134 Vetcrijiary Medicine. 



windpipe are pinched between the finger and the thumb the re- 

 sulting cough is prolonged and somewhat like ^g-runt. A wheczer 

 is usuall}- suffering from spasmodic contraction of the bronchial 

 tubes, from broken wind or from chronic bronchitis. A high- 

 blower s\\o\AdL never be spoken of in the same connection, as the 

 noise is made from a playful flapping of the false nostrils or soft 

 palate and disappears when the animal is put to the top of his 

 speed. It is from confounding highblowing with roaring that 

 Eclipse and other brilliant performers on the English turf have 

 been erroneously pronounced roarers. 



The noise produced by the roarer is not heard while he stands 

 quiet, nor many cases even during a short trot or gallop. Such 

 horses are in consequence often sold at the hammer and the pur- 

 chaser is grievously disappointed to find that what he thought a 

 sound horse is absolutely useless for the purpose for which he de- 

 signed it. 



Causes. Before noticing the symptoms of roaring a considera- 

 tion of the causes will be useful to enable the reader the better 

 to understand the signs by which the different forms are mani- 

 fested. 



Causes of temporary roaring. Whatever impedes the cur- 

 rent of air causes roaring. Hence inflammatory diseases of the 

 nose, throat, windpipe or bronchial tubes ; abscess of one or the 

 other of these parts ; inflammation of a jugular vein and pressure 

 on the trachea or vagus nerve by the resulting swelling ; choking; 

 the swelling in the neck consequent on the cutting open of the 

 gullet for the relief of choking ; thickening of the nostrils from 

 dropsy, loss of a jugular vein, purpura hemorrhagica etc. ; and 

 swellings pressing on the vagus nerve, and which may be situated 

 at the base of the brain, in the neck or in the anterior part of the 

 chest. Also temporary infiltration of the laryngeal mucosa. 



Causes of inveterate roaring. The one great cause of roar- 

 ing and that which sustains the disease in nineteen cases out of 

 every twenty is paralysis of the left recurrent nerve of the larynx 

 and wasting of several of the arytenoid muscles on that side. It 

 may be well, however, first to notice the less frequent causes and 

 wind up with this more common one. ist, Fracture with distor- 

 tion of the nasal bones and narrowing of the nasal passages 

 (Gamgee). 2nd, Polypi and other tumors of the nose, pharynx, 



