214 MANUAL OF EQUINE MEDICINE. 



in the horse as an idiopathic affection, yet in most 

 instances it results from irritation of the gastric mucous 

 membrane. Sometimes it is an accompaniment of intes- 

 tinal disease. 



Irritation of the gastric mucous membrane is chiefly- 

 owing to dietetic errors. Under these circumstances it may 

 be due to impaction of the stomach, or be traceable to 

 constant dietetic mismanagement. 



Irritation of the mucous membrane may also be due to 

 the presence of foreign bodies in the stomach, or to the 

 ingestion of certain poisons. In influenza, and in some other 

 specific fevers, gastritis may accompany or follow after the 

 primary disease. 



The poisons which most frec[uently cause inflammation 

 of the stomach are arsenic, mercury, antimony, copper, 

 and sometimes lead salts. The foliage of some trees, as the 

 yew, may also cause gastritis. 



Symptoms. — When gastritis accompanies impaction of 

 the stomach, there are no diagnostic symptoms by which 

 these conditions may be distinguished. In most cases great 

 abdominal pain, acceleration of respiration, and a quick, 

 rather hard, wiry pulse are among the chief symptoms of 

 acute gastritis. 



For the special symptoms of the difl'ereiit poisons we 

 must refer the reader to the chapter on toxicology. 



Morbid Anatomy. — The changes in the mucous membrane 

 of the stomach vary in character and extent with the nature 

 of the cause. When following continued irritation induced 

 by dietetic errors, the mucous membrane is found to be 

 opaque, swollen, and congested. 



Treatment. — If acute gastritis be diagnosed, we should 

 endeavour, in the first place, to ascertain the cause. If 

 any poison has been administered, it will be necessary to 

 treat the inflammation in accordance with the nature 



