Chapter VI: Part 6

This disease consists in the accumulation of fluid in a cavity of the body, as the abdomen or belly, the chest, and ventricles of the brain, or in the cellular membrane under the skin. As the treatment of the several forms of dropsy requires that the same indications shall be fulfilled,--viz., to equalize the circulation, invite action to the surface, promote absorption, and invigorate the general system,--so it matters but little whether the effusion takes place under the skin, producing anasarca, or within the chest or abdomen. The popular treatment, which comprehends blood-letting, physicking, and the use of powerful diuretics, has proved notoriously unsuccessful. Blood-letting is charged as one of the direct causes of dropsy: how then can it be expected that a system that will produce this form of disease can ever cure it? In reference to physicking, if the bowels are forced to remove the excess of fluids in a short time, they become much exhausted, lose their tone, and do not recover their healthy power for some time. Dr. Curtis says, "May we not give diuretics and drastic cathartics in dropsy? I answer, if you do, and carry off the fluids of the body in those directions, as you sometimes may, you have not always removed the cause of the disease, which was the closing of the surface, or stoppage of some natural secretion, while you have rendered the patient liable to other forms of disease, quite as much to be dreaded as the dropsy which was exchanged for it." Mild diuretic medicines may, however, be given, provided attention he paid at the same time to the lungs and external surface. The kidneys, lungs, and external surface constitute the great outlets through which the excess of fluids finds egress; and if one of these functions be excited to dislodge an accumulation of fluid, without the cooeperation of the rest, the excessive action is sure to injure the organ; hence it is an injurious practice, and ought to be rejected.

_Causes._--Dropsy will occasionally be produced by the sudden stopping of any evacuation; for example, if a diarrhoea be checked too suddenly, it frequently results in dropsy of the belly. In pleurisy, and when blood-letting has been practised to any extent, dropsy of the chest will be the consequence. Exposure, poor diet, diseases of the liver and spleen, want of exercise, and poisonous medicines are among the general causes of dropsy.

_Treatment._--It is a law of the animal economy that all fluids are determined to those surfaces from which they can most readily escape. Now, instead of cramming down nauseous and poisonous drugs, with a view of carrying off the fluid by the kidneys, we should restore the lost function of the external exhalents, by warmth, moisture, friction, and the application of stimulating embrocations to the general surface. The following embrocation may be applied to the spine, ears, belly, and legs:--

Oil of cedar, 1 ounce.
Oil of juniper, 1 ounce.
Soft soap, 1 pound.

A portion of the above should be rubbed in twice a day.

The best medicine is the following:--

Powdered mandrake, 1 ounce.
" lobelia, 1 ounce.
Poplar bark, 2 ounces.
Lemon balm, 4 ounces.
Boiling water, 3 quarts.

Let the whole stand in a covered vessel for an hour; then strain, and add a gill of honey. Give half a pint every third hour. If the animal be in poor condition, the diet must be nourishing and easy of digestion. Flour gruel and scalded meal will be the most appropriate. A drink made by steeping cleavers, or hyssop, in boiling water may be given at discretion.

If there is not sufficient vitality in the system to equalize the circulation, (which may be known by the surface and extremities still continuing cold,) the following drink will be found efficacious:--

Hyssop tea, 2 quarts.
Powdered cayenne, (African,) 1 tea-spoonful.
" licorice, 1 ounce.

Mix. To be given at a dose, and repeated if necessary. Should inflammatory symptoms make their appearance, omit the cayenne, and substitute the same quantity of cream of tartar.

The treatment of all the different forms of dropsy is upon the plan here laid down. They are one and the same disease, only located in different parts; and from predisposing causes the fluid is sometimes found in the thorax, at others in the abdomen. Whenever costiveness occurs in dropsy, the following laxative may be given:--

Wormwood, 2 ounces.
Boiling water, 2 quarts.

Set them over the fire, and let them boil for a few moments; then add two ounces of castile soap and a gill of molasses or honey. The whole to be given at one dose.

The operation of tapping has been performed, but with very little success; for, unless the function of the skin be restored, the water will again accumulate. If, however, the disease shall be treated according to the principles here laid down, there is no good reason why the operation should not prove successful. It may be performed for dropsy of the belly in the following manner: Take a common trocar and canula, and after pinching upwards a fold of the skin, about three inches from the line, (_linea alba_,) or centre of the belly, and about seven from the udder, push the trocar through the skin, muscles, &c., into the abdominal cavity; withdraw the trocar, and the water will flow. The operation is usually performed on the right side, taking care, however, not to wound the milk vein, or artery.

HOOVE, OR "BLASTING."

When cattle or sheep are first turned into luxuriant pasture, after being poorly fed, or laboring under any derangement of the digestive organs, they are apt to be hoven, blown, or blasted.

_Treatment._--Should the symptoms be very alarming, a flexible tube may be passed down the gullet. This will generally allow a portion of gas to escape, and thus afford temporary relief, until more efficient means are resorted to. These consist in arousing the digestive organs to action, by the following stimulant and carminative drink:--

Cardamom seeds, 1 ounce.
Fennel seeds, 1 ounce.
Powdered charcoal, 1 table-spoonful.
Boiling water, 2 quarts.

Let the mixture stand until sufficiently cool; then strain, and administer in pint doses, every ten minutes.

The following clyster should be given:--

Powdered lobelia, 2 ounces.
" charcoal, 6 ounces.
Common salt, 1 table-spoonful.
Boiling water, 2 quarts.

When cool, strain, and inject.

