and assoon as he comes into the Stable apply a Restringent Charge Take the Crum of a little Loaf hot from the Oven soak it in Spirit of Wine and apply it warm to the Wind-Gall lay a Bolster over it and tye it on with a broad Band wrapt several times about the Leg. This will cure a Wind-Gall in four and twenty Hours I remember that having apply'd this Remedy to a Spanish Horse who was troubl'd with a small Wind-Gall when I remov'd the Dressing I found the Leg very much swoll'n which surpriz'd me so much the more because I cou'd not imagine whence the Swelling proceeded In so doubtful a Case I apply'd the Remedy describ'd in the Sixty first Chapter consisting of Allom Whites of Eggs Honey and Spirit of Wine which asswag'd the Swelling in three or four times Dressing but the Wind-Gall remain'd still nor did I judge it convenient to endeavour the Removal of it by a new Application since my first Attempt had succeeded so ill tho' both before and since that time I have often cur'd Wind-Galls without the least appearance of a Swelling in the Leg. This Accident convinc'd me that the surest Remedy may fail sometimes and that we ought still to be prepar'd for all Events and when one Remedy proves unsuccessful to have recourse to another The following Restringent is very good Take Powder of Red Roses and of Myrtle-Berries of each two Drams fine Bole in powder and Starch of each four Ounces Juice of Plantane and green Service-Berries or for want of these Medlars of each an Ounce Vinegar of Roses three Ounces Mix 'em cold and make a Restringent Charge If it be too thin you may thicken it with Chalk and if it be too thick dilute it with Vinegar of Roses This Remedy serves not only to dissipate Wind-Galls which usually return upon the first occasion of violent Exercise but also to stop Defluxions and asswage or repel Swellings where it wou'd be dangerous to suffer 'em to end in Imposthumes as in all Sinewy Parts on the Hough and Reins If you would absolutely extirpate a Wind-Gall apply some softening Remedy and after that the Ointment of Beetles or that of Worms The Italians make use of Retoirs with excellent Success and the same are now very much us'd at Paris 'T is true those Medicines occasion a Swelling in the Part to which they are apply'd but that is soon asswag'd without any ill Consequence Yet before you apply a Retoire you may try the following Remedy To repel or asswage a Wind-Gall Wen or any other Soft Swelling Take a Quart of strong Vinegar and four Ounces of Galbanum beaten digest 'em on hot Ashes four and twenty Hours stirring 'em from time to time till the Galbanum be wholly dissolv'd then put in a Pound of common Turpentine and boil over a slow fire half an Hour after which add Mastich in powder three Ounces fine Bole one Pound Mix and make a Charge which must be apply'd hot and cover'd with a Piece of Paper When this falls off you will find the Swelling gone and therefore you may wash the Part with black Soap Butter or Oil-Olive for one Application is almost always sufficient This is an excellent Remedy This Charge will asswage and repel Wens in the Beginning and take away all sorts of Swellings To take away a Wind-Gall I can assure the Reader from frequent and successful Experience that the Ointment of Beetles describ'd in the seventieth Chapter or a convenient Retoire will utterly extirpate a Wind-Gall and the Hair will grow again as before Thus the Cure is perform'd more surely and effectually than by repelling Medicines for the Cause is remov'd and the Humours that fomented the Wind-Gall evacuated whereas the above-mention'd Remedy only drives in the Swelling but does not dissolve it You must not be surpriz'd at the Swelling occasion'd by the Ointment of Beetles for it ought to produce that Effect and the Tumour will fall away by degrees And even sometimes when too large a quantity of the Ointment is apply'd the Leg swells so extremely that the Horse seems to be irrecoverably lost but you may easily asswage the Swelling and take away the Heat and Pain by washing the Part with warm Wine mix'd with a little Butter The Fire is the last and best Remedy for Wind-Galls for it resolves and dissipates 'em so entirely that they never return again 'T is true it spoils the Sale of the Horse but it makes him fit for Service and I may say truly and without Vanity that I have brought this Remedy into fashion at Paris and made it so common as 't is at present and even I have often seen the King at Hunting on the Back of a Horse that had been fir'd on all his four Legs For sinewy Wind-Galls that grow on the Sinew behind the Fetlock the surest Remedy is to give the Fire pretty smartly but without piercing the Skin which will certainly cure 'em in the Beginning but this Operation is oftentimes delay'd till the Wind-Gall grows big and so hard that you cannot press it down with your Finger so that many Horses are irrecoverably lost by meer Neglect for they halt right-down and tho' you give the Fire it will not produce the desir'd Effect in less than six or eight Months and even then the Cure is frequently imperfect because the Tumour is grown so hard that the Fire either operates very slowly or not at all And therefore assoon as a sinewy Wind-Gall begins to make your Horse halt you must immediately give the Fire before the Swelling grow big and hard I speak only of the hinder Legs which are frequently subject to Accidents of this Nature whereas the fore Legs are rarely troubl'd with ' em CHAP. LXXIV Of Retories or Ruptories call'd by the Italians Dead Fire THE Italian Name of these Medicines is grounded on Reason for they not only heat the Part to which they are apply'd but even destroy it if they be rashly and immoderately us'd and therefore a Retoire is a kind of potential Fire Ruptories are compos'd in the Form of an Ointment of almost the same Drugs that are us'd in Blistering-Plaisters for Men which derive their Name from the Bladders or Blisters full of a reddish Water that arise in the Parts to which these Plaisters are apply'd Retoires produce the same Effect in Horses for they draw forth red Waters from the Part on which they are laid These are excellent Remedies in the hands of a prudent and skilful Person but if they be rashly apply'd either in too large a Quantity or on some great Veins as in the Case of a Blood-Spavin they will occasion no less dangerous Accidents than if a Cautery or Caustic had been apply'd for besides the Inflammation and Pain with which they are constantly attended they raise prodigious Scabs and Scurfs and make 'em fall away from the Part 't is plain then that a Retoire must be us'd with a great deal of Care
the Matter and discover the bottom of the Sore but if there be no Scale or any other Impurity in it dress the Hole as if it were occasion'd by a Prick with a Nail To prevent these Bleymes you must keep your Horse's Feet clean and moist making him stand five or six Hours every Day with his Fore-feet in his own Dung moisten'd with Water It will be also convenient when he is Shod to knock down the Heel that the Sinew may be extended for 't is usually crooked in those Horses that have great Heels and besides the same caution will prevent the Contraction and Narrowness of the Heels for the Bleymes are almost always occasion'd by the shrinking of the inside of the Hoof to prevent which Inconveniency if that part of the Hoof be already shrunk pare the Foot and set on a Pantofle-Shooe and if your Horse be very much Hoof-bound draw three or four Lines with a hot Iron on the Hoof from the lower part of the Cronet to the Shooe and keep the inside Quarter very supple and moist I have seen Horses forc'd to stand eight or ten Days in Litter by reason of this Infirmity the preventing of which will save a great deal of Charge to their Masters The second sort besides the usual symptoms of the first infects the Gristle which must be extirpated as in the Cure of a Quitter-bone This kind of Bleyme is infinitely more dangerous than a Quitter-bone for many Horses are kill'd by it others remain for ever Lame and some escape after a long and tedious Cure 'T is sometimes occasion'd by an Over-reach which without making any outward Wound makes a Contusion within and the bruis'd Blood turns to Matter which seeking a passage infects the Gristle and being retain'd grows to a Scirrhous Lump which must be taken out below and the Gristle above and the Sore cur'd by the Remedies already propos'd in a like case During the Cure instead of Oats give your Horse moisten'd Bran with two Ounces of Liver of Antimony every Day to divert the course of the Humours and purifie the Blood You may consult the Chapter that contains the Method of Cure for Quitter-bones where you will find the Remedies that are proper in this case The third sort of Bleymes is occasion'd by small Stones and Gravel enclos'd between the Shooe and the Sole but this kind may be easily cur'd If the Shooe be ill set on or not kept fast by the Nails the Horse is in danger either of Surbating or of the Bleymes and those who have flat Feet are most subject to this Infirmity because the Sand or Gravel enters easily between the Sole and the Foot In order to the Cure you must pare the Foot to discover the Sore and if you perceive that there is no Matter generated take out the bruised Sole but if the Matter be already gather'd let it out and dress the Sore like a Prick with a Nail If the Cure be seasonably attempted it will be quickly perfected but if you find that the Distemper has already gather'd strength you must have recourse to the Vulnerary Water the burning Balsam the Oils De Merveille and of Gabian To conclude the Cure depends on the evacuation of the Matter below the neglect of which might be attended with very troublesome Consequences CHAP. XCXI Of Scab'd Heels or Frush SOmetimes the Frush falls away by degrees by reason of an Eating Scab which pierces to the Quick and occasions so great an Itching that the Horse cannot walk without halting but these Sores are not so dangerous as they are troublesome and painful Before the Horse grows Lame his Feet stink of old rotten Cheese so that you may easily discover the nature of the Grief since 't is impossible to come into the Stable without perceiving the Smell And besides they beat the Ground from time to time with their Feet by reason of the intolerable Itching in those Parts To begin the Cure you must pare the Frush with your Buttress as near as you can then quench a sufficient quantity of unslak'd Lime in Vinegar strain out the Liquor boil it and throw it boiling hot on the Frush after which apply a Restringent Charge of Powder of unslak'd Lime mixt with the Second Water or the black Restringent made of Soot Vinegar and Whites of Eggs. The Countesses Ointment is very useful in this case for it performs the Cure in three or four Applications but the Dreâ—â—ing must be kept on with Splents If the Disease return after you have cleans'd the Sores apply the Neat-herds Ointment which will heal them tho' the Internal Cause can hardly be remov'd and besides the Horse may be let Blood in the Toe from time to time All the Ointments prescrib'd for running Sores or putrify'd Legs are also good in this case For Preservation you must often pare the Frush and rub the Place once or twice with the Second Water which will consume part of the Corruption and dry up the root of the Scabs so effectually that they will not break forth again for a long time after Then bathe the Part every Day with the following Water cold Take of Allom and white Vitriol of each a Pound and a half boil 'em in a Gallon of Water till it be reduc'd to two Quarts At last when you perceive the Itching gone melt Tarr or Black Pitch upon the Scabs and keep the Feet well pick'd and free from Dust or any other Ordure that might dry ' em The last nam'd Remedy is very effectual CHAP. C. Of the Crown-Scab THE Crown-Scab is a white or mealy Scurf caus'd by a burnt yellow and malignant Matter that breaks forth at the roots of the Hair where it sticks to the Skin and makes the Hair bristle and stare and at last Scalds it quite off You may distinguish the Nature of the Distemper by the bristling of the Hair on the Cronet and not unfrequently on the whole Pastern to the Joint The place is cover'd with a mealy Scurf and the Cronet swoll'n by the abundance of Humours that fall upon the Part. The most subtle Particles of those Humours exhaling thro' the Pores of the Skin harden into a kind of Salt that sticks to the Skin and produces the Scurf which usually appears on the Cronet There are two sorts of Crown-Scabs Some are dry without the least humidity and others are moist by reason of a stinking Water that Issues out of the Pores and communicates its stench and moisture to the Neighbouring Parts Besides at the beginning of the Foot under the Cronet the surface of the Hoof is crack'd and split by the driness and acrimony of the Humour contain'd in the Cronet from whence the Hoof receives its Nourishment But I shall have occasion to treat of this Distemper in that part of this Work that contains Instructions for the curing of Horses In the mean time it may be observ'd that it is neither painful nor makes 'em unfit for Travelling unless in
Flesh for if it be seated only in the Substance of the Hide and may be easily mov'd with your Fingers it may be cur'd without much Difficulty before it break the Skin In the Cure of the Farcin one of the most promising Signs of a speedy Recovery is when the Cords or Knots grow loose and moveable and therefore such as are naturally loose may be quickly cur'd with a very moderate degree of Care Horses that are troubl'd with the Farcin are usually brisk and lively they eat and drink as when they were in Health and discover not the least Sign of Sickness by their Actions they are as capable of enduring Labour or Travel as ever and even moderate Exercise promotes the Cure by dissipating and expelling part of the Humour that causes the Disease Some reckon up seven and others eight Sorts of this Distemper but I shall only divide it into four Kinds to which all the rest may be reduc'd The Flying Farcin This Kind of Farcin is known by certain Knots that are spread over the whole Body appearing sometimes in one place and sometimes in another and resembling the little Swellings call'd Corns in Men. 'T is call'd the Flying Farcin because it quickly over-runs those Parts that seem'd not to be infected with it before 'T is easily cur'd because it has not a fixt Seat or Root in the Emunctories The Corded Farcin The second Sort of Farcin is accompany'd with hard Swellings resembling the Ropes or Strings that run between the Flesh and the Skin along the Veins especially those of the Thighs Neck and Brisket and along the Belly These Cords are beset with Tumours or Knots which break forth into Ulcers and cast out Matter and the Colour of the Lips of these Ulcers is different according to the Variety of the corrupted Humours If the Blood predominate they are Red if it degenerate into Choler by reason of the Defect of the Liver in separating the Bile from the Mass of Humours they appear yellow if Flegm abound they are White and if there be a Redundancy of burnt black and melancholic Humours they are of a blackish Colour which is the most dangerous of all the four Cases The Farcin resembling a Hen's Fundament This is a very dangerous Farcin and difficult to be cur'd 'T is known by great Tumours or Bunches which break the Skin without voiding any Matter The Lips of the Ulcer are almost always callous and foul and of a Reddish-black Colour which is a Sign of burnt and melancholic Blood It takes its Name from the Resemblance of its Figure The internal Farcin In this Kind the Knots are seated between the Flesh and the Skin without any visible external Swelling they resemble Corns and fasten the Flesh to the Skin If the Cure be not timely begun the Disease enters into the Body and infecting the inward Parts kills the Horse Sometime the Knots are fasten'd to the inside of the Skin only and are not rooted in the Flesh they appear usually on the fore-part of the Breast and are very easily cur'd CHAP. CXL Remedies for the Farcin TO proceed methodically in the Cure of this Disease you must begin with inward Medicines before you proceed to external Applications for 't wou'd be to no Purpose to extirpate the Tumours and dry up the Ulcers while the Cause remains still in the Body and after such a fallacious and barely palliative Cure the Disease wou'd return with equal or perhaps greater Violence than before And therefore you must endeavour with all possible Diligence to correct the Acrimony of the Humours destroy the Poison that causes the preternatural Heat evacuate or extirpate all the Corruption and fortifie Nature that she may be in a Condition to execute her wonted Functions with Vigour and Alacrity 'T is the usual Custom to cure this Distemper by applying certain Roots to the Forehead putting Remedies in the Ears or hanging 'em in Bags at the Mane But tho' these Applications may stop the Course of the Humours for some time they are absolutely incapable of draining the Source of 'em and since the Farcin is usually occasion'd by corrupt and over-heated Blood the Horses that are cur'd by these Remedies are afterwards render'd obnoxious to more dangerous Distempers for this way of Curing the Farcin is not unlike to the Method of Curing Quartan Fevers with the Peruvian Bark or Jesuits Powder which only fixes the Spirits that cause the Distemper without consuming or evacuating 'em and the Fever certainly returns if the Ferment or Humour be not expell'd by convenient Purgatives The same may be said of the Farcin for those palliative Remedies perform a seeming Cure but the Corruption and poisonous Cause of the Distemper remain and afterwards degenerate to Scabs or Scratches on the Sinews or Cronet Glanders Pursiveness and several other Diseases that are more difficult to be cur'd than the Farcin it self Others apply Caustic Ointments to extirpate the foul and corrupt Flesh but tho' I have observ'd this Method to be sometimes successful as I shall afterwards shew in two Remarkable Instances I cannot be perswaded to believe that this is the true Cure of the Farcin since it reaches not the Cause of the Distemper It requires a stronger Faith to believe that a triffing Medicine put into the Ear or hung at the Mane is able to root out an inveterate Farcin than that the Sympathetic Powder cures Wounds without immediate Application And since there are not many who give Credit to the boasted Effects of that Powder I know no reason why we shou'd be oblig'd to believe the more incredible Efficacy of these Applications for the Farcin If it be objected That daily Experience confutes my Opinion and that Horses are frequently cur'd with Bags hung at the Mane or Tail and such like Toys I shall not scruple to confess that I have cur'd some Horses by the same Method But I must beg leave to continue still in my former Perswasion That this is not a true Cure since the Cause is not remov'd and the Blood remains still hot and corrupted 'T is true the Humour that fomented the Disease is diverted and as it were laid asleep for some time but it will quickly take another course and perhaps occasion greater Disorders For the Poyson is not destroy'd which besides the above-mention'd Disease may breed some internal Abscess Cramps Gout and other Distempers or putrefie and ulcerate the Lungs If when the course of the Humour is diverted and a stop put to the external malignity of the Farcin by those palliative Remedies due care were taken to attack or destroy the venemous cause of the Disease with some good specific Remedy by purifying the Blood and powerfully expelling the corrupt Humours the Cure would certainly succeed But then it must be acknowleg'd that those pretended sympathetic Remedies are altogether useless since the work is perform'd without their assistance For if the noxious Humours be evacuated and the Blood purify'd all the symptoms of
