136 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



divided into three continuous compartments by two thin, scroll like 

 turbinated bones. 



The mucous membrane lining the nasal chambers, and in fact 

 the entire respiratory tract, is much more delicate and more fre- 

 quently diseased than the mucous membrane of any other part of 

 the body. The sinuses of the head are compartments which com- 

 municate with the nasal chambers and are lined with a continuation 

 of the same membrane that lines the nasal chambers; their pres- 

 ence increases the volume and modifies the form of the head without 

 increasing its weight. The horse, in a normal condition, breathes 

 exclusively through the nostrils. The organs of respiration are 

 more liable to disease than the organs connected with any other 

 function of the animal, and, as many of the causes can be avoided, 

 it is both important and profitable to know and study the causes. 



CAUSES OF DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY ORGANS. 



The causes of many of the diseases of these organs may be 

 given under a common head, because even a simple cold, if neg- 

 lected or badly treated, may run into the most complicated lung 

 disease and terminate fatally. In the spring and fall, when the 

 animals are changing their coats, there is a marked predisposition 

 to contract disease, and consequently care should be taken at those 

 periods to prevent other exciting causes. 



Badly ventilated stables are a frequent source of disease. It is 

 a mistake to think that country stables necessarily have purer air 

 than city stables. Stables on some farms are so faultily constructed 

 that it is almost impossible for the foul air to gain an exit. All 

 stables should have a sufficient supply of pure air, and be so ar- 

 ranged that strong drafts can not blow directly on the animals. In 

 ventilating a stable, it is best to arrange to remove air from near 

 the floor and admit it through numerous small openings near the 

 ceiling. The reason for this is that the coldest and most impure air 

 in the stable is near the floor while that which is warmest and 

 purest, and therefore can least be spared is near the top of the room. 

 In summer, top exits and cross currents should be provided to re- 

 move excessive heat. Hot stables are almost always poorly venti- 

 lated, and the hot stable is a cause of disease on account of the 

 extreme change of temperature that a horse is liable to when taken 

 out, and extreme changes of temperature are to be avoided as cer- 

 tain causes of disease. 



A cold, close stable is invariably damp, and is to be avoided as 

 much as the hot, close, and foul stable. Horses changed from a 

 cold to a warm stable are more liable to contract cold than when 

 changed from a warm to a cold stable. Pure air is more essential 

 than warmth, and this fact should be especially remembered when 

 the stable is made close and foul to gain the warmth. It is more 

 economical to keep the horse warm with blankets than to prevent 

 the ingress of pure air in order to make the stable warm. 



Stables should be well drained and kept clean. Some farmers 

 allow large quantities of manure to accumulate in the stable. This 

 is a pernicious practice, as the decomposing organic matter evolves 



