NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
126
A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS.
paralysis of the muscles ; to debility of the walls ; and to the presence
of growths interfering with the action of the muscle.
Obstruction
may also be a cause, such as from the presence of a stone, tumours
pressing on the bladder and blocking the passage. It also appears
as a common complication in paraplegia, excessive accumulation of
fœces in the rectum, and colic. Partial retention owing to nervous
excitement is sometimes met with in "musth."
Symptoms.—Pain, restlessness, frequent attempts to pass water,
which after an unusual interval, during which no water is passed,
dribbles away in drops, or a small feeble stream. If the arm is pas-
sed well into the rectum, the bladder may be felt distended (the
bladder is situated immediately below the rectum).
Treatment: Local.—Frequent hot fomentations to the loins.
Empty the rectum with the hand and throw up soap and warm water
enemas, to which chloral hydrate ½ an ounce may be added. Insert
the arm and apply gentle pressure to the bladder if that organ can
be felt distended.
General.—A brisk purgative, and afterwards linseed or rice gruel
ad lib.
Hæmaturia or bloody urine.
Blood in the urine may arise from three sources, namely, (a) the
urethra, (b) the bladder, (c) the kidneys.
If the passage of urine be preceded by the passage of a clot, or,
if blood be passed involuntarily and independently of the act of
staling, it is certain that the source of blood is from the urethra
or passage. When the blood is not well mixed with the urine and
clots are passed towards the close of the act of staling, we may
assume that the blood is from the bladder.
If the blood be from the kidneys, it is intimately mixed with the
urine, giving it a reddish, smoky tint.
It is not an easy matter, by ordinary inspection, to determine
whether blood is from the bladder or kidneys.
Causes.—The common cause of discharge of blood from the
urethra is an injury. Blood from the bladder may arise from acute
inflammation, stone, ulceration, tumours, &c. In the case of the
kidneys blood may arise as the result of injury, acute inflammation
of the organs, stone, parasites, cancer. Blood may also follow on
the excessive or indiscriminate use of drugs, notably cantharides or
turpentine, or after feeding on certain acrid plants.
Treatment.—This depends of necessity on its cause, it being
a symptom of several diseases. The bowels must be kept regular;
the patient allowed complete rest ; the diet should be nutritious and
DIABETES.
127
moderate in amount. In order to control the bleeding if very exces-
sive, good results may be expected by the exhibition of such drugs
as gallic acid, acetate of lead, alum, and some preparations of iron.
Acetate of lead ... ...
Gallnuts (powdered) ... ...
Jaggery ... ... ...
twice or thrice daily, or—
Tincture of perchloride of iron (dilute)
Water ... ... ...
or
Gallic acid ... ... ...
Jaggery
...
...
...
every three hours.
1 drachm
2 drachms
Sufficient
1 ounce doses
A sufficiency.
½ to 1 drachm
Sufficiency
Diabetes.
One form of diabetes is occasionally seen in the elephant, charac-
terized simply by profuse staling.
Causes.—In horses due to bad fodder and also to an undue propor-
tion of saline matters in the water. It may be inferred that such
causes may produce profuse staling in the elephant.
Symptoms.—Passage of large quantities of pale watery urine,
thirst, and gradually increasing loss of flesh.
Treatment.—Care with regard to food and water, and change
to another locality.
The following may be tried :—Iodide of iron in doses of 30 to 40
grains two or three times a day. Opium in doses of 2 drachms
twice or thrice daily.
Tonics, especially arsenic, iron and nux-vomica, are indicated
(Appendix—Tonics, Nos. 39 to 46).
CHAPTER X.
THE ALIMENTARY TRACT-DIARRHŒA-SUPER-PURGATION-CONSTIPATION-BELLY-PAIN,
COLIC OR GRIPES-FLATULENT COLIC-INDIGESTION-ACUTE INDIGESTION-CHRONIC
INDIGESTION—STOMATITIS-DISORDERS
OF THE TEETH—INFLAMMATION
OF THE
BOWELS-DYSENTERY-EPIDEMIC DYSENTERY-INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION-PERITONI-
TIS-VOMITING-POISONING.
The Alimentary tract.
