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[Illustration: THE ACUTE STAGE OF MEGRIMS. See page 25.]
THE
ILLUSTRATED
HORSE DOCTOR
BEING
AN ACCURATE AND DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS DISEASES
TO WHICH THE EQUINE RACE ARE SUBJECTED
TOGETHER
WITH THE LATEST MODE OF TREATMENT, AND
ALL THE REQUISITE PRESCRIPTIONS.
WRITTEN IN PLAIN ENGLISH.
ACCOMPANIED BY
More than Four Hundred Pictorial Representations.
BY
EDWARD MAYHEW, M.R.C.V.S.
AUTHOR OF "THE HORSE'S MOUTH;" "DOGS: THEIR MANAGEMENT;"
EDITOR OF "BLAIN'S VETERINARY ART," ETC. ETC.
PHILADELPHIA:
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
1862.
To
Sir Benjamin Brodie, Baronet,
AS A
TESTIMONY OF THE BENEVOLENCE AND SKILL
WHICH
RESCUED THE AUTHOR FROM IMPENDING DEATH,
This Book is Dedicated,
BY
HIS MOST HUMBLE SERVANT,
EDWARD MAYHEW.
ADVERTISEMENT.
The publishers of the present work have long been impressed with the
idea that a new book upon the Diseases of the Horse, written in simple
language, and specially designed as a guide for non-professional readers,
had grown to be a public necessity. While waiting for an opportunity
to carry this notion into effect, they were fortunate enough to become
acquainted with a gentleman whose proficiency in veterinary science is
undisputed. To that individual the present work was intrusted; and it was
nearly completed when the publishers heard with surprise that Mr. Mayhew
employed the pencil in a manner only secondary to his use of the pen.
Acting on this information, the publishers were induced to persuade the
author to illustrate his text by drawings descriptive of the various
stages and aspects of disease. The addition of above four hundred
wood engravings has, of course, materially increased the expense of
publication. A heavy outlay has been incurred, while, at the same time,
the spirit of the age is decidedly against paying a large sum for any
work of general information. These circumstances render the present
volume doubly hazardous. However, it is confidently hoped that, when the
accuracy of the illustrations and the perspicuity of the letter-press are
appreciated, a large sale will more than recompense any amount of outlay.
PREFACE.
When laying the present volume before the public, the author cannot but
feel he addresses two very opposite parties: one, and by far the larger
portion of society, views the subject of which this book pretends to
treat simply as a working machine, and regards all those who speak of
the creature as endowed with intelligence or possessed of sensibility
as fanciful sentimentalists checked by no limit to assertion. The other
class--a small, but a highly-educated and an influential section of the
public--sees the matter in a very contrary light. In their ideas, the
equine race, though endowed with voice, is not entirely without reason,
but possessed of the keenest feelings and capable of the tenderest
emotions.
The last party, however, expect so little from living writers that
probably they will be pleased with opinions which they may hail as an
advance toward the truth. The first order of readers, however, the author
cannot think to propitiate. Before the opening article is perused, one of
these gentlemen will probably fling the volume aside with a sneer, and
exclaim--
"Why, what would this fellow have? Does he desire we should build
hospitals for horses?"
To the uninformed mind such a question will suggest a preposterous image.
But, when calmly considered, a hospital is perceived to be nothing more
than a place where disease in the aggregate is cheaply treated, and the
trouble or the expense of individual remedies thereby is prevented. A
hospital for horses, sanctioned by government, and honored with the
highest patronage, does even now exist in the Royal Veterinary College
of Camden Town. Such a foundation, therefore, would prove no positive
novelty; but were such institutions more general, a necessity now
universally felt would be supplied, while the duty incumbent on mankind
to conserve the lives of beings intrusted to their care would, in such
structures, be gracefully acknowledged and openly enforced.
No man possessing a horse is willing the animal should perish. His
interest clearly is in the prolongation of its life; and he would gladly
part with some money rather than be reduced to the ownership of a carcass.
That, however, which he wishes to have accomplished he desires should be
performed cheaply. Hospitals--supposing such places existed, and were
of different grades or of different scales of charges--would afford the
best prospect of relief at the smallest remunerative cost. Still, any
application to such establishments must of necessity prove a tax, the only
known preventive against the visitation of which would be the exercise of
a little humanity.
A very slight expenditure of the last-named quality would save the equine
race from a long list of ills which now are consequent upon mortal
ignorance or upon human brutality. It is painful to reflect how many of
those affections spoken of as equine disorders might be cheaply eradicated
by the more reasonable treatment of the animal which man proverbially
esteems to be his most hazardous property.
Cruelty is a very extravagant indulgence. There are now living persons who
merely treat their horses according to the dictates of reason, and whose
stables are graced by working lives of an extreme age. When he last walked
through the Royal Mews, the author was much gratified to behold several
fine animals, in the full enjoyment of strength and of vigor, which had
more than attained their twentieth year.
It might prove nationally remunerative if all of her Britannic Majesty's
subjects would permit the creatures over which they exercise legal
ownership to live and to labor for their natural terms of existence.
However, during the glorious days of post chaises, the horses for these
vehicles generally cost £30, while, as an average, they existed upon the
road only two years.
What a sacrifice of life and of money! Each horse cost the postmaster £15
yearly; while the animals working for the queen, and drawing carriages
not conspicuous for lightness, if bought originally for a like sum, would
not cost more than £1 per annum. The contrast is certainly startling. But
to perfect it, there remain to picture the sorry jade which was formerly
harnessed to the public chaise, and the stately creature which, in all the
delight of beauty, accompanies Royalty to the Parliament House.
But there are other items to be considered before the opposite accounts
can be fairly placed one against the other. A post-house generally was a
pest-house. The miserable inhabitants of such a building did not suddenly
die off, but, like other things, horses rocked to and fro before they
fell. The closing scene of life was heralded by many fits of sickness,
each of which was of varying duration. Were we to reckon the money which
loss of services abstracted, the extra cost of those attentions which are
imperative when health is failing, and the hard cash paid for veterinary
assistance, very probably a far wider distance than at first glance is
apparent would divide the Royal Mews from the sheds which used to form a
part of every large roadside hotel.
In the writer's conviction, humanity toward animals should be more
commonly practiced--if not from any higher motive, because it is certainly
the truest economy. To make this fact plain is the intention of the
present publication. To prove that horses are gifted with something beyond
the mere sensation which is common to all moving things is the object of
the present work. To convince the public, by appealing to the eye and to
the understanding through the means of engravings and of letter-press,
that the equine race inherit higher feelings than the vast majority of
mankind are prepared to admit, is the purpose of the book now in the
hands of the reader. To demonstrate how closely nature has associated man
and horse in their liabilities and in their diseases--to induce men, by
informing their sympathies, to treat more tenderly the timid life which is
disposed to serve and is also willing to love them--is the highest reward
the author of the following pages can picture to himself.
