THE ARMY HORSE. 103 



two or three days. Any animal showing, without a known 

 cause, a temperature of 10:2° F. shouhl be isohited, and there- 

 after blood examinations should be made and temperatures 

 taken daily. As flies are known to be carriers of the surra 

 parasite, great care should be exercised to remove and avoid 

 any breeding places for these pests. If stables could be 

 screened it would be a great advantage in surra outbreaks. 



EPIZOOTIC OR TLCERATIVE LYMPHANGITIS. 



This peculiar tropical disease closely resembles glanders of 

 the farcy form, so much so that the two might be easily con- 

 fused by a person uninformed on tropical diseases. In observ- 

 ing epizootic lymphangitis the high fever and sudden loss of 

 flesh and vigor are not seen as in tropical glanders. 



The disease in the early stage responds to treatment, but often 

 requires months to effect a cure. It is caused by a fungus, 

 called crytococcus^ and is contagious. 



Symptoms. — Small bunches or nodules, the size of a half 

 dollar, may a^^pear upon the skin of any part of the body ; there 

 may be one or many. They often appear in chains along the 

 course of the lymphatics (1, Plate XXI) : they may spread 

 around an infected area into an irregular patch (2, Plate 

 XXI), apparently not following the lymphatics; again, the 

 disease ma}' start with a hard, painful swelling in the region of 

 the chest or shoulder, or between the fore legs, the swelling 

 later softening in spots and forming the small abscesses. 



Ordinarih', the nodules soon soften and break upon the sur- 

 face; if not, they should be opened; in either case they end in 

 the typical ulcers of the disease. The small bunches or ab- 

 scesses, when opened, contain a white, creamy pus; they do not 

 respond readily to ordinary healing methods and persist after 

 the most heroic measures have been adopted. In cases of long 

 standing the ulcerations may extend over the greater part of the 

 body, the limbs especially being covered with sores; there is 

 usually great enlargement and thickening of the legs and the 

 patient becomes badly emaciated (poor in flesh). In the ordi- 

 nary case, however, the animal does not loose flesh and does not 

 carry any nuirked fever. 



Ti'cuttjjiciit. — The treatment consists in opening the ulcers 

 freely witli a knife or cautery ])<)int heated to white heat, or. 

 better still, if thev are not too numerous, in dissecting them 

 out entirely without opening the abscess wall. 



