-bones is
usually occupied by a quantity of adipose matter, known as mar-
row. This is inclosed in laminated cells, and is supposed to be a
sort of aliment in reserve, to provide against accidental emer-
gencies of non-nutrition.
CoMPOSITION OF BoNEs.
Bones consist of two constituents; namely, animal basis and cal-
careous matter. Inthe healthy adult the proportions are as follows:
ANILITING ID LYLE Lewesectccltestesccanstecarascetccsteasacrrccatteers 394 per cent.
Calcarcoustmaltterccee see Ae seas tes cee ease deve ssn aeeee tho ps)
Ota ercccwss ta kacecendcucessncceedsvedeostccwoececesieteecets 100
ULTIMATE CONSTITUENTS OF BONES.
The ultimate constituents of bones are gelatine, animal matter,
carbonate, phosphate, and fluate of lime, phosphates of soda, and
magnesia. Their growth, like that of shells, is effected by the
addition of new tissues to that already formed. Bones which have
a central cavity are protected internally by cartilaginous fibers or
unions; hence they expand or burst so soon as their cartilaginous
braces are decomposed by a diseased condition of the parts,
* DISEASES OF THE BONES. 581
DILATATION OF THE JAW BONES.
' This disease seems to be more prevalent among horses than
cattle. In equine practice it is termed “big head;” in bovine
practice we call it spina ventosa (a bony tumor, in which the in-
terior of the bone is absorbed, leaving a mere shell of bone, divided
into cells, containing purulent, cheesy matter) ; but perhaps “ di-
latation of bone” will give the reader a better idea of the character
of the disease than any other term. On inspecting the jaw bones
of cattle, the subjects of dilatation, we find the greatest enlarge-_
ment at the angle of the lower jaw. On cutting into the same,
its cavity is occupied by a preparation resembling soft cheese. On
removing this, it is discovered that the cartilaginous braces which
hold the sides of the bone together are decomposed; hence the
dilatation. This foreign material often degenerates into true
pus, and burrows through the bones toward the surface. In
this condition a fluctuating tumor can be felt at the angle of the
jaw.
Sometimes the bones of the jaw appear to have lost their cohesive
firmness and vitality ; they then border on a state known as ne-
crosis. Now, if a portion of bone in this condition be macerated,
for only a short time, in a weak solution of muriatic acid, it can
be rolled up like a piece of paper, showing that it is deficient in
calcareous matter; but if it takes a day or more to put the bone
in this condition, the experiment would not be of much value, as
all bones can be more or less softened by means of weak acids.
Treatment.—Having ascertained that the osseous structure is de-
ficient of earthy matter, and that the animal matter preponderates,
we are then in possession of facts which can be used to great ad-
vantage in preventing the malady, and perhaps treating it in its
early stage. The remedies are phosphate of lime, vegetable tonics,
and stimulants. I use them in the following form:
INowmLOG eBhosphate) ot, lnmemer an 3c cet siceyeiea 6 oz.
Powdered /coldentiseale.t cjercee cee 2 02.
Powdered: Sassatrasiiss... 52. el ce <0 3 OZ.
Powdered cingenaierrs iil ach-latus ofereyoiele » 2 oz.
GAIIENIAG SES 5 5556 Sen Goenenmaebe . 4 Ibs.
Mix.
This is to be divided into sixteen parts, one of which may be
incorporated with the food every night. I recommend the medi-
582 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
cine in this form because it is calculated to give tone to the funce
tion of nutrition.
It is well known that the maintenance of the functions of ani-
mal life are almost entirely dependent on the due performance of
the nutritive operations, and, therefore, the integrity and properties
of all the hard as well as the soft tissues depend on their regular
nutrition by a due supply of perfectly elaborated blood. This can
not be effected unless the functions of circulation, respiration, and
secretion are performed with regularity. Circulation is necessary
to convey a supply of nutritious fluid, and respiration and secretion
separate the blood from its impurities. Therefore, in cases of this
character, I advise stock-owners to endeavor to improve the gen-
eral health of the patient by means just suggested, and also that
they should see that the animal gets that kind of food which is
rich in phosphates.
It is very difficult to define the causes of this disease. It may
originate in a peculiar morbid habit of body, or it may be the se-
quence of faulty nutrition or hereditary predisposition. When an
animal labors under any morbid habit of body he is in a state far
removed from that of health, and various parts of the body be-
come affected by the change; and even should the power of form-
ing good healthy blood remain, the organic force by which the
constituents of blood are transformed into osseous structure must
necessarily be enfeebled by the morbid habit, so that the power to
produce metamorphoses is necessarily diminished. It is my opinion
that big head usually commences in the fibrous tissues which are
found in the internal surface of bones. A very peculiar feature
of these fibrous tunics is, that when they once become diseased
they run rapidly to purulency; and this accounts for the large
amount of purulent matter often found in the cavities of jaw bones
when buried or exposed to a drying process. It is then, however,
in a spongy state.
A very distinguished French writer contends that “ fibrous
tunics or tissues hardly ever contribute to the formation of pus.”
This is evidently an error; for when the periosteum (covering of
bones), which covers the fang of a tooth, and gives a lining to the
cavity into which it is inserted, becomes inflamed, it suppurates,
and the tooth has to be removed. I contend that it is the most
common tissue that excites the flow of those exudations from arte-
rial capillaries, which becomes converted into pus; hence, in this
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 583
way I account for the collections of pus often found on and under
fibrous ligamentary tissues and coverings of muscles; also upon
and beneath the peritoseum, and in the vicinity of fibrous tissues
in other parts of the system.
The surgical treatment of a case of this kind is to liberate the
pent-up pus or matter. With this object in view, I cast the subject,
and, after having brought him under the influence of ether, I make
an incision through the integuments, etc., and expose the bone;
then, by means of a pair of common bone forceps, I make an
opening into the same, liberate the imprisoned matter, and inject
the cavity with pyroligneous acid. Having removed as much as
possible of the morbid matter, I then cram the cavity with equal
parts of powdered bloodroot and bayberry bark. ‘The external
wound must not be closed by suture, but left open, so as to allow
of a free discharge from the parts; for the healing process must
begin at the upper part of the cavity, and the integument should
be the last to heal. I continue to throw into the cavity, by means
of a glass syringe, a small quantity of pyroligneous acid daily,
until the discharge ceases. Then the parts are to be dressed with
common tincture of aloes. After an operation of this character
there will remain some enlargement of the tissual structures about
the parts. This can gradually be reduced by a few applications of
a portion of the following :
No. 107. Iodide of potassium. .........e0-.--. 1 dr.
Gilycerime sa slalsla ciel eiciels/e)alelelc/e\elelelel ae mn OZ.
Mix, and keep the preparation in a glass vial, well corked.
ABSCESS BENEATH THE PERIOSTEUM, AT THE ANGLE OF
THE JAW.
This is a very frequent and formidable disease among cattle,
and is ofttimes occasioned by blows inflicted purposely or acci-
dentally on a region known as the angle of the jaw. It isa
formidable disease, because it frequently ends in caries or ulcera-
tion of the jaw-bone.
Symptoms.—It originates in an inflammatory condition of the
periosteum, accompanied by a gradual enlargement at the angle
of the jaw. It is very painful, the animal being very unwilling
to have the part handled. The pain is occasioned by distension
584 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of the periosteum, and this is sometimes found to be indurated or
thickened. The animal does not eat as well as usual, in conse-
quence of the pain occasioned by the act of mastication, and he
generally labors under some degree, more or less severe, of febrile
excitement. Ordinarily it isa very easy matter to detect the pres-
ence of pus in any of the superficial regions; but in this, located
directly on the bone, and covered by a fibrous membrane which
only admits of a limited amount of distension, it is very difficult
for an unskillful person to discover it; yet, if the above symptoms
are observed, I should decide that there is pus beneath the perios-
teum.
Treatment.—No treatment is of any advantage except that of
making a free opening through the skin, muscle, and periosteum,
and thus insuring a complete discharge of the morbid matter ;
and the sooner this is done the better, for it will relieve the ani-
mal of much suffering and prevent ulceration of the jaw-bone.
Very little after-treatment is required. It is only necessary to
cleanse the part daily, and dress with tincture of matico.
EXosTosIs, OR DEPOSIT OF CALCAREOUS MATTER ON THE
SURFACE OF BONEs.
Exostosis signifies an unnatural growth of bone, or deposit of
calcareous matter on the surface of bones. Among horses this
disease occurs in the form of splent, spavin, and ring-bone. It
is very seldom that cattle are treated for this affection; for the
deformity is so slight, and the lameness so obscure, in consequence
of the slow motions of the animal, that very little notice is taken
of it.
Treatment.—The proper mode of treatment is to apply, daily,
a small quantity of iodide of glycerine, prepared as follows:
INGOs LOS OGINe: teriei ess c sheks Siok clete te erteieees Sal Gls
Gi CELINE: nie i2i0'eite elareloveloreit ce oe cleiciv/eferatlnOZs
Mix.
Apply by means of a small piece of sponge. This is to be
applied daily for a period of two weeks, after which use acetic
acid, one part; water, six parts. With a portion of this sponge
the enlargement until pain and lameness disappear. |
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 585
CARIES, OR ULCERATION OF BONES.
This is a very common disease among cattle, and is preceded by
inflammation and suppuration. It sometimes proceeds from a blow
received at the angle of the jaw; generally, however, it is a con-
stitutional disease of a malignant character. ‘
Treatment.—In the first stages of this disease, the part being hot,
painful, and tender, I should foment with warm vinegar, which
will tend to hasten suppuration; then, having ascertained that
there is some pus or matter locally imprisoned, the part must be
freely punctured, the pus evacuated, and the cavity injected with
pure pyroligneous acid. Supposing, or rather suspecting, the dis-
ease to be constitutional, I should administer the following :
No. 109. Iodide of potassium......... Gielelerelekae el OZ:
Gilycemimeye ela sree se tele slelcrs Selehefste sion ie) OZ
Minetureor-golden) seal V7..ei cists ss os 2 02.
VVfatiers ache) jellalelsicieveye slolelel hs a lalaiiiatate sete 2 qts.
Mix.
_ The dose is one-sixteenth part of the above quantity, to be ad-
ministered daily.
PRELIMINARY TO HoRN-AIL.
Many very valuable animals die prematurely, under treatment,
in consequence of mistaking symptoms for the disease. Before I
discuss horn-ail, I propose to offer a few brief remarks on the
subject of sympathy, so that the non-professional reader may be
prepared to comprehend the why and wherefore of sympathetic
diseases, as they occur in neat stock during the progress of pri-
mary affections.
On SYMPATHY AND THE SYMPATHETIC RELATIONS WHICH
EXIsT IN THE ANIMAL Economy,
The animal structures are so sympathetically related to each
other, and so dependent are various organs and functions on an
equilibrium of vital action, based on the law of sympathy, that
the animal economy, as a whole, may be said to compose a vast
machine, the integrity of which depends on the free and full play
of all parts composing its intricate mechanism. The media by
586 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
which sympathy is aroused and maintained are the nerves. These
originate from the brain and medulla spinalis, or spinal marrow.
Ten pairs of nerves radiate directly from the brain, termed cere-
bral; thirty-nine pairs from the spinal marrow, termed spinal.
They are named after that of the region in which they are found;
hence we have ,seven pairs of nerves issuing from the cervical
region (neck), eighteen from the dorsal (back), five from the lum-
bar region, and five sacral, within the pelvis, four coccygeal—
making, in all, forty-nine pairs cerebro-spinal nerves. They are
distributed from each side of the spine to various parts of the
body, and their terminations are called “sentient,” this being the
seat of sensation.
The most important nerve, however, for our consideration, is
the sympathetic. It is supposed by some writers to be in itself a
complete nervous system, It originates in a branch issuing from
the base of the brain, and communicates with every other nervous
filament of the body. The connection takes place in the follow-
ing manner: The sympathetic nerve has, at various points, a
number of gangliform plexuses. From these thread-like fila-
ments arise, which radiate and connect with similar ganglions
found on the cerebral and spinal nerves. On these divergent fila-
ments we have other ganglionic structures, which send branches
to the liver, spleen, kidneys, etc. ‘The sympathetic nerves of one
side amalgamate with those of the opposite, and this is their mode
of communication. The nerves of the sympathetic system possess
a certain degree of power in exciting muscular contractions, as
well as sympathetic actions, in the various parts to which they are
distributed. CARPENTER has observed that, by “irritating a
branch of the sympathetic nerve, immediately after the death of
an animal, contractions may be excited in any part of the alimen-
tary canal from the pharynx to the rectum, according to the
trunks which are irritated; in the heart, after its ordinary move-
ments have ceased ; in the aorta, vena cava, and thoracic duct; in
the ductus choledochus, uterus, fallopian tubes, vas deferens, and
vesiculee seminales, etc. It is probable that the sympathetic
system not only thus brings the organic functions into relation
with the animal, but that it also tends to harmonize the former
with each other, so as to bring the various acts of secretion, nutri-
tion, etc., into mutual conformity.”
There are several orders of sympathetic nerves, Some pass
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 587
into the parenchyma of the organic viscera, and others are dis-
tributed on the outer coats of arteries, continuing, throughout
their minute capillary structures, into the papille. By this ar-
rangement the harmony between the internal, external, and remote
parts is perpetuated.
Correct knowledge regarding the sympathetic relations peculiar
to animal organization seems absolutely necessary, in order to
correct the erroneous impressions that some persons have formed
of the nature and seat of disease incidental to horses and cattle,
and, in this view, I offer these preliminary remarks as introduc-
tory to the subjects of “horn and tail-ails” (imaginary diseases,
which oftentimes, perhaps always, are the result of a fertile im-
agination, or, rather, a sequence of that faulty mode of reasoning
which confounds effects with causes). Any person conversant
with the sympathetic relations existing in the animal economy,
can readily discover the difference between a pathological condi-
tion and the local or general symptoms which usually accompany
it. An animal, for example, is attacked with acute disease of the
liver. He evinces signs of pain from pressure on the right or
off side, in the region of the liver, and, possibly, the lameness is
of so grave a character as to mislead the non-medical observer,
and he necessarily concludes that the subject is lame, “and noth-
ing more.” He prescribes an external remedy, accordingly, which
is neither calculated to cure nor palliate the liver difficulty. Thus,
for want of the necessary knowledge, the symptoms are mistaken
for the disease.
In derangement of the digestive organs, more particularly of
the stomach, the brain is usually sympathetically affected. The
symptoms of disturbance in that organ, or its functions, may
escape the attention of the “cow-leach,” yet they are always
present, and range from what has been observed as “ dullness”
up to somnolency, accompanied by other morbid phenomena well
understood by the physician. A knowledge of these and other
sympathetic relations existing throughout the animal economy,
enables us to understand what occasions vomiting in a man when
a blow of sufficient force is received on the skull. The blow
arouses a certain set of involuntary operations which the subject
is unable to control, as in the cases of vomiting, ete. It explains,
also, why giddiness or vertiginous symptoms usually follow when
a blow is received on the region of the stomach; how the impreg-
588 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
nated uterus influences the mamme and stomach, causing increasé
of function and volume in the former, and morning nausea in the
latter ; how a diseased condition of the internal mucous membrane
reacts on the common integument, and vice versd. Even in the
osseous structures the law of sympathy prevails. A disease in
the upper extremity of the bone gives rise to sympathetic pain at
the opposite extremity. And as regards the muscles and tendons,
there exists a very marked sympathy, although in the mind of
pathologists this is not strange, for, anatomically considered, the
tendons are neither more nor less than tendinous terminations of
muscles. Puncture of a tendon is often followed by great de-
rangement of the nervous system, and other pathological condi-
tions, not unfrequently ending in trismus (lock-jaw.) This is
owing to the same law of sympathetic association just alluded to.
There is, therefore, a tendency in certain organs to become de-
ranged or diseased in consequence of a malady locating in others,
although they may not always be identical in function.
HoRn-AIL.
Persons who are in the habit of prescribing for sick brutes, and
have never made themselves acquainted with the sympathetic
relations existing in the animal economy, to which I have re-
ferred, are liable to commit errors in diagnosing disease, and,
when questioned regarding the seat of the same, their opinion
generally is that the suffering animal has either the horn-ail or
tail-ail. The idea, in almost all cases, is so supremely absurd,
that, if any thing other than a living animal were the subject of
the barbarities which, according to mistaken notions of cure, are
sure to follow, I should feel disposed to burlesque the whole pro-
cedure regarding both horn-ail and its treatment. In my opinion,
horn-ail, in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred, exists only in
the imagination of those persons who allow error to overcome
their better judgment, or else they have not given the subject a
passing thought; therefore, they are incompetent to even guess at
the true nature of the malady with any chances of correctness.
No allusion, that I am aware of, has ever been made by the
authors of standard works or text-books on veterinary science, to
horn-ail; and if educated veterinary surgeons were as numerous
here as in England or France, and they had the same means to
DISEASES OF THE BONES. — 589
reach the ears and the understandings of our husbandmen, the
latter would soon be convinced of the absurdity which is here
described, and, consequently, be induced to protect their animals
from that species of cruel quackery or ignorance which would
refer all their aches and diseases to horns or tails, and which sanc-
tions the boring of the former, and curtailing or docking the
latter.
The pathological conditions on which the absurd theory of
horn-ail seems to be founded are heat or coldness of the horns.
These are the principal, and, in fact, only symptoms which the
unlearned expounders of a popular malady have given us; but
‘every one ought to be aware that variations in the temperature
of a part so inferiorly organized as the horns are is no criterion
‘as regards the nature of the disease which occasions, in this
vicinity, merely an increase or decrease of temperature. The
actual disease which occasions a loss or increase of temperature of
the external surface of the body, horns included, may be, and
often is, located in either the brain, stomach, or bowels, and at
other times is the result of local congestions of the lungs and other
parts—mere effects—the results of preéxisting disease ; therefore,
I contend that the term horn-ail, when used to express the con-
dition of parts sympathetically affected or aroused, throws no
light on the true nature of the disease under which the animal
labors.
I shall contend that neither the augmentation nor decrease in
the temperature of the horns constitutes actual disease of the same,
but may indicate a loss of equilibrium in the circulation of blood.
Tf the horns are at fever-heat, and the surface of the body be cool,
we know that the brain or its membranes may be actively or
passively congested. On the other hand, should the horns and
the extremities be cold, it goes to prove that the animal is the sub-
ject of internal congestion or disease. But why locate it in the
horns, when in the animal economy are found so many hundred
parts, sections, and divisions of parts, more important, sensitive,
and of vastly more consequence to the preservation of vital integ-
rity, than the horns? The variations in the temperature of the
horns and other parts of the body, which the horn-ail theorists
neglect to notice, enter into a class of symptoms from and by means
of which an educated surgeon makes up an intelligent and correct
diagnosis, and, consequently, are only of value, in point of fact, in
590 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
so far as they go to show the actual state of the whole animal
mechanism. The proposition admits of the following appropriate
and convincing illustration: A man is attacked with acute disease
of the liver, and almost always experiences a pain in the right
shoulder, a purely sympathetic affection. Now, it would be very
ridiculous for a physician to overlook the diseased condition of the
liver, and merely prescribe for the sympathetic shoulder-lameness,
and call it “shoulder-ail.” Such ignorance is calamitous, but does
not often occur when the educated physician is employed; otherwise
it does, and many such cases are quite fresh in my memory. Now,
instead of prescribing local agents, as some have done, in view of
mitigating sympathetic local pain, would it not be more in accord-
ance with reason and science to administer medicinal agents, such
as are calculated to restore the liver to a natural physiological con-
dition? A man who thus ignorantly prescribes falls into the same
error with him who would refer all diseases of neat stock to their
horns or tails, merely because the parts are not in their natural
physiological condition, owing, as I have said, to actual disease
seated elsewhere. Thus the symptoms are mistaken for the dis-
ease, and the treatment, in so far as boring, sawing off horns, and
curtailing the caudal appendage is concerned, is highly injurious,
barbarous, and, in these enlightened times, deplorable.
It requires no argument to convince many men that horn-ail is
a very prevalent disease, for the false doctrine has been promul-
gated, and has received attention from men whose domains extend
from Maine to California. The error has been sown broadcast,
and has acquired such hold on the minds of some that it will take
many years to root out the evil. One writer on this subject, be-
lieving that horn-ail is a sort of national disease, reeommends the
barn-yard faculty (for no regular physician will heed his advice)
to carry gimlets in their pockets, so that they may be armed and
equipped to encounter and subdue that which is more imaginary
than real.
I have made examinations of the bodies of cattle, subsequent to
death, said to have died of horn-ail. Among them were evident
traces of softening of the brain; and this is a feature of disease
very often present, as I shall attempt to show, in many of the so-
called cases of horn-ail. Softening of the brain is a disease of so
erave a character, that any morbid symptoms attending the same,
as local heat or coldness of horns, might compare in the ratio ofa
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 591
mole-hill placed beside a mountain. Softening of the brain is
the ultimatum of a grave disease occurring in that organ; and if
the owners of live stock are disposed to believe that horn diffi-
culty is the most preponderant and alarming, and they can sleep
soundly in the belief that no danger threatens, then, “If igno-
rance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.” I can not indorse this sen-
timent, however; for, in this day of intellectual maturity, no one
has a right to be a dunce in his chosen profession, nor a fool, to
thwart the intentions of those who would substitute light for .
darkness. :
Softening of the brain is always preceded by-acute, and, subse-
quently, chronic, inflammation of the same or its investing tunics,
and constitutes the last stage of disease; so that the days of such
a subject are numbered, and the man of gimlet and ignorance,
armed with his munitions of warfare, treats the disease at long
odds. He pockets the fees but loses the case. His patient, on
which a too confiding owner has foolishly permitted him to prac-
tice his cruelty and legerdemain, dies, and he knows not the why
nor the wherefore. ;
But, in order to convince the reader of the follies of the above
practice, I offer the following illustration, from a reliable source.
The case was diagnosed and treated as horn-ail. I quote from the
“Southern Planter: ”
“ After death, examined the head. Crest between horns per-
fectly hollow. All the little divisions and offshoots of bone which
are usually found in the cavity were removed, in a greater or less
degree, and there were only the white of egg matter and pus. The
horns, also, entirely hollow; one of them filled with nearly a pint
of lymphy and purulent matter. The cavity extending to the
orbit of the eye, thence communicating with the nostrils, especially
on one side. The brain, which lies in very near contact with this
cavity of the crest (which we may as well call the frontal sinuses),
was softened and fallen, in one hemisphere, into a thick mush. A
small part only of this half was of healthy con3istency, preserving
its form or vessels entire. The other half (hemisphere) was not
softened, but the vessels were very full of blood, and the mem-
branes exhibited signs of intense inflammation, No other region
or organs examined.”
In regard to this quotation I remark: It is very natural that
the frontal sinuses should be hollow; for, if they were solid, the
592 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
weight of the head would be enormous; and I can readily per-
ceive the wisdom of the Divine Artist in thus adapting the parts
for the convenience of the animal, and relieving him of what, had
it been otherwise, must have been a burden, and would have re-
quired powerful muscles to support the head. The bones about
the head are divided into two plates, separated by numerous vacui-
ties or cells; but, unlike those of the horse, they extend through
the whole of the bone—nay, penetrate even through the parietal
and occipital bones. Hence it happens that the frontal sinuses (so
these cavities are called in cattle as well as the horse) extend from
the angle of the eye to the very foramen through which the brain
escapes from the skull—nay, to the very tip of the horn. Hence
the parts may be said to be hollow; and it is well that every farmer
should know this, for some suppose them solid, and are very much
surprised to find them hollow. On making a section of the horn,
from tip to base, it will be found partly hollow, “having sinuses
that extend almost to its tip.” The lymphy and purulent matter
found within the frontal sinuses and those of the horn, together
with the softening of one hemisphere of the brain, proved that the
parts were all involved in disease; but then the disease never had its
origin in the horn. The brain, or perhaps its membrénes, were
the primary seat of the affection, and, after softening, (decompos-
ing,) involved the surrounding parts in ruin. “ The other half
of the brain was not softened, but the vessels were full of blood,
and the membranes exhibited signs of intense inflammation.”
Probably this was the state of affairs in the diseased hemisphere
in its early stage, and some physical impediments to the return of
blood from the brain had induced cerebral appolexy. The animal
was in a plethoric state, “very fat.” There was too great redun-
dancy of blood—just the subject for such disease. Softening of
the brain, I think, would be a better designation of the disease
than “ horn-ail.”
The editor of the “ Planter,” in a subsequent number of his
journal, remarks: “The notion that this disease originates in the
horn itself seems to us to be an error, resulting from that back-
ward mode of reasoning which confounds symptoms with disease.
The disorder in that organ, ‘the horn,’ should rather seem to be
secondary. No less erroneous do we deem the opinion, held by
some, that the horn becomes frost-bitten, and then putrifies.
Though its whole inner surface is exceedingly vascular, yet it is
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 593
perfectly protected by the almost insensible horny covering in
which it is cased throughout, except only a very minute ring at
its base, whose pulsations are the most accurate index of the pulse ;
and that ring, hardly wider than a thread, can not be affected by
cold. When it is considered that the horn is a substance of lower
vitality than the hoof, which never becomes frost-bitten, even
though chilled by an iron shoe, reason should teach us that it can
not be injured by cold.”
A similar case occurred in the experience of the editor of the
Planter,” which “ran to a speedy and fatal termination.” Upon
dissection of the head, the left hemisphere of the brain was found
completely “broken down,” or disorganized ; the base of the left
horn was slightly implicated. The introduction of a gimlet, there-
fore, into the horns of cattle thus affected, and afterward cramming
in pepper, turpentine, and other foreign bodies, can not possibly
reach the disease nor benefit the animal, but is apt to do much
harm; for puncture of the lining membrane of the frontal sinuses,
which generally takes place when the instrument is introduced
near the base of the horn, is attended with danger, both as regards
inflammation and hemorrhage; and it is just as unwise to fill the
parts with pepper, turpentine, etc., in view of cure, as it would be
if one of our own race were concerned.
I now have an impression that the reader, like myself, has
come to the conclusion that, in the generality of cases occurring
among neat stock, the disease christened horn and tail-ails, is lo-
eated elsewhere. Yet some persons contend that the practice,
which I denominate as unscientific and barbarous, saves some of
the afflicted animals. I have doubts about the treatment saving
them. They may survive it; for it is well known that both men
and animals often recover after an unfavorable prognosis is made,
and they will also survive very severe injuries, fractures, punc-
tures, and formidable wounds, ete. ; so that health returns, in such
cases, in spite of the violence opposed to it. Hence, if an animal
should be restored to health, after having been compelled to sub-
mit to the fashionable barbarities of horn-boring, that is no proof
of the utility of the means used.
If we could only collect all the facts in the case of an animal
said to be the subject of horn-ail, we should probably discover
that, in four cases out of five, the animal’s stomach was the seat of
the original difficulty, for the stomach is more frequently deranged
38
594 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
than any other organ of the body; and it often occurs in this
way: A man has a cow, an ox, or a lot of cattle, which he in-
tends to bring to market, in view of exchanging them for dollars
and cents. He puts them through (as the moderns have it) the
fattening process, furnishing them with a superabundance of
carbon, in the form of meal and other nitrogenous equivalents.
The result is an accumulation of adipose tissue; the animal be-
comes fat, and, consequently, plethoric. The accumulation of fat
offers an impediment to the free and full play of the heart, lungs,
and diaphragm; and, should the subject be a pregnant cow, she
- is liable, a few hours after the period of parturition, to be attacked
with milk or puerperal fever, or convulsions; therefore the lia-
bility to disease in more important structures than the horns is a
matter that I seriously urge our itinerant cattle doctors to consider.
Neat stock are often the subjects of catarrh, (or “ hoose,” as it is
termed,) nasal gleet, etc. In either case, a profuse discharge occurs
from the surface of the nasal membrane, extending to the frontal
sinuses, up to the very tip of some horns. This is often called
horn-ail, and the gimlet is brought into requisition, and, on with-
drawing it, some of the “ matter” may possibly escape from the
orifice; hence the gimlet is said to do good. This I deny; for
the more rational way of favoring the discharge of the matter
would be to steam the nostrils, and adopt such other means as the
nature of the case may seem to require.
Even granting what some contend for—namely, that an abscess
occasionally forms in one of the nasal cavities—then it would not
be proper to bore the horns, for the pus must necessarily be in-
closed within a sac, which the gimlet may rupture. Then the
morbid matter escapes into the frontal sinuses, and is apt to set
up diseased action on the tissue with which it comes into contact.
If it be ever necessary to puncture an abscess of this character, it
should be done by way of the nostrils. Even should the animal
labor under any disease located within the horns, the introduction
of a gimlet would be a very unsafe remedy, as all veterinary sur-
geons are ready to testify. It is a dangerous business to puncture
a membrane so highly organized as that found within the frontal
sinuses,* especially when so rude an instrument as a gimlet is
* The gimlet, before it enters the lining membrane of the parts (termed
schneiderian), must necessarily puncture a highly vascular membrane (termed
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 595
used. ‘The instrument must lacerate the parts, and induce severe
inflammation and suppuration ; consequently, it is better calcu-
lated to produce disease in this region than to cure one existing
there.
I have examined many animals after their horns have been
bored, and have always found an undue degree of heat in the
cranial region; throbbing pulsations about the base of the horn,
and a general disturbance of the functions; sometimes an accu-
mulation of pus within the cavity. Then, again, internal hem-
orrhage, effusion, etc., of blood, are apt to occur after boring the
horns; and every intelligent physician would be unwilling to
incur the risk attending it. Many a valuable animal has been
lost by hemorrhage, following fracture, puncture, and sawing off
the horns.
Horn-ail is said to be so prevalent among neat stock, that the
farmer (in the imaginative mood) fears it as he would the plague.
And the only remedy for this lamentable state of ignorance is for
farmers to use their reason, godlike and rational, and avail them-
selves of the experience of those competent to diagnose disease by
its concomitant and persistent symptoms. We are now in pos-
session of facts showing that the introduction of a foreign body
(a gimlet) may induce a formidable disease; therefore, it should
never be used. |
Among the diseases mistaken for horn-ail I name indigestion ;
and this disease is almost as prevalent among neat stock as it
proves to be among the members of the human family in this
country. Loss of cud, or a cessation of rumination, is one of the
principal symptoms of acute indigestion. I made an autopsy, in a
case of this character, only a short time ago, and found the aboma-
sum, or fourth compartment of the stomach, enormously distended
with food, and, on removing the same, the mucous membrane
readily peeled off. I particularly pointed out to the owner
of the animal the pathological appearances as they occurred ;
but, as he had made up his mind, and the neighbors confirmed
his opinion that the animal was the subject of horn-ail, he still
believes that the trouble first commenced in the horns, which had
been bored in several places.
periosteum), the external covering of the bony column, and inflammation and
suppuration may be. the consequence, ending in altered structure.
596 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
I am not contending that the vascular membrane within and
without the osseous structure of the horns and contiguous parts
enjoys immunity from disease. It is subject to it, as are other
parts, precisely identical in function and structure. But I am
exposing a false theory, which confounds functional and organic
diseases with their symptoms or manifestations.
A local disease of the horns is not unusual. For example, a
blow in the region of the base of the horn often occasions a local
affection; and this is not to be wondered at, when we know that
the parts in this region are merely defended by a thin cuticular
envelope, and, therefore, offers but little protection to the subtis-
sues. This region is denominated by brutal men the “ tender
spot ;” and, in view of subduing a restive animal, they aim their
bludgeons in this direction, with terrible effect. Local injuries
of this character, and those occurring in the savage encounters
which horned animals frequently engage in, the boring of their
horns, and sawing them off, etc., are accidents ‘and processes more
or less operative in exciting a local affection..
A local disease of this character admits of the following dem-
onstration; namely, percussion. Percussion is the art of striking
various parts of the body, with a view of ascertaining the seat of
disease. Every substance, when thrown into sonorous vibration,
produces a sound the tone of which is peculiar to itself, and every
change which takes place in the composition of that substance, or
in the arrangement of its component parts, is accompanied by a
corresponding change in its tone. If we strike a solid body, it
emits a solid sound; strike an empty one, and it emits a hollow
sound. In like manner, if we strike a healthy horn, we get a
sound of hollowness. When the horn and frontal sinuses are
occupied by matter, we elicit a dull sound, without vibration.
The difference between the sound elicited from an empty barrel
and that from a full one, or the sound from a solid post and that
from a hollow one, when struck with a hammer, is not more re-
markable than in the cases of healthy and diseased horns. By
the same means we diagnose diseases of the chest. We are, there-
fore enabled, with absolute certainty, to determine the presence of
pus within the horns; and, keeping in view the history of the
case, which it is our business to inquire into, we can generally tell
whether or not such abscesses result from local injury or disease
within the parts, or if it be the sequence of some other disease.
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 597
Treatment.—In regard to the treatment of an abscess located in
the region of the base of the horns, the proper method is to tre-
phine the skull, which operation can only be performed by a vet-
erlnary surgeon.
CATA:
Th view of sustaining the respectability of veterinary science and
my own professional reputation, I would inform the reader that
tail-ail is an imaginary disease, appearing only in localities which
the apostles of true veterinary science have never visited. The
supposed affection is said to induce partial or complete paralysis
of the hind extremities, and, contrary to the principles of science
and the testimony of several veterinary writers, this condition is
often termed tail-ail. The faulty theory is, a soft spot is found at
the end of the tail, (this is a feature of every healthy cow’s tail,
when it has not been docked,) which takes the strength out of her
back, and produces paralysis. The remedy is either to amputate
the caudal appendage, or slit open the soft spot and stuff in tar,
pepper, salt, or whatever remedy Neighbor So-and-so recommends.
It seems a pity that the poor animals I am now writing about can
not, like their masters, receive the benefits resulting from the in-
vestigations of scientific men in improved methods of treating dis-
ease. However, it is gratifying to know that the errors of the
past are fast “dying out,” and that the days of ignorance are
numbered.
The tail is sometimes the seat of a local affection arising from
blows, etc., or it may be the seat of a cutaneous disease; but neither
one nor the other can be of so grave a character as to produce
paralysis of the posterior limbs. The soft extremity of the tail
may also occasionally become congested, or else oedematous (drop-
sical). But these states of the part would not justify a man in
cutting off the tail; for the limbs are often found in the same con-
dition, and no one would ever think of lopping them off, for the
remedy would be worse than the disease; and, so far as the tail is
concerned in being the seat of local congestion, or edema, there is
no disease at all, and, therefore, does not require local treatment.
But I am not discussing the probabilities of diseases of the tail.
This is not my purpose. I only aim to show the folly of making
the cow’s tail the indicator of the various diseases of her body,
and, also, that of confounding a disease of the nervous system
598 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
with a slight congestion of the tail; and, further, the folly of ar-
guing thatthe cow’s strength is taken out of her back, ete., because
the end of her tail is soft. If the tails of neat stock, or those of
any other animals, become diseased, in the name of humanity let
them be prescribed for; but I do hope that those who read this
article will never be caught prying into the end of the above use-
ful appendage for the purpose of demonstrating that which never
existed.
Almost all animals said to have the tail-ail are laboring under
various forms of disease remote from the tail, and, however dili-
gent men may be in performing their barbarous operations on the
same, the disease under which the animal suffers, perhaps located
either in the brain, spinal marrow, liver, or pancreas, entirely un-
suspected, may progress to a fatal termination, while an uneducated
cow-leech is amusing himself by taking unwarrantable liberties
with the uncomplaining animal’s tail. I am often told that ani-
mals, after being thus operated on, get well. Very likely. Some
animals will endure the most cruel torture, and I once saw a cow,
in apparent health, who a fortnight previous drank a pint of white
paint. Such cases I look upon as nothing more nor less than lucky
escapes.
I shall close this article by introducing a selection from
“Youatr on Cattle.’ Mr. Youarrt, when treating of palsy, thus
alludes to “ tail-ill,” or “ tail-slip”:
“Tn many parts of the kingdom palsy is traced to a most ridicu-
lous cause. The original evil is said to be in the tail, and all
maladies of this kind, involving the partial or total loss of motion
in the hind limbs of the animal, are classed under the name of
tail-ill, or tail-slip. Our friend, Mr. Dick, of Edinburgh, has
taken up this subject, in a very interesting point of view, in the
fourteenth number of the ‘Journal of Agriculture,’ and the public
are much indebted to him for dispelling a false, injurious, and
cruel superstition. The farmer and the cow-leech believe that the
mischief passes along the cow’s tail to the back, and that it is on
account of something wrong in the tail that she loses the use of her
legs; and then some set to work and cut the cow’s tail off, while
others, less cruel or more scientific, make an incision into the under
surface, and allow the wound to bleed freely, and then fill it up
with a mixture of tar and salt, and we know not what. * * *
Mr. Dick, with a kind consideration for which he deserves much
DISEASES OF THE BONES. 599
credit, condescends to reason the case with these foolish people;
and what he says is so much to the purpose, that we can not refrain
from introducing it here: ‘The disease, in ordinary cases, is said
to consist in a softening about the extremity of the tail, and is to
be distinguished by the point of the tail being easily doubled back
upon itself, and having, at this doubling, a soft and rather crepi-
tating kind of feel. But what is the real state of the case? The
tail is lengthened out to the extent of about three feet, and is
formed like a common whip. Toward the extremity the bones
terminate gradually, becoming insensibly smaller as they proceed
downward. At this part is said to be found a soft place (the tail-
slip). Beyond this, again, a firm cartilaginous portion is found,
covered with hair, to brush off the flies within its reach. Now,
why have we the long columns of bones—the termination with a
soft space of a few inches—this thickened, hard, cartilaginous part
at the very extremity, and that extremity covered with hair, but
with a view to form a whip, to drive off, with the greatest possible
effect, the insects which wound and torment the animal?’ ”
After such testimony as the above, I firmly believe that the
readers of this work will never be caught in the foolish act of lo-
cating paralysis at the extremity of the caudal appendage.
SECTION XXV.
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN AND ITS MEMBRANES—STURDY IN CATTLE—SHAKING
Patsy—HyDROPHOBIA.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN AND ITS MEMBRANES.
T makes but little difference, so far as our method of treatment
is concerned, whether the brain or its membranes be the seat
of inflammation ; for the treatment, in both cases, must be the same,
and the difference, in a pathological point of view, can not be very
great between a disease of the brain and its investing membranes,
although each may have peculiarities of appearance. The affection
is generally sudden in its attack, and it is often accompanied by
symptoms of frenzy, and the animal sometimes becomes frantic,
and decidedly mischievous. Soon, however, alterations in the
structure of the parts take place, as softening, effusion, etc., and
then the animal dies.
In regard to the treatment, I must confess that it is much
easier to write about it than accomplish it. In cases when de-
lirious fits occur, accompanied by convulsions, which make it dan-
gerous to approach the animal, I have no remedies to offer; the
case is beyond the reach of art. I may, however, add that the
terminations of this disease are different. They depend on the
intensity of the malady and the structural susceptibility. The
disease is generally treated on the antiphlogistic plan: cold water
to the head, active cathartics, and counter-irritation on the region
of the spine.
Causes.—The causes of a disease of this character are often
obscure, yet I have known it to occur as a symptomatic affection.
I examined the carcass of an ox, a short time ago, that died of
(600)
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 601
what the owner termed “ mad staggers.” I found the brain highly
congested, and several adhesions between it and its membranes.
There were also large patches, intensely red, on the liring mem-
brane of the third and fourth apartments of the stomach. I was
informed by the owner that the animal died twenty-four hours
from the time of its first attack. The disease probably originated
on the digestive surfaces, in consequence of the irritating nature
of the food—moldy hay and tough corn-stalks, with a sprinkling
of damaged meal and brewer’s grains.
Symptoms.—The symptoms of symptomatic disease of the brain
are as follows: Dullness, loss of appetite, staring of the coat; and,
if the animal be a milch cow, diminution in the quantity of milk
is observed; the extremities are cold, and the animal grates its
teeth; the respiration is at first tranquil, and the pulse slow but
full; the patient will frequently be seized with a kind of epileptic
fit, which lasts but a few minutes, during which time some of them
will exhibit the most violent symptoms, such as bellowing hide-
ously, pawing the earth, and running at any thing within their
reach ; they will also break out into profuse perspiration, and press
their heads forcibly against the wall, even to such an extent as to
break off their horns. Many are seized with violent tremblings
and twitchings, and, toward the latter period of the disease, the
respiration becomes extremely laborious, the jaws are firmly closed,
convulsions succeed each other rapidly, and death shortly closes
the scene.
Treatment.—Give the animal two drachms of fluid extract of gel-
seminum in a gill of water, twice daily, until the pulse and respira-
tions become more natural. Give occasional enemas of soap-suds,
and keep the head and spine sponged often with cold water. So
soon as the inflammatory symptoms subside, discontinue the gel-
seminum, and administer, daily, doses of
No. 110. Fluid extract of golden seal.......... 1k oye
Byposulphiteot Sodase.. 16) s 4 o£
\NGUER 6c GCIBIRIG dict os Dic. Bislo Nome : 1 pt
Mix.
STURDY, OR CEREBRAL PARASITES.
The brain, and its investing membranes, are often infested with
a species of entozoa, termed ccenurus. They consist of a parent
602 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
sac, or membranous tunic, from which, externally, germination
takes place. This mode of multiplication of this group of para-
sites ster from that which is observed in the hydatid (fluke), in
which it occurs internally.
Symptoms.—The symptoms will jepd altogether upon the
number and size of the parasites. In their early state they take
up but little room, and do not occasion any very marked symp-
toms; yet, if the animal could only speak, we might be informed
that he was the subject of headache. As the parasite or parasites
increase in size, they produce pressure on the brain, which makes
the animal appear giddy, confused, nervous, and desirous of sep-
arating itself from the herd; and it is in consequence of these
peculiar symptoms making their appearance, when no other form
of disease is present, that the term “sturdy ” is applied, which is
simply used to denote the presence of cerebral parasites.
Treatment.—When once these parasites have fairly taken up
their abode in the cranial cavity of an ox, I fear there is very
little help. An operation, such as that alluded to by the writer
of the appended article, may, once in awhile, prove successful, yet,
in my opinion, the remedy is about as bad as the disease; there-
fore I recommend prevention rather than attempts at cure. The
preventive remedies are salt, sulphur, and charcoal, equal parts.
This is a specific for all parasites. About a table-spoonful of the
mixture, given occasionally in the food, will prevent the germi-
nation of many forms of parasites.
The following interesting translations are fe Mr. GAMGEE:
“ Sturdy in Gin less than seven bladders of the ccenurus
were found in the left hemisphere of the cerebrum, in an old cow
affected with the sturdy. Between the dura mater and the cranial
parieties there were several transparent vesicles, about the size of
a pea, embedded in the substance of the bones. The left hemis-
phere of the cerebrum only weighed three drachms and a scruple
less than the right, although the former contained all the blad-
ders. Hering could not find any heads of the ccenurus on the
interior of the sacs, and he held them to be yet undeveloped
hydatids.— Repertorium fiir Therheil, p. 21. 1855: Stuttgart.
“In the second volume of the Milan ‘ Veterinary Journal,’ at
page 52, is a case of sturdy, recorded by Patellani. It occurred
in a two-year old animal, that had shown, for several days, at-
tacks of madness, and in one of these it had broken a horn off,
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 603
Patellani found her lying senseless on the ground; the head, bent
on one side; the forehead, hot, and painful on percussion; the
sound produced, hollow. - On examination after death, the mem-
brane of the brain was found injected, and in the right ventricle
of the cerebrum were hydatids with several heads. —
“The trephine has, of late years, been much recommended in
ceases of cerebral hydatids in cattle ; and in Bavaria and Wurtem-
berg it has frequently been employed, and often with good results.
At the Clinique of the Munich Veterinary School, in the month
of November, 1854, a year-old heifer was presented, with expan-
sion of the right frontal bone. There were symptoms of giddi-
ness, with turning toward the right side, dullness, etc. Ramoser
found, on percussing the seat of the disease, that the sound was
most hollow to the left. The case was observed for forty-three
days, during which time the symptoms became more severe; the
animal was trephined, and about two ounces of serum passed out,
followed by the bag of the parasite. “The wound would have been
closed with a clay plaster, but the animal had to be slaughtered
the following day. The membranes of the brain were inflamed,
especially to the right, and blood was extravasated on its surface.
The expansion, thinning, and even perforation of the upper part
of the right lateral ventricle, showed that the bladder was lodged
in the ventricle itself, as had been seen the previous year, in
another case that had been operated upon. Death was then
attributable to the far-advanced stage of the malady, and to the
abrupt collapse of the parietes of the ventricle, after contraction
of the bladder.”—Miinchen Jahresber, fer 1854-5, p. 13.
The following is from the pen of Mr. Joun GAMGEE, (Edin-
burgh,) on sturdy in sheep, in which much useful information
relative to parasites is given:
“The more inquiries made, the more accurate will the conclusion
arrived at by scientific men appear, that dogs and sheep must live
together for certain parasites to extend their ravages with effect.
On all the sheep-farms I visited last summer, sturdy was com-
plained of, and on all such farms there were dogs. Such was the
case at Cairnton, Mill of Kincarnardine, on Glendye, and in other
localities. Mr. Falconer, of Balnakettle, a gentleman of great
experience, and other farmers, assured me that there has been
more giddiness in sheep within the last two or three years than
they had ever witnessed before, and the losses, in consequence,
604 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
are sometimes greater than by that fatal malady “braxy.” This
clearly does not depend on a large number of dogs being kept;
but there are many conditions affecting the propagation of para-
sites, and if destructive agencies were not as universal as the
productive, much more effectually would vermin and parasites
multiply and spread their baneful influence, to the detriment of
mankind. It is accidental circumstances that affect the develop-
ment of diseases of animals. If every germ produced by a single
tape-worm, in a limited period of time, were to take effect, it
would be quite sufficient to exterminate the flocks of Great Brit-
ain; but, I repeat, the laws established to procure the multipli-
cation of any animal are counteracted by an infinity of uncon-
trolled, but, perhaps, not uncontrollable, agencies. The latent
vitality of the eggs of such"parasites is extremely difficult to
destroy, and, to use the words of one of Kuchenmelster’s review-
ers, after months of exposure to warmth and moisture, the pulpy
and putrid debris of segments of the teenia solium yield ova which
show no sign of any approach of degeneration or decay. And the
writer of this review has been struck by the remarkable way in
which the size and structure of these ova allow them to elude all
precautions that may be taken against their mechanical dispersion.
In spite of every attempt to insure their destruction, by steeping
the specimen glasses he may have used in strong acids, and by
afterward bathing them in the flame of a spirit-lamp, he has once
or twice found the characteristic ova appear most unaccountably
in healthy and diseased tissues of secretions of the human body,
which he has subsequently examined with these glasses. The
dissolution of the parent tissues ultimately sets free the eggs con-
tained in their interior, to be carried by the winds and waves
wherever accident may determine. How vast a number of them
miscarry is evident when we attempt to take the census of a single
tape-worm! Or imagine the million of eggs such a parent foists
upon society during the years it may inhabit a given animal.
What becomes of these abortive germs, how long they retain any
vitality, and what are the circumstances that may rob them of it
are questions we can not answer, save by the conjecture that their
albuminous and fatty materials are either applied to the soil in a
decomposed form, or are consumed as food by various of the
minute intervertebra that throng the surface of the earth and the
waters. But the more fortunate minority of these eggs, the des-
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 605
tiny of which is to eat instead of being eaten, after many and long
wanderings of this passive nature, are, at length, engulfed by some
unconscious animal in company with its food, and, through its
alimentary canal, attain the locality of their second form of exist-
ence. During this passive emigration, the worm has retained its
previous size (1-700th of an inch) and shape. But its thick wall
bursts and sets free the inclosed embryo, which is an ovoid body,
of nearly equal size, armed with six hooklets at one extremity.
Impelled by instinct to begin its active migration, the embryo
pierces the first portion of its path by bringing together the an-
terior pair of hooks, so as to form with them a kind of wedge-
shaped stiletto, and now drags itself forward in the same direc-
tion by means of the succeeding pairs of hooks, which it uses like
a person who, in attempting to get out of a bow-window, thrusts
himself forward by his elbows. In this way the minute embryo
penetrates the body it inhabits, and only increases its efforts on
reaching the place its instinct recognizes as suitable for its abode,
prior to the next series of changes it has to undergo. Streaks of
reactive inflammation and exudation generally indicate the minute
channel by which the embryo thus traverses the wall of the digest-
ive canal, in its course to the liver or other organs. The migra-
tion of a teenia is probably a passive process. Various facts suggest
it to be so—“a true locomotion, effected under the impulse of an
instinct, and by means of certain special organs. The germs of
parasites are evidently carried through the system in the stream
of circulating blood, and they do not always travel themselves
through the interstices of tissues.
Sturdy was long considered as dependent on a simple accumu-
lation of water on the brain, generally affecting one side. Leecke
had observed, in 1780, that the water-bladders on the brain of
giddy sheep were animals; and Fabricus (Harvey’s master) was
the first to assert the same respecting the cysticercus of the pig.
Albildguard, the founder of the Copenhagen Veterinary School,
observed that a tape-worm (the bothriocephalus latus) which ex-
isted in the abdominal cavity of the stickle-back, and in the
intestinal canal of certain water birds, never had eggs in the
former but only in the latter situation; and that from the first-
mentioned creature it passed into the second, he ascertained by
direct experiments with ducks, which he fed on banstickles.
Gcetze, in 1782, had perceived the great resemblance between the
606 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
head of the hydatid of the liver of mice and rats, the cysticercus
fasciolaris, and of the tape-worm of the cat (teenia crassicollis.)
The cercariz was first studied by Miiller, and lastly by Bejanus,
in 1818, who recognized them as parasitic in certain snails, in-
closed in bags. M. Wagner and Von Siebold and Steenstrup
fancied they had discovered the change cercarize underwent to
become true fluke-worms. Ehrenberg, in 1852, disputed Steen-
strup’s accepted metamorphoses, and only gives the resemblance
of the tailless cercarice, with a trematode worm. Dr. Kuchen-
meister, of Sittau, instituted ingenious experiments to settle these
hypotheses. He made dogs and cats swallow hydatids, which de-
veloped into tape-worms in the intestines. From the hydatids of
the liver of cats and mice the teenia crassicollis in the intestines
of the cat arose, and from the cysticercus of the hare and rabbit
the teenia serrata in the intestine of the dog; so that if the water-
bladder is lost, the head of the worm attaches itself to the head
of the mucous membrane, the rings constituting the body of the
tape-worms, including the organs of reproduction, and they are
thus formed. By repeated experiments, made by several eminent
zoologists, the deductions were confirmed.”
SHAKING PALSY.
Shaking palsy is a condition of the animal economy known
to medical men as irregular or abnormal nervous action. It gen-
erally occurs in cows of the nervous temperament, whose digest-
ive organs are deranged; and, so far as my experience goes, the
disease is confined to imported stock, of the Alderney breed. I
lately attended an Alderney cow, the property of Mr. Chenery,
at the “ Highland Stock Farm,” Belmont, Mass.
Symptoms.—The patient was suddenly attacked with symptoms
of irregular nervous action of the muscles of the chest and fore-
legs, simulating shaking palsy. The membranes of the eyes were
highly injected; pulse, jerking in unison with the irregular mus-
cular action; external surface, extremities, and horns, quite chilly ;
respirations, normal; pulse small and languid.
Treatment.—I gave the patient three drachms of fluid extract
of golden-seal, and the same quantity of fluid extract of camomile
flowers. The spine and fore extremities were then irritated by the
application of tincture of capsicum. On visiting the animal, the
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 607
next day, I found her in better condition. The tremulous motion
had somewhat subsided, and I pronounced her out of danger. She
finally recovered without much subsequent treatment.
It is my opinion that this case had its origin in derangement
of the digestive organs and constipation ; for, after the exhibition
of the tonics (“bitters,”) which aroused the action of the stomach,
the animal passed an immense quantity of black, fetid excrement.
The quantity was so great that it occasioned remarks on the sub-
ject from all who visited her.
HyYDROPHOBIA.
There are generally some circumstances connected with a case
of hydrophobia which afford a clue to its real nature. It often
happens that evidence conclusive is furnished that the animal has
been bitten by a rabid dog. If this be the case, all doubts are at
an end.
Symptoms.—In the early stages of the disease, there may be
nothing in the symptoms to excite suspicion as regards the true
character of the affection; they may merely denote approaching
illness; but if the animal has been bitten by a rabid dog, or any
other animal, and has become inoculated with the virus, which is
usually communicated through the medium of the saliva, then
any slight deviation from health, as shown by suspension of ru-
mination, or by any other abnormal condition which may attract
the attention of the farmer, is the precursor of the dreadful
malady which is to follow. The most marked symptoms of hy-
drophobia are, protrusion of the eyeballs; the conjunctivial mem-
brane is very much reddened, and, in fact, all the visible surfaces
of the eyes, nostrils, and mouth are much inflamed. The animal
is ripe for mischief, bellows occasionally, will paw and tear up the
ground with its horns, and, on the least excitement, will become
more dangerous than a rabid dog, trying, however, to do injury,
to friend or foe, with its horns rather than with its teeth. The
rabid cow or ox will drink water, if it can swallow ; in fact, it gen-
erally suffers from intense thirst; but the fact is, the poor creature
can not swallow a drop. ‘The least attempt at deglutition induces
spasms of the larynx, and puts the animal into the most distress-
ing agony. It is not the sight of water that puts a rabid animal
into convulsions, as some persons suppose; for in the early stage
608 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of the disease, when the membrane of the larynx is not much
affected, they will drink freely.