If the animal is only blasted in a moderate degree, this treatment will generally prove successful. Some practitioners recommend puncturing the rumen or paunch; but there is always great danger attending it, and at best it is only a palliative: the process of fermentation will continue while the materials still remain in the paunch. Some cattle doctors make a large incision into the paunch, and shovel out the contents with the hand; but the remedy is quite as bad as the disease. For example, Mr. Youatt tells us that "a cow had eaten a large quantity of food, and was hoven. A neighbor, who was supposed to know a great deal about cattle, made an incision into the paunch; the gas escaped, a great portion of the food was removed with the hand, and the animal appeared to be considerably relieved; but rumination did not return. On the following day, the animal was dull; she refused her food, but was eager to drink. She became worse and worse, and on the sixth day she died."

In all dangerous cases of hoove, we must not forget that our remedies may be aided by the external application of warmth and moisture; flannels wrung out in hot water should be secured to the belly; at the same time, the legs and brisket should be rubbed with tincture of assafoetida. These remedies must be repeated until the animal is relieved. Steady and long-continued perseverance in rubbing the abdomen often succeeds in liberating the gas. If the animal recovers, he should be fed, very sparingly, on scalded food, consisting of equal parts of meal and shorts, with the addition of a few grains of caraway seeds. A drink composed of the following ingredients will aid in rapidly restoring the animal to health:--

Marshmallows, 2 ounces.
Linseed, 1 ounce.
Boiling water, 2 quarts.

Set the mixture near the fire, and allow it to macerate for a short time; after straining through a sieve or coarse cloth, it may be given and repeated at discretion.

_Remarks._--As prevention is much more convenient and less expensive than the fashionable system of making a chemical laboratory of the poor brute's stomach, the author would remind owners of stock that the practice of turning the latter into green, succulent pasture when the ground is damp, or permitting them to remain exposed to the night air, is among the direct causes of hoove. The ox and many other animals are governed by the same laws of nature to which man owes allegiance, and any departure from the legitimate teachings, as they are fundamentally ingrafted in the animate kingdom by the Omnipotent Creator, is sure to subject us to the penalty. We are told that, during the night, noxious gases and poisonous miasmata emanate from the soil, and that plants throw off excrementitious matters, which assume a gaseous form, and are more or less destructive. Now, these animals have no better powers of resisting the encroachments on their organization (through the agency of these deleterious gases) than we have; they must have atmospheric air to vitalize the blood; any impurity in the air they breathe must impair their health. Still, however, the powers of resistance are greater in some than in others; this explains the reason why all do not suffer. Sometimes, the gases are not in sufficient quantities to produce instant death, but only derange the general health; yet if an animal be turned into a pasture, the herbage and soil of which give out an excess of nitrogen and carbonic acid, the animal will die; just as a man will, if you lower him into a well abounding in either of these destructive agents. From these brief remarks, the farmer will see the importance of housing domestic animals at night.

JOINT MURRAIN.

This malady, in its early stages, assumes different forms; sometimes making its appearance under a high grade of vital action, commonly called inflammatory fever, and known by the red appearance of the sclerotica, (white of the eye,) hurried breathing, expanded nostrils, hot tongue, and dry muzzle, pulse full and bounding, manifestations of pain, &c. &c. Different animals show, according to local or constitutional peculiarities, different symptoms.

This disease, in consequence of its assuming different forms during its progress, has a host of names applied to it, which rather embarrass than assist the farmer. We admit that there are numerous tissues to be obstructed; and if the disease were named from the tissue, it would have as many names as there are tissues. If it were named from the location, which often happens, then we get as many names as there are locations; for example, horn ail, black leg, quarter evil, joint murrain, foot rot, &c. In the above disease, the whole system partakes more or less of constitutional disturbance; therefore it is of no use, except when we want to avail ourselves of local applications, to decide what particular muscle, blood-vessel, or nerve is involved, seeing that the only rational treatment consists in acting on all the nerves, blood-vessels, and muscles, and that this can only be accomplished through the healthy operations of nature's secreting and excreting processes. The indications of cure, according to the reformed principles, are, to relax spasm, as in locked-jaw, stoppages of the bladder or intestines, obstructed surfaces, &c.; to contract and strengthen weak and relaxed organs, as in general or local debility, diarrhoea, scouring, lampas, &c.; to stimulate inactive parts, as in black leg, joint murrain, quarter ill, foot rot; to equalize the circulation, and distribute the blood to the external surface and extremities, as in congestions; to furnish the animal with sufficient nutriment for its growth and development. No matter what the nature of disease may be, the treatment should be conducted on these principles.

The farmer will overcome a host of obstacles, that might otherwise fall in his way, in the treatment of joint murrain, when he learns that this malady, together with black leg, quarter ill or evil, black quarter, and dry gangrene are all analogous: by the different names are meant their grades. In the early or mild forms, it consists of congestion in the veins or venous radicles, and effusions into the cellular tissue. When chemical action overpowers the vital, decomposition sets in; it then assumes a putrid type; mortification, or a destruction of organic integrity, is the result.

_Causes._--Its proximate causes exist in any thing that can for a time interrupt the free and full play of any part of the vital machinery. Its direct cause may be found in over-feeding, miasma, exposure, poisonous plants, poor diet, &c. The milk of diseased cows is a frequent cause of black leg in young calves. The reason why the disease is more likely to manifest itself in the legs is, because they are more exposed, by the feet coming in contact with damp ground, and because the blood has a kind of up-hill work to perform.

_Treatment._--In the early stages of joint murrain and its kindred maladies, if inflammatory fever is present, the first and most important step is to relax the external surface, as directed in article _Pneumonia_, p. 107. Should the animal be in a situation where it is not convenient to do so, give the following anti-spasmodic:--

Thoroughwort, 1 ounce.
Lemon balm, 2 ounces.
Garlic, bruised, a few kernels.
Boiling water, 3 quarts.

Allow the infusion to stand until cool; then strain, and give it a dose.

If the bowels are constipated, inject the following:--

Soft soap, half a pint.
Warm water, 2 quarts.

