' .C15 'iW MANUAL Copy ^ OF vKrERINARY MEDICINE oil TIIK TREATMENT OF THE DISEASES OF THE HORSE. \^ — -l5" -y- ---' BY M. D. CADWALADER, VKTEHl.VAKY SUKGKON', OF THIRTY VKARS PU ACTICK. SECOND EDTTIOX; With the EvperioDCfl of FoiirUen Years addt^d to the Work. TKLRGRAM J'RINT., RICHMOND, IM>. / I»Rl£F'AaE. The great necessity which has heretofore existed for a short and concise work of this kind, containing the symptoms and treatment of the great variety of diseases to which the Horse is subject, and which at the same time, would be thoroughly adapted to the under- standing of all classes, has long been a desid- eratum in the mind of the Author, and lias in- duced him to undertake the present manual, which, he flatters himself, will be found of vast utility. It is his purpose, to present to the public, in as brief and plain a style as the nature of of the subject will permit, a correct and inter- esting history of the great variety of diseases incident to the Horse, together with the symp- toms by which each one may be distinguished from all others, and the remedies which, from a long and practical experience and success, as a Veterinary Surgeon, he has found most successful in their removal. The great objection to all former works on this subject, both in this and European coun- tries, consists in the very intricate style in whifh thev are written, and the great variety PREFACE. of technical terms they contain. They also contain prescriptions of various articles which cannot be obtained in this country, all which render them in a great measure, useless, ex- cept to those only whose entire business it is to practice the '''veterinary art," and for this reason it is his aim to exhibit a style which will be both correct and useful to every one, and at the same time be free from all the am- bitious ornaments and faults which are justly chargeable to writers on this subject, in this and other countries. After having the experience of fourteen years since the first edition was issued, and a part of that time traveling and teaching the veterinary art, through the east and west, and having spent three years in Cincinnati Horse Market, where he gained a high reputation, and also three years in the employ of the Gov- ernment at Camp Monroe and at Hamilton; and having had unlimited opportunities for investigating and treating all the diseases of the Horse, that seldom falls to the lot ol any one man; and feeling confident that he can till a void that has heretofore existed, he has rewritten this Manual and has given the piil)- lic the beut'lit of his large experience, and of- fers them hereby a second edition of the work which proved so popular in its first edition, and respectfully dedirates it to all who do him the honor of thorouuhlv testing its mei-its. OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. In all the Universe, the Creator has not given unto man a more useful, a more intelli- gent and more grateful animal than the Horse. He is a thinking, calculating and sociable an- imal. Treat him as he ought to be treated, and he is thy companion, thy friend. The Horse in a state of nature is subject to few diseases, but the further he is removed from his natural condition, tlie more numer- ous and complicated his diseases become, and in consequence of the use and abuse of the Horse l)y tnan, the horse, like man, has become subject to a great variety of diseases, which, like those aftecting the human system, are fre- quently under the control of medicinal reme- dies; and the same general means which are efficacious in healing the disorders of our race, are equally so in controlling those of the in- ferior part of the animal creation. The great value of the Horse to man, has rendered him from the earliest period, the ob- ject of study and attention, not only while in healtb, but also when laboring under disease. For the latter state, a peculiar system was 6 early formed, including a Materia Medica and a general mode of treatment considerably dif- ferent from those of the human patients. Xenophen is the oldest Veterinary writer on record; but his treatment is confined to tbi^ training and management of the Horse tor Avar and the chase. The chief merit of the , in- dent writers on this subject consists in dieta- ry rules and domestic management which they propose. Their medical prescriptions are said to be an inconsistent and often dis-ordant jumble of many articles devoid of rational aim or probable efficacy. On the revival of learning in Europe, when the anatomy and physiology of the human body bad become grand objects of research in Italian schools. Veterinerary Anatomy attracted the attention of Ruini, and others, whose descriptive labors on the body of the horse have since served for the ground" worlc and model of all the schools in Europe. The works of the Veterinary writers of antiquity were eagerly sought and translated into French and the arts extensive- ly cultivated, sometimes under regular medi- cal professors. The new science having been extended over a great part of Europe, could scarcely fail of occasional communication with England. Nevertheless the medifal treatment