ing conjointly or not. Should you also desire to know, what is the state of the digestive organs at the commencement. I would inform you that their function is either disturbed, or partly suspended.

I shall now speak of the treatment of colic.

Treatment of Spasmodic Colic.- Supposing the case to be of purely spasmodic origin, we infer that there is some derangement in the nervous system; for, from the motor nerves muscular action is supposed to emanate. The state of spasm, however, is brought about, through the nerves, of involuntary motion. To act on the nervous system is our first object; because, through it, we operate on the muscular, and here is the seat of spasm. The remedies are various, among them. I select the following: (antispasmodic)-Sulphuric æther, half an ounce; tincture of assafoetida, one ounce; to be given in thin gruel or mucilage. Next, I give a ball, composed of Barbadoes aloes, four drachms; lobelia seeds, powdered, one drachm; nitrate of potassa, two drachms. An aloetic enema may be given; then immerse a blanket in hot water; wring out a portion of the fluid, and encircle the loins, and secure the blanket there by circingles, or other means. Next, secure a buffalo, over the blanket, and in this way sweat the animal. At this stage I generally examine the bladder per rectum, and should it be distended with urine, I immediately introduce the catheter and evacuate it. This is the plan to be pursued in the early stage of the malady; beyond this I cannot, on this occasion, undertake to enlighten you; but invite your attention to what I have to offer, in regard to the treatment of the more common affection, termed, "flatulent colic." I might name a host of remedies that are in use for the cure of colic; some of them very simple, others very dangerous, and a great proportion worse than nothing; but as I propose to be "practical" this evening, I would inform you that our principal remedies are carminitives, stimulants, and alkalies. The aromatic spirit of ammonia is a very excellent preparation for flatulency. It can be given in the proportion of two ounces, diluted with one pint of water. Another equally efficient remedy is, the hypo-sulphite of soda, six drachms to a pint of water. I often combine with the latter, half an ounce of the fluid extract of gentian.

Chlorid of lime is sometimes used, with very good effect, especially when there is a voluminous accumulation of gas within the intestines. It is best to combine it with some diffusable stimulant. My formula is as follows:

Mix. Drench the horse, and at the end of an hour repeat the dose, if necessary. I give this remedy, supposing that the gas

occupying the intestinal cavity, is sulphuretted hydrogen, for which the chlorine of the lime has an affinity; the result of such an union is muratic gas, which reduces the volume of the former (so the anthorities tell us,) in the proportion of, from nine to one. The muriatic gas is now supposed to be absorbed by the fluids of the stomach and bowels, we then get a weak muriatic acid, termed, " dilute spirit of salt;" with the latter, the lime unites, and the result is, a harmless substance known as muriate of lime. I have been very successful in putting a stop to fermentation, and in absorbing the already accumulated gas within the stomach, by using charcoal and lime water, in the following proportions: Pulverized charcoal, three ounces; lime water, two ounces and a half; to be given in a pint of rain water.

A favorite remedy among Boston teamsters for colic, is a compound of milk, molasses and saleratus, but it is a very unsafe remedy, and often does more harm than good. Besides, in mixing the mess, it undergoes a chemical change; for example, saleratus is an alkali; milk and molasses have an acid base, and when the three are mixed, a recomposition takes place; hence, it is a remedy that cannot be depended on.

The principal objects in the cure of colic, are to restore the tone of the stomach, by means of stimulants and tonics; to arrest fermentation and absorb the gases of the alimentary canal. I shall not undertake to say that the remedies, here alluded to, are the very best; but as I have met with remarkable success in their use, I can safely recommend them.

I have an impression that when a horse is the subject of colic, he requires to be treated just as any intelligent physician would treat one of us. There is no necessity to convert his stomach into a "slop shop," the patient should be treated in a rational manner, by the same means and with the same skill as if one of our race were concerned.

I do not like to see an animal trotted, up one street, and down another, (followed by a biped whip in hand, and a crowd of idlers,) when he is the subject of excruciating abdominal pains, and the sweat is pouring off him like rain, from sheer agony. The custom is decidedly wrong; our reasoning faculties confirm this opinion; and what reason teaches, man should endeavor to put in practice.

No practitioner of human medicine dare advise such a course as compelling a man to hop off a bed of sickness, and start on a fast trot, up and down stairs; for, should he so advise, he would very soon entitle himself to a ticket of leave. Should, however, the attack be slight, a little walking exercise does no harm; and if the patient appears disposed to roll, it were better to let him do so on the ground, rather than in a narrow stall.

My usual directions are: Give the patient a wide stall and plenty

of bedding; let him lie down, tumble about, and rise, as often as he chooses; only watch and see that no accident occurs.

A good wisp of straw vigorously applied to the belly and flanks, and to the limbs, should the horse feel chilly, may do some good; because we thus preserve the equilibrium of the circulation. Injections are to be given occasionally, and such other treatment adopted as the urgency of the case seems to demand. (Conclusion in our next.)

REMARKS ON SHOEING.

WRITTEN FOR THIS JOURNAL, BY DR. CUMMING.