Rub the joints with the following embrocation:--

Oil of cedar, } equal parts.
Fir balsam, }

Keep the animal on warm, bland teas, such as catnip, pennyroyal, lemon balm, and a light diet of powdered slippery elm gruel.

BLACK QUARTER.

_Symptoms._--Rapid decomposition, known by the pain which the slightest pressure gives the animal. Carbonic acid gas is evolved from the semi-putrid state of the system, which finds its way into the cellular tissue, beneath the skin. A crackling noise can then be heard and felt by pressing the finger on the hide.

_Causes._--Among the chief causes are the blood-letting and scouring systems recommended by writers on cattle doctoring. In the inflammatory stage, we are told, "The first and most important step is copious bleeding. As much blood must be taken as the animal will bear to lose; and the stream must flow on until the beast staggers or threatens to fall. Here, more than in any other disease, there must be no foolish directions about quantities. [_The heroic practice!_] As much blood must be taken away as can be got; for it is only by the bold and persevering use of the lancet that a malady can be subdued that runs its course so rapidly." (See Youatt, p. 359.) From these directions we are led to suppose that there are some hopes of bleeding the animal to life; for the author above quoted seems to entertain no apprehension of bleeding the animal to death. Mr. Percival and other veterinary writers inform us, that "an animal will lose about one fifteenth part of its weight of blood before it dies; though a less quantity may so far debilitate the vital powers, as to be, though less suddenly, equally fatal." The latter portion of the sentence means simply this; that if the bleeding does not give the animal its quietus on the spot, it will produce black quarter, gangrene, &c., which will be "equally fatal." In the latter stages of the disease now under consideration, and, indeed, in dry gangrene, there is a tendency to the complete destruction of life to the parts involved: hence our remedies should be in harmony with the vital operations. We should relax, stimulate, and cleanse the whole system, and arouse every part to healthy action, by the aid of vapor, injections, stimulating applications, poultices of charcoal and capsicum, to parts where there is danger of rapid mortification; lastly, stimulating drinks to vitalize the blood, which only requires distribution, instead of abstraction.

In reference to the scouring system, (purging,) as a cause of mortification, we leave the reader to form his own views, after reading the following: "After abstracting as much blood as can be got away, purging must immediately follow. A pound and a half of Epsom salts dissolved in water or gruel, and poured down the throat as gently as possible, should be our first dose. 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"!!--_Youatt_, p. 359.

_Treatment._--As the natural tendency of these different maladies is the complete destruction of life to all parts of the organization, efforts must be made to depurate the whole animal, and arouse every part to healthy action in the manner recommended under article _Joint Murrain_. Antiseptics may be freely used in the following form:--

Powdered bayberry bark, 2 ounces.
" charcoal, 6 ounces.
" cayenne, 1 tea-spoonful.
" slippery elm, 1 ounce.

Add boiling water sufficient to make it of the consistence of thin gruel.

All sores and foul ulcers may be washed with

Pyroligneous acid, 1 ounce.
Water, 1 gill.

_Another._

Chloride of lime, 1 ounce.
Water, 1 pint.

_Another._

Chloride of soda, 1 ounce.
Water, 6 ounces.

The affected parts should be often bathed with one of these washes. If the disease is not arrested by these means, repeat them, and put the animal on a diet of flour gruel.

OPEN JOINT.

Joints are liable to external injury from wounds or bruises, and, although a joint may not be open in the first instance, subsequent sloughing may expose its cavity. The ordinary effects of disease in membranes covering joints are, a profuse discharge of joint oil, (_synovia_,) and a thickening of the synovial membrane. Sometimes the joint is cemented together; it is then termed anchylosis.

_Treatment._--The first object is, to promote adhesion, by bringing the edges of the wound together, and confining them in contact by stitches. A pledget of lint or linen, previously moistened with tincture of myrrh, should then be bound on with a bandage forming a figure 8 around the joint. If the parts feel hot and appear inflamed, apply a bandage, which may be kept constantly wet with cold water. If adhesion of the parts does not take place, apply the following:--

Powdered bayberry bark, 1 ounce.

Fir balsam, sufficient to form a thick, tenacious mass, which may be spread thickly over the wound; lastly, a bandage. Should a fetid discharge take place, poultice with

Powdered charcoal, } equal parts.
" bayberry, }

In cases where the nature of the injury will not admit of the wounded edges being kept in contact, and a large surface is exposed, we must promote granulation by keeping the parts clean, and by the daily application of fir balsam. Unhealthy granulations may be kept down by touching them with burnt alum, or sprinkling on their surface powdered bloodroot. The author has treated several cases, in which there was no hope of healing by the first intention, by the daily use of tincture of capsicum, together with tonic, stimulating, astringent, antiseptic poultices and fomentations, as the case seemed to require, and they always terminated favorably. In all cases of injury to joints, rest and a light diet are indispensable.

SWELLINGS OF JOINTS.

Swellings frequently arise from bruises and strains; they are sometimes, however, connected with a rheumatic affection, caused by cold, exposure to rain, or turning an animal into wet pasture lands after active exercise. In the acute stage, known by tenderness, unnatural heat, and lameness, the animal should be put on a light diet of scalded shorts, &c.; the parts to be frequently bathed with cold water; and, if practicable, a bandage may be passed around the limb, and kept moist with the same. If the part still continues painful, take four ounces of arnica flowers, moisten them with boiling water, when cool, bind them around the part, and let them remain twenty-four hours. This seldom fails. On the other hand, should the parts be in a chronic state, which may be recognized by inactivity, coldness, &c., then the following embrocation will restore the lost tone:--

Oil of wormwood, 1 ounce.
" " cedar, 1 ounce.
Hot drops, 4 ounces.
Vinegar, 1 pint.

