OF FARRIERY. 



177 



of the Horse. The vessels of the skin seem 

 in these cases to be first acted on, and this 

 from a sudden chill, in consequence of 

 coming in contact with a cold atmosphere, 

 producing tliose symptoms; first, a shiver- 

 ing fit, the skin shaking violently, the hair 

 staring, the legs, ears, and muzzle feeling 

 intensely cold ; all these symptoms remain 

 according to the violence of the attack ; the 

 Horse's mouth is generally found dry and hot, 

 and is seen frequently to lick his lips, as if 

 asking for moisture. The skin is found alter- 

 nately hot and cold, with occasional sweat- 

 ings ; the bowels rumble, and are flatulent, 

 and he appears altogether uneasy, and seems 

 more in want of a restorative than any thing 

 else, by which means the debility and fever 

 wili be beat off. 



Such is usually the first stage of fever, and 

 thus much of it, I conceive, more frequently 

 than is generally supposed ; but it is very 

 common for it at this period to sink its specific 

 character ot true fever, into a local attack on 

 some particular organ, as the brain, lungs, 

 bowels 1 idneys, and not unfrequently to the 

 feet. Under any of these circumstances, the 

 primary character of fever is lost, and the 

 remaining febrile symptoms become secondary 

 and symptomatic. 



The preference it may have m these in- 

 stances for any one organ over another, is not 

 easily accounted for ; but it may be connected 

 with local circumstances, particularly with 

 such as have had a tendency to produce an 

 unusual determination of blood to a pait. 

 Violent and long-continued exercise will give 

 ilisposition to the lungs, from the very great 

 quantity of blood forced through them during 

 exertion. Water, when thrown over a Horse 

 when hot, is very apt by checking perspira- 



tion to bring on a state of the bowels, or of 

 other viscera, predisposing them to inflame. 



A heavy and awkard rider, travelling a 

 great distance, subjects the kidneys to such 

 injury, that they often require but little addi- 

 tional stimulus to take on inflammation ; and 

 it is equally notorious, that severe riding in 

 the snow, or the custom of washing the feet 

 when a Horse is very hot, particularly in frosty 

 weather, will produce by re-action a determi- 

 nation of blood to these parts, with a febrile 

 irritation, the consequence of severe and inju- 

 dicious management, may by translation be 

 converted into acute founder, and such ap- 

 pears the origin of many acute founder cases. 

 T7ie disease is then said to have settled in the 

 Horse's feet. It remains to be noticed, that 

 independent of these purely local attacks, 

 there is great reason to believe, that this fever 

 not unfrequently degenerates into the catar- 

 rhal epidemic ; for many of these cases which 

 commence with a simple rigour, amd which are 

 often prevented from proceeding further by 

 simply overcoming the first attack. 



But should none of these attacks occur, but, 

 on the contrary, should this fever remain after 

 the first stage, purely idiopathic, which 

 though very seldom, is invariably the same in 

 any two subjects, but with sufficient general 

 characters to describe them. The pulse loses 

 that fullness, but is hard, and increased in 

 quickness. 



What I have described, may be considered 

 as constituting the principal stage of this 

 fever, to which under favourable circum- 

 stances there succeeds a softer and less fre- 

 quent pulse ; the countenance looks more 

 lively, and although the muscular weakness 

 rather increases, the irritability les.sens, the 

 secretions also return to their natural state, 

 2 Y 



