NEPHRITIS. 466 



plaints, may bring it on. The presence of calculous matters 

 in the kidneys would doubtlessly be apt to excite inflamma- 

 tion in them : but that is, at least in horses, but a remote 

 contingency. Suppressed perspiration is generally ranked 

 among the causes of nephritis ; some add, suppressed erup- 

 tions, evacuations, issues, &c. It would seem also as though 

 inflammation might be propagated from the bladder, along 

 the ureters, to them. After all, however, nephritis, in the 

 acute or painful form, is, as I before observed, but a somewhat 

 rare disease. 



The Symptoms of acute nephritis are such as indicate great 

 pain and suffering. The animal is continually up and down, 

 looking every minute back at his flank, staling, or trying 

 to do so, continually ; and this leads at once to the sus- 

 picion of irritation or disease of the urinary organs. The 

 case may, perhaps, after a time, exhibit characteristic symp- 

 toms, such as an awkward, stifi", straddling gait, with the hind 

 quarters ; standing with the hind legs stretched apart, and 

 with the back reached or '^ stuck up -,'' unwillingness to turn 

 about or round in the stall ; flinching from pressure upon the 

 loins ; though all, or even any of these symptoms, are not uni- 

 formly present : the leading symptom being the disorder of the 

 urinary function. Sometimes the urinary discharge is alto- 

 gether suppressed, though oftener reduced to small and fre- 

 quent evacuations which are pale, though at times high- 

 coloured, and pungent, perhaps bloody, or it may be 

 like whey in appearance, from the presence of albumen or 

 purulent matter ; continually making efibrts to stale, groan- 

 ing and straining the while, squeezing out what amounts but 

 to a few drops : if the bladder be examined at this time, it 

 will be found nearly or quite empty. These symptoms are 

 accompanied by others, denoting the degree of irritation and 

 fever present, brought on by the extreme pain the auimal 

 endures : the pulse becomes quick and hard, and contracted ; 

 the horse paws with his fore, or stamps with his hind feet, and 

 will occasionally lie down. Now, he may heave at the flank ; 

 and at the same time perspire — the perspiration having, 



II. 30 