THIS consists of the mouth through which food and water gain
entrance to the system, the former being ground into a pulp by
the teeth and softened by the saliva; the gullet which conveys
the same by the act of swallowing to the stomach, which is the
receptacle for it, and in which the major part of digestion is carried
on. By this act the food comes into contact with juices secreted by
various organs, which juices have the power of altering the food and
abstracting from it certain constituents which are required to re-
plenish the wear and tear of the system. When this act has been
sufficiently effected, the altered food passes into the intestine, a tube
many feet in length, in which digestion is completed and the altered
food passed onwards, acquiring more and more the character of
fœces or dung, till it finally reaches the rectum, a dilated portion at
the end of the tract, in which the fœces lodge till a certain quantity
is collected and it is then discharged through the anus.
In health the interior of the mouth is pinkish in colour and moist,
the breath not unpleasant, appetite good (the elephant in its natural
state, as has been already remarked, eating from 18 to 20 hours
during the 24).
The dung is passed from 8 to 12 times in the 24 hours and has the
following characters :—
Colour.—When first voided, golden or reddish yellow, be-
coming varying shades of chocolate brown after
some exposure to the air.
Form.—Voided in large lumps.
Consistence.—The masses are moist, but firm enough to
frequently remain unbroken after being dropped.
Smell.—The smell is peculiar, but not disagreeable.
Substance.—Varies according to the characters of the food
ingested, but usually contains a large quantity of
fibrous material.
Any departure from the above characters may indicate disease of
this tract and may be summed up as follows :—diarrhœa, constipa-
tion, colic, loss of appetite, depraved appetite, shown by eating dirt,
DIARRHŒA.
129
dryness of the mouth, or redness, pallor or sores, dung unduly hard
or liquid, offensive, unnatural colour, admixture of slime or blood, or
passage of worms.
Diarrhœa.
Definition.—A condition characterized by increased frequency
in voiding dung, which may be merely softer than normal, or in
severer forms quite liquid, and may be accompanied by griping pains.
Diarrhoea should be regarded as a symptom and not a disease per se.
In the elephant we may for convenience divide diarrhoea into three
forms, namely,—
(a) Ordinary.
|
(b) Nervous.
(c) Parasitic.
(a) Ordinary. Causes.—A variety of causes tend to produce this
condition, which are chiefly dietetic and may arise from the quality
or quantity of food.
Diet: (a) Quality.—Coarse, indigestible, and innutritious, or suc-
culent, rank, rapid growing grasses and sedges such as appear during
the early rains, or poisonous plants, damaged or diseased grain.
When grain, flour, &c., are damaged by wet or other cause and
condemned as unfit for human consumption, it is by no means un-
usual for some one to propose that it had better be given to elephants
or other animals; if such food is likely to prove baneful to the
health of men, it is most likely to provoke illness amongst animals.
(b) Quantity.—An excess of food, especially in petted and pam-
pered animals and those obtaining free access to large quantities
of grain,
Poisons, administered wilfully or accidentally may occasionally be
another cause,
Liver disease, by producing an excessive flow of bile.
Exposure, to cold and wet.
Water, drinking very cold water or bathing in it when the animal
is heated, Water in certain localities charged with saline salts
may induce an attack.
Diarrhoea is also often a symptom in specific fevers and is more-
over a frequent sequel to constipation, masses of dung collect in the
lower bowel causing irritation with increased secretion from the
bowels.
Treatment: Preventive.—Lies in ordinary attention to the diet,
water, shelter. The cause of the attack must be sought for and
removed.
Curative: Local.—In severe cases enemas must be employed in
conjunction with other methods ; these must be small in bulk in
17
130
A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS.
order that they may be retained (a few quarts), and the most bene-
ficiale are 2 or 23 ounces of tincture of opium added to three or four
quarts of thin starch gruel.
General.—In a great many cases diarrhoea is merely an effort of
nature to throw off some offending irritant from the bowels ; it is
therefore clear that in such instances our efforts should be to en-
courage it with caution ; solid food must be withheld, especially grain,
but a liberal allowance of rice, flour, barley, or arrowroot gruel
sweetened with a little sugar should be allowed. These tend to
soothe the irritated state of the bowels. Bael fruit when in season
is a valuable adjunct to other forms of treatment, as also bamboo
leaves. Drinking water, which should be given in tubs, must in the
cold weather have the chill taken off and be allowed in moderation.