of horses and other domestic animals continued exclu- sively in the hands of Farriers and Cow Doc- tors until some time in the first quarter of the eighth century. At this period, that branch of the art which relates to the medical and surgical treatment of the Horse attracted the attention of Wm. Gibson, who had acted in the capacity of army surgeon in the wars of Queen Anne. He was the first auther of the regular medical profession in England, vvho attempted to improve veterinary science, and the publication of liis work forms an era in its annals. Since, his work became, and has continued to the present day. the basis of the English. The eighteenth century was abun- dantly fruitful in veterinary pursuits and publications. France took the lead and a zeal for this science pervaded Germany. Colleges were established in varioii-^ countries with the expressed view of cultivating this branch of the medical art. It is said that the French have improved the anatomical and surgical branches of the art, and the English those branches which relate to the operation of med- icine. The tirst veterinary school was instituted at Lj^ons, in 1762. another in Berlin in 1792. and one near London the same year. In these Colleges lectures were given and degrees con- ferred. In the diplomas the graduate is de- nominated A'eterinary Surgeon. A great number of those surgeons ha\e been dispersed in the armies of Europe as well as through the different countries, where they have t)een employed in the medical and surgical treat- ment of diseased animals to the great advan- tage of their owners. It is cAident that th'" light of science has shone conspicuously in Europe on the Horse in relation to his treat- ment, both when in he;ilth and when laboring under disc ise. In the Ignited States we have no institution for the cultivation of this branch of knowledge. The press, however, has been proliftc in the production of works treating on the various branches of the veterinary art; and many persons, by their aid. have render- ed themselves competent to administer to the 8 Horse, in case of disease, in a rational manner. Nevertheless, the practice of animal medicine is confined chiefly to illiterate men who. from their laborious habits, or from other causes, have not attained to that degree of information on animal diseases and the general effects of medicine, that might enable them to prescribe their remedies on scientific principles. But this state of things is not peculiar to our coun- try, for notwithstanding the laudable efforts of enlightened men in Europe, the blacksmiths form a vast majority of the horse-surgeons and physicians in every part of it. The attention of blacksmiths was early turned to the diseas- es of the Horse from the practice of supplying them with shoes. The morbid affections of the foot were probably the first that attracted their notice, and descanting upon these induc- ed the general belief that they understood every other disease which might affect the horse. These men, as laborers in iron, were originally termed ferriers, from the Latin word ferrum. Iron; and their craft ferriery. The appellation of Veterinary Surgeon is ap- plicable to persons who have received a diplo- ma from some Yeterinary College, or who have at least studied animal medicine scientifically. There are a few such individuals in the United States. "While the great value of the Horse and the general increase of knowledge, cer- tainly justify the expectation that their num- bers will increase, and for this reason, 1 have been induced to offer to the enlightened pub- lic a few ideas taken from actual experimental knowledge. Symptoms of Diseases of the Horse. The diagnosis of the diseases of the Horse, Avithout which there is no possibility of curing them, is a matter as important as it is difficult in certain cases. In order to establish it, it is necessary to subject the sick animal to an ex- amination which not only embraces the dis- cease and its symptoms, but extends also to the rest of the phenomena of the animal's pe- culiar life. The comparison between these two orders of symptoms show us how far the present state of the Horse is removed from the natur- al condition, and allows us to establish our prognosis; for it is evident that the more the physiognomy of the animal difters from what it should be, the more the exterior is changed, the more the secretions and excretions have become irregular, the more serious and alarm- ing is the character of the disease. The examination of a sick animal, presents in some respects more, and in others less, dif- ficulty than that of a human being aftected with disease. It is more difficult, inasmuch as the practictioner must often dispense with the knowledge of a history of the case. The animal not being able to speak to inform him of his previous habits, of the injurious influ- ences to which he has been exposed, or of his present feelings, location of his pains, or the duration of the disease, &c., and the persons who are in care of him generally afford but very incomplete information. We frequently obtain but very vague and an satisfactory ideas 10 ahoiit the