THE Parfait Mareschal Or Compleat Farrier EDINBURGH MDCXCVI Geo Scougall delin I. Sturt sculp THE PARFAIT MARESCHAL Or Compleat FARRIER WHICH TEACHETH I. To know the Shapes and Goodness as well as Faults and Imperfections of Horses II. The Signs and Causes of their Diseases the Means to prevent them their Cure and the good or bad use of Purging and Bleeding III. The way to order and Preserve them when upon Travel to Feed and to Dress them IV. The Art of Shoeing according to a new design of Shoes which will recover bad Feet and preserve the Good Together with a Treatise how to raise and bring up a true and Beautiful Race of Horses As also Instructions whereby to fit all kinds of Horses with Proper Bits whereof the chief Draughts are Represented in Copper-Plates Written Originally in French by the Sieur de Solleysel Escuyer sometime one of the Overseers of the French Kings Royal Academy of Riding near to the Hostel de Conde in Paris AND Translated from the last Paris Impression by Sir WILLIAM HOPE of Kirklâ—ston Kt. Lieutenant Governour of the Castle of Edinburgh By whom is also added as a Supplement to the first part a most compendious and excellent Collection of Horsemanship taken from the best and most modern Writers upon that Subject such as Mr. De la Brow Pluvinel and the Great Duke of Newcastle PART I. Quis autem nosse curas equorum erubestendum putet cum optima Jumenta habere Gloriosum sit Quis vituperationi det id posse curare quod laudi ducitur possidere Quia noticia curationis non solum honestissimis sed etiam disertissimis convenit EDINBVRGH Printed by GEORGE MOSMAN M.DC.XCVI TO THE KING MAy it please YOUR MAJESTY IT is generally a Token of the Worth and Excellency of a Book when those concerned in it adventure to place in its Front the Name of a Prince This therefore hath imbolden'd Me GREAT SIR to praefix Your most August Name to this Work which if I may be allowed to carry the Parallel so high is amongst Books of Marshalry and Horsemanship what Your Royal Person is amongst Men. It needs not then I think be thought very strange if I have presumed upon the Choice of so mighty a Patron for to whom could I have so justly Dedicate the best of Books in its kind as to the most Clement Heroick and Best of Kings and which is most agreeable to my Subject the most Accomplished and Graceful amongst Horsemen Of the first whereof Your Majesties most happy Subjects feel the good effects and of the Latter Your greatest Enemies bear witness and therefore cannot but acknowledge it for SIR Your great Wisdom and Conduct as well as singular Courage force them all to confess that You are among the Number of the most Glorious Monarchs that ever Reign'd I am therefore Hopeful that as Your Majesties extraordinary Valour hath brought these Islands once again to the Practice of Arms so this Translation assisted by Your Royal Approbation and Protection will not only instruct them to raise a Breed of Warlick and Serviceable Horses till of late almost quite out of Fashion amongst us but also teach them to train them up for the benefit of Your Majesties publick and their own private Divertisement That as we are a People who delight as much in Horses as any Nation in the World so we may be Inferior to none in the true Knowledge of every thing relating to them Big with these Expectations and also hoping Your Majesty will pardon this bold Attempt I humbly lay it at Your Royal Feet and shall Repute my self too Happy if you Vouchafe it but the least favourable Glance Now that God may Prosper Your Majesty in all Your Great and Glorious Undertakings and give You a Long and Happy Reign to the Joy and Comfort of all Your Loyal Subjects is both heartily Wished and fervently Prayed for By GRACIOUS SIR Your Majestie 's Most Humble and Most Obedient Subject and Servant WILL HOPE THE PREFACE ALTHOUGH I am no great friend to Tedious and unnecessary Prefaceing and that I also believe the most part of Gentlemen who have had any opportunity of conversing with Horsemen abroad know the great esteem they have for this Book so that I fancy there are but very few Country Gentlemen of any Note in these Islands who have not heard somewhat of it yet at present I find my self obliged both because of the respect I bear to the Authors Memory as also for the benefiâ—e of such who perhaps because of their retired dwellings have had but little or no notice of it to give the Reader a short account of three things First of the Author Secondly of his Book and Thirdly of this Translation As for the Author he was a person delighted mightily in Horses and during his whole Life made it his Business to improve all the parts of Horsemanship this Book of his being a sufficient Testimony of his great Knowledge in one part of it to wit the Cureing of Diseases and his excellent Illustrations upon the Duke of Newcastle's Book of Riding last published in English and which he took the pains to Translate into French a clear demonstration of his extraordinary Address and skill in the other He was also to my certain knowledge very well known by many of the Nobility and Gentry of these Kingdoms who had the good fortune to be taught by him when they rode in the late Mr. Bernards Academy at Paris and at that time he had by this Book of his so outstript all Authors upon the same subject who had gone before him that he very deservedly acquired the esteem of all the considerable Escuyers in France and thereby an universal applause which so long as Horsemanship is in request will make his Name and Writings famous Yea his Inclinations were so much bent this way that he made it a part of his business to instruct many of the Nobility and Gentry in the Art of Râ—ding for notwithstanding of his being one of the Overseers he did also officiat as an Escuyer in the French Kings Royal Academy of Riding in Paris and he was in such Repute for his great Knowledge and Judgement in what related to horses and Horsemanship that the Prince of Horsemen the Unparalleled and Famous Duke of Newcastle whose Memory for his extraordinary skill in this Art will be for ever an Honour to his Nation did not think it below him to communicate his thoughts upon it to him and willingly accept of his approbation and assistance of giving which he judged him no doubt very Capable otherwise he would never have kept that intimate correspondence with him which it is very well known he did He was also a person of a pleasant Conversation and altogether free of Ceremony took delight when desired to discourse of his Art and to communicate it to such Gentlemen whom he thought inclined to like horses and also without any kind of reservedness answered them
motion contrary to her own they would hinder her to effectuate that for which she was prepared and that also not without being hurtfull and prejudicial to the constitution and health of the Creature you are then to abstain from purging horses not only upon these above mentioned dayes themselves but a few dayes both before and after to wit from the 7. of March to the 15. and from the 7. of September to the 15. of the same which are the times of the two Aequinoxes and betwixt the 7 of June and the 16. and the 7. of December and the 16. of the same which are the two Solslices You may also if you have any knowledge in the Ephemerides observe over and above the preceeding directions not to purge your horses when the Moon is either in Conjunction or Opposition to the Square of the Sun as also of Mars and 〈◊〉 which are great Enemys to her for so consequently the Moon which operates 〈◊〉 horses by her influenceing quality being weakned by these planets will not 〈◊〉 make a great disorder and ravage in their Bodies and render their purgaâ—â— more hurtfull than profitable But if you intend that a purge should certainly have good success then when 〈◊〉 are Master of your own time administer it when the Moon is in Conjunction with â—â—ter or Venus and that she is either in her Sextile or Trine because these two Plaâ—â— being freindly to her will assist her to fortifie Nature by her influencive quaâ—â— and not by her Elementary which hath no great power upon Bodies and even althâ—â— the Moon were in Opposition to Jupiter or Venus she would not faill to proveâ— vorable Those who can make use of these observations will find a great deâ—â— Satisfaction and advantage by them even for Men but for those who don't underâ—â— this kind of Language they may practise according to what they understand Howâ—â— I am of opinion that people cannot be warry and cautious enough in their pretions for purging horses and if I should say the same for Men I would butspe truth This is what I have observed most remarkable as to the times in which horses 〈◊〉 be purged with least hazard and most advantage those who shall put it in praâ—â— will know that it is from a knowledge of the Cause that I have given 〈◊〉 advice People are many times obliged before they purge a horse to prepare the haâ— they intend to evacuate because being crude and mixed with other 〈◊〉 humours which are to be preserved for the conservation of the Creature it 〈◊〉 be almost impossible wanting this preparation to bring it away without 〈◊〉 great deal of trouble and a considerable disorder and agitation to the Body Therefore a Man should almost never purge a horse in the beginning of a Diseaâ—â— because the humour not yeilding to the Remedy is thereby overheated and brought to a Fermentation which increases the Disease instead of diminishing it and as it horses we cannot observe any certain sign of Coction and separation of the bad humours which occasion the Disease for their Urines are almost always troubled and not much unlike to one another the Dejections also or Excrements of the Belly are almost the same therefore people are obliged upon that account to delay it 〈◊〉 the horse be recovered but this is to be only understood of Acute and violent â—â—eases for when the distemper beginneth once to slacken then the humour which â—casioned it is concocted seing it causes no longer any Symptom and in so far a ture many times neglects to expell the humour she has overcome therefore is it 〈◊〉 it must be evacuate by purging lest it should spring up anew again and occasion relapse so that in Feavers and other violent Diseases a Man should never purge horse neither in their beginning nor even when they are at their height Having well considered all these things you are next to make choice of yâ—â— Drugs and proportion them to your intention a man being many times obliged make use of divers kinds because it is rarely one single humour which occasions 〈◊〉 Disease In bilious or Cholerick Diseases phlegms and Crudities are always engâ— dered and in the most phlegmatick bodies there is alwayes a mixture of Salt 〈◊〉 Sulphur when you imploy several Drugs you are to diminish the Dose according to 〈◊〉 number of them you make use of for example if you take three purgatives your take but the third part of the Dose of each which I have set you down for 〈◊〉 one of them in particular and so shall the three being mixed together make 〈◊〉 true Dose neither are you to forget their proper Correctives which is always aâ—â— the fourth part of the weight of the whole You will find that the purgative Medicaments which I have ordered are aâ—â— all of them weak because the constitutions of horses are different so that I thoâ—â— it was less daugerous to purge them at two times than to evacuate too much their because the first will serve as a preparation to the second of which you may augâ—â— the Dose if you find need for it and be sure to increase the proportion of that Dâ— which is in least quantity because it is most commonly the strongest and therese will push on and assist the operation of the other Medicaments which are 〈◊〉 slow For Example at the end of the Medicaments which purge Bile there is a reâ—â— set down to evacuate it wherein there enters two Ounces and a half of Aloes and Drams of Scammony now if you find that your horse purge not sufficiently with 〈◊〉 composition you are the next time in stead of two to give him three Drams of Scammony Again amongst those which purge Phlegm there is a receipt wherein there is an Ounce of Diacarthamus Agarick Trochiseated or reduced to Troches two Drams Turbith and Hermodacts of each an Ounce and of Colocynth a Dram and a half if this Medicament do not operate enough then you must augment that whereof there is the least Dose which is the Colocynth and give of it either two Drams or two and a half and so of the rest For people cannot commit small errors in giving too violent purgatives because when once they are in a horses body they are no more Masters of them they work many times with such disorder that if they don't kill the horse yet they leave at least so great a distemper in the inward parts that a man cannot of a long time recover and restore them it is this which made me reduce these purgative Doses to such a just proportion as that they cannot occasion this disorder If your horse hath not purged sufficiently with the Medicament you have administrate to him there is nothing lost because it hath disposed the humour and by reiterating the purgation some dayes after and making it a little stronger you will find it succeed very well Having provided your self of the quantity of Drugs you have
use for you are to break and beat them coursly and if it be for pills then mix the composition with two pounds of fresh Bacon lard or for want of it the like quantity of fresh Butter and having beat and mixed all well together in a Mortar make it up into pills about the bigness of small Tennis-Balls which you are to cause the horse swallow down If it be for a Drench you are also to beat them coursly and either mix them with a Decoction or amongst Wine and letting it infuse about a quarter of an hour give it to the horse early in the Morning with a horn he being first tyed up two hours to the Rack before it be Administrate If you are only to make a simple infusion of them and which hath no great effect upon horses then the Drugs being infused all night the liquor is to be poured off next Morning amongst which you are to dissolve some kind of Electuary or powder in a sufficient quantity that so it may purge and operate according as you have determined the horse having taken it you are to rinse the horn with the remainder of the Decoction or with Wine and make him swallow it after which you shall also wash his Mouth with a little Wine to take away its bad relish If it be Pills you are to make use of then the horse having swallowed them you are to give him in a horn some White-Wine to carry them well down to his Stomack to soak and soften them and also to wash his Mouth and take away its bitterness A Horse that is to be purged should be kept four five or six Hours without eating before be take it and as long after and you shall also for the more precaution give him a Glyster the night before you Administer it and which shall be composed according to the nature of his Disease When the horse shall begin to purge you are to cause walk him half an hour in ones hand every two hours and continue it for half a day that so it may the better assist him to empty You are also as much as possible to forbear purging in violent Colds and excessive heats if nevertheless you are necessitate to do it and that it be in Winter you are then to keep the horse well covered and put him in a warm stable from whence he must not stir during his purgation because Cold hindereth the operation of the Medicament but if it be in Summer then you are to keep him in a cool and temperate place When the horse hath done purging you may if you will give him a Glyster to perfect the Evacuation of that which the Medicament hath not brought away but only in a manner detatched or loosed after which you may feed and order him as formerly It is very fit that a horse from the time he hath taken a purgation until it be quite done working which will be about 40 hours eat no Hay but only Wet-Bran taking care always to take him from the Rack at the end of every four hours that so he may eat two Measures of Wet-Bran which are each of them somewhat less than two English Quarts Having set down the receipts of a great many purgations in the 2d Part of this Book you may therefore have recourse to it I have experimented the most part of them and those I have not are composed methodically and according to the Rules of Art and therefore may be very safely Administrate seeing they will cause no superpurgation being all of them for the most part weak and that I may facilitate your finding thâ—â— out I shall here make a kind of Table of them You will then find in the second part a purge for the Head-Ake in the 13. Chap. Sect. 9. Pills for Lunatiâ—â— horses in the 16 Chap. Sect. 6. An excellent purgative Oyl in the 23 Chap. Sect. You will find in the 68 Chap Sect. a. the Polychrest which prepares the Body for a purge and in the same Chap. Sect. 4. a method to relax or loosen a Horse's Belly which is lean and harrassed with the purgation belonging to it there is likways 〈◊〉 the same Chap. Sect. 8. a purgative and comforting Drench for a Horse too much fatigued you will find in the 76. Chap. Sect. 5. an universal purgative for Glysterâ— which I call a Catholicon and which is better than any of these made use of for Men a is also proper for all constitutions in Horses In the 78 Chap. there are Drenches and purgative Pills for the Farcy and which are also very well appropriate to that kind of it which resembles the Rump of a pullet in French Farcin à cul de poule in the 79 Chap. Sect. 2. there are also very good purgative Pills And in the 89 Chap. Sect. 3. there are purgative Pills for the Mange as also you will find in the 91 Chap. Sect. 4. purgative Poills for killing the Worms that engender in a Horse's body And lastly in each Class of purgative Medicaments which are in the immediatly preceeding 59.60.61 and 62. Chapters of this part you will find a Remedy exactly composed for the evacuation of that Humour to which the purgative of that class doth chiefly belong CHAP. LXIV To prepare the Humours in Horses which people intend to purge Sect. 1. PEople are necessitate in many Diseases to purge horses CHAP LXIV To prepare the humours that are to be purged although nature hath 〈◊〉 performed any Coction of the Humours as in the Farcy Mange aâ—â— many others if a Man for example will purge by way of prevention hoâ—â— which have stood among other sick horses or which have lately come from the Arâ—â— or have been in some infective places it is very proper before he attempt it that 〈◊〉 prepare the humors to the end the Medicament which he is to Administer may 〈◊〉 only alter the Body less but also produce a better effect It would not be very reasonable to draw impostomous matter from a sweâ—â— before it were ripe and digested and so to be approved of It is the very same 〈◊〉 those humors which occasion and entertain the diseases within the Body This preparation or coction shall be then performed in the manner followâ— and we shall term the Simples which have the faculty to prepare those humâ—â— Digestives because to prepare a humor is to digest it and make it the more capaâ—â— to be evacuate I shall therefore begin with Bile Sect. 2. Digestives of Bile Some people say Sect. 2. that Bile being Subtile and obliging a Body to excretion or â—â—â—ing by its Acrimony doth therefore evacuate it self sufficiently without any preparatâ—â— because it immediatly yields to the least Medicament when applyed It is indeed 〈◊〉 that it hath no need to be perpared because of the trouble people have to expell it he only because of its fire and lest it may inflame the Guts therefore it is good to refresh and moisten it and also
as I have ordered This is what I thought needful to show you concerning the preparation of the â—â—mors before purging lest it might prove prejudicial to Horses which have 〈◊〉 reluctancy and aversion to it and from which if they be not well prepared for it the many times receive great dammage I have here said a little concerning the Purgation of Horses which before 〈◊〉 hath never been treated of by any to the end people might both receive because by it and that I might also by this small Swatch or Pattern give an opportunity 〈◊〉 the Curious to dive deeper into the Medicine and Physick of Horses than hath 〈◊〉 been done hitherto and which is extremly neglected by those that are capâ—â—â— because they absolutly rely upon the skill of such who can scarcely read their 〈◊〉 and therefore do many times loss their Horses by their negligence and ignorâ—â—â— and for lack of a little Reflection and Study CHAP. LXV Of Glysters THe Word Glyster is derived from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to wash CHAP. LXV Of Glysters from whence it is sometimes called also a Wathing because the Guts are cleansed by the injection that is made into the intestines it is proper for provocking the excretion or voiding of the Excrements to soften their hardness or to correct some intemperature or to abate some great pain or excessive beating of the flanks to expell Wind to stop the immoderate fluxes of the Belly and to kill the worms which are contained in the intestines Glysters also produce a great many other good effects because there is almost no part of the Body which does not receive some relief by them and that by reason of the correspondence that all its parts have with the lower belly or Guts which being fred of their impurities give the more liberty to other parts to discharge themselves of those humors which are prejudicial to them People compose them different wayes and according as they intend to treat the Horse as I shall show you all along the second Part when I discourse of the several Diseases but those which are most in use are the Emollient An Emollient Glyster which are called common Glysters People make a decoction of Mallows March-Mallows Violets Herb Mercury Pellitory of the Wall and Bears-breach causing boyl two or three handfulls of each in three English quarts and a half of water with two ounces of bruised Anniseeds if it be in winter but if it be in the summer then there may be added for cooling the seeds of Cucumbers Gourds Pumpkins Wild-gourds Melons and an ounce or two of Polychrest they afterwards strain all through a cloath and according to their intention add some kind of Electuary to it especially the Catholicum for Horses which is described in the 76 Chap. Sect. 5. of the Second Part or otherwise they make use of Honey or the like Beer or Ale is a decoction ready made in which a man may cause boyl two ounces of the Scorte or refuse of the Liver of Antimony in fine powder or otherways if he intend to make use of Purgatives then Colocynth Sene or any other according to the intention he hath to purge and after having strained the decoction from them he shall then dissolve in it some proper Electuary or other Medicament as he shall think fit However for the conveniency of those who are altogether ignorant of their composition I shall here set down the models of all kinds of Glysters whereby they may be instructed to make any of what nature and operation soever People to expell and drive the wind out of a Horses body A Carminative Glyster make Carminative Glysters of some of the emollient Herbs to which they add Organy or Wila Marjoram Calamint the flowers of Melilot and Camomil of each two handfulls with an ounce and an half of Polychrest in powder they make about two English quarts and a half of a decoction and after having strained it add four ounces of good Oyl of Bays or in place of it two ounces of the Catholicum for Horses or of the Electuary of Bay-Berries an ounce and an half and of all this they compose a Glyster which they administer to their Horse Or in the place of the Electuary of Bay-berries a man may take two ounces of the Oyl of Dill or otherways an English pynt of Emetick Wine in place of either There are many other wayes of composing Carminative Glysters of which I shall give you a description when I discourse of those diseases for which they are proper but particularly where I treat of Colicks occasioned by Wind. Make an ordinary decoction of the Emollient Herbs and Polychrest A purging Glyster then dissolve in two English quarts of what is strained from them an English pynt of Cows Urine being mixed with it two ounces of the Catholicum for Horses and eight ounces of Mercurial Honey and if you will increase its purgative vertue mix with it an English pynt of the infusion of the Liver of Antimony which I shall show you hereafter to make and which is Emetick Seing this Honey is most proper to be given as well in Glysters for the better pâ—â—ging of Horses as in many other preparations I shall therefore here show you iâ— Composition Take three pounds of Herb Mercury well pickt and cleansed wâ—â—â— four pounds of Honey mix and boyl them together now and then skimming theâ—â— until they come to the consistence of a Syrup The Composition of Merurial Honey this being put amongst Glysters wâ— cleanse and purge and people put commonly about eight ounces of it at a time iâ— Glyster or more if they judge it proper there are Books stuffed with the Vertues this Mercurial Honey you may read if you please Renould Bauderon La Franâ—â— siere c. You are to observe That when you intend to purge a horse exactly with Glyster you must put no kind of fat into them because Oyls and Greases adhere to the Vâ—ves or Partitions of the Intestines and so hinder the effect of the purgatives therefore upon the contrary people rather add Common Salt Salt Gem Polychrest or waâ—â— Urine all which prick and irritate the expulsive faculty whence it is that thâ— Countrey Farriers make commonly their Glysters of the Water in which Cod-fish Herring have been steeped which costs but little and because of its saltness causeth horse to empty well To make a Glyster somewhat purgative a man may infuse 〈◊〉 night in a proper decoction an ounce of Sene or otherwayes one or two Colâ—â—yâ—â— Apples cut very small and next morning giving it all a little Boyl shall afterwards strain it to make a Glyster A Glyster to appease a great beating in the Flanks You are to take of the ordinary herbs for decoctions and to put among the◠〈◊〉 or two ounces of Polychrest in powder and in two English quarts of this decoction mix eight ounces of Violet-honey and two three