Mix, and rub the part faithfully night and morning. Friction with the hand or a brush will materially assist to cure. In all cases where suppuration has commenced, and matter can be distinctly felt, the sooner the following poultice shall be applied, the better:--

Powdered slippery elm, } equal parts.
" linseed, }

Boiling water sufficient to moisten; then add a wine-glass of vinegar.

To be renewed every twelve hours, until the matter escapes.

SPRAIN OF THE FETLOCK.

Sprain, or _strain_, as it is commonly termed, sometimes arises from violent exertions; at other times, by the animal unexpectedly treading on some uneven surface.

_Treatment._--First wash the foot clean, then carefully examine the cleft, and remove any substance that may have lodged there. A cotton bandage folded around the claws and continued above the fetlock, kept wet with the following lotion, will speedily reduce any excess of inflammatory action that may exist:--

Acetic acid, 1 ounce.
Water, 1 pint.

_Another._

Vinegar, 1 pint.
Water, 3 pints.

STRAIN OF THE HIP.

This may sometimes occur in working oxen. Rest is the principal remedy. The part may, however, be bathed daily with the following:--

Wormwood, 4 ounces.
Scalding vinegar, 2 quarts.

The liquor must be applied cold.

_Strain of the knees_ or _shoulder_ may be treated in the same manner as above.

FOUL IN THE FOOT.

A great deal of learned nonsense has been written on this subject, which only serves to plunge the farmer into a labyrinth from which there is no escape. The author will not trespass on the reader's patience so much as to transcribe different authors' opinions in relation to the nature of the disease and its treatment, but will proceed at once to point out a common-sense explanation of its cause, and the proper mode of treating it.

The disease is analogous to foot rot in sheep, and is the consequence of feeding in wet pastures, or suffering the animals to wallow in filth. A large quantity of morbific or excrementitious matter is thrown off from the system through the surfaces between the cleft. Now, should those surfaces be obstructed by filth, or contracted by cold, the delicate mouths of these excrementitious vessels, or outlets, are unable to rid the parts of their morbid accumulations: these vessels become distended beyond their usual capacity, communicate with each other, and, when no longer able to contain this mass of useless material, an artificial drain, in the form of "foot rot," is established, by which simple method the parts recover their reciprocal equilibrium. In this case, as in diarrhoea, we recognize a simple and sanative operation of nature's law, which, if aided, will generally prove beneficial.

That "foul in the foot" is caused by the sudden stoppage of some natural evacuation is evident from the following facts: First, the disease is most prevalent in cold, low, marshy countries, where the foot is kept constantly moist. Secondly, the disease is neither contagious nor epidemic. (See _Journal de Med. Vet. et comparee_, 1826, p. 319.)

_Treatment._--In all cases of obstruction to the depurating apparatus, there is a loss of equilibrium between secretion and excretion. The first indication is, to restore the lost function. Previously, however, to doing so, the animal must be removed to a dry situation. The cause once removed, the cure is easy, provided we merely assist nature and follow her teachings. As warmth and moisture are known to relax all animal fibre, the part should be relaxed, warmed, and cleansed, first by warm water and soap, lastly by poultice; at the same time bearing in mind that the object is not to produce or invite suppuration, (formation of matter,) but only to liberate the excess of morbid materials that may already be present: as soon as this is accomplished, the poultice should be discontinued.

_Poultice for Foul Feet._

Roots of marshmallows, bruised, half a pound.
Powdered charcoal, a handful.
" lobelia, a few ounces.
Meal, a tea-cupful.
Boiling water sufficient to soften the mass.

_Another_.

Powdered lobelia, }
Slippery elm, } equal parts.
Pond lily, bruised, }

Mix with boiling water. Put the ingredients into a bag, and secure it above the fetlock.

Give the animal the following at a dose:--

Flowers of sulphur, half an ounce.
Powdered sassafras bark, 1 ounce.
Burdock, (any part of the plant,) 2 ounces.

The above to be steeped in one quart of boiling water. When cool, strain. All that is now needed is to keep the part cleansed, and at rest. If a fetid smell still remains, wet the cleft, morning and evening, with

Chloride of soda, 1 ounce.
Water, 6 ounces.

Mix.

_Another._

Pyroligneous acid, 2 ounces.
Water, a pint.

Mix.

_Another._

Common salt, 1 table-spoonful.
Vinegar, a wine-glass.
Water, 1 quart.

Whenever any fungous excrescence makes its appearance between the claws, apply powdered bloodroot or burnt alum.

RED WATER.

This affection takes its name from the high color of the urine. It is not, strictly speaking, a disease, but only a symptom of derangement, caused by high feeding or the suppression of some natural discharge. If, for example, the skin be obstructed, then the insensible perspiration and excrementitious matter, which should pass through this great outlet, find some other mode of egress; either the lungs of kidneys have to perform the extra work. If the lot falls on the latter, and they are not in a physiological state, they give evidence of febrile or inflammatory action (caused by the irritating, acrid character of their secretion) in the form of high-colored urine. In all cases of derangement in the digestive apparatus, liver included, both in man and oxen, the urine is generally high colored; and the use of diuretic medicines is objectionable, for, at best, it would only be treating symptoms. We lay it down as a fundamental principle, that those who treat symptoms alone never cure disease, for the animal often dies a victim to the treatment, instead of the malady.

Whenever an animal is in a state of plethora, and the usual amount of morbific matter cannot find egress, some portion of it is reabsorbed, producing a deleterious effect: the urine will then be high colored, plainly demonstrating that nature is making an effort to rid the system of useless material, and will do so unless interfered with by the use of means opposed to the cure, such as blood-letting, physicking, and diuretics.

The urine will appear high colored, and approach a red hue, in many cows after calving, in inflammation of the womb, gastric fever, puerperal fever, fevers generally, inflammation of the kidneys, indigestion; in short, many forms of acute disease are accompanied by high-colored urine.

