The Vet. Book 



thus, an ox, when affected with some chest 

 complaint, commonly assumes the recumbent 

 attitude, whereas the horse has a preference for 

 the standing attitude ; the dog sits upon its 

 haunches with its fore limbs outstretched during 

 respiratory complaints, all of which attitudes are 

 assumed for the purposes of taking advantage of 

 the auxiliary muscles which are brought into play 

 when the animal is labouring under defective lung 

 aeration. Again, a horse with fever in the feet 

 endeavours to throw the weight of its body off its 

 pedal extremities. It will, if the fore feet are 

 affected, throw them as far forward as possible, 

 whereas if the hind ones are implicated, they are 

 thrown as far under the belly as possible. The 

 significance of attitude in relation to disease, must 

 not be over-estimated and has no .pathognomonic 

 significance. 



The Pulse 



What is the pulse ? It is a series of undul- 

 ations in the wall of an artery in response to an 

 afflux of blood from the heart, and each pulsation 

 or beat corresponds to the contraction of the heart. 

 This is the so called "Arterial pulse" and there 

 should be no pulsation in the veins or capillaries, 

 — the last-named being a sort of breakwater system 

 interposed between the arteries and the veins. 

 The pulse constitutes a useful aid in the diagnos- 



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