DR. DADD,-Dear Sir: I cannot coincide to the full extent in your strictures on the usual method of applying the shoe hot, to the foot, in fitting for shoeing. At present I have not time to go into the whole subject, or to deal with the merits of the arguments you advance, but will only state my own experience in regard to it. In the forge connected with my own practice here, the shoe is always applied hot in fitting-we meet with many cases where a good fit cannot be made otherwise-and I have never known the slightest harm to result from the practice. In the forge of Professor Dick, of the Veterinary College, Edinburgh, where shoeing is allowed to be practiced on as sound principles as anywhere else in Europe, and in all the other forges in Scotland or England I ever had a chance of seeing, and the number is pretty large, the same method was practiced, and with the same freedom from any bad consequences. And with the French system of shoeing it is hardly possible to make a proper fit by any other means.

In thus defending the use of the shoe, red-hot, in fitting, from my own experience, and not from any "book knowledge concocted by a compiler," it must be borne in mind that those who thus practice it with impunity do not do so in the belief that a horse's hoof cannot be injuriously burned with a hot shoe. The reverse of this is the case. They know the evil, and by knowing avoid it. No rational blacksmith in any civilized community, now-a-days, would ever apply a hot shoe for "a minute," or even "half a minute," to a living foot, as the French experimenter did to the dead one. From three to five seconds is the usual duration of the contact, and from the slowly conducting quality of hoof, the heat of the shoe cannot penetrate more than a sixteenth to a twentieth part of an inch in this time. Then again, in practice, the portion of crust so charred and heated, is not allowed to remain in situ to communicate its caloric to the subjacent parts, but is immediately on the withdrawal of

the shoe, removed. In fact the chief benefit, as you justly say, of applying the shoe hot being to mark unmistakeably those points where the bearing is too hard; the cutting away of whatever the shoe has browned is a necessary and immediate consequence of the previous part of the operation. The sole, which your French authority says is a greater conductor of heat than the crust, should never be touched by the shoe, either hot or cold. Lastly, those who practice their craft knowingly never apply the shoe in fitting, as your experimentalist did, either at a "black" or "cherry heat." To do so would necessitate a far too protracted application be fore the desired degree of singeing was produced. The shoe should be fitted red-hot, adapted lightly to the foot for a second or two, just to brown the points of contact between the two, and then withdraw to allow of their speedy removal. By attending to thiswhich every good blacksmith does, no harm will occur from the use of the hot shoe in fitting.

I grant what you say about the possibility of making the ground surface of the foot even with the knife and rasp, but in practice there are many feet which it is not advisable to make even, and where the shoe must be adapted to the irregularities of the foot. And, as I said before, in the French system of shoeing, where the toe is turned up in imitation of the natural tread and wear of the foot, the ground surface before the shoe is applied, is never even. All which, shows, that the use of the hot shoe in fitting, if it can be practiced harmlessly, as I think it can, is not to be proscribed without due and weighty reasons.

Of course in making these remarks, as the result of my own observation, I am not by any means dissuading those who think they can do better by fitting cold than hot, from adopting the plan. There can at least be nothing said against its safety, and no harm can come from it in the way of "contracting the calibre of the porosities," as you say. But at the same time I think those who adopt it should not be encouraged to rail too harshly against those who do the other way, unless they can show that the practice is hurtful essentially as well as accidentally. Yours, &c.,

St. John, N. B., Aug. 20th, 1856.

M. CUMMING, V. S.

RARE CASE OF HERNIA IN A GELDING.

REPORTED FOR THIS JOURNAL, BY E. F. THAYER, V. S.

By request of Mr. Farris, of Natick, I visited his place to examine a gelding, said to have a "break;" found the animal quiet, the

hernial tumor, perhaps five inches from the linea alba, extending nearly the length of the sheath; by pressure it was returned, which I regretted, as the parts external to the hernial sac were indurated, and much thickened; however, I supposed the aperture to be directly above, made by a rupture of the abdominal muscle, and advised an operation. The owner readily consented.

HISTORY: A dark bay gelding, about fourteen years old; had been kept by the present owner several years; was carefully used; a perfectly gentle and quiet animal. Sometime in December last, the weather being mild, he was turned out in a field, and some cows were in an adjoining one, and on account of one of them having taken a dislike to the horse, (during the summer, wounding him with the horns,) balls were afterwards put upon her to prevent a like occurrence. At night this cow was found in the same field with the horse, who was observed to have a stiffened gait. Next morning he was harnessed and driven; was still stiff in his action. Towards night the descent of the intestine was observed. In a short time he manifested symptoms of extreme pain, and was turned loose on the floor for fear he might injure himself within the narrow precincts of a stall. He soon got down and rolled upon his back, when the intestine immediately returned into the abdominal cavity, which, of course, relieved him. Just at this moment the neighbors stepped in, and, as usual, were consulted; they pronounced it a "gone case," yet a stable keeper having succeeded by "taxis" in reducing the tumor, a bandage was applied; it failing to have the desired effect, my services were secured.

COURSE OF TREATMENT:-The animal was cast and properly secured; an incision about three inches in length was then made through the integuments and sub-cellular tissue, through the external oblique muscle which appeared to be indurated. I then discovered a sac or pouch which appeared to have no direct communication with the abdomen; but continuing the incision in a posterior direction an opening was found which proved to be the internal ring. I then scarified the surface of the sac, supposing that the subsequent inflamation and the mechanical closing of the wound by sutures would act as a truss or support, until adhesion should take place. The wound was closed in the following manner: I first sutured the muscles; next, the integuments. So soon as the animal was relieved from the hobbles, he was placed in a stall having an inclined plane, and was so secured that he could not lie down.

At the end of two months from the time of the operation, the animal was put to work, and performed to the satisfaction of his

owner.

Feb. 23, 1853.