INFLAMMATION OF THE INTESTINES Olt BOWELS...— Many of the symptoms indicative of this affection equally denote the presence of colic; in fact, they may be called signs of almost any acute pains in the belly, rather than be said to belong to any one particular disorder; such are the pawing, the con tinual lying down and rising, the looking back at the flank, &c. But inflammation of the bowels is frequently ushered in, and always accompanied by fever; whereas, of colic, fever is neither a precur sor nor a natural concomitant: there is no fluctu ation of pulse in inflammation; it is from the begin ning, and continues, exceeding quick and firm in its beat. The surest diagnostic, however, between these maladies, is, that the one is made up of fits of pain and intermissions of ease; whereas, the other consists of one continued attack. Cold has been called much into question as an agent actively concerned in the production of this disorder: hut I verily believe myself upon no better than analogical grounds. People are far too apt to run away with the idea, that what is injurious to themselves must prove so to their horses; than which nothing turns out to be more fallacious. I believe the ordinary excitants of the disease to be—excessive and long continued exertion, high and irregular feeding, ob structions and stimulants of various kinds within the bowels. Inflammation of the lungs, although a rapid disease, is not one which runs its course or dinarily with near the same celerity that the one under our consideration does: it frequently happens that a few hours place the patient out of the reach of remedy; it therefore becomes our special duty in these cases to determine at once on efficacious mea sures, and to put our determinations with all pos sible promptitude into execution. Two gallons of blood, nay more, (providing the animal's strength will hear it,) are to be drawn immediately in a full copious stream from the jugular. One ounce and a
half of Barbadoes aloes is to be dissolved in a pint of boiling water, the solution strained and after wards mixed with an equal quantity of water gruel: or, instead of it, a pint and a half of castor oil: ei ther of these, as a drink, is to be given immedi ately after the bleeding. The next thing required to be done, is to remove all the dung within the reach of the arm from the posteriors, and to follow this raking operation up with the injection of glys ters, consisting of two or three gallons of salt and soap water, medicated with a solution of aloes. Fomentations to the belly, as hot as they can be applied, should be had recourse to; which we are to succeed by the application of the strongest blister ing ointment to the entire abdominal surface: some prefer the mustard poultice, others use equal parts of an infusion of cantharides and oil of turpentine. It has been a practice to fire the belly with a broad flat-iron heated; and when the symptoms are dan gerously urgent, and other means of exciting coun ter-irritation have failed, there appears no objection to it. A repetition of these remedies must be prac tised at short intervals, providing the symptoms indicate the same unabated violent pains; the blced ing in particular must be carried as far as the ani mal's strength will allow. What we have to dread, is mortification of the guts—a state that must be followed by death. In regard to regimen, the horse will eat nothing during the pain; what he eats at other times should be exclusively soft meat; he ought to be warmly clothed—the skin cannot be kept too warm: his legs should he bandaged with flannel; and a box in which he can turn loose, is the best situation for him.