DISEASES OF THE LUNGS 7 



chosen agents, should be moderate in amount and repeated hourly so long 

 as symptoms of distress continue. 



There is a general consensus of opinion in favour of the application of 

 mustard to the sides of the chest, although a few dissentients of unquestion- 

 able authority have thrown doubts upon the propriety of counter-irritation. 

 The practice appears to have very marked and rapidly beneficial eftects in 

 many cases, and in our judgment should be promptly resorted to, but hot 

 water may be substituted where any special objection against mustard or 

 strong liniments presents itself. The convalescent should receive unremitting 

 care, as there is much tendency to recurrence, as also a danger of pneumonia 

 following the attack. Besides the importance of pure air and comfortable 

 conditions generally, the state of the bowels must be made a matter of 

 attention, and if a tendency to constipation exists which a laxative diet is 

 not sufficient to overcome, a small dose or two of linseed or castor oil 

 or sulphate of magnesia may be given, but in no case should aloes or 

 any drastic cathartic be employed. 



Post-Mortem Appearances. — ^Examination of an animal that has 

 died of this disease sliows the lungs to be very dark in colour; they are, 

 nevertheless, compressible, and do not exhibit that solid condition and 

 friable texture common in inflammation of the lungs. Where the over- 

 charged vessels have given way, blackish red patches of lung are seen 

 here and there infiltrated with escaped blood. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS, PNEUMONIA 



Definition. — Inflammation of the true lung substance. This may exist 

 as an independent disease or it may complicate an attack of bronchitis. 



Causes are all such as induce catarrh, or inflammatory conditions of 

 other parts of the respiratory apparatus. It may arise as a sequel to 

 pulmonary congestion, or be induced by direct irritation of the air-tubes, 

 as when medicines, in being given, "go the wrong way". It also follows 

 on bronchitis by a downward extension of the inflammation into the 

 substance of the lungs. Neglected colds and damp unhealthy stables are 

 among the most frequent of the many causes that contribute to this 

 disease. Influenza and strangles not unfrequently terminate in a fatal 

 pneumonia, and there is reason to believe that the disease is sometimes 

 in itself specific and contagious. In this connection it has often been 

 noticed to spread from animal to animal in the entire absence of any 

 obvious cause of a common character. Septic pneumonia, such as occurs 

 in the "joint ill" of foals, and other forms of blood-poisoning, is by no 

 means an uncommon variety of this disease. 