The treatment, like that of any other form of derangement, must be general. Excite all parts of the system to healthy action. If the bowels are constipated, give the following:--

Golden seal, 1 table-spoonful.
Thoroughwort tea, 2 quarts.

To be given at a dose. Scalded shorts will be the most suitable food, if any is required; but, generally, abstinence is necessary, especially if the animal be fat. If the surface and extremities are cold, give an infusion of pennyroyal, catnip, sage, or hyssop; and rub the belly and legs with

Hot vinegar, 1 quart.
Powdered lobelia or cayenne, 1 ounce.

If the kidneys are inflamed,--which may be known by tenderness in the region of the loins, and by the animal standing with the legs widely separated,--the urine being of a dark red color, then, in addition to the application of stimulating liniment to the belly and legs, a poultice may be placed over the kidneys.

_Poultice for inflamed Kidneys._

Slippery elm, 8 ounces.
Lobelia, 4 ounces.
Boiling water sufficient.

_Another._

Linseed, } equal parts
Marshmallows, }
Boiling water sufficient.

Lay the poultice on the loins, pass a cloth over it, and secure under the belly.

A drink of marshmallows is the only fluid that can with safety be allowed.

If the horns, ears, and surface are hot, sponge the whole surface with weak lie or saleratus water, and give the following antifebrile drink:--

Lemon balm, 2 ounces.
Cream of tartar, 1 ounce.
Boiling water, 2 quarts.
Honey, 1 gill.

When cold, strain, and give a pint every fifteen minutes.

If the bowels are constipated, use injections of soap-suds.

Suppose the animal to be in poor condition, hide bound, liver inactive, the excrement of a dark color and fetid odor. Then use

Powdered golden seal, 2 ounces.
" caraways, 1 ounce.
" cayenne, 1 tea-spoonful.
Poplar bark, or slippery elm, 2 ounces.

Mix, divide into ten parts, and give one, in thin gruel, three times a day. The animal should be fed on boiled carrots, scalded shorts, into which a few handfuls of meal or flour may be stirred. In short, consider the nature of the case; look beyond the symptoms, ascertain the cause, and, if possible, remove it. An infusion of either of the following articles may be given at discretion: marshmallows, linseed, juniper berries, pond lily roots, poplar bark, or queen of the meadow.

Mr. Cole remarks that "red water is most common in cows of weak constitution, a general relaxation, poor blood, &c."

In such cases, a nutritious diet, cleanliness, good nursing, friction on the surface, comfortable quarters at night, and an occasional tonic will accomplish wonders.

_Tonic Mixture._

Powdered golden seal, 1 tea-spoonful.
" balmony, 2 tea-spoonfuls.

Mix the above in shorts or meal. Repeat night and morning until convalescence is established. In cases of great prostration, where it is necessary to act with promptitude, the following infusion may be substituted:--

Thoroughwort, }
Golden seal, } of each, 1 ounce.
Camomile flowers, }
Boiling water, 2 quarts.

After standing one hour, strain, and give a pint every four hours.

BLACK WATER.

My plan of treatment, in this malady, is similar to that for red water. In both cases, it is indispensable to attend to the general health, to promote the discharge of all the secretions, to remove all obstructions to the full and free play of all parts of the living machinery. The same remedies recommended in the preceding article are equally good in this case, only they must be more perseveringly applied.

THICK URINE.

Whenever the urine is thick and turbid, deficient in quantity, or voided with difficulty, either of the following prescriptions may be administered:--

Juniper berries, 2 ounces.
Boiling water, 2 quarts.

Strain. Dose, 1 pint every four hours.

_Another._

Slippery elm, 1 ounce.
Poplar bark, 2 ounces.

Make a tea; sweeten with molasses, and give pint doses every four hours.

_Another._

Make a tea of cedar or pine boughs, sweeten with honey, and give it at discretion.

RHEUMATISM.

Rheumatism thrives in cold, damp situations, and in wet, foggy weather. It is often confined to the membranes of the large joints, and sometimes consists in a deficiency of joint oil, (_synovia._) It is liable to become chronic, and involve the fibro-muscular tissues. Acute rheumatism is known by the pain and swelling in certain parts. Chronic rheumatism is recognized by coldness, rigidity about the muscles, want of vital action, &c.

When lameness, after a careful examination, cannot be accounted for, and is found to go off after exercise, and return again, it is probably rheumatism.

_Treatment of Acute Rheumatism._--Bathe the parts with an infusion of arnica flowers, made thus:--

Arnica flowers, 4 ounces.
Boiling water, 3 quarts.

When sufficiently cool, it is fit for use.

Give the following:--

Sulphur, 2 ounces.
Cream of tartar, 3 ounces.
Powdered pleurisy root, 1 ounce.
" licorice, 2 ounces.
Indian meal, 1 pound.

Mix. Give a table-spoonful three times a day in the feed. A light diet and rest are indispensable.

_Treatment of Chronic Rheumatism._--Put the animal on a generous diet, and give an occasional spoonful of golden seal or balmony in the food, and a drink of sassafras tea. The parts may be rubbed with stimulating liniment, for which, see APPENDIX.

BLAIN.

Some veterinary writers describe this disease as "a watery tumor, growing at the root of the tongue, and threatening suffocation. The first symptoms are foaming at the mouth, gaping, and lolling out of the tongue."

The disease first originates in the mucous surfaces, which enter into the mouth, throat, and stomach. It partakes somewhat of the character of thrush, and requires nearly the same treatment.