Treatment.—It is well known that the poison of all rabid ani-
mals resides in the saliva, consequently they can not be handled
and drenched without fear of danger; for if a small quantity of
the saliva comes in contact with an abraded surface or sore, the
unfortunate individual is just as much in danger as if he had
been bitten. The only remedies that seem likely to be of any
service are the plantain leaf (plantago major) and lobelia. Take
four ounces of each of these herbs, and infuse them in two quarts
of boiling water; when cool, strain through a fine sieve, and ad-
minister at once. If at the end of a few hours the patient has
not improved, it will be advisable to destroy him.
The following interesting case occurred in the practice of Mr.
G. Lewis, of Monmouth, England:
“T was requested to see a cow, the property of an extensive
farmer near this town. Upon my arrival he gave me the follow-
ing history of the case: ‘On the 15th ult., the calf from this cow,
tied: in an out-house, was severely bitten in the nose and mouth
by a dog, it was believed, although none was seen. But the cattle
which were in the same meadow were in a very excited state,
lowing and bellowing, as also the calf; and, upon the arrival of
the shepherd, who hastened to the spot, he found the calf much
torn, and the cow with blood upon her nose. ‘The calf, from this
period until the 27th, could not take its milk in the natural man-
ner, and was obliged to be drenched. But from the above date,
the wounds having healed, and the animal apparently recovered
from the injuries it had received, it was turned to the cow, and
took its milk in the usual way, which it continued to do up to the
31st, at which period the teats of the cow were bitten by the calf.
From this date the calf became very ill, appeared to have sore
throat, made a very peculiar noise, a kind of half bellow and
roar, continued to get worse, and died on the 3d inst.’ I did not
see him, but such is the description given to me by Mr. J ‘
and I know that it is a faithful one. My attention was now
directed to the cow. She was observed yesterday to separate her-
self from the others, and to bellow occasionally; but this morn-
ing she was seen to foam greatly at the mouth, and appeared
much excited. The other cattle, also, would not associate with
her, but kept at a respectful distance, with their heads and tails
DISEASES OF THE BRAIN. 609
erect. She was now brought to the house, at which time I first
saw her. She was standing; the eyes were half-closed; she ap-
peared to be in a kind of stupor, or half comatose state; extrem-
ities, natural temperature; respiration, natural. She was looking
rather thin; she was always a remarkably quiet creature, but now _
the least noise appears greatly to agitate her. The human voice,
or the slightest movement, is sufficient to cause her eyes to glare,
and set her bellowing, which ends in something between a growl
and a roar. A person whistling, or the bark of a dog, produces
fearful excitement. These paroxysms also appear to come on
spontaneously. At their termination, the eyes again become half-
closed, the abdominal muscles tremble, the respiration is slightly
quickened, and the pulse is quick and tremulous. I remarked
that some water might be brought. Upon presenting the same
she plunged her nose into the bucket, but could not trade and
the effect was fearful to behold.
I informed Mr. J as to the nature of the case, stating that
I had no hesitation in pronouncing it to be a case of hydropho-
bia; but, as he did not wish to have her destroyed, and was very
anxious that I should give her something, and watch the case, I
merely ordered a purgative, combined with a little febrifuge med-
icine, at the same time pointing out the propriety of being cau-
tious while administering the medicine, and the probable imprac-
ticability of it, which was verified.
September 14.—All the symptoms of yesterday are aggravated
intensively. ‘The eyes have still a heavy appearance, when sud-
denly they appear like two brilliants. I observe that the spasm
is more severe, and that she bites the wood-work of her stall.
September 15.—Much worse; the cornea of the left eye, in its
center, is become opaque, and appears as though nitrate of silver
had been applied to it. She sometimes lies down, but gets up
again and roars. Upon a person present putting his foot near
her mouth, she made an effort to seize it, uttering a growl. She
died this evening.
“ Post mortem examination, seventeen hours eo death.—The
brain—its substance appeared healthy. The pia mater showed
intense inflammation in small patches; its vessels generally were
very fully congested. The larynx showed traces of intense in-
flammation, as also did the membrane lining of the trachea,
throughout its entire length, and was most beautifully spotted,
39
610 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
as was also the lungs, pleura pulmonalis, pericardium, and heart.
The coats of the first and third stomachs parted upon the slightest
touch, in patches. The abdominal viscera, also, was similarly
spotted, as was the diaphragm, etc., although not so thickly as the
respiratory organs.”
He uc
( :
EAA Yip
—— = EE
Taal \
SPECIMEN OF AN ALDERKNEY BULL.
SECTION XXVL
THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES.
DESCRIPTION OF THE LIVER—SECRETION OF BiieE; 17s UssEs, ETc.—G ALL-BLADDER—
INFLAMMATION OF THE LivER—HypaAtips—J AUNDICE, OR YELLOWS.
DESCRIPTION OF THE LIVER.
HE liver is the largest gland in the body. Unlike the liver
of a horse, it has a large reservoir for the reception of the
bile, called the gall-bladder. In form it is irregular, being convex
anteriorly, or toward the diaphragm, with which it is in contact,
and concave on its posterior surface, or toward and in the vicinity
of a part of the stomach. It is composed of two lobes. That
on the right side is the larger. The central portion of the gland
is the thickest, and it gradually becomes thin toward its borders.
The mass consists of a vast number of minute lobules, varying in
size and form, containing a net-work of. biliary ducts connected
with their main trunks, and a large number of biliary cells; and
each is connected, in like manner, with three blood-vessels ; namely,
the hepatic or nutrient artery of the liver; the vena porta, which
returns the venous blood after it has circulated through the intes-
tines; the hepatic vein, which carries back the blood received from
both the other sources. It will be seen, therefore, that the venous
blood, which is brought to the liver by the vena porte, is intended
for the elimination of bile; therefore this vessel seems to act in
the double capacity of vein and artery; for, as a vein, it receives
blood from the abdominal viscera ; as an artery it ramifies through
the liver, forms a capillary net-work, and then secretes the bile.
From this capillary net-work, which can be traced to the center
of the minute lobules, the hepatic vein takes its origin, collecting
the blood from the capillary net-work. It then unites with other
(611)
2
612 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
radicles to form the main trunk, by which it is delivered into the
vena cava.
The branches of the hepatic artery are principally distributed
upon the walls of the hepatic ducts, and upon the trunks and
branches of the portal and hepatic veins, supplying these and the
contiguous parts with the necessary amount of arterial blood for
their nourishment, as well as that of the whole gland.
The investing membrane of the liver, from which prolongations
extend into its substance, is termed Glisson’s capsule.
The liver derives its nerves and nervo-vital power from the
great sympathetic and eighth pair.
The liver is confined to its situation by ligaments, which get
the name of broad, lateral, coronary, and round. The round lig-
ament is the remains of the umbilical vein of the fetus. The
others are continuations or duplicatures of the peritoneum.
SECRETION OF BILE; irs USEs, ETC.
The bile is secreted from the capillaries of the hepatic artery,
by minute glands found on the surface of the biliary ducts. It
then passes through the biliary pores and branches of the hepatic
duct. By this duct it is conveyed to the ductus communis chole-
dochus (union of the cystic and hepatic ducts), from whence, in
part, it passes by the cystic duct to the gall-bladder. When needed
in the duodenum, it returns by the cystic duct, and mixes in the
ductus communis choledochus with fresh bile from the hepatic
duct, and then passes into the duodenum. The bile having en-
tered the intestine, mixes with the aliment and pancreatic juice.
The pancreatic juice changes the digested aliment into a brown
mass, termed chyme, and then emulsifies it. After being emulsi-
fied, a portion of the chyle is taken up by the lacteals and enters
the receptaculum chyli. Ina healthy state of the system, should
any bile escape with the chyle, it is absorbed by the mesenteric
glands, and returns to the liver by the vena porte.
GALL-BLADDER.
The gall-bladder is a pear-shaped bag connected with the con-
cave and posterior surface of the liver, by the above vessels and
cellular membrane. It has four coats, termed peritoneal, cellular,
THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. . 613
musclar, and villous. The villous coat is the internal one, and is
thrown into numerous minute folds, arranged in a reticular form,
filled with small ducts, or follicles, and glands. The latter secrete
a fluid for the protection of the internal surface.
INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER.
Cattle and young stock, when fed too high, or when allowed to
luxuriate in a rich meadow, are often attacked with an acute dis-
ease of the liver.
Symptoms.—The principal symptoms of this malady are yellow-
ness of the.membrane which lines the eyelids, and covers that part
known as the “white of the eye.” The visible surfaces of the
mouth are also of a yellow tinge. In addition to the above symp-
toms, the animal is feverish, thirsty ; mouth and base of the horns,
hot ; pulse, accelerated; breathing, rather laborious; rumination
is suspended, and the animal is said to have “ lost its cud.” Some
fullness will also generally be observed on the right side, in the
region of the liver, and the animal will occasionally turn its head
in that direction, as if it were the seat of pain, which is probably
the case; yet the most reliable symptoms, in a disease of this char-
acter, are a yellow tinge of the visible surfaces, accompanied by
febrile symptoms.
Treatment.—The most rational method of treating this disease
is to endeavor to mitigate the inflammatory diathesis, and restore
the normal function of the liver. In view of accomplishing these
desirable results, I recommend the following prescription :
Non ies Glauber saltsisees ssclne ss sca. Ges eenlGroz.
Powdered mandrake..........cccce0e 2 dr.
The salts should be dissolved in one quart of tepid water; then
add the mandrake, and drench the animal by means of a common
porter-bottle. This drench should be poured down the cesopha-
gus in a gradual manner, so as to prevent its being received into
the rumen, or paunch.
The patient should, if possible, be dieted on green fodder. If
such can not be procured, some sliced cabbage, turnips, or carrots
may be substituted. A tea-spoonful of mandrake should be given
daily in the food, until the visible surfaces assume their natural color.
A curable case will generally yield under the above treatment.
614 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
This disease sometimes runs into a chronic type, and is known
by the yellow color of visible surfaces, dull, sleepy appearance of
the subject, and absence of those acute symptoms which are inva-
riably present in the inflammatory stage. A chronic disease of this
character may exist for months and even years without interfering
very essentially with the general health. Finally, however, the
liver undergoes alterations in structure, becomes hardened or in-
durated, or else it becomes tuberculous, or is the seat of hydatids,
and the fluke-worm is often found in the ducts. The treatment
for chronic disease of the liver is as follows:
No. 112. Powdered iodide of potassium........ 2 dr.
Powdered golden seal......... Ecigdion 4 02.
Mix.
Divide the mass into six equal parts, and give one in a little
water, every morning, on an empty stomach. The medicine may
be continued for some length of time without the least danger. If
this treatment does not benefit the animal, the case is probably
incurable.
HYDATIDs.
Hydatids, commonly known as “ flukes,” consist of a sac or
vesicle filled with fluid. To the naked eye it appears as a simple
enveloping cyst; but on examining it more closely, by means of
the microscope, it shows many tunics or coats, and these are the
rudimentary cells in various stages of growth. According to CarR-
PENTER, these rudimentary developments project more and more
into the parent cell, and, at last, become detached from its wall,
and lie loosely within it. Shortly before this separation, however,
the young hydatid is seen to contain smaller cells, which increase
in size along with it. This increase continues until the new brood
thus formed entirely fills the cavity of the parent, and a further
increase causes the rupture of the sac and the escape of the progeny ;
and these, in their turn, undergo the same evolution, becoming
parent hydatids in distinct cysts, and setting free their contained
cells as a subsequent generation. These cystic entozoa are never
found in the alimentary canal, but are always embedded in the
liver, brain, or glands of organs. They obtain their food by ab-
sorption from the inner surface of the investing membrane. Hy-
datids infest the various organs of the bodies of all mammalia,
and, although they are said to possess an independent existence
THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. 615
while residents of the organ or organs which they inhabit, they
die immediately when removed from their chosen habitation.
“The principal genera of cystic entozoa are, cysticercus, ccenurus,
echinococcus, to which may be added acephalocystis. Several spe-
cies of cysticercus are enumerated, but the most common are cys-
ticercus tenicollis and cysticercus cellulosus. The former (tenia
hydatagenia, hydatis globosa) is met with frequently in the peri-
toneum and pleura of ruminating animals and pigs. It is often
generated in the disease called rot, where another entozoén, the
distoma, or fluke-worm, is met with in the biliary ducts (liver).
‘The cysticercus cellulosis is found generally lodged in the tissues
of the muscles. It occurs sometimes in man, but more frequently
in animals, particularly in the hog, where it causes the disease de-
nominated measles. Of the genus ccenurus (hydatis polycephalus),
the species cerebralis is found in the brain of sheep, oxen, and
other ruminating animals. These hydatids on the brain of sheep
cause the disease called sturdy, or giddiness. The hydatids be-
longing to the genus echinococcus are considered, by some, as va-
rieties of the acephalocyst. ‘They are commonly called granular
hydatids, from the presence of numerous granules which float in
the fluid of the cyst, or adhere to its walls. There are two species
of echinococcus. One, echinococcus hominis, has been met with
in the brain and abdomen of man, in a few instances; the other,
echinococcus veterinorum, occurs in the hog and other animals.
Hydatids occur much less frequently in the brains of cattle in
Great Britain than in other countries, as Youatt has correctly said,
in his treatise on the ‘ Diseases of the Ox.’ It occurs only in the
young animals. Indeed, it obeys the same laws that guide the
development of the ccenurus in the sheep; and it is a well-estab-
lished fact that it is only when animals are growing that the germs
for the propagation of the bladder-worms will be taken up, and
earried to parts probably through the blood.
The success attending the trephine, in cases of hydatids in the
brain. of the ox, is very great and encouraging ; and not only have
I read interesting and convincing records on this subject, but, in
conversation with skillful and experienced veterinarians, I have
learned that trephining is an operation often to be relied upon.” *
The liver is sometimes enormously enlarged, in consequence of
* Pan, in the “London Field.”
616 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the presence of a numerous progeny of the fluke-worm. The fol-
lowing case, contributed to the “ Veterinarian” by Surgeon J. B.
GREGORY, will serve to illustrate this matter. The morbid parts
referred to were sent by Mr. Grecory to the editor of the “ Vet-
erinarian,” who makes the remarks inclosed in brackets:
“The morbid parts I send were taken from a well-bred, short-
horned cow, six years old, estimated to weigh, when fat, one hun-
dred and twenty-five stones of eight pounds. She was purchased
in August last, with a warranty to calve in November following.
On September 2d her owner called on me, and wished me to give
her some medicine, as he thought she was not quite recovered from
the effects of being driven sixteen miles. The medicine I sent had
a beneficial effect, as the cow’s appetite returned, and she appeared
to be quite well again. After this I heard no more of her until
the 6th of January last, when I was requested to go and give my
opinion as to her being in calf, it being two months beyond the
time she was expected to calve. I found that her appetite and
rumination were natural, the pulse regular, and the kidneys and
bowels acting well. There was, however, a peculiar expression of
her countenance, that told of continuous pain. Her eyes, also,
were sunk in their orbits, and she had a frequent and troublesome
cough. Her skin, likewise, had lost its pliancy, and she was sadly
out of condition, but no yellowness of the mouth or eyes was pres-
ent. I first examined her abdomen externally, by percussing the
right side, with a view of determining her pregnancy; but the
body my hand came in contact with was too large for, and had
not the feel of, a foetus. As the cow had occasionally been observed
to strain, I was now induced to examine her per vaginum, when
I found the os uteri to be indurated and unyielding. I could also
distinctly feel a round and hard substance, about the size of a large
ericket-ball, and which I supposed to be the right ovary; the other
one, however, I could not find. I told the owner that the cow was
not in calf, unless it were extra uterine, and that, in all probability,
the mass we could feel from the outside was a tumor within the
abdomen. I also added that medicine could do no good in such a
ease. He at once decided on having her killed, which afforded me
the opportunity of making a post mortem examination. All the
viscera were healthy, with the exception of those I send. The
liver, as you will see, is the organ principally affected. It weighed,
when first removed, one hundred and forty-six pounds, Its great
THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. 617
size led to its encroaching on the space occupied by the other vis-
cera, all of which were more or less compressed. It did not adhere
to the side of the abdomen, but was firmly attached to the dia-
phragm, and also, in places, to the intestines. In my examination
I had the assistance of Mr. Hearn, M. R. C. V.S., who was re-
cently your pupil, and who has, I believe, also written to you on
the subject. The cause of the enlargement of the liver is evident
enough, being produced by hydatids, but I leave to you to describe
the variety to which they belong. I have attended post mortem
examinations of many cattle since 1828, but never met with any
thing like this before.
[The description given by Mr. tie leaves us but little to
say respecting this extraordinary enlargement of the liver, as
stated by him. The sole cause of its increase in size was due to
the presence of an immense number of hydatids in the substance
of the organ. ‘Fhese entozoa belonged to the variety designated
the acephalocystis endogena, and each cyst contained within it a
considerable quantity of the so-called echinococci. In the ‘Trans-
actions of the Veterinary Medical Association,’ for 1842-3, a simi-
lar case is recorded as occurring in a pig, which is illustrated by a
colored plate, and which may be said to depict equally as well
the condition of the liver of the animal in question. |”
JAUNDICE, OR YELLOWS.
This disease is of very common occurrence among horned crea-
tures. The stall-fed animal is, probably, more subject to it than
those otherwise fed. From this the reader will infer that it is
more likely to occur in the winter or spring than at any other
season, which is the case. In order to prove this, let any one
visit our markets, and note the color of the fat of beef, and he will
notice the yellow appearance of almost all the beef offered for sale.
There may be some exceptions, yet this feature of fat is a sure
sign that the animals, while living, were not entirely free from
functional derangement of the liver. This peculiar color, how-
ever, is very rarely, if ever, found to pervade the brain, humors
of the eye, or the milk during lactation.
Occasionally a yellow tinge of the visible surfaces (membranes
of the mouth, nose, and eyes) appears very suddenly, and is sup-
posed to originate from sympathetic action of the brain upon the
618 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
liver ; yet it may arise in the same sudden manner, in consequence
of gastro-intestinal irritation, produced by the introduction of
poisonous plants and rough food, such as corn-stalks and sugar-
cane, into the stomach. Jaundice, in a very protracted form, often
owes its origin to the presence of biliary calculi. So say the au-
thorities ; but I have examined many gall-bladders after death,
yet have never succeeded in finding any ; and I have inquired of
many slaughterers, and am informed that they never observed any
stones in the gall-bladder ; yet, in various alkaline districts of this
country, I presume biliary calculi may be as common as in the
chalky regions of the old world. According to concurrent testi-
mony, the presence of biliary calculi in the gall-bladder of an ox
does not interfere much with the general health; but they occasion
a jaundiced appearance, a general eye-sore, which renders yellow
beef unacceptable to the palate of an epicure, and the shrewd
butcher declines to deal in any thing yellow, excépt pure “ dust.”
I know of no symptoms by which the presence of biliary calculi
can be detected prior to death.
The following paragraph occurs in “ YouatTrT on Cattle,” and
may throw some light on the subject :
“Sometimes, they (calculi) enter the duct (the cyst) which! con-
veys the bile to the intestines. They are likely to do this on ac-
count of their swimming on the surface of the fluid which the
bladder contains. The cystic duct is large at its union with the
bladder. It is a continuation of the neck of the bladder, and the
gall-stone may be easily pressed into the commencement of the
tube; but it has scarcely entered it before its passage is obstructed —
by the folds of the inner coat of the duct. These assume a semi-
lunar form, with the edges projecting toward the bladder, and they
act as partial valves, retarding the progress of the bile, so that it
may not all be pressed out at once, but gradually escape as the
process.of digestion may require. The gall-stone being thus im-
pacted, violent spasmodic action takes place in the muscles of the
duct, occasioned by the irritation of its continued pressure. It is
fortunate, however, that, although the muscles of these ducts act
with some power, the obstruction is usually, with no great diffi-
culty, overcome. The duct distends; as it distends these valvular
folds lie closer to the sides, and no longer oppose the passage of the
calculus, which is pressed on until it reaches the common duct.
The-caliber of this tube is larger, and, unless the calculus is of con-
THE LIVER AND ITS DISEASES. 619
siderable bulk, no further difficulty occurs until it reaches the
opening into the duodenum, which, being situated in the center of
a muscular prominence, acting as a valve, and preventing the pas-
sage of all matters, whether fluid or solid, from the intestine into
the ducts, a new difficulty is opposed to the progress of the gall-
stones, and there is some return of pain, and, in a few cases, the
pain is evidently more intense than in the early stage. At length,
this sphincter muscle of the duodenum dilates, the calculus enters
the intestinal canal, the pain ceases, and the natural color of the
skin returns. In this species of jaundice, we have, in addition to
the yellow skin, the heaving of the flanks, the hard, concentrated
pulse, the diminished appetite, the insatiable thirst, and the other
symptoms of fever. Then, too, we have the alternate cold and
heat of the ears, the roughness of the coat, the urine becoming
first of a transparent yellow, and then opaque red, saffron-colored,
or brown, and the sediment brown. The bowels are constipated,
the feces seldom evacuated, and, when appearing, are hard and
black.”
Treatment.—W hen occasioned by the presence of gall-stones, the
animal should have a daily drench, composed of*
Waters iclente cleretelel a) a cle velsieleiets oats! oreithe 1 quart.
Every other day, give three drachms of fluid extract of man-
drake. This will arouse the liver to healthy and vigorous action
and will remove from the intestinal canal all irritating substances,
When jaundice is occasioned by either functional or organic dis-
ease of the liver, I generally give the following:
No. 114. Fluid extract of mandrake..........- 1 oz
Powdered hyposulphite of soda....... 4 02
Wiatery cle seleltebersietcieie rel ohelciaieleioferdlc ce 1 pint
Mix.
Let this dose be given every morning, before feeding, for five
or six days, or until the visible surface of the mouth becomes of a
more natural color. In the day time the animal should be turned
out to grass, if the season permits.
SECTION XXVIII.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN.
EXANTHEMATA, OR ERvupTivE FeveER—Mancae—Fovut 1n. THE Foot—Warts—
GADFLIES—YOKE GAaLLs—THE Hair oF CATTLE AN EpPipERMIC APPENDAGE—
PEMPHYGIS OR VESICULAR ERUPTION—CRACKS IN THE HEELS OF CATTLE.
EXANTHEMATA, OR ERUPTIVE FEVER.
XANTHEMATA is the name given to a contagious (somes
times epizootic) or eruptive fever which occurs among cattle,
The following cases will probably give the reader a good idea of —
the cause and nature of the malady now under consideration : |
An unusual and alarming disease having made its appearance
on the premises of Mr. Waterman, at Warsaw, I was requested .
to visit the place, in view of ascertaining, if possible, the nature
of the disease, its cause, and treatment. On arriving at the place
designated, I learned that disease and death had run riot, making
terrible ravages among a herd of cattle which, only a few weeks
ago, numbered eight hundred, but are now reduced to six hun-
dred. The loss of two hundred fine animals in the course of a
few weeks was a calamity calculated to alarm the husbandmen in
the whole neighborhood.
From information obtained on the premises, I learned that no
disease of the kind had ever prevailed there, nor in the regions
where the cattle had been purchased, but the most positive eyi-
dence seemed to show that the malady had a spontaneous origin
on the premises of the proprietor. Some of the animals were
purchased in Missouri, and, when they arrived at Warsaw, were
as poor as Pharaoh’s “Jean kine,” splendid specimens of skin and
bone. The dietary arrangements of the establishment were not
calculated to benefit their condition, their principal food being
“slop” from the distillery. It was not the intention of the owner
(620)
DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 621
to feed this large herd of cattle exclusively on “swill,” but his
stock of hay having become exhausted, and the roads being in
very bad condition, it was impossible to obtain a supply of the
same. In consequence the function of rumination, or remastica-
tion, was suspended. The hot “swill” from the distillery failed
to distend the complex stomach of the animal to a healthy ca-
pacity ; it operated so as to produce a lax state of the bowels,
amounting, in a large number of cases, to actual diarrhea, or
liquid stools having an offensive odor. The constant discharge
from the bowels of liquid feces augmented the debility of the
“lean kine.” ‘They became afflicted with a mortal malady, or
enzootic affection, which ran like wild fire through the whole
herd. It manifested itself, first, in a condition of anemia; then
depilation of the hair took place; the external surface of the
body, in many cases, presented a raw surface, and the animals
seemed to be crazy to rub themselves against any fulcrum that
would mitigate their intolerable itchiness. Many of them got
down on the. floor, and, by contact, abraded the external surface
of the body in many places, so that the raw flesh was exposed,
and, in-some cases, the hip bones protruded. It was noticed that
whenever an animal thus affected got down on the floor, death
invariably closed the scene. Some of the creatures thus having
the finger of Death upon them were charitably put out of their
misery, by killing them outright.
It appeared to be of an exanthematous character, and conta-
gious. The proof of its contagiousness seemed to be evident, from
the fact that the whole herd were affected with precisely the same
pathological symptoms ; namely, depilation of hair, debility, erup-
tions on the surface of the body, anemia, diarrhea, ete. I might
be mistaken about the contagious element of the disease, but give
my readers the facts, and leave them to form their own opinions.
It may be that the evils to which the animals were subjected, and
which was operative in implanting the malady in the system of
the first victim, was operative, and produced the same in all the
rest of the herd; but I have no proof of a positive character to
offer in favor of either theory.
I had supposed that the skin disease was, like itch, dependent
on the presence of parasites located under the scarfskin ; but in
the use of a good magnifying power, the supposed parasites were
‘not discernible, but beneath the scarfskin, in the integuments and
622 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
subtissues, were observed a multitude of minute local beds of
lymph, from which sprang the superficial local malady on the
skin. Incrustations, or scales, solitary and in clusters, formed
wherever the deeper-seated integuments were affected; and in
some cases, when the scabs were rubbed off, the parts looked red
and inflamed, and some persons contended that the animals had
the red or mad itch. Almost every person who saw the animals
declared that itch was the disease; but, knowing that itch is due
to the presence of parasites, and pains to detect any, I could not
so name the malady.
I examined very carefully the external surface of the body, bs
could not detect either lice or parasites to account for the intoler-
able itchiness which was present, more or less, in the whole herd.
From all the evidence I was enabled to obtain during a brief
visit, I was forced to the conclusion that the cutaneous affection
was of an exanthematous character, and resembled eczema.
Nearly all the animals were in a state of debility; all had daily
been losing flesh, and those which I had examined after death
were anemiac (bloodless). Their muscles were pale, like those of
a calf when bled to death. Their stomachs and intestines were
void of food; the hot swill seemed to have found no resting-place
in the digestive cavities, but ran through them like a dose of
cathartic medicine. The internal organs of those animals I ex-
amined presented no signs of disease, except that they were pale
and bloodless.
Causes.—The causes of the disease may be summed up as fol-
lows: Debility, from insufficient nutritive food; the filthy condi-
tion of thé cattle-pens and surroundings; herding of too many
animals together in a small space; want of pure air, exercise, and
muscle-making nitrogenous fodder.
* Treatment.—I informed the proprietor of the establishment that
no medicinal remedies would be of any avail unless the exciting
causes were removed, and suggested that the afflicted animals be
allowed the use of their limbs and lungs on dry ground, in the
open air, within an extensive inclosure, and that they should be
allowed a bounteous supply of hay, corn, and corn-stalks; then
medicinal remedies of a tonic, stimulant, and alterative character,
which I prescribed, might prove beneficial. For the local affec-
tion, I prescribed linseed oil, petroleum, lime-water, and sulphur.
Several applications of this compound were made, and the subjects’
DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 623
were much benefited thereby. Many of the affected animals,
however, were in such a deplorable condition that I urged the
owner to have them destroyed, as a deed of charity.
MANGE.
This disease is too well known to need any particular descrip-
tion from me. It is due to the presence of parasites ; hence it can
be communicated by contact or touch, and is, therefore, conta-
gious. This latter fact suggests the propriety of removing the
diseased animals from the healthy ones.
Treatment.—Let the animal have a table-spoonful of sulphur in
the food, for three or four days in succession ; in the mean time,
anoint the affected parts daily with a portion of the following:
INOw De Codsliver oles sis cc ieee cies eloiece cies 6 oz.
Sublimated sulphur.......-.esesseees 2 OZ.
Mix.
Apply by means of a sponge.
In the course of four or five days, wash the surface of the body
with warm water and soap, and then give the body a thorough
sponging with the following:
INN sULG (ime wate. soe cosy en scueie scene Tat:
Sublimated sulphur........-sseeee ial aN OZe
The above treatment generally cures the most inveterate cases.
Fouu IN THE Foot.
Tn cases of this character the animal is dead lame, and often an
intolerable stench arises from the parts between the claws. This
is followed by the discharge of sanious and, finally, purulent
matter. In this stage astringents and antiseptics are indicated ;
therefore I recommend the following:
Novels sincture (of matieae seca or sislay alee gia 2 o2.
Pyroligneous acid. ...seeeseeceesccoes 1 pt.
Glycerine .......sesessencssseccesece 4 04.
Mix.
Saturate a small piece of sponge with a portion of the above,
and introduce it between the “cleft” of the foot; the hoof and
contiguous parts are then to be bathed with the preparation ; and,
624 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
finally, in view of keeping the sponge in place, and to produce a
good effect on the external parts, a narrow bandage must be ap-
plied, so as to encircle the hoof. If any heat or tenderness exist, _
the bandage should be kept moist with cold water.
WARTS.
Warts, as they occur on cattle, are of three kinds. One makes
its appearance upon the skin, and consists, in part, of an increased
development of the epidermis or scarfskin; the next kind origi-
nates under the epidermis, and, as it grows, elevates the same; the
latter, however, is nothing more than a common encysted fibrous
tumor, without organization. This can readily be removed by
cutting down upon it, and dissecting out the cyst or sac which
enshrouds it. The epidermic wart sometimes has a very broad
base, and, in order to remove it, a double-armed ligature must be
sent through it, so that it can be tied in two equal halves. Oc-
casionally this kind of wart is pendulous—has a contracted neck
at its base. This may be encircled by a single ligature, and, in
the course of thirty-six hours, will fall off. The third kind of
wart is a sort of fungous excrescence—not horny or hard, like
the two former, but possessing great vascularity, and, when
rubbed or bruised, they often bleed profusely. I lately removed
one from the inferior jaw of an ox, which bled very profusely
after the removal, and did not cease until a hemostatic had been
repeatedly applied. The hemostatic was powdered matico leaves,
which coagulated the albumen of the blood. There is great dan-
ger in removing warts of this kind. The following case, occurring
in the practice of Surgeon CARTWRIGHT, will illustrate the prop-
osition :
“On the Ist of June, 1846, I removed several warts from the
linea alba of a year-old heifer, belonging to Samuel Worthington,
Esq. I cast her, and cut them off with the knife, and did not
apply any thing to the wounds, as they did not bleed an ounce.
I could see one or two large blood-vessels on the surface of the
wounds. We loosed her from the hobbles, and then tied her up,
and the wounds soon left off bleeding. Gave her an aperient,
and left her for the night.
The next morning she was found down, and could scarcely get
up from loss of blood, which continued to issue through a large
DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 625
band that was passed round her. I was immediately sent for,
but was gone to Liverpool. They, in consequence, applied to a
druggist, who sent some alum-water, which stopped the blood.
In a day or two I saw her, but, as a scab was then forming on the
wounds, I did not meddle with it; soon afterward the parts were
cicatrized.
. There is no doubt but that, after she was left, she commenced
licking the wounds, and so brought on the secondary hemorrhage.
The person who looked after her believes that, had not something
been done at the time, she would have bled to death. From this
and other cases that I have seen, I think it absolutely necessary
that we should guard against the animals licking themselves, and
perhaps it would be quite as well to apply the cautery to the
parts, after removing the warts, or subsequently.”
When a large surface is occupied by warts which do not possess
any definite necks, they must be cut off close to the skin, and the
surfaces thus exposed should be touched with strong pyroligneous
acid, and then sprinkled with powdered bloodroot.
Warts on the teats are to be removed by ligaturing them at
their base, by means of saddler’s silk, or horsehair. If securely
tied, so as to obstruct circulation, they drop off in the course of
thirty-six hours. Any sores which may occur in consequence of
the removal of warts, can be healed by covering them once or
twice daily with a small quantity of glycerine.
GADFLIES.
The gadfly is known to naturalists as the cestris bovis. It punc-
tures the integument of cattle, and then deposits its ova, or eggs.
In this situation the ova mature, until they are capable of enjoy-
ing an independent existence. They then make their exit through
the external outlet, fall to and burrow into the ground, and remain
there until the period of their metamorphosis takes place, when
they assume the form of winged insects. In this form they mul-
tiply the species by the deposit of their ova. They probably occa-
sion much irritation ; and, in view of getting rid of them, I usually
puncture the tumor, by means of a thumb-lancet, and squeeze out
the parasite.
The following paragraph is from the pen of GUNTHER; and I
urge the reader, if he be the owner of live stock, to give them an
40
626 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
occasional dose of sulphur; for I contend that no living creature
can ever be infested with parasites when its system is saturated
with sulphur:
“The gadfly not only persecutes healthy oxen, by its bites, dur-
ing summer, but also deposits its eggs in their skin, which give
rise to tumors on the back and other parts, in which the larvee
become developed. They live there on the succulent fluid which
the soft parts secrete, and make their escape thence in the follow-
ing spring, in order to become metamorphosed. The greater the
number of tumors, the more is the strength of the animal dimin-
ished by the pain and suppuration. or this reason we should
endeavor to free the animal, as soon as possible, from these larve
pests, by frequently washing these tumors with camphorated brandy
or forcibly compressing them, which either crushes the insect or
forces it to make its exit. When they have attained the size of a
filbert, an incision must be made into the part, which is then to be
covered with a pitch plaster. A few doses of sulphur are to be
given internally. We are told that those oxen which have taken
sulphur for a long period of time are not infested by gadflies.”
YOKE GALLS.
The exciting cause is local irritation occasioned by the yoke.
Treatment.—So soon as an abrasion is discovered on the neck,
the animal should be excused from duty for a few days. The
abraded part should be lubricated two or three times daily, with
a small quantity of glycerine. In most cases, however, a few ap-
plications of tincture of aloes and myrrh will produce a healthy
action, and thus restore the parts to soundness. Should there be
no abrasion, yet some tumefaction, heat, and tenderness, a cold-
water bandage, renewed as occasion seems to require, will, in most
cases, have the desired effect. Occasionally the integuments are so
bruised as to induce induration (hardening). Local induration in
@the neck is a‘morbid condition of parts, known to the farriers of
old as “sit-fast.” The treatment consists in smearing the part
with a portion of the following:
Nola Slo dim eyes a. arere ia ns sles: elaerne aeeterons 4 dr.
Simple ointment ..\.,....::s/c610 Mee ease Gar:
Powdered bloodroot............ arate al.
Mix.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 627
A few applications of a portion of the above will have the effect
of removing the sit-fast, or eschar, when a healthy granulating
surface will appear.
Some animals, owing to a peculiarity of constitution, will
“ chafe,” as the saying is, in those parts which come in contact
with the yoke, and no human foresight or mechanical contrivance
can prevent it; therefore, in view of protecting the parts against
the local irritation and its consequences, I recommend the follow-
ing liquid cuticle:
INO; ID, ColOciGie son popooshoosocdhe \ Equal parts.
Castorsoilie yee eae sree areal
After washing the abrasion with soap and water, wipe dry, and
smear it all over with a portion of the above invaluable liquid
cuticle.
THe Harr or CATTLE IS AN EpIpERMIC APPENDAGE.
According to CARPENTER, hair is an epidermic appendage, al-
though not developed upon the external surface, but in the interior
of a follicle (sac or fold) formed by a depression of the true skin.
This follicle is lined by a continuation of the epidermis (scarfskin),
the cells of which are developed in peculiar abundance from a spot
at its deepest portion, the dense exterior of the cluster thus formed
being known as the “bulb of the hair,” while the softer interior
is termed its pulp. Although the hairs of different animals vary
in the appearances they present, we may generally distinguish two
elementary principles corresponding with those which we meet
with in the stem of a feather ; namely, a cortical resembling bark,
and a medullary resembling marrow. ‘The fullest development
of both substances is seen in the spine hairs of the hedgehog, and
in the quills of the porcupine, which are but hairs on a magnified
scale. The cortical envelope of hairs is a continuation of the outer |
scales or layers of the epidermis that lines the follicles, while the
medullary is derived from the deeper stratum, whose cells are pro-
duced in usual abundance at its ececal (blind) extremity; and it is
by the constant development of new cells at this point that the
continual growth of the hair is kept up.
628 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PEMPHIGUS, OR VESICULAR ERUPTION.
In the United States, (at least in the East,) pemphigus is of rare
occurrence, yet it has made its appearance in Texas and in the
Western States. The following symptoms, which usually accom-
pany this eruptive affection, may enable the reader to recognize it.
Symptoms.—The breathing is generally hurried and sonorous,
accompanied by a slight cough; the animal shivers, which is oc-
casioned by deranged and irregular nervous action; the integument
in the regions of the neck, shoulders, anus, loins, and haunches is
elevated by effusion into the cellular tissue ; the cuticle, or external
tunic of the body, is the seat of watery bladders, varying in size
from a Beverly bean to a walnut; in other parts of the skin a
serous or watery fluid may be observed to dribble. from the hair.
The ears are drooping and moist, and their temperature is much
elevated ; the base of the horns are hot, and the whole external
surface of the body is in the same condition ; the visible surfaces—
namely, those of the eyes, mouth, and nose—are highly injected
with a reddened yellow tinge; the tongue is swollen or tumefied,
and an abundance of saliva flows from the mouth; the pulse will
often run up to 80, yet may be imperceptible at the jaw; the
spinal column presents a convexity, or is arched upward; the
urine is scanty and dark-colored, and the feces are of a lighter color
than usual, showing very conclusively that the function of the
liver is impaired. As the disease advances, the serous tumors
burst, exposing broad excoriated patches.
Treatment.—Let a portion of the following mixture be applied
to the surface of the body, morning and evening:
INjo3120 Glycerine. sl.)e tse aie <6 Hig dtins « a's) o eho) aap OZe
Eyposulphitexof: Soda c's). (sce wueeteiecueleemeeinOZe
GIN WADE Ia ehste-c avasete ste relaietelencice seis oo) epi
Mix well together. After this lotion has been applied a few
times, a decided improvement in the skin will be apparent.
A few daily doses of the following medicine must also be given:
No. 121. Fluid extract of poke-root........... 3 dr
Chlorate)ot potass p21). 4102 «1 eo ree ences
Waiter, te srersi et. Sesiueleleferenayacy ore sie e clei) a DIUb:
A few years ago a vesicular epizodtic broke out among cattle
and milch cows at Stratford-on-Avon, England, the symptoms of
which are thus deseribed by J. Tomps, V.S.:
DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 629
“The symptoms were, increased pulsation ; copious discharge of
saliva from the mouth; respiration, disturbed. These symptoms
continued for two or three days, when a tremendous inflammation
of the integuments and cellular tissues set in, around the coronets
at the heels and between the hoofs, causing exceeding lameness
and excruciating pain. The swelling quickly extended to the fet-
locks. The poor beasts lay down the greater portion of their
time—panted and perspired profusely, with occasional deep groan-
ing. At this stage of the disease the mouth improved. When
made to get up, they could hardly walk, and soon lay down again.
The beating of the heart could be distinctly heard several yards
off. In some, all four feet were affected; in others, the fore-feet ;
others, the hind feet, and in some one fore-foot. Suppuration took
place in the integumentary and cellular membranes, five or six
days subsequently to the original attack, which process afforded
great relief. In the interim they became emaciated, and lost their
milk. In a day or two after, extensive sloughing supervened of
the integuments of the coronets and heels, and between the hoofs,
leaving the pedal and coronary bones bare, with deep sinuses,
The putrid parts, while sloughing, emitted an unbearable stench.
Granulations of new flesh soon formed, which became prominent
and luxuriant, forcing the hoofs wide apart. At this period of the
complaint the urgent and painful symptoms considerably lessened ;
the animals could then hobble out of the yard into a grass-field
close by, where they were prior to the attack. The milk, flesh,
and strength began to return, and the lameness slowly diminished,
as the thickening of the integuments and cellular membrane be-
came absorbed. New hoofs formed, which in some grew irregu-
larly, and caused great tenderness for some length of time.”
CRACKS IN THE HEELS OF CATTLE.
Cracked heels are generally more prevalent in the horse than
cow; yet as I have had an opportunity of seeing and prescribing
for a few cases of this character, I shall give the reader the benefit
of my experience, so that, when cases of this character do occur,
the farmer may know what to do. Some persons suppose that un-
cleanliness is the sole cause of cracks. This is not the case; the
subjects are predisposed to a humory condition and congestion of
the feet.
630 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Treatment.—The part must first be sponged, or, rather, washed,
with tepid water, slightly alkalized with a small quantity of car-
bonate of soda. I prefer soda instead of soap. The latter is apt
to irritate the parts; and there exists no dirt nor morbid matter
which can not be removed by an alkaline wash. After cleansing
the parts, apply a portion of the following:
No...122...Pyroligneous acidi.:ci:6610 s,<.0i0 we Gis eve ounOe
IMCV OR CHC Wetreeetetcielclem = sieeisiets cient 1 oz.
lives OMe etteerersie’s score ices als ale aie oy OZ
Mix.
Apply by means of a piece of sponge. The parts should be
dressed once per day, and oftener if necessary. The edges of the
crack sometimes become inverted. In this case procure a small
piece of linen, form it into a pad, and, after smearing its surface
with a portion of the above preparation, apply it so as to press the
lips of the gap together, and then bind it on.
If the disease be constitutional, which may be inferred from the
fact that the animal is said to be “subject to it” in the winter,
then a few doses of alterative medicine may be given. The fol-
lowing forms a very excellent stimulating alterative :
No. 123. Yodide of potassiums:. oe. ci10 2+ oc ewes 4 oz.
LW abOric ie sss vt chever are travelie, chotete rele encuetorenete cr 1 quart.
Tincture of sassafras..... Brataholonauetnotess 4 o1.
Mix.
Give a wine-glassful every morning, before feeding-time.
SECTION XXVIII.
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES.
CastRaTIoN—Enzoétic Mink SickNEss, oR TREMBLES—IMPROVED METHOD OF
Mitxinq—DisEasepD THymus GLanp—Corps 1n YouNG CALVES—STEAMED AND
CooKEpD Foop For StockK—CuHEAP FoppER For Cows—Brack Tonaur—FRAc-
TURED BoNnES—FRACTURED Rapius or A CAatr—Liaut In BARNS—DIARRHEA
IN CALVES—SPRAINS OR STRAINS—SPAYING Cows.
CASTRATION.
LABOR under an impression that the husbandmen of this
country commit some awful mistakes in the theory and prac-
tice of castration. The usual practice is to castrate the calf from
one to three months after birth. This is evidently done to the
manifest injury of form, size, and muscular development. The
operation may tend toward fattening the animal, and improving
the epicurean quality of its meat; and it may render the animal
docile, and thus increase his usefulness ; but his strength, stamina,
and endurance are compromised by early castration. If animals
are needed as working oxen, they should not be castrated until
they have attained the age of three or four years. At these peri-
cds the muscles of the neck and chest have undergone remarkable
developments, and the animals have strength and endurance to
make really valuable oxen for work; whereas, if castrated at too
early a period, the muscles of the forward parts are always defect-
ive, lank, and lean. I am aware that there are difficulties in the
way of keeping bulls up to the age here indicated; yet the experi-
ment has been tried, in this country and elsewhere, to the entire
satisfaction of the parties that made the experiments; therefore, I
recommend farmers not to castrate calves intended for work-oxen
until their muscular system is well developed; and even in view
of obtaining good beef, and developing the propensity to fatten,
(631)
632 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
I should let the calves remain uncastrated for six months or more,
Tt has been urged, by some writers, that the danger of castration
is less in young than adult animals. This may be correct, yet I
apprehend but little danger in castrating either a horse or bull at
any age, provided the creature is in the enjoyment of health, and
the operation be properly performed.
In many parts of France the bull-calf is castrated by means of
a curious species of torsion, termed bistournage. The animal is
thrown and secured. ‘The operator places himself behind the ani-
mal, and opposite to the tail; he seizes the testicles with both his
hands, and pushes them violently upward and downward several
times, in order to destroy their adhesion to their coverings. He
continues this manipulation until he thinks that he has produced
sufficient lengthening of the cords, and dilatation of the bag itself.
He then pushes up the left testicle as nearly as possible to the
ring, leaving the right one low in the bag; he seizes the cord
of the right testicle between the finger and thumb of the left
hand, about an inch above the testicle, and, grasping the bottom
of the scrotum with his right hand, he turns the testicle, and
pushes it forcibly upward, until he has reversed it, and its inferior
extremity is uppermost. Some little practice is required in order
readily to effect this. Then, the right hand holding the testicle
while the left hand raises the cord, the testicle is turned round
from right to left four or five or six times, until there is a degree
of tension and difficulty in the turning, which indicates that the
spermatic vessels are so far compressed or obliterated as to be
deprived of the power of secreting or conveying the seminal fluid.
The testicle is by this means brought up nearly to the abdominal
ring, where it is retained by turning the scrotum over it, while
the left testicle is brought down, reversed, and turned in the same
manner. Last of all, in order to prevent the untwisting of the
cords and the descent of the testicles, the operator grasps the bot-
tom of the scrotum in his left hand, and, holding one end of a
piece of cord, eighteen inches in length, and about as large as a
‘quill, between his teeth, and having the other end in his right
hand, he makes with it several turns round the scrotum with con-
siderable firmness below and close to the testicles, yet not so tightly
as quite to stop the circulation of blood through the bag. This is
taken away at the end of the second day, after which the testicles
will remain fixed against the abdomen, and will gradually wither
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 633
away. The animal is usually bled after the operation, and half
of its allowance of food taken away.
I lately castrated two horses, at the respective ages of twelve
and seventeen years, and they have both done well; yet, if they
had been “ prepared,” as the books recommend, I might have lost
both animals; and I verily believe that the once popular method
of physicking (prostrating) animals before castration has been the
cause of many unnecessary deaths.
In castrating bullocks, I apply a ligature around the whole
cord, for it is not always safe to merely ligature the spermatic
artery, as the reader will perceive by reading the following para-
graph:
HERRING has observed that, after tying the spermatic artery,
without difficulty, in two places, and cutting between them, the
spermatic cord being then cut across two inches below, arterial
hemorrhage sometimes ensued. It is easy to account for blood
flowing through the spermatic veins, after this operation, by a
retrograde circulation in the wide vessels; but, as regards the
arterial hemorrhage, HERRING was in doubt, until, after several
injections of the spermatic cord, he found that the spermatic ar-
tery often divides into two nearly equal branches; if but one be
tied, on removing the testicles, the other division bleeds. HER-
RING afterward injected several testicles and spermatic cords of
bulls, and found an extraordinarily rich net-work of veins, which
differs in many points from the pampiniform plexus of the sper-
matic cord in man, horse, dog, ete. In the spermatic cord of the
horse, we observe the artery making a large number of curves on
itself until it reaches the testicle ; and from the latter organ arise
numerous veins, which coil upward, but now join in several
branches which pass up with the artery, anastomosing at inter-
vals, and forming a net-work, the meshes of which are in the
shape of parallelograms. In the bull, on the contrary, the veins
are exceedingly numerous, and spin round the artery like the ten-
drils of a climbing plant round a wire; and this is seen high up
in the abdomen, so that, in successful injections, the spermatic ar-
tery is completely hidden.
Some persons may object to the plan of applying a ligature
around the whole cord, and Youarr speaks of it as a cruel op-
eration. I can not conceive how there can be any more cruelty
in it than when the “clams” are used. The pressure on the cord
634 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
is the sume; and all the difference is, I use saddler’s silk instead
of wooden clams. I have castrated a great number of animals,
at all ages, by means of a ligature around the cord, and have never
met with loss or accident.
Method of Castration.—There is very little danger in castrating
a young calf, and it is very rare that a surgeon is ever called upon
to perform the operation; yet I would advise persons who are in
the habit of castrating these young animals to make free openings
into the scrotum and inner covering of the testicles. This inner
covering is called tunica vaginalis. If too small an opening be
made, the swollen cord will be imprisoned by the divided edges
of the tunica vaginalis, which will untimately end in hardening
or scirrhosity of the end of the cord, or else there will be scrotal
abseess. A large opening into the scrotum and tunic is necessary,
in order to postpone union of the external parts, until the tissues
above and within have healed.
When castrating bullocks, I either secure them in the trevis
and partly etherize them, or else cast them with the hobbles (see
cut of instruments), and render them completely insensible by
ether. I then grasp the scrotum, between the belly and testicle,
and make an incision on one side and at the lower part of the
scrotum sufficiently large to allow the testicle to escape. The
testicle then hangs by the cord. A ligature is then passed around
the latter, which must be tied tight enough to compress the blood-
vessels and prevent after-bleeding. The cord is then divided, and
one end of the string may be cut very close to the knot, so that a
slight pull will untie it. The other testicle is to be proceeded with
in the same manner, and the operation is complete. It is proper,
however, to return the cord within the inner tunic, or covering of
the testicle, and one end of the ligature is left long enough to hang
out of the wound. In the course of a week, if the ligatures do
not come away, a slight pull will detach them.
~ [never make use of any dressing, except when a bad odor arises
from the parts. The best remedy, under such circumstances, is
diluted pyroligneous acid, in the following proportions:
Novd24ePyrolioneous acid) .\).%/snti ere nelserse 3 0z
VNFUE STIS aisle Sik cieefeleretalojerenoe tate nteeRN 15 oz
Mix.
Let the parts be well cleansed, night and morning, with a por
tion of the above. Should any undue amount of swelling ensue,
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 635
the parts are to be rubbed occasionally with an ounce or two of
sweet spirits of niter.
I find that exercise operates favorably in preventing scrotal
swelling, which is a condition of the parts known to surgeons as
local effusion (dropsy) ; and, as exercise at pasture always tends to
reduce these kinds of swellings, I generally, if the weather per-
mits, place the castrated animal under the care of “ Doctor Grecn,”
(a good pasture,) where the patient can vitalize its blood with pure
air, promote the integrity of the whole system by voluntary exer-
cise of the muscles, and partake of herbage calculated to benefit the
whole animal economy.
Enzootic MitK SIcKNEss, OR TREMBLES.
The cause or origin of enzodtic milk sickness (commonly de-
nominated “ trembles”) is a subject of much speculation. Various
are the opinions and conclusions of medical and non-medical men.
It has been asserted that a creeping vine, known to luxuriate in
forest regions, occasions the disease. The theory is that this vine,
or vegetable parasite, is matured in the latter months of summer,
or the first autumnal, at which season of the year the grass becomes
dry and tough, when the cattle resort to the timbered land for
sustenance, feeding upon the (supposed) vine; and as the animal
is (without satisfactory evidence) susceptible to its (imaginary)
influence, it often sickens and dies; yet, strange to relate, many
animals located in the same regions escape the pest. And, in
order to sustain this faulty theory, we are informed that the lucky
creatures who live and die at a respectable bovine age know
enough to give the poisonous plant the go-by. This is nothing
more than mere speculation, for the disease very frequently occurs
when the ground is covered with snow.
Dr. GRAFF informs us that the general appearance of the in-
fected districts is somewhat peculiar. ‘The quality of the soil
is, in general, of an inferior description. The growth of timber
is not observed to be so luxuriant as in situations otherwise simi-
lar, but is scrubby, and stunted in its perfect development, in
many instances, simulating what, in the West, is denominated
‘barrens.’ ”
Now, it is possible that these barrens do not furnish a sufficient
amount of carbon, in the form of food, for the metamorvhoses of
636 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the tissues; and if we take into consideration that the animal re-
ceives, during the day, while in search of this food, a large supply
of oxygen, and at the same time the waste of the body is increased |
by the extra labor required to select sufficient nutriment—it being -
scanty in such situations—then it follows that this disproportion
between the quantity of carbon in the food and that of oxygen
absorbed by the skin and lungs must induce a diseased or abnor-
mal condition. The animal is sometimes fat, at others lean. Some —
of the cows attacked with this disease were fat, and in apparent
health, and nothing peculiar was observed until immediately pre-
‘ceding the outbreak of the fatal symptoms. ‘The presence of fat
is generally proof positive of an abnormal state; and, in such
cases, the liver or spleen is often diseased. The blood then becomes
loaded with fat and oil, and is finally deposited in the cellular tis-
sues. The reader will now understand how an animal accumulates
fat, notwithstanding it be furnished with insufficient diet. All
that I wish to contend for is, that in such cases vital resistance is
compromised. We are told that, in the situation alluded to, veg-
etation was stunted, etc.; and knowing that vegetables are com-
posed of nearly the same materials which constitute animal organ-
ization—the carbon or fat of the former being deposited in the
seeds and fruits, and that of the latter in the cellular structure—
then we can arrive at but one conclusion; namely, that any loca-
tion unfavorable to vegetation is likewise ill-adapted to preserve
the integrity of animal life.
