Introduction to the Study of Disease 



ing of disease, but veterinarians do not always 

 attach a great deal of significance to it, especially 

 in cattle, dogs, sheep, etc., because of the restless 

 nature of these animals, and the difficulty ex- 

 perienced in the interpretation of the various 

 morbid phenomena consequent upon disease. 

 Again a large amount of practical experience 

 is indispensable in order to appreciate the changes 

 brought about by disease. In order to feel the 

 pulse it is essential that the wall of the artery 

 should have a hard background to compress the 

 vessel-wall against, and impart sensation to the 

 fingers, the first and second of which are usually 

 employed. It is a popular but fallacious error to 

 believe that the pulse can only be felt in a par- 

 ticular artery, and veterinary surgeons sometimes 

 resort to very different situations of the animal's 

 body in order to ascertain the state of the pulsa- 

 tions. The most convenient situation to feel the 

 pulse of the horse is at the artery winding round 

 the lower jaw, which can readily be felt beneath 

 the skin by rolling the finger along the lower 

 jaw, immediately below the cheek and slightly 

 to the inner side. The animal must be kept 

 perfectly still for this purpose and the tips of the 

 index and second finger pressed lightly upon the 

 wall of the vessels, counting each rise and fall as 

 one beat. The number of pulsations in a given 

 time, although of some value in the elucidation 

 of disease, is quite secondary to the character of 

 c xxi 