Make an infusion of raspberry leaves, to which add a small quantity of borax or alum. Wash the mouth and tongue with the same by means of a sponge. If there are any large pustules, open them with the point of a penknife. After cleansing them, sprinkle with powdered bayberry bark, or bloodroot. Rid the system of morbid matter by injection and physic, (which see, in APPENDIX.) The following antiseptic drink will then complete the cure:--

Make a tea of raspberry leaves by steeping two ounces in a quart of boiling water; when cool, strain; then add

Powdered charcoal, 2 ounces.
" bayberry bark, 1 ounce.
Honey, 2 table-spoonfuls.

Give a pint every four hours.

The diet should consist of scalded meal, boiled turnips, carrots, &c., to which a small portion of salt may be added. If the glands under the ears and around the throat are sympathetically affected, and swollen, they must be rubbed twice a day with the stimulating liniment. (See APPENDIX.)

The disease is supposed, by some veterinarians, to originate in the tongue, but post mortem examinations lead us to determine otherwise. Mr. Youatt informs us that "post mortem examination shows intense inflammation, or even gangrene, of the tongue, oesophagus, paunch, and fourth stomach. The food in the paunch has a most offensive smell, and that in the manyplus is hard and dry. Inflammation reaches to the small intestines, which are covered with red and black patches in the coecum, colon, and rectum."

THRUSH.

_Thrush_, and all eruptive diseases of the throat and internal surface, are treated in the same manner as laid down in Blaine.

BLACK TONGUE.

Black Tongue appears when the system is deprived of vital force, as in the last stages of blaine, &c. The indications to be fulfilled are the same as in blaine, but applied with more perseverance.

INFLAMMATION OF THE THROAT AND ITS APPENDAGES.[12]

In many cases, if attended to immediately, nothing more will be necessary than confining the animal to a light diet, with frequent drinks of linseed tea, warmth and moisture applied locally in the form of a slippery elm poultice, which may be kept in close contact with the throat by securing it to the horns. But, in very severe attacks, mullein leaves steeped in vinegar and applied to the parts, with an occasional stimulating injection, (see APPENDIX,) together with a gruel diet, are the only means of relief.

FOOTNOTE:

[12] This includes the larynx, pharynx, and trachea.

BRONCHITIS.

Bronchitis consists in a thickening of the fibrous and mucous surfaces of the trachea, and generally results from maltreated hoose or catarrh.

_Symptoms._--A dry, husky, wheezing cough, laborious breathing, hot breath, and dry tongue.

_Treatment._--Warm poultices of slippery elm or flaxseed, on the surface of which sprinkle powdered lobelia. Apply them to the throat moderately warm; if they are too hot they will prove injurious. In the first place administer the following drink:--

Powdered licorice, 1 ounce.
" elecampane, half an ounce.
Slippery elm, 1 ounce.

Boiling water sufficient to make it of the consistence of thin gruel.

If there is great difficulty of breathing, add half a tea-spoon of lobelia to the above, and repeat the dose night and morning. Linseed or marshmallow tea is a valuable auxiliary in the treatment of this disease. The animal should be comfortably housed, and the legs kept warm by friction with coarse straw.

INFLAMMATION OF GLANDS.

There are numerous glandular bodies distributed over the animal structure. Those to which the reader's attention is called are, first, the parotid, situated beneath the ear; secondly, the sub-lingual, beneath the tongue; lastly, the sub-maxillary, situated just within the angle of the jaw. They are organized similarly to other glands, as the kidneys, &c., possessing arteries, veins, lymphatics, &c., which terminate in a common duct. They have also a ramification of nerves, and the body of the gland has its own system of arterial vessels and absorbents, which are enclosed by a serous membrane. They produce a copious discharge of fluid, called saliva. Its use is to lubricate the mouth, thereby preventing friction; also to lubricate the food, and assist digestion.

Inflammation of either of these glands may be known by the heat, tenderness, enlargement, and difficulty of swallowing. They are usually sympathetically affected, as in hoose, catarrh, influenza, &c., and generally resume their natural state when these maladies disappear.

_Treatment._--In the inflammatory stage, warm teas of marshmallows, or slippery elm, and poultices of the same, are the best means yet known to reduce it; they relax constricted or obstructed organs, and by being directly applied to the parts affected, the more speedily and effectually is the object accomplished. Two or three applications of some relaxing poultice will be all that is needed; after which, apply

Olive oil, or goose grease, 1 gill.
Spirits of camphor, 1 ounce.
Oil of cedar, 1 ounce.
Vinegar, half a gill.

Mix.

_Another._

Pyroligneous acid, 2 ounces.
Beef's gall, 1 gill.
Cayenne, 1 tea-spoonful.

To be rubbed around the throat as occasion may require. All hard or indigestible food will be injurious.

LOSS OF CUD.

Loss of Cud is a species of indigestion, and may be brought on by the animal's eating greedily of some food to which it has been unaccustomed. Loss of cud and loss of appetite are synonymous.

_Compound for Loss of Cud._

Golden seal, powdered, 1 ounce.
Caraway, " 2 ounces.
Cream of tartar, half an ounce.
Powdered poplar bark, 2 ounces.

Mix. Divide into six powders, and give one every four hours in a sufficient quantity of camomile tea.

COLIC.

Colic is occasioned by a want of physiological power in the organs of digestion, so that the food, instead of undergoing a chemico-vital process, runs into fermentation, by which process carbonic acid gas is evolved.

_Symptoms._--The animal is evidently in pain, and appears very restless; it occasionally turns its head, with an anxious gaze, to the left side, which seems to be distended more than the right; there is an occasional discharge of gas from the mouth and anus.

_Treatment._--Give the following carminative:--

Powdered aniseed, half a tea-spoonful.
" cinnamon, " "

To be given in a quart of spearmint tea, and repeated if necessary.

_Another._

Powdered assafoetida, half a tea-spoon.
Thin gruel of slippery elm, 2 quarts.
Oil of aniseed, 20 drops.

To be given at a dose.