the Wane of the Moon 't is of shorter continuance and less violent for the Humours decrease with the Moon and the Horse recovers speedily If these Observations be not attentively consider'd by those who undertake the Cure of Horses they will hardly be able to make a certain Judgment concerning the length and dangerousness of their Distempers or to prescribe a successful Method of Cure This Assertion is grounded on a certain knowledge of the Causes The way of curing a Cold is the same with that which I prescrib'd for the Strangles For you must cover the Horse's Neck with a Furr'd Skin keep him warm give him the Electuary of Kermes put Baggs with Assa-Foetida into his Mouth thrust Feathers into his Nose Syringe him and proceed in all other respects as in the Cure of the Strangles If you perceive that your Horse has not wholly lost his Appetite you may give him the Cordial Powder every three days or rather the Electuary of Kermes And when the Disease is attended with a total loss of Appetite you cannot give a better Remedy than that Electuary in a Pint of Spanish Wine once in two days if he has not a Fever or if he have a Fever you may give him the Cordial Waters with Clysters both before and after The Arman describ'd Chap. VII is very good in this case It may be given five or six times in the day tying it to the Bit and will be found to be a Sovereign Remedy Take the sick Horse's Urine while 't is yet hot mix it with an equal quantity of Wine about a Pint or a Pint and half of each and make him drink it all up then cover him and let him stand Bridl'd two hours Repeat the same several times If you cannot have his Urine hot take a Pint of Flesh-Broath without Fat or Salt and as much Wine mix 'em for a Draught Repeat the same three or four days and if he Sweat not after the first Dose add to the Draught an Ounce of the Cordial-Powder and cover him well Continue after the same manner for some days For a Cold accompany'd with a violent Cough Take Honey of Roses and Juice of Liquorice of each four Ounces Fenugreek-seed Grains of Paradice Cummin-seed Cinnamon Cloves Ginger Gentian Birthwort-roots Anni-seed and Coriander-seed of each two Drams Reduce all the hard Ingredient into Powder and give the whole to the sick Horse in a Pint of White-Wine with six Ounces of Carduus-Benedictus-Water Let not this Composition offend those who are only pleas'd with Cooling Remedies for Horses must not be us'd like Men. If you cool 'em too much when they are troubl'd with this Distemper you will stifle em and therefore beware of purely cooling Medicines You will quickly be sensible of the good effects of This which contains many hot Ingredients but since they are agreeable to the nature of Horses they do not inflame 'em and cause only so much Heat as is necessary to strengthen the Parts Experience will convince you of the Truth of my Assertion for the Remedy will succeed and I shall take occasion hereafter to demonstrate that there is need of a great deal of Prudence to administer cooling Remedies to a Horse with safety and success You must also walk him frequently in the Sun-shine if it be Summer and observe the same directions that I prescrib'd in the case of Want of Appetite Chap. VI. and also in the Chapters of the Strangles A Draught for a Cold join'd with a Palpitation or Beating in the Flank When the sick Horse is troubl'd with a Cough a vehement Beating in his Flank and even Palpitation of the Heart you cannot assist him more effectually than by giving him two Clysters and then the following Draught after he has stood two hours in the Morning with a watering Bit in his Mouth 'T is composâ—d of the Waters of Scorzonera Carduus Benedictus Scabious Roses and bitter Succory of each half a Pint Give the Horse a Quart of these Waters with an Ounce of Zedoary and two Drams of Saffron both in fine Powder then rinse the Horn with the half Pint that remains and make him drink that also After which let him stand four hours with a Waterbit in his Mouth and as soon as you unbridle him lay moisten'd Bran before him leaving him to eat at his pleasure till Night and then give him a good Clyster with an Ounce and an half of Sal Polychrest Take Assa-foetida and Powder of Savin of each half an Ounce and tie 'em in a Bag to the Bit let the Horse stand two hours then unbridle him and after two hours more put in the Bag again For besides that this Bag gives him an Appetite it eases his Head by making him void a great quantity of Water and bitter Flegm Instead of the Zedoary and Saffron you may mix an Ounce of the Confection of Hyacinth without Musk or Amber-grise with the Cordial Waters and the same may be repeated two or three times if need require and if you found any Benefit by the first Dose for that which gives Ease may if continu'd perfect the Cure The main part of the Cure consists in giving the Horse one or two softening Clysters with Sal Polychrest every day A Softening Clyster Take Leaves of Mallows Violets Herb-Mercury Pellitory of the Wall of each three Handfuls Annis-seeds one Ounce or a Handful of green Fennel if it be in the Summer let 'em boil half an hour in a large Pot or Kettle in three Quarts of Water for a little Horse or four for a large one adding an Ounce and a half or two Ounces of Liver of Antimony in fine Powder After the Decoction is half-cold press it out and add to the strain'd Liquor four Ounces of Lenitive Electuary and a Quarter of a Pound of fresh Butter Mix and make a Clyster which must be injected after you have rakâ—d the Horse then put him again into the Stable and let him stand half and hour bridl'd If these Remedies be apply'd with Prudence when the Occasion requires and without either Rashness or Negligence the Horse will certainly be eas'd by 'em unless the Disease be extremely violent CHAP. XVI The Vniversal Cordial-Powder TAke Sassafras Zedoary Elecampane Gentian Carlin-Thistle Angelica Cubebs Spanish Scorzâ—nera Master-Wort and Marsh-Mallows of each half a Pound Birth-Wort round and long Bay-Berries Bark of Oranges and Citrons Savin of each four Ounces Cardamoms Liquorice Myrrh Shavings of Hart's-Horn and Ivory Coriander-Seed Seeds of Carraway Cummin Annise and Fennel of each two Ounces Cinnamon an Ounce Cloves Nutmeg and Oriental Saffron of each half an Ounce all fresh and gather'd in due time for a Root dug up in Summer is of no Value and therefore they must be gather'd in the Spring when they begin to shoot forth or about the time of Advent before the Frost The Medicine will be more effectual if you add a Pound of the Grains of Kermes but since they cannot be kept without
of this Liquor into his Nostrils five or six times every day These Injections will cure the little Ulcers in his Nostrils that are caus'd by the sharpness and malignity of the Matter and facilitate the descent of the Humour which is apt to stick and grow dry in the Passages and stop the Horse's Breath and therefore you must Syringe his Nostrils both before and after you give him a Medicine to expel the Matter Afterwards take four Spoonfuls of strong Vinegar and as much good Aqua Vitae dissolve in 'em a Dram of Treacle above two Years Old and add a Scruple of White-Hellebor in Powder and two grains of Powder of Long Pepper Mix 'em all together and inject the mixture into the Horse's Nose one half into each Nostril then walk him in his Cloaths at a foot-pace for the space of an hour suffering him to snuff the Ground with his Nose and he will infallibly cast forth abundance of Matter Nor must you be surpriz'd if he lose his Appetite for he will quickly recover it If any noble part be affected he will die in a little time but if he live beyond that time there is some hope of his Recovery Let him stand Bridl'd four hours before you give him this Remedy and two hours after and besides you must walk him abroad Morning and Evening for the space of an hour But tho the Horse have strength to undergo this Evacuation and tho' none of his noble Parts be consum'd I cannot positively assure you that he will be cur'd of the Glanders if there be a great Ulcer only he will not die so quickly Eight days after if the Running at the Nose still continue repeat the use of the above-mention'd Remedy and endeavour to ripen the Kernel or Gland by applying Retoires or Medicines to break the Skin and convenient Plaisters or Fultisses such as the Ointment in the Thirteenth Chapter or take it off with an actual or potential Câ—â—tery The actual Cautery is a red hot Iron which must be apply'd to the Kernel and the potential Cautery is that which is commonly callâ—d a Caustic Stone which insensibly burns the part and makes a Scab fall off Instead of the potential Cautery you may open the Kernel to the middle with a Lance and after it has done Bleeding thrust the quantity of a Bean of Arsenic wrap'd in a piece of Paper to the bottom of the Hole which must be stop'd with Cotton About the fifth or sixth day the Matter will begin to come out and after the ninth or tenth a Scab will fall off resembling the Kernel of a Nut. If there remain any Impurity or foul Flesh keep the hole open as long as you can with the Ointment Algyptiacum mix'd with red Frâ—â—cipitate If with all these Remedies you cannot ripen the Kernel you must endeavour to dissolve it by applying powerful Resolvents such as Vinegar strong Lyes Ashes of Vineâ—â—igs Allum Nitre Oil of Peter Euphorbium and other Medicines that have an attenuating Faculty and are endu'd with a vertue to make the Matter thin volatil and easie to be dissipated The Ointment Dialthaeâ—e the Resumptive Ointment and Melilot Plaister are good to soâ—â—en and resolve And you may make a Pultiss of the Roots of Briony and Flower-de-luce Honey and the Dregs of Linseed Oyl I have propos'd all these Resolving Medicines for the satisfaction and instruction of the Curious but if the Kernel be very hard and fasten'd to the Jaw-bone it will hardly yield to these Remedies For besides the inconveniency of the part for the application of Medicines they are not always attended with the expected Success The best way then in my Opinion is to soften the Kernel and to apply either a red-hot Iron or potential Cautery made of Arsenic Sublimate or some other Caustic Tho' the usual softening Remedies are not very efrectual yet there are some more proper in this case than others and you may confidently use that which follows for in the beginning it may resolve the Kernel before it grow to an extream hardness I have try'd it and found it effectual CHAP. XX. How to resolve a Gland or Kernel TAke half a Pound of Lin-seed reduc'd to fine Flower mix it with a Quart of strong Vinegar and boil it over a little but very clear Fire stirring it constantly When it begins to grow thick add six Ounces of Oil of Lillies mingle 'em thorowly and apply the Mixture hot to the Kernel and cover it with a Lamb's-Skin as in the cure of the Strangles Renew the same Pultiss every day and after two or three Applications you will perceive that the Kernel is dissolv'd The same Remedy is proper for the Strangles whether true or false and 't is an ill sign when it does not succeed in the Glanders When you undertake the Cure of a Horse that is seiz'd with the Glanders the Remedies here prescrib'd together with such as are given inwardly ought either to resolve part of the Kernel or bring it to Suppuration and then you may conclude that the Remedy works well and assaults the cause of the Disease since the Gland is lessen'd and becomes more moveable and whereas it was hard and large before is now either little soft or loose for 't is a very good sign when the Remedies that are usâ—d produce any one of these Effects But you must not flatter your self with hopes of Success tho' as it happens not unfrequently the Kernel should be considerably diminish'd during the Wane of the Moon and even without the application of any Remedies for in the next Encrease of the Moon it will grow as bad as ever and even sometimes harder and more fix'd than it was before And therefore when you see it decrease in the Wane of the Moon you must let the next New-Moon be past before you adventure to give any hope of a Cure The cure of this Disease is usually begun where it ought to be ended for as soon as a Horse is seiz'd with it the first thing his Master desires and the Farrier proposes to be done in order to the Cure is to take off the Kernel but they ought to consider that the Kernel is the Effect not the Cause of the Glanders and that the removal of that can never restore the Horse to his wonted Health And Experience as well as Reason has couvinc'd me of the preposterousness of this Method for I caus'd the Kernel to be thrice cut out of the same Horse and after all could not perfect the Cure tho' I gave him several good Remedies besides But when 't is convenient to take out the Kernel you must observe the following Directions In the first place you must cast the Horse and having open'd the Skin that covers the Kernel tye two threads to it to keep the Wounds open during the Operation Then without any Instrument take hold of the Kernel with your Thumb and separate it from the Bone for the cutting of any of the Veins that
Salts they open the Body of the Thea and the Water by their Assistance is impregnated with the Essential Salt of that Plant and extracts all its Vertue 'T is generally acknowledg'd that Thea is of exellent Use to strengthen the Brain when 't is weaken'd by those volatil sharp and malignant Salts I mention'd before from whence 't is plain that this Remedy must infallibly cure the Horse if the Disease be not inveterate Afterwards you must administer good Clysters give him boil'd Water for his ordinary Drink and keep him to a spare Diet but if he abstain wholly from eating you must give him the Remedies describ'd in the VIth Chapter Thus I have freely communicated this Secret to the Public which I 'm persuaded is the only Remedy for those Diseases for Experience has convinc'd me of its admirable Efficacy to quench that unnatural and violent Heat which consumes the sick Horse The Cause why those Horses that are cur'd of the Diseases of the Head are never afterwards fit for Service is the Neglect of Farriers who take no Care to purge away the offending Matter For tho' the Disorders that accompany'd the Disease are quieted there remains a Ferment which may produce very bad Consequences if it be not expell'd by good Purging Medicines such as that which follows A Purging Medicine to be given to Horses after they are cur'd of Diseases of the Head Take extracted Cassia four Ounces Agaric two Ounces fine clear Scammony three Drams Powder of Rhubarb sprinkl'd two or three times with a little Aqua Vitae two Drams Coriander-Seed and Flowers of Roman Cammomil in Powder of each one Dram Mastich one Scruple Reduce the dry Ingredients to Powder mix 'em with two Pounds of fresh Butter and make 'em up into Pills of the Bigness of Tennis-Balls which you must make the Horse swallow keeping him bridl'd eight Hours before and six after wash his Mouth after 'em with a Quart of Emetic Wine or for want of that of ordinary Wine and walk him half an Hour About four and twenty Hours after when he begins to purge walk him abroad once every two Hours about a quarter of an Hour or half an Hour each time to promote the Purgation Or you may purge him with the Pills call'd Galen's Smaller Head-Pills The Dose is about two Ounces in a Pound of fresh Butter If he be not sufficiently purg'd assoon as the Physic leaves working give him a Clyster made as before with Sal Polychrest c. After you have purg'd him twice 't is to be hop'd that he will quickly grow fit for Service but you must bring him to work again by degrees and give Nature time to recover her strength perfectly after so great a Disturbance And in the mean time you may give him an Ounce of Liver of Antimony in his Bran every Day for a whole Month which will purifie the Blood and compleat the Cure by consuming the Remainders of the offending Humours and cooling the Parts that may be still a little disorder'd with the preternatural Heat Since this Disease usually attacks all the Horses that lodge under one Roof with those whom it first seiz'd assoon as you see any one of the rest begin to refuse his Meat you ought by way of Prevention to give him the Medicines prepar'd with burnt Allom in Powder Salt of Glass c. describ'd in the beginning of this Chapter or you may make him fast six Hours and afterwards give him a Dose of the Lieutenant's Powder or two of the Treacle Balls in Powder for one Dose will certainly prevent the coming of the Disease if it be given assoon as he begins to forsake his Meat You may find in the VIth Chapter proper Medicines to restore his Appetite For a Confirmation of the Usefulness of this Method I might appeal to several Persons of Quality at Paris and in other Places who have seen their Horses preserv'd by it and can testifie that after the Use of the Powder or Balls and the perfuming of their Stables these Diseases of the Head never enter'd more among their Horses tho' formerly they lost almost all they kept by those dangerous Distempers The whole Method consists in giving a Dose of the Lieutenant's Powder or two Treacle-Balls in Powder and repeating the Dose three days after and since we have so few certain Remedies for the Cure of this Distemper we ought by no Means to neglect so fine a Preservative CHAP. XXVII Of the true Preparation of Scammony SInce prepar'd Scammony is a common Ingredient in purging Medicines I thought fit to insert a Preparation of it which is better than Diagridium and therefore may be safely given to Herses since that is familiarly us'd by Men. Beat the Scammony to fine Powder and spread it on brown Paper then kindle some Brimstone in a Chafing-Dish and hold the Paper with the Scammony over it that it may receive the Fumes of the Brimstone cast new Pieces of Brimstone into the Chasing-Dish one after another for a quarter of an Hour stirring the Scammony continually that it may not stick to the Paper as it will do if you put too much Fire into the Chafing-Dish Assoon as the Scammony begins to change its Colour you may conclude that 't is duly prepar'd and this Preparation is the only purging Ingredient that enters into the Composition of the Powder call'd Cornachini But since the best Scammony may be easily procur'd at present I do not think it worth the while to give my self the trouble of preparing it for I find that it may be given in Substance very safely in a fat and unctuous Vehicle such as Fat or Butter which hinder it from sticking to the Parts thro' which it passes and from spoiling the Appetite of Horses tho' it must be acknowledg'd the Preparation does certainly improve it If you perceive that the purging Medicine you administer'd to your Horse has not so much as loosen'd his Body or made the Excrements soft you may safely augment the Dose of the Ingredients that were prescrib'd in the least Quantity as being most violent and serving to quicken and expel the rest They who purge Horses know not how much they venture for as Bleeding is esteem'd the boldest Operation that can be made on a Humane Body I 'm perswaded that Purging is the most difficult and hazardous Operation that can be perform'd on the Body of a Horse and never to be administer'd without unavoidable Necessity since 't is certain that the Motion or Action of a Purgative is contrary to Nature for 't is essentially destructive and useful only by Accident And besides the Evacuation even of corrupt Humours is always attended with a great Expence of Spirits which weakens the Horse extremely and therefore if Purgation be not absolutely necessary the best way is to content our selves with administring Cordial Medicines which strengthen Nature and help her to expel that which offends her by the usual Passages 'T is true this Method