Tn connection with this, it must be remembered that, during the
night, the soil emits excrementitious vapors, which are taken into
the animal system by the process of respiration. In the act of
rumination, vapor is also inclosed in the globules of saliva, and
thus reaches the stomach. Many plants which, during the day,
may be eaten with impunity by cattle, actually become poisonous
during the night! This, I am aware, will meet with some oppo-
sition, to combat which I quote from LrIEpie:
“How powerful, indeed, must the resistance appear which the
vital force supplies to leaves charged with oil of turpentine or
tannic acid, when we consider the affinity of oxygen for these
compounds! ‘This intensity of action, or of resistance, the plant
obtains by means of the sun’s light, the effect of which, in chem-
ical actions, may be, and is, compared to that of a very high tem-
perature (moderate red heat), During the night an opposite
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 637
process goes on in the plant. We see, then, that the constituents
of the leaves and green parts combine with the oxygen of the
air—a property which in daylight they did not possess. From
these facts we can draw no other conclusion but this: that the
intensity of the vital force diminishes with the abstraction of
light; that with the approach of night a state of equilibrium is
established, and that in complete darkness all those constituents
of plants which, during the day, possessed the power of sepa-
rating oxygen from chemical combinations, and of resisting its
action, lose their power completely.
A precisely similar phenomenon is observed in animals. The
living animal body exhibits its peculiar manifestations of vitality
only at certain temperatures. When exposed to a certain degree
of cold, these vital phenomena entirely cease. The abstraction of
heat must, therefore, be viewed as quite equivalent to a dimi-
nution of the vital energy. The resistance opposed by the vital
force to external causes of disturbance must diminish, in certain
temperatures, in the same ratio in which the tendency of the ele-
ments of the body to combine with the oxygen of the air increases.
It is obvious that the cause of the generation of foree—namely,
the change of matter—is diminished, because, with the abstraction
of heat, as in the plant by abstraction of light, the intensity of the
‘vital force diminishes. It is also obvious that the momentum of
force in a living part depends on its proper temperature, exactly
as the effect of a falling body stands in a fixed relation to certain
other conditions; for example, to the velocity attained in falling.
When the temperature sinks, the vital energy diminishes; when
it again rises, the momentum of force in the living parts appears
once more in all its original intensity. The production of force
for mechanical purposes, and the temperature of the body, must,
consequently, bear a fixed relation to the amount of oxygen which
can be absorbed in a given time by the animal body.
The quantities of oxygen which a whale and a carrier’s horse
can inspire in a given time are very unequal. The temperature
as well as the quantity of oxygen is much greater in the horse.
The force exerted by a whale, when struck with the harpoon, his
body being supported by the surrounding medium, and the force
exerted by a carrier’s horse, which carries its own weight and a
heavy burden for eight or ten hours, must both bear the same
ratio to the oxygen consumed. If we take into consideration the
638 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
time during which the force is manifested, it is obvious that the
amount of force developed by the horse is far greater than in the
case of the whale.
In climbing high mountains, where, in consequence of the res-
piration of a highly rarefied atmosphere, much less oxygen is con-
veyed to the blood, in equal times, than in valleys or at the level
of the sea, the change of matter diminishes in the same ratio, and
with it the amount of force available for mechanical purposes.
For the most part, drowsiness and want of force for mechanical
exertions come on; after twenty or thirty steps, fatigue compels us
to a fresh accumulation of force by means of rest (absorption of
oxygen without waste of force in voluntary motions.)”
In the situations alluded to we generally find poisonous and
noxious plants, with an abundance of decayed vegetable matter.
An English writer has said: “The farmers of England might
advantageously employ a million, at least, of additional laborers
in clearing their wild domains of noxious plants,* which would
amply repay them in the superior quality of their produce. They
would then feel the truth of that axiom in philosophy, ‘that he
who can contrive to make two blades of grass, or wholesome grain,
grow where one poisonous plant grew before, is a greater bene-
factor to the human race than all the conquerors or heroes who
have ever lived.’”
The noxious plants found in such abundance in the Western
States are among the principal causes, either directly or indirectly,
of the great mortality among men, horses, cattle, and sheep. The
hay would be just as destructive as when in its green state, were it
not that, in the process of drying, the volatile and poisonous prop-
erties of the buttercup, dandelion, poppy, and hundreds of similar
destructive plants found in the hay, evaporate. It is evident that
*The American farmers are just beginning to wake up on this subject, and
before long I hope to see our pasture lands free from all poisonous plants. Dr.
Whitlaw says: “A friend of mine had two fields cleared of buttercups, dande-
lion, ox-eye, daisy, sorrel, hawk-weed, thistles, mullein, and a variety of other
poisonous or noxious plants. They were dried, burnt, and their ashes strewed
over the fields. He had them sown as usual, and found that the crops of hay
and pasturage were more than double what they had been before. I was fur-
nished with butter for two summers, during the months of July and August.
The butter kept for thirty days, and proved, at the end of that time, better than
that fresh churned and brought to the Brighton or Margate markets. It would
bear salting at that season of the year.”
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 639
if animals have partaken of such plants, although death in all cases
do not immediately follow, there must be a deficiency of vital resist-
ance, or loss of equilibrium, and the animal is in a negative state.
It is, consequently, obvious that when in such a state it is more
liable to receive impressions from external agents ; in short, is more
subject to disease, and this disease may assume a definite form, reg-
ulated by location. It has been observed, also, that in the infected
districts the water is not of the best kind, neither is it very abund-
ant; hence, in consequence of its insufficiency or unwholesome
character, the equilibrium of health may become disturbed.
A loss of vital resistance may also be the result of exposure.
It has been observed that cattle which have been housed regularly
have escaped the attacks of this malady, and that, when suffered
to run at large, they were frequently seized with it. Therefore we
may conclude that the indirect causes of milk sickness, or trem-
bles, are any thing that disturbs the general health.
Now, let us suppose that one or a combination of the preceding
causes has operated so as to produce an abnormal state in the
system of a cow. She is then suffered to remain in the unhealthy
district during the night. While there, exposed to the emanations
from the soil, she requires the whole force of her vital energies to
ward off chemical decompositions, and prevent encroachment on
the various functions. A contest commences between the vital
force and chemical action, and, after a hard conflict, in their in-
cessant endeavors to overcome each other, the chemical agency
obtains the ascendency, and disease of a putrid type (milk fever)
is the result. The disease may not immediately be recognized,
for the process of decomposition may be insidious; yet the milk
and flesh of such an animal may communicate the disease to man
and other animals. It is well known that almost any part of ani-
mal bodies in a state of putrefaction, such as milk, cheese, muscle,
pus, ete., communicate their own state of decomposition to other
bodies. Many eminent medical men have lost their lives while
dissecting, simply by putrefactive matter coming in contact with
a slight wound or puncture. Dr. GRAFF made numerous experi-
ments on dogs, with the flesh, etc., of animals which died of milk
sickness, He says: “My trials with the poisoned flesh were,
for the most part, made on dogs, which I confined; and I often
watched the effect of the poison when administered at regular in-
tervals. In the space of forty-eight hours from the commence-
640 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ment of the administration of either the butter, cheese, or flesh, I
have observed unequivocal appearances of their ‘peculiar action,
while the appetite remains unimpaired until the expiration of the
fourth or fifth day.” From the foregoing remarks, the reader
will agree with me that the disease is of a putrid type, and has a
definite character. What is the reason of this definite character ?
All diseases are under the control of the immutable laws of Na-
ture. They preserve their identity in the same manner that races
of men preserve theirs. Milk sickness of the malignant type
luxuriates in’ the locations referred to, for the same reasons that
yellow fever is peculiar to warm climates and consumptions to
cold ones, and that different localities have distinct diseases; for
example, ship fever, jail fever, etc.
Before disease can attack and develop itself in the bodies of
men or animals, the existing equilibrium of the vital powers must
be disturbed ; and the most common causes of this disturbance I
have already alluded to. In reference to the milk, butter, cheese,
etc., of infected animals, and their adaptation to develop disease
in man, and in other locations than those referred to, I observe
that when a quantity, however small, of contagious matter is in-
troduced into the stomach, if its antiseptic properties are the least
deranged, the original disease (milk sickness) is produced, just as
a small quantity of yeast will ferment a whole loaf. The trans-
formation takes place through the medium of the blood, and
produces a body identical with, or similar to, the exciting or con-
tagious matter. The quantity of the latter must constantly aug-
ment; for the state of change or decomposition which affects one
particle of the blood is imparted to others. The time necessary
to accomplish it, however, depends on the amount of vital resist-
ance, and, of course, varies in different animals. In process of
time the whole body becomes affected, and, in like manner, it is
communicated to other individuals; and this may take place by
simply respiring the carbonic acid gas or morbific materials from
the lungs of diseased animals in the infected districts.
My principal object is to show what are the causes of this
malady, so that the farmer can prevent its occurrence, for the
treatment is very unsatisfactory. A writer in the “ Atlanta Med-
ical Journal” informs us:
“Where stock cattle, for instance, are kept pent up until after
the morning’s dew, they are never affected, though they are pas-
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 641
tured where it is known to abound. Again: if food, in the form
of bundles ofhay, or fodder, or sheaves of oats, has been cast on
the surface of the earth where it was suspected to exist, fed to
calves or a calf, during the morning, while wet with dew, the
result is the death of the animal. Facts like these are, to my
mind, evidence conclusive of its origin in the form of vapor. But
let it originate from whence it may, it is only known in timbered
land, and there disappears, after being once cleared, cultivated,
and seeded with tame grass, which shows, again, if of a telluric
source, that the toxical agent lies near the surface, and is de-
stroyed by being shifted from its lurking-place.”
Symptoms.—The principal symptoms are irregular, nervous ac-
tion; trembling, tremors, spasms, and, lastly, convulsions. The
other symptoms are such as are noticed in affections of a low
typhoid type. The pulse is quickened, yet small; the tongue
slightly swollen, and coated with a brown fur; the urine is high-
colored, and the bowels are constipated; the membranes of the
eyes are reddened, and the breath has a bad odor.
Treatment.—If the bowels are constipated, I should give an
aperient, composed o1
No. 125. Glauber salts........ So gee ses dows 10 oz.
Powdered ginger..... Gferorers otereten ete =r ore ieidry
Grolideny Sealleseicvareta a etoteehsa¥e/ate ole! atalars ulead:
Me PUG WA LET «seveicr oialaiein «\chesetala )=iaialaiai= 1 quart
Then let the whole length of the spine be well rubbed with two
two or three ounces of oil of cedar. Should the breath or excre-
ments have a very bad odor, the following must be given:
Now l26> lyroligneous;acide... «>. as s0. pSdeoee 2 04.
CIV CRI ocosgusioeooposeGasan eo 4 02.
Water ahead Mies Sono csccce J Omer:
Mix.
Dose, a wine-glassful three or four times daily, until an improve-
ment takes place.
To relieve the nervous irritation and trembling, I give two
drachms of tincture of Indian hemp, in a little water, twice daily.
The patient is to be kept on oatmeal gruel, the quantity to be
regulated according to actual necessity. A curable case will be
very likely to improve under the above treatment; if it fail, the
owner will have the satisfaction of knowing that the patient was
not destroyed by meddlesome medication.
41
642 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
IMPROVED METHOD OF MILKING,
The first process in the operation of milking is to make the
cow’s acquaintance, and give her to understand that the milker
approaches her with none other than friendly intentions ; for if he
swears, scolds, or kicks her, she is likely to prove refractory, and
may, possibly, give the uncouth and unfeeling milker the benefit
of her heels, which, in my opinion, he is justly entitled to.
Before commencing to milk the animal she should be fed, or
have some kind of fodder. In the enjoyment of the mastication
of the same, her attention is withdrawn from the milker’s opera-
tions, and the milk is not “ held up,” as the saying is, but is yielded
freely. The milker should not sit off at a distance, like a coward,
but his left arm should be in close contact with the leg of the cow,
so that she can not kick. If she make the attempt when the
milker is in close proximity with the cow’s body, the former merely
gets a push instead of a blow. Before commencing to milk, the
teats are to be washed with cold water in warm weather, and warm
water in winter. The object is to remove accumulated dirt, which
otherwise would fall into the milk-pail, to the disgust of persons
who love pure milk and hate uncleanliness. Here is a chance for
improvement.
The best milker is a merciful man. The udder and teats are
highly organized and very sensitive, and these facts should be taken
into consideration, especially when milking a young animal, for
the parts are sometimes excessively tender, and the hard tugging
and squeezing which many poor sensitive creatures have to endure
at the hands of some thoughtless, hard-fisted man, are really dis-
tressing to witness. A better milker than even a merciful man is
awoman. The principal part of the milking in private establish-
ments in foreign countries, is done by women ; and in these United
States there are thousands of capable women out of employment
that might be advantageously employed, in private and dairy es-
tablishments, as milkmaids. Therefore, in view of improvement
in the art of milking, I advise farmers to learn their wives, daugh-
ters, and female domestics how to strip the cows. An indolent
person (slow coach) should never be suffered to touch a cow’s teats.
The process, to say the least of it, is painful; therefore, the best
milker is the one that can abstract the milk in the quickest time.
Finally, milk the cow dry. ‘The last of the milk is the most val-
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 643
uable, yet Mr. Hurry-up can not spare time to attend to this mat-
ter; consequently he loses the best of the strippings, and actually
ruins the cow as a milker.
DIsEASED THYMUS GLAND.
The thymus gland, commonly known as the sweetbread, is
usually found, after adult life, in the region of the thoracic duct,
just within the anterior or front part of the chest; yet the greatest
activity and development of this gland is during fcetal life. This
is one of the glands which, according to GoopsiIR, is an involuted
portion of the germinal membrane, acting as the first assimilating
organ possessed by the foetus; hence, as soon as the animal is born,
and the legitimate organs of digestion are called into operation,
the thymus dwindles away, and, in some cases, almost disappears.
Occasionally, however, it becomes enlarged, and has to be removed
by a surgical operation. The following instructive case occurred
in the practice of W. Lyon, V.S., and appeared in the “ London
Veterinarian :”
“T beg to forward for your inspection a tumor, being the largest
of two which were removed on the 15th instant from under the
cervial vertebre of a yearling quey, and which, although now con-
siderably shrunk and dry, weighs forty-nine ounces, and measures
twenty-three inches in its greatest cireumference. It rested upon
the cesophagus, trachea, blood-vessels, and sternal muscles, except-
ing when the animal’s head was depressed ; so much so, that had
the same degree of pressure been made on the gullet, by a tumor
existing elsewhere, as within the chest, permanent hove, ete., would
have been produced.
The operation consisted in an incision through the integuments
of the off-side of the neck, over and parallel to the course of the
vessels, which exposed part of the levator humeri; the next incis-
ion being made right through that muscle, in the direction of its
fibers, which brought to view part of the great tumor, exposing
also the sub-scapulo-hyoid muscle, which was considerably but
favorably displaced by the pressure of the lesser tumor, which in-
clined to the off-side. The remaining incisions were made, with
care, through numerous ligamentous-like bands and cellular mem-
brane, by which the tumor was attached to the inter-vertebral and
other muscles, The lesser tumor, which was more superficial, was
644 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
then removed in the same manner, after having been very useful
in keeping the said sub-scalpulo-hyoid muscle out of the way.
Both tumors seemed to be indifferently supplied with blood. Ex-
cepting the cutaneous veins, which yielded less than an ounce of
blood, there were no blood-vessels divided; hence no artery nor
vein required to be taken up. A few interrupted stitches were
put in, and as the quey had necessarily to stand during the opera-
tion, there being only one man and a boy present at its commence-
ment, orders were given to let go the under-jaw, when the animal
immediately sprang over a four-foot wall. I have not seen her
since, but have learned that she is doing well.
Ineed make no remark on the origin, progress, structure, locality,
and treatment of such tumors, such being already well-known to
veterinary practitioners. Farmers, however, would do well (now
that the disease is very common) to feed off cattle so affected or
predisposed, when it is possible to do so, and not to breed from such
stock, as it is generally difficult and sometimes impossible to re-
move the tumors when once formed. It would also be for their
interest to pay less attention to the direct treatment, by intrusting
that in the hands of a practitioner, and to attend more to the neg-
ative treatment, such as blood-letting, avoiding refrigerants, such
as nitrate of potash, and all other medicines that tend to diminish
the fibrine of the blood, particularly all mercurial preparations,
and, in general, to avoid every thing formerly used in the treat-
ment of scrofula in the human subject. But this they will not
always attend to when any thing is wrong with any of their cattle.
They must not merely get direct treatment, but, without due dis-
crimination, they must share and share alike.”
Corps IN YouNnG CALVES.
A disease to which the above name is given occasionally appears
among young calves. It is an inflammatory affection, and particu-
larly manifests itself in contractions of the sinews (tendinous
structures); hence the name, “ cords.’ Wuirr contends that
calyes are most liable to be affected by this disorder during the
first days or weeks after they are dropped. If they outlive five or
six weeks, they are seldom in any danger. Calves that suck their
mothers are not so liable to the disease as those which are reared
by hand. The greatest number of calves that fall a sacrifice to
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 645
this disease, if not the whole of them, are those which are closely
confined to the house from their birth, without ever being exposed
to the free, open air. It is a well-known fact that calves which
are dropped and remain in the fields are in little or no danger.
Mr. LAWRENCE, in his “Treatise on Cattle,” observes, that “a
complaint, called the cords has recently destroyed a number of
young calves in Scotland, both such as have been calved abroad
and under shelter. Those which are brought up by hand are most
liable, and the most dangerous period is the first week or two after
birth.”
Treatment.—As a preventive I should give the new-born calf
(provided we have no discharge from the bowels) a wine-glassful
of castor-oil; yet if the mother yield milk, and the calf imme-
diately after birth imbibes the same, there is no need of giving any
medicine. The object in giving castur-oil is to purge off the me-
conium—first excrement. The first flow of milk, however, will
meet the emergency, and it is only in cases of suspended -lacteal
secretion, or in cases of acute garget, when the cow can not yield
milk, that I recommend the castor-oil. Should the oil purge the
calf too actively, twenty drops of the oil of anise-seed or pepper-
mint, may be given in half a pint of flour gruel. Should the
animal be dangerously attacked, and the contractions of the tendi-
nous structures violent, let the little creature be placed in a warm
bath for a few minutes ; then give him a good rubbing with coarse
towels, after which he will probably do well.
STEAMED AND CooKED FooD FOR STOCK.
In view of fattening neat stock, and augmenting the quantity
of milk in dairy cows, I recommend the use of steamed and cooked
food. It has been ‘satisfactorily proved that fat cattle of the best
quality, may be produced by feeding them on boiled food.
Dr. WHITLAW says: “ On one occasion, a number of cows were
‘selected from a large stock, for the express purpose of making the
trial ; they were such as appeared to be of the best kind, and those
that gave the richest milk. In order to ascertain what particular
food would produce the best milk, different species of grass and
clover were tried separately, and the quality and flavor of the
butter were found to vary very much. But what was of the most
importance, many of the grasses were found to be coated with
646 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE. AND SURGERY.
silicia, or decomposed sand, too hard and insoluble for the stom-
achs of cattle. In consequence of this the grass was cut and well
steamed, and was found to be readily digested; and the butter
that was made from the milk much firmer, better flavored, and
would keep longer without salt than any other kind. Another
circumstance that attended the experiment was that, in all the
various grasses and grains that were intended by our Creator as
food for man or beast, the various oils that enter into their com-
position were so powerfully assimilated or combined with the
other properties of the farinaceous plants, that the oil partook of
the character of essential oil, and was not so easily evaporated as
that of poisonous vegetables ; and experience has proved that the
same quantity of grass, steamed and given to the cattle, will pro-
duce more butter than when given in its dry state. This fact being
established from numerous experiments, then, there must be a
great saving and superiority in this mode of feeding. The meat
of such cattle is more wholesome, tender, and better flavored than
when fed on the ordinary food.
“A mixed diet (boiled) is supposed to be the most economical
for fattening cattle. ‘A Scotchman, who fattens one hundred and
fifty head of Galloway cattle annually, finds it most profitable to
feed with bruised flaxseed, boiled with meal or barley, oats or
Indian corn, at the rate of one part flaxseed to three parts meal,
by weight—the cooked compound to be afterward mixed with
cut straw or hay. From four to twelve pounds of the compound
are given to each beast per day.’ The editor of the ‘ Albany Cul-
tivator’ adds: ‘ Would it not be well for some of our farmers who
stall-feed cattle to try this or a similar mode? We are by no
means certain that the ordinary food (meaning, probably, bad hay
and corn-stalks) would pay the expense of cooking ; but flaxseed
is known to be highly nutritious, and the cooking would not only
facilitate its digestion, but it would serve, by mixing, to render the
other food palatable, and, by promoting the appetite and health
of the animal, would be likely to hasten its thrift.’”
An article on steamed food for stock lately appeared in the col-
umns of the “ Mark Lane Express.” It does not sustain my
theory exactly, yet the closing paragraph proves all I contend for
at the commencement of this article. It is my opinion that, in
order to test the real value of steamed over raw food, the experi-
ments must be conducted with great care, and be continued for
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. . 647
some time, during which it must not be expected that the animal
will thrive in health and flesh, unless it have an occasional meal
of its more natural food in its raw state. What I mean by the
“real value” of steamed food, is its usefulness in the animal econ-
omy, as a co-agent with the unsteamed articles of fodder; and,
considerable discretion will be needed in making selections among
articles of food, some of which might be improved, or, rather,
rendered more acceptable to the palate and convenient for masti-
cation, while others might be deteriorated by the same process. I
select the following from the above source:
‘“ As to steaming food for cattle, there is considerable difference
of opinion among theoretical writers. Among practical men there
is little difference of opinion, especially where experiments have
been individually undertaken. The late Mr. Howden, of Law-
head, East Lothian, undertook a series of experiments on feeding
cattle with steamed food. Lots of cattle of similar age and breed-
ing were selected and divided. Those cattle fed on turnips and
potatoes, given raw, made rather greater progress than those fed
on the prepared food, equal quantities being given. The differ-
ence was slight; still it was perceptible, the rate of progress being
tested by girthing the animals, and the condition generally, by
handling. The experiments were carried on for more than one
season, with nearly the same result. A lot of young cattle, a year
and a half old, fed on boiled beans, made very rapid progress, and
left a profit beyond payment for their food consumed. They were
cheap when purchased, and the value of beef was at the time rela-
tively high with that of lean cattle. Of course, the straw was not
prepared, either by steaming or cutting into chaff. Other exper-
iments with steamed food have been, from time to time, undertaken
in that county, and with nearly the same result. In every case
that came under our observation, the preparing of food by steaming
and boiling was, after a time, given up. In feeding dairy stock
when in milk, steaming and boiling food is known to be profita-
ble; but the health of the animal sometimes suffers, compared
with that of cows kept partly on raw and partly on prepared
food.”
648 © DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
CHEAP FODDER FOR Cows.
Straw contains much farinaceous aliment. The attention of
agriculturists in France has recently been directed to the discov-
ery of a method of converting straw into a kind of bran, The
discovery has been claimed by two individuals. The first is a
miller, near Dijon, who, it is said, on trying the mill-stone of a
new mill, discovered the possibility of converting straw into a
nourishing food ; the second, M. Joseph Maitre, of Villotte, near
Chatillon. This distinguished agriculturist, known for the purity
and perfection of his breeds of sheep, conceived the idea of con--
verting into farina not only the straw of wheat and other grains,
but of hay, trefoil, lucern, sanfoin, etc. His efforts have been
perfectly successful, and his discovery arrived at, not by chance,
but by long experiment and research. The aliment which he has
produced is said to be a complete substitute for bran. It is given
to sheep and lambs, who consume it with avidity, and may be
given to all other graminivorous animals as a grateful and sub-
stantial food. We know, in this country, that the mere chopping
of straw adds greatly to its powers, by facilitating mastication
and digestion. We may believe that a more perfect comminution
of its parts will produce a corresponding effect, and extend very
widely the uses of straw and other fodder as a means of feeding
our domestic animals. This sort of aliment is very excellent,
when combined with a sufficient amount of nutrimental matter,
for animals whose systems lack the requisite amount of phos-
phates and phosphoric acids. A milch cow, for example, whose
lacteal vessels yield, in the form of milk, the above equivalents,
may be benefited by an occasional feed of straw meal.
Buack LEG, oR ANTHRAX.
Various are the names given to an affection of the above kind.
Some persons call it inflammatory fever, gangrene, ete. Then
again it gets its name from the region in which it first appeared.
So, if it first appears in the region of the thigh, it is called quarter
ill, quarter evil, black quarter, joint murrain, ete.; hence it ap-
pears to have as many names as there are locations for it.
The Nature of Black Leg—Youatt, and other orthodox vet-
erinary writers contend that this affection is a pure inflammatory
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 649
fever, yet, at the same time, they admit that cattle of all descrip-
tions, ages, and conditions are subject to it. Now, I think it will
be very difficult to prove that inflammatory fever can attain a
very high grade in the system of an animal in poor condition.
The very reverse is the case; for disease of a low typhoid type,
and those which are known to run a rapid course, are apt to
pounce upon animals having but little vital resistance—being out
of condition, as the saying is.
In my opinion, this is an epizootic affection, and, like most epi-
zodtics, its pathology must necessarily be obscure. In applying
the terms black leg, black quarter, ete., to this affection (epizodtic
or enzootic) leads us into error in supposing that it is merely a
local affection, limited to a certain part, when, in fact, it is a gen-
eral affection, showing itself in various parts of the economy at
the same time. For example, in the early stage, when a limb or
part is swollen and distended with gas, the various organs and
functions of the body are more or less disturbed. Even in the
early stage the respirations are short and quick ; pulse, accelerated
(a mere fluttering action, scarcely perceptible) ; the coat stares ;
rumination is suspended; the bowels are constipated, and the
nervous system is affected; for the beast staggers, and soon be-
tomes comatose ; death frequently takes place in the course of from
twelve to twenty-four hours. It will be perceived, therefore, that
the local affection is not proportionate, in degree or extent, to the
severity and magnitude of the general symptoms; therefore it is
a general disease. |
The autopsy clearly indicates the ravages which this epizodtic
or enzodtic makes on the general economy. YOUATT informs us
that “the chief appearances after death will be venous congestion
every-where. It affects both of the pleura, the whole substance
of the lungs, brain, and peritoneum; the intestines and stomach
are also affected. Therefore what we perceive externally, in the
form of tumors, emphysema, ulcers, sloughing, and mortification
are only the symptoms of a general malady. Mr. ERNEs informs
us, through the pages of the “ Veterinarian,” that “black quar-
ter” (which is the same as ‘black leg’) is neither more nor less
than that dreadful malady of horses and cattle called by the French
charbon. Anthrax would, perhaps, be the better appellation, see-
ing its characters are a hard, circumscribed tumor, exceedingly
painful, with tension and burning heat in the subcutaneous cel-
650 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
lular tissue. This is often depressed in its center, and sometimes
preceded by a small opening.
According to authorities, “the tumor of black leg, though small
at first, suddenly increases in size, sometimes to that of a child’s
head. Gangrene soon supervenes, beginning in the center and
extending to the circumference, which rapidly converts the whole
into an eschar of a black color, similar to a piece of charcoal ;
henee its name—charbon. The eschar is sometimes several inches
in diameter, and is almost always either preceded or accompanied
by bladders, which form a sort of areola around it. There is also
always an cedematous swelling, more or less considerable, owing
to an emphysematous state, and an infiltration of serum or sero-
gelatine into the cellular tissue, which crackles on pressure, caused
by the presence of gases. The danger and rapidity of the disease
are such that, when an animal is attacked, after a violent access
of fever, it falls a sacrifice to it in a few hours, rarely exceeding
twenty-four or thirty-six. All animals are subject to it, but the
herbivorous more so than others. It is either epizodtic or enzootic ;
the first is the most destructive.”
I now consider the point settled regarding the nature of the
disease ; namely, it is an epizodtic or enzootic affection, and, of
course, is subject to the same laws which govern diseases of thit?
type. This will explain the otherwise unaccountable variations
which are observed in the symptoms of the affection when pre-
vailing in different localities, and it also enables us to account for
the great losses which Messrs. Shortfeed and Overfeed are con-
tinually encountering. The fact is, all overfed animals may be
ranked as gluttons, and all half-starved animals furnish a savory
morsel for the great epizodtic pathological glutton, which, like the
epidemic one that, hovering around the city of New Orleans, a
few years ago, destroyed several thousands of its inhabitants ere
it touched a single sober citizen. When this disease ranges in a
single locality, it is supposed to have a spontaneous origin. Then
the term enzodtic is applied to it; and if it prevail among the
cattle of an extensive region, then it is called epizodtic.
Causes.—The causes of this affection are as obscure as those of
cholera, influenza, potato rot, ete. They seem to appear inde-
pendent of local causes, occur at uncertain intervals, prevail for
indefinite periods, and run their course in a short space of time.
It is supposed by some persons that a disease of this character and
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 651
nature is propagated by contagion or infection. How far it is
engendered in these ways I am not prepared to decide. There
must, however, have been a time when the disease did not exist,
but must have arisen from a concurrence of natural causes; and
if these were adequate to its production at an anterior period, they
must be so at the present time. I shall, therefore, abandon all
further speculation in this direction as unprofitable, for there is
evidently no direct cause, but various are the predisposing, ex-
citing, indirect, and morbid causes. The only way that I know
of to prevent this malady is to keep the cattle in a physiological
condition, by paying proper attention to breeding, feeding, rear-
ing, and housing; for animals in a perfectly healthy state are
certain to enjoy immunity from this and other diseases.
I have noticed, at various times, articles in agricultural papers
on the prevention of black leg, which, in the name of common
humanity I am compelled to notice. The one I have thought
proper to select reads as follows:
“ Preventive-—Take spring calves in the month of October; cut
a small incision in the hollow above the foot. On the top of the
flesh a small blue vein appears; take a crooked instrument, in the
shape of an awl, and put the point under the vein, raise it up so
that it can be cut, and take about an eighth of an inch out of the
vein. Don’t sew up the incision. It must be done on all the
four feet. I have cut many hundreds, and have known of thou-
sands being cut, and never knew of one dying with the above
disease after being cut.”
Now, I am not disposed to scold or find fault, nor question the
intentions of men who recommend or practice such outrageous
barbarities under the guise of doctoring sick animals, but I wish
to remind the intelligent reader that cattle have nerves to feel,
and are as keenly sensible to pain as we are; therefore all un-
necessary operations, even should they have received the seal of
antiquity, ought to be avoided. This is the age of progression.
The lamp of veterinary science is illuminating the mystified halo
which has hitherto surrounded our barn-yard practice; and before
the barbarities of bygone days are practiced on our domestic ani-
mals, let us be satisfied that we are using rational means for the
recovery of the sick, such as science and common sense confirms.
Just as rational would it be, if it were at all rational, to take an
infant and divide one of the posterior veins of both feet, in view
652 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of preventing disease common to adult life, which, after all, might
never occur, the little creature not being predisposed thereto.
Let any one just study. the anatomical structure of the foot of
an ox, and he will learn that the vein which we are recommended
to sever and amputate from is called the coronary, and is engaged
in returning blood from the vast venous plexuses of the foot,
which requires to come in contact with the lungs for purification
and oxygenation. Any impediments, such as severing a vein,
which interrupts the free circulation or return of blood to the
heart and lungs, can not be beneficial, but otherwise. It will be
seen that the vein is nothing more than an elastic hollow tube, a
mere vehicle, through which the blood courses; therefore it can
not be supposed to have any specific power over other parts of the
organization in warding off disease.
I shall not trouble the reader with any further remarks on the
subject of irrational and barbarous prevention; for I presume
that the introduction of the foregoing paragraph will answer all the
purposes intended. Among physicians the disease is known as
hcematosepsis ; and our experience is that it usually occurs among
young stock, and generally in well-bred animals in high con-
dition, or in native stock in low condition; yet it may occur in
the system of any bovine, as the result of sudden change in the
quality of the food.
Treatment.—It is an unfortunate occurrence that this disease
should ever have been classed as an inflammatory affection, for
the error has led to a system of practice disastrous as the cattle
plague. The following paragraph from Youarr will serve to
show the orthodox method of treating inflammatory fever, and
will also explain the reason why a great proportion of the ani-
mals treated die:
“The very name of the disease (inflammatory fever) indicates
the mode of treatment. In a case of excessive vascular action,
the first and most important step is copious depletion. As much
blood must be taken as the animal will bear to lose; and the
stream must flow on until the animal staggers or threatens to fall.
Here, more than in any other disease, there must be no foolish
directions about quantities. As much blood must be taken away
as can be got; for it is only by the bold and persevering use of
depletory measures that a malady can be subdued that runs its
course so rapidly. Purging must immediately follow. The Ep-
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 653
som salts are here, as in most inflammatory diseases, the hest
' purgative. A pound and a half, dissolved in water or gruel, and
poured down the throat as gently as possible, should be our first
dose; and no aromatic should accompany it. If this does not
operate in the course of six hours, another pound should be
given; and after that, half-pound doses, every six hours, until
the effect is produced.”
Tt is a wonder to me how any creature can survive such bar-
barous treatment as this; yet, even at the present day, just such
doctrines are taught in the schools and practiced on cattle, to the
disgrace of science and shame on those men who perpetrate the
wickedness. Blood-letting and purging can have no good effect
on a disease like this, so prostrating, and which runs its course to
mortification so rapidly. Such a wretched system of practice has
always failed, and ever will fail.
That form of treatment which reason and experience suggests
is the best. For example, it would naturally occur, to the mind
free from the prejudice of veterinary orthodoxy, that a disease
which runs into sloughing and mortification in a few short hours
must require life-sustaining agents; hence I recommend a very
different mode of treatment from that heretofore practiced. I
commence the treatment thus:
Nowe Zeus pinits) ots hantshorme cc siselnsl se sis oc 4 dr.
Mara wate srelatel ssl elaleiassteralcistisn tate etetels 1 qt.
Mincturevoty blood root jer. sy chlessjaleiciel o's 1 oz
Mix the hartshorn and tar-water first; then add the bloodroot.
Drench (dose No. 1). The object in giving the hartshorn is to
decarbonize the blood, and impart healthy stimulus to the nutri-
ent system of blood-vessels and nerves; and this agent will do it.
_ Should the animal show any lameness in the back or hind quar-
ters, apply the following:
INCOM Zac OmulWot cedar eee lines siars rclelereacerohe nan, O Ze
Sulphuric ether.) yale oyioloboddone 2 o72.
Minictune Of capsicumamiyeysicrenets cte)s is sects 1 02.
Code liverpollyeiytepevetevataelolelcloyejs/cl-hoi«1=)s 6 02.
First, mix the two oils; then add the ether, and shake them
thoroughly ; lastly, add the tincture. The object in applying this
preparation is to arouse capillary action, and thus prevent the en-
gorgements, which, according to the best authorities, are every-
where found.
654 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Four hours after administering “dose No. 1,” drench the pa-
tient with the following:
No. 1295 Diiqiid tary sic c's tervespoye aistelaih eres sraeiee 1 oz.
GVGeOrINeis sino seis .cieleteis ays Sei olsen 4 oz.
(Din eruel ye. siete a ete loilalel s| ove aketatetetete 1 qt.
If the urgency of the case demands it, this dose may be re-
peated, at intervals of four hours, until symptoms of improve-
ment are observed. The tar is a powerful antiseptic, and prevents
decomposition, emphysema, and mortification.
All sores and ulcers must be dressed with pyroligneous acid,
and kept constantly sprinkled with powdered bloodroot. All
abscesses must be punctured with a thumb-lancet, their contents
evacuated by pressure, and syringing them with soap-suds; and
their cavities must be crammed with fine flour, Should any sores
or ulcers be observed about the muzzle, mouth, or throat, tincture
of matico is the remedy, or liquid tar. One ounce of the same
may be introduced into the mouth of the patient; it will surely
do good. If the patient be weak and debilitated, tonics are indi-
cated; golden-seal, in two-drachm doses, may be incorporated in
the food, in direct ratio to the urgency of the case.
Biack ToNGuE.
This epizodtic has raged very extensively, at different times, in
North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Several per-
sons have died from drinking milk from cows thus diseased. It
appears that domestic cattle are not alone the sufferers, but that
in Florida, particularly, the deer perish from the same disease in
large numbers; and, according to a letter in the Savannah “ Re-
publican,” dogs, and the buzzards in Burke County, Georgia, that
have eaten the flesh of cattle that have died of the black tongue,
have perished from the effects of such poisonous diet. The cause
of this malignant disease does not seem to have been yet ascer-
tained, though by many it is attributed to the rust, which, in vari-
rious parts of the Southern States, as elsewhere, has affected the
grain crops, and, it is said, in some places, the grass also. The
cattle are attacked by stiffness, and walk as though foundered,
while froth is discharged in large quantities from the mouth;
they can eat nothing, fall away rapidly, and the tongue and gums
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 655
become dreadfully swollen, and turn black, and death speedily
releases them from their agony.
Treatment.—The rapid progress which usually attends this
dreadful epizootic calls for prompt and energetic treatment. It
is evidently a congestive disease, and very apt to run into the
typhoid stage and end in sudden death. The moment an ani-
mal is suspected to be the subject of this malady, he should be
drenched with
INo. 130) Table salt... 2... Re Siam tea e aavele ie ohe peal? OZ
Wiarmiwater a icie aie aen wnaes a Legit:
Mincture) Of capsicUm:, «joe sis «s/s (c/ehs is 2 oz
This medicine will act as a powerful antiseptic and stimu-
lating tonic, thus preserving the animal tissues against putres-
cence; and at the same time it relieves the venous congestion.
If, on applying the hand to any part of the body, a crackling
sound is elicited, the animal is then said to be emphysematous,
- which signifies an accumulation of gas beneath the skin. The
patient should then be immediately drenched with
INGmeol ey roliomeous acidic cs vio 4ss'-'ele 56 4 OX
Pure oil of sassafras......... Sfelalorelcts 28 drops.
iimseedifeay rer retaotepet stellate seal) fais se lait
Mix the oil with the latter, then add the acid. After having
drenched the animal, apply a portion of the following to the tume-
factions, or emphysematous region:
INO, I8H4s SGG SKOED UoodoogoKobbuoGeoooKOGUCr 4 o7.
OilWofisassabrastyciisssdoasie ee cisicteeiousre 4 02.
Dissolve the sassafras in two ounces of alcohol.
Binehune Oly ica psle wm /-)-ucleiatalolels/ ej efeh siete 2 02.
Tincture of Peruvian bark........... 1 pt.
Mix, and rub the external surface with a portion of the same,
The swollen tongue should be frequently covered with fine salt;
and the moment there appears any improvement, tonic medicines
should be given. One ounce of the fluid extract of camomile
flowers may be given, twice daily. This remedy will give tone
to the system and restore the appetite.
FRACTURED BONES.
Fracture of bones, occurring among neat stock, is generally
considered as a justifiable cause for their destruction; but I object
656 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
to this summary mode of disposing of unfortunate yet valuable
animals; for the truth is many are killed that might be saved.
The trouble of managing, and the expense of treating cases of
fracture, often deter husbandmen from performing a duty incum-
bent on them in view of protecting their property; but the trouble
and expense are mere trifles when the usefulness of a valuable ani-
mal is involved.
The remedy in case of a simple fracture of bones, under the im-
proved system of practice, is neither tedious nor expensive. ‘The
bones unite very readily, if kept in contact, and the unity is
secured by means of starched bandages. Where there is any
laceration of the soft parts, and the bone is broken into, several
pieces, the better way is to put an end to the sufferings of the
creature, for recovery is impossible. The following case will give
some idea of the method of treating simple fractures. An animal
under treatment for fracture, may be placed in the trevis, if ne¢es-
sary ; but I prefer to let the patient have its liberty in a box stall.
The limb opposite to the fractured one will have to sustain more
weight than usual; therefore I try to prevent swelling and stiff-
ness by occasional hand-rubbing, or by bathing it once or twice
daily, with a portion of the following:
Now1332 OnlFor swormwoodseclae <i orecisie cee sels se OZe
Wed Coley 110) WapaneeenUriey Als SUM Oey eet IRDA ah crs cy 2 02.
ING@w PUNY, sicisseicis ne eiiasotareuel terateie uerehaleene 2 qt
Mix
The following case of fracture of the radius I extract from my
note-book :
This was a case of simple fracture of the radius (bone above
the knee) of a calf about six months old, the property of a gentle-
man residing in Brookline. The accident was occasioned in con-=
sequence of the animal getting his leg entangled in a fold of chain,
the latter being used for the purpose of confining him, in the day
time, to a grazing spot. The fracture was crosswise of the long
diameter of the bone in the central region; namely, midway be-
tween its superior and inferior extremities. No laceration of the
soft tissues, nor comminution of bone. The diagnostic symptom
was crepitis (crackling noise).
Treatment.—The bones were brought in apposition, and secured
by means of slips of pasteboard and starched bandages; and, in
order to keep them from slipping downward, they were sewed to
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 657
a broad belt, which passed over the inferior cervial region, in the
form of a figure 8. The animal did not appear to like this con-
trivance, or else he liked to lick the starch, for he soon commenced
to nibble the wick-yarn with which it was marled on, and so
loosened the bandage that, in the course of a few hours, it slipped
below the carpus. So soon as this occurred I was again sum-
moned to visit the patient. I now procured some thick tar, and
with it smeared the limb to the extent which was to be covered
by bandage. The bandage was composed of common sheeting,
three inches wide, three yards long, and this was also well tarred,
and, after being neatly applied, was secured by means of the many-
tailed, tarred bandage. This had the desired effect ; for, however
well the animal might have liked the taste of starch, he apparently
had no relish for tar. The bandage remained undisturbed.
The accident happened on the 18th day of August, 1857; on
the 4th day of October the osseous union was complete. The
bandage had been removed some time prior to the latter date, yet
the condensed tar was allowed to remain on the skin for some time.
In a few months his limb was just as symmetrical as the other,
and no one but a skillful surgeon would ever discover that the
bone had been fractured. |
LIGHT IN BARNS.
Barns should be so constructed, by the insertion of windows in
various parts of the building, that they shall be as “ light as day.”
A “dark” barn is only a suitable black-hole for some vicious an-
imal; it is the very worst location for any thing that breathes.
Sir A. NyxiE (who was long at the head of the medical staff in
the Russian army) states that the cases of disease on the dark side
of an extensive barrack, at St. Petersburg, have been uniformly,
for many years, in the proportion of three to one to those on the
side exposed to a strong and uniform light. HumBonpr has also
remarked that among bipeds the residents of South America, who
wear very little clothing, thus allowing the cutaneous, as well as
the orbital surfaces to receive a free ray of light, enjoyed immunity
from various diseases which prevailed extensively among the in-
habitants of dark rooms and underground locations; and so ex-
cellent an authority as Linnzus contends that the constant ex~
posure to solar light is one of the causes which render a summer
42
658 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
journey through high northern latitudes so peculiarly healthful
and invigorating. Dr. Epwarps has also remarked that persons
who live in caves or cellars, or in very dark or narrow streets, are
apt to produce deformed children; and that men who work in
mines are liable to disease and deformity. Light, therefore, is a
condition of vital activity; and, in view only of preserving the
sight of animals, it is absolutely necessary that, while they are in
the barn, their optics shall have free access to the sun’s rays.
If a cow were in the same condition as a polype, with no organs
of vision, who shuns light, a dark barn might prove to be its earthly
paradise; but as the cow has special organs of vision, evidently.
susceptible to the influence of light, and the integrity of its organ-
ism, or a part of the same, depending entirely on the admission
of light, it is absolutely necessary that barns should be constructed
accordingly.
DIARRHEA IN CALVES.
Diarrhea is a very prevalent disease among calves. The suck-
ing calf is liable to be the subject of this affection whenever the
general health of the parent is impaired. In such cases the mother
is to be treated instead of the calf. She, probably, is the subject
of a deranged condition of the digestive organs, which can easily
be remedied by the administration of a few doses of the following:
No. 134. Pulverized charcoal..........
@arbonate/ of soda veisscs sce equal parts.
Pulverized ginger.........0:.
Dose, two ounces daily, to be incorporated with the food; or it
can be given as a drench, by adding a pint of scalded milk.
The disease occasionally occurs in consequence of weaning the
calf (in view of husbanding the cow’s milk), and feeding the juve-
nile on improper food. This kind of diarrhea must be treated as
follows : ;
No. 135. Phosphate of lime....... Sonos BOS aloze
Carbonate of soda....... A eR SN 8 1 2 dr.
Scaldeds mille. visr./eists era ueretiels estaaede: Jl joe.
Mix the same, and administer by means of a drenching-horn
or bottle. It may be divided into “broken” doses, or may be
given at once, as a single dose.
If the above remedies fail in arresting the diarrhea, I should
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES: | 659
give three drachms of tincture of matico, every four hours, until
the patient showed some signs of improvement.
SPRAINS OR STRAINS.
Sprains or strains are generally occasioned by unnatural dis-
tension of parts, or rupture of cellalar structure, which connects
muscles or tendons. They are generally accompanied by heat,
tenderness, and lameness. Working oxen are more liable to
sprain than cows, because, when used in the yoke for draught,
they are as liable to strain or rupture parts as horses, by sudden
exertions, or violent efforts of the muscles to guard against a sud-
den slip and fall. The slightest strain will sometimes occasion
lameness, because the parts concerned are composed of minute
fibers and cells, delicately organized ; and a portion or the whole
of such minute tissues are easily injured. In bad cases of strain,
considerable tumefaction or swelling is observed. This is occa-
sioned by the presence of serum, or water, in the cellular tissues
beneath the skin. If proper means are adopted, this fluid can be
taken up by the absorbent vessels, so as to leave no enlargement ;
but if the case be badly treated, the enlargement becomes organ-
ized into a permanent, hard mass, which is known to medical men
as induration.
Treatment.—The very best and cheapest remedies in the early
stages of strain are rest and cold water. ‘This very soon lessens
the vascular excitement; and, if there is no laceration, the animal
will soon get well. It will be necessary to shower the sprained
spot two or three times per day, until the acute symptoms have
subsided. Then a common bandage may be applied. This should
be wet with vinegar occasionally. Should the strained part be very
painful, I would foment with infusion of hops—a handful of hops
to a quart of boiling water, to be applied when cool. If this does
not relieve the pain, let the part be occasionally sponged with a
small quantity of sulphuric ether or chloroform.
BRONCHOCELE.
Bronchocele is a disease known in common parlance as swelling
in the throats of cattle. When it occurs among members of the
human family it is denominated goitre; yet it is my opinion that
660 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
bronchocele occurring among cattle, and goitre in man, are very
different affections. For example: Bronchocele occurring in cattle
is curable, and, so far as I have been able to ascertain, is confined
to the thyroid glands, although in a protracted state of the mal-
ady, the surrounding tissues may become so involved as to render
the case incurable. Goitre, as I understand it, is a diffuse tumor
occupying the anterior part of the neck, occurring principally
among the inhabitants of the Alps, and is considered incurable.
Medicine and external applications seem to have little if any effect
on it, and its removal by operation is generally fatal. The follow-
ing cases are offered in support of my argument as to curability:
A couple of cows, the property of Mr. Humphrey, of Brook-
line, Mass., were observed to be the subjects of an enlargement in
the thyroid region, which gradually increased up to the size of a
man’s fist. At this period I was requested to see them. The an-
imals were natives; their ages, seven and eight; in fair condition,
and yielding the usual quantity of milk. The only fault the owner
had to complain of was that their appetites were not so good as
usual, and he merely consulted me for the purpose of ascertaining
what could be done for the thyroid tumors. On making careful
examination of both animals, there was very little of abnormal
action to be perceived, either internally or externally. The pulse
was regular; respirations, normal; the surface of the body, com-
fortably warm; coat, glossy ; nothing unusual about the feces nor
urine; and all I could say about the cases was, that they were
mild forms of hypertrophy of the thyroid glands (enlargement
without change of structure). The tumor in one animal occupied
the right side of the thyroid region; in the other it was found in
the left; both immovable, yet having no morbid adhesions. to
skin nor subtissue.
Treatment.—The owner being unwilling to incur the expense of
professional attention, and desiring to treat them himself, under
advice, I accordingly prescribed as follows: Each animal to have
daily ten grains of iodide of potassium in half a gill of water.
The tumor to be anointed daily with a portion of the following:
Non 36s Simple ombments.icjerqeeis cele come 2 02.
Hocides of potassium): sol).- elotereieiee 2 dr.
Mix.
During a period of seven days each animal got seventy grains
of iodide of potassium, and by inunction received one drachm each.
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 661
According to the testimony of Mr. Humphrey, the remedy was
effective; for at the end of two weeks the tumors had disappeared,
and the animals were on the high road to health.
SPAYING Cows.
Before I commence to point out the method of spaying, it may
be proper to allude briefly to the female organs of generation.
Uterus, or Womb.—This is a hollow, musculo-membranous or-
gan, united to the front part of the vagina, and terminating beneath
the anus, in what is known as the lips of the pudendum. The
womb is destined for the reception of the foetus. It is situated
within the cavity of the pelvis, between the region of the bladder
and that of the rectum, and is an organ capable of extraordinary
distension.
The womb is divided into body, horns, neck, and mouth. The
body is the oblong, cylindrical part, growing out of the front part
of the vagina, in the center of which it terminates, internally, by
the mouth of the womb, termed by physicians the os uteri. The
front part of the body of the womb, by branching into two divis-
ions, forms the horns. They diverge laterally (sideways) toward
the front part of the pelvis, and, finally, terminate in oval extrem-
ities, (fallopian tubes,) and, lastly, the testes, or ovaries. The part
termed the neck protrudes backward into the vagina, and is only
perceptible when the parts are unimpregnated.
The uterus and ovaries are partly covered, and confined to the
sides of the pelvis by a portion of the peritoneum, called broad or
lateral ligiments, which also inclose within its folds the fallopian
tubes.
The ovaries are two soft bodies, about the size of a walnut, and
resembling somewhat in form the testicles of the male. They are
filled with little vesicles, or bladders, which can be seen through
the surface texture, containing a small quantity of a whitish yel-
low fluid. These yellow bodies, or spots, termed corpora lutea,
are supposed to contain the ova. The cicatrices, or marks left in
the region where the vesicles have burst, denote the number of
times the animal has been impregnated. The contents of the
ovarian vesicles, from one or both testicles, are discharged into the
uterus through the fallopian tubes, and the same is vitalized by
the male semen in the act of copulation; so it will be perceived
662 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
that the uterus has two inlets, coming from the ovaries, and one
outlet, which is the lips of the vagina.
The arteries which supply the uterine organs with blood are
named vaginal, uterine, and spermatic. The vaginal is derived
from the internal iliac; the uterine, from the external iliac; and
the spermatic comes directly from the great aorta.
his brief description of the form, function, and location of the
uterine organs may possibly prove of some value to the husband-
men of this country, who are not expected to be posted on the
subject, and can not spare the time to familiarize themselves with
the technicalities of the schools, yet have intelligence enough to
comprehend plain matters of fact.
On the Selection of Animals for Spaying.—lIf the animal be in-
tended for milking purposes, a good milker must be selected, for
the operation will not transform a poor milker into a good one.
She must necessarily be in possession of those constitutional pecu-
liarities which have been observed to prevail in animals renowned
as first-class milkers. The operation will, without doubt, improve
the quality of the milk, yet may not, under all circumstances, in-
crease the quantity, although the French dairymen contend that
“ the cow will be found to give as much milk after eighteen months
as immediately after the operation ; and there was found, in quan-
tity, in favor of the spayed cows, a great difference.” About three
years ago I spayed a cow, the property of a gentleman residing in
Southboro’, She continued during this period to yield her usual
quantity of milk, yet gradually accumulated fat, so that she was
known in the neighborhood as the “ fat cow.” When in this con-
dition, the daily yield of milk gradually decreased, and the owner
at last sold her to the butcher. I learned from parties who bought
the meat that it was of superior quality even to that of, an OX or
steer, and commanded a higher price. Among other animals that
T have spayed several have run to fat, as the saying is, and at the
end of from eighteen months to three years, fell into the hands of
the butcher as first-rate beef. I am, therefore, inclined to think
that if animals are predisposed to fatten easily, they will not remain
uniform milkers beyond the above period ; yet, from a report made
by the Rheims Academy, I learn that this liability to fatten was
not observed in the environs of Paris, where, in some milking
establishments, one hundred and fifty cows are kept, all spayed
except fifteen or twenty. It may happen, however, that in conse-
¢
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 663
quence of their not being permitted to go to pasture, and their
artificial food not of the best quality, and perhaps scanty, they do
not have enough adipose matter to spare and store away in the
fat-cells, as is the case with stall-fed animals in private establish-
ments, where only one or two are kept.
In view, therefore, of securing a permanent milker, I should
select a cow of compact muscular organization (native breed), hav-
ing little, if any, predisposition to accumulate fat. She must be a
good milker, and the mother of at least three calves. The best
period for spaying is in the spring, when the unimpregnated ani-
mal is in her full flow of milk. If the object of spaying be to
furnish the market with fat, tender, juicy meat, then I should sé-
lect animals, barren or otherwise, that keep in good condition on
a small quantity of food. The operation may be performed at any
period, from the age of three months to nine or more years.