In severe attacks stimulants such as rum, brandy, whisky, should be
given in addition to astringents (Appendix 7 to 10, also see Mussauls).
Perfect quietude is essential and good shelter (a tarpaulin or rug
covering when cold) and a dry standing. When due to errors in diet,
castor-oil one pint or a pint and a quarter is the best agent for removing
the irritation In bilious diarrhoea, when the dung is of a bluish
green colour, liver medicines must be administered (Appendix Nos.
35 and 36).
Diarrhoea is at times very violent and requires drugs to aid the
above (Appendix 7 to 10). When the dung is foetid, sulphite or
hyposulphite of soda in 2 ounce doses may be given with advantage
either in drink or in bolus. When once improvement sets in, care
must be taken only to allow small quantities of good clean fodder,
gradually increasing this till the full ration is attained, but always
being guided by the condition of the dung. The animal should be
given gentle exercise, but not permitted to resume work for some
days after the attack has subsided. This of course refers to severe
cases. Enemas are also most useful (Appendix 82 to 84).
(b) Nervous diarrhœa.—This may be seen in fretful nervous
animals. Any one acquainted with elephants or monkeys is aware
how suspicion, fear, or excitement may suddenly produce an attack
of diarrhoea. The cause being removed, it passes off almost as
suddenly as it appeared ; hence treatment is not required.
(c) Parasitic diarrhœa.—Is described under parasites, and no
further mention is needed here.
Super-purgation.
Causes.—Excessive purgation, due to an overdose of purgative
medicine, to undue action of an ordinary dose, or to repetition of a
dose at too short an interval, or working an animal too soon after
he has been given physic.
SUPER-PURGATION
131
Symptoms.—Severe gripes, restlessness, watery evacuations, the
animal refuses food, and the pulse soon becomes feeble.
Treatment: Preventive.—When circumstances permit, before
giving physic, any grain ration allowed should be stopped 24 or
48 hours beforehand, and for some 24 hours previous the ordi-
nary diet should be reduced ; by so doing it will be found that
less medicine will be required and that it operates better. Care
must always be exercised, some animals being easily and violent-
ly purged. The state of the animal's health must be inquired
into, whether he is at full work and on full feed, whether he has been
on green or dry food, such as straw, boughs of trees, also the usual
state of the bowels. It is usual and a good practice to combine
the physic with some carminative, such as ginger, aniseed, gentian,
cardamoms (Appendix 11 to 15). In some animals, even though
every precaution is taken, violent purging may ensue. Large
quantities of drinking water must not be allowed after the physic
is given, though the animal should be permitted to take sufficient
to allay thirst. If the water be very cold, the chill must be taken
off. The animal must not be bathed till the effects of the physic
have passed off. It often takes from 16 to 24 hours for the physic
to operate, and its action continues for from 4 to 12 hours at
intervals. If a purgative "hangs fire," a little walking exercise, or
a soap and-water enema, will hasten its action. Debilitated and
otherwise delicate animals should only receive mild purgatives. Diet
should be restricted while the animal is undergoing physic. Gruel
in moderate quantity only is to be allowed. The animal must be
kept quiet and the body clothed.
Curative—
No. 1.
Opium ... ... ... ...
Ginger ... ... ... ...
Carraway seed ... ... ... ...
Jaggery ... ... ... ...
Every four hours till relieved.
No. 2.
Tincture opium ... ... ... ...
Sweet spirits of nitre ... ... ... ...
Aromatic spirits of ammonia ... ...
3 drachms.
½ ounce.
½ ounce.
A sufficiency.
3 ounces
3 ounces.
1½ ounces.
Soaked in bread mixed with boiled rice and given in straw pac-
kets. Also some alcoholic stimulant, 8 ounces, two or three times
a day, or—
No. 3.
* Opium
...
...
...
...
Chal
...
...
...
...
Catech
...
...
...
...
twice daily.
3 drachms
2 to 3 ounces
2 ounces
* Ganja (Indian hemp) in doses of 3 to 4 drachms may by substituted for the opium.
132
A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS.
Also see Appendix Nos. 1 to 10 and 82 to 84.
Constipation.
