Poll evil

Poll evil is a traditional term for a painful condition in a horse or other equid, that starts as an inflamed bursa at the cranial end of the neck between vertebrae and the nuchal ligament, and swells until it presents as an acute swelling at the poll, on the top of the back of the animal's head.

[1] It can be caused by infection from Actinomyces bovis or Brucella abortus organisms, but may also occur due to parasite infestation, skin trauma, or badly fitting horse tack.

[1] In the 18th century, it was treated with remedies such as vinegar, wine, elder flower and even turpentine.

[3] The 1820 folk remedy text The Long Lost Friend by John George Hohman prescribes defecating on twigs of cherry trees wrapped in rags, after having been used to swab the poll evils, then using the same soiled rags to clean the wounds again, repeating the process for several days.

[4] Today, cases caught early can be cleaned with peroxide, ice packs and diluted dimethyl sulfoxide solution, with antibiotics used to prevent or slow infection.