CHAPTER LXIX. 



SPOEADIC BISY.ASES— continued. 



LOCAL DISEASES— continued. 



(li.) DISEASES OF THE KIDKEYS— continued. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS— NEPHRITIS. 



A RARE disease in the lower animals, but in human medicine it 

 is described under three heads, namely — Suppurativa., Interstitial, 

 and Tubal. Except from the irritation of a calculus, suppurative 

 nephritis — pyelitis — is a very rare form of disease in the lower 

 animals. I have, however, met with a few cases wliere it has 

 arisen independently of such source of irritation. In one case 

 (a cow) it was associated with inflammation of the urino-genital 

 mucous membranes, consequent upon difficult parturition; indeed 

 it seemed to be due more to the absorption of infective materials 

 from the inflamed mucous membranes, which discharged a foetid, 

 purulent material very profusely, than to an extension of the 

 inflammation. The next case was that of a foal two diys old, 

 which had died from acute suppurative arthritis. A post moi'tem 

 examination revealed not only the presence of pus in the tissues 

 surrounding the articulations, but sundry purulent points in 

 the kidneys, the pus in which being more or less inspissated 

 or caseous. 



I look upon this case as important, as to some extent it sup- 

 ports the view that " joint disease " occurring in young animals 

 is not always a primary disease, but secondary to the formation 

 of pus in other parts of the organism. Generally, however, 

 nephritis embraces all the structures of the kidneys, often 

 commencing in the mucous membrane of the uriniferous tubes, 

 afterwards involving the parenchyma, and terminating in resolu- 



