426 DISEASES OF THE PERITONEUM. 



stance, both become tlie subjects of disease, and it is difficult 

 to say which is attacked first or suffers most. 



Dropsy from Debility. — The same dropsies may be en- 

 gendered apart from inflammation — in apparent connexion, 

 indeed, with debility : a practical fact to which our attention 

 has been particularly drawn by Mr. Brown, V.S., Melton 

 Mowbray, who has given an excellent paper on the subject 

 to ^The Veterinarian^ for 1832, from which I shall here 

 cull some extracts : 



Spontaneous Anasarca — the name Mr. Brown has given 

 to this form of the disease — usually attacks, he says, one and 

 two-year old colts grazing during the winter season in wet, 

 poor, moory land, which accounts for its prevalence in Lin- 

 colnshire. With a view of preventing it, it is the custom 

 there to take such colts up for the month of August, and 

 feed them during the time, exclusively, on dry provender. 

 The first symptoms of the disease are — swellings of the 

 legs, sheath, belly, and lips, and, finally, the eyelids; such 

 tumefactions being soft and pitting, but not very sensitive. 

 The breath and excretions manifest a peculiar odour. The 

 animal turns sluggish and depressed ; loathes his food ; sel- 

 dom lies down : his respiration becomes accelerated ; his 

 pulse feeble. To these primary symptoms succeed loss of 

 flesh and prostration of strength ; short and difficult respira- 

 tion, with frequent and indistinct pulse ; diarrhoea : whicli 

 last, once established, carries the animal off in despite of all 

 remedy. 



The Treatment pursued by Mr. Brown is, to take the 

 colt up, and give him a roomy box to run in ; to scarify his 

 swellings, and foment them either with simple water or a 

 decoction of oak-bark — the sheath being supported all the 

 while by suspension from the loins ; or stimulate them with 

 embrocations or blisters ; and to exhibit internally vegetable 

 tonics combined with diuretics, and allow a liberal diet. 

 Should the bowels become constipated, small doses of aloes 

 may be given ; otherwise, both purging and bloodletting, Mr. 

 Brown assures us, are " contra-indicated." We should feel 

 inclined to doubt the policy of refusing to set such influen- 