When making the foregoing acknowledgments, the author does not affect to
disdain that recompense which is the due of every person who labors in
any arduous pursuit. This, of course, he accepts. Though it did not enter
into his thoughts when contemplating the composition of the present book,
it nevertheless may have stimulated his exertions to perfect it. But, in
addition to any weight that can be attached to such a motive, he desired
to compose a work which should render the gentleman who had consulted it
independent of his groom's dictation; which should enable any person who
had read it capable of talking to a veterinary surgeon without displaying
either total ignorance or pitiable prejudice; which, in cases of
emergency, might direct the uninitiated in the primary measures necessary
to arrest the progress of disease; and which, when professional assistance
could not be obtained, might even instruct the novice how to treat equine
disorders in such a manner as would afford a reasonable prospect of
success.
When the regular diet and simple lives of most horses are regarded, the
latter expectations certainly do not seem beyond the reach of human
ambition. Cleanly and simple remedies alone are required; and these
gentlemen of the highest rank may, without fear of taint or of ridicule,
condescend to prescribe. To secure such an end, the present book has
been written in plain language. The author has endeavored to eschew
hieroglyphics and to avoid technicalities. The meaning has shaped the
terms employed, and all the graces of style have been intentionally
discarded.
In conclusion, the author has to thank the publishers for the very
handsome shape in which they have been pleased to embody his efforts;
likewise he has to acknowledge an obligation to the skill and the ability
with which the Messrs. Dalziel have seconded his endeavors.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
The Brain and Nervous System--Their Accidents and their Diseases.
Phrenitis--Abscess within the Brain 19
Staggers--Sleepy Staggers and Mad Staggers 20
Megrims 24
Hydrophobia 27
Tetanus 28
Stringhalt 33
Partial Paralysis 36
Gutta Serena 38
CHAPTER II.
The Eyes--Their Accidents and their Diseases.
Simple Ophthalmia 42
Specific Ophthalmia 46
Cataract 54
Fungoid Tumors within the Substance of the Eye 57
Lacerated Eyelid 60
Impediment in the Lachrymal Duct 61
CHAPTER III.
The Mouth--Its Accidents and its Diseases.
Excoriated Angles of the Mouth 64
Parrot Mouth 66
Lampas 67
Injuries to the Jaw 69
Aphtha 73
Lacerated Tongue 74
Teeth 78
Scald Mouth 82
CHAPTER IV.
The Nostrils--Their Accidents and their Diseases.
Cold 84
Nasal Polypus 88
Nasal Gleet 91
Highblowing and Wheezing 94
CHAPTER V.
The Throat--Its Accidents and its Diseases.
Sore Throat 96
Cough 99
Laryngitis 101
Roaring 106
Choking 110
Rupture and Stricture of the Œsophagus 115
Bronchocele 119
CHAPTER VI.
The Chest and its Contents--Their Accidents and their Diseases.
Congestion in the Field 121
Congestion in the Stable 123
Bronchitis, or Inflammation of the Air-passages 125
Pneumonia, or Inflammation of the Lungs 130
Pleurisy 136
Hydrothorax 139
Disease of the Heart 143
CHAPTER VII.
The Stomach, Liver, etc.--Their Accidents and their Diseases.
Spasm of the Diaphragm 145
Acute Gastritis 147
Chronic Gastritis 150
Bots 152
Chronic Hepatitis 158
Crib-biting 162
CHAPTER VIII.
The Abdomen--Its Accidents and its Diseases.
Enteritis 165
Acute Dysentery 172
Chronic Dysentery 175
Acites, or Dropsy of the Abdomen 178
Influenza 181
Abdominal Injuries 184
Worms 190
Spasmodic Colic; Fret; Gripes 194
Windy Colic 199
CHAPTER IX.
The Urinary Organs--Their Accidents and their Diseases.
Nephritis, or Inflammation of the Kidneys 204
Cystitis, or Inflammation of the Bladder 209
Spasm of the Urethra 212
Calculi 213
Hematuria, or Bloody Urine 215
Diabetes Insipidus, or Profuse Staling 217
Albuminous Urine 218
CHAPTER X.
The Skin--Its Accidents and its Diseases.
Mange 220
Prurigo 226
Ring-worm 227
Surfeit 229
Hide-bound 231
Lice 232
Larva in the Skin 233
Warts 235
Tumors 237
Swollen Legs 239
Sitfast 240
Grease 242
Mallenders and Sallenders 249
Cracked Heels 250
CHAPTER XI.
Specific Diseases--Their Varieties and their Treatment.
Broken Wind 254
Melanosis 259
Water Farcy 262
Purpura Hemorrhagica 265
Strangles 267
Glanders 274
Farcy 282
CHAPTER XII.
Limbs--Their Accidents and their Diseases.
Osseous Deposits--Spavin 286
Splint 294
Ring-bone 298
Strain of the Flexor Tendon 300
Clap of the Back Sinews 302
Sprain of the Back Sinews 303
Breaking Down 304
Curb 306
Occult Spavin 308
Rheumatism 312
Wind-galls 315
Bog Spavin 318
Thorough-pin 319
Capped Knee 321
Capped Hock 321
Capped Elbow 324
Luxation of the Patella 325
Blood Spavin 328
CHAPTER XIII.
The Feet--Their Accidents and their Diseases.
Lameness 330
Pumice Foot 339
Sandcrack 342
False Quarter 345
Seedy Toe 346
Tread and Overreach 348
Corns 349
Quittor 354
Canker 358
Thrush 363
Ossified Cartilages 366
Acute Laminitis, or Fever in the Feet 367
Subacute Laminitis 375
Navicular Disease 377
CHAPTER XIV.
Injuries--Their Nature and their Treatment.
Poll Evil 388
Fistulous Withers 391
Fistulous Parotid Duct 394
Phlebitis, or Inflammation of the Vein 398
Broken Knees 404
Open Synovial Cavities 412
Open Synovial Joints 418
Wounds 423
CHAPTER XV.
Operations.
Operations 434
Tracheotomy 443
Periosteotomy 449
Neurotomy 451
Division of the Tendons 457
Quittor 462
THE
ILLUSTRATED HORSE DOCTOR.
CHAPTER I.
THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM--THEIR ACCIDENTS AND THEIR DISEASES.
PHRENITIS.
[Illustration: A HORSE MAD, OR WITH INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN.]
=Phrenitis= implies inflammation of the brain. Madness and extreme
violence are the consequences. The animal, in this condition, disregards
all recognitions, and, apparently, loses all timidity. It suffers the
greatest agony, and no terror can appal it. It would rejoice, could it
anticipate the effects, if the mouth of a loaded cannon were pointed
toward itself, and would look for relief when the portfire descended upon
the touch-hole. Every movement seems designed to end its own existence;
but the furor has no malice in it. The creature strives only to injure
himself. It may in its efforts shatter and demolish the structures which
surround it; but it does so without intention. That is merely the result
of its being carried away beyond the things of this world by a mighty
anguish. It desires harm to no one; but it cannot remain quiescent, and
endure the torment which rages within its skull.
When this stage of the malady appears, the best thing is to anticipate the
evident wish of the animal. The teaching of schools, which instructs young
men to meddle with the strength of an infuriated horse, is mere prattle.