Mode of Operation—tThe principal authority on the modus
operandi of spaying is M. Morin, a celebrated French veterinary
surgeon. J am not in the habit of performing the operation ac-
cording to his directions, yet the reader may desire to know how
it has been performed in a country where the results have been so
remarkably successful; therefore I introduce the following quota-
tions :
“ Having covered the head of the cow to be operated on, we
place her against a wall provided with five rings, firmly fastened
and placed as follows: The first corresponds to the top of the
withers; the second to the lower anterior part of the breast; the
third is placed a little distance from the angle of the shoulder; the
fourth is opposite to the anterior and superior part of the lower
region, and the fifth, which is behind, answers to the under part
of the buttocks. We place a strong assistant between the wall and
the head of the animal, who firmly holds the horn in the left hand,
and with his right the muzzle, which he elevates a little. This
done, we pass through and fasten the end of a long, strong, platted
cord in the ring to the lower part of the breast; we bring the free
end of the cord along the left flank, and pass it through the ring
which is below and in front of the withers; we bring it down
along the breast, behind the shoulders and the angle of the fore-
leg, to pass it through the third ring; from there we pass it
through the ring which is at the top of the back; then it must be
passed around against the outer angle of the left hip, and we fasten
664 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
it, after having drawn it tightly to the posterior ring, by a simple
bow-knot. The cow being firmly fixed to the wall, we place a
cord, fastened by a slip-noose, around the hocks, to keep them to-
gether in such a manner that the animal can not kick the operator.
The free end of the cord and the tail are held by an assistant.
The cow, thus secured, can not, during the operation, move for-
ward nor lie down; and the veterinary surgeon has all the ease
desirable, and is protected from accident.
M. Leorant advises that an assistant should hold a plank or bar
of wood obliquely under the teats and before its limbs, to ward
off the kicks; but this method is not always without danger, both
to the operator and the animal, because, at the commencement—
that is, when the surgeon makes the incision through the hide and
the muscles—the cow makes such sudden movements, and tries
so frequently to strike with its left hind foot, that it may happen
that, upon every movement, the plank or the bar may be struck
against the operator’s legs. On the other hand, although the de-
fense may be firmly held by the assistant, yet it may happen that,
in spite of his exertions, he sometimes may be thrown against the
operator, by the movements she may attempt, and there may be
an uncontrollable displacement of the plank or bar; and then it
may happen that she becomes wounded, and, at the same time,
prevents the operation ; while, by the mode we point out, there is
no fear of accident, either to the operator or the beast. In case
of the want of well-provided rings, we may use a strong palisade,
a solid fence, or two trees, at suitable distances apart. Across we
fix two strong boards of wood, separated from each other, accord-
ing to the size of the cow.
There is another means of confining them that we have em-
ployed for some time past, where the cows were very strong and
irritable, more simple than the preceding, less fatiguing to the
animal, less troublesome to the operator, and which answers per-
fectly. It consists in leaving the cow almost free, covering her
eyes, holding her head by two strong assistants, one of whom
seizes the nose with his hand, and strongly pinches the nostrils
whenever the animal makes any strong movement during the
operation ; in causing another assistant to hold the two hind legs,
kept together by means of a cord passed above and beneath the
hocks. This assistant also holds the tail, and pulls it whenever
the animal seeks to change its place.
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 665
The cow being conveniently disposed of, and the instruments
and appliances, (such as curved scissors, upon a table, a convex-
edged bistoury, a straight one, and one buttoned at the point,
suture-needle filled with double thread of desired length, pledgets
of lint of appropriate size and length, a mass of tow in pledgets,
being collected in a shallow basket held by an assistant,) we place
ourselves opposite to the left flank, our back turned a little toward
the head of the animal; we cut off the hair which covers the hide
in the middle of the flanks, at an equal distance between the back
and hip, for the space of thirteen or fourteen centimeters in cir-
cumference. This done, we take the convex bistoury, and place
it open between our teeth, the edge out, the point to the left ; then,
with both hands, we seize the hide in the middle of the flank,
and form of it a wrinkle of the requisite elevation, and running
lengthwise of the body.
We then direct an assistant to seize, with his right hand, the
right side of this wrinkle. We then take the bistoury, and cut
the wrinkle at one stroke through the middle. The wrinkle hay-
ing been suffered to go down, a separation of the hide is presented,
of sufficient length to enable us to introduce the hand. Thereupon
we separate the edges of the hide with the thumb and fore-finger
of the left hand, and, in like manner, we cut through the abdom-
inal muscles, the iliac (rather obliquely) and the lumbar (cross),
for a distance of a centimeter from the lower extremity of the
incision made in the hide. This done, armed with the straight
bistoury, we make a puncture of the peritoneum, at the upper
extremity of the wound; we then introduce the buttoned bistoury,
and move it obliquely from above to the lower part, up to the
termination of the incision made in the abdominal muscles. The
flank being opened, we introduce the right hand into the abdo-
men, and direct it along the right side of the cavity of the pelvis,
behind the paunch and underneath the rectum, where we find the
horns of the uterus. After we have ascertained the position of
these viscera, we search for the ovaries, which are at the extrem-
ity of the cornua, or horns (fallopian tubes); and when we have
found them, we seize them between the thumb and fore-finger,
detach them completely from the ligaments that keep them in
their place, pull lightly, separating the cord and the vessels (ute-
rine or fallopian tubes) at their place of union with the ovarium,
by means of the nails of the thumb and fore-finger, which presents
®
666 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
itself at the point of touch; in fact, we break the cord, and bring
away the ovarium.
We then introduce the hand again in the abdominal cavity, and
proceed in the same manner to extract the other ovarium. This
operation terminated, by the assistance of a needle we place a suture
of three or four double threads, waxed, at an equal distance, and at
two centimeters or a little less from the lips of the wound. Passing
it through the divided tissues, we move from the left hand with
the piece of thread; having reached that point, we fasten with a
double knot. We place the seam in the intervals of the thread
from the right, and, as we approach the lips of the wound, we
fasten by a simple knot, being careful not to close too tightly the
lower part of the seam, so that the suppuration, which may be
established in the wound, may be able to escape. The operation
effected, we cover up the wound with a pledget of lint, kept in its
place by three or four threads passed through the stitches, and all
is completed. It happens sometimes that, in cutting the muscles
of which we have before spoken, we cut one or two of the arte-
ries, which bleed so much that there is no necessity for a ligature
before opening the peritoneal sac, because if this precaution be
omitted, blood will escape into the abdomen, and may occasion
the most serious consequences,”
Improved Method of Spaying.—I cast the cow, by means of the
hobbles (see cut of instruments), on her right side. I then apply
to the nostrils a sponge, saturated with concentrated sulphuric
ether. When the animal is completely unconscious, I slacken the
casting-rope, so as to free the limbs and prevent any pressure on the
walls of the abdomen. By so doing, I secure room enough to intro-
duce a hand and arm, for the purpose of searching for the ovaries.
The first stage of the operation consists in pinching up a fold
of the skin on the left side, midway between the prominent bone
of the haunch or pelvis, and the last or posterior rib, about four
inches below the transverse processes of the lumbar (back) ver-
tebre. Having divided the integuments to the extent of about
five or six inches, I make a similar incision through the abdom-
inal muscles, until the peritoneum (lining membrane of the ab-
dominal cavity) is exposed. This membrane is then punctured
by means of a beak-pointed bistoury, into which puncture I insin-
uate a knife having a probe point, and then divide the peritoneum
to the extent of the external incision,
]
VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND DISEASES. 667
The second stage of the operation commences with the intro-
duction of the operator’s right arm, he kneeling down in close
contact with the cow’s back. The hand is then passed within the
brim or, cavity of the pelvis. Having found the deep-seated or
right ovary, it must be removed by laceration. I find that the
best and most expeditious way is to slip the other hand into the
abdominal cavity; then, with the right hand, I seize the broad
ligament at the base of the ovary; my left then clasps the ovary,
and in this way, by using trifling force, the ovary is detached or
torn away. The left ovary is then to be sought for, and an as-
sistant depresses the edges of the incision. At the same time the
operator, having a firm hold on the ovary, brings it into view,
so that it can be removed by means of a pair of blunt-pointed
Scissors.
The third stage of the operation is the process of uniting the
abdominal muscles, by means of stitches or sutures. A curved
needle, armed with four or five threads of shoemaker’s twine, well
beeswaxed, is to be passed through the abdominal muscles, with-
out penetrating the peritoneum, (lining membrane of the abdom-
inal cavity,) at interrupted distances of one inch, more or less.
Each suture is to be’ securely tied; one end of the same is to be
cut close to the knot, the other is left long enough to protrude
through the integumental incision. The skin, or integument, is
then to be closed by means of ligature or metallic wire, leaving a
small orifice at the inferior or lower region of the external incision,
for the escape of morbid matter. This completes the operation.
Tn the course of a week or ten days the deep-seated ligatures may
be pulled away, and when the integument is well united, the ex-
ternal stitches may also be removed. The wound is healed by
Nature, and scarcely, if ever, requires any sort of dressing.
SECTION XXIX.
REMARKS ON THE CATTLE PLAGUE
ISEASES of all kinds are attributable to predisposing and
exciting causes. The majority of maladies require a com-
bination of agencies to induce them; but there are some which
can only be developed by one unchangeable and specific means,
which we designate contagion. A sheep can only become scabby
by the scab-insect creeping on its body, and there multiplying.
A dog only becomes rabid by the virus of another rabid animal
entering its system; and scientific men are agreed that an animal
can only be seized with rinderpest as the result of direct or indi-
rect communication of the rinderpest virus from a diseased to a
healthy animal. These are accepted truths which somewhat shock
the minds of people unacquainted with the mysterious operations
of Nature. The question occurs to most persons whether, under
extraordinary circumstances, these contagious maladies are not
generated de novo. All we can say is, that as yet no one has dem-
onstrated that in the steppes (Russian plains) cattle can be placed
under such circumstances, apart from being subjected to the in-
fluence of contagion, as can induce the disorder. The disease is
always there, roving to and fro, winter and summer, among cattle
of all kinds, sometimes killing many, and at other times attack-
ing few. My belief is, after searching in vain for evidence of the
spontaneous development of the rinderpest in Asiatic or European
Russia, that the malady (just like human small-pox) is never de-
veloped, per se, out of nothing, but is propagated in obedience
to immutable laws, such as those which operate in perpetuating
small-pox in man. There are periods of recrudescence which are,
* Condensed from Mr, JoHn GAmaer’s late great work on the Cattle Plague.
(668)
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 669
to a great extent, accounted for by periodic and extraordinary
movements of stock, as in times of war, or by an activated cattle
trade; but neither cold nor heat, rain nor drought, storms nor
severe frosts, affect the propagation of the malady, except in so far
as they affect the movements of people and the traffic in cattle.
The predisposition said to exist in the cattle of the steppes (the
special idiosynerasy which has been spoken of) is observed, during
outbreaks in Western Europe, to manifest itself in rendering the
disorder less severe, far less malignant, in the cattle of Russia
than in any other known breeds. JEsSEN tells us that foreign
stock in Russia, acclimatized and bred there, succumbs from at-
tacks of the disease as rapidly as in its native country. Thus
Devon cattle imported into Russia, bred there, for years continue
to indicate a terrible susceptibility, and are rapidly exterminated
when the disease is communicated to them by accidental contact
or artificial inoculation. It is difficult to understand that these
animals, manifesting an extraordinary susceptibility, should not,
as it is proved they do not, suffer from spontaneous manifesta-
tions of the disease, which have been regarded as likely among the
less susceptible herds of the steppes. I do not believe that the
flesh and blood of the Russian cattle are impregnated with this
malady, nor that they inherit it as human beings do scrofula; and
I am strongly disposed to regard the specific poison of the cattle
plague as obeying the same laws of reproduction as those which
we know regulate the development of the virus of variola.
We are asked again, How did the first case occur? We must
give an Irishman’s answer, and ask, How did the first case of
human small-pox or hydrophobia occur? We can prove abso-
lutely nothing as to their primary origin, and all we can say is,
the most careful observations show that the transmission and pro-
creation of certain animal poisons, including that of the cattle
plague, obey laws similar to those which govern the transmission
and procreation of living organisms. Some day we may know
more of the vitality of animal poisons. We now know that their
destructive operations are not more extraordinary, and the reasons
for their existence not more unfathomable, than those of many
parasitic plants and animals which seem to live and to multiply
by undeviating processes of generation, only to shorten the exist-
ence of the higher orders of the animal or vegetable kingdoms.
It is strange, but true, that the poison of the steppe murrain
670 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
may be compared to any living organism which only requires a
favorable habitat for its indefinite increase. Just as the scab-
insect lives and breeds almost exclusively on the skin of a sheep,
so does the cattle-plague virus grow in quantity only when it
meets with conditions favorable to its fructification in the systems
of bovine animals, This statement is not affected by the occa-
sional appearance of the disease among goats, sheep, and other
animals; for we well know, after the experience of centuries, that
whatever animals may be in a country, whenever the horned
stock has succumbed the disease vanishes. It does, indeed, inflict
some damage on the flocks of sheep; but its slow and imperfect
propagation among them indicates that it needs a more favorable
nidus for its perfect and complete development.
If all known facts seem to favor the view that the Russian mur-
rain owes its origin to contagion alone (even in Russia), no one
having a knowledge of the subject believes that any other cause
can induce it beyond the confines of that country. Numberless
outbreaks, traced without doubt to contagion, and the certainty
with which the early slaughter of diseased animals extinguishes
any manifestation of the malady, even in countries where it ap-
pears often, have tended to discard from our minds the possibility
of any spontaneous development of the plague over the European
continent, in the new world, which it has never visited, or in the
islands of the globe. It is singular, and it is very instructive,
that the disease should alone be kept up in a country such as
Russia. The conditions there are all in favor of the perpetuation
of contagious maladies; and it is important to mention that even
small-pox in sheep is preserved in Europe by its constant presence
and frequent recrudescence in Russia.
The view of the purely contagious nature of rinderpest is ma-
terially strengthened by the definite knowledge of the origin of
all diseases, which, undoubtedly, originate spontaneously in vari-
ous parts of the world. The Siberian boil plague, which has been
confounded with the steppe murrain, is one of those enzootic dis-
orders due to excessive heat in the broad plains of Siberia, and
especially in certain spots where an elevated temperature oper-
ating on retentive and ill-drained soils, produces a malady which
certainly acquires contagious properties, but which ceases with
the advent of cold and the washing of miasmata into the earth.
The Siberian boil plague springs suddenly into existence, is progr
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 671
agated a certain distance, but can not spread far, after the manner
of purely contagious disorders, which are not influenced by sea-
sons or weather. I could mention many similar instances, were
it necessary, and there is none better than that virulent blood
disease which has gone on increasing of late in this country, in
districts where farmers grow the largest crops by liberally dis-
tributing manure on fertile soils. That disease is splenic apo-
plexy, which has been studied on the Northumberland hills, in the
fens of Lincolnshire, and the Somersetshire pastures. Professor
‘VOELCKER traced, in his laboratory, one of the potent causes in-
ducing this malady in the west of England, and proved how wrong
it was to give animals water charged with the products of organic
waste, such as nitrates and other salts. The Russian cattle plague
never did and never can appear here but as an imported pesti-
lence. All who have seen this disease must, at all events, admit
its highly infectious and contagious character. The air surround-
ing a diseased animal is impregnated with volatile poison, and
every part of the animal’s system is charged with the same prin-
ciple, but in a tangible form capable of being carried on the point
of an inoculating needle, and of being plunged with effect into the
tissues of a healthy ox. Admitting, therefore, that contagion is
the great and all-potent exciting cause, it may be well to enter
into details on two points. We must first discuss whether certain
conditions directly affecting an animal render its system more
than ordinarily susceptible to the disease; and, secondly, what
external conditions favor the propagation of the virus.
Causes.—Individual susceptibility or idiosynerasy affects the
communication of the disorder to some, though to a very limited
extent. We no doubt have the striking illustration of the Rus-
sian ox, which is often attacked in a mild manner; and so we find
in this country that a herd is killed out in five days, and another,
of a very similar kind, is not killed out in a month, and several
animals do not suffer at all. This fact is partially explained by
the poison sometimes growing weaker as it passes from herd to
herd. We witness this with all poisons; and hence the great im-
portance of guarding against fresh importations of virus, even
during the prevalence of the steppe murrain in a country. The
broader the area over which the poison can meet with favorable
conditions for its development, the greater the tendency to severe
recrudescence during an outbreak,
672. _ DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
There are some unaccountable instances of constitutional im-
munity, and animals in this country have appeared to withstand
the disease with effect, or it has attacked them so mildly as scarcely
to be observed. This, it is true, is extremely rare, but has been
observed sufficiently often to indicate that, whatever may be the
cause, one animal is very susceptible, and another less so, to attacks.
We can not ascertain the special predisposition until the effects of
contagion on an animal have been witnessed.
Age exerts no influence on the disease. KeErstine has, how-
ever, said that, as the result of inoculation, young calves and cows
suffer most severely. Lean or fat oxen are also badly affected ;
but animals in moderate condition, and at maturity, seem to bear
up best against the disease. As to the influence of sex, it would
appear that, as with other contagious maladies, cows yielding milk
are very susceptible. Pregnant animals readily catch the disease,
but probably not so readily during gestation as at the period of
calving.
The conditions under which animals are kept do not seem to
have much influence on the character and rapid spread of the dis-
order. We believe that, as a rule, the disease will be most speed-
ily propagated where animals are congregated in a shed under one
roof. Indeed, numerous instances have occurred of animals, by
being separated, escaping the disease; and, although it is virulent
enough in the open air, the cases do not follow each other quite so
rapidly as where the cattle are housed. A proof of the aggrava-
tion of the disease among housed stock is its general manifestation
where sheep are constantly penned with cattle, and the common
escape of these animals when they only mix with oxen or cows in
the open air. Dr. MArescu, who first described the cattle plague
in sheep with accuracy, showed that the malady was only rife in
flocks housed with bovine animals. The question then arises,
Does the housing affect the constitution of animals, or does it
simply concentrate the poison? It is not improbable that it acts
in both ways. Every one agrees that the depressing effects of bad
ventilation, of breathing an impure atmosphere, tend to aggravate
and accelerate the malady, though there are not wanting cases to
prove the exact contrary. The same is observed in other con-
tagious diseases; and I have known two herds of heifers, belong-
ing to the same owner, one housed and the other in the fields,
seized with pleuro-pneumonia about the same time. The housed
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 673
herd, by no means kept cleanly, suffered little, while few survived
in the open fields. Iam a great believer in fresh air, wholesome
food, and pure water; but there is absolutely nothing to prove that
animals die more readily from the cattle plague where the venti-
lation is imperfect, and the food and water far from being of the
best quality.
It is understood that the poison of the cattle plague comes from
abroad, and there are those who think that it may be the result of
confining cattle for days and nights together in crowded ships,
surrounded with dirt, ill-fed, and supplied with an insufficient
quantity of water. Vivid descriptions have been written of the
heat, fetor, and steaming sweat which rises from the holds of ships
engaged in the cattle traffic. We are asked if it be possible that
animals should be thus ill-used without suffering from any or all
diseases; and the foot and mouth disease, pleuro-pneumonia, and
the cattle plague, which differ in intensity, but not in character,
have each been ascribed to these general causes. It is certain that
maltreatment is not invigorating. It may lead to suffocation or
severe constitutional disturbance; but, in spite of all the mis-
management in bringing cattle across the sea, no case of specific
disease has, to my knowledge, ever thereby been induced. How-
ever much the animals may suffer, they can only die of the cattle
plague with varying rapidity when that plague is brought among
them by a diseased beast or infected materials. The same remarks.
apply to markets, farm-yards, and town cow-sheds, The filthier
these places are, the greater, undoubted|y, the facilities for infection ;
but no amount of filth ever produced a specific outbreak of lung
disease or rinderpest. We concentrate the poison in foul places,
but we do not create it.
We can, with some show of reason, attribute to steam-power the
outbreak of contagious diseases in this and other countries during
the last quarter of a century. But steam has operated in facili-
tating locomotion, and in placing distant parts in regular and rapid
communication with each other. Before countries were intersected,
as they now are, by railways, it took several days to transport ani-
mals a distance of one hundred miles. It is, of course, better to
move an animal in a pure van or truck than to walk it along roads
where its feet may plunge in excrement, or its lungs inhale the
breath of any sick animal passing, and which, by some strange
fatality, is sure to be approached, Cattle are inquisitive, and
43
674 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
sheep flock toward sheep; so that if they meet animals of their
kind, and especially sick ones, they are sure to run up to them
and smell about, and thus endanger their own lives.
The excrement which drops from animals affected with rinder-
pest, and which are driven or placed in trucks or vans, is highly
charged with poison. It readily communicates the disease, as has
been proved by myself and others, by inoculation; and it is well
known that if a cow places its foot in a mass of this excrement,
the chances are that it will be inoculated. The intestinal gases
have been collected and then discharged by the diseased animal,
so that, if healthy cattle inhale these gases, the probability is that
they will contract the disease. The discharge from sick animals
generally, and their manure in particular, are very apt to secure
an indirect contagion. The greatest care should, therefore, be ex-
ercised not to disseminate the poison by such means. Food which
has been mouthed or breathed on by sick cattle is capable of com-
municating disease, and this should always be kept in mind. It
is not easy to determine if water, under the same circumstances,
has a contagious effect. Some persons have supposed that if ani-
mals with the Russian plague drink from a river whose waters run
through other farms or districts, the disease may be carried by the
stream to great distances. This I do not believe, inasmuch as
water is a great purifying and diluting agent, and even all the
poison that a large herd of cattle may drop into a river can have
no effect, as it passes on in an enormous mass of water, which ef-
fectually weakens and destroys it. The case is different if animals
are made to drink out of a common pail or trough; for, in such
2, case, it is not so much the water that carries the virus as the
sides of the vessel containing that water. It may be noted, how-
ever, that cattle of different farms often stand for hours together
in a stream at only a few yards apart ; and here, as in the drink-
ing-trough, the virus contained in the discharges may reach
healthy animals unchanged, and thus lead to their contamination.
In countries or districts where contagious diseases prevail among
cattle and sheep, we find that slaughter-houses are favorable for
their dissemination. This is due to the fact that plague-stricken
animals are taken there for slaughter, are sometimes kept alive for
hours, or even days, and, when killed, much that is charged with
virus escapes in surface-drains, or on an open causeway, so that,
within a certain radius, there is a chance of contaminating healthy
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 675
stock. One way in which the cattle plague may be carried from
diseased cattle or from a slaughter-house is unquestionably by flies,
which, after resting on the carcass or offal of sick animals, fly
about, rest again on the animal, especially on any wounded parts,
and thus produce a direct inoculation. ’ Any place in which many
animals affected with rinderpest are slaughtered, must charge the
surrounding neighborhood with enough poison to kill large num-
bers of cattle. The hides and meat of diseased animals carry the
infection. In Hungary I am told that one common cause of rin-
derpest outbreak on a farm is the hawking about of the flesh of
animals slaughtered during an attack of the disease. If the water
in which such meat is washed be thrown into a yard to which cattle
have access, an outbreak is almost sure to follow. JESSEN speaks
of cattle becoming infected by drinking the water used in soaking
or washing salt meat. Slaughter-houses and the traffic in hides
and meat are probably not so active in favoring the spread of the
rinderpest as cattle-dealers’ farms, and the changes of.stock which
necessarily occur there. The grazing of cattle in neighboring fields,
feeding them on the road-sides, driving them along paths through
fields where there is a right of way, are all potent circumstances
in the dissemination of rinderpest.
No one doubts that dogs which feast on the carcasses of diseased
animals are very liable to carry infection. I have been consulted
more than once as to the probability of a pack of fox-hounds
carrying infection over a country by passing through fields con-
‘ taining sick cattle, and afterward crossing healthy farms. It is
possible that a pack of hounds may carry much excrement charged
with organic poison from one field to another; therefore, in an
infected district hunting should, in my opinion, be discontinued.
Human beings, as well as quadrupeds, are accused of harboring
the poison and distributing it, and no doubt they do carry it, more
or less, if great care be not exercised. I have been assured that
in Russia one common cause of wide-spread outbreaks was the
practice of calling priests and people together to pray in the cattle-
sheds, that the plague might be stayed, and the assembled people
moving thence from farm to farm. Vicq d’Azyr demonstrated,
last century, that if clothes worn by attendants on diseased cattle
were placed on sound stock, three animals out of six would be
seized with the disease.
Without entering into further details, I may state that the
676 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
causes here enumerated as affecting the transmission of the cattle
plague are not imaginary but real. Enough to mention that
farmers and others, who have any thing to do with rinderpest,
must regard it as a purely contagious and specific disease, inca-
pable of spontaneous development, but most readily and certainly
communicable from diseased to healthy cattle, and sometimes from
cattle to sheep, or vice versa.
Symptoms.—The recognition of this disease is greatly facilitated,
especially when it first appears in a herd, by a knowledge of its
prevalence in any district or country. J mention this, as in many
diseases we have premonitory signs similar to those of the cattle
plague; and it is especially when we know of its existence in or
near a country, district, or farm that the earlier symptoms are of
value. Indeed, when an outbreak is studied, great importance
should be attached to the period which elapses from the intro-
duction of a diseased animal, or other source of infection, to the
first appearance of sickness in a stock. Every specific fever has
its period of incubation—that period during which the poison is
insidiously attacking the system of a man ‘or animal—and there
is no more distinct feature of the cattle plague than its latent
stage. From four to seven days is the usual period of incubation.
Tt often extends to a week, but very rarely, indeed, beyond the
eighth day. Some say it may be as short as twenty-four hours,
and others that it occasionally extends to twenty-eight days.
There are no reliable facts in proof of these extremes, but there
is a large amount of evidence to show that an animal may be re- ©
garded as absolutely free if it does not show signs of disorder
within ten days after having been exposed to the contagion. In-
deed, recent inquiries and observations would lead one to regard
the incubative stage as not often exceeding six days, though the
earlier or premonitory signs of an attack are not apparent to non-
professional observers. I consider this point of ‘the greatest im-
portance in relation to the subject of veterinary inspection, and. —
one affording scope for many experiments as to the facilities
offered for the prevention of the disease, by recognizing sickness
in animals before they become dangerous from the discharge of
that poison which is the cause of the propagation of the malady,
Whenever medical treatment may have to be tried, it is at this
early period that good results may be anticipated.
A delicate thermometer indicates an elevation of temperature in
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 677
the earliest stage of the disease varying from one to four degrees.
The elevation precedes the acceleration of the pulse and every
other symptom. It is not uncommon to find it in healthy ani-
mals varying one or two degrees at different periods of the day,
so that reliable observations can only be made on a number of
cattle at the same time, obeying in all the same conditions as to
the instrument used, the part in which the observation is made,
whether it be the rectum or vagina, and the length of time the
instrument is inserted, etc. Sometimes, when animals are excited
on a hot day, and are hurried into a shed from a field, the ther-
mometer may rise one or two-tenths more than usual; but if a
whole stock be examined, any animals suffering, however slightly,
from the disease, indicate an elevation amounting even to five or
six degrees. Such an exaltation of temperature is generally in-
compatible with health, and the only exception yet known to this
rule is that observed during cestrum or sexual excitement; the
temperature then rises three or four degrees, and the same may
be seen just after parturition. A number of experiments prove:
_ First. That the temperature is much exalted when the pulse
indicates slight or no variation from the normal standard.
Secondly. That there are variations in the frequency of the pulse
and the temperature during the course of the disease.
Thirdly. A sudden lowering of temperature usually, if not al-
ways, precedes death. In the cases quoted above, where the tem-
perature last taken is marked as high as 105° and 104°, death did
not take place until ten or twelve hours after the last observation.
Fourthly. With the lowering of temperature before death there
is a greatly increased frequency of pulse, varying from 120 beats
per minute to such a rate as to render observations almost im-
possible.
When animals recover, the temperature decreases gradually till
it reaches its normal standard. There is an absence of very
marked and sudden change. The transition from sickness to con-
valescence occurs steadily and with regularity.
I consider it impossible to over-estimate the importance of
thermometric observations such as those referred to, and, although
similar results may be obtained in the investigation of other dis-
eases, it is evident that the thermometer affords unerring as well
as early evidence of an animal sickening, recovering, or about to
die. No other indication is so unmistakable and satisfactory ;
678 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
and though there are other febrile diseases associated with an
early elevation in temperature, it must be admitted that, taken
with the history and symptoms of the case, the accuracy afforded
by thermometric observations is of the highest moment.
The visible premonitory signs consist in shivering, muscular
twitchings, and uneasiness. In some cases there is dullness, and
in others excitement amounting even to delirium and associated
with remarkable sensitiveness. There is often a short, husky
cough ; the appetite is irregular, capricious, and then entirely lost ;
rumination ceases; the animal grinds its teeth, yawns, arches its
back, and draws its legs together under its body; the eyes, nose,
and mouth are dry, red, and hot; the extremities are cold, though
the internal heat is high; constipation, as a rule, exists; and
secretion is generally arrested, as indicated in milch cows, by the
milk at once ceasing to flow. The respirations are often, but not
invariably, increased in frequency ; expirations succeed the inspi-
rations tardily, and with each there is a low moan; the temper-
ature continues to rise, though the animal’s skin becomes rigid,
and indicates functional derangement by a staring coat, dryness,
and eruptions. : :
The redness of the visible mucous membranes, especially of the
gums, lips, papillee on the inside of the cheeks, is partial, pale, and
patchy at first. Dr. WEBER has spoken of the aphthous eruption
of the mouth, the aphthe being of circular or indefinite form,
covered with whitish-yellow granular exudation, which adheres
very slightly and is easily removed. He also speaks of the red-
ness of the papillee of the cheeks as always beginning at the apex.
JESSEN has published a pamphlet on the appearance of the buccal
membranes, which he describes as sometimes consisting in small,
round nodules (seldom larger than a millet-seed), still covered
with epithelium when discovered, through which a yellowish or
yellowish-gray material can be distinguished. Within twenty-
four hours the epithelium gives way and the contents become
visible. The result is a superficial lesion, which soon heals. In
other cases the nodules become confluent, and form a considerable
enervated ulcer, with irregular margins. The so-called aphthe
are described by JESSEN as small vesicles due to raising of the
epithelium, and either contains a clear watery or a turbid fluid,
and leave behind round, flattened excoriations, with even edges.
My observations, in a considerable number of cases, have shown
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 679
that on the inner surface of the lips, on the inside of the nostrils,
and other parts of the mucous membrane, there are at first scarcely
visible whitish opaque specks, about the size of a small pin’s head.
These are the starting-points for the softening and desquamation
of epithelium, which results in the dirtyish-yellow, flaky appear-
ance in some of the worst cases.
When a number of milch cows has to be examined, one of the
first symptoms to look for is redness, and a mottled appearance
of the lining membrane of the vulva and vagina. Animals in
apparently perfect health, eating well, ruminating, yielding a full
quantity of milk, are seen to have a reddened condition of the
mucous membrane of the external organs of generation. The
redness of the vagina also occurs in animals that have recently
calved, and it is important to guard against this source of fallacy.
In many cases the continuous rigors, and singular muscular
twitchings of the face, ears, and neck, may be regarded as char-
acteristic. They are not, however, so typical as the discharge
from the eyes and nose, which soon appears, and which, from
being glary and watery, changes shortly to a turbid secretion.
No symptoms can better illustrate the care required in diagnosis
than the discharge both from the eyes and nose. A marked
symptom is restlessness, lying down and rising again; sometimes
looking round to the flank, and by drawing the hind legs forward,
denoting more or less colic or abdominal pain. Animals often lie
on the left side, with the head stretched across the right flank.
Severe diarrhea sets in, and the animal becomes very thirsty.
Emphysematous (windy) swellings are apt to form at this period,
and there are exacerbations (violent) of all the symptoms toward
night-time. The discharges are all fetid, especially in severe
cases. The urine is rather scanty, and generally, if not always,
albuminous. This stage lasts about three days. The symptoms
increase in severity. The dysentery is aggravated, and the animal
becomes extremely weak; it stands and walks with difficulty, and
lies much. The pulse becomes feeble and indistinct at the jaw;
it beats from 90 to 130 per minute. The discharge from the eyes,
nose, and vagina increases; the cough becomes less audible and
soft. On the buccal and schneiderian membranes, as well as in
the clefts of the feet, there is a deep redness, with flaky discharge
of epithelium. The muzzle, angles of the mouth, and membrane
round the nasal orifices are sometimes ulcerated, with a greenish-
680 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
yellow and somewhat dense granular and epithelial deposit. On
opening the mouth, a similar change about the base of the tongue
and on the inside of the lips is often found. The coldness of the
extremities, or of the body generally, the stupor or drowsiness,
quick breathing, and fetor of the exhalations, with spasmodic
action of the alee nasi, jerking respiration, and moaning, are among
the most unfavorable symptoms. The feces, at first dark, become
slimy, charged with masses of detached epithelium, are very fetid,
and are more or less tinged with blood. The urine acquires a
dark color, due to the coloring principles of bile. Cows abort,
and all symptoms of sensibility or consciousness gradually dis-
appear.
I have seen many cases which presented, from the earliest mo-
ment, great disturbance of the organs of respiration. A hacking
cough, depressed and protruded head, spasmodic action of the nos-
trils and flanks, indicate serious pulmonary lesions. Emphysema
takes place, and usually begins in the anterior lobes. Dr. WEBER
remarks that the anterior intercostal spaces become somewhat
fixed, whereas the posterior true ribs are raised with an effort,
and sink rapidly. On percussion, the thorax is found to be very
resonant, and this resonance becomes greater as the emphysema
increases. On auscultation, rales of various pitches are heard,
either accompanying the vesicular murmur or superseding it. The
heart’s sounds become inaudible, and impulse imperceptible on
the left side. As death approaches, the mucous membranes often
acquire a leaden hue; the erosions (ulcerations) are marked, and
blood-spots, or ecchymoses, occur. ‘The partially open and dark
red or otherwise discolored aspect of the inner surface of the lips
or the vulva can not fail to be noticed at this stage. The invol-
untary evacuation of excrement, extreme fetor of all discharges,
tendency to tympanitis, muscular twitching, lowering of temper-
ature, and increasing listlessness betoken the approach of death.
In some cases there are signs of improvement about the third
day, and then a relapse occurs. Animals may become quite con-
valescent ; but still the gastric or intestinal lesions advance, and
when least expected, a fortnight or three weeks after marked im-
provement, alarming symptoms supervene, severe diarrhea occurs
with the return of other discharges, and the animal soon sinks
and dies.
In favorable cases we find a cutaneous eruption on various parts
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 681
of the skin, especially on the neck, back, and teats, not unlike
cow-pox. ‘There are instances of severe illness and death with
this eruption, and, indeed, in bad cases, we sometimes find a dirty
yellow appearance of the skin of the back, and a desquamation of
epidermis, which indicates a morbid process of the skin, similar
to that affecting the mucous membranes. ‘The surface of the skin
over the neck and withers is often moist or greasy from an abun-
dant sebaceous secretion. ‘There are no vesicles, and an entire
absence, as a rule, of pustules. Convalescence is indicated by a
certain vivacity, return of appetite, equable temperature of the
body and extremities, restored secretion of milk, moist muzzle,
and other well-known signs of health.
As with other fevers, we find in the rinderpest a marked peri-
odicity in its manifestations. Improvement in the merning, vio-
lence of symptoms at night; a distinct subdivision of an attack
into stages, and, from the date of the crisis, either sudden aggra-
vation or gradual abatement of alarming symptoms. There are,
at times, chronic cases, as in lung disease, and animals get into a
hectic state, out of which they can not be rallied. It is, therefore,
evident that the duration of the malady varies. I have seen ani-
mals dead in the evening which had only indicated active signs
of the complaint for the first time during the early part of the
same day. Asarule, death occurs from the third to the sixth day.
Symptoms in the Sheep.—The cattle plague among sheep is
characterized by comparatively mild symptoms, and frequently
speedy restoration to health. In 1857, Dr. Kreutzer first de-
scribed the symptoms of the cattle plague as observed on a sheep
which had been inoculated on the 1st of October. The period of
incubation lasted till the 9th, and was followed by general dis-
turbance, discharge from eyes and nose, prostration, moaning and
diarrhea. The animal died on the 13th. Dr. MArescu observed
the disease more carefully from 1860 to 1863, and since then much
information has been obtained. The period of incubation extends
usually to seven or eight days; languor and dullness appear, with
redness and prominence of the conjunctiva at the inner angle of
the eye. There is a yellow discharge which trickles down the
face, and a viscid phlegm flows from the nostrils; the head droops,
and there is grinding of teeth; the appetite is diminished and
capricious; rumination, suspended; feces, thinnish, and partly
adhering to the hind legs and tail; there is an occasional cough,
682 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
with frequent pulse and labored breathing; the pulse rises from
120 to 160 beats per minute. Ewes not unfrequently abort, or
bring forth weakly lambs, which afterward rally. It is not at all
unusual for the disease to cease at this period, and the animals to
recover rapidly. In other cases the diarrhea increases; there is
painful straining, or tenesmus, panting respiration, very feeble
pulse, and the animal sinks. Gredt weakness, awkward gait, and
somewhat severe nervous or convulsive symptoms mark fatal
cases, when death occurs about the fourth, fifth, or sixth day from
the commencement of the disease. When a case takes the more
usual and favorable turn, there is more liveliness, improved appe-
tite, restored rumination, less discharge from the eyes and nose,
and diminished frequency of pulse and respirations. The animals
are quite donvalescent in from ten to fourteen days. In some
cases, such as those observed by Dr. LEicut in 1860, the disease
is more rapid. The animals stagger, lie down much, shake their
heads, have a dense discharge from the eyes, are subject to diar-
rhea, and die, sometimes, within twenty-four hours of the first
appearance of premonitory signs.
There are as great variations in the symptoms in sheep as there
are among cattle. Some cases differ from those described above,
as the animals stand, are dull, and keep apart from the flock ; there
is no appetite, no rumination; constipation at first, followed by
diarrhea; arched back; elevated temperature of the skin; eyes
sunken and discharging ; from the nose a quantity of dense, gray-
ish-yellow, flaky matter drops, and the mucous membranes of the
mouth and nose are reddened, showing erosions and desquamations
of epithelium; the breathing and pulse are accelerated; there is
pain on pressing the loins, and, at last, general prostration.
Special Symptoms in cases of Cattle Plague coupled with Plewro-
pneumonia.—The animals seized with the two diseases at once
are observed to suffer from greater prostration and more labored
breathing at the outset. The short grunt of lung disease begins
early ; there isa spasmodic action of the nostrils, and, on auscul-
tation, the impervious condition of the portion of the diseased lung
is ascertained, Any one acquainted with the two diseases can read-
ily recognize such cases.
Special Symptoms in cases of Cattle Plague coupled with the
Foot and Mouth Disease.—It is more difficult to diagnose rinder-
pest in its earliest stages when epizodtic aphtha has attacked a
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 683
herd. Smacking of the lips, eruption, and salivation exist; buit
the greatest reliance is to be placed in the usual lameness and
morbid condition of the feet in foot and mouth disease, as also the
usual eruption on the teats, and tendency to congestion and in-
flammation of the udder. When the cattle plague advances, there
is the shivering, discharge from the eyes and nose, the diarrhea
and prostration not usually seen in epizodtic aphtha.
The Nature of the Cattle Plague-——From all that has been said
in the preceding pages, it is evident that the murrain of the steppes
is not typhus, nor is it the typhoid or enteric fever which we ob-
serve in man. Not only is it distinct in its origin, progréss, and
essential nature from any known contagious disease of the human_
- subject, but it is, undoubtedly, a specific bovine fever, manifesting
all its characteristic features in horned cattle alone, though expe-
rience has proved that there are circumstances under which the
plague may be communicated to the buffalo, goat, sheep, deer,
gazelle, zebu, yak, auroch, ibex, and other wild ruminants. One
experiment, performed by myself, proves the communication of the
disease to the deer ; but it is remarkable that until the recent out-
break of rinderpest in the gardens of the Paris Acclimatization
Society, in the Bois de Boulogne, it was not known that the ma-
jority of wild ruminants could catch the disease and suffer from
it in a virulent form. It never attacks men, horses, dogs, and,
indeed, the great majority of warm-blooded animals; and it is
worthy of special remark that the virulent animal poison, which
is the active agent in the development and propagation of the
malady, originates in the system of the ox, is perpetuated in
countries where herds of cattle abound, and is not to be found
where bovine animals are wanting. The history of the cattle
plague clearly indicates that the disease has been always recognized
as attacking horned stock almost exclusively, and that it spreads
from country to country through the trade in cattle or the trans-
port of oxen in the rear of armies. The poison does pass through
the system of some ruminants besides those of the bovine race, but
it appears to be deprived of much of its force until it returns to
members of the ox tribe.
The cattle plague is not a local disorder; it is not an affection
of any special organ or group of organs. Itisa systemic disease—
a fever in which the mucous membranes and skin are specially
implicated. There are important local and characteristic mani-
684 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
festations, usually most marked in the mouth, fourth stomach, and
intestines, in the organs of generation, and frequently in the re-
spiratory passages. It is, however, something different, and some-
thing more than an inflammation of the breathing, or digestive,
or generative systems. The cell growth, fatty and molecular dis-
integrations, desquamation, and discharge of the epithelial and
epidermic cells, are typical of this disease. In this way it can
only be classified among general diseases, with fevers of a specific
kind, and which originate from specific causes, run a definite
course, manifest a singular periodicity in their progress, and have
a marked tendency to destroy life.
The pathological process, observed from first to last, indicates
an early development of severe febrile disturbance. All the func-
tions are modified. The temperature of the body fast rises; gen-
eral functional disturbance soon follows, and the blood loses its
watery parts and soluble albumen, indicating, also, a large increase
in the proportion of blood-corpuscles and fibrine to serum. The
process of assimilation is checked ; the large reservoirs in which
the food is prepared for true gastric and intestinal digestion be-
come torpid; the rumen, reticulum, and ornasum retain a large
quantity of solid food, and their movements are stopped; the
fourth stomach ceases to secrete gastric juice, its epithelium is
thrown off, a morbid cellular deposit clogs the gastric glands, and
the proper preparation of aliment for intestinal digestion can no
longer occur. ‘The intestine is the seat of inflammation and ex-
travasation; its contents indicate the drain of the blood of its
soluble albumen and other products; the intestinal epithelium is
rapidly ejected, and, in some cases, many of the glands become
clogged with a deposit similar to that which is found in the folli-
cles of the gastric mucous membrane. <A free suppuration is no-
where witnessed, but discharges flow from the mucous membranes,
and are highly charged with epithelial cells and the specific virus
of the disease. The rapidity and completeness of the general
functional disturbance is indicated not only by the checked pro-
cess of assimilation, the nature of the intestinal contents, and the
general implication of the mucous membranes, but it is recognized
on an examination of the albuminous and dark-colored urine, the
disposition to early putrefaction, fetor of the secretions, ete. All
shows that the cattle plague poison speedily induces in the system of
a susceptible animal changes which defy the successful use of medi-
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 685
cine, and which must inevitably result in death. Like most ani-
mal poisons, the rinderpest virus is reproduced with marvelous
rapidity in, and discharged abundantly from, the bodies of sick
animals, The breath of a sick ox inspired by a healthy animal,
and the solid products of the disease, seem to be alike capable of
inducing the malady ; and antidotes are applied too late when an
attempt is made to reach the poison in the animal’s system. I
know of no antidote to be used internally.- Agents are employed
which, when directly mixed with the virus, kill it; and caustic
alkalies, mineral acids, chlorine, iodine, carbolic acid, creosote,
the alkaline permanganates, and other oxidizing or decomposing
agents, render it perfectly inert. I have no faith in our ever
reaching the virus with effect in the living animal. We must
not even expect too much from the system of treating certain
symptoms during the progress of the disease, which is frequently
confounded by the unskilled with the effectual treatment of the
disease itself. A large proportion of animals seized must always
die. A certain percentage will always recover, and this depends
on the severity of the attack, the constitutional resistance of the
animals seized, and the consequent extent and rapidity of the
morbid changes which occur.
Treatment.—The steppe murrain is essentially one of those dis-
eases for which prevention is better than attempted cure. Urgently
enforcing this doctrine has cost me the good opinion of some, who,
without duly considering the importance of slaughtering the dis-
eased and infected animals for the protection of many untainted
herds, argue that it is not scientific to exterminate the malady by
destroying diseased animals. The cattle plague can be prevented
and can be extinguished, at comparatively small cost and with the
greatest certainty, in countries such as England. Whatever ten-
tative trials are made as to treatment, this fact must ultimately
reveal itself, that it is impossible to deal with outbreaks of rinder-
pest by administering drugs. I hold it to be eminently scientific
to act on our knowledge of the cause of any disease; and, know-
ing, from lengthened experience, how easily disseminated and ma-
lignant cattle plague virus is, it has been my duty to insist on its
early and complete destruction, so that it should never reach the
systems of herds of animals, in which, when it has once entered,
it can not be counteracted by any known antidote.
The cattle plague is not so deadly in its effects as equine glan-
686 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ders, cancer, or well-developed human phthisis; but no known
remedy restores an animal once severely attacked, and the admin-
istration of medicine is, as a rule, not required to save the small
percentage which may recover. As, however, the malady has been
suffered to spread, veterinarians are called upon to adopt means
of cure. With a view, therefore, to indicate what has been sug-
gested and what may be pation I shall draw attention to the
following points:
PRECAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED SO AS TO PREVENT THE
SPREAD OF DISEASE FROM A HERD UNDER TREATMENT.
HYGIENIC MANAGEMENT.
MEDICINAL AGENTS USED.
METHODS OF TREATMENT SUGGESTED AT VARIOUS TIMES IN
THIS COUNTRY AND ABROAD.
Precautions to be observed so as to Prevent the Spread of Disease
from a herd under Treatment.—Diseased cattle should be placed for
treatment in warm and detached buildings where proper ventila-
tion, drainage, and facilities for feeding can be obtained. They
should not be left in the fields, and are best kept entirely in the
house until perfectly recovered. The sheds should be kept clean,
frequently disinfected, and every particle of urine and excrement
must be disinfected by means of chlorinated lime. People attend-
ing the stock must be kept there for that purpose, and not allowed
to rove about and go on other farms, or to fairs and markets. All
dogs should be tied up, and every attention paid to cleanliness
with other stock and in farm-yards generally. Dirt and negli-
gence are great propagators of the cattle plague. It is impossible
to be too clean or too careful in avoiding the carriage of tainted
objects from an infected to a healthy farm or district.
Hygienic Management.—This is of far greater importance than
any medicine or system of medication hitherto recommended; and
I have to direct the attention of my professional brethren to sev-
eral points of incalculable importance. It is not desirable to have
many animals in the same shed when under treatment, and several
attendants are essential, so that proper care be taken of the cattle.
When a large stock has to be treated, the labor and trouble is
enormous; it will not do, therefore, to trust to a few attendants,
who get tired and faint-hearted over their work, especially when
the number of animals recovering is not large. If possible, it is
undoubtedly best to have the animals loose; but this can only be
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 687
secured where isolated cases are under treatment. With forty or
fifty beasts sick at one time, loose boxes can not usually be obtained ;
and it is not desirable to keep many sick animals loose in a yard.
As a rule, in winter all the animals should be clothed, lightly, but
sufficiently, so as to favor cutaneous exhalation. The shed is best
kept at a proper and never-varying temperature, not exceeding
58° Fahrenheit. Proper ventilation is indispensable to recovery,
and heat must not be purchased at the expense of atmospheric
purity. Clothe the animals rather than close the aperatures made
for the purposes of ventilation. In order to secure purity of the
atmosphere, every attention should be paid to sweeping away ex-
crement and washing the stalls thoroughly by means of common
soda and water. The use of chlorinated lime is not to be advocated
where stock is under treatment, as the chlorine gas induces great
disturbance, irritation of the respiratory passages, and a trouble-
some cough. I prefer cleanliness and abundance of fresh air where
the cattle are actually diseased, to any system of disinfectants, and
the chlorinated lime is best used to disinfect the manure-heap and
other objects outside the shed containing the sick. The food al-
lowed to animals varies much according to circumstances. During
the various stages of acute disease it should be given sparingly.
At first linseed tea or linseed gruel, well boiled, may serve as a
laxative, with or without medicine. Linseed is not to be con-
tinued when purging begins; well-boiled oatmeal gruel should then
be substituted for it. The oatmeal gruel, which is perhaps the
best nutritive material to be given from first to last, is made by
taking a peck of meal for every three or four animals, and adding
some cold water. Boiling water is then mixed and stirred with the
whole, until it acquires a proper consistency to be poured through
a towel or sieve; and thus all the coarser and more indigestible
portions of the meal are removed. The gruel is boiled for at least
ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, and is used warm. About
half a gallon of it may be given three or four times daily ; and if
the cattle drink it voluntarily, so much the better. Badly-made
oatmeal gruel irritates the stomach and intestines, and aggravates
the diarrhea. When animals are severely affected they do not
eat; but if they have any appetite, well-boiled mashes should be
made for them. Of these we can suggest a great variety, such as
steeping barley for a time, throwing off the water, adding fresh,
and boiling the barley; the whole is then allowed to rest for
688 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
awhile, and bran is mixed with it, as well as a certain quantity
of well-boiled turnips. The mash must be moderately salted.
The barley may be replaced by brewer’s grains, and a moderate
quantity of bean or peasemeal—say half a pound of the latter
morning and night. One of the best managers of cows I ever
knew made, for every sick animal that would eat, a mash of four
handfuls of bran, four of brewer’s draff, one pound of peasemeal,
and two pounds of well-boiled mashed turnips. This was given
thrice daily to each animal. Cattle have been fed on milk, soups,
etc., but not with the same benefit as with vegetable food which
was properly cooked, and not allowed to get sour. Great modera-
tion in diet is essential. The sick cattle must have cold water to
drink in small quantities, and at least every two hours. Their
mouths are parched, and .great benefit is derived from frequent
allowances of fresh water, which may be acidulated with a little
vinegar, or given alone. All animals under treatment must’ be
kept scrupulously clean, and are benefited by brushing, washing,
hand-rubbing, bandaging the legs, ete. As a means of insuring
cleanliness and action of the skin, I think it is very probable that
the hot-air bath, when at hand, may be of great service, as also
the vapor bath or the wet packing, used occasionally.
Medicines.—The plan principally adopted in the treatment of
cattle suffering from steppe murrian has consisted in giving so-
lutions, mixtures, and powders, either alone or in food. There
are various ways, however, which might be resorted to, and per-
haps with benefit, and which would effectually set aside some of
the uncertain and often injurious administration of draughts. In
order to explain myself fully on this subject, I shall consider the
various methods by which remedies may be given internally.
Administration by the Mouth.—It is often possible, in the early
stage of disease, and in favorable cases when appetite returns in
the later stages, to give animals tasteless or palatable drugs in
food, and this is by far the best plan. The frequent, troublesome,
and somewhat dangerous drenching to which sick cattle are sub-
jected, should, if possible, be dispensed with. I have seen so
many animals tormented and injured by the administration of
medicines, treacle, gruel, and other liquids, that I venture to
make a few remarks on the operation of giving a draught. In
the first place, glass bottles are dangerous; and nothing is so use-
ful as a horn of proper shape, or a tin instrument made in the
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 689
shape of a horn, with its mouth well rounded off. The operator
should go up to the right side of the animal, pass his hand over
the face into the angle of the mouth on the left side. The head
is bent round, not elevated, except to a very slight extent; and if
the person giving the draught plants his feet well on the ground,
with his back against the animal’s shoulder, he can steady him-
self well, and, holding the horn or other instrument charged with
the draught in his right hand, he can pour it by degrees into the
animal’s mouth. It has often pained me to see sick cattle seized
by the nose, and, with their heads drawn up and necks stretched
out, required to gulp down a quantity of liquid which can not be
conveniently swallowed in such a position. Often have I seen an
animal get worse after such treatment, and the passage of medi-
cine into the windpipe and lungs was not unfrequently the cause
of aggravated symptoms. One great objection to the adminis-
tration of draughts when an animal is suffering from the cattle
plague is, that they accumulate in the rumen, do not reach the
true stomach until the diarrhea, inseparable from the disease, sets
in, and then the accumulated drugs exert a most prejudicial in-
fluence. It is incredible how long a vast amount of medicine,
and very acrid, irritating medicine, too, may remain unchanged,
unabsorbed, and inactive in the paunch of an ox, which is usually
full of vegetable food throughout the progress of an attack of the
plague.
Administration by the Rectum.—Injections, given carefully with
an enema funnel, have the benefit of creating little disturbance,
and the power of solution and absorption of remedies is probably
as great, if not greater, in the rectum during this disease as in
the stomach and small intestine. Simple warm-water injections,
cathartic, stimulating, sedative, and even nutritive enemata, de-
serve a fair trial, and as much good may be anticipated from them
as from the administration of draughts.
Subcutaneous Injections.—Various medicinal agents have been
effectually introduced into the system by being injected into the
open tissue beneath the skin. This plan can be adopted if such
remedies as tincture of aconite, solutions of belladonna, of various
alkaloids, and other agents which do not irritate and inflame the
tissue, are used,
Injection into Veins.—The principal object in view in resorting
to this operation would be to try the effect of injecting about a
ti
690 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
pint or a quart of water, at 100° Fahrenheit, after abstracting a sim-
ilar quantity of blood from one of the jugular veins. The operation
should be tried in the early ‘stage of the disease, and the result
usually observed is purgation, action of the kidneys, and free ex-
halation from the skin. The system might thus be prepared for
any further course of treatment. The operation is simple, and
unattended with bad results.
