Rarefying Osteitis, etc. 587 



Examination of the urine gives valuable indications, though 

 the results obtained have been supposed to be contradictor}'. 

 While rarefaction of the bone is advancing rapidl}' the urine is 

 charged with an excess of phosphates in ratio with the activity 

 of the morbid process. When on the other hand the disease has 

 come to a standstill and the process of repair in the rarefied 

 bones has begun, the absence of phosphates is no less character- 

 istic. A patient therefore may show greatly enlarged and soft- 

 ened bones with persistent lameness, and yet the urine may 

 show little or no phosphate. The phosphaturia may, therefore, 

 be made the basis of a reasonable prognosis. Excess of phos- 

 phates indicates an active pathological process, with an uncer- 

 tain outcome, while the absence of phosphates indicates an arrest 

 of rarefaction and holds out good hope of recovery. 



I have long observed the same in cases of obstinate and in- 

 tractable spavins, splints, ringbones and other bone diseases. 

 Phosphaturia bespeaks a faulty nutrition of the bone and ex- 

 plains the failure of remedial measures, while lack of phosphates 

 in the urine, or a reduction to the normal amount is likely to be- 

 come a guarantee of improvement under local treatment. The 

 treatment however, must be first constitutional to correct the 

 condition of malnutrition and then local to correct the osteitis. 



Prevention and treatment. As in rachitis hygienic measures 

 give the most uniformly good results. The cliange of stable is 

 especially demanded from a cellar or basement stable, one with 

 joists laid on the ground or one with an earth floor saturated 

 with urinary and feculent products. In different cases an en- 

 zootic has been arrested, coincidentl}' with the removal of the 

 stock to the floor above, and in others with the removal of the 

 filth saturated earth Ijeneatli a ground floor, and the laying of a 

 new floor with ample space beneath for the free circulation of 

 air. In the same line would be thorough drainage of the site 

 and to carry off liquid manure to a well ventilated receptacle. 

 Exposure to cold and wet is to be sedulously avoided as greatly 

 favoring the onset of the disease, and hurrying the milder cases 

 into a fatal activity. Free air and sunshine are all important 

 and it is the universal experience that city cases taken early and 

 sent to dry, sunny pastures, mostly recover, or at least luidergo 

 marked amelioration. The fact that certain cases originate dur- 