If the animal suffers much pain, apply fomentations to the belly, and give the following injection:--

Powdered ginger, half an ounce.
Common salt, 1 table-spoonful.
Hot water, 1 gallon.

SPASMODIC COLIC.

This affection may be treated in the same manner as flatulent colic, aided by warmth and moisture externally. The author has in many cases cured animals of spasmodic colic with a little peppermint tea, brisk friction upon the stomach and bowels, and an injection of warm water; whereas, had the animals been compelled to swallow the usual amount of gin, saleratus, castor oil, salts, and other nauseous, useless drugs, they would probably have died. The reader, especially if he is an advocate of the popular poisoning and blood-letting system, may ask, What good can a little simple peppermint tea accomplish? We answer, Nature delights in simples, and in all her operations invites us to follow her example. The fact is, warm peppermint tea, although in the estimation of the learned it is not entitled to any confidence as a therapeutic agent, yet is an efficient anti-spasmodic in the hands of reformers and common-sense farmers. It is evident that if any changes are made in the symptoms, they ought to be for the better; yet under the heroic practice they often grow worse.

CONSTIPATION.

In constipation there is a retention of the excrement, which becomes dry and hard. It may arise from derangement of the liver and other parts of the digestive apparatus: at other times, there is a loss of equilibrium between the mucous and external surface, the secretion of the former being deficient, and the external surface throwing off too much moisture in the form of perspiration. In short, constipation, in nine cases out of ten, is only a symptom of a more serious disorder in some important function. The use of powerful purges is at all times attended with danger, and in very many cases they fall short of accomplishing the object. Mr. Youatt tells us that "a heifer had been feverish, and had refused all food during five days; and four pounds of Epsom salts, and the same quantity of treacle, and three fourths of a pint of castor oil, and numerous injections, had been administered before any purgative effect could be produced." Several cases have come under the author's notice where large doses of aloes, salts, and castor oil had been given without producing the least effect on the bowels, until within a few minutes of the death of the animal. If the animal ever recovers from the dangerous effects resulting from powerful purges, it is evident that the delicate membranes lining the alimentary canal must lose their energy and become torpid. All mechanical irritants--for purges are of that class--divert the fluids of the body from the surface and kidneys, producing watery discharges from the bowels. This may be exemplified by a person taking a pinch of snuff; the irritating article comes in contact with the mucous surfaces: they endeavor to wash off the offending matter by secreting a quantity of fluid; this, together with what is forced through the membranes in the act of sneezing, generally accomplishes the purpose. A constant repetition of the vile habit renders the parts less capable of self-defence; they become torpid, and lose their natural power of resisting encroachments; finally, the altered voice denotes the havoc made on the mucous membrane. This explains the whole _modus operandi_ of artificial purging; and although, in the latter case, the parts are not adapted to sneezing, yet there is often a dreadful commotion, which has destroyed many thousands of valuable animals. An eminent professor has said that "purgatives, besides being uncertain and uncontrollable, often kill from the dangerous debility they produce." The good results that sometimes appear to follow the exhibition of irritating purges must be attributed to the sanative action of the constitution, and not to the agent itself; and the life of the patient depends, in all cases, on the existing ability of the vital power to counteract the effects of purging, bleeding, poisoning, and blistering.

The author does not wish to give the reader occasion to conclude that purgatives can be entirely dispensed with; on the contrary, he thinks that in many cases they are decidedly beneficial, when given with discretion, and when the nature of the disease requires them; yet even such cases, too much confidence should not be placed on them, so as to exclude other and sometimes more efficient remedies, which come under the head of laxatives, aperients, &c.

_Treatment._--If costiveness is suspected to be symptomatic of some derangement, then a restoration of the general health will establish the lost function of the bowels. In this case, purges are unnecessary; the treatment will altogether depend on the symptoms. For example, suppose the animal constipated; the white of the eye tinged yellow, head drooping, and the animal is drowsy, and off its feed; then give the following:--

Powdered mandrake, 1 tea-spoonful.
Castile soap, in shavings, quarter of an ounce.
Beef's gall, half a wine-glass.
Powdered capsicum, third of a table-spoon.

Dissolve the soap in a small quantity of hot water, then mix the whole in three pints of thin gruel.

This makes a good aperient, and can be given with perfect safety in all cases of constipation arising from derangement of the liver. The liquid must be poured down the throat in a gradual manner, in order to insure its reaching the fourth stomach. Aid the medicine by injections, and rub the belly occasionally with straw.

Suppose the bowels to be torpid during an attack of inflammation of the brain; then it will be prudent to combine relaxants and anti-spasmodics, in the following form:--

Extract of butternut, half an ounce.
Powdered skunk cabbage, "
Cream of tartar, "
Powdered lobelia, 2 drachms.

First dissolve the butternut in two quarts of hot water; after which add the remaining ingredients, and give it for a dose. The operation of this prescription, like the preceding, must be aided by injection, friction, and warm drinks made of hyssop or pine boughs.

Suppose the bowels to be constipated, at the same time the animal is hide-bound, in poor condition, &c.; the aperient must then be combined with tonics, as follows:--

Extract of butternut, half an ounce.
Rochelle salt, 4 ounces.
Golden seal, 1 ounce.
Ginger, 1 tea-spoonful.
Hot water, 3 quarts.

Dissolve and administer at a dose. In order to relieve the cold, constricted, inactive state of the hide, recourse must be had to warmth, moisture, and friction. A simple aperient of linseed oil may be given in cases of stricture or intussusception of the bowels. The dose is one pint.

FALLING DOWN OF THE FUNDAMENT.

Return the prolapsed part as quickly as possible by gently kneading the parts within the rectum. In recent cases, the part should be washed with an infusion of bayberry bark. (See APPENDIX.) The bowel may be kept in position by applying a wad of cotton, kept wet with the astringent infusion, confined with a bandage. A weak solution of alum water may, however, be substituted, provided the bayberry or white oak bark is not at hand.