External Applications.—The method of applying heat, cold ru-
befacients, and blisters to the surface of the skin is too well known
to deserve any lengthened description. Dashing cold water over
the body, and then using towels and wisps of hay to dry and warm
the animal, has been often recommended. The vapor bath, by
covering the animal, head excepted, with woolen rugs, fixed out
by sticks, ete., and then heating the air between the rugs and the
skin by a spirit or gas-lamp, has been suggested. If mustard
poultices are used, they should be large, warm, and applied with
a rug to the body, so as to be kept on for three or four hours.
Rugs dipped in boiling water, wrung out thoroughly, and applied
to the abdomen, have been resorted to.
Internal Remedies.—A close observation of the treatment adopted
by empirics has led me to the conclusion that no remedy, or class
of remedies, can be regarded as absolutely efficacious in any real
case of rinderpest. Some animals recover despite the mode of
treatment, but the majority die. I shall here notice some of the
principal remedial agents used by myself and others under va-
rious heads.
Most veterinarians consider that the over-distended stomachs
and the marked constipation should be relieved. From the fact
that the omasum is loaded with dry food, even in the later stages
of cases attended by great diarrhea, it is believed by some that
smart and early purging is desirable. Full quantities of Epsom
salts, linseed oil, and even croton oil, have been given, and a very
common result of drastic cathartic doses is to induce an early and
very fatal diarrhea. There are more advocates for mild laxatives,
such as treacle, small and repeated doses of sulphate of soda, sul-
phur, and oil. I have treated many cases successfully without
attempting to relax the bowels, and have certainly had as much
success then as when either mild or active purgatives have been
prescribed. A purgative which may be used advantageously is
the following :
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 691
No. 137. Sulphate of magnesia .........0e008 12 oz.
RITA NO) NNO eres cma nee eames Pre nmin rer on 4 oz.
Spirits ofmitric ether. /1j< 0 cy4 sherri 1 oz.
INTGer sci ster ciee sioeis cereale Revert 4 04.
WVWiaite rs terecersrcle sualets: «1 s)e,e ois aatoncievenel eters 1 quart.
As this is not apt to induce much pangatine a bottle of linseed
oil may be given after it. Oil of turpentine, to the extent of two
or four ounces, has been given with a quart bottle of linseed oil,
and with good effect when no other purgative has been admin-
istered.
I think that injections have been too much overlooked in the
treatment of this disease. ‘They may be given at first to move
the bowels, and various forms of medicated or nutritive injections
might prove of service. When the diarrhea comes on, and there
is some tenesmus, an injection may be given of one pint of starch
emulsion, containing one ounce of laudanum, to be repeated, if
necessary. It is desirable to guard against irritation of the rec-
tum as a result of frequent enemata.
Niter has been extensively used during the present’ outbreak,
and in considerable doses, with a view to aid in the elimination
of the virus. It is apt to weaken, and must be prescribed in
moderation. It has no specific action of value. Oil of turpen-
tine, which is a stimulant as well as diuretic, has been strongly
recommended by some, in ounce and two ounce doses.
Warm clothing, the application of heat to the skin by means
of heating the air, confined with woolen covers arranged round
the animal, and the internal use of liquor ammoniac acetatis, oil
of turpentine, and other agents calculated to excite perspiration,
have been most strongly advocated. I undoubtedly prefer to ex-
cite the action of the skin by raising the temperature of the air
rather than by the employment of internal remedies, which often
act feebly and very imperfectly on the lower animals.
Stimulants have had their strong advocates. I have given
whisky, brandy, spirits of wine, in two ounce doses, every two or
three hours, and some animals have recovered while others have
died. Carbonate of ammonia, in half ounce doses, has been largely
employed, and seems to agree as well as any thing with the sick
animals. Strong ale, porter, port wine, and other more or less
active beverages containing alcohol, have been principally used
when animals have been convalescent.
I have not resorted to sedatives to any great extent in this
692 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
malady. ‘Tincture of aconite, in thirty-drop doses, has been ad-
ministered at frequent intervals, Extract of belladonna and
considerable doses of opium have been chosen from among nar-
cotic remedies as affording the best chance of regulating, at dif-
ferent times, the condition of the bowels.
Nitrate of potash, chlorate of potash, and acetate of ammonia,
have been freely administered, and, in some cases, with apparently
good effect. These agents are almost exclusively relied on in
certain febrile disorders from their action on the blood, and the
favorable effects they induce in activating the secretion of the
skin, kidneys, and mucous membranes generally. They are ad-
ministered singly or combined, in moderate and repeated doses,
with or without carbonate of ammonia, and dissolved in a consid-
erable quantity of water.
Mineral and vegetable tonics are used with benefit in the con-
valescent state, and, if nct given in large doses, so as to induce
derangement of the stomach and bowels, they accelerate the return
to health in a very decided manner. Vegetable tonics, such as
chinchona bark in decoction, or infusion of gentian, are given about
an hour before feeding-time, and serve to stimulate the appetite.
Of all the mineral tonics, sulphate of iron is the best, and should
be given in drachm doses in food. Preparations of iron have
been supposed to act powerfully as prophylactics, and for this
purpose I recommended them when I first recognized the exist-
ence of the disease in the country.
Mineral acids have claimed a great share of attention, and I
have been in the habit of using them freely. Hydrochloric acid,
largely diluted, has lately been vaunted as a specific. Sulphuric
acid has been more frequently used. Nitromuriatic acid is ser-
viceable in the convalescent stage.
Methods of treatment may be classified under two heads—Pre-
ventive and Curative Treatment.
Preventive Treatment. A somewhat rational plan, recommended
from the commencement, was the daily administration of tonics,
in addition to proper feeding, ventilation, and use of disinfectants.
Iron has proved so useful in my own practice during outbreaks
of contagious diseases, that, in a circular entitled “ Advice to
Owners of Cattle,” dated the 3d of August, I said: “The ad-
ministration of tonics in moderation, and especially preparations
of iron, may be recommended for all cattle that have been acci-
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 693
dentally subjected to the contact of infected animals. All should
be done to support the animal’s strength, that it may withstand
the disorder.” Shortly afterward, the British Consul at Warsaw
brought to the notice of the British Government, in the month of
August, a remedy for the rinderpest, adopted with much success
in Poland, in 1857: “'The putting of old iron into the troughs
from which the cattle drink, so as to produce a highly chalybeate
water. The efficacy of this mode of treatment is said to have
been discovered by the almost entire immunity from the disease,
in 1857, of the cattle on a farm where there was a chalybeate
spring.” An observer recommends a plentiful supply of bruised
oak bark as a great preserver, and fresh-powdered carbonate of
ammonia, dissolved in about the proportion of a tea-spoonful to a
quart of the water supplied to the cattle, to keep their blood pure
and in a state to resist infection. Sulphurous acid and its salts
have been strongly advocated, and Dr. Drurrr, Dr. SMart, Dr.
WILKINSON, and others, have recommended daily doses of hypo-
sulphite of soda to healthy cattle in infected districts. The use
of vinegar has also been suggested. ‘Two calves were placed
among a number of diseased cows, and had a wine-glassful of
vinegar in a pint of water twice a day ; they also had their eyes
and nostrils sponged with the same mixture, with complete suc-
cess. ‘Tar-water, made of the best Barbadoes tar and capsicum,
was also suggested. Hot tar was to be painted on the cribs and
mangers, and a little tar was to be smeared on each nostril, and
upon every foot, and between each hoof.
Curative Treatment.—lIt is difficult to classify the many extra-
ordinary methods of treatment suggested since the Ist of August
last for the treatment of steppe murrain. Advocates of hot-air
and vapor baths have been very positive in their statements, some,
like Mr. R. Monvrerru, insisting on the value of the first, and
others asserting their firm belief in the second, especially in com-
bination with other remedies. The vapor bath is an old method
of treatment, said to originate with the celebrated THAxR, the
father of scientific agriculture in Germany, who is reported to
have applied it with signal success during the murrain year of
1828. A large copper kettle is sunk in the earth and filled with
water. A strong fire is then kindled underneath the kettle, over
which perforated boards have been laid. When the water boils,
the sick animal is placed on the boards and covered with a woolen
694 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
cloth, and a linen one above it. The animal is kept there from
half to one hour, then rubbed dry, kept warm, and allowed hay
and gruel. Great attention was paid to this method of treatment
‘by a Russian farmer, who explained it, in a letter to our Ambas-
sador at the Court of the Czar, Sir A. BucHANAN, which was
forwarded in a dispatch to Earl RussEux, on the 3d of October,
1865. Mr. Frunine, the gentleman in question, spoke confi-
dently of the value of the vapor bath ; and the faith in the remedy
increased when Mr. GRAHAM, of Capellie, near Glasgow, detailed
recoveries under the following system. Mr. GRAHAM adminis-
tered
No. 138: Sulphur, ij0,.:5 ar avateeclavatevereletate 3 table-spoonfuls.
INTO ys bcc ccolatnleteesierersicvelore ete 3 table-spoonfuls.
GING OR eiaeat easter aistelaiereclaile) haierorerers 4 table-spoonful.
Treacle aereitehcce a, oreiersichey sisyateral ste 1 pound.
In warm water.
The animal was to be packed in three heavy horse-rugs, well
saturated with cold water, and three other rugs were wrapped
over them. In a letter to Sir Firzroy Ketiy, Dr. Drurrt
enters somewhat fully into the kind of remedies which may be
found serviceable in the treatment of the plague, and his observa-
tions are condensed in the subjoined note:
“Tn any zymotic disease, the first question is, Can we stop it?
Can we put out the fire? Have we any medicines capable of
summarily checking the disease before it comes to the point at
which it is naturally spent? We wish we had, but have not.
Providence will show us the way some day, if we exert ourselves ;
but at present the only fevers which we can cut short are the ma-
larious ones—ague, remittent, jungle fevers, etc.—against which we’
have quinine, arsenic, and other tonics. We have not at present
any remedies on which we can rely for cutting short any true
zymotic disease, such as small-pox, chicken-pox, measles, scarlet
fever, typhoid, typhus, whooping-cough, and all that other dreary
catalogue; but if we are to make experiments on the rinderpest,
there are two or three glimmers of light to guide us. Supposing
that we seek for remedies for the early stage. To cut the disease
short, deliberate trials should be made—first, into the various
alkaloids, amorphous or crystallized, produced from chinchona
bark, of which quinine is the chief. But there are many others,
such as chinchonine, chinchonidine, and quinidine, which are got
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 695
from the bark, which may now, or will soon be, obtained abun-
dantly in India, and which are cheaper. We have just as much
reason, and no more, to expect these substances to cure the cattle
plague as the Spanish pilgrims had, three centuries ago, to expect —
the bark to cure the Countess of Chinchon’s ague. It was a fair
experiment, which succeeded. Certainly, large doses of these al-
kaloids ought to be well tried. If we give six doses, of ten grains
each, to a man weighing one hundred and sixty pounds, we ought
to give in the same proportion per weight to a cow. Secondly,
there are various combinations of bitters, astringents, and aro-
matics, with stimulants. When they could get no Peruvian bark
on the continent, during the war with France, combinations of
alum, oak bark, gentian, and aromatics were used, with more or
Jess success, for their malarious fevers. Thirdly, there are certain
saline matters, such as nitrate of potass and chlorate of potass,
antimony, purgatives, etc., which have more or less virtue in al-
laying some feverish symptoms, but which are not to be relied on
in any zymotic or malarious disease. Lastly, there are stimulants
which may be tried in the commencement of the attack with the
hope of enabling the animal to shake off the disease, even as a
glass of hot brandy-and-water, Turkish bath, and other excitants,
may, as I believe, enable man to shake off the earliest stage of
influenza. So far, then, as remedies are concerned which tend to
cut the disease short, experience bids us look for specifics among
the quinine group. And it is experience only that can teach us.
But, confessing that we are unable to deal with the disease in its
essence, there is a very great deal we can do in the way of miti-
gating its local effects—of keeping up the strength, of preventing
the patient being poisoned by the poisonous secretions generated
within her own system; of checking exhausting discharges; and
of rendering those secretions innoxious to other animals. It
must, however, be borne in mind that while we speak of the
different stages of the disease, and can always separate them in
idea, they may be all so crowded together that it may be necessary
to begin at the very outset with the treatment adapted for pre-
venting local ravages and intestinal infection. Now, the chief
local effects produced by the rinderpest are a softened, congested
state of the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal, with copi-
ous fetid discharge from the bowels; and the most likely class of
remedies are those which will restrain this discharge, and so pre-
696 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
vent it from draining the patient, and which shall deprive it of
its poisonous qualities, and thus hinder it from doing mischief to
the patient, or, if voided, from contaminating other animals. If
putrid excretions be poured out in the bowels of any animal, they
poison the animal’s blood, cause all fresh food to be tainted,
and, when voided, they are the source of contagion to others.
Now, then, we seek a remedy which shall not be poisonous in
itself, which shall have tonic or nutritive virtues, which shall
restrain excessive discharges, and which shall have the power -of
deodorizing and disinfecting the contents of the alimentary canal.
Such a remedy is the tincture of sesquichloride of iron. The
mineral acids, well diluted—as the nitric, muriatic, and sul-
phuric—do in a lesser degree what the tincture of steel does,
Their influence in atonie diarrhea is marvelous; and we ought
to know their results in the rinderpest. Small quantities of
opium may be added. The trisnitrate of bismuth, in ounce doses,
would deodorize the alimentary canal, and soothe it and restrain
diarrhea. I have published cases showing how, in threatened
ulceration of the bowels, the human alimentary canal may be
quieted by adequate doses of this excellent drug. Sulphate of
potass, and other compounds of sulphurous acid, have great virtue
in checking fermentation, and have been proposed by Polli as
remedies in zymotic fevers. We want experiments with large
doses of these. But I suspect they are of more value as prevent-
ives than as curatives—to disinfect unwholesome water, to rinse
the mouths of animals exposed to contagion, and the like. There
is the class of creosotes—medicines, such as carbolic acid, which
check fermentation, act as antiseptics and deodorizers, and are
capital in certain cases of dyspepsia and diarrhea. Here, then,
we have half-a-dozen remedies, and the example I have given
from practice on man shows the precise method in which good
results are to be looked for. I reiterate again the necessity of
disinfecting the whole tract of bowels, of restraining discharge,
and of rendering the fecal matter innoxious to the patient and
her neighbors—all this, too, as a means of helping the patient to
live through her disease till its fury be overpast. Whisky, sweet
spirits of niter, beef-tea, and other nourishment, should be given
freely. There are other remedies, too, as yeast, in large quantities,
whose modus operandi is probably that of an antiseptic, and others.
Enough if I can succeed in inducing any one, who can do so with
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 697
safety, to make a resolute series of experiments on diseased ani-
mals.” A veterinary chemist recommends:
INO 139) (Chioraterotpotashian cae vem e I oz.
Nitratevofapotashe. cio vaee sw. seen OO Ze
Stroneimuniaticvacide-i.3) ieee «sees 1dr.
Rowe eredyopinmitvaseudos 2. Vane teil Loidr:
Decoction of linseed......... coeveee Id pints.
Mix together for one dose.
This, it is said, “can not fail to alleviate the trouble, if not
entirely ward off the disease, if given on the first symptoms, and
followed up three times a day.”
The following prescription has also been recommended :
Now t404 Chilorate oi potash. 2/12). veces ce
Commomssaltwsd eee ce eeelaaeeenene rete Each 1 oz.
Dissolve them in a pint of hot water, in which an ounce of
dilute hydrochloric acid has been mixed, and administer in a suf-
ficient quantity of their gruel for a dose. Mr. Morrat’s pre-
scription consists of
Nowa Chicrate of potash... 0. oss. ses 3 dr.
Mar farpenie vich ewieusjstsleepeistei opele)+/ tere = Dd gr.
CHATCMEND OF MONS 566 obo sooenseGoF 15 er
Mr. Crotcu, M. A., recommended the injection of various an-
tisceptic and parasiticide salts into the circulation of the veins, and
the hyposulphite of soda, the permanganate of potash, or the per-
chlorate of soda are said to be well adapted to this purpose. Dr.
Carr speaks of a dozen cows cured “by removing the diseased
cattle from the shed and tethering them in a shaded spot in the
field, administering warm drinks of gruel or linseed tea, with aro-
matic seeds (fenuel or caraway), an astringent, if diarrhea be
urgent, and blistering the throat. The mouth is frequently washed
with strong vinegar and water; and vinegar is also administered
to the extent of a pint or more daily.”
Dr, SMart’s method of treatment has been described by him-
self as follows:
“General Principles of Treatment.—These are based upon a
knowledge of the pathology of the disease, and indicate the line
of treatment to be adopted in dealing with it.
1. The Animal Temperature is Lowered and Deficient.—This has
to be restored and maintained. To do so the affected animal is
698 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
protected from all direct draughts of air, placed in a house or byre
with an equable temperature not under 70° Fahrenheit, and the
hide thoroughly cleaned and rubbed down, and a warm covering
kept on the animal throughout the progress of the case.
2. The Stomachs are Loaded and Distended with Food.—This
condition, by preventing access of medicine and suitable nourish-
ment, presents a very great obstacle to treatment. But it also
indicates the line of treatment to be adopted at this stage ; namely,
to remove the hurtful accumulation as quickly as possible. This
must be done by mild purgation, suited to the already irritable
condition of the lining membrane of the stomach and_ bowels.
The medicines here indicated are gentle relaxants, combined with
diuretic action.
3. Hxtreme Vital Depression is characteristic of the Disease
throughout its entire Progress.—This is conjoined with a very
peculiar and rapidly-destructive change of some of the internal
structures. Stimulants to support the depressed vital powers, and
resist, as far as possible, this tendency to destructive dissolution,
are thus clearly indicated from the very commencement. And as
it is of importance to make the healthy organs subserve the pur-
pose of removing from the blood the morbid materials that may
exist in it and in the general system, stimulant treatment should
conjoin with it remedies fitted to excite the functional activity of
the two great eliminators of this class; namely, the skin and kid-
neys. Hence stimulant, diaphoretic, and diuretic action are here
indicated. Regular milking of the diseased cow, in order to pre-
vent the retention in the blood of the elements of the milk, is,
also, on the same general principles, clearly indicated throughout
the entire course of the disease.
4, It almost appears an axiom to say that a properly-regulated
and rational system of nursing is in the treatment of disease in
cattle, as in man, of very great importance to the comfort of the
sick, and as an aid to their recovery. In the present example, no
method of combating the malady can be of any use in which care-
ful nursing does not form the basis of every other effort to restore
health. It is not idle to repeat this, because, in any system of
treatment hitherto made public, the importance of this fact has
either been insufficiently recognized or entirely overlooked. Hence
arises the necessity of there being kind, skillful, and experienced
attendants, and a well-regulated dietary.
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 699
Remedies,—These are few, simple, and selected on the principles
above stated. My experience of their suitableness is every day
more established by fresh examples of their efficacy. There are
yet only three kinds of drugs which I found it requisite to em-
ploy. 1. Laxative, with diuretic action. This is principally
used in the early, but often required at other periods, in the prog-
ress of the disease. It is composed of
No. 142. Nitrate of potash h 1
Dandandl eraney CalBercc once Scodos Ul OA
Powder of sublimed sulphur........ yerel a OZ.
Hreaclewseyersus sletekre cetolerctsrsilccsielonoiayetersrere 1 |b.
Water to make a quart, and well mixed.
This quantity is given night and morning, or, if requisite, oft-
ener, until scouring is produced. Afterward, an occasional bottle
will maintain the free movement of the bowels, without inducing
excessive action. As the vital powers sink rapidly, there should
be as little delay as possible in administering stimulants. I have
found the following mixture possessing stimulant, diuretic, and
diaphoretic properties, very efficacious:
No. 148. Carbonate of ammonia .........e.06. 2 OZ.
; Sweet spirit of niter 1
Spirit of mindereris \ Goce oben vars
CWoldiwartervjers crtclalere icicle ov stacerstere everel« 9 2.
Mix.
This dose, from the commencement of treatment, is adminis-
tered thrice a day during the entire course of the disease. When
prostration is great, it is sometimes needful to giye it from the
commencement, and to combine it with any other medicine that
may be given. In such cases, the doses may be reduced one-third.
When convalescence is fully established, a simple tonic hastens
recovery. I find none so good and safe as chinchona bark. The
best quality only should be used, and given in doses of one ounce
and a half of the powder. This tonic, in the early period of con-
valescence, is combined with the stimulant, and at a later period
with a quart of good, sweet ale, given once daily. It is best ad-
ministered at night. Two table-spoonfuls of Jaudanum may be
added at any time to any other medicine which the animal is get-
ting, or given in the food when it becomes requisite to control ex-
cessive diarrhea, or obviate straining. With this exception, there
are at present no other drugs employed.
Diet.—It should be simple, and, until decided convalescence,
700 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
well cooked, and given in small and regulated quantity. I use
the following full mash. It is composed of,
INO LAA Bian eae rep eave te ene ua areca peale Lanes 4 handfuls.
‘Brewer's: dailies: vss date ance 4 handfuls.
Peasemeah i orlere stetorara siete cons 1 pound.
Mashed turnips (well boiled)... 2 pounds.
Not too thick, and given night and morning. At midday a
drink of gruel is given, made with two pounds of oatmeal, well
boiled in six quarts of water. In addition to these, some raw tur-
nip (two pounds, for example, of greentops), and one pound of
hay, may be allowed in small quantities during the twenty-four
hours. To allay thirst, three to four quarts of water, previously
boiled and allowed to cool, is given in mouthfuls during the day.
This constitutes the full diet of a decided convalescent. Half of
this diet is, in most instanees, during the acute course of the dis-
ease, too much. In all cases, the same kind of food and periods
of giving it are followed. There are some animals that, for a
time, refuse all food, not excepting gruel. In such cases the gruel
is administered by the bottle, thrice daily, along with or after the
medicine. The animal should get a little mash so soon as it takes
it voluntarily. It is often expedient to miss a meal, especially
whenever symptoms of an unfavorable indication appear. These
are not of unfrequent occurrence during the course of treatment.
Grass is given, and the quantity of hay and turnip increased as
there is progress toward more perfect recovery.
Symptoms gf Convalescence—The more obvious indications are,
1. Recovery of appetite; 2. Greater animation; 3. Return of
breathing and pulse to their normal condition; 4, Increase of
milk; 5. Chewing the cud. The seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-
first days are critical periods in the progress of the disease.
Summary of Treatment—1. The animal is at once taken from
its ordinary food and separated from the rest. 2. Placed in a
well-aired byre, or house, free from draughts, and the temper-
ature of which is maintained at 70° or 75° Fahrenheit. 3. It is
to be well rubbed down, and thoroughly cleaned, and covered
with a good rug. 4. If there be constipation, begin with laxative,
and continue night and morning, or, if required, oftener, until
there is free scouring. 5. Let there be no delay’ in giving the
stimulant, and, if needful, combine it with the laxative. 6. Defer
giving ale and bark until convalescence appears. 7. To obviate
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 701
straining or excessive purging, two table-spoonfuls of laudanum,
night and morning, may be added to other medicine. 8. Be care-
ful to avoid overfeeding, as an error in diet may prove fatal. 9.
See that the cow is well milked, night and morning, (even when
there is no yield,) during the course of the disease. 10, All the
droppings should be at once disinfected by solution of chloride
of lime, and quickly removed. 11. The affected animals should
be frequently and closely observed, and threatening indications
treated as they occur.”
The Edinburgh Committee on the Cattle Plague, having been
authorized by the Royal Cattle Plague Commission to make obser-
vations and experiments in reference to the prevention and treat-
ment of the disease, considered it desirable, in addition to the
experiments on treatment which they proposed to institute them-
selves, to obtain a record of observations and experiments made
by as large a number as possible of qualified veterinary prac-
titioners throughout the country. With this view, they drew up
the following suggestions for methods of treatment of various
kinds, prophylactic and curative, which they were anxious should
be tested on an extensive scale:
“The Committee, before specifying the various methods of treat-
ment in detail, would premise a few general remarks, which they
consider to be applicable to all cases.
First, as to General Sanitary Measures, Disinfection, ete—The
Committee content themselves with referring for full information
on these matters to the ‘Supplement of the Report of the Royal
Cattle Plague Commission,’ which is in the hands of all veteri-
nary inspectors.
SECONDLY, as to Food.—The Committee deem it desirable to
state it as their opinion that, as a general rule, at all stages of the
disease, and whatever treatment is used, food should not be pressed
on the affected animal. They believe that too much, even of the
softest food, is hurtful, the powers of digestion being so greatly
impaired by the disease. During the earlier stages, they believe
that the safest articles of diet are oatmeal gruel, barleymeal gruel,
with linseed tea, hay tea, or bran tea, and that little, if any, ad-
dition to these is needed. During convalescence it is also very
necessary that the food should be both sparing and of easy diges-
tion. The same diet as during the earlier stages may be con-
tinued, with the addition of mashes of well-boiled turnips or
702 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
carrots, but in moderate quantity. When rumination commences
to be reéstablished, a handful of sound hay, damped with salt and
water, may then be given in addition.
THIRDLY, as to the Maintenance of the Heat of the Animal._—
The tendency to chill of the surface is a marked feature of the
disease, and it is very essential that the animal should be guarded
against cold. The byre should be kept heated up to a temper-
ature of sixty-five degrees. The animal should be thoroughly
rubbed down from time to time, and be kept covered with an
-ample, clean rug, fastened on with a roller, or band of any kind.
FourTHLY, as to the State of the Bowels.—In the early stages
they are apt to be constipated. To remove this condition mild
laxatives may be required, but strong purgatives of all kinds are
both unnecessary and unsafe. The best laxatives are either raw
linseed oil, in the dose of a chopin-bottleful (an English quart),
or from two to three ounces of flowers of sulphur, mixed up with
two pounds by weight of treacle and two chopin-bottlefuls of
water. These doses may be repeated cautiously, according to cir-
cumstances. Sometimes even in the early stages, but more fre-
quently when the disease has continued for some days, diarrhea
or scouring is apt to come on, and to prove irritating and ex-
hausting to the animal. The simplest and best treatment for this
symptom is one ounce of laudanum, mixed with a chopin-bottleful
of lime-water, repeated twice or even thrice a day if necessary.
Having thus premised these general recommendations, the Com-
mittee proceed to state, in detail, particular methods of treatment,
classified under the heads of
A. DIAPHORETIC AND STIMULANT TREATMENT,
B. Actp TREATMENT.
C. RESTORATIVE TREATMENT wiTHouT Druas.
D. PRopHyLActTic TREATMENT.
A. Diaphoretic and Stimulant—The Committee are anxious to
give a full trial to the method of exciting sweating by means of the
vapor bath. The method of using this agent is as follows: The
animal is to be placed in a stall inclosed on all sides, the height
of the inclosure being a few inches more than that of the animal.
Over the top of the box or inclosure thus formed is thrown a
tarpaulin, which should cover it completely, with the exception
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 703
that an opening is left in it sufficient for the animal’s head to pass
through. ‘There is then to be placed on the floor of the inclosure,
under the animal, a tub containing boiling water, to the depth of
half a foot. A continuous evolution of steam is to be maintained
for half an hour by means of red-hot bricks thrown into the tub
one after another. Under the use of this steam bath, if properly
managed, the animal may be expected to become warm and to
perspire profusely. After each vapor bath the animal should be
washed with tepid water containing McDougall’s disinfecting soap,
taking care to dry it well after the washing. It should then be
covered with an ample rug, kept, as already stated, closely applied
to its body by means of a roller, or band of any kind. The bath
may be repeated either on the same day or following days, accord-
ing to circumstances. During and after the bath the animal should
be allowed a draught of cold water, which helps to promote per-
spiration. The objects chiefly aimed at by the use of the vapor
bath are to promote the circulation at the surface, to relieve the
congestion of the mucous membranes, and to eliminate the poison
from the system. Combined with the vapor bath may be used
various other remedies not incompatible with it, but calculated to
aid its action. '
Several of these remedies the Committee now proceed to men-
tion, it being, however, understood that only one of them is to be
used along with the bath in cach case where the experiment is
made; they are not to be used together in the same case. 1. Oil
of turpentine. This may be administered in doses of four table-
spoonfuls, well shaken up with a chopin-bottleful of gruel, and
may be given twice a day. This remedy may be expected to act
beneficially by its powers of stimulating and of exciting perspira-
tion. It may probably, also, in most cases where it is used, super-
sede the necessity for giving any laxative medicine. 2. Infusion
of coffee. The method of preparing this remedy is by infusing
two ounces of ground roasted coffee, for a quarter of an hour, in
a chopin-bottleful of boiling water. It must, of course, be allowed
to cool somewhat before being administered, and may be given in
the above quantity every six hours. In addition to its stimulant
and nutritive qualities, the coffee may act beneficially in conse-
quence of the empyreumatic oil and caseine which it contains.
3. Carbonate of ammonia. This medicine, which has been found
in many cases to act beneficially as a powerful diffusible stimulant,
704 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
may be administered three times a day, in doses of half an ounce,
either alone or preferably combined with three drachms of niter,
dissolved in a chopin-bottleful of gruel.
B. Acid Treatment.—This treatment is suggested in consequence
of the alkaline state of the secretions which is found to exist uni-
formly in the cattle plague. 1. Diluted muriatic acid is said to
have been successful in Holland. It may be given twice a day,
in doses of three drachms, mixed with a chopin-bottleful of gruel.
2. Vinegar. This may be used in doses of two ounces, mixed with
a chopin-bottleful of gruel, and may be given four times a day.
C. Restorative Treatment without Drugs.—This consists in car-
rying out in full the sanitary instructions of the Royal Cattle
Plague Commission: in regulating the diet according to the in-
structions already given, in keeping the animal warm, and in
administering two chopin-bottlefuls of good Scotch sweet ale three
or four times a day. It is desirable that this system should be
carried out in a certain proportion of cases, all drugs being rigidly
abstained from.
D. Prophylactic Treatment.—The Committee would further de-
sire to draw attention to the importance of experiments being made
as to the efficacy of prophylactic (protective) treatment, either in
preventing the development of the disease or modifying the in-
tensity of the symptoms when the disease becomes developed in
animals which have been exposed to the infection. In such cases,
of course, all the sanitary measures of the Cattle Plague Commis-
sion should be strictly carried out. There may also be given, at
the earliest possible period, prophylactic drugs, of which those
most deserving of trial seem to be, 1. Sulphite of soda, given
morning and evening, in doses of one ounce, dissolved in a bucket-
ful of water. 2. McDougall’s solution, of which a wine-glassful
in a bucketful of water may be given twice a day. 38. A mixture
of half an ounce of sulphite of soda and two table-spoonfuls of
McDougall’s solution, in a bucketful of water, may be given twice
a day.
Prevention of the Cattle Plague.-—There is but one rational and
sufficient system whereby the Russian plague can be kept in check.
That is by preventing direct or indirect contact between animals
affected with the disease and those that are sound, All else is
valueless. This is clearly established if we consider how and why
we are losing the horned stock of Great Britain.
THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 705
We should have prohibited direct importation from Russia.
Weshould have established foreign stock-markets and slaughter-
houses.
We should not have trusted to the insufficient system of inspec-
tion at our ports and markets.
The disease should have been recognized earlier.
We should have killed the diseased and infected animals with
the greatest determination from the very first.
The Government should have acted promptly, without trusting
to the tardy development of public opinion and the hesitating
action of country magistrates, mayors, and others intrusted with
authority.
_ Greater reliance should have been placed in veterinary surgeons,
who, knowing the disease and the desperate measures it required,
could have saved the lives of thousands of valuable animals.
I did my best on the 29th and 31st of July, 1865, to rouse the
Government to a true sense of our position. I then advocated the
formation of a national association for the prevention of cattle dis-
eases, of a national insurance und, and created some astonishment
when I said, on the Ist of August, that “the present calamity will
not fall on a class, as in the case of the cotton famine. It must
affect the nation throughout its length and breadth. It is too late
now to avert such a result, and, with a view to enable us to cope
with very extraordinary difficulties, there must be a general and
extraordinary codperation among the people.” I afterward advo-
cated the continental system, and said, “I quite agree with the
Austrian veterinarians, that to cure is, in this case, to kill, because
so long as sick and convalescent animals are kept about, the dan-
ger of propagating the malady is enormous. Kill by all means;
and if you can compensate, kill all that have been near a contami-
nated animal.” |
45
SECTION XXX.
DISEASES OF SHEEP.
IMPROVEMENT IN SHEEP—Rot, OR HYDATIDS IN THE Liver—YELLows—VrRrTIG0,
OR GIDDINESS—J ACKETS OR BLANKETS FOR SHEEP—FOOT-ROT—GRUBS IN -THE
Nostrits—TickKs—INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE—INFLAMMATION OF THE LuNGS—
Common CATARRH—DIARRHEA AND DYSENTERY—CONSTIPATION OF THE Bow-
ELS—TYMPANITES, OR WINDY DISTENSION OF THE INTESTINES AND ABDOMEN.
IMPROVEMENT IN SHEEP.
O country in the world is bettef calculated for raising sheep
than the United States. The diversity of climate, together
with the abundance and variety of the products of the soil, united
with the industry and perseverance of agriculturists, render this
country highly favorable for the breeding, maturing, and improving
the different varieties of sheep. The American people, as a nation,
are stronger intellectually than any other on the face of God’s earth ;
consequently they are all-powerful, “ for the mind is mightier than
the sword.” Should this intelligent nation of husbandmen direct
their whole attention to the improvement of sheep, then in a few
years America shall outshine her more favored European rivals,
and her husbandmen shall feel proud of their improved stock.
What the American people have accomplished during the past
half century, in the arts and sciences, cultivation of the soil, ete.,
is an earnest of what they can do in improving the constitution
and condition of live stock, provided they take hold of the subject
in good earnest. Let any one who is acquainted with the subject
of degeneration, its causes and fatal results, not only in reference
to the stock itself, but as regards the pocket of the breeder, care-
fully investigate the subject, and it will be perceived that there
still exists a fine field for improvement. Much has already been
accomplished in improving the different breeds in America, and
(706)
DISEASES OF SHEEP. 707
our farmers deserve great credit for their praiseworthy efforts in
endeavoring to raise fine stock, and I presume their labors have
proved remunerative. :
In order to show what a whole community of stock-raisers can
accomplish, in view of improvement, when they have an eye single
to the object, I here introduce some of the results attending such
an enterprise, conducted by a single individual—Mr. BAKEWELL.
“Fis breeding animals were, in the first place, selected from
different breeds. These he crossed with the best to be had. After
the cross had been carried to the desired point, he confined his se-
lections to his own herds or flocks. He formed in his mind a
standard of perfection for each kind of animals, and to this he
constantly endeavored to bring them. That he was eminently
successful in the attainment of his object can not be denied. He
began his farming operations about 1750. In 1760 his rams did
not sell for more than two or three guineas per head. From this
time he gradually advanced in terms, and in 1760 he let some for
twenty-five guineas a head for the season. Marshall states that,
in 1786, Bakewell let two-thirds of a ram (reserving a third for
himself) to two breeders for a hundred guineas each, the entire
services of the ram being rated at three hundred guineas for the
season. It is also stated that he made that year, by letting rams,
more than one thousand pounds. In 1789 he made twelve hun-
dred guineas by three ‘ram brothers,’ and two thousand guineas
from seven, and, from his whole letting, full three thousand guineas,
Six or seven other breeders made from five hundred guineas to a
thousand each by the same operation. The whole amount of ram-
letting of Bakewell’s breed is said to have been not less that year
than ten thousand pounds (forty-eight thousand dollars).
It is true that still more extraordinary prices were obtained for
the use of rams of this breed after Mr. Bakewell’s death. Pitt, in
his ‘Survey of Leicestershire,’ mentions that, in 1795, Mr. Astley
gave three hundred guineas for the use of a ram of this breed, en-
gaging, at the same time, that he should serve gratis twenty ewes
owned by the man of whom the ram was hired, making for the en-
tire use of the ram that season four hundred and twenty guineas.
In 1796 Mr. Astley gave for the use of the same ram three hundred
guineas, and took forty ewes to be served gratis. At the price
charged for the service of the ram to each ewe, the whole value for
the season was five hundred guineas. He served one hundred ewes.
708 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
In 1797 the same ram was let to another person at three hundred
guineas, and twenty ewes sent with him, the serving of which was
reckoned at a hundred guineas, and the ram was restricted to sixty
more, which brought his value for the season to four hundred
guineas. Thus the ram made, in three seasons, the enormous sum
of thirteen hundred guineas.
We have nothing to do, at present, with the question whether
the value of these animals was not exaggerated. The actual su-
periority of the breed over the stock of the country must have
been obvious, and this point we wish kept in mind. This breed
of sheep is continued to the present day, and it has been remarked,
by a respected writer, that they will ‘remain a lasting monument
of Bakewell’s skill” As to their origin, the testimony shows them
to have been of mixed breed, though no breed is more distinct in
its characters, or transmits its qualities with more certainty; and
if we were without any other example of successful crossing, the
advocates of the system might still point triumphantly to the
Leicester or Bakewell sheep.
But what are the opinions of our best modern breeders in regard
to the practicability of producing distinct breeds by crossing?
Robert Smith, of Burley, Rutlandshire, an eminent sheep-breeder,
in an essay on the ‘ Breeding and Management of Sheep,’ for which
he received a prize from the Royal Agricultural Society, (1847,)
makes the following remarks: ‘The crossing of pure breeds has
been a subject of great interest among every class of breeders.
While all agree that the first cross may be attended with good
results, there exists a diversity of opinion upon the future move-
ments, or putting the crosses together. Having tried experiments
(and I am now pursuing them for confirmation) in every way pos-
sible, I do not hesitate to express my opinion that, by proper and
judicious crossing through many generations, a most valuable
breed of sheep may be raised and established ; in support of which
I may mention the career of the celebrated Bakewell, who raised
anew variety from other long-wooled breeds, by dint of persever-
ance and propagation, and which have subsequently corrected all
other long-wooled breeds.’ ”
DISEASES OF SHEEP. 709
Rot, oR HypATiIps IN THE Liver.
This parasite, which affects the liver of sheep, is known as the
fluke, (fasciola hepaticum,) and is usually found in the biliary
ducts. Rot, in its advanced stage, is a disease of a very formida-
ble character, and its associations closely resemble dropsy. A
serous fluid accumulates beneath the skin, hence some people call
it the water rot.
Causes.— Wet pastures, and exposure to storms and changes of
weather, with innutritious diet, are the exciting causes of this
malady.
Treatment.—If flukes are present, it is evident that, in order to
strike at the root of the malady, we must get rid of them, which
can only be effected by bringing about a healthy condition of the
system. Nothing that can be done by the application of medicine
will act on them to affect their vitality. It is only by strengthen-
ing the animal powers that we are enabled to give sufficient tone to
the system to throw off the flukes. For that purpose many advocate
salt. Salt is an excellent stimulative to the digestive organs, and
may also be of service in restoring the biliary secretion, from the
soda which it contains. So well is its stimulative action known,
that some individuals always keep salt in the troughs containing
animals’ food. That this is a preventive they have good proof,
seeing that it matters not how much the soil might be in salt
marshes, no sheep are ever attacked by rot in them, while those
sent there infected very often come back free. Salt, therefore,
must not be neglected. But then comes the question, can they
not do something more? I believe they can. They must throw
tonics into the system, especially those that are obtained in the
mineral kingdom. I should prefer the sulphate of iron (iron is
found in animal matter), It is one of the constituents of the
blood, and, used in the form of sulphate, it gives @ greater tone
and energy to the frame than in any other form. Its use, there-
fore, ought never to be neglected in the earlier stages of the dis-
ease. I have already alluded to the fact that, when the liver does
not perform its functions, a greater effort is made by the kidneys
to depurate the blood. The kidneys should, therefore, be stimu-
lated. But I must not be supposed to advise the exhibition of
diuretics, which would induce debility, but of medicines, which
would give strength to the frame, and, at the same time, act on
710 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the kidneys, for which purpose nitric ether is an agent which
ought to be employed. The principles I wish to lay down are,
to husband the animals’ powers by placing them in a situation
where they shall not be exposed to the debilitating effects of cold
storms; to supply them with nutritious food, and such as contains
but a small quantity of water; and to mix salt with the water ;
and likewise to administer sulphate of iron, and occasional doses
of nitric ether.*
YELLOWS.
This term is used by shepherds to designate disease of the liver.
Symptoms.—The affected animal has a peculiar languid appear-
ance, frequently shaking the head, as if parasites were in the nos-
trils; the head is pressed against any elevated ground, sometimes
against the fence or a post; the animal moves lazily along, with
its nose almost touching the ground; the membranes of the eyes —
and nose have a yellow tinge; the same is true of the skin; a
marked yellowness is observed on the insides of the thighs and
anus. As the disease advances these morbid appearances are aug-
mented. The patient grates its teeth; stands with the head pendu-
lous, almost touching the ground ; then soon falls, and dies without
a struggle.
The autopsy reveals the following: The liver has a mottled ap-
pearance, and its structure is easily broken down; the gall-blad-
der is usually full of dark-colored, tarry-looking bile; kidneys,
stomach, and intestines, tolerably healthy. Should any urine be
found in the bladder, it will be of a dark color. The heart is pale
and flabby ; the lungs, healthy, yet the chest usually contains a
quart or more of dark-colored serum. On removing the ane
the surface of the body is yellow (jaundiced).
Treatment.—Remove the diseased animals from the flock and
put them ina dry shed. Then prepare the following:
No. 137. Fluid extract of leptandra (Culver’s
BOO) Ab oha's fatale ojeieiet seleretetetalele 1 pound.
Powdered hyposulphite of soda....... 6 oz.
\Nater S'S SAB BBS BSE SCOR cobs do dob 1 quart.
Dissolve the soda in the water, then add the leptandrin. Dose,
one ounce (fluid) twice daily. Let the affected animals have salt ;
grass should also be cut and placed before them.
* Professor Simonds.
DISEASES OF SHEEP 711
VERTIGO, OR GIDDINESS.
Vertigo, or giddiness, is a disease of the nervous system, occa-
sioned, most frequently, by a parasite located in the brain. The
_ parasite is named ceenarus cerebralis, and belongs to the species
known as hydatids. Lambs from the age of two months, or from
four to twelve months, are, when predisposed, apt to become the
subjects of it. ‘The disease is very apt to end in organic disease
of the brain and spinal marrow.
The disease is of hereditary origin, and comes from faults or
defects in one or both parents, and also from the too early prac-
tice of breeding, which often obtains in some sections of country.
In order to guard against the disease, we must put out of the breed-
ing-fold both males and females that have shown any signs of the
disorder, and not breed from the ewes under the age of thirty
months, nor from rams until they have attained their second year.
Treatment.—In the treatment of the disease, our object is to give
tone to the system, and saturate the blood with some agent (sul-
phur) which is known to be obnoxious to parasites in general.
Take of
No. 138. Sulphur -...... bimeedate cree (aca Go aiiers 1 pound.
Powdered sulphate of iron....... 6 oz.
Powdered poplar bark........... 1 pound.
Let this be thoroughly mixed, place it in a stoppered bottle, and
keep it in a dark place. Mix a table-spoonful daily in bran, and
place it in the feed-trough, or mix it in a table-spoonful of syrup,
and administer it by means of an iron spoon.
Some persons contend that turnips, when fed to sheep, are apt
to produce hydatids. On this subject, and on that of protecting
sheep from the inclemencies of the weather, the following article is
offered :
JACKETS, OR BLANKETS FOR SHEEP.
A writer in a late number of the “ London Agricultural Gazette”
says: “We find, on examining our mortality tables for the last
twelve months, that out of six hundred Cheviot and black-faced
Evehogs, the number of deaths has been but sixteen. Be it re-
membered, also, that, with the exception of about a score, none of
these ever tasted a turnip, but fared with the ewes on the hill.
Since we commenced the use of jackets, (small blankets,) we have
712 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
especially noticed an extraordinary diminution of the cases of
‘sturdy,’ or water in the head. Hydatids in the brain are gen-
erally understood to be induced by long-continued heavy rains,
cold winds, and general privation. Any one conversant with
sheep must have observed the wool along the back parts in such
a way as fully to expose the skin. ‘The connection between the
spine and the brain is obvious, and it can not be wondered that
hydatids (little sacs filled with water) should be formed in the
brains of sheep much exposed to severe storms, without due shel-
ter. Hence the advantage of covering their backs with some ma-
terial which will protect them, in a great measure, from the chilling
effects of wind and rain. The material used is woollen, the size
being twenty-three inches by fifteen. We lately purchased some
coarse blankets that made excellent covers, each jacket costing
fourpence. ‘The rams were put with the ewes on the 22d of No-
vember, and we allow forty-five to each male.”
The above remarks, from a flockmaster of large experience, in
reference to the cause of hydatids, or what we should call water in
the brains of sheep, are interesting in a medical and physiological
point of view. We know one breeder in Vermont who covers
the back of each sheep with a half yard of common sheeting,’
painted, to shed rain. The practice is founded in reason, and is
likely to extend, literally making cotton tributary to the produc-
tion of wool. The growers of the former staple will not object if
every sheep in the United States and Europe has a cotten “ jacket ;”
for one that will answer every intention can be made cheaper of
cotton than of wool. The comfort of domestic animals at the
South is sadly and most expensively neglected.
Foot-Rot,
Causes.—General debility, exposure in wet pastures, contagion,
foul habit of body.
Symptoms.—The animal is observed to limp in one or both of
the fore or hind legs. Sometimes the whole. four are affected.
The parts are hot, tender, and swollen, and exude a fetid fluid.
The animal is now incapable of walking, and, if not speedily re-
lieved, death ensues. This form of rot is contagious, so that, if
the diseased animals are not separated from the healthy, the latter
soon become infected. To propagate malignant rot, it is quite
DISEASES OF SHEEP. (183
sufficient that a flock should pass over a place which has a little
before been walked over by a diseased sheep.
Treatment.—Endeavor to ascertain the exciting cause, and, if
possible, remove it. If the disease has assumed a putrid type,
the superfluous horn may be removed. The parts are then to be
washed with “
Mot39)) Pyrolioneous) acids. Jess soe eens: - 4 07.
AV abe rtitts RAR RACES Se 3 0Z
Mix.
A piece of lint is afterward to be saturated with the above, and,
applied as a dressing, and changed as occasion may require.
The local remedy will avail but little unless we sustain the
living powers, and thus improve the secretions. Our usual rem-
edies are,
No. 140. Powdered golden seal.........eee00. 1 oz.
owclered, suillip liu rectetey syeveneja) oy <ielolevore eave 4 OZ.
Powdereds charcoalty.n cm «cites ccicieeieiere 1 oz.
owderedysassaiasies cscs) cee cc cles 1 oz
iIRowderedsassatetiaa. .. sc. sccce cos 2 dr
Blaxseedtiy ese rebe eres cole Werte, 2 lbs
Mix, and give a table-spoonful twice a day in the food.
If I were writing exclusively for my medical brethren, I should
recommend them to treat the disease according to its indications.
The above agents will, however, generally prove efficacious, (even
in the hands of the non-medical,) provided due attention be paid
to the wants of the animal, and such additional assistance be ren-
dered as common sense will suggest. Supposing a number of ani-
mals to be affected, it would occupy too much time to treat them
singly ; hence I recommend that they be made to walk slowly, or
linger for some time in a wooden trough, the floor of which may
be covered, to the depth of one inch, with the following:
IN@, Tb, Ibningeed! Oillos bo cod onb od coeK50d0 CDC 2 pt.
Pyroligmeoussactdisycrs.).crcce clcie'sle\e +0) « 4 pt.
IN@HOSING pocSoconncuccaugndedbodoN 1 pt.
In the above proportions, the required quantity may be pre-
pared.
GRUBS IN THE NOSTRILS.
Grubs in the nostrils are occasioned by the gadfly, which de-
posits her ova in the nostrils of sheep. After a short time the
ova bring forth parasites in the larveal state; the latter migrate
fe
714 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
within the interior of the nostrils, causing the sheep much pain
and annoyance. When the larve are capable of exercising an
independent existence, they undergo the same evolution which
obtains in the case of the bot parasite; namely, they burrow into
the earth, and finally become metamorphosed into the gadfly.
at seems that the gadfly selects its subjects, and the weakest
and most unpromising of the flock are usually its victims; hence
close attention to the requirements and condition of a flock may,
to a certain extent, act as a preventive. Some farmers, in view
of preventing the attacks of the gadfly, smear the noses of their
sheep with common tar. Others plow up a piece of land where
sheep are pastured, into which they thrust their noses, and then,
for the time being, they baffle the gadfly. I do not think it would
be good policy to attempt, either by mechanical or medicinal means,
to dislodge the parasites; for the remedy might be worse than the
disease. When the ova have arrived at maturity, the sheep them-
selves aid in the dislodgment with acts of snorting, sneezing, and
coughing.
Ticks.
These troublesome parasites may easily be got rid of by dip-
ping the sheep in an infusion of tobacco. A compound tobacco
sheep-dip is now manufactured, and can be obtained at the drug
stores, with full directions for use.
INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE.
Inflammation of the eye is very readily detected by an acute
redness which pervades the lining membranes of the eyelids and
that which affords a partial covering to the eyeball. The afflicted
animal keeps the eyelids partly closed; an effusion of tears runs
over the lower angle of the eye; there is intolerance to light, and
the animal appears to suffer considerable pain.
Treatment.—Separate the patient from the flock, and bathe the
eye occasionally with the following lotion:
No. 1422 Sugar of mille. s0i0).1% «av ies aieete cheese Ln Ozs
Bluid extract of hops......... S Ono Gilet) Gla
VAIMEWALEI cle /elc|vicie se le1cleicleleleie el ctsieicters 6 oz.
Mix.
Should the disease run on to cataract, the sight can not be
restored.
DISEASES OF SHEEP. wD .
INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS.
Inflammation of the lungs is usually the result of exposure; or
it may arise in consequence of herding too many sheep together ;
sometimes it makes its appearance without any perceptible cause.
An impure atmosphere, however, may be set down as the ordinary
exciting cause of this malady.
Treatment.—Place upon the tongue ten drops of fluid extract
of gelseminum, morning and evening. Dissolve one ounce of
chlorate of potass in half a pint of flaxseed tea, and give it daily
as a drench until the animal improves. Let the patient be placed
in a secluded spot, under cover, and if the case is curable, health
will soon return.
The most marked symptoms of pneumonia are panting and
heaving at the flanks, quickened respiration, discharge from the
nose, and cough. There is also a cessation of rumination. In
short, the same symptoms prevail in this disease as in pneumonia
of cattle.
ComMMON CATARRH.
This affection prevails most extensively among sheep that have
been exposed to rains and unpleasant weather. The disease mani-
fests itself in the form of a defluxion from the nostrils of a muco-
serous discharge, accompanied by frequent sneezing, and occasional
cough. As soon as the disease is discovered, the affected animals
should be placed in comfortable quarters. Then prepare the
following drench:
No. 143. Composition powder..... sicleieeie eral etary Oe
Boiling water ...esecescerecesesers 1 qt.
Pour the boiling water on the powder; let the mixture stand
in a warm place for an hour; pour off the clear liquor, and add
two ounces of sugar of milk. Dose: A wine-glassful once or twice
daily.
Malignant epizodtic catarrh may be treated in the same man-
ner, with the addition of one ounce of chlorate of potass per day,
which can be dissolved in the above drench.
5
716 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
DIARRHEA AND DYSENTERY.
Curable cases of the above character are brought to a favorable
termination by using the following drench:
No. 144. Finely pulverized animal charcoal.... 1 oz.
Scaldedicowis mie er ice srcisisversiecstere 1 gill.
Hyposulphite of sodai ci) sce cee lide,
fax:
The above constitutes a dose. It may be repeated as often as
the emergency seems to require; but should the subject be a young
lamb one-half the above quantity will suffice.
CONSTIPATION OF THE BOWELS.
Constipation is almost always the result of a deranged condition
of the digestive organs. A deranged condition of the liver, for
example, will result in costiveness, for which I recommend the
following drench:
No, 145. Glauber salts..........:: jee «+ a] OZs
Fluid extract of leptandra....... 1 tea-spoonful.
hin erueliiete ee este: cerstcrete ve. pt.
Dissolve the salts in the gruel, and drench the animal with the
same.
TYMPANITES, OR WINDY DISTENSION OF THE INTESTINES
AND ABDOMEN.
This disease is very easily recognized by the bloated appear-
ance of the animal. It is occasioned by the food running into
fermentation and generating gas. The following remedy is a sure
cure for tympanites, administered as a drench:
No. 146. Hyposulphite of soda.......... 4dr.
Fluid extract of golden seal.... 1 dr.
Fluid extract of ginger......... 2 dr.
\WEUEE S oon Gonoos.ane cdo 6 oeeee 1 wine-glassful.
¥
SECTION XXXII.
DISEASES OF SWINE.
Errects oF Impure AiR on SwinE—MEastxes 1n Pork—Quinsy—HERNIA, OR
RurtuRE—INTESTINAL Worms—Hoa CHOLERA—TRICHINA SPINALIS.
THE TREATMENT OF THE DISEASES OF SWINE.
HE nature of the most common diseases incidental to swine,
and the treatment of the same, are subjects of great impor-
tance to those engaged in raising this description of property, and
it is very gratifying to know that farmers are anxious to obtain
reliable information on such subjects. It is only of late years that
any special attention has been given to swine pathology in this
country, either by farmers or surgeons, and in former years the
treatment of swine diseases was extremely barbarous, and consisted
of little else than of splitting their ears, cutting off their tails, and
dosing them with poisons. Such treatment must have been any
thing but pleasant to the poor brutes, and very unsatisfactory in
its results.
