PECULIAR TO HORSES. 87 



FARCY. 



Authorities define Farcy to be a disease of the lymphatic vessels, 

 making its appearance in the form of circular swellings, termedyarcy 

 buds, which terminate in a discharge and ulceration. 



Symptoms. — The horse usually exkibits some symptoms of a 

 deranged condition ; sometimes, however, scarcely noticeable, at 

 others very apparent. The horse is not in his usual spirits, appears 

 dull, and does not partake of food with his accustomed relish. Some 

 horses will have feOrlle symptoms, pulse quicker than natural, mouth 

 hot, urine high-colored, &c. ; others are suddenly attacked with a 

 swollen leg. Horses often become suddenly lame in one of the hind 

 extremities. Mr. Percival remarks : " I have known horses so lame 

 from farcy, before the disease had in any local or characteristic form 

 declared itself, tliat shoes have been removed, and feet searched, 

 &c., to discover the cause and seat of lameness, no suspicion having 

 existed, at the time, that farcy was present in the animal's system. 

 It may so happen, however, that none of these preliminary symptoms 

 are observed or observable ; that, on the contrary, farcy at once 

 develops in an attack on some locality — most probably one hind 

 limb. Indeed, so sudden, sharp, and severe are attacks of farcy in 

 some instances, that in the course of one night the horse's limb will 

 be swollen to a frightful size, so as to incapacitate him almost from 

 turning in his stall and walking out of the stable. 



" Ordinarily the development of farcy plainly accounts for the 

 halting or lameness ; now and then, howevei", the lameness appears 

 without any ostensible cause. 



" Viewing the affected limb from behind, we perceive a fulness on 

 the inside of the thigh, along the course of the femoral vein ; and 

 the application of our finger to this will immediately detect a corded, 

 nodous swelling, which has been happily enough, in the sensation it 

 conveys to our feel, compared to a ' cord with so tnavy knots tied in 

 it.'' This is at once declarative of a disease in the lymphatic vessels 

 of the presence of farcy. 



" Tracing the cord upward from its place of origin, which com- 

 monly is above the hock, the hand is carried into the groin, and there 

 discovers a lobnlated tumor, a swelling of the inguinal glands, which 

 may, without impropriety, be called a bubo ; sometimes, however, the 

 bubo does not make its appearance until after the full development 

 of the cord. 



" Farcy does not at all times make its attack in this open and un- 

 ambiguous form ; on occasions it presents itself in a shape so insid- 

 ious, that at first we hardly suspect it to be farcy, unless there happen 

 to be present circumstances to induce suspicion of its existence. 

 Sometimes one of tlie limbs, most likely the hind, will swell below 

 instead of above the hock, and the swelling will increase around the 

 fetlock, and an abscess will form there. In other cases, blotches or 

 isolated pustvdes will break out upon the limbs, more likely upon the 

 inner than tlie outer side of them, or upon the body, or upon the 

 shoulders, neck, breast, or quarters ; and these will break and dis- 

 charge among the hair, clothing those parts with an ichorous or 

 dirty-looking, thin puriform matter." 



