PECULIAR TO HOESES. 79 



face with prnriginons eruptions, limited and circumscribed, some- 

 times isolated, occasionally confluent, in the form of red patches 

 covered with papula3 and vesicles, which become encrusted with 

 bi'ovvnish-yellow scabs, beneath which purulent deposits formed. In 

 consequence of the violent pruritis attending this disease, it was 

 believed to be scabies or itch by the people, and though in many 

 houses individuals were aftected, they were ashamed to confess it, 

 and it was with great difficulty that Papa collected information on 

 the subject; but having gained the confidence of the latter, the peo- 

 ple more freely related their cases to him. The first to be affected, 

 were those entrusted with dressing the diseased animals. The parts 

 first attacked were the articular regions, about the forearm, arm, 

 face, and rarely the lower limbs. 



Papa describes one of many cases of direct contagion. It occurred 

 in a lad of sixteen, who had jumped on the bare back of an affected 

 horse to take it to a watering place. Two days afterwards, on the 

 inside of the thighs and legs, from the pubis to the calf of the leg, 

 there was extreme pruritis. The skin became of reddish-brown 

 color, and vesicles full of a yellowish lymph formed, which gave way 

 to vesicular patches or scabs, rough to the touch, first isolated, and 

 afterwards confluent. 



The transmission occurred from horse to horse, horse to man, and 

 from man to man ; in fact, persons who never touched an affected 

 horse, were infected from individuals they came in contact with. A 

 soldier having arrived in perfect health from his regiment, slept with 

 his brother who suffered from the disease, and became afiected. The 

 wives of carters not only took the disease, but communicated it to 

 their sucking infants. 



WATERING HORSES. 



Although few persons pay proper attention to this department of 

 stable management, yet a little reflection will prove of how much 

 importance it is, that the horse should be supplied with such water 

 as is most palatable to him. Horses have a great aversion to what 

 is termed hard water, and have been known to turn away from the 

 filthy stuff found in the troughs of some of our stables : the water 

 of wells and pumps in our seaport towns is usually hard, and pos- 

 sesses a degree of coldness not at all congenial with the palate oi 

 the animal. The intense coldness of well water, in the summer 

 months, has been known to gripe, and produce spasmodic colic, 

 injuring the animal in other ways. 



Pure water will never hurt a horse, if given to him at proper 

 times and in small quantities ; the English grooms generally water 

 from a bucket three times, daily ; water given in this manner 

 scarcely, if ever, does harm ; but let a horse be driven hard, and 

 then allow him to go to the trough and imbibe water, ad libitum^ 

 more than he actually needs, the same may prove injurious, and 

 result in some disease known as '•'• founder P The latter clause is in 

 accordance with the popular theories of the day, which are always 

 open to argument. Hence, we shall now examine into the merits oi 

 the case. 