Swine, in certain periods in the history of the world, have been
denominated “unclean creatures, of gross habits,” ete. If they
are unclean and of gross habits, their owners gave them their first
lesson, and are more to blame than the animal. How can it be
expected that they shall exhibit better habits while confined in
miserable quarters and filthy localities, where they are often com-
pelled to wallow knee-deep in mud and excrement, dragging out
a woful existence in the midst of a perfect hot-bed of filth, often
respiring an atmosphere concocted from the decomposition of
rotten excrements within their pest-hole, or local habitation. And
the food that such poor creatures are compelled to devour, what
shall I say of that? It is too beastly to describe, yet the cravings
(717)
718 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
of an appetite, not naturally morbid, induce the animal to convert
his stomach into a living cess-pool. Some persons appear to have
an idea that any system of management is good enough for hogs ;
hence how can we expect that animals thus neglected and misused
shall improve, either in habits or condition? Hence, if domes-
ticated swine have lost their natural instincts, and acquired gross
and filthy habits, the blame should fall where it belongs. Hus-
bandmen know, from experience, that if young pigs are properly
provided for and kept in comfortable quarters, and not too nu-
merously herded, they will refuse to partake of the horrid garbage
which their city cousins, occupying a down-cellar locality, are,
from sheer necessity, compelled to devour, and they will exercise
the same sagacity in the selection of nice morsels as the wild ori-
ginals have been known to manifest.
The ancients were led to believe that “the use of swine’s flesh
was an abomination, and its touch pollution.” This was, and
is, a mere theory, unsustained by facts—the result of prejudice;
for the Egyptians, Jews, and Mohammedans, who considered the
flesh of swine as the exciting cause of leprosy and tape-worms,
were the greatest sufferers, yet they never touched pork. On
perusing the records of the Jewish historians, we are informed
that the strangers sojourning in the camp of the Egyptians, par-
took freely of pork, yet no cases of scrofula nor leprosy appeared
among them; yet the followers of Moses, who, from prejudice
or antiquated religious custom, abstained from pork, were the
greatest sufferers from the terrible diseases known as scrofula and
leprosy. Pork is the principal article of food among the Ro-
mans, Greeks, Chinese, natives of the Archipelago Islands, and
the negroes inhabiting the burning regions of Asia; also the
more refined and straight-haired inhabitants of Northern Asia
partake freely of pork.
The people of England consume an immense amount of pork,
as do also the people of this country. Our soldiers in and out of
camp, and when on the march, devour pork, both cooked and un-
cooked, with impunity ; hence, if pork is really the cause of leprosy,
scrofula, or tape-worm, we might expect to see many lepers in this
country, and an equal number of unfortunate individuals infested
with tape-worms; but we all know that the converse is the case,
and many American physicians inform me that leprosy and tapé-
worm are very rare afflictions in this country ; so that the uncom-
DISEASES OF SWINE. 719
plaining and much-abused creature that I am writing about, has
been most awfully slandered and ill-used.
I contend that the flesh of swine, when the animal has been
judiciously fed, is nutritive, wholesome, and palatable, and in
its excellency is considered a great delicacy. Like other sub-
stantial food, however, it does not agree with some persons; but
the fault is not in the pork, but in the stomach of the invalid, who _
should not taste that which disagrees with him. Still, it would
appear to be in perfect harmony with retributive justice, if the
diseases alluded to were the result of man’s criminal neglect of a
class of animals that should claim his care and protection.
I have alluded to the condition of swine, such as are kept in
cities. What shall I say of those which are kept and fed at the
slaughter-houses in Chicago and at Cincinnati? We are all con-
versant with the facts in the case; they are too notorious to need
repetition. I only urge those who have the power and will to
inaugurate a reform where reforms are most needed. Credit is
due, however, to our farmers, who pay much attention to the —
raising and welfare of swine. The errors I complain of are not
so prevalent in the country as in our large cities. I contend that
the hog does not thrive so well in the city as in the country. He
was never cut out for a citizen; he never chews tobacco, nor does
he “smile.” He is one of Nature’s pets, and thrives best on roots
and fruit, in the universal sty. The city air does not vitalize his
blood—does not agree with him. Down-cellar locations, and
narrow, filthy pens, are abominations. They tend to toughen
muscle and to tubercularize, often sending thousands of otherwise
valuable animals into a galloping consumption, from which the
knife of the butcher rescues them.
EFFECTS OF IMPURE AIR ON SWINE.
A great proportion of the diseases which afflict swine are, no
doubt, caused by bad management, and the crowding of them
together on a limited space, where they must necessarily breathe
a highly-contaminated atmosphere. It is one of the chief causes
of pulmonary apoplexy, and other pneumonic affections which are
so notoriously prevalent. I have often seen a lot of swine disem-
barked from the cars the subjects of congestion of the lungs, the
external surface of the bodies of some being as blue as indigo, (quite
720 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
livid,) showing very conclusively that their blood was highly
charged with carbon; that either for want of pure air, or from
temporary incapacity of the lungs, in consequence of crowding too
many animals together, the lungs failed to oxygenize the blood,
and thus they suffered. Swine require pure fresh air as much as
we do for the vitalization of their blood, and can no more live
without it than did the unfortunate individuals that perished in
the Black Hole of Caleutta. Under such circumstances, whether
the animals be confined in close cars or in filthy pens, it makes
but little difference—they are liable to become diseased; and it
often happens that when certain forms of disease are engendered
spontaneously in this way, other animals exposed to the infection
are attacked, and thus we have an epizootic, which is sure to com-
mit sad havoc ere it dies out or can be arrested. It is probable
that bad air, inferior diet, and crowding animals into filthy loca-
tions have more to do with the production of the so-called “hog
cholera” and the well-known pleuro-pneumonia than some persons
are apt to realize. If this be true, and I think it is, then our hus-
bandmen must see the necessity of paying great attention to the
hygienic management of swine. The latter are generally the most
neglected and despised of all our domestic animals, except when
they are of aristocratic breed, and owned by amateurs of means,
or when they are designed for “home-fed pork.” Now, if it pays
the amateur and lover of “ home-fed” to give the animal that at-
tention and care which he not only requires, but is entitled to, then
a similar course of practice must increase the gains of those who
raise their animals for the market.
Pure air, good food, plenty of space, and comfortable quarters
are the best preventives of disease that I know of. Much better are
they than all the drugs in the country ; and when the animal be-
comes sick, without proper attention to hygiene, medicine is not
worth a straw. It is well-known to the scientific farmer that
when swine are crammed on a limited portion of land whence
they derive their food, without regard to the laws which govern
the distribution of living beings throughout creation, disease and
death run riot, and the bodies of such animals are almost sure to
be infested with various kinds of parasites.
The same facts have been observed in regard to sheep, when
they are crowded and the land overstocked. It is the forerunner
of parasitic disease. An English writer, having considerable ex-
DISEASES OF SWINE. 721
perience in the matter, contends that it is the crowding of sheep
on the low lands which has engendered “ rot” and “ scab,” and
which causes thousands to die, with the respiratory organs filled
with strongyli, or the intestines with tape-worms. The Australian
farmers can testify to the ravages of the tape-worm in sheep as the
result of crowding land to an unnatural extent. On our vast prai-
ries, however, there may be no danger of overcrowding, yet it is
right that we should be conversant with the danger, in order to
avoid it in the future.
MAJENDIE, the celebrated French physician, contends that
very many grave and fatal diseases are introduced into the system
through the respiratory organs: “ And although we with difficulty
arrive at any certain knowledge of the miasms rising in marshy
grounds from the decomposition of putrid vegetable and animal
substances, there can be no doubt whatever of their entering into
the blood through the medium of the air, and so producing many
fatal diseases. In some countries, epidemic affections especially
rage with extreme intensity. In hot, humid climates, and espe-
cially on the sea-coast and borders of certain rivers, as, for instance,
the Gulf of Mexico, Vera Cruz, New Orleans, ete. Such causes
admit of demonstration, since, by introduction of them into the
blood experimentally, may be produced, though not exactly yellow
fever, symptoms bearing the greatest resemblance to it, with black
vomit and speedy death. Lower Egypt, where the plague for-
merly prevailed so alarmingly, owing to such causes, has been:
rendered comparatively rare by the improved condition of the
country.”
MfrASLES IN Pork. ~
Measles in the hog is identical with tape-worm in man. It has
been discovered that the hydatids of the hog, known as measles,
(named in the zodlogical system cysticercus cellulosa,) have exactly
the same head as the common tape-worm of man (tenia solium).
Many experiments have, from time to time, been made, setting the
matter beyond a doubt. KUcCKENMEISTER, who wished to make
sure of the fact, made the experiment upon a criminal who was
soon to be executed, and, as was to be expected, with perfect suc-
cess. Measles taken from fresh pork, and put into sausages which
the criminal ate raw, at certain intervals, before his death, were
found again, in the post mortem examination, as tape-worms in
46
(ED) DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
his intestines, and in different stages of development, according to
the intervals in which the measles had been taken. Thus it was
discovered that all measles in swine are tape-worm larvee, which,
when swallowed with a portion of the animal in which they live
by another animal, develop the tape-worm. In zodlogy tape-
worms are named cestoidea. About two hundred different species
are described by naturalists, which vary much in size, the smallest
being barely visible to the naked eye, while the largest will some-
times measure one hundred feet in length.
Different species of animals are eed with different species
of tape-worms. They are found in the intestines of the horse, ass,
sheep, goat, dog, deer, antelope, rat, mouse, and many other ani-
mals and insects. All tape-worms are hermaphrodites ; the sexes
are not only united in the whole of the tape-worm, but each joint
of the compound parasite for itself has its own independent male
and female sexual organs, testicles, and ovaries.
Treatment.—Put into the food of each hog, daily, two duacime
of powdered sulphur, half an ounce of powdered poplar bark, and
half a table-spoonful of fine salt. The best method of preventing
measles in swine is to keep their lodging-places perfectly clean
and dry, and to allow them pure air and exercise. Their food
should be of a very nutritious quality. Swine may be suspected
to have measles when they do not fatten nor thrive well.
~ QUINSY.
This is a very common disease among swine, and affects the
lining membrane of the respiratory passages, which become in-
flamed and tumefied. This condition occasions great difficulty in
swallowing either fluids or solids, and the respiration is much
embarrassed ; the neck appears to be stiff, and the nose is pro-
truded. A distressing cough is usually present; the animal froths
at the mouth as if Re were choking; the glands in the region of
the throat are enlarged, and this adds to the difficulty in breathing.
Treatment.—A mild case of quinsy, unaccompanied with tume-
faction of the throat or the thyroid glands, may be cured by
transferring the animal to a warm pen where he can burrow in
clean straw. Let him have a mess of thin gruel three times daily,
into which stir half an ounce of powdered chlorate of potass. It
is not safe to drench an animal the subject of quinsy, for he may
DISEASES OF SWINE. 723
choke to death; therefore, if possible, the medicine must be incor-
porated with the food. In bad cases the throat must be lubricated
with cod-liver oil occasionally. Should the bowels be constipated,
a few ounces of Epsom salts or a couple of ounces of castor-oil are
indicated ; whereas a looseness or temporary diarrhea must be
held in check by means of pulverized anthracite coal, or else by
means of animal charcoal. These ingredients should be mixed in
scalded milk, and placed in a clean trough. It is very evident,
however, that, in the absence of pure air, comfortable quarters,
and good nursing, medicine will have but little if any effect.
Quinsy mostly owes its origin to exposure, fatigue in travel-
ing long distances, and to bad accommodations ; therefore proper
attention to the wants and comfort of these animals will act as
the best of preventives.
The wretched condition in which some of these animals are
compelled to exist, and the vile garbage which is often fed to them,
is the exciting cause of most of their maladies ; therefore such mat-
ters should command the attention of husbandmen.
HERNIA, OR RUPTURE.
Pigs are very frequently born in a ruptured condition. The
disease is then called congenital, and scrotal when within the
scrotum. The disease consists of adhesion of a protruded portion
of intestine to the testicle after its descent into the scrotum. This
adhesion often takes place while the testicle is yet in the abdomen.
On the descent of the testicle into the scrotum the intestine de-
scends with it.
Treatment.—Secure the limbs, or engage some persons to hold
them; then place the animal on a bench, and cut carefully over
the region of the enlargement until the testicle is exposed. Care-
fully dissect the intestine from the testicle; remove the testicle in
the usual way; then return the intestine within the abdomen.
Should the intestine be so large that it seems impossible to return
it, then enlarge the opening by means of a probe-pointed knife ;
then raise the hind-quarters of the pig, and the bowel will return
into the abdominal cavity, after which take a couple of stitches
through the skin and superficial tissues, and the operation is fin-
ished. In a few days the stitches may be cut away; there is no
need of any dressing.
724 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
-
INTESTINAL WoRMS.
When swine are infested with intestinal parasites they gener-
ally become unthrifty—will not fatten, yet have a voracious ap-
petite, and will devour greedily every thing that is placed before
them.
Treatment.—For solitary cases give the animal an occasional
dose of the following:
Now T4% Castor onlges sii sul oo Siie eis eis etetele ead caeee 2 oz
QOilsof mormseed's)..b)3..6\s1c she osc erste 1 dr
Mix. ‘
When a large number of animals are infested with intestinal
parasites, prepare the following:
No. 148. Pulverized anthracite coal............ 2 Ibs.
Powdered jpoplaribark%ijscisnecn ofat ere 1 Ib.
SPowderedssulphur si. scree ieleuseceeteetenerete < lb.
Powdered salts. cic 6 evs sispersr nyse resonate 4 oz.
Mix.
Give a table-spoonful with the food twice daily, until the animal
takes on a more thrifty condition.
INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS (PNEUMONIA).
Inflammation of the lungs, or what may very properly be
termed apoplexy of the same, is a very fatal malady in swine, and
runs its course to a fatal termination very rapidly.
Symptoms.—The early symptoms are accelerated and laborious
respiration, shivering fits, cough, loss of appetite, and rapid wast-
ing of fat and flesh.
Treatment.—Dissolve half an ounce of nitrate of potass in about
a quart of thin gruel and set it before the patient; if he refuse to
drink it, then a drench of the same must be given. In the mean
time place on the tongue ten drops (three times daily) of fluid
extract of gelseminum until the febrile symptoms have subsided ;
then give every morning half an ounce of hyposulphite of soda
until the animal is convalescent. Bleeding and purging, as re-
commended in ancient works, is sure death to the animal.
DISEASES OF SWINE. W225
Hoag CHOLERA.
The disease to which the name of “hog cholera” has been gen-
erally but improperly applied, has prevailed more extensively in
this country than most persons are aware of. ‘The first appear-
ance of the disease, of which I have been able to find any notice,
was in Indiana, in the summer of 1856. It has continued, to a
greater or less extent, since that time in our Western and Southern
States, in nearly all of which it has, at some period, attained the
character of a wide-spread and fatal epidemic. Its victims in
those States are numbered by hundreds of thousands, if not by
millions. During the last five years this disease has been seen,
from time to time, in portions of the more eastern States, some-
times, as in Western New York in 1856, proving quite severe and
fatal in comparatively limited localities ; but in the Eastern States
it has, to a great extent, originated with and has generally been
confined to, hogs imported from the West. I think that in no
_State east of Ohio has the disease prevailed extensively, or attained
the character of a wide-spread epidemic. In the vicinity of Provi-
dence, Rhode Island, it has prevailed to some extent, more par-
ticularly among large herds of swine, during each of the last five
winters, but has been mostly confined to hogs brought from the
West, and has usually disappeared with the approach of warm
weather. During the last winter it was more severe than in any
preceding, and was not confined to Western hogs. “Neither did
the disease, as heretofore, cease with the cold weather, but it con-
tinued until August, having destroyed more than five hundred
hogs in Providence and in the adjoining towns during the first
seven months of the year 1861. I have also heard of its preva-
lence in various towns in Massachusetts during the same period.
Tt is evident that a subject of so great importance to the agri-
cultural interests of the community deserves attention. It is also
interesting to all classes of the community, on account of the re-
lations of this disease to epidemic diseases which afflict the human
race, and on account of its effects upon the supply of animal food
for cities. For these reasons I have, in connection with Dr. Cot-
Lins and other physicians of this city, made some investigations
upon the subject. We have visited and examined many sick hogs,
and have examined the bodies of some of them after death. I
have also made inquiries of those who have had the care of the
726 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
hogs in relation to the symptoms, and have obtained information,
so far as possible, from those who have seen the disease at the
West, where it has prevailed so extensively. The results of these
investigations I propose to give briefly as follows:
Symptoms.—The symptoms, as described by persons unaccus-
tomed to such observations, are extremely various. By combin-
ing the information obtained from others with the results of my
own observations, the symptoms, as seen during the life of the
animal, are nearly as follows:
1. Refusal of food.—This is the first symptom usually noticed
by those who have the care of the animals, though, as will be seen
hereafter, this symptom by no means indicates the beginning of
the disease. The refusal of food, after it is first noticed, generally
continues through the whole sickness, and food of every descrip-
tion is mostly refused. -
2. Great thirst——This is constant, and large quantities of cold
water will be swallowed if it can be obtained. Even after the
animal is unable to stand alone it will drink cold water with,
eagerness.
3. After a time, the length of which varies very much, the ani-
mal begins to show signs of weakness; reels, staggers, and, in
attempting to walk, often falls down.
4. In most cases there is a diarrhea, with copious fluid dis-
charges of dark, bilious, and very offensive matters. In a few
cases there is no diarrhea, but evacuations of hard, black balls;
but in some of these cases the fluid offensive matter is found in
the intestines after death.
5. In a few cases there is vomiting; but this is not often severe,
nor is it continuous for any length of time.
6. The external appearance of the animal is at first paler than
usual; but toward the last of the sickness purple spots appear,
first on the nose and sides of the head. These extend along the
sides and belly, and between the hind legs; after which the ani-
mal soon dies.
7. In many cases, perhaps a majority, ulcers are found on the
different parts of the body. These were particularly noticed on
the inside of the lips and gums, and on the feet, and were often
quite deep and excavated. In some cases these ulcérs were seen
in the nostrils, and in one case there were extensive ulcerations in
the back part of the mouth, on the tonsils.
DISEASES UF SWINE. TOR
8. In some cases the legs are swelled, and the animal is lame;
sometimes the ears and sides of the head are swelled and red;
sometimes the eyes are sore and inflamed; sometimes swellings,
like carbuncles, are seen; and, generaliy, the glands near the sur-
face seem to be enlarged.
9. In most cases the pulse is quickened, the breathing is hurried
and difficult, and there is much cough; but in some genuine cases
here is no perceptible trouble with the lungs, and no important
signs of disease are found in them after death.
10. The duration of the disease in fatal cases, after the first
symptoms are noticed, is extremely variable. We have seen some
which have died within two or three hours; others have lived
many days. It is difficult, however, to fix the time of the appear-
ance of the first symptoms. The first noticed is usually the refusal
of food; but it is probable, indeed it is certain, that the sickness
is in progress for a considerable period before the animal refuses
food. Cases like the following are sometimes seen: A hog refuses
to eat; it soon grows weak; staggers in walking; turns purple
on the sides and belly, and dies within two or three hours after
the first symptom is noticed. But, on examination after death,
extensive disease is found in the intestines, or in the lungs, or in
both, at a stage of development which must have required many
days fo reach.
Such are the symptoms as obtained from inquiries and obser-
vations in this vicinity. Since the preceding description was writ-
ten, I have obtained a valuable article upon the disease, written
by Dr. GrorGE Sutton, of Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana,
and published in the “ North American Medico-Chirurgical Re-
view,” for May, 1858.
Dr. Sutton made extensive and careful observations of the
disease as it prevailed in Indiana, and his articles comprise the
only published information I have been able to obtain in relation
to it. His description of the symptoms is as follows: ‘The hog |
at first appears weak; his head droops; and sometimes, in a few
hours after these symptoms, diarrhea commences. There is fre-
quently vomiting. In some cases the discharges were serous and
clay-colored, sometimes dark, also bloody and mucous, resembling
those of dysentery. The urine at first was generally small in
quantity and high-colored, but as the animal recovered it became
abundant and clear. This was one of the symptoms by which
728 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
the men, who were attending the hogs at the distillery, ascertained
that they were recovering. In a large number of éases the respir-
atory organs appeared to be principally affected, and there was
coughing, wheezing, and difficult respiration. In some instances
the animal lost the power of squealing, and the larynx was dis-
eased. There was frequently swelling of the tongue and bleeding
from the nose. In those cases where the respiratory organs were
the principal seat of the disease there was generally no diarrhea
or dysentery. In many instances the disease appeared to be prin-
cipally confined to the skin; sometimes the nose, the ear, or the
side of the head were very much inflamed—the ear swollen to
twice its usual thickness. This inflammation would spread along
the skin sometimes over the eye, producing complete blindness.
Sometimes one or more legs were inflamed and swollen, and the
inflammation also extended along the body. The skin, where it
was inflamed, was red and swollen. Some had large sores on
their flanks or sides, from three to six inches in diameter. In one
instance, at the distillery, the inflammation extended along the
fore-leg, the foot became ulcerated and sloughed off, and the
animal secovered. Some appeared delirious, as if there was in-
flammation of the brain. Sudden changes in the weather, par-
ticularly from warm to cold, appeared to increase the fatality of
the disease.” "
The symptoms, as described by Dr. Surron, are similar to
those observed in this vicinity, and the descriptions already given
are sufficient to enable any one to recognize the disease wherever
it prevails. It will be noticed that there is a very great variety
in the symptoms described, and that they affect nearly every part
of the animal. This would be expected from the nature of the
disease itself, as will be seen hereafter.
Post-mortem Appearances.—Having described the symptoms as
seen while the animal is living, I will now give, briefly, the ap-
pearances found on examination of the bodies after death. In the
course of our investigations, during the last winter and spring,
the bodies of nine hogs were carefully examined by Drs. G. L. .
CoLuins, J. W. C. Evy, and E. T. CaswEtt, of Providence, in
the presence of several other physicians. A minute account of
each case was prepared by Dr. Conuins, and published in the
“Transactions of the Rhode Island Medical Society,” for 1861.
It will be sufficient for the objects of this paper to give a brief
DISEASES OF SWINE. 729
synopsis of the diseased appearances which were found in these
examinations.
Inings.—In two cases the lungs were healthy. In the remain-
ing seven cases one or both lungs were more or less inflamed,
having a liver-like appearance, called hepatization. In some cases
the inflammation was more advanced, and the substance of the
lungs was breaking down into a mass of disease. In all cases
where the lungs were inflamed there was also pleurisy, and the
lungs were adherent to the walls of the chest, the inflammation
of the lungs and the pleurisy together constituting true pleuro-
pneumonia. In two cases there were tubercles, or consumption
in the lungs; but this is not uncommon in hogs, and is not sup-
posed to have any connection with the special disease we are con-
sidering.
Stomach.—The stomach and the small intestines were generally
healthy. The stomach was frequently distended with an offensive
mixture of food, and in one case the inner surface was ulcerated
to some extent. In two cases worms were found in the small in-
testines; but this was probably a mere accidental occurrence, and
had no necessary connection with the disease.
Large Intestines—The inner coat of the large intestines was
generally inflamed and softened, with ulcerations to a greater or
less extent, and they were frequently so tender as to be easily torn
with the fingers. On account of their diseased condition, their
inner coat was frequently discolored. The inflammation and
ulceration of these intestines are probably the principal cause of .
the diarrhea in this disease.
Kidneys.—These organs were, in every case, mitch more pale
and yellow than natural; this condition was well marked.
The liver and bladder were generally healthy. In some cases
water was found in the cavity of the belly and of the chest, and
in the membrane surrounding the heart (heart-case). In two
cases numerous minute purple spots were seen upon the mem-
brane lining the walls of the belly. The urine was often changed
from the healthy condition, containing albumen and other dis-
eased products, not, however, noticeable to the eye. Ulcers upon
the feet and in the mouth were often found. The brain was not
examined, as there were no symptoms observed which seemed to
indicate disease of this organ. It may be, at times, affected, but
is probably more rarely so than the other organs of the body.
730 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Such are some of the most important’ appearances which are
found on examination of the bodies of hogs which have died with
this disease. It will be noticed that three of the diseased con-
ditions I have described are prominent, important, and such as
would be readily recognized by the most ignorant observer. These
are, first, the pleurisy and inflammation of the lungs; second, the
inflammation, ulceration, and softening of the inner coat of the
large intestines; and, third, the pale and yellowish color of the
kidneys. One or more of these diseased conditions will be found
in every case, and in, perhaps, a majority of cases, they will all be
found in the same animal.
Dr. Surron, of Indiana, in the article from which I have
already quoted, gives an interesting account of the post mortem
appearances in hogs dying from this disease. He examined the
bodies of sixty-seven hogs, and it is evident, from this article, that
he had the opportunity of observing the disease in a more malig-
nant form than it has presented in this vicinity. He mentions
every diseased condition that I have described, and also found
unmistakable marks of similar disease in almost every other organ
of the body.
With the description already given of symptoms and post mor-
tem appearances, most persons, even without medical knowledge,
will be able to recognize the disease. It remains for us to con-
sider, briefly, its nature, causes, prevention, and treatment.
Nature of the Disease-——The first question which arises in the
minds of most persons is this: What is the disease? and the ques-
tion is asked with a special desire to have it answered by a definite
name. ‘This can notbedone. There is no name which would con-
vey, even to physicians, and certainly not to others, a precise idea
of the disease. But though there is no specific name by which it
can be called, the facts, as already given, can not fail to suggest,
at least to medical men, a correct idea of its nature. Sometimes
in the human subject, particularly when portions of the body are
undergoing the process of inflammation and suppuration, pus and
other diseased products are absorbed, and, entering into the circu-
lation, poison the blood and produce that condition of the system
known as pyemia. In such cases the general poisoning of the
system is shown by a low form of fever, great weakness and pros-
tration of the vital powers, frequently accompanied by vomiting
and purging, and often resulting in pleurisy, with inflammation
DISEASES OF SWINE. 731
and deposits of matter in the substance of the lungs, superficial
swellings and abscesses, inflammation and suppuration in the joints,
and other diseased phenomena. So in severe forms of typhus or
ship fever, and in malignant cases of some other diseases, when
the whole system seems to be filled with a powerful poison and
utterly prostrated, the same or similar effects are seen. So in this
disease among hogs there seems to be a general poisoning of the
blood, producing local inflammations and ulcerations in various
parts of the system, though more frequently in some portions than
in others.
This, then, is a general disease of the whole system, resulting
from some poisoning of the blood; and the pleurisy, the inflam-
mation of the lungs, the ulceration of the intestines, the superficial
ulcers and swellings, and other effects I have described, are only
the local effects or results of the general disease. The diarrhea,
which exists in a majority of cases, and on account of which the
name of “hog cholera” has been given to the disease, is probably
caused by the local inflammation and ulceration of the large intes-
tines, The name “hog cholera” is, therefore, entirely improper,
as it represents only one of the several prominent symptoms. The
disease might as correctly and as incorrectly be called a “ pleuro-
pneumonia.”
Tn this connection, it is proper te notice the similarity which
exists between this disease in swine and some epidemic diseases
which have prevailed among cattle. Some two thousand years
since a disease, to which the name of “murrain” was given, was
described by Virgil as “a highly inflammatory fever among cattle,
accompanied with tumors, carbuncles, ulcers, and purulent deposits
throughout the whole body.” Any one who reads this and other
descriptions of murrain, as given in the “ New American Cyclo-
pedia,” can not fail to notice the striking similarity between that
disease among cattle and the disease among swine which we are
now considering. The same is true of the disease which has caused
so much excitement in New England, within the last two years,
under the name of “ pleuro-pneumonia.”” Its symptoms and post
mortem appearances, so far as described in the reports I have seen
upon the subject, are very similar to those observed in the disease
among hogs which we have examined. The only case of the
disease called “ pleuro-pneumonia” that I have seen was in the
vicinity of Providence, in July, 1861. Im that case, in which a
732 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
post mortem examination was made by Dr. CoLLrns, it was the
unanimous opinion of the physicians present that there was a re-
markable similarity in the symptoms and appearances to those
observed in the hogs examined previously.
The conclusion to which I have arrived is, that the “hog chol-
era” I have described, the “murrain” of Virgil and of all ages
since, and the “ pleuro-pneumonia” of New England, are similar
diseases, having the same general features, producing similar dis-
eased changes in the body, and are the result of similar causes. If
a definite name is required, the name of “ murrain,” which is de-
rived from a Greek word which means to waste or to weaken, is
the best. The names “ hog cholera” and “ pleuro-pneumonia” are
both improper, and give very erroneous ideas in relation to the
disease.
Causes.—In this and other similar diseases among animals, as
well as in epidemic diseases in the human race, the universal ten-
dency of the public mind is to ascribe their propagation to conta-
gion. Dr. Surron, whom Ihave already quoted, says: “ Although
this disease must occasionally have a spontaneous origin, yet, when
once produced, it will spread rapidly by contagion.” The investi-
gations of the cattle disease in Massachusetts in 1860, and the action
of the Legislature in regard to it, seem to have been based upon
the theory that the disease was a “ pleuro-pneumonia” only, and
that it was contagious.
If this be an epidemic or epizodtic* disease, its causes are similar
in their nature and operation to those of other epidemics. The
following, then, according to my understanding of the subject, are
the causes not only of this disease among swine, but also of the
disease referred to among cattle, as well as of epidemics in the
human race :
J. An epidemic atmospherical poison.
2. The local conditions or circumstances adapted to receive and
propagate the poison existing in the atmosphere.
With regard to the first cause, the atmospherical poison, very
little is certainly known. It may be an animal or vegetable exist-
* The phrase “epidemic disease among animals” is incorrect, as the word
“epidemic” can properly be applied only to diseases of the human race. The
word “epizoétic” has the same meaning with reference to diseases among ani-
mals that the word ‘‘epidentic” has with reference to diseases among men.
a
DISEASES OF SWINE. TOS)
ence, or a chemical or electrical change in the atmosphere. Nor
do we know any thing of the differences in the condition of the
atmosphere by which such dissimilar epidemic and epizodtic dis-
eases are produced at different times. But, judging from their
effects, we conclude that these primary causes of epidemics proba-
bly exist in the atmosphere; that they progress over a greater or
less extent of country, in accordance with laws with which we are
not acquainted, and, lighting upon the earth, produce their effects
wherever they find the local conditions adapted to their propaga-
tion. ‘ |
The local conditions, or causes of this disease among swine,
are more obvious and better understood. They are, briefly, im-
pure air, arising from the filth with which the animals are sur-
rounded, the location and want of ventilation of the pens in which
they are kept, the use of improper and unhealthy food, and the
want of pure water. Common sense shows that cleanliness, good
food, pure air, and pure water are as important to prevent disease
in hogs as in men, though the fact is generally ignored by those
who have the care of these animals. Another condition, though
not absolutely essential to produce the disease, has a very great
influence in increasing its severity and fatality. It is the crowd-
ing of large numbers of animals together. It is a well-established
fact that the severity and fatality of cholera, and of other epidem-
ics in the human family, is in direct proportion to the density of
the population. The coéxistence of both the causes given—namely,
the atmospherical poison and the local conditions—is necessary for
the extensive development of the disease. When both these causes
are present in any locality, and healthy animals are brought into
the locality, a portion of them, and sometimes all, will contract
the disease. But this important fact is to be remembered, that
‘both these causes may exist in a locality whether any animals are
present or not.
Perhaps I have said more than some might think necessary in
relation to the causes of the disease ; but the subject is of the ut-
most importance in its relations to preventive measures. If this
and other similar diseases are not contagious, but arise from causes
which may, and do, originate and exist wholly independent of the
presence of animals, it is manifestly absurd to attempt, as has been
done in some cases, to prevent and eradicate them by the whole-
sale destruction of the animals.
734 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Prevention. Keeping in mind the causes of the disease as I
have given them, the measures necessary for prevention are obvious,
and may be stated in a very few words. They are, to remove, as
far as possible, the causes. ‘The general cause existing in the at-
mosphere can not be removed, nor can it be avoided, except by the
removal of the animals beyond the limits of its existence, and this
is not usually practicable. But the local causes can, to a very
great extent, be removed, and without these the general cause can
not produce any very serious results. The hogs can be removed
from their filthy pens and can be kept clean; they can be removed
from low ground to more elevated places; they can be separated
and isolated as far as possible; they can be allowed an abundance
of pure air and of pure cold water; and they can be supplied with
nourishing, healthy food. In a word, they can be placed in the
conditions which common sense shows to be essential to health,
whether of hogs or of other animals. When this is done, every
thing is done that is necessary or possible for the prevention of
this as well as of other similar diseases.
Treatment.—In the treatment of a disease of this character, we
have little to expect from the specific or direct action of medicine
of any kind. The most that we can hope to do is to support the
system so as to enable Nature to overcome the disease. In a hu-
man being, with a disease of a similar character, we should first
remove the patient to a healthy locality, and provide for an ample
supply of pure air and good nursing. This, faithfully done, would
be the most important step toward recovery. We should then
give, as the symptoms might require, beef-tea or broths, milk,
wine-whey, brandy, quinine, and other similar preparations, al-
ways remembering that the object is to sustain the animal powers
so as to enable the system to withstand the depressing effects of
the poison and free itself from its presence.
The treatment of hogs with this disease must be of a similar
character. Stimulants and tonics of some description, with plenty
of pure air, pure water, and suitable nourishment must be given.
Chlorate of potash, in full doses, from its known effects on the
human subject, has been proposed as a remedy, but of its value I
am unable to speak. Powdered charcoal is undoubtedly of some
value, when scattered freely about the pens and given to some ex-
tent in the food. But, in the severer cases, treatment of any kind
is generally unsuccessful, and if successful would cost more than
DISEASES OF SWINE. 735
the animal is worth. We might succeed, by the use of the reme-
dies named, and by careful nursing, in prolonging the life of the
diseased hog ;*but success of this kind would hardly compensate
the trouble and expense necessary to secure it. But a large num-
ber of the milder cases will recover without treatment of any kind,
and in this, as in other epidemics of a similar nature, it will be
found that the first cases that occur will be very severe, and will
nearly all prove fatal; while, after the epidemic has existed for a
time, the disease will seem to become more mild, and a much larger
proportion will recover. ‘The important fact to be remembered is,
that it is for the interest of the owner of these animals to use every
possible means to prevent the disease, as prevention is of infinitely
more importance to him than treatment ; but if the disease becomes
established, it should be treated in a rational manner, not forget-
ting that Nature, when properly aided, will do infinitely more than
medicine for the cure.
Norr.—The above valuable article on “Hog Cholera” is from the pen of Dr.
E. M. Snow and is the most reliable one ever published on this disease.
DR. DADD’S REMEDY FOR “HOG CHOLERA.”
No. 149. Powdered anthracite coal..........- 4 pounds.
owdered) Omer) ../-\e)s\olorc/e)s) dele) oreie 1 pound.
Powdered sul pinur. seis tele teyte 4+ pound.
Salita EAA SEs APA oR 5 aE aN 7 of%.
Phosphate! of lnmelsys <> cy) eyo! «y-\- 21010 1 pound
Mix.
Let each affected animal have one handful of the above mix-
ture every day. Mix it in a pint of dry oatmeal. If the animal
refuses to eat it, liquefy the same with cow’s milk, and give as a
drench.
736 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
TRICHINA SPIRALIS.”
THE American people have been startled lately by the published
accounts of a new and terrible disease in Germany, and especially
in Saxony, which brings to mind some of the most dreadful plagues
of Egypt. The disease in question, termed TRICHINIASIS, caused
by the ravages on the human muscle of a minute worm, called Tr1-
CHINIS SPIRALIS, coming so close upon the cattle disease, did, in-
TEICHINA SPIRALIS AND OVA, AS SEEN IN THE MUSCLES OF THE HUMAN SUBJECT, MAGNI-
FIED ABOUT TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY TIMES.
deed, to the ignorant, appear to justify some of the recent prophecies
of Dr. Cumming, but to the more intelligent, and especially to the
medical mind, it came as an old story. Singularly enough, the
worm which is now occupying the attention of German anatomists
was discovered as long ago as 1835, by Professor OwEN. Both
Mr. Joun Hinton, a demonstrator of anatomy at Guy’s, and Mr.
THORMALD, the demonstrator at St. Bartholomew’s, had, two years
previously, observed small white bodies interspersed among the
muscles of subjects under dissection, and that they were of a gritty
DISEASES OF SWINE. G3t
character was evident from the manner in which they turned the
edges of the knives. One of these specimens of affected muscle
was, in the year mentioned, given to Professor OWEN by Mr.
PaGET, then a student, for inspection. These speckles the dis-
tinguished anatomist discovered, under the microscope, to be the
capsule of a very fine worm, which was seen coiled up closely
within it. From its hair-like fineness, its discoverer derived the
term Trichina, and from the spiral manner in which it was invaria-
bly found coiled up within its envelope, he added the word Spiralis ;
hence the name by which it is known.
TRICHINA SPIRALIS IN PORK, MAGNIFIED ABOUT TWO HUNDRED DIAMETERS.
AFTER AN ORIGINAL DRAWING BY MR. DRAPER.
An account of this newly-discovered parasite was published by
Professor OWEN, in the “ Transactions of the Zodlogical Society,”
in 1835, headed, “ Description of a Microscopie Entozoin infest-
ing the Muscles of the Human Body.” ‘This paper gave a very
minute account of the creature, illustrated with drawings, and es-
tablished his claim to be the discoverer of one of our latest-found —
inhabitants, which has made such a sensation in the world. The
discovery made much noise at the time throughout Europe, and
the Professor’s paper drew the attention of the anatomists of Eu-
rope to the worm. But one or two cases were recorded of the
presence of the parasite in the human body, and the matter re-
mained in abeyance for some years, until the German professors
again drew attention to it, and completed our knowledge of its
method of introduction. Professor LuscHKA, of Tiibingen, car-
47
738 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
ried our knowledge of the worm, perhaps, up to the highest point
anatomically, and in the same year the method of transmission of
the worm from one animal to another was made out by a series of
experiments instituted by HERBST von NACHRICHTEN. He gave
the flesh of a hedge-hog, which he knew to be infested with tri-
china, to young dogs, and speedily found that all their voluntary
muscles were full of these worms. But, although this important
step was made out, little notice was taken of it. His experiments
were repeated in Scotland and England, but the peculiar manner
in which the worm got into the muscle was yet undiscovered.
KENKER, in 1860, was lucky enough to supply this knowledge.
The body of a servant girl, who had died with many of the symp-
toms of typhus fever, came under the inspection of the anatomist.
He found her voluntary muscles to be full of trichinee ; and upon
inquiring into her case, he found that she had assisted in the mak-
ing of sausages about three weeks before she was taken ill, and
that she had eaten some of the raw meat a few days before her ill-
ness commenced. The butcher who had killed the pig, and sey-
eral members of the family, had been affected in the same manner
as the girl, but had recovered. The sausages and hams were ex-
amined, and were found to be full of worms, encapsuled, as it is
termed, or surrounded with an envelope; but in the girl the
worms were found among the muscles, in a free state.
From this evidence the manner in which the parasite obtained
entrance to the human body was fully made out. Pork (uncooked
pork) was the vehicle by means of which the parasite was enabled
to enter the human body. But, says the reader, why should pork
only be the means of conveying the entozoa to the human body ?
The reason is that the pig is the only animal eaten by man that
is partially a carnivorous feeder. It is supposed that the pig ob-
tains them from dead rats, which are often infested with these
worms, or other garbage. Birds, although carrion feeders, can
not, for some unknown reason, be infested with the worms. In
the horse, calf, and the young and old dog, says Dr. Toupicuum,
the young trichine are born, but they can not pierce the intestines,
and, therefore, can not immigrate into the flesh. Of course, it is
just possible that the worm may be conveyed, like the tape-worm,
through the medium of impure water. Weare not likely to drink
this, but it often happens that fruit and vegetables are watered
from impure tanks, into which these creatures may have got.
DISEASES OF SWINE. 739
It is certainly an objection to the modern system of watering
with liquid manure, that in this way the tape-worm, and possibly
the trichina, may find their way on to the vegetables which we
eat, and in this way we may be receiving noxious intestinal worms
into our system. For instance, some people water their strawber-
ries with liquid manure, not thinking of the little serpent that
may be hidden in the fruit. It is now known that, after entering
the alimentary canal, the parasite finds its breeding-ground, and
brings forth immense numbers of young, which immediately begin
to make their way through the coats of the intestines and migrate
into the muscles.
It is a singular fact that these disagreeable adventurers always
select the voluntary muscles, or those which are moved at our will.
The heart and kidneys, and those parts of the viscera which act
independently of the will, are scarcely ever affected. It is, in-
deed, a matter of dispute how the worms get distributed so gen-
erally over the body, some anatomists asserting that they make
their way directly by boring, as the ship-worm bores through
a piece of timber; but Dr. THupicuuM, who was appointed, in
1864, to investigate the subject, by the medical officer of the Privy
Council, asserts that they enter the circulation, and are, in this
manner, distributed equally over every part of the body. To use
his words: “ Arrived in the capillaries (terminal blood-vessels),
they penetrate.their two-coated walls, separating the fibers as a man
separates the branches of a hedge, when creeping through it, and
are now either at once in muscular tissue, their proper feeding-
ground, or get into inhospitable tissues and cavities, and there
either perish or escape from them by a renewed effort at locomo-
tion, enter the circulation a second time, and ultimately perish
in the lungs, or arrive in some muscle to obtain a late asylum.”
This hypothesis, certainly, seems the most reasonable, as it is in
agreement with the known means by which other entozoa migrate.
Arrived at the muscular tissues, it seems again questionable whether
the worm attacks the muscle only, or whether it is not deposited
in the intervals which occur between the bundles of muscles.
LEUCKHART says they penetrate the sarcolemma, and eat the
muscular fiber itself. Dr. TauprcHum says that he has never
seen but once the worm in the muscle, but always outside of it.
It is certainly a strange fact that, in many cases, persons attacked
with trichiniasis have not only perfectly recovered from its effects,
740 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
but have become as strong as ever. It could scarcely have hap-
pened that the muscles of these patients had been fed upon by
vast colonies of worms, which would have inevitably destroyed
them beyond repair. The probability is that the worm finds its
way into all the tissues. Between the third and fourth week after
immigration, the trichina has become full-grown, and now it be-
gins to prepare its capsule. It becomes fixed to the spot in which
it is, solid matter is deposited around it, and, curled up, it lies im-
movable in its plastic capsule, and dies unless received again into
‘the alimentary canal of another animal, which, in this case, of
course, it never does. The presence of these encapsuled trichines
in the muscles may cause irritation, but that speedily subsides ;
and it is pretty clear that many persons suffer little harm from
them while thus curled up, as they have been found in the bodies
of subjects that have been dissected, and whose previous history
gave no evidence of their existence.
On the other hand, the disease, when severe, puts on many of
the characteristic symptoms of well-known diseases. The fever
caused by the presence of the parent worms in the intestines may
be, as, indeed, it often has been, taken for gastric fever. Then,
again, when the young worms are immigrating into the muscles,
the most excruciating agony seizes the patient. He can not move
a muscle without the utmost pain, and he lies generally upon his
back, with his legs a little apart, covered with perspiration. The
face and neck become tumid with a dropsical effusion, which
generally extends to the legs and abdomen, An attack of acute
rheumatic fever appears to have seized the individual, but for the
want of the heart symptoms. Again, the disease stimulates chol-
era and typhus, and, indeed, poisoning, in many of its symptoms;
but those who have seen a genuine case of trichiniasis can not be
deceived, as the whole symptoms present are consistent with no
other disease. In cases of doubt, a piece of the living muscle has
been excised from the biceps muscle of the arm; and this test is
almost certain to be conclusive, as the worm is distributed, in
severe cases, in profusion through every voluntary muscle of the
entire body.
Dr. THupicuum, speaking of a child who died of this disease,
says, in his report to Mr. Suuon: “One preparation from the
biceps muscle of a child, four and a half years of age, which died
on the seventy-ninth day, contained the astounding number of
DISEASES OF SWINE. 741
fifty-eight. Such a preparation was estimated to weigh one-fifth
of a grain, and, therefore, every grain of muscle contained, on an
average, one hundred trichine. Now, assuming the weight of the
muscles of an adult to be only forty pounds, and assuming him to
be a victim of trichiniasis, and the parasites equally distributed
throughout his body, he would contain upward of twenty-eight
millions of these animals.” The agony of this plague of worms
attacking the fine fibers of nerves distributed throughout the
frame can, from this estimate, be thoroughly understood in the
fever and weakness caused by the destruction of fiber, and the.
irritation is accounted for with equal ease.
The progress of the disease is pretty much as follows: During
the first stage, which lasts from a week to ten days, there is great
intestinal disturbance, caused by the presence of the parent trich-
ine in the intestines, giving rise, in severe cases, to alarming diar-
rhea, as may be expected. The second stage lasts a fortnight or
three weeks, seldom longer. During this time the immigration
of the young trichinee, hatched in the intestinal passage, is taking
place; hence the agony throughout the body, the dropsy in the
face, the hurried breathing, and the fever. Although the dropsy
becomes genuine, it in no manner depends upon kidney disease,
as that organ is never affected in any way. In the fourth week
the immigration has entirely ceased, and the worm is beginning
to be incapsulated. From this time the patient begins to recover,
the appetite improves, the pains become less, and, unless compli-
cations arise, as in other severe fevers, the patient gradually passes
into a state of health. Death may, however, take place at any
stage of the disease. At the great outbreak of this disease which
took place at Calbe, in Germany, it was observed to happen on
the fifth, eighth, fourteenth, twenty-first, and forty-second days
of the illness. Death generally is brought about by exhaustion.
The exhaustive diarrhea which sometimes occurs, together with the
inability to take food, and the terrible agony, easily explains this
termination.
The difficulty connected with the treatment of this disease is
consequent upon the impossibility of knowing what is really the
matter in its early stages, when treatment is alone useful. In
regular outbreaks of the disease the physician is led to suspect the
evil in the beginning, and then it can be cut short by destroying
and expelling the parent worms before they have had time to col-
742 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
onize the intestines with their young. But at the commencement
of an outbreak, or in isolated cases, the symptoms are too like
those of gastric fever to lead to a suspicion of the real nature of
the affection.
A prevention is far better than cure, and, happily, this can be
easily accomplished. As pork is the only means by which the par-
asite can enter the human frame, we have only to take care that we
eat it thoroughly cooked. The Englishman has a very strong prej-
udice in favor of doing his leg of pork well, however much he may
like beef and mutton underdone. The Germans are apt to suffer
desperate outbreaks of this disease because they are fond of smoked
sausages, in which no heat is applied to the meat. The severity
of the infection depends, indeed, upon the amount of cooking to
which the trichinous meat has been subjected, and the order in
which it is affected is as follows: Raw meat, smoked sausages, cer-
velat sausages, raw smoked ham, raw smoked sausage, fried sau-
sage, fried meat-balls, brawn, pickled pork, blood sausage, boiled
pork. As few people are likely to eat raw pork, there seems little
danger to be apprehended from the most dangerous item in the
list; but it is well to know that boiled pork is, in all cases, the
most harmless. The power of the worm to resist heat and cold is
very remarkable. They have been frozen to five degrees below
centigrade, and been thawed to life again. Ordinary vermifuges
are powerless against them. Their vitality is as great as the wheel-
worm, which seems almost indestructible. Let our friends, then,
take care never to touch the smallest portion of underdone pork,
and beware of German sausages, bolognas, and things of the same
kind, as they would beware of an assassin.
Before the discovery of the new disease, trichiniasis, several
epidemics occurred in Germany, which very much puzzled the
physicians. In two or three cases it was supposed that the per-
sons suffering had been poisoned in some mysterious manner, and
judicial inquiries were instituted without any result. More gen-
erally, however, the outbreaks were ascribed to rheumatic fever,
or typhus fever. It was observed, at the time of their occurrence,
that the outbreaks were confined to particular families, regiments,
or villages. The symptoms, then obscure, are now recognized as
those of trichiniasis; indeed, there seems to be little doubt that
they were outbreaks of this disorder. They all occurred in the
spring of the year, the time of pig-sticking in Germany, and the
DISEASES OF SWINE. 743
very characteristic swelling of the face, in the absence of any kid-
ney disease, was observed.
The mortality arising from this disease is in direct ratio of the
severity of the attack, and this depends upon the number of
worms which may chance to be introduced into the body. One
pig is sufficient to cause an epidemic far and wide; indeed, many
of those which have ravaged Germany within these last three or
four years have been traced to one trichinous pig. At the out-
break at Planen one person died out of thirty attacked. At Calbe,
where the epidemic was more severe, seven persons died out of
thirty-eight infected; at Hettstiidt, where one trichinous pig in-
fected one hundred and fifty-eight persons, twenty-eight died.
From these facts the formidable nature of the infection may be
gathered.
If sudden epidemics can be traced to the action of an obscure
worm, may we not hope that many of our disorders, now obscure
in their origin, and, consequently, unmanageable and incurable,
will in time come to light, and be amenable to treatment? Pos-
sibly some more subtle power even than the microscope will be
discovered, and give us the power of scrutinizing diseased condi-
tions, and finding out the agents so stealthily at work in bringing
the human machine to misery and premature death.
The following very interesting and valuable article on the sub-
ject of Trichina is translated from the German, expressly for this
work, by E. F. Brown, V.S., of Chicago:
The Trichina (Trichina Spiralis) was known to exist as early as
1832, and in 1835 received its name from Mr. OwEN. It was
considered, until the year 1860, to be perfectly harmless. Autop-
sies revealed the parasite as a very small speck, surrounded by a
white, chalky capsule. In the Infirmary of Dresden, the servant
girl of a butcher died after suffering violent pains in the muscles.
The autopsy revealed numerous trichine not surrounded by cap-
sules, hence they were not to be seen with the naked eye. After
this, closer inquiries were made into the nature and habits of the
trichine. The result of the investigations proved that the trichine
are generated in the hog, and introduced into our system, not with
the fat or liver, but with the lean pork; and they are sometimes
found in capsules, and at others without them, and that the cap-
sules are very soon destroyed, after their introduction into the
744 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
system, and thus the inclosed parasites are set free. The hyber-
nated trichine grow very fast, so that they attain, in about three
days, twice their original length, and in the same ratio alter their
appearance. Nothing of their generative organs was then known,
but now the creatures can be plainly distinguished as male and
female. ‘They enter into very productive marriages, because one
= = = = =———
SSS
SSS
SSS
ExpLanation.—Fig. 1, Trichinous pork, as seen with the naked eye; 2, Young minute trichins
roving about, magnified forty diameters; 3, Trichinee in capsules, magnified forty diame-
ters; 4, Female trichina; 5, Male trichma, magnified two hundred diameters. (a) Head 5
(b) the tail. Near the female trichina is seen the ova and their young ones, just escaped
from the genital organs.
female brings forth, in a very short time, hundreds of live young
ones. These new-born trichinze do not resemble their producers,
for they are without any generative organs. They are very much
like the parasite when first introduced into our system with the
pork.
The young trichinse remain not at home, like the old ones, but
DISEASES OF SWINE. 745
at once commence to travel. They break through the intestines
and enter the muscles known as the voluntary, where they con-
tinue their march until they have found, in the finest fibers, a place
fit for their encapsulation. On their journey to such locality they
can not be seen with the naked eye, but only by means of a micro-
scope. ‘They wander in the shape as presented in fig. 2, straight,
or slightly bent. After they arrive at their destination, they curve
or bend themselves in various ways, and thus make their way into
the flesh fibers, and then they roll themselves up in their spindle-
formed nest, which is spiral in form, like a watch-spring. The
mass around the nest is, in the beginning, soft and transparent,
but by degrees it becomes converted into a hard, impenetrable shell. |
These shells can be seen in the flesh with the naked eye. They
are the fine, white spots as seen in fig. 1. The trichina lives now
in a perfectly-closed sac, or lemon-formed capsule, and is perfectly
harmless. In this state, it seems that the trichina can exist in a
latent state, for many years. From some cause or other, the chalk
capsules get dissolved, and the hybernating parasites (until now
without any genital organs) become males and females, and produce
young ones, who live and act just as their predecessors—namely,
generate, travel, etc. Accordingly, we find in the human and
animal body (mostly in the hog) male and female trichine, and
those in the stomach either straight or slightly bent. These new-
born trichine, in the stomach and intestines, very soon become
muscle trichinz, to be encapsuled, like the hermit in his cell.
Every trichina is pointed at the mouth (a) and rounded at the
other end (6), the pelvis. Between both openings is the gullet and
intestines. The female trichina is about an eighth of an inch long,
and has in its hind part (6) a bag containing about sixty or eighty
balls (the ovary with eggs). Connected is a pipe conveying the
trichinz, which come from the ova as live parasites, by the vagina.
How long the parent can exist and generate can not be told, though
it is supposed that it exists for three or four weeks after giving
birth to the offspring. The male trichina is about half as large as
the female, and on its posterior end (6) is a prominence divided
into two flaps. His anterior construction shows the spermatic ves-
sels. The new-born trichine without genitals are only to be seen
when well magnified. They are very small, and are those which,
after penetrating the intestines and the cellular texture of the ab-
domen and cavity of the chest, enter the muscles, to be encapsuled.
a
746 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
The traveling trichine (fig. 2) grow very fast on their journey.
