SYMPTOMS 61 



flamed back may heal promptly. It is, there- 

 fore, advisable to withhold an opinion about 

 the seriousness of harness sores until the be- 

 havior of the swelling and of the discharge 

 can be noted. As a rule, however, a sore that 

 exposes the ligament, and especially if the 

 pain on palpation is excruciating and extends 

 along the back some distance from it, is one 

 to be viewed with suspicion. Painful subacute 

 diffuse swellings extending forward over the 

 summit of the withers are likewise incriminat- 

 ing. Both of these circumstances indicate an 

 extensive involvement of the ligament and un- 

 derlying bones right from the beginning that 

 is pretty sure to lead to a chronic inflammation 

 of these structures far beyond the original 

 focus — the harness sore. 



Sitfast of the collar seat, on the contrary, 

 develops into fistula without these threatening 

 external manifestations, and even without any 

 perceptible pain. It causes fistula by rooting 

 through the connective tissue of the mane into 

 the ligament almost unnoticed. It is only when 

 sequestration begins or when extirpation is 

 attempted that the depth and the seriousness 

 are determined. 



During this first stage of atypical fistula — 

 which in this case is the phlegmonous stage — 

 the patient is not stricken with illness as during 



