532 Veterinary Mediciyie. 



and the free perspiration present in some severe attacks, points 

 alike to its origin in cutaneous chill and to derangement of the 

 centres presiding over perspiration. It may be added that the de- 

 velopment of rheumatic symptoms in the advanced stages of in- 

 fectious diseases, when the toxins are accummulating in the sys- 

 tem, suggests that they are the direct result of a toxic action on 

 the nerve centres. In man the influence of severe nervous shock 

 in developing and maintaining rheumatism is recognized. 



Theory of infectioji. This has been advocated by Cornil and 

 Babes and Friedberger and Frohner. The former quote the fre- 

 quent presence of microorganisms and above all of micrococci in 

 the liquids of the affected joints, serosse and valvular exudates and 

 ulcers, and even in the blood, and the occurrence of rheumatism 

 in the course of various septic affections. The latter quote x'Vuer and 

 others as to the frequent supervention of articular rheumatism 

 on the retention of the afterbirth in the cow. The weak point in 

 these theories is the multiplicity and variety of the microbes found 

 in the exudates. Either we must accept the rheumatic lesions as 

 an occasional result of many microbes, wliich habitually act differ- 

 ently on the system, or we must look upon them as mere acces- 

 sory causes or accidental complications. It might even be, that 

 the invasion of these microbes are made possible by the inflamma- 

 tion and debility of the tissues, witliout being directly chargeable 

 with the rheumatic process. Even then there remains the possi- 

 bility that a specific microbe is present, which by rea.son of its in- 

 finitesimal size, or other physical property, has as yet escaped 

 recognition. If such specific microbe is present, it manifestly re- 

 quires a very special predisposition, since it is not seen to advance 

 from one individual to another unless such favoring conditions 

 are present. The symptoms and lesions of rheumatism are not 

 incompatible with the idea of such an essential, specific germ, but 

 as yet no such germ has been satisfactorily demonstrated as pres- 

 ent in all ca.ses. 



Local mjiiries. Rheumatism seems to attack by preference parts 

 that have already been debilitated by disease, a disposition which 

 is also true of distinctly microbian infections. A pre-exi.sting 

 sprain, blow, bruise or an inflammation arising from any other 

 cause seems to practically invite the localization of the morbid 

 process at that point, and thus what was at first a purely traumatic 



