INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS is the disorder which attacks and proves fatal to so many of our young horses on their first entrance into the stable. The various changes to which they are subjected, all, more or less, appear to conduce to it; but none in so great a degree probably as the change from a situation abounding with cold and pure air, to one whose atmosphere is confined, heated, and loaded with impurities. No animal seeks the open air to breathe more than the horse: he shows this dispo sition in health; he evinces a strung indication for it in disease; and, generally speaking, the more we gratify this natural propensity, the less subject shall we render him to disorders of all kinds, but particularly to the one now under consideration.
The characteristic symptom of this malady, that by which above all others it is known, is the short, quick, and painful respiration manifested to us by the heaving of the flanks and the working and puff ing of the nostrils: the pulse also runs high; but very frequently is not so quick as the breathing. The animal's countenance betrays inward pain: he casts an impressive look round to his panting flank. His legs and cars are icy cold. His mouth is dry, even parched. He never is found lying, not even at night; but stands with his fore legs stretched out and apart, une from the other. Should the pulse and breathing run immoderately high, the mouth feel cold and clammy, and a cold sweat appear over the body, we may prepare ourselves for a fatal issue.
The treatment of this disease consists principally in the judicious use of the phleme: all other reme dies are of secondary import. In general, the first blood-letting should be such as to have a percepti ble effect on the pulse: it is impossible to say pre cisely what quantity it may be requisite to draw to do this; that will so much depend on the size, age, condition, and constitution of the patient. Having bled the animal, clothe him very warmly, flannel bandage his legs, turn him loose into a box which has openings giving free access to the external air, and administer to him half a dram of the powdered root of white hellebore, the like quantity of aloes, two drams of emetic antimony, and hall' an ounce of .aromatic confection. In six or eight hours, should the symptoms continue unabated, bleed him again; at all events give him another ball, which is to be repeated; providing he shows no disposition to nausea or purging, every six hours. As soon as an impression on the violence of the symptoms has been made by bleeding, blisten both sides, and in sert a rowel in the chest. During convalescence, it
is proper to exhibit every other day a ball com posed of nitre and soft soap, to prevent any accu mulation of water within the chest, which is the most common fatal termination of the disease.
Broken Trind.
In contra-distinction to a roarer, a broken-winded horse is called a piper, in our vulgar horse cant. The subject of it is much sooner detected than the roarer; it being a disorder of much more general concern, and one that the animal manifests at all times, in a state of rest as well as action; in fact, there is no common dealer nor groom who is not well acquainted with its signs, and the injurious consequences resulting from it. Two denotations especially guide us in discovering it:—a peculiarly disordered breathing, and the particularity of the cough which accompanies it. Expiration becomes comparatively long, protracted, and difficult; inspi ration altogether as short, sudden, and free: this is shown by the flanks very gradually and slowly con tracting until they have drawn themselves up to their utmost, and then all on a sudden expanding and resuming their original fulness. The cough, which is only occasional, and most so under exer tion, is so peculiar in its sound that, once heard, it can hardly ever be mistaken: it is short and feeble, scarcely audible at any distance; it appears as if it came from the very verge of the summit of the windpipe, or as if it had been chopped of in its passage.
The pathological nature of this disease appears to be still undetermined. The prevalent opinion seems to be, that it consists in a rupture of the air cells of the lungs: this theory, however, is not free from objections; for it is said, that there exists rup ture, occasionally, without broken wind, and again, broken wind without rupture: and if it were rup ture, why should not some cases recover? which, it is well known, none ever do.
As to remedy, we possess none: it is an irreme diable disease. From a habit which broken-winded horses have of often breaking wind, the old farriers conceived that the difficulty might be removed by making what is called an artificial anus: it is need less to add, that the expedient proved as effectless as it was absurd, cruel, and disgusting.
Diseases of the Organs of Nutrition.
The organs of nutrition comprise the mouth, the gullet, the stomach and intestines, and the liver; the milt and sweet-bread also rank among them, but they are very rarely found diseased.