Finding food on their way, they roll themselves up just as they
are about becoming encapsuled. In the course of a few weeks the
parasite has almost attained its full length, but, not having any
generative organs, it can not multiply. It is supposed that the
encapsulated trichinee can live for several years, whereas the parents
die in about six or eight weeks.
It is not denied that the trichine are dangerous to the human
subject, but the danger only occurs when the parasites are very
numerous in the intestines and muscles. It is certain that a very
few small pieces of trichinous pork can introduce a great many
males and females into the system, that in a few days may send
millions of young parasites into our muscles. The more trichin-
ous food is eaten, and the more those parasites are introduced
into the system, and the longer they remain there, the greater must
be the suffering and danger. The parts affected or visited by the
trichinee are the stomach, intestines, and muscles; and if this para-
site is once introduced in the animal system, it produces an incur-
able disease, for which there is no remedy. It is well for those
who are fond of pork to be very cautious, and cook it thoroughly,
because, if well cooked, the death of the parasite is sure.
A LIST OF FLUID EXTRACTS,
RECENTLY INTRODUCED INTO VETERINARY PRACTICE,
e
By G. H. DADD, V. 8,
WITH INSTRUCTION REGARDING THEIR ACTION, AND
THE QUANTITY TO BE ADMINISTERED.
HE introduction of medicines, in the form of Fiurip Ex-
TRACTS, for the treatment of diseases incidental to domestic
animals is considered a very great improvement over the old
method of drenching by the pint or quart, to the great disgust of
the patient as well as the practitioner, and the great danger attend-
ing the administration of a large quanty of fluid which was neces-
sary when crude materials were used. In the use of fluid extracts
all danger is obviated and much labor saved, for the doses are
quite small, rarely exceeding one fluid ounce. This can be merely
placed on the tongue, the animal’s head being slightly elevated,
and he swallows it without any difficulty or resistance.
The fluid extracts bear an exact relation to the crude materials—
that is, ounce for ounce—yet, from a variety of circumstances, they
may vary slightly from this standard. It is, however, the inten-
tion of the manufacturer to completely exhaust the active principle
of the crude material and render the medicine uniform in strength.
The fluid extracts used by the author are manufactured by Messrs.
Garrison & Co., manufacturing chemists, of Chicago. They con-
duct their evaporations at a very low temperature, by means of an
improved steam bath, and use only select drugs, thereby prevent-
ing the possibility of adulteration. I have used large quantities
of medicine manufactured by the above-named firm, and find them
(747)
748 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
equal if not superior to any in the market; therefore I do not
hesitate to recommend them as efficient and reliable medicines,
The doses here recommended apply to both horses and cattle.
Fruurip Extract oF CHAMOMILE.
(Anthemis Nobilis.)
This is a valuable tonic, and is used in cases of derangement of
the digestive organs. Dose, from two to four drachms.
Fiuip Extract oF ARNICA.
( Leopard’ s-bane.)
Arnica is chiefly used in veterinary practice as an external ap-
plication in the treatment of wounds, sprains, and bruises. It is
prepared as follows:
Hluid extract Ofjarmicas (sine /sscrecis(eteiat steve exsleieve 4 oz.
Proof spirits (equal parts of water and alcohol)... 1 pint.
Mix.
Apply a portion to the affected part two or three times daily.
Fiur Exrract or WorMWwoop.
(Artemisia Absinthium.)
This is used as an anthelmintic for the expulsion of worms.
The dose is one ounce (fluid), to be given every morning for a
week, just before feeding-time. It not only has a tendency to ex-
pel worms, but gives tone to the digestive organs, and corrects a
morbid appetite.
Fuurp Extract oF PLevuRisy Root,
(Aseclepias Tuberosa.)
This is used in pleurisy and irritable sore throat. Dose, four
drachms, night and morning. The powdered root enters into the
composition of some of the most celebrated cough powders.
Fruuip Extract or MALE FERN.
(Aspidium Filix Mas.)
This is the celebrated remedy for the treatment of tape-worm,
which is sometimes to be found in the intestines of young colts.
LIST OF FLUID EXTRACTS. 749
Dose, four drachms, to be given every morning, on an empty
stomach, for six or eight successive days, and longer if necessary.
Friurip Extract or Bucuu.
(Barosma Crenata.)
This is used exclusively for the treatment of diseases of the
urinary organs, retention of the urine, and for the treatment of
the various forms of dropsy. Its direct action is diuretic, yet it
also gives tone to the parts on which it acts. Dose, from four to
eight drachms. Should an animal be suffering from retention of
the urine, the diuretic action of the buchu may be augmented by
adding to it a small quantity (equal parts) of sweet spirits of niter.
For the treatment of spasm at the neck of the bladder, add to the
dose of buchu an equal quantity of tincture of assafetida.
Fiuip Exrracr oF InprAn Hemp (FOREIGN).
(Cannabis Indicus Sativus.)
This medicine acts as a narcotic and antispasmodic. Its use is
indicated in all diseases attended with pain and restlessness, but is
chiefly used for the treatment of tetanus or locked-jaw. Dose,
two drachms, to be repeated as occasion may require.
Fiuip Extract oF PRINCE’s PINE.
(Pipsissewa.)
- Prince’s pine is a very excellent tonic and diuretic in chronic
diseases of the urinary organs, and has been used with much suc-
cess in cases of local dropsy of the limbs, known as swelled legs,
Dose, from four to six drachms,
Fivurm Extract or Buack SNAKEROOT.
( Cimicifuga Racemosa.)
This extract is considered a valuable agent for the treatment of
spasmodic affections, which arise in consequence of derangement
of some portion of the nervous system, It is an efficient remedy
in hysteria.
750 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
Fiurip Extract oF CoLcHIcum.
(Colchicum Autumnale.)
This extract is prepared from the roots and seeds of the plant.
Tt is celebrated for the treatment of rheumatism, inflammatory
diseases of the joints, and inter-articular lameness. Dose, one
drachm, two or three times per day.
Fiuip Extract oF YELLOW JESSAMINE.
(Gelseminum Sempervirens.)
This agent is used as a sedative in the treatment of pleurisy and
pneumonia in the early or acute stage. It is also a powerful febri-:
fuge, hence it is indicated in all acute fevers. It entirely dis-
penses with use of the fleam. Dose, from one to three drachms.
Fuurp Extract oF WITCH-HAZEL.
(Hamamelis Virginica.)
Witch-hazel is used as a local astringent in the treatment of
“bog and blood spavin.” It is prepared for use as follows:
Fluid extract of witch-hazel.........6. eS Favela 6 oz.
Proot, Spiltisiais,c/eisiele aielec'sjccieleye ateiaveils Sieielessta Wah 1 pint.
Mix.
Apply a portion twice daily.
Fuurp Extract or Hops.
(Humulus Inpulus.)
This preparation of hops is used as a tonic in general debility,
and as a narcotic in diseases of the nervous system. It is a relia-
ble remedy to induce sleep and relieve pain. Dose, from two to.
four drachms, to be repeated as occasion seems to require.
Fiurip Extract or GoLpEN SEAL.
(Hydrastis Canadensis.)
The golden seal is a pure tonic, and its use is indicated in all
cases of debility, loss of appetite, derangement of the digestive
organs, and torpidity of the liver. Dose, from two to four
drachms,
aa ee
LIST OF FLUID EXTRACTS. 751
Friuip Extract oF SASSAFRAS.
All the preparations of sassafras are more or less alterative.
The fluid extract is used in view of purifying the blood in diseases
of the skin, and in cases of chronic rheumatism. Dose, from four
to six drachms.
Friur Exrract or CuLver’s Root.
(Leptandra Virginica.)
This is employed, in the author’s practice, as a substitute for
calomel, in the treatment of acute and chronic diseases of the liver,
Dose, from two to four drachms.
Fruur Extract oF LOBELIA.
Lobelia is a very valuable antispasmodic, and is useful in dis-
eases of a spasmodic character. The author has used it, with great
success, in obstinate cases of spasmodic colic. Dose, two drachms.
Fiurp Extract or BAYBERRY.
(Myrica Cerifera.)
Bayberry is successfully used as a stimulant and astringent in
scours, diarrhea, and super-purgation. Dose, two drachms, to be
administered in a small quantity of milk porridge.
Friurp Extract oF Poppy-HEADS.
(Papaver Somniferium.)
This is used as a narcotic, in all cases that seem to require the
exhibition of opium. It mitigates pain, induces sleep and rest,
and is much safer than crude opium. Dose, from two to six
drachms.
Fruuip Extract oF POKE-ROOT.
(Phytolacca Decandra.)
This is used as an alterative in a disease occurring among cows,
known as “garget,” or “caked udder.” Dose, from two to four
drachms.
752 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY:
Fiuip Extract or Marico.
(Piper Angustifolium.)
This is used as a styptic to bleeding wounds, internal hemor-
rhages, and chronic diarrhea. Dose, from four to eight drachms.
Fruuip Extract oF CUBEBS.
This is a very valuable agent for the treatment of leucorrhea,
gleet, nasal gleet, or discharges from mucous surfaces. Dose, from
three to six drachms.
Fium Exrract or BLack PEPPER.
(Piper Nigrum.)
This is a carminative and stimulant to the digestive organs,
and is often used successfully in the treatment of stomach stag-
gers. Dose, from two to four drachms.
Fuiuip Extract or MANDRAKE.
(Podophyllum Peltatum.)
Mandrake is now used as a laxative and cathartic, in lieu of
aloes. About one ounce will usually purge a horse, if followed
up by sloppy bran-mashes.
Fiurp Extract oF BLoopRoot.
(Sanguinaria Canadensis.)
This is used as an escharotic in the treatment of foul ulcers,
and fungus growths. It is used, also, as a gargle in suppurative
laryngitis, croup, putrid sore throat, ete. The gargle is prepared
as follows:
Minidsextract of) bloodroot..c<<c.lce cee 4 07.
Vim Sane cteelels:t «os e/016 so eee esi olen sloetelapeolterehals 1 pt.
Mix.
It is applied to the mouth and throat by means of a sponge,
affixed to a piece of rattan or whalebone.
LIST OF FLUID EXTRACTS. 753
FiLuip EXTRACT OF VALERIAN.
(Valerian Offcinalis.)
This is a very useful antispasmodic, and its use is indicated in
all cases marked by irregular nervous action and hysterical affec-
tions. Dose, four drachms.
_ Frum Extract or GINGER.
(Zinziberis Officinalis.)
Fluid extract of ginger is one of the» most valuable diffusible
stimulants to be found in the whole materia medica. The Ja-
maica ginger is preferable to any other; it is used in cases of indi-
gestion, flatulency, ete. Dose, from three to six drachms.
Fluid Extract of Ginger enters into the composition of the cele-
brated colic drench, used by the author of this work and his
students, during a period of twenty-five years, with marked suc-
cess. ‘The following is the formula :
Fluid extract of ginger..... 2
Fluid extract of golden seal.. t each.. +++... - 1 Ib. fluid.
Ely posuliphites on Sodaizyy.Seteicie sie ol) aielelee el) « 6 02.
Dose, four ounces (fluid) every four hours, until relief is ob-
tained.
REMEDY FOR WouNDS.
Apply a compress of several folds of cotton cloth, soaked in a
portion of the following:
Idle US 6 os occ OCCU aD OC OOD GODUDO OD OOOH 1 Ib.
Hyposulphite of soda......... Sob eoad0bobos0 2 02.
ZOO SOUL tiaprerel etal eheteke ele elele elalelofe ate\ eley=) ict) el eliel« 1 pt.
Mix.
REMEDY FOR TEpIous LABOR.
The natural labor-pains may be excited by administering:
fluid extract of ergot (ergota), two drachms, every half hour,
until delivery is accomplished. The ergot operates with great
energy upon the contractile function of the uterus, of both mares
and cows, and to a certain extent prevents inordinate hemorrhage
after parturition.
48
754 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
RemMEDY FoR HEMORRHAGE IN PERFORMING OPERATIONS.
Apply, by means of a compress of linen or sponge, a small
quantity of persulphite of iron. Thisis the most valuable styptic
known to veterinary science.
Frurp Extract oF ACONITE.
(Aconitum Napellus—Monk' s-hood.)
This medicine is used as a very powerful sedative and narcotic,
in all cases of active or inflammatory disease of the lungs or brain.
It is highly recommended by the professors of our art as a reliable
antiphlogistic in the treatment of acute affections. The dose is
from ten to twenty drops. This medicine is said to be very effi-
-cacious in inflammatory rheumatism, and as a fine topical remedy
in localized painful affections, such as laminitis, myalgia, ete.
HYPOSULPHITE OF SODA.
The hyposulphite of soda is useful in all kinds of diseases known
as rinderpest, pleuro-pneumonia, typhoid affections, and in en-
zootic affections, and in all diseases caused by fermentation in the
blood, such as Texas fever, malignant scarlet fever, typhus, etc.
The hyposulphite of soda can be used with great success in the
treatment of the above and other affections of an enzodtic origin,
yet I have found it more efficacious and reliable when prepared
as follows:
Hyposulphite of soda.....
Hypophosphate of lime... -each.........++.. 1 o7.
Hypophosphate of potass..
Wiuid extract OfFoiMCer)selice|.'c elelelclai ctreieere . 2 02.
Sugarotemi lik yee ys cits icyeis) a s)0s e consis Rlotererre ete 1 oz.
ICO! Seine Saab Soo sb ons siolelcleleteloieteuampLe
Dose, two ounces, two or three times daily.
A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS;
OR
COMPLETE INDEX OF SYMPTOMS
THE following Index of Symptoms is arranged under four heads,
viz.: DiIsEAsES OF Horses; DIsHASES oF CATTLE; DisEASES
OF SHEEP; DisEASES OF SwINE. -Each part is arranged alpha-
betically, so that ready reference can be made to any symptom.
HOW TO USE THIS INDEX.
Animals when taken sick, not having the power of speech, can
not make known the seat of their disease, except by certain signs
or invariable symptoms. It therefore becomes of the highest im-
portance to be able to understand the mute language of the poor
dumb brute, and thus to find out what ails him, in order that the
proper means of cure may be speedily made use of.
An instance of the use to be made of this Index may be found
in the following case: “A horse is noticed to breathe faster than
usual, with evident pain; back, arched; legs, straddling; head
often turned toward the loins; urine, reddened and scanty.” Now,
a reference to these symptoms, as arranged alphabetically, enables
us to turn directly to page 223, where “ Inflammation of the Kid-
neys” is seen to be the disease we are looking for.
The same thing can be done in case a cow, sheep, or hog be the
victims of disease. :
In observing symptoms, attention should be directed to the
(755)
756 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
various parts of the body of the animal which give the earliest
warnings of disease. These are, usually,
THE Eyes, ToneuE, Muzzue, THROAT, PULSE, CHEstT, HEART,
BrEATH, BREATHING; DISCHARGES FROM THE Moutu; Dis-
CHARGES FROM THE Nosrrits; THE Skin, THE Coat, THE
Back, THE ATTITUDE, AND GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE
WHOLE Bopy.
EQUINE DEPARTMENT.
PAGES
Abdomen, distended with gas......... <'olelalletehotss ciel elaieveteysiotenekeiet 188
do. pressure ion, produces palm'.'s. Jc) /lociselscvecimeete 198, 201
PNG UILOMT WD EUMATISIUG siete) s/ofe ele elorerteleleleieleletallsleteleiuciote seioieteierciere 333
PAM Ta SOA I | '2e5):5 1100) ouclsle ol avaresuvale lela) ohelenellsiovel< stove etetarel eeaaelels 390
Anus, scurfy, yellow accumulation around margin of.........6- 220
PA TYRICU YN cen ale efohelanteele elesie(aielats e's) shalsto isp ateliaiey cieialeielatveheloueleteteateetes 124
Appetite, little, eis o/c c/c/e'c/eleeeseloin'a:oia/els\ oie, shelsiola'eisicie/cl slclele stele iciale 289
Gorse Olas cr ielicleleisterelcierioererorelstecets 116, 124, 201, 206, 223
Back: \arched ici. eyeverait's sverelaie custeiseicrere Mielsicvoletorshelens co eneneremene 223, 332
Back) miuseles) Of riod.) es «icc cle ee oleisietole/s(e/heieiey fenepstenelctenars 73
pac low MOs CMe dai silelscotchelsleisie\ ov eiejsieveis/erorefenslsieiets tslelcvene re) ste einae teas 350
Belching, continwally.. 20)... 30 cccccls ccc erossisce ois. suche 183, 188
Belly, cold sweat on... ...-sccecccscecssns sesccecssecenenss 112
do. dropsical swellings under.........s.cccseeesecens 120, 397
do, , i{ysbrikeing, of¢is' ss «cies asicle uijalcleleiaiebeletnts tenho aie ole) stele aes 193
do. suddenly very much bloated.........seceeeeeeeeseeee 187
do. pressure on causes pain........ by Bawa alee sands oc 201, 198
downy bucked 2 1p, <cicleietelape ois) cjefeelellese|etell+//e/ oie) s/elaleyeyofelenaie 74, 193
Blood from bowels......+esesssesseceres a's fe ove lavovtersitetal stenerenere 297
Body, becomes thin.......seeesce ce ceccecsccseveeeseee B65) Zee)
GO MMNCO LGM vayarets fai isic) elapsta chstelolaveleisle’6 sisie\els clovelcieieieteneterenntene 94, 112
do. covered with cold sweat.........sceecece Haodo soos 187, 188
Bowels, bloody, fetid discharge from..........eeceeesesscees 112
do.. blood) trom: caused) by straimim ge). )./5\.\ereree aye ctor) exererepeters 205
do. imactiver........ eifsi sic) elle stele! cheleiutoliel ale Vayeeiisgeneta|fotelelc ie ememets 198
do. constipated....... coo eee eee e teen teen eteeteceeenes 332
~ i Mdowl) irregular eel icicle) « TOD ee eae 220
Breath, hot and offensive....+..ss-eesee MARA ACAS BINH 5 cle clad 289
do..| smells) badliyepopfotess «(sinters +/+1+ ciahe le cle/efajeils ejelale)s).stalatel-[ale 208
Breathing, Qrunting......sse cece eee ee cece cece ee eeee 61, 62, 64
do. labored and quick.......+-. Bo asgoeods BAe soda ddo Ler
A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS. 757
PAGES
Breathing, quick and grunting.........2.2.ssseeceeercenees 120
do. quick and painful.........eeeeee cece eee rseeeeees 223
do. oppressed and sloW.....eseeeescecrsesercercs 63, 206
do. ERCILEM ye sley suave iel el cles eLenelicuateli lel elolehetels\alele aa ereloroker 78
do. oppressed and nOiSY....seseeceeee veces Up ital atone 94, 179
do. GRO My edoons code osounddcUDooedeD ucsoT Hoven one Bo,
do. chhiioulltigSiboenlnsae sooo cud odo Uo eso OD US UD O. 101, 183
do. aio ore Ge ieqeloleistel ss} =tel= Be svalieisiei sfeh evens isuoveketer=) otal feleralie) oi 1 116
Chest, pressure on side of, gives pain......ssseeeees Beco AD, oe)
do. dropsical swellings under......-.sssccseersereeeecees 120
do. inkling sound in, when ear is held close to.........-.- 124
Chewing performed slowly.....-.ececeesecee recess eeece sooo. US
Poa Matai ee cldve cere ce sc sec ecicce ecco mre mesme: 206
do. rough and unthrifty.......-seeseeees cece seeeeee 220, 275
WonvulsiOns):.- eec esse ees lee ee sdoonwoooponoas DO OOEDMS 62
Coughing, spasmodic.......-. sees cee e cece ee ee eect eeees 94
do. and laborious breathing........ceeeeeseseceereces 108
do. deep-seated and half suppressed.........+-++++++2- 116
Cough, dry and hacking........+seeseecsee eee ee cede re cence 220
Cramp of the muscles........ felcieatelatal a ataletotet okeited ene totensh el fe ste UMA
“Darkness, preferred... .....eceee eee c crete er ee ceees Kenia eal (C3)
MENGE 2 60 5.8 4e.bo ols « eje,e icles sei ole \isiejenelsiovisis s}ejelerssisie sin eeye 78
IDrOWSINCSS .--.-eeeceseeer-ss nol N aaa ail ats Ab ocoddoor A ici 62
Dung, unusually dark-colored and and ict a\scver sels! ofevere elotaiiere) oneiere 99
OME SCAMCY tole) clele\eioelsheie + ehel-fole ehalwielele'm slojere miele 0 ni eicinrein se cis 120
do. covered with yellow slime........+see+sseeeee Fetatabelele) sh 220
do. Dbloody.......ssseeeceeeeeees BUS Feels Keratohoy axel telah tal 297
Ears kept in constant motion, one forward the other backward... 43
Gon tips Of, Cold. .uj. woe cape wee onic see reer te eae se 97, 208
8. OCG eG ene Banco loom CMO CO BOD OMG OOD Ob G G0 ODDO CORK 183
Excretions, diminished..........seereeeeceereesrrrecsceses 63
Extremities, cold.......seeccecceseeeecerccers Pegs le 208
do. GLOpSy , Of. wee elmsin icin lee seo senoce cl cec: 112
Eye, tenderness in one, with eon Closed nin cietelala + eye enelena 56
do. copious flow of tears from....+..+++eeeeereeserrrerrees 56
do. white of, slightly red......-.---.seceeeseesrereserer ee 56
do. anterior chamber of, full of yellow matter....+++++rrres: 56
do. pupil of, dilated. ......sseeeeeeeeseerereces 59, 61, 64, 179
dos staring wildly. 2. < 20 emereenmce isonet onc. 63, 196
do. do. asif they would burst from sockets....-+++++-++- 67
do. bloodshot .....-.+-sse+e+> HM va Pls tava wvapeveyiotetaellete yeusteite ate! + 179
73
Eyes, squinting appearance Of......+++++++: aileddonehaterelcseile’si<tate
758 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PAGES
Hives dulle aye sieyecyayeers 4 /aieySisi Sieve: a lécorens lauatclie avehohonstete eevee clave cen TD
do; sprominent,:<):/5,2,2,5.22 aio, siaceyeveinie Sietelers/atens aida Srflelto ave slits 97
do. glassy and prominent ¢sis)4.60 6 6/4 6, 4/5 <e20/0, 4/2 0/0/0 s:5 00 ehele octet 187
Gow nexopsical(s ss ss: tye)4 5/555 ais ial oojt fe aueroiorereis) bie. 2ie'l-faloperoteleneletetot 397
Eyelids kept closed...........66. 514) 6)/s) oliole le (esloveteratetane eve meederetelete 46
GOH) USI OU Sas: 5 reine Ne /oyihetoyt tal a eye's "op oral Ayeifor ayer etoile sie Sisiistole tei 46
dost) anternalsurtace ots Ted. (/.'c1.25'9 aie 'e!elnielnlete acer operate 46, 59, 201
do. profuse discharge of matter from..... oe fefeiotetevs tates - 5d
do. closed, with tenderness In one CYe....0 secu cece sce oes) WOO
Oey) nel SLUG. .,%)<soiltoie fore) eseriertoyeveyoyole ‘olleredetena\/<teheleleicienetetsien satel 75
do.’ > lining, of, whites, ..,4!. a1, </cis 1 oje/</s «ef te iclers’+is = ¥) etelelorniets ore 206
do. do. bright «yellow... j/.//cse)e'eie so sis) sleratovele olelevel olate 212
Mace, swelling of .)s16 2.5.s/6 2,5, 8)2.0,0)a,s1e00,0)8 4 8.213 /a)slersis)s)e selena 297, 397
Falling down suddenly on the road....:...00sscecccecccsees 64
do. do. with a loud snorting sound............ 67
Fear and restlessness on approach of heavy vehicle...... edinsies | AD
Meeling, loss. oft): 42.42 66,-.2 28,016, t,5,0/ele foretaiens cleielle Mars ele oh aietotodelel ats 64
Meed srefused 5 ).4,¢ 4.25) sicieis\isie/aseie o' 01s lays aiete elle foteyel 4) asda alel olenette 178, 223
Feet, fore ones raised to an unnecessary height in walking...... 43
do, raised, very, high s,:,2,s,¢,0,2)s,<16,0.3)8)3)9/6, 6.4618 sieleiele ateloloteiteteietenale 75
do, pawing, with fore 2,0... jo /Jejejere,esoyoie/orefeyeirere nay bj ecaienle ove vOropeleeele 190
do. fore ones hot and thrown forward..........esseececsecs 332
do. fore ones thrown forward...... ‘writ iw: Bcxlal ewes see eyareh eRe 300
Heverishy sy mptomss ss) :\4.316,6 ¢ ielola,sa/ols slololalalenaleeteloy dial ateters 158, 198
Flanks, bedewed with cold perspiration............0.. selon 2 OU take,
do. heaving at the...... Sle bioytss wepstolonetoleteionelevaretoxsteaeleye 116, 125
do.”,\,; head turned) towarditics <sci4.0 s/eye 0 ni'61 «6, 0/e/8) 0 visieneverepanniens 190
Gown bucked (piste |e cileicetoropetoleysueleleie tise shel ofclslteiesolelevstoestaiens - 350
Plesh, quivering: <253c3ss 54006 LG Mis Rb ales clei disieielaigic SRE 350
Milesh lossy of ¢ s,c:4,3, 3:23 s/s ab )b 6.016 4 S6ie.,0s 601% 65 bi w/siele wie mime SadGo) ces)
Hoaming at the mouth. 2+ 1.22 2/0. 420s sos ss © cei el alelelejeueinianene 67
Blood MO ROLESITe (fOrs 15) 6015.5) oye) cree) oi6i6\ n'a) sei, o eielo 0 icles coon eh liswaae
Foot, pointing Of..:22es.sssseecsies Eeieitlerslete Son eb odde 330, 342
Hore legs widely separated jc./.':./s:4'./0)./\ s/ alee cicnlaler a amieeiee 116
do. beneath the: belly...‘ \.:. 0:10. sueielssferenasereseiaverenece eenens 75
do! in the:manger, kicking and tearing, .(./-).)....:slncjnee 78
Gait, heavy, slow,-and unsteady................00 406 6.0% 75, 289
do. short, tripping, cand \CAUtIOUS 0010). 15) cles eiehe wievsrelele ere sleek 330
Groaming, atter! PassiMeyMUIMeErs 215,255 2. /e.0 4)s es belts sre leyereieyeet rales 224
Gums, covered with slime............... AAR Stic om Gere aie te 1
Hair; falls/off im) patclesit. <tertatatoto-c/a/0re'e ots clelalelotetotetateselrieieleviotelels 275
do. do. in circular patches on shoulders and sides........ 291.
A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS. 759
PAGES
Hair of neck and legs elevated in blotches........ $b 0505 dubue 289
do. rough, unthrifty, and not glossy. ......0.seeeeecees 275, 299
las aS WiOllS mr srabarvsrehote<atevetoroheVetelte hater chorahahaboieleutalera ene: abel a Sisle. et « 46
do. shooting above, on raising the jaw........eescecereees . 70
Head, depressed and bent to one side....c.ceee cers rece rcoces 59
Cons hanging KMOWIs ses oe cise» cles sie) ae alaretni oi \'n'e\lereiluie) elele lee «> 183
do. held drooping........ceesseeceevecerecececsoees 116, 208
do. -kept elevated... .cccccccsvcscsseccccscsecscvrcerececs 43
do. kept near the ground..... Foreletere SSO DOOU HOD BH NODO UO. 179
do. reposing on the manger.........ssceeeece cece cceceees 62
dom sswollenvand! dropsicallcc:.:+.).s.:c1-rsherereveteia s1¥)5) levee elereleiels ev 397
doy Ptossed backward: +.:0-s)s-crcicre-ereteietoteisiore's-colsie sess s Sogou 61
do. turning of to the sides........0e.2eseeees cece cece eeee 120
do. turned to the belly..... sYol cb evotey obotevevon ct otal choker tetetcl eletolie!s ard 179
do. turned toward flanks..... stowenshatoncirotalisieiieyehs eystoleleis eters 190, 223
do. violently thrust against the rack or wall.............+6+ 62
Health, general, slightly impaired..........-.s.seseeeseeees . 158
Heart, violent beating of........+eessseeeee jie) relshafasctonevs tele, ele 206
Heayiness and indolence following suddenly on activity........ 75
Heels, dry, horny scabs on........2++-- Ooh kek otevievevelota) efel slot elelotel 284.
do. pinched in..... SH ODOOUOObODUS siwilovel ay hafeta re eievele steele stan. 330
do. © ulcers ON... veces eee aietcterefer els aVotevevaravorntter ey S6o00 te... 284
Hind limbs become suddenly too weak to support the body..... 66
Hock, enlargement at point of.........+.+-- ofetevere) erate RY O22
do. do. on inside Of......ccceeccceres Sooo cous DOC 323
Hock-joint, stiffness of.........00+e00s Sod Ob000 C RTDs cine OUL
Itching, severe.........-. Ser stat ets Selclelererere trelolevarele or eteNieters soo. ull
Jaw, swelling under......... Wet allet cteliel ol eels! oko: stents Soo goon ~. 412
Jugular veins congested ........seeeeeceees 50000050 Soin Oa uy drat
do. do. pulsate like an artery.......eseseees 5.6 Ooovon 124
Lameness in hind leg. .......ceecesccerercscccsccevccsees . 370.
Legs, Cold .....ees cece seceveeccecs shalleNolieeletels SaOehe sie e eels 183
do. hind, dropsical......cseccceccccescccccsvccccceseces 120
do. dow swollen... .5.ccceeccvcceceececcccces BO oacno ils)
do. do. widely separated.....sseccsescccrccerescccccess 224
Go, > straddling 4.5.1.0). eteie) rele War DEPORT oh ateIb's leis brerelereieleiere 223
do.) tremble. setae. sje ses RIMES ieleta siieiels'e) oreetelare 206
Lethargy. .....eees EOD DDDICO ODIO ODOC ODDIE COCK BOLLE tee se HOO
Limbs, cold eis ecc ass ees cecae selec asec cs cosss ees a AIS as DOG
do. swellings on....... ‘AHAISSOSs Wak iat Baie eles ete Ma ietele eter s« 297
do. violently convulsed.........0s00 os PUT Rarer aon
Lips, swelling Obi Gccerchone’ cles nt ateteterer sl cteteelefete 4c v 6-00 eb eree ese ee 297 |
760 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PAGES
ISTE SESS. je ce)jnsete da fe sienedetenereietebaiolor ate) kovesoveNeuey srehaRele lege alo raceneerete . 206
Loins, pressure on causes pain and crouching..........seeeee 223
hook, Vfixed andi stupidi sic sim 2.06 ss sees tole oiele ote loletee enn 75
dying, down ‘and. soon, risiiigis ie ss. 3:eg.rer.serolerete els ojciererenevenere 112, 178
Mio tion; Los. OF ss sacs. obese (ore ja doe we tailetalte cote te suse le elles, oletetonenchelen wenreuere 64
do. tremulous of various parts of the body............... 64
dow) )anwillineness, Of; 14 nate. 0a s0te tee fofeile fo tolslcie tereiiere eiopeforete 116
Mouth, bright. yellow; color. of lining of,.:.:...1.\j-10 temraieiee acter ste 212
GUO, He COG aise encitohe notshenexctetokonste proto Noloesla levels whaVare hahaileloetoreheraeretene 124
GO. PALL G UMP cheeses whale wle ele evel ehate restate’ witele aivelete oe epeveyene slorore aaa
do. © Hdry and clammy. jeje ie ere inte oie + afatote tare tal alerts ern Rio 75
GO. PLO aman e vartjcs eyelet eters wie wrote oie locm ola <1 eie/ete tate aie 67, 162
Go-. whotandiclammiyjereyeishayorevetererstetec ere <isi0is 0's aieloleletolelestotetals 116
Gor) Mhobyamd Many eccyerey-(eretetoteseoiessiexesoyoreyor 2 (etal vieileaceve otonetehatetehe 201
Gov pInem bran eshOr Palen cures cick seierehetetohoterel ons sieveh chetseekon eae 397
do... yellow tinge on the inside surface Of....6... 00000000 99
Movement, ‘Stith... sic, s.esere,ssose.¢.0(s0c0.0 4)9)6)le.6;4/5)s i's lots euocebapale tae 332
Neck, blotches on,.after being driven. .....\.\.% 1. ais ales elele lle olevele 287
do: VcoldjsweatsrOmcserteje cverevorslele(o eletaletete cla eee tetelators a aloleschetehe 112
GO. muscles, of migidy. city ceelelotsvereses eset oieles oliel stetiane wistorehe/o/etoheerennte 73
do:. stumor or, swelling on. nape. Of. 21, .:0, 5,s:<c10.0.010 seis ceils 293
Nose; bleeding from ceveiejeysicreseh oxelerevencyererehouelereyele\e|s afetalelsteredetete 112
do. . ;glueyi matter Drom s121.¢. licrebeyct--onsilerersieteleloleleletetehevohoteete eee 156
do. : liming oni qpalle siejs;ccevereparenerahogssereyelcbetatets aie ofeleveite e) evelersvere veto 397
UNostrilsy dilated 3 verwestoyetosoteie.susvonetelsielerat veroicls BOB OOD40 Sdoubo00 97
do... discharge from, streaked with blood..............0. 97
do. | mucous discharce dros. tey)<1 cyt tele cis <0 c1+ ei ef oceletenetnee 102
do. ,. redness of liningymembranes of. <0) «6/5 .\ sis evo sletsietelepere 111
do. 7, scarlet blotches ina.) \teyep-tes1-1< wea/s)eifels lee fe ie totololeneretsiene 289
Pawing with fore-feet,<).1.12y.1.teseleve, Vaso le sie 'oc lols e wletelelelecs often - 63
do. do. Vie SOO ORROOOIO OOS Oo50 05000000 198
Perspination sproluse.. ces es ae sees sicker eres (heyy LAS
do. Gos pamaelll yn ri cyedercreysieleysiensyopeestiele BOO OU 0005 6 183
Pralse, Gale tive leteboyetisy <Vo/oy sar sje, levee, <<\cleue 0) 0. 6/siei erewercneteleta Rene netae nerenemete 350
Wo. 2 Peeler eeeva cs) c1; 55751 -yaysi'e,n! 4:6; wee, o Slot dyaiokerotaleyelotereet eee 188
do:;, dullistroucsand frequent... sy. eieloice stoi ere ete Leatss
do. pchardy awd eouickemedi.y.5./..,.s-yj<)-)-iedorejejeropenelerelstenernenenieee 223
GOW | Meena CHONG, o oH doaU HOON ODOT eyelclavsyofeneserelereveronsyens tacit 94
dos, pquick andkoppressedieyere, «J. -1<,0, « syaeraleierelereloqelloierrierens rts 178
Gory? slow sand jsluvogislapeyeretesa1. soe, sso, Jnto/Jgelelonersiels S45 kobocsn06 63
dos. ; «small and) qpieleererratettsysie/s/) 5.0, «1.6 BOO CONGO 0000 0800 158
do. small and thready..»..10+,.+. aijoioltevelaleleloteyeyeletspeleteveleiane (pment
A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS. 761
PAGES
Pulse, unnaturally strong............ bo scbonc ce GG oguacouLo 64
GO, WEARS Sb ocooncancechroopnoobudaschotoos qocuubes 116
JO, AWRYasopcodcogdconbeo bobbed cuaub05ocKoccC OUcodS 74, 120
Reeling and falling, on being urged to. move........eeee+-oeee 59
esminanony quick and) jerki ge, ./2/2,6.2,0.0,,01+ 0.0.12 010 cleielieualstelelehele o/ 390
Hest ESSTUCSS Asn ysyspcnspeioyelo) pou ss ed's sy 015) <1 oleseio, tier/oustekel ssehc ven euct okies 178, 201
Isollimne 5965 co OO OT Boys odovere clisashsnelicnedeasielenclenclehencienneenerete kek te 190, 205
Rolling and) tumbling. 6.0.0.6 cies ees an sieeseicloselss nies. 179, 183
EMIT COMStAMIE «| eje,010; e1eare ielelelsiele\~ ieee _oeacoqcncacuauCoae 275
Shivering fit, followed by discharge from nostrils...........--- 108
60, ~ CO, EieltiicGgdsooad00a bo SOeeB ONT dr od dt o0 Os 1G, 98
Sinonilldens was tl oy OF, <)-15)5)2je)01+12)<\e1e1 + +) +10) -jclellslsiiel holes) sVelaisielalc 324, 330
Sides, blotches on, after being driven........cecceeeeccoceees 287
Skin, coldness of..... basdcopooO OC boon UU SOO aiolohal aera tohokayeusks i 124
dG, WOPsu cove COD C OU CULL OO DE DOC ROU COC OUCOO DOC TOD ED Ga 00 201
Sleep, deep and snoring......--.+.+-seeeevees Mekeletoteierarerley-h 64
Chogsimass (od ag doc en os coo sno mate onan ocogns sone 59, 62, 75, 212
Goma pawitheeenerall fever... ocioc <iie miele @letae + -leieieleie oie 78
Stamping and pawing continually..........eseseeceeeees 193, 205
6 Gtar-Gazing cc cece cececece rece cnc ee eee eacetoeessseces 43
Steps, short and sloW........ sees cesses ee eee seceecerecnace 332
Stomach, paim in.... cesses e seer sec veecsceeees Srepateletetolofer-tcle 178
Strength, much reduced.......-..sssseceecceceerceces cence 178
Swallow, loss of power t0........seeeeee eee ee ee eee cess rees 64
Sweating, Cold. ... sss eecee cece eee eee e eee ceeteceeccaace 178
do. pYLOofUse .... essere eeer ee rsseeeerccceceseaces foci abe AS
Tail, elevated and quivering........-+-+++ee0- COUC OD OO COGHS 179
do. great inclination to rub against posts and fences.......... 220
Tears, excessive flow of..... eleles hss: ohiezs Grcroueieh skebclol eter opel -ekotene 46
Thighs, corded swellings on inside of .....+++se+eeeeeeeeeees 158
Teeth, covered with slime..........sseeecececereeceeeeeeees 112
Thirst, great... ... ssc eee e cece cece cece cee cece reese 120, 223, 289
Throat, SOTE... cess cece cere eeer ese e cece se eccceeesacercces 108
Toes, walking OM....-.+-+++0> Bava ale] oe) o\aloss.o) 9) ie siolsteseljiohe 342
Tongue, foul.... 2... sees cece cece erence eee e ee ceetes tees 75
do. has a horny feel, and turns brown.....+-++eeeeseeees 112
Oe aa Miivil Cli sist scueusdSuseacssueyeu succor vend suk osioe lehejleitovelis'e(6f'e «\lofeite) ener 94, 187
dome cleademicoloned) aiveracrseieiels steve serie) «#1 © << eel shvieleunioieueh-« 179
do. of a bluish cast..........cecesevceroers pie todelatintel fe 205
do. slightly coated... ...-.+sssesesececerseceees 99, 198, 208
TOVPOY eee e eee cere eect tec e nec en cece eeene slojekehohey=iat--1~ 61
762 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PAGES
Turning, awkwardness in.........06. als setae ctete Boo A Sadcude 75
Umeonsciousness hs sss 2a isla d eae sid oie ol diate cid oh ol sb clepevabareterel aie 61
Umsteadimess 1 MOVIN oie ie: wrsser ei arol'eiasi'e ore) ole aria ey ovellereveveberenere 61, 208
Utine,-of a, dark yellow color. (5 cs:50.46'5 0040s 6 clererulererstaertels 99
dos) igh: coloredicie:cc1c)scjvc's ¢'o's eteicte ie ais.e ele, wlero ere meee 120, 332
QO! SCAM tise ioe ee Wie sin tole 0! oela'o (e's silelelsoteleleteheletetneteln ete «208
GOL KW CO.wcRMG eM). sc) ssieteleleslevohete eietelelaie%e oleeMleye olatetebelevetehey ei 223
do. frequent and painful discharge Of..........0+00eelswecssevis 224
do. light colored, almoSt transparent.......csccevccsccaee 230
do. , has the ‘smell. of musty: hays... ..cs. se ss ebeier betel eter 230
GO: lOOd yajaniere ciecruineles cos Giese eae teen te soci 6 237, 297
Vomit, continued efforts to.......cecccecee stel ait elslonetetel ey cieters 183
Vomiting, from both nostrils..........+.0. elere tials elate tele lolersveiere 187
Walking, leaning to one side in.......ece ai ola aiet silvia Ww elonv suciere 75
Windpipe, rattling sound 10... os. cewee cece ce seeeeeedeicns. IEE
Wind, from the bowels..........+. st eeoeees aerators oe O90
BOVINE DEPARTMENT,
Abdomen, enlarged and pendulous....2......0..scccceceeece 506
Appetite, loss"Of.) erie. cree eee ee es 434, 444, 447, 509, 545, 601
do. morbid, inclining to eat bones, stone, etc......... crore Ollie
ole * sural Ato aars wrayer ete rete eoketet et everey este otal eet steranedetene oe. 619
Back,arched upward. iil ietalele'eeeleete we bod Gedo oie cielo tienes » 628
do. slightly roached............. SHooacedars BH Ghio bo wees OOd
Bag, inflamed and swollen. ..........+..0-. Bs BG 6 Boom DueZ
Bellowing, loudly......eeseeeseee sfeveteieeisie didi c welere eee MOU
Belly, much enlarged.........ssse0e. Rye eee Kc todaoo 60s -- 506
do: “enlarced, with great palm 1s... . 2s see es slele seein 489
do. pressure upon, produces pain......... Soddcadoogodo0d8 480
do: struck» with hind feet. 17. ..00.". eletle alist ctel aictsl hehetelsiatatets .- 489
dor suddentandiisevere: pain tn’. {1M e's cee cere ses Selereneteterets 480
Gor PtUCkecmumertetle sists erels'e) ee a's's cls iste rs sotalol icletel dtcterateletetare 480
Bloods from» the rectum)". .c)0%s eeee + cece sdiocbdbodo0Kd 482
do: * voided in‘ the) urine.’.'..... 2’... nfo nioheletetelelelerctotoretetetater: 531
Body, surface of, hot...........- eee c ccc scccenstsescccers 628
Bones, prominent.\.\)0..0 se ccc e se cece recs veces BocosO on Hi
Bowels, constipated... 2... secs eeceeeee Adaconc dod odaug sie, OLY)
do. large, watery discharges from........... SbiawOGGNOUdS 454
do. yellow or greenish DOs Tee eielalele wieletelerstesiets cievelst £00
A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS. 763
PAGES
Breast-bone, pressure upon, gives great pain........+e0- poe at 545
Chest, sudden and irregular nervous action of the muscles of.... 606
Coat, staring ...esseeeees bisie)spepebelorsvore Sits a} soi el SESTSNNS alle tailere| ee 601, 649
@onvalsions......0.0.05850%% Sool Ss le Rlclsit Ut Mielelele situ iwls peat OAL
Cough, painful............00- sorosiehehato weereiato sare cheralgie rie seers 465
Go. slight ..cececsveccscccsccccsccccseccscccssces 444, 450
do. suppressed ..... afelled shievolicusl stole ellevoie) ohelle fo) ohofaltelotereteler ov oseiel a: 455
Cramps.....- ani aye fe fefeltire oN iota bts foveVelelulele siele te ites letolayeseietetalone’s:« 434
EGG WNOSE 4m ays 22 3:0 ai seis eieis oiele eal cles wltele mieishsielefolotn sholdicle:« 613
Debility..... SEARS SERRE A NGG OAS SEAM SM RIIEN crclore obelelerners 450, 506
Difficulty, in rising.......eeeeseee SOO UU OR OO CUOOE DIDO UG DOOUE 506
Wullmess::s24¢ssce55%-65--- U Seat ele days piste sete eter Otarets aks 434, 533, 601
Dung, hard........-. Gee be teli pose tebe sian eae ro auietetoiras eile ereyatlere(atetelsi-s/e0)e 480
do.” do: and black.....ss.2s00 ites deere ns vintiecs ve slcmeocee 619
do. lighter colored than usual.......ssesseeeeseuees Jo060 628
do. offensive odor from... .c.ersecceeessvcecceccesecssecs 449
do. streaked with blood..... apeyel stay chsrereieles sel chetotelsteleie\eletetsls} av 480
Hars, hot, drooping and mOist..... sess ceeseeecseeeesrececs 628
Himaciation .gecccrscccsseccscevrecccscccccres ayighot here eto
Expectoration.....-+ a Wick la BANE Ile ee NiSGou Od CdooocoUcomodeD 450
Hyeballs protrude (‘stick out’)....+++eseseeereeeeees ere we OOF
Hyelids, much swollen......+.seseeeeceeeeeeeeececs Fieve ioevoxe 454
do. of one eye irritated and swollen......++esseseeee wees DOD
Byes, pain and tenderness of. ...+.-+++eeeeeee alveale brave re lorepel ese = 558
do. visible surfaces of, highly reddened........+.. 545, 607, 641
do. whites of, turned yellow........ssececececeeseers Serie SOs
do. wild look from.......+ Bidirs ai dsa/0)6 e avle(ohs iss axexotetnlie’s) “fal sere OOD
Hest. coldnic wesw sic wins ce seer vecesvcveees wenpis fe tede ehterereue sexe 444
VET sins see sin esses nay areig, Sha 8164 x's/5/o 1s brol eievevstone e¥etomtas 450, 455
Fleverishness ...cccececcvscs cece cece cers sccssecseseseeees 613
Fits, epileptic, accompanied ae loud bellowing and pawing the
QTOUNG. cece were cece ecesrecseeececeseeeees 601
do. do. | with running at any thing in reach........-.-. 601
Flanks, anxious gazing at, with moaning....+.++e+eeeeereeceee 482
do. heaving at.....sssseeseeeees KOU OSU OOF . 447, 480, 619
do. left one swollen and hard..........sseseeeceeseres -. 471
Flesh, rapid loss Of.......seeeceseeeerercceeccreerreserers 449
Foot, discharge of bad smelling netics from...... wioldlens, Suefetevsiaie 623
Frantic... ..csccccrees cece vcees sotevete Yael siSietiele ohefeharetereronexe . 600
Frenzy... cesses cece ccerccesccess shetaleretofere shee s\eiais hel okerefelei sie 600
Giddiness and nervousness........seeeee big Mie eroehy epenel » ainjeilsto 6 © 602
Grunting, or moaning on being backed....-+e+seeesee rn
764 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. °
PAGES
Gums; eruptions OM. .iewiec cletrcins suet <i sie ofereusieuenere efeleieje ala 464
do. swollen and black........... lolol ollee 1e1 ecole tor ot el eloheronetanetenei 654
Hair, coarse and standing straight Up... 2... <0 .«sele ceeeine + 572
GO? TOUCH. Li. wow es eee oe eis eiele sietula clove re cic lore et eecten alee tame 447
do.” watery fluid "dribbling from: sce cs iis e aie ronaeeenenete 628
Head, dashed recklessly on the floor.....:5.... BOA AIKES Big 4 Hs 509
do. directed toward region of the heart...........0000. woes O45
Gos ATOOPING OFC) se vi cielcleisic(e o cie.o nic tcloreiele cle sc otelenerle Veena 434
do. | ‘pressed ‘forcibly against a wall. is). cso s' sca ele elariatare 601
GO: theUst) LOL WAT. seieiels sels cisiie e's erelaie'e a else ofa re\cltretele eteretlette 444
do: turned! toward) HVvere. <0 o1 ++i ie es wells wie esi cle olen claret 613
Heart, deadened sound on applying the ear over... ...+.eceeees 551
do. increased force of the beating of...........00. 6 ob co) O20)
Horns .chilliness Ofe le ei: ele sie'eleiia te satel a eels ofolstate herent 533, 606
do. héat about the base of...........-. spelt 551, 613, 628
do... tearing up eround! within. vis kel erale to anele oueperatens 607
do.’ . trying to injure every thing with 00. oc. uctomelatess 607
Jaw, (lower) enlargement at the angle of..........e.e000- Mele Oo
Jaws, angle of, gradual enlargement at........eeeeeee bboab dae 583
Gon) COMPLCSSEM sici\ a cleielo ehale cihorers iene: wie i's loin italien 'a elteleilelcl ote oteftene 434
Fusular Veins USOLLE. 0s 2 ceisioisieice wie cies a ele! eleie AO NAS 544, 545
do. do. undplating or “wavy ’’ motion on.........%.... 545
Kidneys, pressure over region of, causes pain... ceccecccevcces 533
Megs Cold eee esters ici ce el ecalete iste eer sts eiclelatere eve 444, 447, 601
do. fore ones, sudden nervous action of muscles..........6.- 606
do. Gos) DALeMP Me ers eile ele eles siecle le\e lols fre loli late oteutenetaner 455
do. Gos) | Widelapant . slnmic/ss icc leis lajelere is'slol oho) orale «ee 444, 455
Gos PPremulousige Late cele pe vcierarolelelse eats s\n lore sie elle lees weleletedeetete 480
Wie downy retusal: ons seine ete lciels alclere a1s'n (clos otore el creetetens 444, 455
iver! tullmess! im’ reelom) Owe ele. wet eo e's yells olis sie lel ciejenstoenoneenee 613
Milk, quantity diminished,....... Te a lalels lols lle ele ce lefecoeseve eter emanate 601
Motions ives) GIstressu Neer cis w/e ler eit eleiole ce nele nie oe 544
Monet hing tay, cuelohonetevetselieye spere iste eile! tole elet oto letoreiauete renee aidodsace 447
GOs) PLOATINTTMO MAL ie ala a's veie ls) /siels! we 6 silete tele lel sehelelle (el ofetenenans 509, 654
Chol ilnors gn) Glen Tia Ha OR menencne dG BHnIO SCIOIMIbI'o bic Uo 444, 509
GOs i hot amadetevertsl yeu sia Nias acteyele ieneretetele eater eietels -. Sol, 613
doy, increased) Howsotjsaliva from <2 ccc). sci eseiets ... 404, 628
do. lining membrane of, pale and watery............ Siglaié 506
do. lining of, very red...... SHG HaO Sod CadosI0do00do “elo OOM
do. do.) yellow ei elles «ioe Ke ab Yididoldde eel nehe ois eneners 613
Muscles, nervous and spasmodic twitches of telojetterele sie! ebefese efeye eS
Mruzzleydryieien elec tie elsioieleleisielnieieisls «see ielelere secccesees O09, O33
A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS. 765
PAGES
INCL SUITE cae sicher eee ers skal atet ataliohel chav eka) och ey eturet ck ovens cua taileeniseeher ave 449
INT OUSPACLION. 6) nura 00 Sura. Halas Swvelels BIS GROIN OS Dido olnon 6 ClOUIdC 641
Nose jel ainy discharge: fromssloic scteereiei cies eseie esr iaial ie ae 447
do. lining of, pale and watery......... Sdobooeonccce soonod 506
do. Gone red demed a ctyaracyeinueneredorn site Sek Gee 447, 545, 607
MOr MCh RASh LOL Wards 00s hess cern ae cena ss Sedo opcode so cnDet. 440
Nostrils, food returned by the.......... SHOR OU OO DOO Sabin Ub Od 452
do. matter from..... efatvolis\ey olevetlevelielaleye) stele el steleioteiienalaiesiehohe 439
Pain, severe and constant, in the bowels......... Hoan CADDO 482
Gory GeO... Upon, pressime: breast-bome. « .\ cfc «sles wietelsers ci eierele 545
HEzea pli ope tevey ey 30245) \'3k.oh 145) oH syns oy-aV6/ ios orca Seek hap apay oye neuSMey Sy ay eGLSl GDA oa 607
Perspiration, profuse, following a fit............. cleietelelciels Sooo (DL
aml ceweeblevatndy Oppressed causes v/aisyaialst«. clsieiein sla eisveieis) se pala lctelers 544
UCHR MMBEM CREASCOLOECE iver ssctslarcislehaisievesousiererslelercotamlolsh ne atole © 545, 613
HOPMAN. Ke do oy swish ox ocncuorsvar oxep clay uel slehey eben obsitctle atid oteteLalanetis,<ceis 606
COMMER CLIC Katranavans ove csle)s ote ofots io cle ssicishelsyoraisieucvekstokevens . 444, 447, 454
do. Gopayet small) yer hel erevelsss vetel ekeielehctceetchctetelsh rei ervarcyenole 641
Gommaviolent abrupt cand istromeye. sc. cstoielcdlebs al sieleyarcvctete sel be 5d1
INESUIESSHIOSS ielelsielsis cle se) slelielevelelaiste Me rahenetaione eucheterene reiterate aller ereie 489
Reese ntOmeule OGCU epeysveicys) svevexel oles oy et oysi ski ol) erst ele retelevekers) stehoiey sieve 444
Ribs, pressure between, gives great pain..........0.. 6800000 » 455
Rigors, followed by acute inflammatory fever.............0006 545
FyuMMIMATLOM, CCASCO ..\.5 eles s\sielo ss eeias) 5° 480, 482, 545, 551, 613, 649
SSMIAMTOM IRON WS INECES Oo ooo oogGogoobdGoGdoO bodab0O COKd 602
pSlinine mimes HiGsyoperciesatavce) ofejsvehalehavavederane/ ole. « sno bODN DRO CDOE 444, 628
do. followed by inflammatory fever......... Soooaddcoes 545
Skatmmetio hit amd MAT. oe; clee\+)e115 clielei els « BBcodbuscaodDSoOdO0N 572
GO, WolllOwas aobclocoelceauucosoeccoud bbuDcouuGKUobnC Sc6cad 619
dommwaveny bladders: formed) OM <)-).)-\010 10s «+1 <\< eeleieisis oe she ole 628
SO SIOIDINGIMNE 5 Sbo¢0005o00dGGDGGuNE al eMella\io, shelial cust eakevohavelstane ey ais 628
SMOMMME Gaosdbooognodoo0sduo dU DOGO GU OO BOOUK Sdoudeonon 447
S)IRBIES 5 C66 Gundoo duoc Ge ood OUCogaOdOObEnE COaeKe selelelalolelsie 641
Spinal column curved in downward direction...........+++++ 506
SHASREMMNERc ooogoceecocUDUOs oULOUOOODD OOOO DS DOSE 434, 480, 649
SIMA 5 6 GOOD OO oD On OOD. SooooeobOUbODOODe DoObOCOUdD 434, 654
Stomach, distended with gas..... 5 Sit O ER ROE ORR ERO CO 454
SWHOONUIO Ned dod odao doc OOOO OOO COCO MO OM OOOO CODCOD UDI0000 439
Sumtacetotathen bo diya chilly, aevererescrey steele) alee) she s/eNala) « «(0 \elialelal= 533, 606
Swallowing, loss of power Of... opie .nr sees s+ smn 452, 607
Mears, running down) the tae sy/\clejel sche) e) lie. qca0oos 2... 404, 558
een, CARNES Oo ooagocvorcenucodun UOUMeNOO OCHO ON gC UG 509, 601
UIST IME SN cvarerarsicatel ouetolatenc eleven eveleneliaravalave lots lone icltetel st obel eile) exekeheleporatele 450
766 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PAGES
MhirstyiMtensesscisctel cba. satctel slerss Sotelo evs aie ies ce teushslceaenetets 607, 619
Gon Slight tet alia her tens ctatetetetolel et efotelle’eliolelotelisals!e| lature ements 613
Throat) glands of; enlargedsa.sitohsrcivere ate ctele eter eleiatel spareeete 449, 659
GO.) SOLEMESS: OF fle eels Wwe Ai, widievalvare tel ene lalate ie ouetene evens tetsls 447
dos swollenvand)tenders’se.'. to le Weis detsteeela ome SAGA Gi dio 440)
Pongue, eruptions OMe ah ecco etal a Ma alclsi alee eve ofelete «aisle elated 464
do.) cmuch: swollen iced nesters wi ete chat tate BEN lA 454, 628
do.’ ‘slightly coated: i/i.0 sclciejloaie ls aun eee 509
do. swollen and coated with brown fur............0.+00. 641
do. dos} rand t blacks. stm ioettavortetatalntacaPe tere seco ele tenersmetets 654
Trembling aot enes cy louhe mice aa elas fe ifolfe oa le ro tele Ietouetale 434, 641
Tremblings:and twitchings) violent. i1.:.:.:ctaie/./s'srtoherele eis elaleraienoets 601
Tumors on various parts of the body, giving, when pressed, a
crackling sound........ ai lclpite ibis lola lees teralenenene ‘isieie |AAD
Udder, swollen, hot, and ‘tender /sdiicieversieccwie s/c 6 \c.01e'« eyeteletone 509, 517
Mrineniblacks cs Wi as Mic aon ual ey i a oA 5 een 535
GO IDLOOMY. crevereie w/sseu eherehevels ole sieio ye iegaicdetenegehete sol stot retelets 434, 531
do. difficulty in passing....... bslivelevsselisloke atolaleug 4 aus tennemeneGale 533
do. flow of, suddenly arrested, with trembling of hind legs... 535
Go: ; Aigh-Ccoloredysserserotasosoxctodssexeredsichoioisielofer sven cheek royetetanenovenetere 641
Go.) TEddeN|d: 12s. j.s osore 1s SielOle eletodeolele totenanetelencterete steetepatverele 533
do. scanty and dark-colored....... slovetes ovals eholeveyoichele svolebeverere 628
GOW Fellow cio teicrelatenctalere'siotelotole}edsoleistoborsyexetshalettelelctenees docaa, ol!)
