328 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



high rate of mortality th'e question of treatment or destruction 

 might be decided in favour of the latter. 



Medical Officers of Health and others have frequently asserted 

 that human, feline and avian diphtheria are identical diseases and 

 caused by the Klebs-LofHer bacillus. It is consequently urged by 

 some medical authorities that human beings can contract diphtheria 

 from cats, birds, and some say from cattle. The evidence has been 

 carefully sifted by Gofton, and as a result one is forced to conclude 

 that there are no grounds for the assumption that true diphtheria 

 occurs in the lower animals. At the same time the fact is not to 

 be denied that diphtheria may be spread through the agency of milk. 

 The important point is that the cow is to be incriminated as an 

 entirely passive carrier. 



H^MOGLOBINURIA. 



Haemoglobinuria (azoturia) is an acute specific disease of 

 horses, accompanied by the excretion of large quantities of haemo- 

 globin in the urine. The disease occurs under certain definite 

 circumstances which have been recognised by most observers as 

 being nearly if not quite constant, and which are as follows : No 

 horse in regular work is ever attacked. As a rule the horse has 

 been kept at work daily for some time and has been receiving a 

 full ration. For some reason other than illness he is rested for 

 some days while the full ration is maintained. As soon as the 

 animal is again put to work, perhaps only a few minutes after he 

 is taken out of the stable, he is attacked by stiffness of the muscles 

 of certain parts of the body, usually in the hindquarters. These 

 symptoms are often quickly followed by collapse and inability to 

 rise. Urine which is subsequently passed is then found to contain 

 haemoglobin in larger or smaller quantities. 



Numerous theories have been brought forward with the object 

 of explaining the occurrence of the disease. It is beyond the scope 

 of this work to describe them in detail, but the researches of 

 MTadyean* on the subject are well worthy of consideration. 

 Stated briefly, the opinions of M'Fadyean are as follows : During 

 the time that the animal is being worked and receiving a working 

 diet there is a certain production of red blood corpuscles accompanied 

 by an equal destruction. When the animal is rested, however, the 

 destruction is diminished while the production goes on as before. 

 The number of red corpuscles thus mounts up to higher than normal. 

 As soon as the animal is put to work again an increased destruction 

 * Journ. Comp. Path., 1888, Vol. I., p. 1, and 1893, Vol. VI., p. 245. 



