]22 



THE HORSE. 



school at Toulouse, gives a most singular account of this. He says that 

 out of eight hundred cases of glanders that canrie under his notice, pnly 

 one was affected in the right nostril. 



This discharge, in cases of infection, may continue, and in so slight a 

 degree as to be scarcely perceptible, for many weeks or months before 

 the health and capabilities of the horse seem to be injured. It will 

 remain for a long time almost transparent, yet gluey ; and then it will 

 begin to be mingled with pus ; retaining, however, its sticky character, 

 and being rarely offensive in the early stages. The constant flow of 

 lliis seoelion, and its stickiness, with the absence of cough either before 

 or during the discharge, will be the only symptoms. In process of time, 

 however, pus mingles with the discharge, and then another and a char- 

 acteristic symptom appears. Some of this is absorbed, and the neighbour- 

 ing glands become affected ; and, if there be a discharge from both nostrils, 

 the glands within the under jaw will be on both sides enlarged. If the 

 discharge be from one nostril only, the swelled gland will be found on 

 that side alone. Glanders, however, will frequently exist at an early stage 

 without these swelled glands, and some other diseases, as catarrh, wil 

 produce them. Then we must look out for some peculiarity about these 

 glands, and we shall readily find it. The swelling may be at first some- 

 what large and diffused, but the surrounding enlargement soon goes off, 

 and one or two small distinct glands i-emain ; and they are not in the centre 

 of the channel, but adhere closely to the jaw on the affected side. 



The membrane of the nose may now be examined, and will materiall)- 

 guide our opinion. It will either be of a dark purplish hue, or almost of 

 a leaden colour, or of any shade between the two ; or, if there be some of 

 the redness of inflammation, it will have a purple tinge ; but there will 

 never be the faint pink blush of health, or the intense and vivid red of usual 

 inflammation. Spots of ulceration will probably appear on the membrane 

 covering the cartilage of the nose — not simple sore places, or streaks of 

 abrasion and quite superficial, but small ulcers usually approaching to a 

 circular form, deep, with the edges abrupt and prominent. When these 

 appearances are observed, there can be no doubt about the matter. Care 

 should be taken, however, to ascertain that these ulcers do actually exist, 

 for spots of mucus adhering to the membrane have been more than once 

 taken for them. The finger should, if possible, be passed over the sup- 

 posed ulcer, to determine whether it can be wiped away ; and it should be 

 recollected, as we have already hinted, when describing the duct that 

 conveys the tears to the nose, that the orifice of that duct, just within the 

 nostril, and on the inner side of it, has been mistaken for a cancerous ulcer. 

 This orifice is on the continuation of the common skin of the muzzle which 

 runs a little way up the nostril, while the ulcer of glanders is on the proper 

 membrane of the nose above ; and the line of separation between the two 

 is evident on the sliglitest inspection. 



It is proper to state that this discharge has continued unattended by any 

 other disease, or even by ulceration of the nostril for two or three years, 

 and yet the horse was decidedly glandered from the beginning, and capable 

 of propagating the malady. 



When ulcers on the membrane of the nose have appeared, the constitu- 

 tion will be evidently affected. The horse will lose flesh; his belly will 

 be tucked up; his coat will be unthrifty, and readily come off ; cough will 

 be heard ; the appetite will be impaired ; the strength will fail ; tlie dis- 

 charge from the nose will grow more purulent, discoloured, blooiy, stink 

 vng : the ulcers in the nose will be larger and more numerous ; and, thft 