However, if the disease, as it seldom happens, is perceived approaching,
something may be attempted. Before the violence commences, the horse is
generally dull. It does not obey the rein or answer to the lash. It is
heavy beyond man's control. It snores as it breathes. The lids drop; the
head sinks; the body is cold; the membrane of the nose is leaden in color;
and, from being the obedient, watchful, and willing slave, its entire
nature appears to have changed. It does not attend to the goad, and the
voice of the driver may bawl in the harshest key, but the sound which used
to excite seems unheard and is unheeded.
The remedy for the earlier stage is copious blood-letting. Open both
jugulars and allow the current to flow till the countenance brightens or
the animal sinks. Bleed again and again, if necessary. Give purgatives
of double strength, and repeat them every three hours, till the bowels
are copiously relieved or the pulse changes, or the general appearance
indicates improvement. Afterward, administer sedatives, always as
infusions. A scruple of tobacco, half a drachm of aconite root, or a
drachm of digitalis should have a pint of hot water poured upon it. When
the liquid is nearly cold, it should be strained, and the dose may be
repeated every half hour, until its operation is witnessed in the more
quiet behavior of the animal.
In the generality of cases, however, no opportunity for such treatment is
presented. The disease is most common in the agricultural districts, and
is usually seen where carters indulge their passion in the butt-end of
the whip employed upon the horse's head. The cause is, however, carefully
concealed, and, after the violent stage has set in, the original wound is
generally mistaken for some self-inflicted injury. Thus, the horse, even
in the most horrid of deaths, with a generosity characteristic of its
nature, contrives to shield the being whom it served and loved, from the
consequences of his inhumanity.
Should the animal, by such means, recover, treat it gently; do not excite
it; for phrenitis is apt to return. Even recovery is not always to be
wished for. The depletion, imperative for the cure, too often engenders
the weakness which no care can eradicate; and the animal survives only to
change from the willing servant into a troublesome valetudinarian.
ABSCESS WITHIN THE BRAIN.
[Illustration: A HORSE DYING FROM ABSCESS WITHIN THE BRAIN.]
This sad affection is invariably produced by external injury. A horse
runs away and comes in contact with some hard substance. The blow is of
sufficient violence to fracture the strong cranium of the quadruped and
to smash all that remains harnessed to the animal. Here we have a reason
why man should establish more than a brutal mastery over the animal he
possesses. The horse is the most timid of creatures. It, however, quickly
learns to recognize the voice of its owner. In its vast affection, it soon
trusts with confidence to the person who is kind to it. An occasional word
thrown to a patient and willing servant, spoken softly to the animal which
is putting forth all its strength for our pleasure, would not be cast
away. When dread overpowers the horse and it begins to run at its topmost
speed, do not pull the reins: the first check should be given by the
voice. Speak cheerfully to a timid creature. If the first word produces no
effect, repeat it. Watch the ears. If these are turned backward to catch
the accents, talk encouragingly to the horse. The voice of one it loves
will restore its confidence. The pace will slacken. Talk on, but always
in a tone calculated to soothe distress. Then gently touch the reins. The
first gentle movement may not be responded to, but the second or the third
will be; and the animal, released from terror, is once more under your
control.
This is much better than tugging and flogging, which obviously are thrown
away upon a body that horror has deprived of sensation. The noise and the
resistance but feed the wildness of the fear, and, in the end, the driver
is carried to a hospital, the horse being laid prostrate among the ruins
it has made.
When led back to the stable, a wound is discovered on the animal's
forehead. It is so small it is deemed of no consequence. A little water
oozes from it--that is all--it does not send forth matter, or it might
deserve attention. However, in a short time the horse becomes dull. It
will not eat. Soon it falls down and commences dashing its head upon
the pavement. There it lies, and, day and night, continues its dreadful
occupation. One side of the face is terribly excoriated, and must be
acutely painful; but the horrid labor still goes on, each stroke shaking
the solid earth, which it indents. At last death ends the misery, and
a small abscess, containing about half a drachm of healthy pus, is
discovered in the superficial substance of the brain.
Physic or operation is of no use here. The cranium of the horse is
covered by the thick temporalis muscles. This alone would prevent the
trephine being resorted to. Blood would follow the removal of any portion
of the skull. Besides, what or who is to keep the head still during the
operation? and, were the operation possible, who would own an animal with
a hole in its skull? The only means of cure would be to afford exit to the
matter; and to do that is beyond human ingenuity.
STAGGERS--SLEEPY STAGGERS AND MAD STAGGERS.
=Staggers= means no more than a staggering or unsteady gait; an incapacity
in the limbs to support the body. It therefore, by itself, represents only
that want of control over voluntary motion which generally accompanies
injuries to the brain. =Mad= and =sleepy staggers= represent only
different symptoms or stages of cerebral affection. =Sleepy staggers=
implies the dull stage, which indicates that the brain is oppressed. =Mad
staggers= denotes the furious stage, when the brain has become acutely
inflamed.
There is but one origin known for staggers, and that is over-feeding.
Carters take the team out and forget the nose-bags. The omission is not
discovered till far on the road. No thought is entertained of turning
back. The poor drudges, consequently, have to journey far, to pull hard
and long upon empty stomachs.
When home is at length reached, the driver thinks to make amends for
neglect; the rack and manger are loaded. Such animals as are not too
tired to feed, eat ravenously. The stomach is soon crammed; but fatigue
has weakened the natural instincts, and domestication has taught the
horse to depend entirely on man. The creature continues to feed, till a
distended stomach produces an oppressed brain. An uneasy sleep interrupts
the gormandizing. The eye closes and the head droops. Suddenly the horse
awakens with a start. It looks around, becomes assured and takes another
mouthful. However, before mastication can be completed, sleep intervenes,
and the morsel falls from the mouth or continues retained between the jaws.
This state may continue for days. The horse may perish without recovering
its sensibility; or mad staggers may at any period succeed, and the animal
exhibit the extreme of violence.
=Mad staggers= equally results from carelessness in the horse-keeper. The
animal which gives itself up entirely to the custody of man, too often
experiences a fearful return in recompense for its trustfulness. Any
neglect with regard to the feeding of a horse, may entail the worst; and
a most cruel death upon the inhabitant of the stable is too often its
reward. The groom, perhaps, may slight his work, lock the stable door
and hurry to his beer-shop, leaving the lid of the corn-bin unclosed.
The horse in his stall, with his exquisite sense of smell, scents the
provender and becomes restless. His desire is to escape from the halter.
With fatal ingenuity the object is accomplished, and the next moment the
animal stands with its nose among the coveted oats. It eats and eats
as only that being can whose highest pleasures are limited to animal
enjoyments. After a time it becomes lethargic; but from that state it is
soon aroused by a burning thirst. The corn has absorbed all the moisture
of the stomach, the viscus being dry and distended. Pain must be felt,
but thirst is the predominant feeling. Water is sought for. None is to
be found; and the sufferer takes his station near the door, to await the
appearance of his attendant.
No sooner is the entrance opened, than the quadruped dashes out. With all
speed it makes for the nearest pond. There it drinks the long and the
sweet draught few in this life can taste; but to know which, is to die a
terrible death. The corn swells more with the liquid imbibed. The stomach
is now stretched to the uttermost. Continued tension causes inflammation.
The brain sympathizes, and the horse speedily becomes acutely phrenitic.