case. Another difficulty is owins to this, that the animals cannot tell their sub- jective symptoms, that is to say, what they feel, the location and nature of their pains, &c. But on the other hand, the examination is more easy in some respects, because the ani- mal is obedient to its instinct and expresses its suffering by movements, attitudes, looks, sounds, &c. Tlie phenomena themselves are much more distinctly marked, because there is not in this case, as in man. the imagination to exercise any influence over them. Also, every thing discovered in the sick animal may be considered as a consequence of the state of the organs. Tbe'pulse and beatings of the heart, among others, aftord much more precise and certain signs than in man. A practical knowledge of the symptoms of the disease, constitutes what is called in French veterinary works, the coup d' (inl, and is very important to the veterinary sur- geon. It is of the utmost importance when you examine a sick horse, to carefully collect all the symptoms, even those least marked, and to nrrange them properly; fortius is al- most the sole and only nu'iins of ascertaining the form of the tlisease. The practitioner hav- ing no other resource for this except to take into account that wliich is rei)resented exter- nally in the Horse. The order, whicli we proceed to the exami- nation, is not :i matter of indifference. From the manner in which it is done, we judge of the skill of thePractioner. Thus, it woidd be giving a very unfavoriible id(^a of one's self to commence the examination by indicating the accessory symptoms, or to jumble and con- found both ord(M-s of symjitoms indiscrimi- 11 nately. To confine one's self to a certain or- der is a means for rendering the examination itself much easier. In the first place, commence with the symp- toms which are referable to the exterior of the animal, and which, as such, first fall un- der the cognizance of the senses, because in many cases they are suflicient to enable us to recognize the diseise and even judge of its seat. To this head may be referred : 1st. The movements and attitudes of the body and its several parts, chiefly of the head, eyes and limbs, and tail, as the animal indi- cates the pain he feels by striving to repel or avoid the i)ernicious influence from without or to relieve the sufferings which torture him. 2d. The look and Physiognomy. To bo sure it cannot be said that the horse has a Physiognomy in the sense in which this term is applied to the human subject. Still the character, the breed, and the state of health and of disease, are expressed in him in a very striking manner. His Physiognomy becomes particularly characteristic in tetanus, internal gangrene, vertigo and Pneumonia. It is for this reason we should attach a special importance to the examination of the eye. Aftei" having considered nil the symptoms connected with the exterior ef the l)ody of the animal, we next proceed to examine the pulse and beating of the heart. These two phenom- ena have great Aalue as characteristic signs in the diseases of the horse. The pulse is felt on embracing the submax- illary artery, between the ind^x and middle finger, hs it'crosses the anterior portion of the lower jaw, or inside of the fore-arm near the 12 sternum or breast bone, where lies the phiit vein. With respect to the beatings of the heart, they are felt by placing the palm of the hand on the horse's left side, not far fr cm the elbow. But to be able to judge of a disease from the pulsation of the arterial system, it is necessary to know the character of the pulse in a state of health, and to have attained a certain degree of dexterity in examiiiing it. The number of pulsation is about from thirty-t"o to forty per minute in the adult horse, when in health, and from forty-six to fifty-live in young horses. If the animal is irritable, his pulse is more frequent and harder; that is, it strikes with more force agninst the finger, which is gener- ally considered a sign of vigor. It is slower and softer in Phlegmatic Breeds. The pulse varies very much in disease. It is accelerated (above fifty, sometimes seventy or eighty, and even to one hundred or more) in febrile dis- eases. The pulse frequent, hard and strong, indicates an inflammatory efl:ection; wlien slow and weak, or easily compressed, it de- notes debility, advanced age, or an anemic state of the body. When accelerated or feeble it indicates iminent danger, and worse, still, if it be of an intermitting ch;iracter. In Pneumonia it is frequently oppressed. In Enteritis, bard, quick and wiringin its feeling. If, while the mouth and feet are cold, the pulse is no longer felt, life is very seriously threat- ened. Oftimesthe pulsations of the heart are no longer felt during the repose of the horse, but slight motion is sulBcient to render them perceptible. Further, there are two circum- stances which must not be lost sight of: the first is that we can judge so much better of the 13 state of the pulse the more tranquil the animal is: the second is that the pulse is influenced by every thing which can excite fear or uneasi- ness; therefore we should not examine it