204 ANTHRAX. 



respiration, the horse becomes restless, moves uneasily from 

 place to place, looking anxiously around him for relief ; and if 

 water be within his reach, plunges his head into the containing 

 vessel. 



As we have already said, this condition of the tongue is 

 very often complicated with specific inflammation and swelling 

 of the throat and structures of and around the throat — 

 anthracoid angina. When swelling becomes obvious exter- 

 nally, we may, as a rule, consider that a condition much similar 

 is taking place in deeper-seated parts. This swelhng from 

 infiltration of connective-tissue and glandular structures, 

 when commenced, progresses with great rapidity. Very shortly, 

 from pharyngeal oedema and oedema of the glottis, the respira- 

 tion becomes embarrassed and the dyspnoea distressing ; while 

 from the swelling extending from the lips and buccal mem- 

 brane, the head puts on a very unsightly and unnatural 

 appearance. 



The swelling around the throat and lar3rnx, when occurring, 

 is hard, hot, and painful. Accompanying this we have gene- 

 rally a rusty or blood-tinged discharge from the nostrils, from 

 its effects on the surface over which it passes, apparently of an 

 irritating character. In some cases the swelling has been 

 noticed to extend along the course of the trachea even to the 

 sternum. 



When local complications confined to the tongue and struc- 

 tures of the laryngeal and pharyngeal membranes are imminent, 

 the course of the disease is exceedingly rapid, a few hours 

 sufficing to produce such alterations of the throat and upper 

 air-passages, that unless relief is afforded by tracheotomy 

 the animal will fall asphyxiated. The performance of this 

 operation, however, is rarely effectual except in very tempo- 

 rarily relieving the symptoms. 



Diagnosis. — At the first glance the diagnosis may appear 

 easy enough. Still we must not shut our eyes to the fact 

 that mistakes have been made even by the experienced in 

 this as in other matters. 



Anthrax in the horse being a disease that we have hitherto 

 not been taught to regard as at all common, I have not 

 unfrequently imagined that it is oftener met with than 

 recognised; and indeed I am far from being satisfied that 



