FARCV. 139 



FARCY. 



Causes. — General ill state of the blood, vulgarly, but most appropriately, 

 termed "corruption of all the humours of the body;" and, by prevalence oi 

 »he farcy buds in the course that the veins run, all over the surface of the body, 

 V.o doubt can exist that it resides in the blood. In fine, the original cause has 

 been already defined at the head of this class of diseases, to which the reader 

 who is fond of research would do well to turn back for a few minutes, at pages 

 129, &c. However, infection is frequently the immediate cause and (as ob- 

 served of the glanders) the animal will be afflicted more or less severely, as his 

 constitutional health may be sound or otherwise at the time of receiving the 

 infection. When this disease is engendered or created — which is easily 

 supposed to have happened at first, and capable of being so produced at the 

 present day, the blood being overcharged with oflfensive matters unfit for its 

 proper purpose, it becomes stagnated at the lymphatics which follow the course 

 of the veins (see Book 1. page 30), and these corrode the parts, inflame, and 

 appear on the surflice in the form of "buds." And 1 should feel surprise if 

 they do not also pervade the large glands of the viscera, though I have had no 

 opportunity of examining: such tumours on the skin of mankind have been 

 found similarly seated on the inner surfaces, on dissection. " I feel all 

 over as if pins were running into me, observed a patient; and so, poor fellow, 

 he might, for on dissection 1 found the same sort of tumours even on the 

 heart," said Mr. Abernethy in one of his lectures. As regards the horse, I 

 take this upon credit, and by analogy for a while, purposing to satisfy myself 

 more closely upon the first favourable opportunity that offers. 



A predisposition to farcy must exist in the system, for it is cured by means 

 of correctives of the blood; and its connexion with glanders has been proved, 

 for the one will produce the other by inoculation : and without it running at 

 the nose is one of the symptoms of farcy. A certain inability to perform its 

 ofl^ce, termed "debility," that leaves the finer vessels filled with the vital fluid, 

 which exercise might have carried off — is one main cause of farcy; and a sud- 

 den check by cold after exercise stops at once the perspiration, and the blood 

 that would otherwise be taken up, or absorded into the circulation, remains in 

 those fine vessels, as aforesaid. Hot and crov^ded stables relax the vessels, 

 and indeed the whole system, when sudden exposure to the air inflicts the 

 same evil I have just now contemplated. The reader may recollect, that 1 re- 

 ferred the cause of fever to the same want of ventilation, to the same exposure 

 *o cold air, and made the remark, that the state of the animal's bodily health 

 at the period of the attack would deternjine whether it should acquire this or 

 that particular disease; the quantity and kind of cold, or chill, would also de- 

 termine whether the horse should be afflicted with inflammation of a certain 

 part of his inside, or of his whole system, which we term fever. 



Symptoms. — Though too well known to be mistaken, we yet may describe 

 them, as, in the first place — skin tight and dry, for want of perspiration, as 

 ^ust said, when some swelling is perceivable about the hind legs, and on the 

 msides particularly. This symptom increases to an extremely large size in 

 the course of a night, when the genial heat of the animal's system, and of the 

 stable, appear to have matured the disease. The lymphatic vessels, and the 

 more perfect glands, that run in the same direction as the veins, rise above the 

 surface ; and it is easy to be seen that' they are sore when touched, the glands 

 in particular, which leel hot, light, and hard at first, similarly to the glands of 

 the throat, as described in the glanders. A few hours confirm the exact na 

 tureof the mischief; the inflammation of those glands proceeds, they become 

 SMitter, and each throws out an ichorous, unhealthy discharge. They are then 

 .ermed farcy buds. The edges have a chancrous apoearance which it ii 



