The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1860-12-13
STAGGERS IN HORSES.

Dear Sir: ! observe in your paper OF
last week, a notice headed Blind Stag
gers &c, i cannot say that my views
coincide with yours. In the first place
| do not think there has been n single
case of Blind Staggers in our midst this
season, or at least l have yet to see
one myself. The disease which is az
stock is simply stomach stag
gers. This disease seems to DO very
prevalent in this section Of the State ut
the present time, and probably origin
ates from Il dcranged state Of the stoin-
ach. The latter organ is united to the
brain in the ties Of sympathetic rcia-
tionship, through the medium OF the
great sympathetic nerve, and whenev-
er the stomach becomes ovcrburdcned
and therefore incapable Of performing
its normal function, it communicates
the intelligence to headquarters, the
brain, as it were, becomes sccondarily
affected. Dr., Skovington said that
| this disease never occurs except by
fault Of tho owner, or one who laS
charge Of horses. IL sometimes arises
from giving a horse too much provin.
der after he has been long at work
without food. And again, feeding too
much food ofan inferior quality, such
as bIighted corn, mouldy or sour corn
an fodder, anything that will stimu-
late the kidnys viii innamc tho stom.
ach and affect the brain. Those Of our
| own species who after long abstainanco
indulge too freely in the luxurics Of tho
season can call DO mind their sleepy,
unpleasant sensations, headaches &c,
can probably realize what n horse sut-
tcrs from an empty, overloaded or dis
| elscd stomach. From these and other
facts which In; ght be adduccd, we may
sa!oly say that this disease is # stom-
a;h origin. | forono am forced to be.
Iievc from several examinations OF
| stomachs ofhorses which have recently
died, that our present epidemic has its
origin n the stomach. 1t is we'll known
by our farmers and the community at
large, that the corr Of the present ycal
~ Of an inferior quality and a large
share has not maturod and what did
mature nearly all is seriously worm
eaten. Worm eaten corn IS nearly as
pcrnicious 10 Il horses stomach rs so
mach arsnic would be. For tho proof
ofthis assertion take tho dust which
falls out OF worm eaten corn wet it and
rub it on the arm or any place whcrt
| the ~cutirlc is thnn and it will blister as
quickly ~ clntharides. IL is an ole
saying that an ounce Of preventative /,
better than II pound of cure, Hence
the bottor way would be to find out the
cause ofthc evil and avoid it. | wou,C
suggest that every one who is feeding
corn would shell off the worm eater
end, or shell tho whole and run i
through II wheat fan. AS to the treat
ment, whatever be the cause Of tn
disease, bleeding should be tho frs
measure reSOrtod to. The overloaded
vessels of the brain must b, Relieved
The jugular vein should be inundated,
opcnd, this being the vessel which "a
turns the blood from the brain to til
heart, n greater part Of the quantit.
will be taken Immediately from tn
overloaded organ, and therefore will b
most likely to produce the desired G
feet. As to the amcunt to be taEcI
the effect produced must be the guild
. and the bleeding must be continue
! until thehorsc laItcrs or begins to blow
or, with more assured success unit. III
horse falls. Then give the iolIowin!
ounccof puIycrized capsicum / ounce
common salt rabbcd well together in
mortcr. and then drench tho hors
with one eighth in one pint Of water Il
intervals of 10 to 20 minutes until rt
! lief be obtained. Aitor the ANNA
has swallowed several doses of tn
capsicum and salt and seems to in
prove, we may then venture to give
c pint Of linsced oil with Il half ounce {
sasatras oil with a view to carry off tn
5 superintendent carbon. Horses trca
l cd in this manner can nearly all
| saved if taken in time.
= L. A. GAGE,