ECTHYMA. 761 



both are succeeded by dark-coloured, firmly-adhering crusts, 

 which, on separating, leave temporary indented cicatrices, over 

 which at first darker-coloured hairs are apt to appear. The 

 non-contagious form of ecthyma is less common than the 

 other, rarely appearing in such full crops, and although similar 

 in general character, development, and termination, is disposed 

 to exhibit more chronicity than the other. 



This only differs from boil or genuine furunculus in that 

 the latter springs from and involves the deeper dermal tissues, 

 and on healing, throws out a slough or core. 



Causation. — The chief developing agencies in these pustular 

 affections of the skin seem to operate through induction 

 of general or systemic disturbance, not disturbance of one 

 particular organ, but of several. They may be generally classed 

 as such as tend to debihtate or depress vital action or general 

 nutrition, and ought probably to be viewed as indicative of 

 general and particular debility. The frequency of one form of 

 ecthyma in imported horses may be owing to the unavoidable 

 disturbance, during transit, of the processes of assimilation, the 

 prevention or arrest of ehmination, the retention of waste and 

 used material, and its further development and change into 

 noxious compounds, capable, through transformation in the 

 animal body, of transmitting these deleterious influences to 

 other animals. 



Treatment. — In the great majority of cases, the treatment is 

 correctly begun by attention to the state of the ahmentary 

 canal, by which elimination is most kindly and surely carried 

 out. Following a mild dose of aloes, sulphate of soda or 

 magnesia may be given in two or three drachms twice or 

 thrice daily in the drinking water, Avhile either along with the 

 saline or exhibited separately in draughts, one or two fluid 

 drachms of dilute sulphuric acid will be found useful. 



After a few days, and when the state of the canal is satis- 

 factory, the salines may be discontinued for a short while, and 

 sulphuric acid and sulphate of iron, with tincture of gentian, 

 substituted. 



While receiving these tonics, which may be changed or 

 alternated with others, the horse ought to have good food 

 easy of digestion, with a sufficient amount of exercise in the 

 open air. It is also needful to pay particular attention to a 