There is, however, a strange symptom, in which the two disorders appear
mingled. The sleepy fit is not entirely removed, nor are the violent
symptoms fully developed. The horse, in this condition, will press its
head against a wall. In doing this, it only displays an impulse common to
most animals in the sleepy stage; but the peculiarity is, that the eye may
be half unclosed and the limbs vigorously employed, as though a trotting
match were going forward. The breath will quicken and the creature be
coated with perspiration. This attitude and motion may subside, and
recovery may ensue; but commonly the quadruped drops, moves the limbs as
it lies upon the ground, and is only quieted by death. In a few instances
horses have left the wall to exhibit the utmost violence, and to sink at
last.
When corn has been gorged during the night, the animal must be rigidly
kept from drinking. A quart of any oil should be immediately administered.
A pint of oil is the ordinary dose; but here there exists more than an
ordinary disease. Besides, much of the fluid will sink between the grains,
and, probably, not half of it will reach the membrane of the stomach.
Oil is preferable to the solution of aloes, which is generally given,
inasmuch as it will not act upon or swell the corn so readily as any
medicine dissolved in water. Should no amendment be detected, in six hours
repeat the dose. In another six hours, give another dose with twenty
drops of croton oil in it. When another period has elapsed, should no
improvement be noted, give thirty drops of croton in another quart of oil.
Should none of these drinks have taken effect, the round must once more be
gone over. However, at the slightest mitigation of the symptoms or even
suspicion of amendment, stop all medicine at once. The altered aspect of
the horse is the earliest symptom that the distention is relieved.
[Illustration: SLEEPY STAGGERS, FROM OVER-GORGING.]
In =sleepy staggers=, the head hangs pendulous or is pressed firmly
against some prominence. The pulse throbs heavily--the breathing is
laborious, and the animal snores at each inspiration. The eye is closed;
the skin cold and the coat staring. The nasal membrane leaden. The mouth
clammy; the ears motionless; the tail without movement, and the breathing
alone testifies that it is a living animal we look upon.
The signs that announce the advent of mad staggers, from whichever cause
the disease may arise, are always alike. The lid is raised, and the eye
assumes an unnatural brightness. The nasal membrane reddens; the surface
becomes as hot as it was previously deficient in warmth; the movements are
quick and jerking. The breath is no longer laborious--it is rapid, sharp,
and drawn with a kind of panting action. The whole appearance is altered.
The characteristics of approaching frenzy can hardly be mistaken.
[Illustration: THE HORSE DURING THE MAD STAGE OF STAGGERS.]
Then comes the most painful duty of ownership over life. The proprietor
has, then, to make a speedy choice, whether his dumb servant is to take a
desperate chance and undergo a torture for which the concentrated pleasure
of many lives could not atone, or be deprived of the fatal power to injure
others and itself. Humanity would unhesitatingly pronounce for death, and,
in this case, there is need of haste. The symptoms are so rapidly matured,
that, in ten minutes, the poor horse may be sadly hurt and bleeding,
panting and rearing, in the center of a desolated stable. A mad horse is
a terrible object! Its strength is so vast that ordinary fastenings yield
before it; but the animal, even when deprived of reason, wins our respect.
Suffering will find expression in energetic action. Man, when a tooth is
about to be extracted, generally clinches something; but what were a
hundred teeth to the agony which causes every fiber in the huge framework
to quiver? The perspiration rolls off the creature's body. The eye glares
with anguish, not with malice; the body is strangely contorted, but there
is no desire to injure. Who, contemplating such a picture, could forbear
speaking the word which should grant peace to the sufferer, although the
order necessitate some violence to the feelings of him who is invested
with power to command?
MEGRIMS.
So little sympathy exists between man and horse, so little are the
ailments of the animal really studied, that the likeness between certain
diseases affecting the master and the servant have not been observed.
=Megrims=, evidently, is a form of epilepsy; yet, to speak of an epileptic
horse would, probably, induce laughter in any society. Notwithstanding
which, man is not isolated in this world: he is associated with the
creatures of the earth not only by a common habitation, but by similar
wants and like diseases. He is united by nature to every life that
breathes. His heart should feel for, and his charity embrace, every animal
which serves him. He has his duty toward, and is bound by obligations
to, every creature placed under his control. None are so subject to his
will as is the horse; none have such powerful claims to his kindness
and forbearance. The noble animal is begotten by man's permission; its
course in life depends upon his word: for his service it surrenders
everything--freedom, companions, and paternity--it relinquishes all.
Its owner's pleasure becomes its delight; its master's profit is its
recreation. It is the perfect type of an abandoned slave; body and soul,
it devotes itself to captivity. It is sad to think how bitter is its
recompense, when an obvious similarity, even in affliction, has not to
this hour been recognized.
Megrims, like epilepsy in man, will in certain subjects appear only
during some kind of exertion. In others, it will be present only during
particular states of rest. It is uncertain in its attacks. It is not
understood; and of the many theories which have been advanced, none
explain it.
All horses may show megrims; some when at work, and some only while in
the stable; others in the glare of day, and a few during the darkness of
night; but of all, draught horses are the most liable to the malady. This
may be because harness horses are subjected to the most laborious and
most continuous species of toil. A horse fettered to a vehicle obviously
must strain to propel as much or as long as the person intrusted with the
whip thinks the animal should draw. Men's consciences, where their own
convenience and another's exertions are the stake, generally possess an
elastic property. It takes a great deal to stretch them to the utmost. An
Arabian proverb says, "it is the last feather which breaks the camel's
back;" but the English driver knows the entire pull is upon the collar,
and he is moved by no considerations about the back. If the whip cannot
flog the poor flesh onward, a shout and a heavy kick under the belly may
excite the spasm, which, in its severity, shall put the load in motion.
Age does not influence the liability to megrims. The colt, which has done
no work, may exhibit the disease, and the old stager may not be subject
to its attacks. One horse may die in the field from exertion and never
display the malady; another shall be led through the streets and exemplify
megrims in all its severity. One shall be merely dull--the disorder shall
never get to the acute stage, though the fits may be repeated. This last,
to the surprise of its master, shall every now and then stop, stare about,
and proceed as though nothing were the matter. A second, when mounted,
will be seized by a sudden impulse and run into shop doors; while a third,
being between the shafts, will be possessed with an irrepressible desire
to inspect the driver's boots.
The horse often becomes suddenly stubborn. The reins are jagged and the
whip plied to no purpose. The animal will only go its own way, which is
commonly beset with danger. Perhaps, it may persist upon galloping, head
foremost, down an open sewer; probably, it will rush up the steps leading
to some mansion, and beat the door in with tremendous knocking.
[Illustration: THE EXPRESSION CHARACTERISTIC OF REPEATED ATTACKS OF
MEGRIMS.]
Then come convulsions, followed by insensibility. If such a scene occur
in a city, of course a crowd collects. Opinions are noisy and various;
but a majority incline toward bleeding from the mouth. It is only to cut
the palate, and a dozen knives, already opened, are proffered for the
purpose. However, let the person in charge attend to no street suggestion.