Strugglings which produce those cruel and intolerable Pains that accompany this Disease The Horse endeavours in vain to dung he sweats in the Flank and Ears and when he voids any Excrements they are in little quantity and for the most part only Phlegm that cannot be separated from the Guts without Pain after which he has a moment of Ease and seems to be perfectly cur'd but his Torments return in an instant During the raging Violence of the Pain the Horse frequently lies down and suddenly starts up again he looks upon his Flanks and refuses to eat If he be also assaulted by a Fever he is in great danger of being over-power'd by so unequal a Force unless by the Application of timely Remedies the Beating or Heaving of his Flank be asswag'd This Distemper is often preceded by a Looseness which lasts a whole day and carries off all the gross Excrements in the Horse's Body but the tough and glewy Humours stick to the Guts and do not quit their hold so soon nor at last without a great deal of Pain REMEDIES Take two Quarts of Milk or of Tripe-Broth Oil-Olive and fresh Butter of each four or five Ounces the Yolks of six Eggs and two or three Ounces of Sugar Mix 'em for a Clyster which allays the Sharpness of the Humours but removes not the Cause and therefore must be repeated every three hours adding two Ounces of good Diaphoretic Antimony to dissolve the rebellious and stubborn Humours All Purgatives given at the Mouth are hurtful for they encrease the Agitation of the Humours redouble the Pain by violently plucking away the tough Slime flay the Guts add new Torments to a Part that was hardly able to support those it suffer'd before and cannot be administer'd without endangering the Horse's Life and besides they do not begin to operate till four and twenty hours after they are taken during which time the Horse either dies or recovers And therefore instead of purging Medicines that are usually prescrib'd in this Case I advise you to have recourse to Clysters which must be often repeated and chang'd according to the various Circumstances of the Disease for sometimes you must give a softening Clyster to asswage the Pain sometimes add Antimonium diaphoreticum to melt the Humours and if the Distemper be of long continuance inject one of Milk or Tripe-Broth It will also be convenient to give the following Mixture at several times take Oil of Roses and common Oil of each one Pound fine Sugar eight Ounces Rose-water a Pint Mix 'em and pour a Glass-full down his Throat with a Horn every three hours This easie and familiar Remedy will open and scour the Guts cut the thick Humours allay the Pain and by its Slipperiness gliding thro' the Intestines qualifie the Sharpness and Heat of the Humours After every Dose walk the Horse gently a quarter of an hour without heating him lest the Humours be further enrag'd When you perceive that the Horse is freed of his Pain feed him with Bran seven or eight days after which since this Distemper is only appeas'd but not perfectly cur'd you must endeavour to remove the Cause and expel those Impurities from whence the Colic proceeds by a convenient Purgation The following Oil is endu'd with a peculiar Virtue to drive out the tough and glassy Phlegm that occasion'd all the above-mention'd Disorders in the Intestines CHAP. XLVI An excellent Purging Oil. THE administring of purging Medicines to a Horse is one of the hardest parts of a Farrier's Task and therefore I thought my self oblig'd to use the utmost Diligence and Application to find out a safe and successful Method of Purgation but notwithstanding all my Endeavours to prevent the Inconveniencies that attend the Use of those Medicines I observ'd an extreme Repugnancy in the Nature of Horses to yield to their Operation and I found by Experience that purgative Remedies are succeeded by such an universal Disorder in the Oeconomy of Nature that the Horse cannot be restor'd to his wonted Temper for a considerable time afterwards I will not trouble my Reader witha particular Account of those Inconveniencies but content my self with assuring him that I have seen more Horses than one kill'd by purging Remedies that had been successfully administer'd to others for want of a due Preparation of their Bodies according to that Maxim of Hippocrates Concocta medicamentis aggredi oportet movere non cruda I shall treat of this Preparation in a more convenient place and now proceed to acquaint you that I have seen some Horses founder'd by the Use of Purgatives and others continue to purge ten Days and as many Nights during which time they were in perpetual danger and those who tended 'em and I my self sometimes were forc'd to pour down their Nourishment with a Horn. So many unsuccesful Trials have taught me Circumspection and I never purge a Horse without fear tho' Necessity often obliges us to make use of those Remedies and a due observance of the true Method of administring 'em may prevent their fatal Consequences I have consider'd these things with the utmost Attention and after a careful Examination of all Circumstances I find Van Helmont's Opinion to be very reasonable and I 'm persuaded that his Arguments are infinitely more convincing than all that had been urg'd by others before him But since I am not Master of a sufficient Stock of Learning to explain his Maxims and reduce 'em to Practice and cannot attempt to overturn the receiv'd Method of Practising Physic without invading a Province that does not belong to me I must even content my self with following the Multitude till some Person of greater Judgment and Authority shall undertake the Reformation of Medicine by extirpating all Purgatives and substituting some powerful Diaphoretic in their stead which may produce the same Effects we expect from the others and destroy that preternatural Heat which is the Root of all these Disorders However I thought my self indispensably oblig'd to enquire into the safest Methods of Purging Horses and I 'm convinc'd that the following Oil is one of the most proper Remedies hitherto known to move a Horse's Belly without Disturbance Take Oil-Olive three Pounds Claret-Wine a Pint Pulp of Coloquintida five Ounces Flower of Lin-seed an Ounce and a half three Lilly-Roots cut into round slices Missleto of the Apple-Tree beaten an Ounce Cammomil-flowers a handful Put all the Ingredients into a Pot cover'd exactly with another somewhat less and lute the Junctures of the Vessels with Clay temper'd with a little Hair or Wool after the Clay is dry'd boil the whole Composition gently till the Wine be consum'd that is eight or ten hours then remove it from the Fire and when 't is half cold strain it thro' a Linnen Cloth and give one half luke-warm to the Horse for the whole quantity is sufficient to purge two Horses but if he be naturally hard to be wrought upon by purging Medicines give him more of it afterwards
together it will appear that I had reason to prescribe so many different Remedies I have seen a great number of Horses lost by the Ignorance of those who undertook to Cure 'em For those pretended Artists endeavour'd only to make 'em Stale tho' the Disease was truly a Wind-Colic On the other side most Farriers and Grooms imagine that a Horse is troubl'd with the Gripes when his Urine is supprest and that Mistake is so strongly rooted in 'em that 't is impossible to convince 'em of their Error So that when a Horse is troubl'd with a Stoppage of Urine and the Farriers pretend that the Distemper proceeds from the Gripes you may certainly conclude that they are mistaken and that the Disease is an effect of another Cause When the stoppage of Urine is occasion'd by a confirm'd Obstruction or by an Inflammation of the Neck of the Bladder you must not persist in the use of Internal Medicines to provoke Urine which would only serve to encrease the Pain and Inflammation and stifle the natural Heat by driving vast quantities of serous and flegmatic Humours into the Bladder But instead of these you may safely apply the external Remedies describ'd in this Chapter It was never observ'd hitherto that Horses were subject to the Stone or Gravel or that the stoppage of Urine that occasions this kind of Colic was ever occasion'd by Sand or Gravel Nevertheless in the Year 1668. an old Spanish Horse died in our Academy after a Sickness of some Hours during which he Sweat all over the Body To discover the Cause of so cruel a Distemper I order'd his Body to be open'd by our Farrier who found in his Kidneys a Stone that weigh'd four Pounds and two Ounces brown and shining like polish'd Marble resembling a little Dutch Cheese and of a very regular Figure for it was not the breadth of a Line thicker on one side than on the other Both its Figure and Weight have remain'd entire ever since and it has been seen by almost all the People of Paris with admiration I presented it to my good Friend Count Bertholin who made all those who saw it taken out of the Horse's Body attest the truth of the matter of Fact before a Notary He preserves it still and shows it to all those who desire a sight of it nor could I forbear relating so unusual an Accident For a Flux of Urine Having already discours'd of the Stoppage of Urine I shall proceed in the next place to give an account of the Cause and Cure of a contrary Distemper in which the Horse voids an excessive quantity of crude and undigested Urine resembling Water and at last dies not being able to support the long continuance of such an immoderate Evacuation This Flux of Urine is occasion'd by the Heat and Sharpness of the Blood and an Inflammation of the Kidneys which like Cupping-Glasses suck all the serous Humours out of the Veins and discharge 'em into the Bladder every thing that the Horse drinks passing immediately thro' his Body without the least Alteration The remote Causes of this Distemper are Immoderate and Irregular Exercise or Working of young Horses cold Rains in the beginning of Winter and eating of Oats that are Imported by Sea where being of a spongy Nature they imbibe and suck in the volatile saline Spirits that rise out of the Sea When you undertake the Cure of this Disease in the first place you must order the Horse's Diet feeding him with Bran instead of Oats and give him a cooling Clyster next day let him Blood and the day after inject another Clyster after which Bleed him again the following day The whole quantity of Blood that is taken away must not exceed four Pounds that is two at each time After you have let Blood twice and injected two Clysters boil two Quarts of Water and put it into a Pail-full of common Water with a large handful of Oriental Bole beaten to Powder Mix the whole very well and make the Horse drink it luke-warm if it be possible neither must you give him any other Liquor for his ordinary drink Morning or Evening Horses that are troubl'd with this Distemper drink excessively and some of 'em are so thirsty and their Bodies so heated that they would drink six Pail-fulls of Water every day You must not restrain 'em but let 'em have their full liberty to drink as much as they please provided the Water be prepar'd as before with boiling Water and Bole for the more they drink the sooner will they be cur'd When the Horse begins to Stale as he us'd to do when in Health and his Belly and Dung return to their natural Condition you must restore his Oats by degrees exercise him moderately at first and afterwards Ride or Work him with discretion CHAP. L. Of a Horse that Stales Blood DUring the great Heats of Summer if a Horse be ridden long and hard or over-heated by immoderate Exercise he will Piss pure Blood and this Disease is frequently Mortal especially if some Vein or large Vessel be broken which discharges the Blood into the Bladder Some Horses Piss Blood abundantly without a Fever loss of Appetite or any other appearance of Indisposition in which case the Flux of Blood proceeds only from the excessive Heat of the Kidneys and may be easily cur'd It would seem indeed that they could not long bear so vast an expence of Blood but since a little Blood will serve to tinge a great quantity of Urine 't is commonly thought that all they Piss is pure Blood whereas oftentimes the tenth part of it is not Blood and if proper Remedies be applied during the first days of the Distemper the Cure will be easily accomplish'd I shall forbear giving a particular Account of the Causes and Consequences of this Disease out of complaisance to those who are profest Enemies to Speculation and only look for Remedies in a Book of this nature Bleed the Horse and give him every Morning three Pints of White-Wine made Emetic by the Infusion of unwash'd Crocus Metallorum otherwise call'd Liver of Antimony The Nitre will give the Wine a red Colour and make it of admirable efficacy for it will both Cleanse and Heal which are the two main Scopes of the Cure Keep your Horse Bridl'd four Hours before you give him the Wine and as long after Repeat the Dose everyd ay and in six or seven Days the Flux of Blood will cease and the Horse will be in a fair way of Recovery For the Emetic Wine expels all Impurities out of the Bladder and consolidates the part which is all that can be desir'd for the Cure of this Distemper If the Pissing of Blood be accompany'd with Heat and a Palpitation of the Flanks as it usually happens give the Horse a good cooling Clyster every Evening bleed him a a second time if need require and dissolve two Ounces of Sal Polycrest in the three Pints of Emetic Wine which you were order'd
of Arsenick beaten and searc'd thro' a fine Sieve Mix all the Ingredients with the Honey in a clean Earthen Pot and boil them over a very gentle Fire stirring 'em frequently till they be reduc'd to the thickness of an Ointment which must be apply'd on Bolsters of Flax to the Figg If the Incision make the part Bleed which must be avoided if possible apply for the first Dressing the above-mention'd restringent Charge made of Turpentine and Soot laying it on warm with Rowlers Bandage and Splents to stanch the Blood Two Days after apply the Ointment describ'd in the preceding Paragraph laying it on warm and binding it hard with Rowlers and Splents placing Tents at the side to keep it firm and to hinder it from spreading and leaving the part of the Frush that touches the Figg uncover'd 'T is to be observ'd that the Flax must be dry that the Tents must be rowl'd hard before you put the Ointments upon 'em and that the Horse must be kept very dry for Moisture is very prejudicial in this case and obstructs the Cure After forty eight Hours remove the second Dressing and wiping the Sore with dry Flax observe whether there are more Fibres or Roots that must be laid open then wash the Figg with the Second Water and apply the above-mention'd Ointment which may be called the Ointment for the Figgs binding it on with Rowlers and Splents and placing Tents and Rowlers on both sides to keep it from spreading as you was formerly directed for some part of the Cure depends on the titeness of the Bandage When you remove the Dressing separate gently with a Slice or Spatula the little Scabs or rather Scurfs produced by the Ointment taking all possible care to prevent Bleeding If after one or two Applications you perceive not any considerable effect of the Ointment add three Ounces of strong Aqua-Fortis to one half of the Composition mixing 'em cold and suffering 'em to foment after which make use of the Ointment as before and it will certainly dissolve the Figg but in the mean time you must not neglect to bind on the Rowlers carefully and to renew the Application once in forty eight Hours When you take off the Dressing if you perceive that the Figg is sufficiently mortifi'd apply the first Ointment and afterwards you may have recourse to the second upon occasion observing the varieties of Circumstances with great care and niceness If the Flesh grow too fast in any part apply the Ointment with the addition of Aqua-Fortis but when you design only to dry the Part the simple Ointment will be sufficient If the Figg be fastn'd to the Gristle or Bone of the Foot and communicate with those Parts when it seems to be cur'd on one side it spreads and sometimes runs even to the Heel under the Quarter which frequently must be cut And after you have made an Incision into the Quarter you must remove the Gristle with the same Causticks either in Powder or Ointment that are prescrib'd in the Chapter of the Quitterbone for without taking away the Gristle 't is impossible to Cure the Figg If the Figg be very large as sometimes 't is equal to a small Hens Egg 't will be very convenient after you have search'd all around to discover the hollow places under the Scale where the Roots of the Figg lurk and lay 'em open with a crooked and double edg'd Fleam to cut out the whole Figg with a sharp Buttress extirpating entirely all the Putrefaction and corrupt Flesh Then suffer the Horse to bleed freely lengthen his Shooes and tye a Cord about the Pastern to stop the Blood after which cover the Wound with small Salt and over that apply Flax moisten'd with Turpentine boil'd with Soot If the Blood flow so fast that you cannot strew the Wound with Salt mix the Salt with the Composition apply it warm bind up the Foot carefully with an Iron Splent laid cross-wise to keep on the Dressing and lay the same Defensive about the Cronet suffering the Application to remain untouch'd for the space of three Days keeping the Horse in the mean time in a very dry place If the Figg be on the hinder Foot as 't is almost always as often as the Horse Dungs you must immediately remove his Excrements from under his Feet that the Sole may not receive the least moisture which wonderfully obstructs the Cure When you take off the Dressing cleanse the Part carefully with dry Flax and a Slice then apply the Ointment with Bolsters binding it on with Iron-Splents as before only there will be no occasion for the Defensive about the Cronet Two Days after remove the Dressing and consider the colour of the Flesh and having wash'd it with the second Water apply the Ointment with the Addition of Aqua-fortis if the Flesh be foul and the simple Ointment to those Parts where the Flesh is clean and fair continuing after the same manner for some Days Some tender Horses lose their Appetite on this occasion and therefore you must tye a Chewing-Ball to the Bit and give 'em good Clysters with Sal-Polychrest and moisten'd Bran to eat The continu'd use of these Directions will restore the Horse's Appetite which is a point of great Importance If the Figg be fasten'd to the Gristle or Bone of the Foot the surest Remedy is to take out the Sole according to the Method describ'd in the preceding Chapter and then dress the Figg as before and if there be occasion either cut out the Gristle or consume it with Causticks I shall take this occasion to advertise the Reader that I never apply a Caustick when 't is possible to perform the Operation with a Razor for he that uses this Instrument has the conveniency of seeing what he does and of directing and guiding it as he pleases nor is Incision attended with so much Pain as a Caustic and even tho' there be a Scale of a Bone in the Foot to be separated 't is better to make use of a red-hot Iron than a Caustic and for the same purpose I sometimes apply Egyptiacum with Sugar or White-Vitriol or Borax in Powder mixt with Spirit of Wine Violent Cauteries are dangerous in this case for they hurt the Bone of the Foot and cause an Exfoliation which is more troublesome and tedious than the Cure of the Distemper and besides they repel the Humours which occasion several not inconsiderable Disorders During the Cure of this Distemper 't will be very convenient to make your Horse eat every Day some Liver of Antimony in moisten'd Bran to make a revulsion by diminishing the quantity of the Humours that fall upon the Part for since that Remedy resists all Impurities 't will destroy the Causes of the Humour that moistens and nourishes the Figgs After the Cure is compleated to prevent any succeeding Danger tho' this Caution be not absolutely necessary you may take up the Pastern-Veins of the Sore Foot for since the Pastern-Veins carry great abundance
