Laryngitis in the Horse. 117 



dilated, the mouth open, the eyes standing out from their sockets 

 red and wild looking, and the face constrained and pinched, the 

 whole expression being that of intense agony from impending 

 suffocation. 



Lesions. In cases where death has supervened, perhaps in 

 connection with another disease, the laryngeal mucosa, especially 

 on and above the glottis, is soft, tumid, friable, with ramified or 

 uniform redness and petechial spots. The epithelial layer may 

 be softened, disintegrated and shed, leaving pointed or larger 

 erosions, which are, however, usually superficial. In case of 

 oedema glottidis the mucosa and submucosa are thickened by an 

 abundant exudate which may extend to the connective tissue out- 

 side the larynx as well. In aggravated cases there may be dark 

 red or brownish red discolorations of the mucosa. 



Course, Duration. Fortunately these aggravated forms of the 

 disease are rare and unless the patient perishes during such an 

 attack or the inflammation extends down toward the chest, 

 laryngitis rarely proves fatal. Its duration is from twelve to 

 fifteen days. Its extension to the lungs may be suspected when 

 the extreme tenderness of the throat subsides without any corres- 

 ponding improvement in the health. Examination of the chest 

 will then rarely fail to detect the presence of disease. 



But although sore throat is rarely fatal its effects are not unim- 

 portant nor trivial. It occasionally merges into a chronic form, 

 with a hacking cough, tenderness to pressure and an increased 

 liability to other diseases of the air passages. More frequently 

 it is followed by wasting and fatty degeneration of the larj^ngeal 

 mu.scles and the horse becomes a confirmed roarer. In all cases 

 it leaves a greater susceptibility to a second attack. 



Sub-acute Laryngitis. This form has been chiefly seen in 

 young animals and up to eight years old. At the outset its symp- 

 toms are moderate but as it is usually associated with serous effu- 

 sions in and around the mucous membrane the symptoms above 

 mentioned as indicating imminent danger of suffocation may sudden- 

 ly appear and life can only be preserved by opening the trachea. 



Chronic Laryngitis. This maj^ follow the acute form or it 

 may come on independently and by slow degrees. It may ac- 

 company nasal catarrh, or chronic bronchitis. Old animals 

 which have had heavy draught work and repeated attacks of sore 