Should the parts appear swollen and much inflamed, apply a large slippery elm poultice, on the surface of which sprinkle powdered white oak or bayberry bark. This will soon lessen the swelling, so that the rectum may be returned.

The diet must be very sparing, consisting of flour gruel; and if the bowels are in a relaxed state, add a small quantity of powdered bayberry.

CALVING.

At the end of nine months, the period of the cow's gestation is complete; but parturition does not always take place at that time; it is sometimes earlier, at others later. "One hundred and sixteen cows had their time of calving registered: fourteen of them calved from the two hundred and forty-first day to the two hundred and sixty-sixth day,--that is, eight months and one day to eight months and twenty-six days; fifty-six from the two hundred and seventieth to the two hundred and eightieth day; eighteen from the two hundred and eightieth to the two hundred and ninetieth; twenty on the three hundredth day; five on the three hundred and eighth day; consequently there were sixty-seven days between the two extremities."

Immediately before calving, the animal appears uneasy; the tail is elevated; she shifts from place to place, and is frequently lying down and getting up again. The labor pains then come on; and by the expulsive power of the womb, the foetus, with the membranes enveloping it, is pushed forward. At first, the membranes appear beyond the vagina, or "shape," often in the form of a bladder of water; the membranes burst, the water is discharged, and the head and fore feet of the calf protrude beyond the shape. We are now supposing a case of natural labor. The body next appears, and soon the delivery is complete. In a short time, a gradual contraction of the womb takes place, and the cleansings (afterbirth) are discharged. When the membranes are ruptured in the early stage of calving, and before the outlet be sufficiently expanded, the process is generally tedious and attended with danger; and this danger arises in part from the premature escape of the fluids contained within the membranes, which are intended, ultimately, to serve the double purpose of expanding or dilating the passage, and lubricating the parts, thereby facilitating the birth.

Under these circumstances, it will be our duty to supply the latter deficiency by carefully anointing the parts with olive oil; at the same time, allow the animal a generous supply of slippery elm gruel: if she refuses to partake of it, when offered in a bucket, it must be gently poured down the throat from a bottle. At times, delivery is very slow; a considerable time elapses before any part of the calf makes its appearance. Here we have only to exercise patience; for if there is a natural presentation, nature, being the best doctor under all circumstances, will do the work in a more faithful manner unassisted than when improperly assisted. "A meddlesome midwifery is bad." Therefore the practice of attempting to hurry the process by driving the animal about, or annoying her in any way, is very improper. In some cases, however, when a wrong presentation is apparent, which seems to render calving impracticable, we should, after smearing the hand with lard, introduce it into the vagina, and endeavor to ascertain the position of the calf, and change it when it is found unfavorable. When, for example, the head presents without the fore legs, which are bent under the breast, we may gently pass the hand along the neck, and, having ascertained the position of the feet, we grasp them, and endeavor to bring them forward, the cow at the same time being put into the most favorable position, viz., the hind quarters being elevated. By this means the calf can be gently pushed back, as the feet are advanced and brought into the outlet. The calf being now in a natural position, we wait patiently, and give nature an opportunity to perform her work. Should the expulsive efforts cease, and the animal appear to be rapidly sinking, no time must be lost; nature evidently calls for assistance, but not in the manner usually resorted to, viz., that of placing a rope around the head and feet of the calf, and employing the united strength of several men to extract the foetus, without regard to position. Our efforts must be directed to the mother; the calf is a secondary consideration: the strength of the former, if it is failing, must be supported; the expulsive power of the womb and abdominal muscles, now feeble, must be aroused; and there are no means or processes that are better calculated to fulfil these indications than that of administering the following drink:--

Bethroot, 2 ounces.
Powdered cayenne, one third of a tea-spoon.
Motherwort, 1 ounce.

Infuse in a gallon of boiling water. When cool, strain, then add a gill of honey, and give it in pint doses, as occasion may require.

Under this treatment, there is no difficulty in reestablishing uterine action. If, however, the labor is still tedious, the calf may be grasped with both hands, and as soon as a pain or expulsive effort is evident, draw the calf from side to side. While making this lateral motion, draw the calf forward. Expulsion generally follows.

If, on examination, it is clearly ascertained that the calf is lying in an unnatural position,--for example, the calf may be in such a position as to present its side across the outlet,--in such cases delivery is not practicable unless the position is altered. Mr. White says, "I have seen a heifer that it was found impossible to deliver. On examining her after death, a very large calf was found lying quite across the mouth of the uterus." In such cases, Mr. Lawson recommends that, "when every other plan has failed for taming the calf, so as to put it in a favorable position for delivery, the following has often succeeded: Let the cow be thrown down in a proper position, and placed on her back; then, by means of ropes and a pulley attached to a beam above, let the hind parts be raised up, so as to be considerably higher than the fore parts; in this position, the calf may be easily put back towards the bottom of the uterus, so as to admit of being turned, or his head and fore legs brought forward without difficulty."

We must ever bear in mind the important fact that the successful termination of the labor depends on the strength and ability of the parent; that if these fail, however successful we may be in bringing about a right presentation, the birth is still tedious, and we may finally have to take the foetus away piecemeal; by which process the cow's life is put in jeopardy.

To avoid such an unfortunate occurrence, support the animal's strength with camomile tea. The properties of camomile are antispasmodic, carminative, and tonic--just what is wanted.

Mr. White informs us that "instances sometimes occur of the calf's head appearing only, and so large that it is found impossible to put it back. When this is found to be the case, the calf should be killed, and carefully extracted, by cutting off the head and other parts that prevent the extraction; thus the cow's life will be saved."