the Sponge being swell'd by its Heat and Moisture presses and keeps down the Flesh If the Hole be of a sufficient wideness you may use Tents of Hog's-Lard which cleanse the Part and heal the Wound without bruising the Flesh but the usual Tents if they be not very carefully and exactly made up retard the Cure instead of promoting it 'T is a very important tho' little observ'd Rule That the Operation of external Remedies should be assisted by a regular Administration of inward Medicines Some commend Purgation for the Cure of great Wounds which in my Opinion is a very preposterous Method for it produces a quite contrary effect to the design of the Prescriber by occasioning a Defluxion of Humours upon the Part that are only loosen'd and put in Motion but not evacuated by the Medicine CHAP. CIV Cinnabar Pills for Wounds Worms Mange and Farcin and for the shedding of the Hair from the Head and Neck TAke of the finest and cleanest Assa-foetida Bay-berries of Provence or Italy and Cinnabar all in fine Powder of each a Pound incorporate 'em in a Brass-Mortar with a sufficient quantity of strong Aqua-vitae and make up the Mass into Pills weighing fourteen Drams each which must be laid in a convenient place to dry Give two of these Pills to the Wounded Horse once in two Days or once every Day till he has taken eight or ten according to the greatness of the Wound and that he may swallow 'em the more easily you may give 'em in a Pint or three half Pints of Wine making him stand Bridl'd two Hours before and as long after the taking of every Dose These Pills may be kept twenty Years They promote the Cure of a Wound by purifying the Blood and resisting Corruption They contribute also to the Cure of Gauls and the Farcin and drive Worms out of the Body This Remedy is highly useful in an Army where the Wounds of Horses must be cur'd with all Expedition and it may be truly said that the effects of it are wonderful and almost incredible Sometimes the Hair falls away from the Head and Neck by reason of the excessive heat of the inward Parts The usual Remedy in this case is Bleeding but since that alone is not sufficient it will be very convenient both to administer a Dose of these Pills for three Days together and to rub the bare places twice a Day with good Lime-Water If the Disease continue still repeat the whole process and afterwards give your Horse Flower of Brimstone in moisten'd Bran beginning with a small quantity and augmenting the Dose by degrees till it arise to half a handful every Day during which time you may ride your Horse For the Cure of those eating Scabs that are so troublesome and hard to be rooted out of the Mane and Tail after you have Bled and Purg'd your Horse give him three or four Doses of two Pills each and the external Application of Lime-Water will quickly perform the remaining part of the Cure if not you must reiterate the whole course The same Pills may be profitably Administer'd to Horses that are troubl'd with running Sores in their Legs or the Pains Warts or Bunches Quitter-bones and such like stubborn Distempers for they facilitate the Cure by intercepting and diverting the Humour that causes and foments the Disease After the description of those Pills which are of such excellent use in the Cure of Wounds I could not forbear subjoining a brief Account of their other Virtues and I hope this digression will neither be useless nor unwelcome to those Readers who are willing to be Instructed And to satisfie those Critical Gentlemen who may peruse this Book with a design rather to pick Quarrels with the Author than to improve their Knowledge I am willing to own that the end of this Chapter had perhaps been a more proper place for the description of these Pills than the beginning of it but withal I must beg leave to acquaint 'em that I am not so much in love with Formality as to give my self the trouble of making an alteration of so little Importance Since Tents are necessary in the Cure of all sorts of Wounds and those that are made of Hog's-Lard are very convenient for most of 'em it will not be improper to give a short hint of their Preparation and Use Cut the Lard into long Pieces and put one of 'em into the Wound when you draw it out again you will find it half melted and must suffer it to cool that it may recover its usual firmness and consistency after which put it in again if it be not grown too short If the Wound be foul or the Flesh corrupt it must be wash'd with the Yellow-Water at every Dressing but if you perceive that neither that nor any other of the usual Detergents are sufficient to cleanse the Wound or if it be pester'd with Proud-Flesh add an Ounce of Arsenic in fine Powder to the whole Dose of the Lime-Water that shall be describ'd in the following Chapter And if even that be too weak you must burn the whole Wound with a red-hot Plate of Iron for if you take care not to touch the Skin Tendons and Sinews there will not the least mark of Burning appear after the Cure As soon as you have given the Fire anoint the burnt Part with Oil of Bay covering the whole Wound if possible with Flax and continue the use of the Oil which must be apply'd warm till the Scab or Escar be loosen'd and ready to fall off after which 't will be more convenient to anoint the Part with Basilicum or Tallow till the Scab be quite separated and you will find the Skin fair underneath without the least mark of Burning for this Method of giving the Fire excels the best Applications of Powders and Ointments The common Detergent and cleansing Remedies are in my Opinion too weak for Horses They are usually compos'd of Honey Vinegar Bean-flower Barley-flower the Juices of Plantane and Agrimony Flower-de-luce Roots Turpentine Rosin c. These Medicines are only Medicamenta levioris Armaturae with respect to the Wounds of which I 'm treating But Unguentum Apostolorum Aegyptiacum and the Neat-herds Ointment are very proper in this case We must not play with Horses Wounds nor vainly expect to Cure 'em with such feeble Remedies as the Golden Ointment the Plaister de gratia Dei and Betony-Plaister for 't is certain that Salt-Butter is more effectual for keeping Wounds clean than all those Compositions And therefore the surest Method is to wash the Wound with Urine or the Yellow-Water and afterwards to anoint it with Salt-Butter strewing the Powder of Old-Ropes upon it And to apply Aegyptiacum if there be a great deal of corrupt Flesh The Pain occasion'd by the Application of Aegyptiacum ought not to be made an Argument against the use of it since 't was never observ'd that any Horse pin'd away on that occasion And to give the Reader a
quantity of good White Tartar which is only the dry Lees of Wine that stick to the Bottom of the Cask burn it in an Earthen Pot surrounded with live Charcoal till the Pot grow red then suffer it to cool and reduce it to a Powder which in the Language of Art is call'd Powder of Calcin'd Tartar It drys all sorts of Wounds or Hurts in the Withers or any other part of the Body 't is good for a Weeping or Frothy Sole that cannot be dry'd with the usual Remedies When 't is apply'd to a Wound it raises a Scurf which must be so forc'd to fall away before the Application be renew'd Burn some Oister-Shells in the Fire till they grow perfectly white then take 'em out and after they are cold beat 'em to a very fine Powder which is an excellent and successful Remedy for Wounds and Scars because it is a true Sal Alkali separated entirely from all its Acid Particles by the Action of the Fire And therefore as soon as 't is apply'd to the Wounds it imbibes and sucks up as much of the Acid Juice or Humour as 't is capable of containing and so frees the Wound or Sore from the force of all the Disorders with which 't is attended such as Pain Inflammation Eating or Corroding of the Flesh Swelling and every thing else that obstructs the healing or closing of the Wound Thus Nature being deliver'd from her Enemy by the frequent Applications of the burnt or calcin'd Shells exerts all her Vigour for the speedy Cure of the Wound I know few Farriers that are capable of comprehending the force of this way of Reasoning since the most ingenious Persons of that Profession content themselves with judging of Causes by their Effects without penetrating further into the Nature of Distempers Those who are troubl'd with external Haemorrhoids or Piles may use this Powder with success applying it to the Tumours when they bleed mixt with fresh Butter or some other convenient Liniment for it destroys the Acid that occasions the Pain and Heat The Powder of calcin'd Muscel-Shells produces the same Effect if it be apply'd either to a Wound in Horses or Haemorrhoids in Men because it is a powerfull Alkali that absorbs all Acid Juices The Bones of a Cuttle-Fish that are every where to be found in Druggists Shops and commonly us'd by Goldsmiths for casting of Rings in a Mould are endu'd with almost the same Virtues for they contain an excellent Alkali that dries up all sorts of Wounds They are very brittle and may be easily reduc'd to a very fine Powder All sorts of Bones that are of a porous or less compact contexture if they be burnt till they are very white and easily reducible to Powder are of excellent use for the drying up of Wounds or Sores for they are fixt Alkali's separated from their respective Acids by calcination and immediately suck up the Acid contain'd in the Wound which is the only Sourse of all the Disorders that hinder the Cure CHAP. CIX Of Swellings or Wounds on the Reins or Back THE Hurts that affect this Part are almost as dangerous as the Wringing of the Withers and therefore as soon as you perceive a Swelling you must immediately lay hot Dung in a Bag to the Tumour and if it be not asswag'd in six Hours apply Whites of Eggs beaten and thickned with a piece of Allum according to the Directions prescrib'd for Hurts in the Withers If you cannot prevent Suppuration proceed as in the above-mention'd Case making a Passage to let out the whole Matter tho' you shou'd even open the Sore to the Bone and continue to dress it as you were taught before in the Cure of Wounds After you have pierc'd the Swelling with a hot Iron as for Hurts in the Withers draw out the Tents twice a Day syrenge the Holes with the Waters for Gun-shot-Wounds and besmear the Tents with the Duke's Ointment chafing the whole Tumour with the same Ointment and covering it with a Woolly Lamb-Skin to secure the Wound against the Injuries of the Air or Wind. But if the Swelling have no vent as it happens not unfrequently you cannot make a perfect Cure and therefore you must immediately make an Incision as in the Withers piercing to the Bottom of the Sore and taking away all the dead and rotten Flesh After you have wip'd off the Blood apply hot Embers to the Wound and the next Day wash it with warm Wine Urine or a convenient Lye renewing the Application of the hot Embers three or four times after the same manner and dressing the Wound like a Hurt in the Withers If the Tumour tend to Separation and cannot be dissolv'd the best way is to rub the lower part of it with a Retoire which opens the Swelling and draws forth a red Water and afterwards hastens the Generation of the Matter If the first Application of the Retoire increase the Tumour considerably there will be no need of a second But if the Swelling be not much augmented you most proceed to a second Application If you have no Retoire open the Swelling in the lower part with a red hot Iron if the Matter be already form'd If the Matter that runs out be bloody or only a red Water you may conclude that the Swelling is too soon open'd but if it be white the Sore will heal of it self and your only care must be to keep the Hole open and renew the Application of the red-hot Iron in case of Necessity We are oftentimes oblig'd if the Matter take up a large space to make several Holes with a red-hot Iron that we may have the Conveniency of thrusting a Tent from one Hole to another for the more speedy uniting of the Skin to the Flesh If the Matter that runs out be Black you have reason to fear a Gangrene and must immediately search the bottom of the Sore with your Probe for 't is a certain Sign that the Seat of the Matter is remote and the surest way is to make a large Incision to the bottom of the Sore with a Razor and so dip the Bolsters of Flax in the Vulnerary Water or Lime-Water with Sublimate stopping the Wound with Tents and anointing all the external parts of it with the Duke's Ointment If you perceive the Matter that runs out next Day to be very stinking 't is a sign of great Corruption and therefore you must cut away all the corrupt Flesh till it appear fair and clean strew the Sore with Salt and afterwards for the greater Security wash it with the Vulnerary Water or the Yellow-Water as before applying the Duke's Ointment about the Sore to all the parts from whence you suspect the Matter may come Afterwards when you perceive no more dead or rotten Flesh strew the inside of the Sore with Salt and apply a Detersive such as the Neat-herd's Ointment for Gauling or Aegyptiacum mixt with Aqua-fortis and when it begins to grow of a fair red Colour dress it with
four Ounces Benedicta Laxativa two Ounces or extracted Cassia three Ounces This Clyster evacuates the Impurities contain'd in the Intestines and comforts the superiour Parts You may also rub your Horse against the Hair to open the Pores and let out the Fuliginous Vapours contain'd under the Skin I have observ'd some Horses cur'd by the use of these Remedies and I have seen the same Medicines given to others without Success When the Fever continues three Days without intermission I lay aside the use of Remedies and immediately order the Horse to be thrown upon the Dunghil for I never observ'd in all my Practice that any Horse escap'd after that fatal Period tho' sometimes they linger out five or six Days longer because during the three Days of the uninterupted continuance of the Fever the Liver is quite burnt and consum'd by the violence of the Heat as it appears evidently by the Dissection of Horses that dye of a Fever CHAP. CXXXVII Of a Pestilential Fever THE Cure of this Fever is different from that of the last and is perform'd by strengthning Nature in correcting the malignity of the Poyson that causes the Disorder For the removal of the Cause is the most probable way to put an end to the Distemper For this purpose you must inject Clysters frequently and give repeated Doses of the Cordial Pills or the Electuary of Kermes observing almost the same Directions that are prescrib'd for the Cure of the Anticor I once observ'd a great Mortality of Horses in Germany few escaping that were once seiz'd with the Distemper Almost all of 'em voided a great quantity of Water at the Eyes they were troubl'd with a Fever and a strong Aversion to their Meat the tips of their Ears were cold and a certain yellow and greenish Matter dropt constantly from their Nose At first several Remedies were try'd in vain but at last I invented one that perform'd a great number of Cures As soon as the Disease appear'd the Horse was let Blood before he was suffer'd to Drink but if he had already Drunk the bleeding was delay'd till the next Day He was kept Bridl'd two or three Hours after then the following Remedy was exhibited after which he stood Bridl'd two Hours longer and a Man was order'd to walk him half an Hour Take new Treacle not above three Months old and Aloes Hepatica in Powder of each one Ounce Confection of Hyacinth and of Alkermes without Musk or Ambergreese of each half an Ounce dissolve 'em in a Decoction made with Scabious Carduus Benedictus and Speedwel of each a large handful 'T was observ'd that the Distill'd Waters of those Herbs when they cou'd be procur'd were more effectual than the Decoction The next and the following Days Clysters were Injected and if the violence of the Distemper did not abate the Remedy was repeated taking only one half of the prescrib'd Doses of the Treacle Aloes and Confections but the quantity of the Liquor was not lessen'd This Remedy cur'd all the Horses to whom it was exhibited but perhaps would not succeed so well on another occasion I order'd new Treacle to be us'd because that Medicine acquires a great deal of Heat by being long kept and all the cooling Virtue of the Opium that enters its Composition vanishes Mithridate Orvietan the Treacle Diatessaron the Electuary of Kermes the Confections of Hyacinth and Alkermes without Musk or Amber-greese are excellent Remedies against Pestilential Fevers as are also the Cordials describ'd above If the Disease be occasion'd by the Contagion of the Air as soon as you perceive your Stable to be infected remove instantly all your sound Horses without permiting 'em to enter into it again till you have perfum'd it with equal Parts of Sulphur and Salt-Petre and double quantities of Antimony and Pitch Or you may make an excellent Perfume by burning a Faggot of green Juniper-Wood the Doors and Windows being shut And you must also whiten the Walls wash the Rack and make the whole Stable clean For the biting of Venemous Beasts you may consult the Hundred and thirteenth Chapter If your Horse has swallow'd Poyson make him drink a great quantity of Oil and give him Orvietan Treacle or the Electuary of Kermes and the Cordial Pills are also proper in this case When a Horse happens to swallow Arsenic if his Stomach be void 't is impossible to prevent his Death if he be not assisted in less than an Hour for during that time the Arsenic is able to burn and utterly consume the Part to which it sticks The only Remedy in this case is to make him Drink two Pounds of good Oil-Olive to blunt and deaden the Acrimony of the Arsenic and two or three Hours after give him another Pound of the same Oil. Of the Method to be observ'd after a Horse's Recovery from a Fever When a Fever actually prevails you must not exhibit a Purgative Remedy for that wou'd be a no less preposterous attempt than if you shou'd endeavour to separate the Lees from the Wine during its Fermentation There are only two cases in which a Purging Remedy can be administer'd with safety or success in a Fever In the first place it may be given for the evacuation of corrupt Humours floating in the Stomach and Guts and it must be acknowledg'd that the removal of those Humours wou'd be advantagious to the Horse But since they are not the cause of the Disease that advantage wou'd be very inconsiderable with respect to the damage which Nature cou'd not avoid receiving by the heat and acrimony of the Remedy and by the violent and unusual Motion excited by it The other case in which Purgation is not only useful but necessary is when Nature after the agitation of the Humours during the Fever separates the corrupt from the pure Humours for she is often so weaken'd and render'd so lazy by the violence of her late Conflict that she contents her self with the Victory she has gain'd and is either unable or unwilling to attempt the utter overthrow and expulsion of her Enemy who seems to be perfectly quieted but may afterwards return to the assault with a more dangerous Fury than before As soon therefore as you perceive a remission or cessation of Arms you must take hold of that occasion to assist Nature to compleat the ruine of her Adversary 'T is true Purgatives are repugnant rather than agreeable to Nature but 't is certain she receives an accidental benefit by 'em for when they are in the Body they irritate and offend he Parts thro' which they pass and Nature perceiving those new Commotions endeavours to expel the cause of 'em and in the struggle drives forth the remainders of the Humours that not long before had almost overwhelm'd her as if the Operation of the Medicine had rouz'd her and put her in mind of her Duty You must not wait for the Marks of the Concoction and separation of the Humours from the Urine or Excrements of