Let him at once seat himself upon the horse's head, and remain there till
consciousness returns; then speak kindly to the sufferer, loosen the
harness, and take care that the animal is perfectly recovered before it is
permitted to rise.
Dealers pretend that a horse subject to megrims is to be readily told. A
horse, after repeated fits, is easily singled out; but the animal which
has experienced only a single attack, no man could challenge. One attack,
however severe may be its character, will not necessarily leave its
impress upon the countenance. But the creature subject to such visitations
soon assumes a heavy, flaccid, and stupid expression. The disease distorts
no feature, but it leaves its mark behind; and any man, acquainted with
the subject, would have no difficulty in picking from a drove the horse
which has endured repeated fits of this disorder.
Another class of knowing ones pretend they can drive a megrimed horse
any distance, by simply keeping a wet cloth over the brain. This last
experiment is, however, not inviting; and the author has yet to be assured
by science that a wet rag over the brain would repose upon the primary
seat of the disease.
When a horse has the first fit of megrims, at once throw the animal up.
Do not strive to sell the diseased creature, as such a sale is illegal.
The law presumes everything sold to be fit for its uses. Thus, a person
buying rotten eggs can recover at law, because eggs are sold for human
food, and no man can eat a tainted egg. So a megrimed horse is unfit for
employment. Recovery in this disease is always doubtful. A chance is
best secured by throwing the horse up on the first attack. Do not turn
a sick animal out to grass. Keep in a loose box, covered with plenty of
straw. Feed liberally, and with the best food. Have the body regularly
dressed, and the animal led to, not ridden to, exercise. Allow a quart
of stout every morning and half a pint of oil every night. Above all
things, attend to the stabling. Let the box be large and well ventilated.
Food is eaten but occasionally during the day. Air is as essential as
more substantial nutriment to life, and is consumed night and day. Food
has to undergo a complicated change, and to travel far, before it joins
the blood. Air is no sooner inhaled than it is immediately absorbed by
the blood. After such a statement, it is left to the reader's reason to
decide upon the importance of pure air toward sustaining health. Probably,
were stables erected with a little less regard to the proprietor's
expense and the builder's convenience; probably, were they made in
some degree proportioned to the magnitude of their future inhabitants,
and were the comfort of the captive a very little considered in their
construction,--the health of a horse might not be so very telling a
proverb; while megrims, under a better treatment, if it did not disappear,
might not be so very common.
HYDROPHOBIA.
This is always the fruit of contagion, received from some stable-pet, in
the shape of a dog or cat. It is essentially a nervous disorder. From
the first, it influences the brain to a degree which no other malady
seems capable of exercising. The animal constantly licks some portion
of the body. The place appears to itch violently, and the tongue is
applied with an energy and a perseverance highly characteristic of an
over-wrought nervous distemper. The appetite always is affected; sometimes
it is ravenous. The rack is not only emptied with unusual speed, but the
bed, however soiled, is also consumed with more than apparent relish.
Generally, however, the desire for provender is destroyed. Sometimes,
the longing for fluids is morbidly increased. The horse plunges his
head to the bottom of the pail, will bite at the groom who endeavors to
interrupt the draught, or seize the wood between its teeth and crush it
with a powerful gripe. More frequently, water will cause spasm, and be
avoided with horror. The animal's likings may be morbidly changed: it will
occasionally devour its own excrement, and lick up its emissions.
[Illustration: THE COUNTENANCE OF A HORSE WITH HYDROPHOBIA.]
The nervous system is always highly developed. The horse starts at the
smallest sound, trembles violently without a cause, flies backward, hangs
upon the halter, stares wildly, and bursts into a copious sweat without
any apparent reason being detected. Its voice is also changed, and the
expression of the countenance invariably altered. The neigh is squeaking,
and the face is at the commencement characterized by immense anxiety,
which is soon changed for a peculiar aspect of cunning, mixed with a
grinning ferocity.
Rarely, however, all the foregoing symptoms are absent. The horse is
harnessed and taken to work. Suddenly it stops, appears stupid, and
threatens to fall. In a short time it recovers, and the labor is proceeded
with. The fits occur again and again. At length they end in violent
shivering. When the tremor ceases, the recognition is not perfectly
recovered. The breathing is quick and sharp; the eye bright and wild.
The animal is turned homeward, but seldom reaches the stable before the
furious stage begins.
=Hydrophobia= is commonly matured before the expiration of the sixth week.
A fortnight is the earliest period of its appearance; but writers have
asserted that the imbibed virus will remain dormant for twelve months. The
author has no experience which justifies the last opinion.
[Illustration: THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPULSE OF HYDROPHOBIA.]
Whenever a suspicion of this incurable and horrible disorder is
entertained, place the horse by itself in a building with bare walls,
but capable of being looked into through a window. Put food and water in
the house, and, if the door be not strong, have it barricaded. Let no
one enter for at least three days, as, during this disease, the horse is
both mischievous and dangerous. The pain is such that it seeks relief in
destruction. All breathing and moving creatures first attract its rage;
but, wanting these, its frenzy is expended in breaking, rending, and
scattering inanimate objects. Its ability to destroy is only limited by
the duration of the disorder.
Let as few people as possible be near the hydrophobic horse. The
quadruped's nerves are then alive to every impression. The presence will
be detected, though the person be assiduously concealed. The sound of
breathing even adds to the torture. Keep all people away but one; and
that one should be the best shot in the neighborhood. Let him approach,
aim steadily, and pull the trigger; for a bullet well placed is the only
remedy the author knows which can stay this fearful disorder.
TETANUS.
=Tetanus= is defined to be spasm of the muscles of voluntary motion. That
definition is right, as far as it goes. The disease, however, is the same
in man and horse. The human being complains of the breathing being much
oppressed, and of pain at the pit of the stomach. Such complaints show
the diaphragm to be involved, while the large doses of strong medicine
which can be swallowed with impunity prove the abdominal contents have
not escaped. Therefore, the author regards tetanus as spasm of the entire
muscular system.
A horse of any age may exhibit tetanus. Colts, newly dropped, have
displayed the disorder, and all animals are liable to its attacks; but the
very aged are least subject to this malady. Animals of a highly nervous
temperament are most inclined toward it.
It is said to be of two kinds; but, in truth, it only has two origins.
Traumatic tetanus is when it springs from a wound; idiopathic tetanus is
when it appears without there being any known lesion to account for its
presence. It may display its symptoms immediately or within a month of the
injury. From the sixth to the fourteenth day is the most likely period for
the advent of the disorder.
Cold, rain, draughts of air, and too much light, are all likely to
originate it. Their potency, perhaps, ranges in the order they are placed.
A gentleman is apt to dismount at some hospitable house and to leave the
animal, which has quickly borne him thither, shivering in the night air.
The master enjoys himself, probably, more than is good for his health.
The patient steed waits and waits, more quietly than the most faithful
of human slaves. It shivers in the night air; its limbs become cramped
with the cold. The wind gets up, as the owner, before a cheerful fire,
mixes another glass and takes another cigar. Still the horse remains
almost in the spot where it was placed. The perspiration which covered
the body dries in the darkness; evaporation quickly chills the blood
which violent exercise had heated. The pulse sinks; spasms creep over the
frame, but there is none near to note them. In solitude and discomfort the
most painful of maladies is imbibed: in due time it breaks forth, to the
astonishment of the proprietor.
