CHAPTER XII.

DISEASES OF THE STOMACH AND INTESTINES.

The dung is passed from eight to twelve times in the twenty-
four hours and has the following characters :—

Colour.—When first voided, golden or reddish yellow
becoming 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
remain frequently unbroken after being dropped.
Smell.—The smell is peculiar, but not disagreeable.
Substance—Varies according to the characters of the food
ingested.

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,
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.

                              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
mastication of the food, coarse dry indigestible fodder, unsuitable
food, long fasts, damaged grain, overloading the stomach with an
excessive quantity of food. I have known a heavy feed of grain off
a threshing floor to cause a severe attack.

Symptoms.—Drowsiness, disinclination to work, loss of appetite,
constipation, sometimes acute abdominal pain.

Treatment—Should be prompt. A smart purge of castor oil
one pint, with croton oil 25 to 30 drops, to which may be added
half an ounce of tincture of opium if pain is severe, and the resulting