ab- ruptly, nor before we have familiarized our- selves with the horse, to a cert;iin extent. After the loulse, the respiration should be ex- amined : We should tirst attend to its frequen- cy and its relation to the pulsation of the heart. lu a state of health the horse respires from nine to ten times every minute. We should see, also, vvhat temperature and odor the ex- pired air may be. We examine all the phe- nomena with which the respiration may be accompanied, such as the diff'erent sounds, cough, &C. From the respiration we pass on to diges- tion. The apparatus destined for the perform- ance of this function funiishes important di- agnostic signs, inasmuch as it enjoys a great predominance in our domesticanimais, and in- dependently of the diseases peculiar to it, it participates in those of several other systems and organs. We investigate the signs which may be de- rived from hunger, thirst, the manner in which the animal takes its food, masticat(>s and swal- lows it, the sttite of the abdomen, the quality of the alvine ejections, ttc. The total loss of ai)petite is a siun much more serious in domesticanimais than in man. It is, therefore, always a favorable siun when they take food, provided, however, that they are conscious of what they do. A syujptom worthy of 7-emark is, th;it inflammatory dis- eases are accompanied by an increase in tiie contraction of tlie intestinal ])irieti('s and a dimunition in tlio secretions, which niisv \;v 14 ascertained by the small size, hardness, dry- ness, the more or less deep eolor of the evacua- tions, whilst the contrary takes place in putrid diseases, where the alvine ejections are united into larger masses, and generally covered with mucus. The examination of the urinary or- gans is necessary as well in reference to the diseases peculiar to the apparatus itself, be- cause it contributes to make known the gen- eral state of inflammatory putridity and spasms, so that it furnishes signs of the high- est importance. Lastly, we must direct attention to the state of the mucus membranes, those chiefly of the mouth and nose. Their pale or red color, and thi! character of their secretions, aftord symp- toms sufllcient to indicate certain diseases. The examination should bear not only on the aberations which the vital phenomena have undergone, but also on the causes of the dis- eases, if they do not appear from the symptoms themselves. As every disease must be consid- ered as the product of two factors, an internal or sul)jcctive cause, and an external or objec- tive, tiie veterinary i)rHctitioner should give his in\ estigations a two-fold direction. With resi)ect to the animal, he takes into consideration his age, breed, constitution, mode of life, the labor lie has had to i)erform, the state of health he enjoyed hitherto, the diseases with which he had been previously at- tacked, and the state of those animals of the s ime breed. AVith respect to the second point of view, he looks to the state of the atmosphere, the kind of food given him, the character of the sta- bling, the first morbid phenomena which man- ifested themselves, the course of the disease 15 up to the present peried, and the treatment employed. Most of the diseases of the horse are accom- panied witli pains which manifest themselves externall)^, according to the parts whence they derive their origin. If the painful part is a foot, the animal assumes an attitude such as may spare the part atFected. When standing, he throws the leg forward, so that it may have less to do than the other in supporting the weight of the body. In hnnitis, when stand- ing, the weight is thrown on the heels. When walking, he rests less on it; when one touches it, he sometimes draws it back or raises the foot. If the pain has its seat elsewhere, the animal frequently turns his head to this part, or strikes it with the foot. In case the pain is very seTere, he remains as if struck with stu- por, and his head inclined to the ground, or else scrapes with his fore feet or stamps with the hind foot, or rolls himself upon the ground. The eyes, even when they are not the seat of ' disease, often express the state of the animal health. When dull and full of water, they indicatt! exhaustion and weakness; when bright, full of force, and project out of the or- bits, they denote an inflammatory state, or iometimes very acute pain. Every t'me the hair is observed to be dull and staring, it is a proof of disease, for it is shining and smooth when the animal is in good health. This symptom denotes a bad nutri- tion, insufficient food, more especially abdom- inal aflfections, when emaciation is combined with it. When the respiration is slow and calm, we conclude that there is no fever, and that the pectoral organs are healthy. When it is hur- V ^. jr '•■'•■• • A V ^'T'- itJiin/. \v. inf. r ijt. v.. ■ if tin- I' citlMr lint f Jin ■ itlr . \Mill a > ■tl '. -in- i* IV illlli l)\e niiwii.il. LIBPPRY OF CONGRESS 002 850 499 8 III lu i'i'i&u:iiuii; a i of • I. , ; !s of IIi«"I> IV rol«l, Wf I .'. II. it .-r t: .11.1 - of iil- ..r liiM :iniiiatlon in dniorni. \x .'« I ii?. . 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