Body and is originally occasion'd not by the acid and frequently malignant Corruption of all the Humours but by the Poyson that infects the principal Humour or the Blood and therefore the malignity of the Humours is only the effect of the Poyson that causes the disorders in the Blood The radical and methodical Cure of this Distemper is perform'd by removing the cause of it that is by purifying and sweetning the Blood in order to which I shall propose several Remedies Van Helmont says that the French Pox had its Original from the Farcin in Horses and 't is generally agreed that in the Cure of that Distemper the Malignity of its Poison must be destroy'd and the Blood afterwards purify'd and rectify'd after which all the Symptoms disappear The same may be apply'd to the Farcin When the Farcin is inveterate or of long continuance the Blood being utterly corrupted by the Poison that is lodg'd in it acquires so virulent an Acrimony that it ulcerates the Lungs or the Liver by its excessive Heat and Malignity For when the Blood returns from the Brain according to the establish'd Laws of its Circulation to the Right Ventricle of the Heart it passes from thence by the Vena Arteriosa to the Lungs which consisting of a spongy foul and moist Substance are heated by the sharp Spirits contain'd in the deprav'd Blood This preternatural Heat occasions a Corruption of the weakest Parts and afterwards an Ulcer which at last destroys and consumes the whole Substance of the Lungs You may be easily convinc'd of the Truth of this Hypothesis by opening the Body of a Horse whose Death is occasion'd by an inveterate Farcin for you will find the Lungs wholly putrefy'd and full of Ulcers caus'd by the hot and corrupt Blood which also vitiates and ulcerates the Liver 'T is plain then that the Cure depends chiefly on the Cooling of the Blood and the utter Destruction of that Poison which causes the Farcin and all its loathsome Symptoms For a brief Explanation of the Nature of that Poison 't will be sufficient to tell you that 't is a venomous Steam or certain corrupt Spirits which penetrate the Parts of a Horse's Body as the Light of the Sun passes thro' a Glass These Spirits are a sort of Ferment that breeds Corruption in whatsoever part they attack And 't is to be observ'd that this Poison can never be destroy'd by purgative Medicines without the Use of Specifics This Disease is sometimes communicated by Contagion from an infected Horse 't is also occasion'd by eating too great a quantity of especially new Oats or new Hay before 't is purg'd by evaporating its superfluous Moisture which usually happens about two Months after 't is put up in Stacks or in a Barn Violent Exercise in hot Weather and even once hard Riding Hurts or Wounds made with a foul or Cancerous Iron-Instrument such as Spurs Bits c. and the too great Abundance of Blood may also cause this Distemper It proceeds not unfrequently from a preposterous and too hasty Diligence in fattening tyr'd lean and over-heated Horses for too great Abundance of Nourishment breeds the Farcin unless it be prevented by moderate Exercise and often-repeated Bleeding The most dangerous and stubborn Kind of Farcin is that which is accompany'd with a Running at the Nose for assoon as you perceive that Symptom you may conclude that your Horse's Death approaches especially if his Appetite be lost and the Matter that runs out be mixt with Blood The Number of those which escape is so small that all Horses in this Condition may be given over for desperate unless the Running at the Nose proceed from the Strangles and even in that Case the Disease is usually fatal The Cure is very difficult when the Farcin appears first on the hinder Legs near the Pastern or on the Fetlock-Joint and even in the Hough ascending along the Thigh for it is a Sign of the Violence of the Infection and Weakness of the Natural Heat when the Farcin-Knots appear in the extreme Parts of the Body at so great a distance from the Heart even as the Gout is more troublesome when it makes its first Attack near the Toe or Ankle-Bone than when it begins nearer the Heart When the Knots cannot be brought to Suppuration but instead of Matter thrust forth a piece of reddish brown Flesh which grows very fast and can neither be extirpated by Burning nor Caustic Ointments the Cure is also very difficult and even impossible without the Help of powerful Remedies to destroy the inward Poison The Farcins that are brought from the Camp are very rarely cur'd because the Blood is wholly corrupted by violent or unseasonable Exercises and by the Defect or Excess of Nourishment which very often is rotten and unwholsome The Farcin that begins to appear during the Increase of the Moon is stubborn and less easily cureable than that which begins in the Wane when the Humours are weaker and less abundant and the same Observation may be apply'd to the Glanders and Quitter-bone The Farcin in the Head is the least dangerous and most easily cur'd of all other Kinds of that Distemper unless when there is a Knot or Kernel between the two Jaw-bones which is usually nourish'd by a certain Flegmatic Matter that comes from the Lungs thro' the Wind-Pipe for these Kernels can hardly be dissolv'd in less than three or four Months and in the mean time the Horse is in danger of falling into the Glanders You may conclude that the Cure will be difficult when the Thighs are much swoll'n when there are hard Knots on the Sheath or when the Swellings break and instead of Matter put forth a piece of blackish Flesh like a Hen's Fundament but the most dangerous and hardly curable Kind of Farcin is when the Horse is naturally of a squeamish and tender Stomach for 't is impossible to give him the Remedies that are necessary for the Cure without destroying his Appetite When the Knot that appears first is heal'd the Horse is usually in a way of Recovery tho' at the same time there be several other Knots in his Body But this is not an infallible Rule The Farcin is call'd by the Italians Verme and by the Germans Wurme because it seems to gnaw and bite between the Flesh and Skin as Worms gnaw the Bark of a Tree It may be easily known by the Knots and Cords that run along the Veins and are spread over the whole Body 'T is also discover'd by Tumours and Ulcers and assoon as you perceive an ulceratted Swelling in the Emunctories which are Kernels situated between the Jaws and the Neck and on the Breast and Thighs near the Cods and design'd by Nature to receive the Impurities of the Body and the Defluxions that fall upon those Parts you may conclude that your Horse is troubl'd with the Farcin which is more or less dangerous according to the degrees of the Ulceration and the sticking of the Kernels to the
the Farcin will disappear without any other Remedy There is nothing that promotes the Cure more effectually than Bleeding in the beginning of the Distemper for it prevents the corruption of the Blood by facilitating and quickening its Circulation and gives Nature an opportunity to produce new and better Blood in the room of that which is taken away But you must take care not to imitate those Pretenders to Art who in my Presence have taken such an immoderate quantity of Blood from Horses troubl'd with the Farcin that they fell into a Deliquium or swooning Fit This is the most unreasonable and terrible Remedy in the World for by that vast expence of Blood the natural Heat is so infeebl'd that it remains incapable of performing its Functions And Nature is not able in a long time to repair so prodigious a havock and waste of Spirits 'T is true indeed you have taken away part of the corrupt Blood but then you must expect that the empty'd Veins will be immediately fill'd with all the Serosities in the Body and the other Humours that were necessary for the preservation of the Parts in their natural state and constitution and consequently the mixture of the whole Mass of Blood will be deprav'd 'T is obvious to every Man of Sense that the destruction of the principle of Life which is lodg'd in the Blood is fatal and pernicious and tho' perhaps you may cure the Horse of the Farcin you will afterwards be sensible tho' too late that you have robb'd him of all his Beauty and render'd him unfit for service Sweating alone wou'd be sufficient to purifie the Blood but our usual Remedies are not strong enough to procure such a plentiful Evacuation as wou'd be necessary for the Cure of the Distemper For the best Sudorifics for Men operate very weakly on Horses or perhaps not at all 'T is true Chymistry furnishes us with some Remedies that are found by experience to be of sufficient efficacy to make Horses Sweat and in some measure to purifie their Blood But they raise so great a heat in the Intrails that 't is frequently a harder Task to allay that than to Cure the Farcin After you have let a Horse Blood whatever Method you intend to follow you may if you please administer a Purging Remedy to prepare the Horse's Body and open Obstructions For the Medicines that are afterwards exhibited will purifie the Blood more effectually tho' after all Purgation is not absolutely necessary The two following Purgatives are of excellent use in this case and I have cur'd several Horses of a less Malignant kind of Farcin with a Dose of one of these Medicines A Purge for the Farcin Take of clear or Succotrine Aloes an Ounce and a half Roots of Jalap and Mercurius Dulcis of each half an Ounce old Treacle an Ounce and a half beat the hard Ingredients to Powder and when you have occasion to use the Medicine mix it with a Quart of Wine putting in the Aloes just before you administer it for it would immediately grow hard and fall to the bottom After your Horse has drunk it all up rinse the Pot and Horn with half a Pint of Wine and give it to the Horse keeping him Bridl'd six Hours before and five Hours after and feeding him all that Day and two Days after with moisten'd Bran instead of Oats nor must you give him any Hay the Day before you administer the Medicine nor so long as the Purgation continues If this Remedy do not procure a sufficient evacuation you may use the following Pills There cannot be too many Purgative Medicines prescrib'd for the Cure of the Farcin for that which is given with Success to one Horse may hurt another or that which operates effectually one time may frustrate your Expectations on another occasion Pills for the Farcin Take Sena Leaves and Roots of Hermodactyls of each one Ounce Agaric three Drams Fine Scammony four Drams Cinnabar one Ounce Cinnamon and Cloves of each one Dram Fennel-seed and Ginger of each two Scruples Reduce all the Ingredients to a Gross Powder to be made up into Pills with two Pounds of fresh Hog's-Lard observe the same Directions that were prescrib'd for the use of the preceding Remedy After the Bleeding and Purging there will not be need of any more inward Remedies only when the Knots are ripen'd you must open 'em to give a passage to the Matter and if instead of drying up the Lips of the Sore remain swoll'n strew 'em once with Realgar in fine Powder After nine Days the Scab will fall off and leave the Sore fair and clean which you may afterwards dry up with some of the Powders prescrib'd for the Cure of Wounds for Example with the Powder of the Caput Mortuum that remains after the distillation of Spirit of Vitriol Give your Horse every Day in moisten'd Bran an Ounce of the Root of the hundred headed Thistle in Powder or two Ounces of the Green Root You must gather the Root in the Spring when the Plant begins to shoot forth dry it in the shade and beat it to Powder The Root of the Queen of the Meadows gather'd at the same time and given in the same quantity is no less effectual for these two Roots are the true specific Remedies of the Farcin 'T is a common Error that if a plentiful Evacuation be procur'd by any Remedies whatsoever the Cure will succeed For 't is certain that notwithstanding the effectual operation of the Medicine if it be not peculiarly adapted to the Distemper the Farcin will grow more Malignant and if it be seated on the Thigh the Swelling will increase instead of diminishing A Purgative Remedy that is not endu'd with a singular Virtue against the Disease stirs the Humours which it cannot evacuate and Nature throws the Load that oppresses her upon the weak and sore Parts and consequently the Swelling is augmented after Purgation but if the Remedy attack the Venom and cause of the Distemper the Swelling will be sensibly abated and from thence you may conclude that the Purgation has produc'd the intended effect The two above-mention'd Remedies are useful for all Horses that stand in need of Purging such as those who are very Fat or full of Humours and are not accustom'd to Exercise But you must never administer a Purging Remedy for the Cure of the Farcin to lean Horses that are full of Mettle and Fire or of a burnt Sorrel Colour CHAP. CXLI A Specific Remedy for the Farcin FEed your Horse with moisten'd Bran instead of Oats Bleed him administer a Purging Remedy if you think it necessary and two Days after when the Purgation is over give him three Doses of Cinnabar Pills a Dose every two Days Make him eat an Ounce of the Root of White Mullein Queen of the Meadows or the hundred headed Thistle once every Day in moisten'd Bran when the Knots break draw out the Matter and afterwards dry up the Sores with Powders This
you think fit but whether you purge or not you must begin with Bleeding Then Take Sarsaparilla and China-Roots cut small of each three Ounces Roots of Avens two Ounces Leaves of Agrimony two large handfuls Scordium a handful and a half boil 'em gently in four Quarts of Water to a Quart and a half in a cover'd Vessel then strain and adding a Pint of White-Wine make a Decoction for five Doses to be given five Mornings together adding to every Dose an ordinary Glass-full of Urine Substance in the Top and in the Neck of the Vial. Thus you have a sweet Sublimate which if it be rightly prepar'd will not discover the least Acrimony when you touch it with your Tongue for all the sharp and biting Salts that made the first Sublimate corrosive are evaporated thro' the Neck of the Vial which must be always kept open during the Sublimation and even part of the first Corrosive Sublimate is carry'd off with the Salts so that there remains only the sweet Sublimate or Mercury which may be kept for several Uses 'T is to be observ'd that all the Preparations of Mercury may be reviv'd and restor'd to their natural Form and Fluidity with Filings of Steel or unslak'd Lime which by the Assistance of the Fire attract and retain all the Spirits that kept the Mercury in a manner imprison'd in so many various Forms according to the Diversity of the Preparations for several Uses Thus Cinnabar which is only Mercury sublim'd with Sulphur may be reduc'd to fluid Quick-silver with Filings of Steel and the same may be said of all the other Preparations of Mercury such as the Precipitates Turbith Mineral c. CHAP. CXLIV Remedies for the Farcin that resembles a Hen's Fundament THE Humour that foments this Kind of Farcin partakes so much of Melancholy that the Knots are seldom or never brought to Suppuration sending forth a sort of foul and proud Flesh that can hardly be curb'd or extirpated by Remedies The Difficulty of the Cure ought to heighten our Diligence and convince us of the Necessity of using the most potent Remedies to expel the Cause of the Distemper such as these that follow Since black Hellebore is one of the principal and most effectual Remedies for the Cure of this Disease great Care shou'd be taken to correct its ill Qualities by an exact Preparation Take a sufficient quantity of the Roots of true black Hellebore wash'd and dry'd infuse 'em twenty four Hours in Vinegar of Roses and throwing away the Vinegar dry the Roots at a very gentle Fire Pills for the Farcin Take Sena Leaves and Salt of Tartar of each an Ounce Turbith Aloes and Mercurius dulcis of each half an Ounce black Hellebore prepar'd three Drams Rhubarb two Drams Ginger and Nutmegs of each a Dram and a half Anniseed and Fennelseed of each half a Dram Beat all the Ingredients to a gross Powder and with a Pound of fresh Butter make 'em up into Pills keep your Horse bridl'd six Hours before and as long after and assoon as he has taken the Pills walk him gently for the space of half an Hour well cover'd Note That you must bleed your Horse the day before you give him the Pills You may purge a Horse for the Farcin with two Ounces of the Catholic or Imperial Pills of Fernelius mix'd with half an Ounce of Mercurius dulcis made up into one or two Pills and exhibited in a Pint of White-Wine As soon as you perceive that your Horse has recover'd a good Appetite and that the Operation of the Purgative is over give him the following Ptisan CHAP. CXLV The German Ptisan for the Cure of the Farcin TAke the dry Roots of Angelica Gentian Valerian Avens round Birthwort and Marsh-Mallows of each an Ounce and a half or a double quantity of the green Roots Leaves of Agrimony two Handfuls Beat the Roots grossly boil all the Ingredients in a close-cover'd Pot in three Quarts of Water to the Consumption of one half Then press out the Liquor thro' a Linnen-Cloth and add to the Straining before it grow cold half an Ounce of Juice of Liquorice and White Wine an equal quantity to the whole Decoction and afterwards add two Pugils of Oriental Saffron in Powder Three Days after the Purgation when the Evacuation is over and the Horse's Appetite restor'd let him stand bridl'd from Five a Clock in the Morning to Eight then give him the fifth Part of the Decoction keeping him bridl'd three Hours after Repeat the Decoction after the same Manner for five Days together If his Appetite be not fully restor'd in the limited time after the Purgation you must wait four five or six Days till you are convinc'd that he feeds as heartily as he did before you gave him the purging Medicine During the time of his taking the Decoction if the Weather be not too hot walk him gently half an Hour every Day after Dinner These five Doses of the Decoction are usually sufficient for perfecting the Cure without any other Remedy and the Cords Knots and Tumours are heal'd and dry'd up Moderate Exercise is convenient in the beginning but afterwards you may travel him as if he were perfectly sound If you perceive new Knots to arise at the first New Moon you may conclude that the Disease is not perfectly extirpated and therefore you must prepare and exhibit the Ptisan as before but without Bleeding or Purging If the Tumours break forth again the Case is altogether desperate for it has been frequently observ'd that when the Farcin is inveterate and has long resisted the Efficacy of the best Remedies especially when corrupt Flesh breaks out of the Tumours instead of Matter that the Malignity of the burnt and corrupted Blood has so heated the Substance of the Lungs that there are Ulcers generated in several parts of 'em And therefore since 't is impossible to restore a consum'd Part those Ulcers that waste the Lungs are the infallible Messengers of Death The Truth of this Observation is confirm'd beyond Contradiction by the Diffections of those Horses that die of the Farcin for their Lungs are almost always found to be corrupted and putrefy'd and sometimes the Liver is over-spread with Ulcers and part of it wasted and turn'd to Putrefaction Now I wou'd willingly know of those confident Pretenders to infallible Secrets for the Farcin whether their Remedies are able to restore a rotten and wasted Liver If not 't is in vain to expect the Horse's Recovery for the putrefy'd Liver will still continue to vitiate the Blood and hinder the Cure of the Farcin which is occasion'd by the Corruption of the Blood How ridiculously do those Boasters betray their Ignorance for want of Experience Since all that the most skilful and expert Farrier can promise in this Case is That he will cure the Farcin if it be curable for sometimes the Liver is ulcerated at the first Appearance of the Distemper and is the very Cause of the Disease in
which Case 't is certainly incurable And I have already intimated that an inveterate Farcin may infect and waste the Substance of the Lungs And how a Remedy apply'd to the Fore-head put into the Ear hung at the Tail or Mane or Ointments spread on the Knots can heal an Ulcer in the Lungs I confess is very much above my Capacity to comprehend Only thus much I know and dare confidently maintain That so long as those Ulcers remain the Farcin that is caus'd and fomented by 'em must necessarily subsist From what has been said I may reasonably conclude That those Infallible Gentlemen are very little acquainted with the Nature of the Disease they pretend to cure and perhaps never made an Experiment of the Virtue of their Remedies The Farcin seems to have a very near Resemblance to the French Pox Leprosie and King's Evil. CHAP. CXLVI Of an inveterate Farcin YOU will sometimes meet with Farcins of so long a standing and so deeply rooted that the Cure is extremely difficult and even sometimes impracticable if the Substance of the Liver or Lungs be wasted and corrupted But since 't is impossible to divine whether those Parts be infected 't wou'd be a very unreasonable Inference from what I have said on this Subject to pretend that when a Horse is troubl'd with an inveterate Farcin he must be suffer'd to perish without Assistance And besides these Parts are oftentimes only heated dryed or so slightly ulcerated that they may be easily heal'd and restor'd to their wonted Temperament by the Use of convenient Remedies But I shall never advise any Man whatever Tryal he may have made of his Remedy to promise the Cure of an inveterate Farcin when the Knots send forth great Pieces of Flesh like large Mushrooms especially after an unsuccessful Application of other Remedies For such Attempts are oftentimes attended with Shame instead of Honour and Success especially when the Farcin is accompany'd with a Running at the Nose or seizes on the Kernels as it happens frequently in inveterate Farcins which degenerate into the Glanders according to the Vulgar Saying That the Farcin is Cousin-German to the Glanders Before you proceed to the Application of Remedies you may try this easie Experiment Spread about two Ounces of Assa-foetida on a Stick and wrapping a Cloth about it put it into the Horse's Mouth and make him champ upon it twenty four Hours together without suffering him to eat or drink all the while This will draw forth a prodigious Quantity of filthy Humours and if the Lungs be not consum'd or the Liver ulcerated perhaps the Horse will recover You must not be afraid of the seeming Violence of the Remedy for a Horse may fast twenty four Hours without any Danger Neither do I blame the Custom of those who put a second Stick with fresh Assa-foetida into the Horse's Mouth after twelve Hours The Decoctions of Guaiacum Sassafras Sarsaparilla and China Roots are very proper on this Occasion and may be given every Morning for seven or eight Days before Purgation For Example If the Horse's Body be full of raw tough and viscous Humours to which Inconveniency fleshy Horses are very subject the Decoction of Guaiacum will cut attenuate and prepare the Humours to be expell'd by Nature or evacuated by a Purging Remedy If the Horse be Lean and Dry full of Hot and Choleric or Melancholic Humours the Decoction of China will prepare 'em without augmenting their Heat for it