scarifying, or making small punctures into the inflamed part, as in the
eyelid of an inflamed eye, or into the sheath of the penis, or into the
skin of the latter organ when congested, or the leg when acutely
swelled.

Counterirritants are used for deep inflammations. They act by bringing
the blood to the surface and consequently lessening the blood pressure
within. The derivation of the blood to the exterior diminishes the
amount in the internal organs and is often very rapid in its action in
relieving a congested lung or liver. The most common counterirritant is
mustard flour. It is applied as a soft paste mixed with warm water to
the under surface of the belly and to the sides, where the skin is
comparatively soft and vascular. Colds in the throat or inflammations at
any point demand the treatment applied in the same manner to the belly
and sides and not to the throat or on the legs, as so often used.
Blisters, iodin, and many other irritants are used in a similar way.

_Constitutional treatment_ in inflammation is designed to reduce the
current of blood, which is the fuel for the inflammation in the diseased
part, to quiet the patient, and to combat the fever or general effects
of the trouble in the system, and to favor the neutralization or
elimination of the products of the inflammation.

Reduction of blood is obtained in various ways. The diminution of the
quantity of the blood lessens the amount of pressure on the vessels,
and, as a sequel, the volume of it which is carried to the point of
inflammation; it diminishes the body temperature or fever; it numbs the
nervous system, which plays an important part as a conductor of
irritation in diseases.

Blood-letting is the most rapid means, and frequently acts like a charm
in relieving a commencing inflammatory trouble. One must remember,
however, that the strength of the body and repair depend on the blood;
hence blood-letting should be practiced only in full-blooded,
well-nourished animals and in the early stages of the disease.

Cathartics act by drawing off a large quantity of fluid from the blood
through the intestines, and have the advantage over the last remedy of
removing only the watery and not the formed elements from the
circulation. The blood cells remain, leaving the blood as rich as it was
before. Again, the glands of the intestines are stimulated to excrete
much waste matter and other deleterious material which may be acting as
a poison in the bl