The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-09-20


Treatment or Sick Animals.
There are many erroneous notions
prevalent In the community respecting
Injured or diseased domestic animals,
and such unnatural aud injurious
practices as a consequence of these in
correct views that no apology is nec-
essary for an attempt to subserve the
cause and interest of those useful
creatures, when if they had tongues to
speak. would tell sad tales of the
wrongs to which they have been, and
still are, too often subject.
We do not propose to give an essay
on the particular cases that require at
tention-our object is rather very
briefly to ask the owners of domestic
animals to be guided by few current
principles, which are applicable to
nearly all cases, and which viii at
least prevent us from doing harm. and
be the means probably of doing much
good. nsfD =iss's = 1aas oF-e
In the frat place, then, we would
insist that when an animals well he
never requires any medicine; and
when he is sick we would protest
against his being dosed with articles
that are said to be good for par
ticular disease, without any reference
to it's violence or the symptoms, as
common sense would dictate that RENE
dies the most opposite In their char
acter and effects may be equally ad-
vantageous in different periods of the
case. wR vER8xH R4
Always distrust the man and the
remedy when your friend declares that
an article is always good or a certain
cure for a disease, without reference
to its symptoms-prescrlbing for the
name of the disease rather than the
disease itself. This is the very es-
sence of quackery In man or beast.
-Alarge proportion of the diseases
of animals closely resembles those of
the human family, and require a treat
ment conducted upon the sane gen.
eral principles-with some variations
and some peculiarities, it is true; but
none of those outrageous departures
from common sense which are too
frequently witnessed. 49,
A horse with pleurisy, or infama-
ton of the lungs, or apoplexy, requires
a widely different treatment from one
with collie or with worms. There is
no more mystery about the disease of
a horse or an OK than about those of
a man, and violation of natural laws
is as productive of pain and injury ia
one as in the other. 's-i = s.ia = i i'.s--
There is too great a propensity
everywhere to resort to active treat
ment in all cases-a feeling that is en-
couraging by the ignorant or designing
for selfish purposes. An adviser In
sickness is often most useful and
shows most skill where he only tells
US what is to be avoided, and waits
for more active measures-doing little
more than preventing ignorant but
well meaning persons from interfering
with the salutary and useful changes
that may be going on.
Remember that there Is a restorative
power in nature, to which it is always
better to trust, than to direct active
remedies without knowing for what
particular purpose they are given.
There is never occasion for the ad-
ministration of the disgusting combi-
nations which the poor animal is made
to swallow, from the mere within of an
ignorant hofse or COW doctor Macy
a fine beast has been lost by his owner
trusting to such prescriptions.
When your animal has fever, nature
would dictate that all stimulating ar
ticles of diet or medicine should be
avoided. Bleeding may be necessary
to reduce the force of the circulation
-purging, to remove irritating sub
stances from the bowels-moist, light,
and easily digested food, that his
weakened digestion may not be op-
pressed-cool drinks to allay his thirst,
and to some extent compensate for di-
minIshed secretions-rest and quiet, to
preveat undue excitement in his sys-
tenn, and SO on through the whole
catalogue of diseases-but nothing to
be done without a reason.
Garry out this principle. and you
will probably do much good-hardly
great harm, go on any other, and your
measures are more likely to be pro-
ductive of injury than benefit. But,
as we have before seid, our object now
is not to speak of disease in detail-it
u rather to encourages our agricultural