Like diarrhoea this is to be regarded as a symptom rather than as
a disease. It is applied to a condition of the bowels in which the
dung is unduly hard, and not, as is often supposed, total inaction of
the bowels.
Causes.—It is a usual concomitant of fever and may be induced
in a variety of ways ; the quality of the diet, such as an undue
proportion of dry fodder including grain ; the astringent properties
of the barks of many trees which they eat ; certain astringent drugs ;
inactivity of the liver inducing a lack in the secretion of bile ; habi-
tual excessive food and insufficient exercise are among the more
common causes.
Symptoms.—Are seen in the characters of the dung, which may
vary from slight undue dryness of its substance, causing some dif-
ficulty in evacuating it, to a complete blocking of the alimentary
canal, no dung escaping at all. In addition to being hard it may
be darker coloured and often offensive ; the animal usually has a dry
mouth and at times is very thirsty, and generally drowsy.
Treatment: Preventive.—Consists in avoiding those causes
enumerated above.
Curative: Local.—Enemas (Appendix Nos. 77 to 80).
General.—Consists of internal medication (Appendix Nos. 23
to 28, and 40).
Belly-pain, colic, or gripes.
Colic is a term applied to pain in the abdomen, commonly called
gripes, or belly-ache. Two forms are generally recognized, namely,
spasmodic colic and flatulent colic. The first is due to a spasmodic
contraction of the muscular coat of the bowel; the second is caused
by the intestine being distended with gas, due to the fermentation
of food.
Causes.—The most frequent cause of colic is the presence of
some irritant in the intestinal tract. Overfeeding and underwork-
ing animals predisposes them to attacks of colic, as they take in
more nourishment than the system can assimilate; the accumu-
lation of fibrous material when elephants are fed on branches of trees.
Animals in poor condition are often the subjects of colic, which
is due to want of tone in the digestive system. Eating large quan-
tities of earth at times causes it; in such cases the bowels are often
infested with worms During the early rains colic is not uncom-
BELLY-PAIN, COLIC, OR GRIPES.
133
mon, as elephants eat large quantities of rank, rapid growing fodder,
which at that period is unwholesome, as it contains very little
nourishment and has a tendency to ferment. Dirty and unwhole-
some grain or fodder causing indigestion, may induce colic. Drink-
ing a large quantity of cold water when the body is heated, and
permitting an animal to drink too freely when fatigued by a long
journey also act as causes. Tethered animals exposed to cold and
wet may be attacked.
Symptoms.—Restlessness, swaying from side to side, moving
the legs about, standing in different positions, beating the sides
with the tail or trunk, yawning, inserting the trunk in the mouth,
and grinding the teeth. The animal ceases to feed ; lies down fre-
quently, but only for a very short time. The pain is intermittent, that
is, it occurs in paroxysms and is at times so intense that the patient
groans, sinks down very suddenly, lies on his side kicking, only to
get up almost as quickly as he went down. There is no fever. In
some cases diarrhoea is present, especially in those where overfeed-
ing, worms, are the cause; in other cases the bowels are con-
stipated. As a rule urine is not passed.
Treatment.—Copious enemas of soap and warm water (also see
Appendix No. 81) fomentations to the belly, to which turpentine
may be added. When severe fomentations are out of the ques-
tion, mustard mixed with warm water must be applied, or liniment-
rubbed in over the belly—
*Opium
...
Powdered nutmeg
Aniseed
...
Rum
Jaggery
of each 4 drachms.
4 ounces.
A sufficiency.
Repeat in four hours if necessary, reducing the opium to 2½
Opium
Ginger
Jaggery
Repeated in four hours if necessary, or—
Tincture of opium
Sweet spirits of nitre
...
4 drachms.
1 ounce.
3 ounces.
3 ounces.
3 ounces.
Soaked in bread, or mixed with boiled rice, repeated if necessary
in four hours (also see Appendix Nos. 1 to 6 and mussauls). When
the acute symptoms have subsided, it is advisable to give a dose
of physic, such as castor-oil, to relieve the bowels.
* If opium is not handy, ganja in doses of 3 or 4 drachms may be substituted.
134
A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS.
Flatulent colic.