Walking, crackling noise heard while........... so lel aferetavetateiene 572
do. |.) (with stiffened. joimts....0 110.2 oasis w jones oe wiwlelels eetaieiale 572
Wasting, AWaryics. coic/efasotesetesajehehe ieteteta opel fatalodolalefouovekerone efolalatelererte 450
Wind, from the anus........... edetetonevettcoreraehe sc odnnd osies - hed
DISEASES OF SHEEP.
Anus, inside jof, turned syellow ys te... cers tevailsve leleletalcl or lolol staheraiee 710
Bloated appearance. of body... ...ss.0.5% sce tne wens vieleie cies 716
Breathing, quickemed ssi :.:. 0:0 /c's'sicie'eteleleiel eters tetetetateretetotereralleletalel elt 715
OGTR Ain 60. CO OBC OOO OCOSE OED ROOBEOO AD ODDO GOOOCROCoosCC 715
Hivelids,, kepticlogedtye rrr i./-hoi.iei/ sc oteteley ololeteteta cteld et eich exe olelevelevanele 714
HKyes, tears from lower corner of............0+ Poi tenrcloore cael alam uTel ee
do. whites of neddenedyes. te1- fcierc'o'e ‘ojorerei clei sjeleliierstcholoterereversveusterens 714
do. Gow i tunmedy yell Oeste aio 1./oteporelareie) atelevecrclstelcatcrerstereetele 710
Hlank:s\) heaving fatireretesetosess tele tale lols (o/c soja sletoiateiese Meret ote lolelctntetatelats 715
Head, frequent shaking of............. sle\e\w viele wisiaie ol sisisieteiel eke 710
A GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS. 767
PAGES
Heady pressed against fence Or posts. /sjciee + sie sie)se calc cilia cities 710
COs PUGS Hanis CNGhSo ognesopabpo ow py ocoson vend do naoe 726
Lameness, in fore or hind legs..... ROC RMSE os OURS 712
Lazy movements, with nose almost on the ground............. 710
Legs, hot, tender, and swollen, with offensive discharge from.... 712
red spaintul to the eyes’, «2's 0’. .s/si612)s «,c)ea)erekeies steletsfotela cies 714
INoseadischarge from............ 56000600 slortoletaketohelis begdboc 715
dos mlinineror turned) yellow; alco! ci ie oe se cleles teen e'@) 1) WhO
HSU IML MIN erates e0\ sy, sie «, ace. efehiney skololeitalocepeteioye ale Rees racy. Sereretecnole 715
Skim-yturned yellow... 2. 0s cece Sooo CoQC ODDO r OO ONT. 710
ISMCEZIMGE 6 210 «1s. 0.0 0.0 sobdo000 060 eects pielotenelolelecoriereietctter tate 715
ect hprora tine: (fe). percleseieversyelaxerersie slaved elnte SooaboUdOOOOe bo0OKG 710
Thighs, insides of, turned yellow...... eloteievetebela) clatelsichoy se) sjel<iats 710
DISEASES OF SWINE.
Appetite, loss 0f......22.cccceessccccsescacs shaloyshei eles Welter 724
Breathing, quick and difficult..........- SL oileielay aveaitenlt dra Getekenite’s 724
do. Very difficult... 0. ccccecsesecesecsesecersrr cece 722
COMIN soddccedbduccdouc a ystcreredshekeveheret ley stole el ote het creeks sitet 724
do. distressing........ Soo0ds SWARM NAO FEO UCO0.000.000 722
Diarrhea, Copious... /..cc.ese sacs Bio laraeetatte atiabet as) cRaviereuetesedevecauate 726
Flesh, rapid wasting of........... hehe st Rekelehscteletaleke slap drat eleps 724
Hoods retusal OF-j10.01.- <. 200 MEME ARS HOOT UD OURO OU OC spares eva 726
Mouth, frothing at, as if choking.........-++esseeee elope: 722
Necks Strimess Of... 0.6. s econ ce recseerereene si eseliefallausutpelen 722
Nose, purple spots on.......sseeee. SO aADOOO CO DOICCO0ONO 0000 726
do. stretched forward..... Nonna doen ocenooou Snonndoo0 5050 722
Shivering fits.......secceecesesccercvees SeuODa OOO DO OOOE 724
Staggering... ...cceceecsee cee ee ee ccereceneeecccece cdobodr 726
Swallowing, very difficult........... Soe 000 DOU Ms esi Natetekntoncisye 722
Thirst, great.........0-- seksheeetictotlcieiciele Borahetaveicichel sjetelsictey: .. (26
Throat, swollen.....+.++s+0+- MPetcenet ete. disioser ears yore isiexs Soco0bnEc 722
Vomiting ........ cece eee ee ee cceeeccces Weleteieiotelspeloteietel<reteiee 726
Walking, falling down, in.....+s+++eee. JODO NOUUOSBODCC DOOD e 726
Weakness, great....sscesececccececscececscecessssscssses 126
TABLES OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
APOTHECARIES’ WHIGHTS.
20 grains make one scruple, marked...........s00. - dj.
Sescruples sdownu drach ras diedo.w i cieve eke eletaparete eletaleleneoic
8 drachms do. ounce, CON ecariere sieleloraleletetee 3].
12 ounces do: pound, do. 7 cil. ce creisreletueteteemal oe
LIQUID MEASURES.
60 drops make one drachm, marked..... ciereletatale cece Bj.
8) drachms 7 do.) ounce, dor) .2). aisles etoicneneerens Bis
20 ounces do. pint, SOBMUIRGAS gn dosno 5645 Oj.
8 pints do. “gallon airdort late types oseeccees Cong
ORDINARY MODES OF MEASURING LIQUIDS,
A tea-spoonful of liquid equals 60 drops, or one drachm.
A table-spoonful of do. + ounce, or four drachms.
A. dessert-spoonful of do. 180 drops, or three drachms.
A wine-glassful of do. 1d ounces.
The doses vary in quantity in different animals. The amount to
be given in any case will be found clearly stated in the treatment of
each disease, whether of horses, cattle, sheep, or hogs.
(768)
GLOSSARY
OF
MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC TERMS.
AsNnorMAL—Irregular.
ABSORBENTS—Medicines used for absorbing; also the vessels of the
body which suck up.
AcuTE—Sharp, severe.
ApriposE—Fatty.
Apynamic—Debilitated.
ALAE— Wings.
ALTERATIVES—Medicines which change a disease for the better.
AnasArcA—Dropsy of cellular membrane.
ANASARCOUS—Dropsical.
AN aMIA—Bloodlessness.
ANTISEPTICS—Medicines opposed to putrefaction.
ANTISPASMODICS—Remedies opposed to spasms or convulsions.
ANTIPHLOGISTIC—Opposed to inflammation.
APERIENTS—Medicines which open the bowels gently.
AquEous—Watery.
Ascires—Dropsy of the belly.
ATAxic—Disordered.
AUSCULTATION—Hxamination by sounding and listening.
Autopsy—Post-mortem examination.
BiruRcATION—Division into two branches.
Bo.tus—A large pill.
BuccaL MemBraneE—The lining of the mouth.
CantuHus—Corner of the eye.
CarsuLE—Shell or case.
49 5) (769)
770 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
CARBONACEOUS—Containing carbon.
CARMINATIVES—Medicines which relieve pain by expelling wind from
the bowels.
CARTILAGINOUS—Composed of cartilage.
CaTHarRtTIC—Loosening.
CELLULAR—Cell-like.
CEREBELLUM—The brain.
CzREBRUM—The brain.
Cuancrous—Cancerous.
CurnicAL—Relating to individual practice.
Coma—Stupor.
ComatosE—Stupefied
ConsuNncTIVIAL MEMBRANE—The membrane which lines the eyelids
and covers the eyeball.
CorneA—Transparent coat of the eye.
CraniAL—Pertaining to the skull.
Cranium—Skull.
CrucitaL—Shaped like a cross.
DECARBONIZE—To purify by air.
Dracnosis—The art of telling the nature of diseases.
DraPHoREtTIcsS—Medicines which promote perspiration.
DiatHEsis—Predisposition to certain diseases.
Diztretics—Regulation of diet.
Divretics—Medicines which increase the flow of urine.
Ducr—Canal.
Dynamic—Relating to the vital forces.
EMOLLIENTS—Substances used to reduce inflammations.
EmpuysemMA—Distention by gas or wind of certain portions of the
body.
EmuNcToriEs—Organs which carry off waste matters.
ENncrpHaLon—The brain.
Enema—Inpjection.
Einzootic—Endemic diseases among animals.
Erizootic—Epidemic among animals.
EQuitisriuM—Balance.
EquinE—Relating to the horse.
Ertotocy—-The doctrine of the causes of disorders.
EXCREMENTITIOUS—Useless.
HxcreTORY—Reliting to vessels which throw off useless matter.
ExtTRAVASATION—Escape of a fluid of the body from its vessel into
surrounding parts.
GLOSSARY OF MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 771
Exvupation—Oozing through a membrane.
Favuces—The throat.
FLeaAmM—Used in bleeding.
GRAMINIVOROUS=-Feeding on grass.
HEMATOSINE—The red coloring matter of the blood.
HEMoRRHAGE— Bleeding.
Hiprratric—Relating to diseases of the horse.
HistoLogy—General anatomy.
HyprocepHaLus—Water in the head.
Hyciene—Preservation of health.
IcHorous—Humory.
IpropatHic—Primary affections.
IptosyNcrASy—Peculiarity of constitution.
InpURATED—Hardened.
IncuinAL—Belonging to the groin.
IntERcostaL—Between the ribs.
Inunction—The act of rubbing in.
LACHRYMAL GLANDS—Those which secrete tears.
LANcINATING— Shooting.”
LAXATIVES—Loosening medicines.
Lrston—Disorder.
Licgament—The substance which joins bones together.
Mamua—Breasts.
Masseters—Muscles of the jaws.
Morsip—Diseased.
Morsiric—Producing disease.
NAvicuLAR—One of the bones of the foot.
NEuRO-PATHOLOGY—The nervous system in disease.
NopuLtous—Like a knot.
Nosotogy—Classification of diseases.
(prmatous—Swollen.
*OpaquE—Not transparent.
Os caLcis—Bone of the heel.
Ossrous—Bony.
Ovor1p—In form of an egg.
Ti DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PaLATINE—Relating to the palate.
PANnzooTIc—An epidemic affecting animals generally.
PaRASITE—An animal which lives on another.
Parotip—Largest salivary gland.
' ParHoLtocy—tThe study of the body in disease.
PrepicLe—Narrow part of a tumor.
PETEcHIAL—Resembling flea-bites.
Puruisis—Wasting away.
PirurrAary Memprane—Lining of the nostrils.
PSEUDO-MEMBRANOUS—Relating to false membranes,
Pus—Matter.
PyLorus—Entrance into intestines.
RaLE—<A watery sound heard in sounding the chest in some diseases,
SANATIVE—Health-giving.
SCHNEIDERIAN MEMBRANE—The lining of the nostrils.
SEBAcEOusS—Of the nature of suet.
SEDATIVES—Medicines which produce sleep.
SERous—Watery.
SeruM—Watery part of the blood.
Sotvent—That which dissolves.
Sporapic—Scattered.
SUBMAXILLARY—Beneath the jaw.
SuDAMINA—Small eruptions.
SUPRA-RENAL—A bove the kidney.
THoRrAcio—Relating to the chest.
THyRorp—Shaped like a folding door.
Tonrcs—Medicines which give tone and strength to the body.
TUBERCULAR—Relating to tumors in the structure of an organ.
TuMEFACTION—Swelling.
TURBINATED Bones—Bones of the nose shaped like a top.
TURGESCENCE—Great amount of humors in any part.
V AscuULAR—Full of blood-vessels.
VENTRICLE—Oayity.
Virus—Poison.
Vis A rRontE—Force from the front,
Vis A TERGO—Force of propulsion.
Viscous—Sticky.
Voicr-Box—Larynx.
INDEX.
EQUINE DEPARTMENT.
A PAGES
Abdominal cavity, wounds of....... 206
Abscess within the substance of the
GAL Tse rceseeiese sae ocsnaeters 58
Absorbents, disease Of........ 222.02 eee 156
Abstraction of bl00d.......0.0ccesseese 268
EN GMUKD COUR Nase con coaGdosed tee woode5 040000 99
Acute disease of the lamine of the
foot... wuss bane asehcanth sees OOO
Acute dieeond of ae Giyf8)406 cas Go9005000 46
Acute rheumatism.. aobabeadoD. BIB)
Acute and general dieses of me
brain, known as encephali-
Advantages of in-and-in breeding. 315
Affections, typhoid...............sseee 110
Age of horse, as known by his teeth. 127
Albuminous urine...................5.. 200
Amaurosis.. aoe 40
RO patations... coo conodasbe: CAO)
Amputation of ine DeMIstreceesceccese 261
SATE SIMD doc cq eCOtet CHE CORREO ECOCOGHOGSA0 397
Analysis of the blood in glanders. 25
Anatomy of the lungs.............0.0 90
Anatomy and physiology, impor-
tance of studying.............. 315
Anatomy of the tail...............08 00 394
Animals become parents too early. 312
Apoplexy, cerebral..............s...0+ 64
Apoplexy: of the spine.............0... 65
Apoplexy of the spleen.............. . 206
FATAIGIESDKONDN? poococscoco.caconcoo0DCCROIe50 268
Ascites, or abdominal dropsy........ 199
PAGES
Atrophy, or wasting of muscles in
the region of the shoulder-
blade........ Maseccenses Gonseancen 824
B
Back, galled.........sccccceeses. aidesiot nate 400
Big head and big jaw...........seeeees 362
Bladder, inflammation oOf...........+6 224
Os. SStOME IM. ..cecesceseecses wwe 224
ol, eeu tURelO fire cncccesstaencsiess 232
Bleeding, various modes of.......... 268
IBIDIS| RETA #46 Ososedacaoséooncad ot odb0Gd don 263
Bloody nuarineweacworscsasssiecee sets 237
Blood, the quantity found in the
Neely ieeeetoeciosdoog Eeciceococcocaon AU
Blood, its transfusion.............2.... 404
Bog spavin... . 823
Bots, ic) ea Heouindal: 164
Bowed. legs........2+.00csecsevsereeereees 381
Brain, abscess within its substance. 58
do. Aropsy Of.....cccecseceee ser ceeees 60
do. acute disease Of..........+.++ 76
Breeding, and the principles of the
BERING Cer ce guce ECU NEO DECCUBECCOCICCE 302
do. IN=ANG=IM ~...escssercevenenie 307
Brief exposition of the function of
the LUNGS... 0. .00 cre cee eee vee ove
Bronchocele.......sceeeesse cee cesvescescee
88
103
C
. 322
94
Capped hock...
Case of eerie in MEstonee pile
(7738)
VTA
PAGES
Case of croup.. dsr Oe
Case of pidusiey ana dened: ae tho
Chestetrmesicleeentseveo wees: 120
Case of meteorization.............c006 186
Casting, mode of... 241
Castration, siitverant noes ‘oth . 243
Caltaractwenematesscateucssascenestecse as 45
Catarrhsepiz0Gtie:.......ccss-cccosseoes LOO
Causestol disease rec scnc.s teeiccecles 19
Cerebral hemorrhage.............ssee 64
Chabertion) poliyousiec.sccclsssteccce sss 102
Cholera Mhogneiesessssesaeeseisesccces
Chorea, equine........ weveweceecclanen sole 81
Chronic rheumatism................... 336
Circulation of the heart......... 401
do. experiments on its ra-
POUAUGyevececsetansiconsnncsssnsicet tcc 403
Colic, flatulent.. 189
do. seaantvaiel’ Sas aete svar ohh oe
do. treated by i aroth Gon« Be sucesiens 195
Composition of the blood of a
ealthyorsesscrscsessccdsicls sess 25
Composition of the blood glandered 25
Condition outloticesscscorsssceesiess 299
Congenital glanders............scs00 008 24
Contagiousness of glanders.......... 151
do. of strangles......... 418
Contraction of the hoof............... 344
Copeman on treatment of inflam-
MN ALLON Poneto encased eauclossies Meal
Copeman on MeNiNGitis......... 060006 80
Cornea, opacity Of........0....ecseccsees 44
(ONY RAR Seonota Godadoonodoonee odudDGOC: 384
Cough, in its chronic and acute
SLAG emencceceise saroccansescecsiecs 99
Croup, (cynanche trachealis)........ 95
Curry-comb, use and abuse of...... soot
Curbs... 5.000 so (Oly)
Curing see ae ick ahaa! of. 26
Curvation and disease of the spine. 361
Cystitis.......0. BorGecoOsCOmBODCOdOC e000 bod 224
D
Death of a horse from ruptured
StOMACH.ccnccescecteeeenesseasnennt eo
Demtitioniccseessess scons teeeceeasee sacl
IDEN SYS.) Goaqanydoqg9t 900880000000 600 600 640 229
Diet... nl oo
do. cuaeeee in, ies ca a ree . 141
DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PAGES
Digestive organs, disease of......... 160
Diseaselcauses Ot... saccesecedsorricees 19
do. hereditary causes of........ 20
dos-7 cases (Of. cs.ncsocteeenenteeter: 26
do. of the urinary organg...... 223
Diseases of the skin and sub-tis-
SUECS, .scsovesse senescence ee ensneee POT
Dislocation of the stifle.............6 343
Division of the flexor tendons....... 259
Dockin'e of the tail accssdecsetescacecs 395
Dropsy, of the brains.....cs-cssceseee-ep OU)
do. of the abdomen................ 199
Dropsical Timbsies: ..cesseessesencetsies 287
Dun, F. on causes of hereditary
GISCASEss eee sc csecere's SodpabacaKdoos 20
E
Education, importance of............. 82
EVDO W/ptUMONist uscicdscscsrmtaiscens aioe 821
Hncephalitis....c.cocsecesene pdebaddoodcae 76
EMEC TU GIS eet ee ccleceeeceactesconescnenes 201
aS a of the ea glands. 103
Epilepsy... : Seetono scenester OO,
Epiploliel: spasm af Fanos c50690000'400 90-
Epizootic. catarrh.............. BOOABOOCO 106
Equine chorea, or stringhalt......... 81
Experiments by M. Magendie on
the brain and nervous sys-
LOM ersten cieeianets BoOpOD GOON 090600 000 83
Experiments on the itch insect..... 277
Lye, acute disease of......... pecbc008 - 46
GON AWOTM .WATHIN se ccessesecsatecetecte 45
do. treatment of inflammation
(Copeman on)........006 cslaees 47
Eyelids, foreign bodies within...... 44
F
HAT GY. casesseeussceeees adadh Gedcogcoadodo0c 156
Fever, typhus... Boneadeadecococacs AIO)
Films, or eae on vine CYC. o0crees . 44
Hivin Geis sacacssacieaes Mace seconanseeerem ZO
Fistulous withers:sc...c0.ssssscosse-n e200
Pits, epileptic... .m.deeceecssesercrsecscers 66.
do. hereditary origin of............ 67
Flatulent colic.. 0610000 189
Flexor tendons, Hivinion of... 259
Food, effects of various nee! booboc6 137
do. quality required................ 138
Foot, management of, in the stable. 409
INDEX. 775
PAGES PAGES
Foreign bodies within the eyelids.. 44 | Horse’s foot, management of, in the
Founder, bleeding for the same..... 37 Stables...c.cscces 36000000 Sanseeciace 409
Fracture of the pelvis...........0ssee0 376 | Hydrocephalus.....scccccsssssesssseeeee 60
Functional disease of the liver...... 211
Function of the pancreas..........00. 216
Fundament, falling of.......0.c0ss00. 387
G
Galled back.............+00. Peaddels oo. 400
Gamgee on splenic apoplexy......... 206
(CIAIBISAIIGIS. cdocongeqndas aasaodde0 eod0000D0 GEO 178
Giddiness, or vertigo...........-..s006 74
Glands, thryoid, enlargement of... 103
Gillam ersiaeessaccessocececescesiocesoesss 147
do. Gomeenitalesccrsacecasseses 24
do. analysis of the blood..... 25
do. can be communicated to *
HNN gagsaondasoaoos000 00000 . 147
do. contagiousness of......... 151
do. why the disease is so
Calllediiscsssscsestsacessincta 155
(GHIEES |ChyPkscsadoods cooogdcosaccctn asonadae 40
Glottisyspasm Ofer pe cescscciesjecsneness OO)
Gohier on polypus......... Rae cuoeeesises 103
(GIOILGIP aab06 naa cadoto Geo GonoGsad0 seh ponaEoODN 103
Gorged or over-distended stomach.. 182
(CiREQIEG c aocsce nccoonae sadaoodododooNba00H00 283
ClO, | TMEN(ATIRG) GiB Adccoodacsuane Wea scosee 23
do. transmission of from horse
LOMMAN. cocecceelMeselocercecs’ 285
Gutta serena............cccsecoeesseceoee . 40
H
IBIPSRNEN AUNTIE “ooccoodds aco cod cHadeo BdoonndG]. CAI
Heart, its circulation.................. 401
TEIGARI@ES Sondos Sasoscoo0cod osboEHOGOeSKEO BoE 125
Heels, disease Of........:..0+cessesereve 200
Hemorrhage, cerebral................. 64
do.- SFOIUNEN | Aonotoaood coouH doc 65
Hemorrhoidal bots............... snob” 164
Hemorrhoids, or piles...............00. 391
Hereditary origin of epileptic fits. 66
do. causes of disease........ 20
IBIGTA DES oAcacod och cog Sod onboND ano cooGHH 008 OBC 299
ide-hoOun drersccsnesetlensesocseledis tae 347
HOCKsm CaP Ped scmcscacacocievslacciecccncees 322
Hoof, contraction of............s0000.. 344
Hig of-bounldesepencesseccscseccdeeccnccss 347
Vorses He eloniseesccnereccccstounacersrcen 282
I
Importance of ventilating stables,
in view of preventing dis-
eases of the lungs............. onthe)
In-and-in breeding........ Gonocdnebaded 307
Inflammation, nature of...........066 38
do. its nature and treat-
INEM besverre science sees 30
do. treatment of.......... 47
do. of the lungs........... 114
do. of the pericardium.. 123
do. of the stomach........ 178
aos of the peritoneum... 197
do. of the intestines..... 201
do. of the bladdev......... 224
do. of the kidneys........ 223
Inflammatory laryngitis.............. 92
Influenza, or epizootic catarrh...... 106
do. followed by acute dis-
ease of the brain....... 108
Inhalation, colic treated by the
._ TRING G5Gd00 sod Goocondoonoos00nG0¢c0 195
Intestines, strangulation of.......... 205
Intestinal canal, parasites infest-
ANG tH ercrtescerctecciecdesosscesses ee ll
Todine, Mérton on..........ss0e000.-2. 105
THRO Nes oro acooau onsoee ee paseo adecoGeG podbee | AU:
do. insect, experiments on.......... 277
K
Kidneys, inflammation of............ 228
Knees) SPUN Ges scesccnescedsecseesnesstOOL
L
Lameness from various causes...... 319
do. navicular......ssseseeseeee 330
do. Yemarks OM.......-se severe 385
Wearninitigessecseeceraes eects releator SOU
Lampas...csesssceeccessencersceecenereeees 160
Laryngitis, suppurative and in-
flamMatOLry ....ceceeceeeee soeers 92
Leblanc, M., on tracheotomy......... 100
Legs, DOWed.....2.20.sess0ceesee eee eve one BOL
Goswiswelledssspecccseesnsetscsiea sels
Tice! on NOTSeS-:.ccscsessseescasseseneny) LOX
776
PAGES |
Limbs) dropsical yes. s essed. scjeences 287
Lithotomy, method of performing... 252
Liver, functional disease of......... Palla
MOCK CAA Wilt sccvesicesiess cotiesciecsieccisney UU,
Lungs, anatomy Of........sc.ce.cecese 90
do: function) ofi22..25..¢sa2cccses 8S
do. inflammation Of.......cesseeee 114
M
Magendie’s experiments on ani-
MAG Aseiveselsietecccacceoscanpocaes 83
Malignant typhus..........sssseesee ore 113
Management of the horse’s foot in
the stables yet cect. eseessee 409
Ma NGO itecesccicacaieacictieccieseaccecesccaes 274
Meningitis, Copeman on...........6. 80
Meteorization of the intestines...... 186
Morton‘on iodine -.;.<. 050... ccee neces 105
N
Navicular lameness...........0.0es0000 330
Navicularthrites..¢:02is2.2.sc¢seesces0 OAL
Nephritess cc iicccoses.sestssansesesecsnss 223
Neurotomy, mode of operating...... 256
Nickin ojRet cu dimccccseacsscsectetiecs sss 262
dod: thestailin vei cnsccccc sem %... 392
Nitrate of potass, its uses............ 335
Nostrils, polypus within........ Bosdedo 101
0 °
Objections to in-and-in breeding
ANISWELEOs seccecisenecciecesscasisiees 314
Cisophagotom].........cccsscseseceserers 255
GHStrUS TEU ss.scceceicsscccesocecesessies 171
(strus, hemorrhoidalis.............0 1738
Opacity of the cornea......... ssseeeeee 44
Operations, surgical............ceceeees 239
Ophthalmianescscersccsssovecruecarsces 46
do. PUEUoM tee casesenceesiese| (OO
do. SPEChiCheceolerscscace ssc. 56
Osteo porosis, known as big head
ANC 1G) AWheseencteceessisesiosne- [O02
Outiof condition sraesctesssscasse sees: 299
1P
Pancreas and its function............ 216
Paraplegia... , 65
Parasites atone: ite iAesunel
GANA orssnesiseteccisens eeesscusn tae
DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PAGES
Patchen colt, laryngitis, case of... 94
Pelvisitractuneotseccsemese ees 376
Penis, eae Of. eres cee 261
Peritonitis . 197
Perioarditis desletoins dewascetscesnisonscseae 123
do. Woodger On.........000e 124
Peritoneum, inflammation of......... 197
Periosteotomy, :...i.uc.a.ceosesriece eee OG
Phlebotomy eee it ea eee eatces 270
Piles, or hemorrhoids.............0000 391
Pleurisy ... talesers 119
do. snd lanopay of the chest,
case of... sen) 1640)
Pleurodynia, painful ‘affection of &
the pleura and muscles of
thel chest: ecucescsssiosslece sees 332
POlceviti cue 299
Pneumonia . a3 cvestece LA:
Polypus within hie noatiitae Soggndoos 101
do.) /\Chabert'on\vssssecsceseeises 102
do. Gohier on...... StbaSscopoedcd --- 108
Prickimg the’ tails ccscscdcessere ese 892
Prolapsus ani (falling of the fun-
CAMENE) 02:0. .ceevessseresssaceses OOM
PLUTICO wassensslosacssovsaeeeaeseosacticsser 291
Pure water needed by horses and
(CEN FF Ras eRe sorooesn dadoca Reoeeass 5 Sis)
+
Purulent ophthalmia.............0... 55
- 4
Quantity of blood in a horse’s body. 402
Quartericrackcecccecceccssecsacs seenete 352
R
Remarks on veterinary science..... 19
Remedy for tape-worm................ 221
Retention of urine€.......scese eee cee eee 229
Rheumatism, acute.......cccccceeeeeee 89D
do. CHLONIC Secescecs Gono0ads 336
Rin g-DOne.....0...cccccessccnssoscsovesees 3837
IRIN G=WOLM |) cccscoavwsanselectieccieosieanees 291
Roarin give costeccstecccsecesitecsesseccsless 100
Rowelling...... 2. cc0.scsasssseselevesesece 266
Rupture of the bladder....... seeebiees . 232
do. of the stomach...... 8600000 5 abrts)
8
Saliva, amount of secretion......... 168
Salivation, spontaneous slavering.. 162
INDEX. 777
PAGES PAGES
SAMGNCEACIC. ccs cons csreiscassnecetacessets Sb2)pMetanus'es-seancaeee SSE a Ae la 70
SOBIDIGS Sacnscas poe 276 | Teeth, age of horse as shown by the 127
Scarlating............scceees 288 | The principles of breeding............ 304
SGUALCHES cre ner ens sucowuesscuepaaeombenes 233) Poroueh=pini.acs eee wee EGOS
Scrofula, its predisposition.......... 24 | Toe sand-crack..cccccescecocee piste sieise 304
Sik; diseases Of... sjccedererooesass ass 278 | Trachealis, cynanche......... esse +s 95
CORY ATUS ONS aire cciacsiooctcw a cajuedsaonee 295 TANGWORTE? RGU Deon
Sli gine wmode Of:.c.cerciesnccceecesiees 242 do. Tapio ON AR ATOO
Spasm of the muscles of the glottis Transfusion of blood...........000eeee 404
and epiglottis..........sssveees 90 | Tumor of the elbow.....s.cssscscsseeeee 821
Spasmodic Colic.............+++e00+00+ 193 | Twitch, use of... NC LPs aR 10)
SPAViN...-sc.0c.-0. aivae Seine cuadicisstpiira ess 370 | Typhus, or cephalad afrantreeiey wpa 110
CUOUMMIDO rhtentinc isis ven vescivaiedaiedeveves's 823 dof malionanticeseee- sees 113
Specific ophthalmia...............0..00. 56 | Tympanitis....... Meare Nueaell Senaerearn, diets)
Spinal hemorrhage... Booe OD)
Spine, disease and curyatare ei . 361 U
Bplemb sees sestvceesiesesidewces eee 378 | Urinary organs, disease of........... 223
Splenic apoplexy... ---- 206)|) Urination, profuse...:..ccss--.--scacace 229
Sprung knees... . 881 | Urine, suppression Of.........s0eseeeee 226
Stables, ie ontanee of Pea etine: 86) |) dos. retention Of: :.ectecccsieses nse 229
Staggers, Coleman on...............006 GC3ilPedos albuminousoce eee So RS
Stifle out, dislocation of the stifle- Cosi bloodivpccescsccevencsitedneee sets 237
OMCs Ra ctite Add sttnccce de stesdet 348 | Use and abuse of the curry-comb.. 397
StOMmAaChicwoOtSeremsescescesseecsseelolnese 164
Stomach ronged:ctcscessti. + soncentes 182 Vv
do. inflammation of............ 178 | Vapor bath........sseccees POC . 114
do. rupture Of.............2.. 178 | Varix, or bog spavin.......sececceeees 823
do. SLASSCTS. 010s seeeeeeveeere eee 62 | Ventilation, importance of........... 86
Stone in the bladder................... 224 liNeRtigon tc. osctiehwawenusonenen.redesent 74
DuLimiodallitiencscecceseieeacseoaiesscsslncicasie 81] Veterinary science, remarks on.... 19
Sts Vailtus}s! dan cekenascccclecdacrecssecese 81 do. science, the relation it
Strangles gdooaadde badd fale lolevelclelcioislelis(eleieleielereis 411 bears to social sci-
do. contagiousness of.......... 413 GINO) caso cccotancossonee HU
Strangulation of the intestines...... 205 do. science, how to inaugu-
Suppurative laryngitis............... 92 Pate eee awe 30
Suppression of Urine...........0.0ee0. 226 do. education, importance
Surgical operations.........ce.ccccs. 239 Of ations koe
SIUERIEN tr osecacnoocooobobeodcs SoDabede00s0000 286
ISKA7@ISID/ococon pnodoo HOON LOGS ObaoaDHBoKoKC C00 824 W
DCH Ce Osteo ccc sclcloseisaciecielessclncnad 287 | Warts on the Skintece.ccccocseceeeeeree 295
Water, necessity of its purity....... 898
T Withers, fistulous........ccsecesereeee vee 295
Tail, anatomy Of........0.0. on1aDdH 0600 . 894 | Woodger on pericarditis.............. 124
Con dockin Guo eeccacscessesccidsccseises EXO. Why @raanchusseusesaeroosdencecsosocéassuouceo, Z4llT/
dos nickinaeess.cscsess Qoodotoosbosneee 392 | Worm within tite eye.. 45
Tape-worm, remedy for............040. 221 | Wounds penetrating the abdominal
Temporary teeth, remarks on........ 128
CAVILY ...cccccescvcssorccceecseccs DUO
778
DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
BOVINE DEPARTMENT.
A PAGES
ADOrtion i COWS...cceccessecorssceeee . 622
Abscess at the angle of the jaw.... 583
After-birth, removal of................ 497
(Am ama xeveristsiseees Me cac Na suse aseotaesiens 648
Aphthe.... scleseocteclesaccnccseen tO
Apoplexy, puimanent eeietees qpdadoadc 453
B
Bile, its secretion and useS.......... 612
Bladder, description of............22.. 580
dover Calculiwithinis. sesco cusses . 534
Black twaternswanusssecsscvess ceases ee 535
Blackie cui iccasscetacslscsisrssccatelseres 648
Od atOn CUES Gee ae esses s 654
TOE eaecanden paociddoon necadd Songdpdceascor 468
BONE CISOLAeT....jcnatselsescereseesveeeses 576
Bones, their mechanism, structure,
and composition..........00++ 580
dose, Wracturevotsinseuveseeme acess 655
do... ulceration: of. ....5..00.02 see ee. 585
Bowels, inflammation of..........0000. 480
COs USPASTAN Olas cecoustecs se aueteiss ces 490
do. constipation of........008. Beisel
Brain, inflammation Of........sscesees 600
IBLONCHILIS Ase seotssnsicent ee sccsanastetslsescs 442
Bronchial tubes, description of...... 442
Bronchocele.......6 Badanooe BPA ae 659
C
Cachexia ossafragia (the cripple).. 568
Calculi in the bladder................. 584
Calves, diarrhea in.........sescessee ove 658
Cancer of the eye.............sscesseees 560
Caries, or ulceration of bones....... 585
Castration...........cccsscecsceressr enters 631
Catarrh, COMMON...........+6060. 447
do. CPI ZOGLIC o2.!..eccecceeeseceses 449
Cattle, dentition of..... vee 475
do. plague, remarks on........... 668
do. do. in Kentucky....... mass
Cerebral parasites... : 601
Chapped teats and chafed ails, . 520
Cheap fodder for COWS.......+.1. eee 00 648
Chronic diarrhea... 484
Cleansing, or ea of the ee
birth... Deleatnrchde dina ay!” Bel
PAGES
Coats of the eye.....ccccceees Abaagadced 554
Colic, flatulent.. Bhectocbocd ie sel’)
Constipation of ine bowels baba adion 491
Constriction: at the neck of the
ALLETUS AU. ueuchbeltone ace ceeeclacnees 503
Consumption iccceetecceseeoreseeee +00.
Contagious pleuro-pneumonia...... 419
Cords in young CalveS...........ss008 644
Cows, Abortion iN.....ceceeecseeeese vee O22
do. spaying ofr cteiut. cece ese OO
Cracksinthetheelgnr.cccseasssiccesaciese 629
Croup ss either ASO
Cud, Moss io seeieetecssoneeseesssess . 478
D
Dentition of cattle........0.....ceccses 475
do. SYNOPSIS :.c css ee cooeseeleccede Lu
Description of the larynx............ 441
do. of bronchial tubes...... 442
do. of the pharynx......... . 453
do. of the pleura............ 455
do. of cesophaguS............ 457
do. of the stomach........... 465
do. of the urinary sys-
TOM suc casensceceiecs 529
do. of the hearticc ic. ce.0. 540
do. ofsthekevieknsaescssecesacte 533
do. of, the! livers ieee ies. 611
Dilatation of the heart...........0... 544
do. of the jaw-bones......... 581
Diarrhea enccacescerslerelacaccctaeieesctaes 483
dosichromiGesccscesesaecenesscsee 484
Ov) PAIN CalVieSivectsscisestastsieotaststats
Diseases of the generative organs...
do. of the eye and its mem-
branes seh Vesa eea ae 553
do. of the bomesS........0 02. e000 568
dole of therbrainseccceeueesesse 600
dosirot theiliviersstetsecssesceseecs 611
dow ofthe skim oienvesteecsencees 620
do. of the udder, teats, etc.... 517
do. of the urinary organs...... 529
Diseased thymus gland.............. 643
Disorder jot) Home sess clei esicesnse 576
Distension of the rumen with food.
Dropsy of the WOMD..... eccceeeee sevves
INDEX. U719;
E PAGES PAGES
HHUDDINV OLOMIYE-- 0.0002 ssaieseesioatssa canoes) OOS) HOrn-ailis.. shite ss sees ee 588
HMGOCAT AILS cesncsccceisscreeceecsses 551 | Hoose, or common catarrh............ 447
PPLALCUAb Ste sctocseess occ: esceseeescoess 480) Elo ments... scuasse een na ba, 468
Enzoétic milk-sickness, or trem- Humor, of the ey.e:ssssssceereeesnee eee OS
WIGS codasdaaescosdsebes bbacdegoace GSbs Ey da tide wecec: aid eenae ee dees 614
Epizoétic catarrh..... seeeee ecdonieas At OF Ey cirophobiaycecrcaee teats een GOI
do. Blithe yes cescinesicccieseees 464
Eruption, vesicular..............00es. 628 I
Exanthemata, or eruptive fever... 620 | Improved method of milking........ 642
Exostosis .......- Storsieoinomieiasseaeauisiseee 584 do. method of spaying........ 666
IBVGMICAU COI Olivas necrcssicicnsiseesesieces 561 | Inflammation of the lungs............ 443
COMB COBES Ofer crconsessseeescicimuscscl 554 do. gastro-intestinal...... 472
COMACISCASES Oli. <...aceicesasneceseis 553 do. of the bowels......... 480
do. foreign bodies in............... 559 do. Ofjtheleyen aaa 558
GOMMMUMIONS Ofsrrccsiccisiene sscisnccecioees 553 do. of the brain and its
do. inflammation of.................. 558 membranes.......e- 600
GONMMUSCHESTOR ei cerecccccerosiceacces 555 do. of the liver............. 613
do. of the udder.,......... 517
F Inflammatory affection of the hind
Falling Of the Womb). ciccecscenses.- OLS limbs after calv-
Heer puerperdllevcccscsiccccesiccseoes 507 Iniprhs Seees ethan Seales 527
COME MUP Ul m re suseciseclisetcielescleres 620 do. affection of the kid-
Flatulent GalliGossgcouaseusccesoeaaaneds 489 WEY Si irencde ees 533
Food, ingestion Ole eevehausenes seins 466 | Internal ruptures IN OXe€Ne sea 483)
Foreign bodies in the gullet....... 457 | Invagination of intestines............ 481
Foul in the foot.........00.0 623 | Inversion of the vagina............... 521
Fractured bones...... 960900008060 0000 655
i J
G San dicey Ac vahte ome coat eee eee 617
Gate Ste secitscaicissjsiciesiestaciem se sesiessece 625 | Jaw-bones, dilatation Of...........+ 0+. 581
Gastro-intestinal inflammation...... 472 | Jaw, abscess at its angle............. 583
Generative organs, diseases of...... 5038
Gullet, foreign bodies in............ 457 K
Gitebie nse cca cieensecicctisesensoss 6605000 485 | Kentucky, cattle plague in.......... 438
= Kidneys, inflammation of............ 5383
FT comM ALUN aes jo sece sels oesioeesclecaieisi> 531 L
Hair of cattle as an epidemic ap- Labor, Signs Of......0.-sssessseees snoonsej 402
| PENdAgE .. eseeeeee severe 627 Clompesinait ura les scssplaccisseecieise sectors 492
Heart, description of................. 540 do. unnatural.........5...0s.--.0000- 493
do. - its function and diseases.... 543 | Laceration of the vagina............. 522
dow dilatation: Of.-cccnccsmeescese 544 ~ do of the cesophagus........ 459
do. hypertrophy of........ seeeeee 5B0 | Laryngitis ........cceeccecccesse cones cee 439
Heels Wenacks) iM csnsdeensersesiaccess 629 | Larynx, description of..............++ 441
Hemorrhage, uterine............ 500 | Light in barns, necessity of......... 657
Hernia, or ruptures........0c.ceeeeeee 562 | Liver, description Of.............++++0 611
do. inguinal............s0-. 563| do. inflammation Of.,...........2+ 613
do. strangulated .................. 563 | Loss of CUd..... sess Madeneaseiiescoeciys 478
do. ventralu......csseecseeeeseeeeeee 564] Lungs, inflammation of............... 4438
780
M PAGES
MaMMILES si ereccrsccsesiacisssccsccnceseus 517
Mange jin cs sc scse 623
Milking, impr a ined: of. sone 642
Milk sickness.. 635
Muscles of en eye al Gast . 655
N
Natural 1abOre i cccctccsessccsessscines ses 402
O
(isophagus, description of............ 457
do. laceration Of............» 459
(sophagotomy, operation of......... 458
QOphithallm iar c.cseseeceutetstrcces 558
Origin of pleuro-pneumonia in
Massachusetts.......sceccsecsee 419
Oxen, internal ruptures in........... 488
FP,
PalsycShakinor.ccccsccssssecajecsesesas 606
Parasites: (cerebralessscscvcccucssssaces 601
IP AT CULULL OMG ase cieestacwletcdcscnes ccccesets 492
Pemphigus, or vesicular eruption.. 628
Bericarditisy.c:ccdecseesecteeneecleoseesiee 545
Pericardium and its diseases........ 545
Pharyngitis, or sore throat........... 452
Pharynx, description) Of.....00s.+.++- 453
PIM Me, (CAttlelses csecccieeseccineeesiccse em
Pleura, description 0f....:..:.:-. +00. 455
PICULIS,<.ccs2etawser secsocoe st ecaeouerees 455
Pleuro-pneumonia, contagious...... 419
do. its introduction
into South
INFTIGAteesetes 427
PNUMONIA.ctecccccteceesec eeesennacoees 443
Pregnancy, treatment of cows dur-
AND smeleesc . 504
do. noe on 506
Pierpenalteverienccrqccsciscerseccescees 507
Pulmonary apoplexy .....ccsseceeseees 453
R
Red waterizcicesctwenscessleccciersaceeees. 536
RIM Merpest:c.ssscsccieceseslecseseleselecsiece 419
Rumen, distension of with food.... 471
Rumination, or remastication....... 466
do. Suspension Of.....e..0- . 478
DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
8 PAGES
Secretion of ile, bits uses, ete....... 612
Shaking palsy .s:s.cccsccscecssciwsceces . 606
Signs: of labor.::4.. csc ssceoessseeemecsssnaoe
Hore throab.seccc see steacaccteccteccoreenees 452
Spasm of the bowels........secss-. 490
Spaying cows....... sat oceaerspinssaciecaess 661
do. improved method........... 666
Specific or periodic ophthalmia...... 559
Sprains Or Stralns-......50..e.ccseeces. 659
Steamed and cooked food for
StOCKsrcercsesecansnceceecieence 645
Stomach, description of............... 465
Stricture in cows’ teats...........0.0 519
Sturdy, or cerebral parasites........ 601
Sympathy and its relations.......... 585
Symptoms of pregnancy.......s.c0e.0 506
Synopsis of dentition...........c.s066 477
Suspended rumination.............00. 478
T
Tail-ail ......... secdeslsesecceusiecctosseees 597
Teats, Strictre ins. .cc.cccc-ssee-seeseOLLO
do! Jobstruction ines). cecessss Ol
Go!’ “tUMOrSins.. crocesweceetecens-eeOLU
do) li jUrlesitosc..c..csconeseeeccces 520
GOs) MBOLET Cec neescisoseeteececoncee ees 520
do. pate . 520
Throat, sore.. 452
Thrush, or sore acne 464
Thymus gland, disease oon Sa0056 000000 643
Mon'oue, lack. .ccecsesceessorceeeseons 654
Treatment of cows during preg-
THAT CY ercvcemets cece screnccmmencee 504
Tremblesitos.ceancsesecsceecsseshoreedeen 635
Triplets, birth Of<.occmescesssseceneccors 500
My MpPaNitis ecocneccesosaessescecceteecies 468
Twins, birth of..........0. Basgoasodoeocd 500
U
Udder, inflammation of............0 517
Unnatural laborsccencsscccsose Boonicaoc 493
Ureters ee eccste sletosee soecloetecseneetace 530
Urinary, calculi... .cs.-sseesessoeseees 534
do. organs, diseases of......... 529
do. system, description of...... 529
Uterine hemorrhage.............0se00 500
Uterus, constriction Of........... we 508
INDEX 781
V PAGES PAGES
Vagina, inversion of............s0000 Oa Womb: fallinovofenccscssccssceceseess Ole
CLOMmeLACeTAtIONU Of tcesieccseeiece|- oO 22
Y
W Vellowsy ormjaundice.t ec. asccesse sis 617
ifort isiapecieeacsonsciscsecceraessiensieeseeciaren OO ||), VOKe-ralll syvadecarestencceinccoenerseontte O20
Womb, dropsy Of.....ccccccecsccvecsssee OUG
SHEEP AND SWINE.
A PAGES
Arnica, fluid extract of............+.. 748
Aconite, do. 0. ——ssessseseseoeee 754
B
Bakewell on sheep........ 50000000 goog (UY
Bayberry, fluid extract of............ 751
Belly, windy distention of, in sheep 716
Blankets for Sheep........cssscecseeses 711
Black snakeroot, fluid extract of... 749
Black pepper, Gh, GCs cgcage0¢ 752
Bloodroot, COMO Onn ecesccss 752
Bowels, constipation of, in sheep... 716
Breeding of Sheep...cecessesee cveeeece 707
Buchu, fluid extract of................ 749
C
Catarrh, in Sheep......0...eeesceeeeers 715
Chamomile, fluid extract of.......... 748
Cholera Olea sesceiiaescciasessiescsss\s+° 725
do. do. Sutton oM.........0c0008 727
do. do. Dadd’s remedy for.... 735
Colchicum, fluid extract of........... 750
Constipation of bowels in sheep... 716
Cubebs, fluid extract of............... 752
Wulverisroot a GOs lcecwcclansscnes 751
D
Dadd’s remedy for hog cholera...... 735
Diagnosis, guide t0.........2ssseeeeees 755
do. Equine Department...... 756
do. Bovine | "dos eee... 762
Diarrhea in sheep....... sopaodocecas0on 716
Diseases of sheep....... Aesctstioteeders 706
do. Of SWIME...........s2cereeeeee 717
Dysentery in sheep..........++++ cocoon aK)
E PAGES
Effects of impure air on swine...... (A)
Extracts, fluid, list of.............0.0«6 747
Eye, inflammation of, in sheep...... 714
F
Foot-rot in sheep....... poddadeNa9000 coco a
HiME xtractswlistiOLseste<csnceccecriers 747
G
Giddiness in Sheep.......ccccsseeee vee 711
753
750
718
Ginger, fluid extract Of........c00000
Golden seal doy 7) ence csecnarces
Grubs in the nostrils of sheep......
Guide to diagnosis........c0seeesses.. 100
H
Hemorrhage, remedy for............++ 754
Hernia, or rupture, of swine......... 723
1BIGy2>: CINVOIIESFE 5c. 906000000 000. 000600 006000000 725
Hops, fluid extract of.........ceesss-0- 750
Hyposulphite of soda... 754
I
Impure air, effects of on swine......
Indian hemp, fluid extract of........
719
749
Inflammation of lungs in swine... 724
Inflammation of the eye in sheep.. 714 -
do. of lungs do. .. 715
Intestinal worms in swine........... 724
J
Jackets for Sheep......ccccsessseeeeeeee CAL
L
Labor, tedious, remedy for........... 758
Liver of sheep, hydatids in.......... 709
782
DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
PAGES
Sheep, diseases Of.....ssssscssssssss ee 706
do... improvement. Of...........0+ 00 706
do. Bakewell’s manner of
DTCCMIN Per vcrsccsccotesesessseces 707
Soda, hyposulphite of..........csecc eee 754
Sutton on hog cholera........ Gocaboode 127
Swine, CISseases Of.....\.-:ces.cecccecees Tad
do. effects of impure air on...... 719
T
Tedious labor, remedy for,..... +000 753
TicksimjSheeps.scscsensecicorascrscscoses 714
Trichinaspiralisicsst..csieseecsses oo lOO
do. do. Brown oN.......0066 743
Tympanites in Sheep.....ccccccceecese 716
Vi
Valerian, fluid extract of........... 753
Vierligolin Sheep. .-.cececedeeeecsessere 711
W
Witch-hazel, fluid extract of........ “750
WiormiSin (SWINC.s.....seecesscor accuses 724
Wormwood, fluid extract of......... 748
Wounds, remedy for..........seeceseees 753
Y
Yellows in sheep.........cccccccsesseces 710
Yellow jessamine, fluid extract of.. 750
s
PAGES
Liver of sheep, disease of............ 710
Lobelia, fluid extract of............00 751
Lungs of sheep, inflammation of... 715
do of swine, do. . 124
M
Male fern, fluid extract of........ +0 748
Matico, do. Closiiiniatsess scree 752
Mandrake, do. COP aiyersccsnoees 752
Measles; insporkercssctsctssacsssccesene 721
N
Nostrils of sheep, gubs in........00 718
P
Pleurisy root, fluid extract of....... 748
Pneumonia in SWIDE...........00000 000 724
Poke-root, fluid extract of........000 751
Poppy-heads, do. do. .......0.. 751
Pork, measles)ini.csd.cassscsscosesgsece 721
Prince’s pine, fluid extract of....... 749
Q
Quinsy tin SWine. 2. cit <c..scssecssesece 723
R
Roti inyisheepiscscscvscosausevesiecssetse . 709
Rupture of SWine.........cscscosseeses 723
8
Sassafras, fluid extract of........ seco
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£300
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