248 MANUAL OF EQUINE MEDICINE. 



External applications, such as stimulating liniments 

 or warm-water fomentations, are recommended by some 

 authorities in the treatment of cases of congestion. 



In order to prevent the recurrence of these affections of 

 the liver, the diet should be limited and regular exercise 

 should be enjoined. 



HEPATITIS— INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER. 



Hepatitis {h'^rap, the liver ; itis), or inflammation of the 

 liver, may involve the capsule (Glisson's capsule), and its 

 prolongations into the tissue of the gland, or it may affect 

 the secreting structures of the organ. 



1. Inflammation of the Capsule of the Liver. — Peri-hepa- 

 titis. — This disease is occasionally met with as a sequel or 

 accompaniment of pleurisy, and sometimes it may follow 

 inflammation of the peritoneum. 



This disease cannot be diagnosed during life. 



2. Inflammation of the Gland Tissue — Hepatitis. — In- 

 flammation of the glandular structure is rarely met with 

 in the horse. It may occur in a localized or in a diffused 

 form, and its causes are in many cases similar to those of 

 congestion. 



In hot countries it assumes an epizootic form, especially 

 about the end of summer, and it is almost always connected 

 with disease of the other abdominal organs (Gamgee). 

 Hepatitis is very difficult to diagnose with certainty from 

 acute congestion. 



Localized hepatic inflammation, terminating in the forma- 

 tion of abscess, is rare in the horse, but secondary abscesses 

 are frequently formed in the liver in pyaemia, and may be 

 very numerous. 



It seems probable that some cases described as hepatitis 

 are in reality instances of active congestion of the liver. 