may be conveniently given in a Consumption and ill Habit of Body The Decoction of Sarsaparilla is of a middle Nature between the other two The Decoction of Guaiacum is proper for those thick and bulky Dutch Horses that are over-loaded with Flesh and full of Moisture and running or watery Sores The Decoction of Guaiacum Infuse ten Ounces of the Shavings of Guaiacum Wood or for want of that of Box Wood in nine Pints of Water and after they have stood twelve Hours in Infusion on hot Ashes Boil 'em with a gentle Heat in a cover'd Vessel to the Consumption of the third Part of the Water Then strain out the Liquor and give your Horse a Quart every Day for eight Days together keeping him bridl'd three Hours before and three Hours after every Dose You may Purge him afterwards with one of the above-mention'd Remedies The Decoction of China Take four Ounces of the Roots of China cut very small put 'em into a large Glass-Bottle well stopp'd with nine Pints of Water and after they have stood fifteen Hours in Infusion boil 'em over a gentle Fire to the Consumption of one half taking care to prevent the Evaporation of the thinner Parts of the Medicine Then strain out the Liquor and give your Horse a third part of it every Morning keeping him Bridl'd two Hours before and as long after This Decoction must be drunk luke-warm and prepar'd every three Days because 't is apt to turn sowre After eight Doses 't will be convenient to exhibit a Purging Remedy The Decoction of Sarsaparilla This Decoction is prepar'd like that of China only the quantity must be larger because 't is adapted for the Preparation of thicker Humours For Example instead of four Ounces of China you must take six of Sarsaparilla Continue the use of this Decoction six or eight Days to prepare the Humours that cause and foment the Farcin and to purifie the Blood After such a Preparation the Purging Remedy operates more effectually and procures a more plentiful Evacuation whereas the Purgatives that are given without any Preparation or consist of ill chosen Ingredients increase the Distemper instead of abating it and even augment its Malignity After Purgation repeat the Decoctions to dry the habit of the Body and to drain the source of those Malignant Humours that foment the Disease This Method is also very proper for Coach-Horses that are troubl'd with the Pains or filthy Sores in their Legs for otherwise 't is hardly possible to stop the course of the Humours and dry up the source of those noisome Ulcers since they usually break forth again three Months after they are dry'd up and at last are succeeded by hard Swellings like Warts which render the Disease incurable To prevent those dangerous Relapses while your Horse is Young after you have observ'd twice or thrice his Legs to be over-run with Sores you must take two Pound of Blood from him then give him the Decoctions of Guaiacum or for want of that of Box-Wood and afterwards purge him and dry up those watry Humours If the Sores break forth again make him drink the Decoction ten Days then purge him and after the Evacuation is ceas'd and his Appetite perfectly restor'd give him the Decoction for ten Days longer which in all probability will put a final stop to the course of the Humours Instead of the Decoctions of Guaiacum China and Sarsaparilla you may exhibit two Ounces of the Powder of either of the three in a Quart of White-Wine and observe the
this Distemper for the Farcin and put themselves to needless Trouble and Charge for the Cure of it 'T is occasion'd by a Redundancy of Blood over-heated by several Accidents and other Causes already mention'd For the thinnest and most subtil part of the Blood penetrating the Substance of the Flesh causes external Tumours resembling the Farcin And long Rest and want of Exercise are usually the occasional Causes of this Distemper by hindering the Dissipation of superfluous Humours You may easily cure this Distemper by Bleeding your Horse plentifully once or twice in the Neck-Veins These Tumours are distinguish'd from the Farcin both by the suddenness of their Appearance and of the Cure for sometimes they overspread the Body in one Night And besides they are neither hard nor fasten'd to the Flesh These Swellings are oftentimes repell'd and driven inwards by unseasonable Bleeding and the Horse is seiz'd with a Fever in which Case you must immediately give him a Clyster and an Hour after an Ounce or two of Treacle or Diatessaron in Wine which by driving out the Humour will give Ease to the Horse and at last cure him Some Horses are troubl'd from time to time with little Knots or Bunches in several parts of their Body occasion'd by the Boiling or rather excessive Heat of their Blood for the most subtle and choleric Particles being driven outwards to the external Parts of the Body form these little Tumours part of which break and disappear and the rest are dissolv'd by insensible Transpiration The general and most effectual way to cure all these Ebullitions is to mix with your Horse's Bread those Remedies that are endu'd with a Virtue to cool and purifie the Blood Thus Liver of Antimony given to the quantity of an Ounce and a half every Day will safely and quickly dissolve all those Knots and sweeten your Horse's Blood Three or four Doses of the Cinnabar-Pills are also very effectual in this Case You may prevent this Distemper by giving your Horse Sal Prunellae in his Bran which will expel those Bilious Serosities that usually cause these Symptoms and perhaps drive 'em out by the Urinary Passages The same Remedy allays the Heat of the Blood and Intrails and prevents the Farcin and other Distempers occasion'd by the Heat of the Blood For the Satisfaction of the Curious I shall insert the Preparation of Sal Prunellae which is a very useful Medicine both for Men and Horses CHAP. CL. Crystal Mineral or Sal Prunellae THis is only Nitre or Salt-Petre fix'd with Sulphur to prevent its Solution Take Salt-Petre of the fourth Solution melt it in a Crucible or Iron Pot and when you perceive that 't is entirely reduc'd to a liquid Form throw a little Brimstone upon it Assoon as the Flame ceases cast some more Brimstone into the Crucible continuing after the same manner till you have thrown in an Ounce of Flower of Brimstone for every Pound of Salt-Petre which must be kept in Fusion during the whole Operation Then take out the Salt-Petre with an Iron Spoon and put it into a little Copper Bason which being plac'd in a Pailful of cold Water the Mineral will congeal at the Bottom and appear as white as Snow An Iron Pot is more fit for this Operation than Crucibles which are usually pierc'd and crack'd with the Salt-Petre unless you can procure a good German Crucible For the better understanding of a Passage in the Beginning of the preceding Description it will not be amiss to acquaint the Reader that Salt-Petre is found congeal'd into Chrystals in the Water which is pour'd for that purpose on Lime and Plaister taken from the Ruines of old Buildings and mixt with Ashes This Water is afterwards boil'd till a Scum appear on the Top and then set in a cold place in Woodden Vessels where Chrystals of a long Figure and rusty Colour are form'd which is Salt-Petre of the first Solution Then dissolve these Chrystals in clean Water strain it thro' a Woollen Cloth boil it as before and when 't is cold the Salt-Petre of the second Solution will appear in Chrystals which are proper for the making of Gun-Powder Liver of Antimony and several other Preparations For if the Nitre were too fine and violent it wou'd carry off part of the Antimony that is mixt with it If you wou'd have your Salt-Petre more pure and refin'd dissolve it in Water filtrate boil and chrystallize as before to procure Salt-Petre of the third Solution repeating the same Operation as often as you think fit for if the Salt-Petre be not very pure 't is impossible to make fine Sal Prunellae Crystal Mineral is not only fix'd by the Sulphur but purg'd of those Arsenical Spirits of which it was full so that 't is entirely freed of all Sharpness and Malignity It purifies and cools the Blood and Intrails allays and stops the Ebullition of the Humours in Fevers powerfully opens all Obstructions opens and incides the Body of Medicines that their Virtues may be the better extracted and in one Word 't is a very cooling Remedy without Acrimony or Biting You may give an Ounce and a half of it every Day in moisten'd Bran mixt with half an Ounce of Juniper-Berries beaten or dissolve three or four Ounces of it in a Pailful of Water for your Horse's ordinary Drink and it may be also conveniently mix'd with purging Medicines Every Author extols the Virtues of this Remedy but I have only insisted on its Usefulness for Horses So Cooling a Medicine ought to be cautiously administer'd to Horses whose Constitution is different from that of Men And therefore when you give it in moisten'd Bran 't will be convenient to add half an Ounce of Juniper-Berries beaten to qualifie and correct the extreme Coldness of the Remedy which notwithstanding its great Usefulness in other Respects oftentimes destroys the Horse's Appetite and makes his Hair stare But some Horses have the Advantage of such strong Appetites that the Use of this Medicine tho' administer'd alone produces not the least ill Effect upon their Stomachs And I have made some Horses eat three or four Pounds of it without disordering their Stomachs or making 'em forsake their Meat CHAP. CLI Of the Shedding of the Hair from the Head accompany'd with the Mange And of the Falling of the Hair from the rest of the Body especially about the Neck and hinder part of the Thighs THE Heat that occasions these Disorders is not always an Effect of Distempers in the Intrails but sometimes proceeds from a Corruption of the Humours and is the more dangerous because it may degenerate into a Fever The remote Causes of this Heat are immoderate and violent Exercise too hot Nourishment such as Clover Beans c. Fatness of the Body and a hot or choleric Constitution The Signs are evident for the Hair sheds and falls off from several parts of the Body the Horse is tormented with a violent Itching and several other Symptoms are visible Marks
of an internal Heat This Distemper sometimes precedes a Cough The following Remedy is very effectual in this Case and generally useful for all over-heated Horses In the first place you may give your Horse the Cinnabar-Pills observing the necessary Directions But if those prove ineffectual prepare the following Medicine Put half a Pound of calcin'd Roch-Allom into a Matrass or long-neckt Vial with a Quart of distill'd Vinegar digest on hot Ashes till the Allom be dissolv'd after which strain the Vinegar thro' a double Cloth or brown Paper Then boil away the third Part in an Earthen Pot and afterwards set it in a cool Cellar where it will congeal into Crystals about the Sides of the Pot. Pour off the remaining Vinegar and having evaporated one half set it in a Cellar to crystallize as before Then mix these Crystals with the former and dry 'em carefully When you have occasion to cool your Horse's Body take these Crystals of Allom Sal Prunellae and Juniper-Berries of each half an Ounce beat 'em to Powder and having infus'd 'em in a Quart of White Wine during the space of a Night make your Horse drink the Infusion in the Morning keeping him bridl'd two Hours before and as long after Continue after the same Manner unless the Horse forsake his Meat for in that Case you must discontinue the Use of the Remedy and even lay it aside entirely if you perceive that his Appetite is quite lost and his Hair begins to stare For these are evident Signs that he stands not in need of cooling Medicines The best way to cool or refresh the Body of a Horse when his Stomach is injur'd by the above-mention'd Remedy is to purifie his Blood with the Liver of Antimony or some other convenient Medicine I might take this Occasion to confute the vulgar Mistakes concerning the Method of administring cooling Medicines to Horses but to avoid Repetitions I shall content my self with referring the Reader to what has been already said on that Subject and conclude this Chapter with the Case of a Horse that without the least Appearance of a Scab was tormented with a violent and almost incredible Itching in his Hide I order'd him to be let Blood twice and made him eat above six Pounds of Polychrest in moisten'd Bran giving him a Handful every Day without weighing the Doses His Stomach was not in the least disorder'd but he had so great a Looseness for twenty Days that his Excrements were as liquid as Cows Dung In the mean time I continu'd the Use of the Sal Polychrest till his Dung was reduc'd to its natural Thickness after which he was bath'd in a River and the Mange was cur'd without any external Application CHAP. CLII. Of Molten-Grease 'T IS the general Opinion of Farriers and consequently of most other Men who believe that their Authority has the Force of an Argument in a Case relating to the Art they profess that this Distemper is occasion'd by violent Exercise which over-heats the Horse to such a degree that his Fat which they also suppose to be redundant is melted in his Body and stifles him But this is a very ill-grounded Hypothesis for if you consider attentively the Causes and Symptoms of this Disease you will find your self oblig'd to conclude that it proceeds from tough and slimy Humours agitated and fermented by a sharp and subtle sort of Choler so that being extremely rarefy'd they break out of the Places where they were lodg'd by Nature and over-running the whole Body according to the Operation of Leven upon Bread ferment the rest of the Humours which being agitated and put into Motion disorder the Oeconomy of Nature emit Vapours that disturb the Brain excite a Fever by reason of the violent Agitation of the Spirits and at last by a provident struggle of Nature in order to the final Evacuation of at least part of those Humours that oppress her they are driven into the great Gut where they are mix'd with the Dung and give us occasion to judge that the Horse is troubl'd with the Disease commonly call'd Molten-Grease Fat Horses are most subject to this Distemper which is usually occasion'd by Repletion or Fulness For the Choler being agitated by violent Exercise and meeting with a Body full of Humours produces the above-mention'd Disorders 'T is a very hard Task to know but more difficult to cure this Distemper I saw a Horse that di'd after two Days Illness without giving the least Sign to help us to the Knowledge of his Disease 'T is true if the Horse be suffer'd to rest after his Grease is molten the Symptom will be more apparent The sick Horse usually forsakes his Meat lies down and rises again suddenly and looks upon his Flanks but the surest way to discover the Nature of the Disease is by putting your Hand into his Fundament for if the Excrements you draw forth be cover'd with a whitish Membrane or Film in some measure resembling Grease you may certainly conclude that his Grease is molten and proceed immediately to the Application of convenient Remedies I attempted and successfully perform'd the Cure of a Horse who was troubl'd with this Distemper in so violent a Degree that the slimy Humour he voided after the Injection of a Clyster continu'd to boil and ferment on the Floor for a very considerable time Of the Cure of Molten-Grease in the Beginning Assoon as you perceive the least Cause to suspect that your Horse's Grease is molten anoint your Hand and Arm with fresh Butter and put it into his Fundament drawing forth not only the Dung but all the slimy Humours After you have rak'd him carefully let him blood in the Neck and half an Hour after give him a Clyster made by dissolving two Ounces of Benedicta Laxativa one Ounce of Sal Gemmae or Sal Polychrest or the Scoriae of Liver of Antimony and a quarter of a Pound of Honey of Violets in two Quarts of the common Decoction adding Emetic Wine and the Urine of a sound Man of each a Pint. Then walk your Horse gently for half an Hour to provoke him to void the Clyster When the Clyster leaves off Working that is about an Hour after the injecting of it give him about half a Pint of the Juice of Housleek which is a Herb that grows on the Walls and resembles little Artichoaks mixt with a Pint of White Wine walking him gently for the space of an Hour This Juice stops the Ebullition of the Humours allays the Heat of the inward Parts and both cleanses and heals the Body if it be seasonably administer'd Afterwards you may repeat the former or some other convenient Clyster and by all means endeavour to restore your Horse's Appetite according to the Method prescrib'd in the sixth and following Chapters You may easily try an Experiment which is said to cure this Distemper effectually by giving your Horse the Blood of a Sheep warm as it comes out of the Vein I can only recommend
and at last the Horse sinks under the violence of the Distemper The same Disorders may be also occasion'd by the first sort of Foundering if they be not prevented by timely Remedies So that it may be truly said that both kinds are very dangerous and if they be accompany'd with a Fever and melting of the Grease for the most part fatal There is a third sort of Foundering which usually seizes on Horses in the Army by reason of their eating green Corn but it may be easily cur'd in twenty four Hours and is oftentimes remov'd by Bleeding or some trivial Remedy Foundering in the Body is very frequently accompany'd with Melting of the Grease in which case the Horse is seldom or never free from a Fever This Complication of Distempers which Farriers call Chest-Foundering is almost always fatal When after violent Exercise and plentiful Sweating Horses are suffer'd to cool of a sudden either by the coldness of the Place or Season or for want of walking them after Riding they are almost always Founder'd and since the Legs are more violently exercis'd than any other part of the Body they are also more furiously attack'd by the Distemper and expos'd to the Defluxion of the Humours To prevent these Disorders you must walk your Horse gently for some time after long and violent Galloping and even after any hard Labour that the Humours which are fall'n upon the Legs already weaken'd by Riding may be dissipated before they be condens'd into a Liquor and that into a sort of Jelly which is the true cause of Foundering It will not appear strange to those who consider the danger of a sudden alteration or remove from extream Heat to excessive Cold that Horses usually become Founder'd when they are Water'd and ridden up to the Belly in cold Water immediately after violent Exercise A Horse that has been already Founder'd and has acquir'd an infirm habit of Body may relapse into the same Distemper if he be suffer'd to remain too long in the Stable and eat too much Oats and even after violent Exercises which wou'd not have produc'd any ill effect if he had never been Founder'd before Those who by reason of some Distemper in one of their Fore-Feet are forc'd to lay the weight of their Body upon the other are obnoxious to this Distemper in the Stable which is almost always occasion'd by too great a quantity of Nourishment For the Crudities that are generated by the redundancy of Food occasion a preternatural Heat and the Ebullition or Fermentation occasion'd by the Heat rarefies the most subtle Humours into Vapours which are afterwards condens'd to Water as I intimated before A Horse is very apt to be Founder'd if he be ridden while his Feet are Sore or his Legs stiff And the Cure of this kind of Foundering is extreamly difficult by reason of the Defluxion aâ—ready fall'n upon the Lame Foot I cou'd never comprehend the reason of their Opinion who pretend that a Horse may be Founder'd by riding him thro' a River or Pond when he is very Thirsty without suffering him to Drink For in very hot Weather if you suffer your Horse to Drink in the Evening after violent Sweating while his Body is still hot he may be easily Founder'd whereas if you had hinder'd him from Drinking the Danger wou'd have been certainly prevented Sometimes after a great Heat the Sinews are stiffen'd by cold without any Defluxion of Humours upon ' em This Infirmity differs from Foundering it seizes for the most part only in the Fore-Legs and is easily Cur'd The most dangerous kind of Foundering is that which is accompany'd with a Fever in which case the first and main scope of the Cure must be to remove the most urgent Symptom that is the Foundering For tho' the Fever is very dangerous and may kill the Horse 't is purely accidental and disappears as soon as its Cause is taken away When the Foundering falls upon the Feet the Cronet swells and is separated from the Hoof and therefore as soon as you perceive those Signs make several Incisions lengthwise along the Cronet with a sharp Lancet piercing the Skin to open a passage to the Humour which will come forth in form of a Reddish Water After the voiding of these Scrosities apply a Restringent Charge made of Bole-Armenic Vinegar and Whites of Eggs or unslack'd Lime set in a convenient place till it crumble into Powder and reduce it to a Paste or Dough with the Second Water and Spirit of Wine which is the most excellent Astringent that can be prescrib'd Then dress the Sores with Vinegar and Salt For if that Caution be neglected the sharp and malignant Humour which is of an acid and penetrating Nature like Aqua-Fortis will certainly loos'n the Hoof and make it fall off by the acrimony of the corrosive Salt of which 't is full and oftentimes it separates the Bone of the Foot from the Coffin-Bone about the Toe for the Bone of the Foot being dry'd by that corrosive Acid and afterwards relax'd that part which is depriv'd of Nourishment must necessarily fall away You must not take out the Sole till the dry and sapless part of the Bone of the Foot be ready to fall that is till it burst the Sole In the mean time the Hoof is dry'd spoil'd and full of Circles and the Horse becomes unfit for Service since he cannot Travel without excessive Pain The Humour flows chiefly to the Toe which usually suffers most by these Disorders and therefore the Horse treads on his Heels after he is cur'd of the Foundering WHen you perceive that the Foundering is fall'n upon the Feet and that the Bone of the Foot presses the Sole you must delay the taking out of the Sole as long as you can endeavouring to preserve it that it may contain the Bone of the Foot in its proper place you must not open the Heel but rub the Hoof near the Cronet with a quarter of an Onion every Day till the Juice penetrate the Hoof. But in the general as soon as the Foundering falls upon the Feet and the Bone of the Foot appears to be dry'd and to press the Sole you may reckon your Horse entirely lost and unfit for all manner of Service unless for labouring on soft Ground You will find a Remedy at the end of this Chapter to prevent these fatal Disorders and to remove the remaining Pains in the Foot that hinder the Horse from walking boldly and easily after the Cure of the Foundering The taking up of the Pastern-Veins as soon as the Disease falls upon the Foot may produce a very good effect but the Operation must be perform'd before the Bone of Foot appears visibly to press the Sole I think my self oblig'd to give you an Advice upon this occasion which perhaps few Persons will esteem it their Interest to follow Whoever is Master of a Horse of no very considerable value that has been once Founder'd in his Feet tho' the
