GENERAL DISEASES. DD 



It is said to be absent in Australia, and rare in India, 

 except when imported. It is mostly a disease of temperate 

 climes, and is well known in Norway and Java. The form 

 of the malady usually met with in this country is chronic 

 glanders. 



Contagion. — The contagium is present in many of the 

 secretions and in the blood of the diseased animal. It is 

 present in the greatest virulence in the discharges from the 

 ulcers and nose. 



Inoculation. — The disease is developed when infected 

 material is given either in the water, or the food, or in the 

 form of a bolus. The disease may be communicated by 

 inoculating an abraded surface of the skin, or by injecting 

 the virus into the blood-vessels. 



Incubation. — The period of incubation varies. Most 

 writers state it at three to seven days. It is, however, 

 probable that it may sometimes greatly exceed this limit. 



Varieties. — Acute and chronic glanders; acute and 

 chronic farcy. 



Etiology. — It is difficult to ascertain in what way the 

 contagium gains access to the system. It is almost certainly 

 due to some definite materies morbi, which will probably 

 prove to be some form of bacterium (vide Chap. III.). 



Horses which have been subjected to debilitating causes, 

 as bad sanitary conditions, overwork, improper food, are 

 especially susceptible to this malady. 



Symptoms of Acute Glanders. — The febrile symptoms 

 are very marked. Kigors may be persistent. The tempera- 

 ture rises rapidly to 105°, and may even reach 107° or 108°. 

 It remains elevated for a variable number of days. The 

 pulse is rapid, feeble, and sometimes fluttering, and its 

 volume is diminished. The respirations are accelerated; 

 the urine, especially when the fever is declining, is some- 

 times pale, increased in amount, and albuminous. The 