Another man rides far and fast through a heavy shower. He reaches a
distant house and flings himself from the saddle, fastening the horse to
the door-post. Cordials are ready for the man, and business is discussed
over a glass. No one thinks seriously of the poor life fastened to the
door-post. "The horse is wet and can take no harm." "The gallop home will
warm it," and so forth. Therefore, the animal remains, to be drenched by
the rain and to creep as near to the house as it may for partial shelter;
the posterior part of the body, however, projects, and the drops fall,
heavy and cold as lead, upon the loins of the patient beast. The blood
loses its warmth and the limbs their elasticity. When the owner again
crosses the saddle he may be jolly; but it needs both spur and whip to
cause the dripping and frozen animal to move.
When tetanus originates in some wound, the horse is generally nervous from
the first. It fidgets in the stall; it lacks the repose which usually sits
so beautifully upon the sick horse's frame. It is excited at the approach
of any person, and, commonly, very obstinate when given physic. The wound
may, nevertheless, be healthy. Sometimes, as the outbreak draws near, the
wound may rapidly close, become morbidly dry, or, instead of pus, send
forth only a foul and scanty serum. Instances are narrated of tetanus
supervening upon mortification; but such reported cases are, in the horse,
very rare. Commonly, the wound presents no appearance by which any man,
however profound his knowledge, could guess the consequence to which it
had given rise.
[Illustration: THE TEST FOR TETANUS, WHEN NOT FULLY DEVELOPED.]
Tetanus is announced by an appearance of excitement. The tail is erect;
the ears pointed forward; the head elevated; the legs stiffened and
stretched out. This aspect of excitement is not temporary. The groom
passes through the stable and the attitude is maintained. He wonders "what
ails the horse?" It seems all alive; yet, though the groom shout out "come
over," the order is obeyed with difficulty. The food is not eaten. It is
picked and strewed about, but not devoured. When master returns home,
the groom wishes he would "_just look_" at the horse. It is very strange
indeed! Why, the tail is quivering and the body feels quite hard--not like
flesh. Hopes are expressed and the "veterinary" sent for. He proceeds at
once to the manger, observing the animal as he approaches. With one hand
he raises the horse's head. The haw is projected over the eye, and a case
of tetanus is recognized.
Most persons know what bellyache and cramp are. Well, these are but
spasms affecting different parts of the body: tetanus is spasm affecting
every part of the body at the same time. The spasm is always present; but
it admits of aggravation. Any painful operation, any sudden fright, or
the slightest sound, will produce a paroxysm, during which the horse's
body is fearfully contorted; and the animal writhes as it falls to the
ground. Left alone, however, the horse may rise after some time; for
nothing causes the quadruped so much dread as an inability to stand. It
may totter or fall about, but it refuses to lie down, even though rest
must be greatly needed and would act as the best of medicine. It stands
day after day in the same spot. It does not move, as any motion may
bring on one of those terrible paroxysms. The matter is rendered worse by
the brain, during the entire period, being sensible. Every pain is felt,
and the wretched animal has leisure to appreciate its agony. This is bad
enough; but the torture is aggravated by the appetite of the animal not
being dormant. Hunger still exists, and a sense of starvation augments the
suffering. The jaw is closely locked. The creature cannot feed; but the
presence of hunger is no supposition, for if a mash be held to the mouth,
with a look of piteous gratitude the liquid portion is often drawn through
the closed teeth. Hunger frequently impels the horse to make a desperate
effort. The jaws are forced a little way asunder; a morsel is seized
between the incisors; mastication commences, but cannot be perfected. The
agony attendant upon motion forces the famishing creature to desist; and
the poor horse is often found with a mouthful of hay firmly clenched and
hanging from the mouth.
[Illustration: SHOWING HOW FAR AN ANIMAL WITH THE DISEASE IS CAPABLE OF
MOTION.]
The animal may have been conspicuous for its beauty. The harmony of form
may, in it, have been united to agility of limb. The creature may have
been the pride of its proprietor; but a few days of this disease will work
a mighty change. The limbs are moved with difficulty; the body has lost
all its undulating grace; and the flesh has parted with its elasticity.
The master in vain seeks for the object of his admiration in the painful
sight which he then looks upon.
One peculiarity of tetanus is too marked not to be noticed. Persons have
complained of the wooden appearance of the body; but, in severe cases,
the height of the animal seems diminished and the length shortened. This
appearance is more than the result of mere imagination. Many of the bones
are divided by a fibro-cartilaginous substance: this substance force can
compress. For that reason, a man is shorter when he retires at night than
when he rises in the morning. No weight, however, can act with the energy
of excited contractibility, and of that tetanus is composed: all the
muscles are violently in action or energetically contracting. A single
muscle, when excited, shortens to that degree, which moves some portion of
the body; but, when the entire mass of muscles simultaneously contract,
they compress the frame, as in a vice. The grace of the animal is lost;
the height is diminished, and the length is lessened, under so powerful
and general an action.
All kinds of treatment have been tried for tetanus, and it is said that
each has resulted in success. The majority of these popular methods,
however, are sheer barbarities; and if they were successful, they were
so against probability. The plan at present adopted is much more humane:
the animal's shoes are removed, that no sound may follow the tread, and
a solitary shed is strewn with refuse tan. Food, in the form of an ample
malt mash and a pail of thin gruel, is placed within easy reach. The shed
must be approached but once daily--then by the man most accustomed to the
horse; and he speaks soothingly as he nears the building to change the
provender.
This species of treatment, when preceded by a large dose of purgative
medicine, is usually successful. Mix four drachms of aloes or six drachms
of aloetic mass, and four drachms of extract of gentian, with one scruple
of croton ferina. This tremendous purgative may be confidently given, as
everything during this disease depends upon the maintenance of quiet, and
upon getting the bowels open.
As all people, however, may not live where solitude can be commanded;
then, give the purgative, render the room dark, and allow as few curious
visitors as the pleading of sincerity cannot prevent intruding upon the
sick and disabled quadruped. Pulling the animal about to administer
medicine seems to do more harm than the most powerful drugs can
counteract. Permit no blisters; sanction no firing: counter-irritants,
however beneficial in other cases, are positive irritants, when applied
to a body nervously excited to the highest degree. Grant permission for
no operation to be performed, as any person of ordinary imagination may
picture the effect of bustle, followed by sharp pain, upon a creature
which cannot endure even the slightest sound.
Should, however, the case last so long as to warrant fear of the life
sinking through starvation, food may be given even in quantities.
Blood-warm linseed gruel should be procured--a gallon will be sufficient.
The horse could swallow more; but after a prolonged fast there is danger
in loading the stomach. Fix the horse catheter to the stomach-pump; then
place the free end of the catheter in the nostril of the quadruped and
push it forward, having previously slightly bent the end of the tube
downward. Should the insertion provoke coughing, withdraw the catheter
and commence afresh. Two feet of the instrument having disappeared, and
no alarming symptom being present, begin to pump; do this as fast as
possible, till the gallon of linseed gruel has been exhausted: such a
resort is, however, better adapted to tetanus of the chronic description.
