FEVEllS AND SPECIFIC DISEASES 589 



CHAPTER XXXII 



FEVERS AND SPECIFIC DISEASES 



Sl'ECIFIC FEVERS — STABLE FEVEll — INFLUENZA — • STIIANGLES — BASTARD STRANGLES — 

 ANTHRAX, OR LOODIANA FEVER — SOUTH AFRICAN HORSE SICKNESS — GLANDERS — FARCY 

 — INFLAMMATORY (EDEMA, OR WATER FARCY — PURPURA HEMORRHAGICA — SCARLATINA 

 — AZOTURIA — RHEUMATISM. 



Comparatively small causes give rise to increase of temperature in horses 

 and other symptoms of fever, as rigors, cold shivers, trembling, staring 

 coat, cold extremities, loss of appetite, increased number and diminished 

 force in the contractions of the heart whereby a small pulse is produced, 

 and if the thermometer be introduced into the rectum a rise of several 

 degrees above normal will be discovered. The temperature in health of the 

 average horse is about 99*5 degrees of Fahrenheit, and may vary in in- 

 dividuals from 1"5 above or below that. A slight chill from a change of 

 clothing, or standing in the wind when heated, a mild attack of indigestion, 

 sudden changes from the field to the stable, any of these things may induce 

 a simple attack of fever which may be evanescent in character, passing off 

 without any treatment or yielding to one of the ordinary fever draughts 

 which have so long been in use among horse-keepers. On the other hand 

 a rise of temperature may indicate some serious disease, and taken in con- 

 junction with other signs enable the attendant to diagnose the malady. The 

 experienced veterinarian will know how much importance to attach to a rise 

 of temperature, and its continuance for any length of time will put him on 

 his guard against some specific fever-disease. A sudden elevation of tempera- 

 ture, even to the extent of four or five degrees, may run down again in a few 

 hours, while a lower temperature maintained for a couple of days may be of 

 the most serious import. Temperature as indicated by the thermometer is a 

 valuable aid to diagnosis, but may easily lead the amateur astray if he be 

 not able to review the other symptoms of disease and appreciate their 

 siffnificanco. 



SPECIFIC FEVERS 



By these we mean such illnesses as follow upon the introduction into the 

 animal's system of disease germs which will produce certain definite diseases, 

 as glanders, influenza, anthrax, etc. Specific bacilli have been clearly 

 made out as the cause of glanders and anthrax, and it is only a question of 

 time and research when all the specific fevers will be known to be due to a 

 particular microbe. By further study of bacteriology there Avill doubtless 

 come a time when antagonistic microbes will be employed to cut short 

 the lives and prevent the multiplication of those germs responsible for 

 disease. Our present knowledge only enables us to select such agents as 

 we know to be prejudicial to germ life. First among these may be men- 

 tioned quinine, for without knowing what germs cause the many forms of 



