DISEASES OF THE CONJUNCTIVA 69 



ophthalmia. Law says, ''Moller records a widespread 

 epidemic of gonorrheal ophthalmia in dogs in Berlin 

 and environs in 1883." As a rule, animals seem to be 

 exempt from infection of the gonorrheal pus of man, 

 though Frohner succeeded in infecting the eye of a dog 

 from such a source. Horses, dogs, cattle, sheep, and 

 swine are susceptible to purulent ophthalmia. 



Crowded and filthy conditions are, as a rule, the 

 cause, and if pyogenic organisms find their way into the 

 eye the chances are a purulent conjunctivitis will follow, 

 as there is no better medium for the development of such 

 bacteria. 



Cases may be sporadic, though epidemics occur 

 among animals in closely crowded quarters. One ani- 

 mal may be the cause of the infection of a whole herd, 

 as hundreds of cattle have been attacked in a few days 

 through the introduction of one case among them. 



In cases of the so-called "enzootic ophthalmia" 

 animals are said to be exempt from succeeding attacks, 

 probably from an estabKshed immunity. 



The symptoms, at first, resemble an acute catarrhal 

 conjunctivitis, but soon the true nature of the case is 

 manifest by the presence of pus, which is thin and 

 mucoid at first, but later it becomes thick and greenish- 

 yellow in color. The swelling of the conjunctiva and 

 lids is often so intense that it is difficult to separate the 

 Hds sufficiently to examine the eye properly. 



If the disease is not controlled the corneal epithelium 