[Illustration: THE MODE OF FEEDING A HORSE WITH CHRONIC TETANUS.]
When applied to the acute form of the disorder, it is too apt to induce
violent spasm. The acute disease, however, speedily terminates, and
positive starvation is all but impossible during its brief continuance.
STRINGHALT.
=Stringhalt= is the imperfect development of that form of disease which,
in man and in dogs, is called chorea, or St. Vitus's dance. In dogs it
jerks the whole body, even to the face. The lower jaw will continue moving
and the eye twitching, while the animal is prostrate and asleep. In the
horse, however, it is seen only in the hind extremities. In the dog it
will continue during progression, sometimes shaking the creature from its
balance, and it often terminates in death. In the horse it is never fatal;
and, save when about to start, is seldom to be detected. Then it causes
the hind limbs to be quickly raised in succession. The movement is rapid,
full of energy, and entirely involuntary. These motions over, the horse
proceeds, nor is the symptom usually witnessed again till the animal has
once more to start; although a few exceptional cases are on record where
stringhalt was perceptible at every step.
[Illustration: A HORSE HAVING STRINGHALT MUST MAKE SEVERAL INVOLUNTARY
MOVEMENTS WITH THE HIND LEGS BEFORE IT CAN PROGRESS.]
Guilford, the racer, exhibited the disease in its worst form. In that
animal, stringhalt was present in such severity as prevented the signal
being obeyed before the several eccentric movements had been performed.
The horse was esteemed good for its purposes; but the ground lost at
starting gave away its chances, and it was consequently sold. From the
pampered stable of the race-horse, it descended rapidly through various
grades until the creature came to be harnessed to a London omnibus. While
in that position, the disease was so aggravated that the pastern used
to hit violently against the belly, till the hair of both was partially
removed by the repeated blows. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
then purchased the miserable carcass for three pounds, and had the life
and the suffering extinguished.
The body was given to the Royal Veterinary College for dissection.
Professor Spooner relates that he found blood effused on the sheath of the
sacro-sciatic nerve. This, however, must have been an accident produced
by the death struggle: that nerve moves the flexor muscles. Stringhalt
is the disease of the extensor muscles only; therefore, the condition
of the nerve alluded to by Professor Spooner could in no way influence
the motions of the limb. Messrs. Percivall and Goodwin both appeal to
instances, where, in animals affected with stringhalt, pressure existed
upon the posterior portion of the spinal column. The last observation
accords much more with the writer's notions of cause and effect.
Nevertheless, the inexperienced reader may ask, how can the posterior
portion of the horse's spinal column become affected? Of all the vertebræ,
those of the lumbar region are endowed with the greatest motion, and
consequently are the most exposed to injury. The uses to which man puts
the animal are not so very gentle but a delicate structure, however deeply
seated, might be hurt. However, grant all these are harmless, which is
indeed to allow a great deal to pass, the stables are enough to provoke
stringhalt in half the horses now resident in London. Has the intelligent
reader visited these places? He knows the holes in which poor humanity is
obliged to stive. Well, any place not good enough for a man to live in is
esteemed luxurious lodging for a horse. Many of the places are undrained;
frequently have light or air admitted only by the doorway, and the stalls
are seldom more than four feet wide. The wretched captives cannot turn
their bodies round in the allotted space. A horse being in, when wanted
abroad, must be backed into the gangway, and thus made to "face about." It
is not creditable to human nature when we perceive its most valuable and
willing servant is begrudged the space in which its useful body rests. The
labor of the day should at least earn for the horse a sufficient bed.
The exhaustion of the toil--for man has nicely calculated the work a horse
can perform, and generally exacts the quotum to the full--has merited
the night's repose, which shall fit for the morrow's fatigue; but man is
most particular in all that concerns the quadruped. He has reckoned up
the food it may eat, the water it may drink, the space it may occupy;
the keep, the keeper, the lodging, and the very harness that fastens it
to the load,--all are precisely calculated. There is no law to interpose
between man and horse, even should the estimate be run "too fine." Against
sore shoulders there is some enactment, which is only enforced through a
constable specially retained by a private association. No clause teaches
man his duty toward his inferiors. The lower animals have no protection
against the exhausting labor and inadequate provision that maims a body or
wastes a life.
The servant, observing the master to be without feeling, apes his better.
A bad example always finds plenty of imitators. The horse may be wanted in
a hurry; the groom commands it to "come round." It is too much trouble to
back the animal as usual; the master is in haste and the servant has no
time to lose. The poor animal endeavors to obey; it squeezes and twists
its body: the head is seized, a blow is given, and the difficulty is
vanquished. But at what a cost! One bone of the spine has been injured.
Bone is slow in its developments. No immediate consequence results; but
months afterward, the injured place throws out a spicula of bone, no
larger than a needle's point, perhaps, but it presses upon the spinal
marrow, and lasting stringhalt is the effect.
Of course no drug can reach the part affected; no cunning preparation can
remove even a needle's point from the interior of the spinal canal. The
stringhalt, once exhibited, is beyond cure, and never disappears but with
the life. However, it mostly affects high-spirited, nervous horses, and
not being generally observable during progression, some of the quadrupeds
thus diseased sell for large sums.
PARTIAL PARALYSIS.
[Illustration: THE UNSTEADY WALK OF A HORSE WHEN SUFFERING UNDER PARTIAL
PARALYSIS OF THE HIND LEGS.]
=Paralysis=, in the horse, save when it appears toward the termination of
violent disorders, is never more than partial. It locates itself in the
hind limbs, and, though it does not destroy all motion, yet it destroys
all strength or utility. The power to move with speed is entirely lost,
nor is the ability to progress at a slower pace by any means assured. One
hind foot is perpetually getting in the way of the other, and constantly
threatening to throw the animal down, whose walk already is rolling or
unsteady.
This affection is the property of matured animals; so rarely as to be
exceptional is it to be seen attacking colts. Fast trotters, omnibus
horses, hunters, and creatures subjected to extreme exertion, are most
liable to it. It creeps on insidiously. At first the pace is as fast as
ever; but something is suspected wrong in the manner of going. After a
time the creature is brought to a veterinary surgeon as a lame horse. The
suspicions are then destroyed and the real malady is announced.
The decay of the more showy powers seems to bring forward the gentler
qualities of the horse's nature. The animal, which once was dangerous,
loses all its dreaded attributes: with paralysis, it becomes meek or tame,
as though the big life felt its great affliction and sought to compensate,
by amiability, for the trouble it necessarily gave, or, in other words,
that the animal was mildly pleading for existence. No doubt much of such
a sentiment, if not all, resides in the mind of the spectator, the animal
only being subdued by sickness. Still, it is very sad to contemplate the
horse, which once could outstrip the sparrow in its flight, reduced to
a pace which the tortoise might leave behind; to behold the beast, once
powerful and proud of its strength, humbled to a feebleness which the push
of any child might overthrow. It is more sorrowful, when we think its hurt
was received from him to whom its welfare was intrusted; that its injury
was the consequence of an over-anxiety to please and to obey. It may be
well doubted whether, when man was given dominion over the beasts of the
field, he was invested with an absolute authority over God's creatures,
which had no moral duties nor obligations attached to it. At all events,
it would be difficult to find an object more suggestive of pity, or better
calculated to excite our inward reflections, than a horse suffering under
partial paralysis.