to be rubb'd with his own Blood mixt with Brandy boiling Oil of Bay to be pour'd into his Feet and the same to be apply'd moderately hot about the Cronet with Flax and a Bandage Half an Hour after the Bleeding give him two stinking Pills with a Quart of Wine or of Beer if it be in the Summer repeating the same Dose an Hour after and the third time after a like Interval An Hour after the last Dose I prescribe a Clyster of a Decoction of the Scoriae of Liver of Antimony or Sal Polychrest in Beer or Whey and after he has voided the Clyster suffer him to eat and drink littering him well without permitting him to lie down till he be out of Danger When the Pills are given in the Morning the Horse is usually cur'd before Night if not I give him three Doses as before the next Day repeating the Clysters and renewing the Application of Oil of Bay I continue after the same manner till the Horse be completely cur'd and I have even given to some Horses thirty Pills in four Days After a violent Foundering there remains a certain Numness Stiffness and Uweildiness which may be remov'd by walking the Horse gently and injecting two or three Clysters with Scoriae of Liver of Antimony or Sal Polychrest every Day but those Horses are apt to be founder'd by the least Excess 'T is to be obferv'd that the Horse must not be suffer'd to eat Corn for some time after the Cure of this Distemper till he be completely recover'd for the Eating of Oats has oftentimes occasion'd Relapses into a worse Condition than before It will perhaps be expected that I shou'd give a Reason why I order the Horses to be well litter'd when they are not suffer'd to lie down and therefore for the satisfaction of those who may think that Caution needless it will not be improper to put them in mind that the Littering keeps the Horse's Feet warm in Winter and easie both in Winter and Summer And as for the other Circumstance I suffer the sick Horse to lie down assoon as I perceive any considerable Amendment which happens sometimes in less than six Hours but if the Cure proceed more slowly as it usually doeâ— when the Foundering is inveterate or accompany'd with a Fever I keep him from lying down for the space of eight and forty Hours after which that Posture cannot obstruct the Cure If I shou'd ask now of the Generality of Farriers why they put Faggots between Horse's Legs they cou'd only tell me that they have seen others do so before But this Custom is no less observ'd than that of tying Garters about the Legs I shall take this Occasion to mention another Abuse which is usually committed in the Cure of the Distempers for by Bleeding the Horse in the Veins of the Thighs the Humour that Causes the Foundering is drawn to the affected Part instead of being diverted from it whereas the Diversion is effectually perform'd by Bleeding in the Neck Those who let the Horse blood in the Toe are guilty of a more dangerous Errour for they draw the Humour to the Foot from whence it ought to be diverted by all possible Means such as the Application of Oil of Bay Hog's Dung c. Of another kind of Foundering that resembles a Swaying of the Back Sometimes while a Horse remains in the Stable without any preceding Travel or Labour he is seiz'd with a certain Rheumatism which falls so violently upon his Reins or the lower part of his Back that he can hardly draw his Hips after him and when he goes his hinder Parts reel as if his Back was broken he falls upon his Buttocks and crosses his hinder Legs Some Horses in this Case touch the Ground with their Pastern-Joints behind but are neither apt to fall on their Buttocks nor are troubl'd with a rolling of their hinder Parts This Infirmity is of the same Nature with Foundering and proceeds from the same Causes For the Humour falls upon the Back Hips and sometimes on the Pastern-Joints behind while the fore Parts are almost perfectly found Such Horses as have been already Founder'd are more subject to this Distemper than others and are sometimes surpriz'd with it as they walk only at a Foot-Pace without being heated in the least But these Accidents are very rare and Horses are usually taken with this Infirmity in the Stable without any preceding Labour The surest Way is to begin the Cure as soon as may be for if the Disease be suffer'd to get ground or take root it will not yield to the best Medicines and tho' the Horse continue to eat and drink heartily he will remain irrecoverably infirm and incapable of performing the least Service I have seen several Horses whom their Masters were oblig'd to kill after they had in vain spent several Months in the Cure and therefore as soon as you perceive that the Horse cannot walk without drawing his hinder Parts after him and crossing his hinder Legs and that he is always ready to fall upon his Buttocks you must immediately take about three Pounds of Blood out of his Neck-Veins and charge his Back with his own Blood mixt with Brandy Half an Hour after give him a Dose of the stinking Pills with a Pint and a half of Wine repeating the Dose after the same manner as in the Cure of Foundering and injecting a Clyster an Hour after the last Dose after which let him stand two Hours bridl'd and the Cure will be perfected provided it be seasonably begun Give him moisten'd Bran for five or six Days without any Oats walking him every Day in your Hand and observe the same Directions as in the former Case If one Day be not sufficient to perfect the Cure the next Day you must repeat the three Doses of Pills and the Clyster as before I saw a Horse that was cur'd of a dangerous Stavers who by the falling of the Disease upon the Back and hinder Parts was seiz'd with the above-mention'd Symptoms for he walk'd as if his Back had been broken and his Pastern-Joints touch'd the Ground The Farrier that cur'd him of the Stavers imagining that his Back was sway'd thought sit to give the Fire and made several Holes in his Skin all over the lower part of the Back which he cover'd with a Plaister and then hung him up from the Ground leaving him in that Posture till the Scabbs fell off after which unhanging him and not finding the least Amendment I was call'd to his Assistance and having order'd the Horse to be let blood gave him three Doses of the stinking Pills but in vain for he was irrecoverably lost and after he had liv'd about a Year in the Stable unfit for any manner of Service they were at last forc'd to dispatch him I dare not confidently affirm tho' I may venture to say with a perhaps that he might have been cur'd if the Pills had been given assoon as the Distemper seiz'd his Back
and hinder Parts To conclude This is a very dangerous Disease and even incurable if it be suffer'd to fix and take Root But the Danger may be prevented by a timely Application of Remedies CHAP. CLV Of Pains in the Feet after Foundering THE Pains that frequently remain after Foundering hinder the Horse from walking steadily and from setting his Foot flat upon the Ground for he treads only upon his Heel to ease the Toe The Humour that caus'd the Foundering falling down from the Leg slides between the Bone of the Foot and the Hoof and the natural Heat being as it were stifl'd by the sharp Humour the fore-part of the Foot is depriv'd of its appointed share of Nourishment and consequently is hardend dry'd and weaken'd The End of the Bone next the Toe falls down upon the Sole and shrinks so that it must necessarily be separated from the sound Part of the Bone This Separation is not the Work of one Day but notwithstanding the extreme Difficulty which attends it it may be at last happily perfected if Nature who is the best Judge of the Time and most skilful Performer of the Operation be assisted by a seasonable and regular Observance of the following Method If your Horse tread only on his Heels so that you have reason to conclude that that the fore-part of the Foot is wither'd or dry'd up and if you perceive its Hollowness by knocking upon the Hoof pluck off the Shooe and having par'd the Foot a little set on a Pantofle-Shooe such as you will find explain'd in the Chapter that treats of the Shooing of Horses that have Narrow Heels and apply the following Remedy Note That when you shooe a Horse in this Condition you must always leave the Sole as firm as may be for the Success of the Cure depends chiefly upon that and on the falling away of the dry part of the Bone which may be also promoted by the use of the following Decoction or Broth. If your Horse be troubl'd with Pains in his Feet without any Sign of the Dryness or Separation of the Bone you must only pare the Feet set on very easie Shooes and apply the following Broth. A Broth or Decoction for Pains in the Feet remaining after Foundering Take Brandy a Quart strong Vinegar a Pint and a half Oil of Bay a Pound Add a sufficient quantity of Bean-Flower and boil to the Consistency of a thick Broth stirring it perpetually over a gentle Fire Then pour it boiling hot into the Foot laying on Tow and Splints to keep it in and apply the same Broth assoon as you can endure to touch it with your Hand to the Cronet with Tow. Renew the Application thrice every twenty four Hours and if the Pain be not very inveterate the Horse will certainly recover If the fore-part of the Bone of the Foot be dry'd and fall down upon the Sole 't will be very convenient to take up the Pastern-Veins after the Application of the Broth that the Humour which is carry'd to the Foot with the Blood may be the sooner exhausted besides several other Reasons already intimated If the Foot be so extremely shrunk and dry'd up that the Horse cannot go nor almost stand you must take out the Sole and sear the End of the Bone of the Foot suffering it to fall quite away after which the Sole will grow again and the Horse may recover if you set on a Pantofle-Shooe and give the Foot time to gather strength but you must never expect that it will be good handsome or fit for Service CHAP. CLVI Of the Mange Itch or Running-Scab THis is a Disease of the Skin which makes the Hair peel and fall away and the Hide grow thick hard dry rough and even wrinkl'd in several Places Vegetius in the seventy first Chapter of the third Book of his Ars Veterinaria defines it in these Words The Scab or Mange is a loathsome and unseemly Distemper of Cattle But this is no true Definition since it explains not the Nature of the Thing defin'd Unwholsome Nourishment may occasion this Distemper which proceeds from a sharp burnt and salt Humour that is from an Acid full of sharp and corrosive Spirits and Salts The same Acid may be generated by Hunger and Fatigues and by keeping company with mangy Horses It may also be communicated to those Horses that are rubb'd with the same Curry-Combs and Brushes or Dusting-Cloths that were formerly made use of for Horses infected with this Distemper and to conclude The Mange may be an Effect of the Carelesness of the Groom in dressing his Horse or of the Neglect of seasonable Bleeding We may conclude that a Horse is troubl'd with the Mange when he rubs one part of his Body more than the rest as for Example his Joints Legs Tail and Mane in which Case you must feel the Part and if you perceive that the Hide is thicker than usually 't is a Sign that your Horse is Mangy Sometimes this Distemper is universal but for the most part it comes by degrees and appears sometimes in one Part and sometimes in another This Disease may be divided into two Kinds the dry and ulcerated Mange In the first there appears nothing upon the Skin but a sort of mealy Scales which make the Hair fall quite away The Cure is extremely difficult and usually the Cause is either Cold or Hunger The other Kind breaks out into little Swellings and Scurfs which being separated the Part remains sore and raw This is more easily cur'd than the former Kind unless when 't is seated in the Mane or Tail where it sticks very fast and can hardly be rooted out because the Hide in these Parts is so thick that the strongest Remedies can scarce force their Passage thro' it Both Kinds are cur'd with the same Remedies A Remedy for the Mange You must begin the Cure of this Distemper with the Preparation of the Humour that causes it For you must never proceed to anoint your Horse's Body till you have remov'd the internal Cause of the Humor that is driven outwards by Nature lest by inclosing and concentrating the corrupt Humour in the Body the Entrails be heated and the Noble Parts vitiated Bleeding is almost always necessary in this Case to allay the Heat of the Blood and promote its Circulation Vegetius has very prudently order'd the chusing of fit Places for letting of Blood according to the Variety of Cases and the different Parts of the Body where the Humour is lodg'd Thus for Example if the Mange appear in the Head or Neck you must let your Horse blood in the Head if in the Shoulders Breast or fore Legs bleed him in the Brisket if the Back be infected in the Flanks and if the hinder Legs or Hips be mangy you must open a Vein in the Thighs But I cannot approve the Purgation appointed by the same Author for the Roots of wild Cucumbers or Elaterium which he prescribes to be mixt with Oats leaves
Skillet till it begin to thicken then add an Ounce and a half of Wormseed and about two Ounces of Aloes in Powder according to the Bigness of your Horse for you may give a Coach-Horse two Ounces and a half and if he be of a very large Size three Ounces Boil the Powders with the Honey till they be well incorporated and after the Mass is cold make it up into Pills anointing your Hands with Oil-Olive or of bitter Almonds if you can procure it keeping your Horse bridl'd six Hours before you give him the Pills and as long after The same Day give him a Clyster of two Quarts of Milk with a quarter of a Pound of Sugar and six Yolks of Eggs to entice the Worms to the Fundament Note That you must never mix any Oil or Fat with the Clysters that are given in this Case for they both drive away the Worms They who are loth to give themselves the Trouble of preparing these Pills may give their Horses one of the above-mention'd Purgatives especially that with Mercurius dulcis which will certainly answer their Expectation But I have often observ'd that these Pills have extirpated all the Worms out of a Horse's Body more effectually than any other Remedy whatsover The following Method is also of admirable Efficacy Boil three Quarts of Water in an Earthen Pot with half a Pound of running or crude Quick-silver and mix this Water with a Pailful of common Water for your Horse's ordinary Drink during the space of fifteen Days The same Mercury will serve all the while and remain as good after the fifteen Days are expir'd as it was at the first Boiling This Remedy was first propos'd by Van Helmont and I have seen it given to Children that were full of Worms for fifteen Days together with admirable Success 'T is not at all loathsome or troublesome to the Stomach for the Quick-silver changes neither the Colour Taste nor Smell of the Water I have seen an infinite Number of Cures perform'd by it and therefore I cou'd not forbear inserting it here for the Conveniency of the Poor who cannot make use of a cheaper Remedy Others put two or three Pounds of crude Quick-silver into the bottom of a Cask where they keep Water for the ordinary Drink of Horses that are troubl'd with Worms Another Remedy to kill Worms Give your Horse daily an Ounce of Filings of Steel which you may procure at very easie Rates from the Needle-Makers mixt with moisten'd Bran till he has eaten a whole Pound I will not here repeat what I have already said in order to explain the Reason why Steel destroys and expels Worms but it will not be improper to add that it opens all Obstructions in the Veins Arteries Intestins and especially in the Passages of the Lungs And 't is well known that if those Obstructions be neglected they may produce many dangerous and stubborn Distempers 'T is in my Opinion very convenient when Horses return from the Camp to put 'em into a Course of Steel observing the same Dose as before For it happens not unfrequently that they are troubl'd with Worms which hinder 'em from thriving tho' their Distemper by reason of the want of external Signs is generally unknown and consequently either neglected or ill cur'd But all these Inconveniencies may be prevented by the Use of Steel which is a cheap Remedy and safe in all Cases To secure and complete the Effect of the Steel you must afterwards purge your Horse for without Purgation you can never certainly promise the Cure of this Distemper A Powder that kills the Worms and expels the Matter of which they are generated Take Flowers of St. John's-Wort and lesser Centaury of each two Ounces Coral Seeds of Lettuce and Citrons and good Aloes of each half an Ounce Corallin Gentian Dittany Scammony prepar'd with the Vapours of Brimstone and Coloquintida of each one Dram Cinnamon and Coriander-seed of each an Ounce Cinnabar four Ounces Mix and make a Powder Give this Powder to your Horse in the Morning before you suffer him to eat The Dose is an Ounce and a half to large Horses and an Ounce to those of a smaller Size Afterwards inject a Clyster of Milk or Tripe-Broth to entice the Worms to the great Gut Repeat the Dose of this Powder seven or eight times either every Day or once in two Days Then purge your Horse and you may certainly expect a perfect Cure Another cheap Powder for the Worms Beat the Husks of green Walnuts and press out their Juice or after they are beaten infuse 'em in Water for the space of twenty four Hours pour the Juice or Water upon the Ground in moist cool and fat Places and immediately all the Worms that are under-ground will come forth Take a sufficient quantity of these Earth-Worms and put 'em into clean Water for they space of six Hours till they have vomited up all their Filth Then fill an Earthen Pot with 'em cover it close and set it in an Oven after the Bread is taken out till the Worms be so dry that they may be easily reduc'd to Powder You must give this Powder every Morning for seven or eight Days from one to two Ounces in a Quart of good Wine For there are some Horses who will not eat it with Bran or Oats tho' it wou'd doubtless produce the same Effect Since Purgation is so necessary for compleating the Cure I shall propose a Remedy that may be usefully given to a Fat Horse for all purging Medicines are hurtful to lean Horses Take good Treacle and Aloes of each an Ounce and a half Mercurius dulcis half an Ounce red Wine a Quart mix 'em carefully together and give the Medicine to your Horse This Remedy destroys all sorts of Worms and purges the Horse's Body of all manner of Impurities If you desire further Information on this Subject you may consult the Book entitl'd La Gloria del Cavallo del illustre Segnori Paschal Caracciollo where the Author treats with a great deal of Learning and Judgment of the Method of Curing all Distempers incident to Horses and Vegetius in his Treatise Artis Veterinariae sive Molomedicae Lib. 1. Cap. 44. has an excellent Discourse of the Cure of Horses besides several other Authors I have inserted nothing in this Chapter but what is grounded on my own Experience and I may venture to say without Vanity that you will hardly find a better Method any where else But since I cannot pretend to be Judge in my own Cause I thought fit to cite the best Authors who have handl'd this Subject that after a careful Perusal of 'em the Curious Reader may be enabl'd to judge of my Performance I have all along apply'd my self to the Study of Things rather than Words and as for those Admirers of a polish'd and florid Style I shall only beg Leave to put 'em in mind of the Sentence Magna pars Ignorantium ut ligno Naufragus verbis haeret