EEVERS. 137 



Are we, however, to regard the cold stage as imperative to 

 the existence of fever ? Does not observation, both in human 

 and veterinary medicine, tend to a different conclusion? 



Nature and Seat of Fever. — Heat of body appears to 

 have given origin to the appellation oi fever ; like other 

 diseases, its designation has been derived from a single 

 symptom. Medical inquiry has discovered that the body is 

 never heated without the pulse being accelerated ; and that 

 the latter result is quickly followed, if not preceded, by de- 

 rangement in the functions. For which reason these two 

 concomitant alterations have been added to the definition of 

 fever. But these symptoms have only been allowed to con- 

 stitute fever so long as no determinate disease was present ; 

 for, whenever such is the case, the symptoms are said to be- 

 long to the disorder, and not to indicate fever. In fine, 

 fever is an assemblage of such symptoms without being re- 

 ferable to any discoverable organic disease ; hence some 

 have contended that fever had no particular seat; others 

 have maintained that, were our science perfect, fever would 

 be found to have a local habitation. Indeed, there are 

 those who have gone so far as to assign a seat to fever ; 

 though they have not agreed concerning the spot where it is 

 located. Broussais derives fever from disordered stomach 

 and bowels. Dr. Clutterbuck, with more reason, assigns its 

 origin to the brain. From what has been said, one would 

 feel inclined to regard fever as a term under which medical 

 men were in the habit of screening their ignorance. As we 

 become more enlightened fevers seem to diminish in number ; 

 and a day may arrive when we shall trace disease to its source^ 

 or have no disorder left that can be called fever. 



Fever in Horses. — The question for our consideration, 

 then, appears to be, whether fever has existence in horses ; if 

 so, whether it can be traced to its source. That heat of 

 body, accelerated pulse, and functional disorder, are to be 

 found in horses as in men, no one will attempt to dispute : 

 it remains, therefore, to inquire, if these symptoms admit of 

 being referred to organic disease. Will any qualified person 

 say that he never met these symptoms but in connexion with 



