ANTI SPASMODIES IN VETERIN ARY PRACTICE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 271, 9 June 1888, Page 3

ANTI SPASMODIES IN VETERIN ARY PRACTICE.

Upon this subject a vetoiinary writer says : — Anti-t-pasmodics arc agents which prevlmil, or remove, spasm, ■which is an iriegular, injuri us contraction of voluntary or involuntary mui-clcs. lfc is defined by l)r lander Brunion as 'a kind of insubonlnuilion, in which t ho individual muscle?, or nerve centres, act for themselves, without refeteneo to thrwe higher centres which ought to co-ordinate their action for the goo'i of tho oiganism. It may be due, therefore, to an cvess of action in the muscles ur local centres, or diminished power of the higher co ordinating centres, As a rule, it is due to diminished action o the co ordinating or inhibitory ccnties, rather than to excess of action in the motor centre 5 !. It is, therefore, a disease rather of debility, and deficient co ordination, than of excessive strength.' Local in itation is the frequent cause of spa°m. E\cessi\e pveition develops in tho muscles of loco motion, especially when employed in unwonted woik, -na^te products which produce spa^m or cramp. Both cause and etlect are frequently removed by smart friction 'In tho intestine, cramp may be due to the presence of a local initant, v. Inch ought, in tho norm il condition. h) pioduce increased peiistalsis, and thu^ ensure the speedy removal- ot the oflending substance. From some bnoimala condition, the muscular fibres around the irritant contract excessively, and do not pass on tho stimulant to those adjoining. From this want of co-oidination, paintul and useless spasm occurs. In order to icmove it we apply waimth to the abdomen, as Lo increase the functional activity both of the muscular fibres and ot the ganglia of the intestine. Peristalsis then occurring instead of ramp, the pain disappears, and the offending body is pa-sed onward-- and removed. Or we gi\ eintei nally aromatic oils, which will have a tendency to increase the ordinary peristalsis ; or yel again we may give opium for the purpose of lesi^enintr the sensibility of the iiritated pavt, or the nerves connected with it, and thus again bringing it into relationship with other parts of the body' (Brunton.) In the treatment of colic in hors s, these seveial modes of attack aie usually conjoined. A diffusible stimulant, such as ether or alcohol, i 3 given to increase the powers of tho higher nervous centres, and bring the disturbed lower ones and the muscles into subordination ; an opiate is a«soci°ted to lcs»en local excitability ; w bile a purgativo is besides administered in order to remove the indigestible food which is usually the cause of the mischief.