e, starchy, and fatty food (potatoes, wheat, corn, etc.)
are to be specially avoided. In the mare one diseased and irritable
ovary should be removed, to do away with the resulting excitability of
the remainder of the generative organs. An irritable womb, with frequent
straining and the ejection of a profuse secretion, may sometimes be
corrected by a restricted diet and full but well-regulated work. Even
fatigue will act beneficially in some such cases, hence the practice of
the Arab riding his mare to exhaustion just before service. The
perspiration in such case, like the action of a purgative or the
abstraction of blood just before service, benefits, by rendering the
blood vessels less full, by lessening secretion in the womb and
elsewhere, and thus counteracting the tendency to the ejection and loss
of semen. If these means are ineffectual, a full dose of camphor (2
drams) or of salicin may at times assist. Low condition and anemia
demand just the opposite kind of treatment--rich, nourishing, albuminoid
feed, bitter tonics (gentian), sunshine, gentle exercise, liberal
grooming, and supporting treatment generally are here in order.

Spasmodic closure of the neck of the womb is common and is easily
remedied in the mare by dilatation with the fingers. The hand, smeared
with belladonna ointment and with the fingers drawn into the form of a
cone, is introduced through the vagina until the projecting, rounded
neck of the womb is felt at its anterior end. This is opened by the
careful insertion of one finger at a time, until the fingers have been
passed through the constricted neck into the open cavity of the womb.
The introduction is made with a gentle, rotary motion, and all
precipitate violence is avoided, as abrasion, laceration, or other cause
of irritation is likely to interfere with the retention of the semen and
consequently with impregnation. If the neck of the womb is rigid and
unyielding from the induration which follows inflammation--a rare
condition in the mare, though common in the cow--more force will be
requisite, and it may even be needful to incise the neck to the depth of
one-sixth of an inch in four or more opposite directions prior to
forcible dilatation. The incision may be made with a probe-pointed
knife, and should be done by a professional man if possible. The
subsequent dilatation may be best effected by the slow expansion of
sponge or seaweed tents inserted into the narrow canal. In such cases it
i