Paralysis is generally past all cure; occasionally, however, it admits
of relief. It is an eccentric disorder, and it is difficult to say,
positively, what medicine will be of use. The horse, however, during
paralysis, should enjoy absolute rest. In its disabled state, a little
walk is as great an exertion as once was a breathing gallop; and it was
over-exercise which induced the disorder. The animal should receive only
strengthening physic and the most nourishing of food. The following ball
should be administered, night and morning:--
Strychnia, half a grain, gradually, or in six weeks to be worked up to a
grain and a half; iodide of iron, one grain; quassia powder and treacle, a
sufficiency: to be given night and morning.
The grooming should be persevered with, the animal being carefully
dressed twice each day, and the process ending by brushing the quarters
thoroughly with a new birch broom. The bed should be ample; the box
should be padded and a warm cloth always kept over the loins. A piece of
wet flannel, covered with a rug, placed over the lumbar region, has on
occasions induced a return of warmth. The bowels should be regulated, if
possible, with mashes and green meat; but, when costiveness exists, a
pint of oil is to be preferred to even three drachms of aloes. The one
exhausts, the other nurtures as well as relaxes the body.
The hope of amendment must, however, be indulged with caution. The disease
is of chronic growth, and therefore will be of long duration. At all
events, it is not one horse in four which recovers from an attack of
partial paralysis; and not one in twenty that is afterward fit for its
former uses.
GUTTA SERENA.
=Gutta serena= is fixed dilatation of the pupillary opening, owing to
paralysis of the optic nerve; the affection is, consequently, accompanied
by permanent blindness.
The causes of this malady are blows upon the head, quick driving,
excessive hemorrhage, stomach staggers, unwholesome stables, poor
food, exhausting labor, or anything which may decidedly undermine the
constitution.
The majority of these causes are inflicted by man, the remainder are
within his control. Any person has but to reflect how very precious
eyesight is to mankind. Having settled that point, he has only to
conjecture how much more dear it must be to a creature forbid to enjoy the
pleasures of conversation. To take away sight, is to deprive the animal
of a faculty with which it is endowed to perfection, in some measure to
compensate for the absence of reason and the deficiency of speech. A horse
can see farther than its master. The human eye is, frequently, dormant,
when the thought is active: the healthy, equine eye never rests. The
creature sleeps so lightly that very seldom is it caught napping. We may
imagine, therefore, the gratification bestowed by an organ so constantly
employed. To blind a horse, is to deprive a breathing body of half its
life's pleasure. It is more, when we consider the natural disposition of
the quadruped: it is to deprive timidity of its watchfulness, fear of its
protection. It is even yet more, when we think upon the habits of the
horse--its spirits, its pleasure, its joy--all are expressed by means of
a gallop. But what speed can the horse indulge in, when cruelty has taken
away the power to guide with rapidity? To destroy the horse's sight, is
to condemn a creature to live on, but to take from life the gayety of
existence.
[Illustration: AN EYE AFFECTED WITH GUTTA SERENA.]
The eye recently afflicted with gutta serena, or rather the eyes, (for
this deprivation commonly affects both orbs,) is, to the uninformed
inspection, perfect. The internal structures are in their proper places,
and the pupil is beautifully dilated. A very little instruction, however,
enables the spectator to distinguish between fixedness and dilatation. A
trifle more tuition will point out that the pupil is not so dark as in the
organ of the healthy animal: that it has an opaque milky cast, accompanied
very frequently with a bright light-green shining through it, as though
a piece of tinsel were within the posterior chamber. After gaining such
information, probably the notion before expressed about beauty may be
changed. Most things are most beautiful as nature formed them, and no
little expression resides in the ever-changing dimension of the pupillary
opening.
[Illustration: THE MODE IN WHICH A HORSE, WHEN QUITE BLIND, PROGRESSES.]
The symptoms of blindness are equally pathetic and characteristic. The
nostrils are constantly at work and the ears perpetually in motion--life
is endeavoring, by exercising other senses, to compensate for the one
lost. Then, the movements are peculiar. A blind man commonly shuffles
along, endeavoring "to feel" his way. The horny hoof lacks the human
faculty, but the horse endeavors to surmount objects by stepping high.
A blind man turns the sightless face heavenward; the animal, likewise,
raises its head, as it were, to expose its sightless orbs to its Creator.
There is another strange peculiarity also, exemplified by the blind
horse. The sightless quadruped, contrary to the majority of its species,
generally carries a rough coat in summer and a blooming coat in winter.
Now, a high stepper, a well-carried head, a lively ear, and a blooming
coat, are great points in a horse, especially about London, and with
gentlemen of little information. To prevent imposition, always place the
horse in a full light. Should the pupils continue large, have the horse
put into a dark house. A quarter of an hour afterward, take a candle,
and by its light regard the eye. If the pupil is still dilated, hold the
candle near to the eye. The iris will not contract quickly upon artificial
light, but in five minutes it ought to move. However, suppose you imagine
it to remain stationary; then, placing yourself by the head, have the
horse led out into sunshine. If it exhibit no change to mark the passage
from darkness to daylight you may certainly conclude the optic nerve is
paralyzed.
There are other tests, but these are not satisfactory; such as covering
the eye with the hand or a hat. The hand is semi-transparent, and so can
only induce partial darkness; the hat does not fit the inequalities of
the horse's countenance, therefore it is useless. Of the same nature is
aiming pretended blows at, or moving the hand before, the suspected eye.
The other senses, by constant exercise, become so very acute during loss
of sight, that winking is no proof of vision: the lid may move, and,
nevertheless, the horse be stone blind.
[Illustration: THE BASE OF THE BRAIN.
_a._ The point of junction between the right and left optic nerves.
_b b._ The healthy optic nerve, of a white color, originating on the left
side and proceeding to the left eye.
_c c._ The paralyzed or unhealthy optic nerve, diminished in size and
darker in color. It ran to the right eye; but its diseased condition can
be clearly traced to originate from the left side of the brain.]
Nothing can be done for paralysis of the optic nerve. The injury once
established, its effects are lasting. Butchers and other people, who
foolishly pride themselves upon their fast trotting steeds, and whose
natures are not unpleasantly susceptible, often induce the affection. It
lessens the value of the horse, dooms it to a lower class of proprietors,
and takes from the creature's life much of the pleasure which otherwise
might lighten the animal's existence.
After death, an anatomical peculiarity is observed. The optic nerves,
subsequent to leaving the brain, unite and exchange fibers. Neither nerve
pursues an absolute course; yet, consequent on decease, if the right eye
were blind from gutta serena, the left nerve, or the nerve originating
from the left side of the brain, alone is affected: the disease seems
confined to that part. The opposite nerve is perfectly white and healthy;
but the one affected with paralysis is of a yellowish color, softer
nature, and sensibly diminished in bulk. So, if blindness afflict both
eyes, both optic nerves are then of diminished size and of a yellowish
hue.