272 DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



among horses than among neat cattle. In all animals we believe it to be 

 essentially the same disease : though seen in the slightest blush and the 

 deepest ulceration, in the different sizes of the pimples, the various 

 aspects of the skin, the numerous stages of ulceration, and the several 

 shades of redness, we may observe signs sufficient to lay the foundation 

 for the several varieties — the furfuraceous ; the sqiiamous ; the humid ,• 

 the C7^ustaceous ; the ulcerous. 



The Furfuraceous Variety is the least important of all, and never 

 runs into ulceration. It begins by an assemblage of pimples, often im- 

 perceptible to the naked eye, with a slight itching, followed by loss of 

 hair. The cuticle peels off in little scurfy flakes, resembling bran ; and^ 

 if it be washed off, exposes the reddened cutis underneath. The diseased 

 places exhibit a circular figure, and have prominent borders, manifesting 

 little exudation, unless at the beginning. They occupy such parts as en- 

 velop bones ; the prominences of the head, the points of the elbows, the 

 sides, the haunches, &c. This variety is more frequent than others, and 

 occasionally exists in combination with mange. It does not appear to 

 affect the general health. Animals seem to enjoy even a better appetite, 

 a circumstance explicable by sympathetic stimulation upon the digestion. 



The Second Variety affects dogs in particular. 



The Third Variety consists in pimples, flattened, and so small, as to 

 be hardly discoverable : these burst, and discharge a matter that forms 

 incrustations of a greyish or yellowish cast. Ulceration frequently 

 ensues from puriform matter collecting underneath the incrustations. 

 This variety is of tedious duration. 



The Fourth, or Ulcerous Variety, has been observed in dogs. 



Although we have little to apprehend from tetter, it often turns out an 

 intractable disorder ; and especially when it has grown inveterate through 

 negligence. It is ascribed to a variety of causes, constitutional and 

 local. It is apt to appear in the spring and autumn among horses that 

 have suffered from bad keep ; and will attack many at a time. 



Treatment. — Unacquainted as we are with the organic lesion to which 

 tetter owes its existence, we have nothing to offer by way of treatment. 

 All our " remedies " are empirical. It is rarely they succeed. We must 

 attend to the general health of the animal, and take care the skin is 

 washed with soap and water as often as required : without which the 

 dressings cannot take proper effect. Should the places exhibit inflam- 

 matory action, we must foment. Sulphur ointment, empyreumatic oils, 

 &c., may be tried. The ulcerous tetter is the worst to treat. Should 

 not lime-water, or any stimulants succeed, we must have recourse to the 

 actual cautery. At the Alfort Veterinary School, good effects have been 

 derived from the use of the liquor plumbi, in combination with nitric 

 acid. 