Symptoms.—In this form there are colicky pains, but as a rule
they are not so acute as in the spasmodic form. The belly may be
greatly distended ; the bowels are generally constipated ; the dung
may be dry and hard, or soft and pale in colour ; there is loss of ap-
petite, dullness and listlessness ; trunk contracted.
Treatment.—Similar to spasmodic colic, only that assafœtida in
doses from ½ to 2 ounces, and ginger 1 ounce, may be combined with
opium in lieu of other drugs ; or hyposulphite of soda in from 1 to
1½ oz. doses mixed in a bucket of gruel or water may be given every
hour.
The bowels must be relieved by enemas (Appendix 80 and 81)
and, when the attack has subsided, a purgative should be given.
In all cases of colic attention must be paid to the water and fodder
and, if either be found indifferent, the animals must be removed to
other pasture. After an attack of colic food must be given spar-
ingly for a few days.
If colic be not relieved early, the case may end fatally. Steel
records entanglement of the bowels as a cause of death. This is
usually brought about by the violent manner in which the animal
throws himself about when in acute pain.
Indigestion.
Definition.—By the term indigestion we understand that the
digestive system is deranged. It may be acute or chronic.
Acute Indigestion.
Causes.—Irregularities of the teeth interfering with proper masti-
cation of the food, coarse dry indigestible fodder, damaged grain,
overloading the stomach with an excessive quantity of food. 1 have
known a heavy feed of grain off a threshing floor to cause a severe
attack.
Symptoms.—Drowsiness, disinclination to work, loss of appe-
tite, constipation, sometimes acute abdominal pain.
Treatment.—Should be prompt. A smart purge of castor-oil one
pint, with croton oil 15 drops, to which may be added ½ an ounce of
tincture of opium if pain is severe, and the resulting constipation
treated by enemas or laxatives. Starvation for some hours, after
which nothing but gruel for twenty-four hours should be given,
when, if the dung is natural, ordinary food may be allowed in small
quantities and gradually increased, carefully watching the excretions.
CHRONIC INDIGESTION.
135
Chronic Indigestion.
Causes.—An acute attack which has remained uncured, want
of change of diet, highly stimulating food, such as the free use of
mussauls, insufficient exercise, liver disease, intestinal parasites.
In young animals too early removal from the dam, or compelling the
dam to work shortly after the birth of the offspring, or allowing the
calf to suckle when the mother is heated, or at long intervals. It
is most usually met with in very young or very old and debilitated
animals.
Symptoms.—The animal is dull, appetite poor, thirst great, the
skin harsh and dry ; if worked, he is sluggish ; the membranes of the
mouth pale or yellowish in colour; if the hand is placed in the mouth,
it will be found to be sticky. The condition of the bowels vary : in
some cases they are constipated and the dung is passed in small
quantities accompanied by a good deal of flatus, the fœces being
hard and dry and consisting mostly of unaltered fibre, or the bowels
may be relaxed, not always diarrhoea, but the evacuations soft, and
a quantity of fluid may be passed at the same time. If the dung is
examined, a good deal of grain may be found in an unaltered
state, clearly proving that digestion is not being properly perform-
ed, or that the food itself is unsuitable and indigestible. The dung
often possesses a sour, nasty smell, and varies in colour ; it may be
nearly black, clay blue, or of a peculiar greenish yellow. Animals
suffering from indigestion often have a tendency to eat earth.
Treatment.—The teeth must be examined for irregularities, the
mouth for sores. The evacuations must be carefully examined,
as also the food and water-supply. A change of food should be tried
without delay, and an extra quantity of salt allowed. If the bowels
are constipated, a dose of physic should be given or, better still,
enemas (Appendix 77 to 80). When diarrhœa is present, unless
severe, it should not be checked, as the bowels may thus be relieved
of some irritating material. They must be kept regular by gentle
laxatives, or enemas and exercise. To restore tone to the digestive
organs, vegetable and mineral tonics are indicated, such as the fol-
lowing :—
No. 1.
Arsenic
...
Bicarbonate of soda...
Ginger or gentian ...
2 to 3 grains.
4 drachms.
1 ounce.
Once or twice daily for a week or ten days after food.
No. 2.
Powdered nux-vomica
Powdered sulphate of iron
Powdered chiretta or ginger ...
½ drachm.
2 drachms.
6 drachms.
Mix and give for one dose twice a day.