166 MANUAL OF EQUINE MEDICINE. 



Iodide of ethyl, used as an inhalation, is well worthy of 

 trial. 



BROKEN "WIND. — Definition. — Is a nervous, inflamma- 

 tory disease, characterized by difficult and spasmodic breath- 

 ing, the inspiratory act being easily performed, the expir- 

 atory being very prolonged, and accomplished by two 

 apparent efforts. 



The dyspnoea is constant, and though marked by remis- 

 sions and exacerbations, is not truly intermittent, as in 

 asthma, and the cough, spoken of as the 'broken-winded 

 cough,' is short and nervous. 



Indigestion, flatulence and ^ cardiac disease sometimes 

 aggravate the dyspnoea. 



Nature and Etiology. — The exact nature of broken wind 

 is still a disputed point. 



According to Professor Gamgee, broken wind is at first a 

 purely nervous aff"ection, dependent on an unhealthy con- 

 dition of the digestive organs, and the pathological lesions 

 are to be attributed to the effects of the nervous disease, 

 which especially involves the pneumogastrics. He further 

 attributes the condition of the digestive organs them- 

 selves to improper dieting, or to constitutional predisposition 

 to indigestion and tympanitis. 



With this view we entirely agree. 



According to others, the manifestations of the disease are 

 held to be pimanly due to emphysema, and other structural 

 changes in the lungs. Now, although pulmonary emphy- 

 sema together with alteration in the tissue of the air-cells 

 are found in very many instances of broken wind, it must 

 nevertheless be borne in mind that these changes are by 

 no means always present, for in some cases there is no 

 evidence of emphysema or other structural pulmonary 

 lesion after death. 



And again, it is noteworthy that pulmonary emphysema, 



