466 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



according to Girard, on occasions, an urinous odour : the 

 mouth is dry and hot; great thirst; constipated bowels. 



Chronic Nephritis. — I am inclined to think that 

 nephritis in a mild or sub-acute form exists in many in- 

 stances whereiuj from the trifling perceptible alterations 

 induced by it in the ordinary health of the animal, we are 

 apt either altogether to overlook the disease, or else to regard 

 it as too unimportant to notice. Horses are often brought 

 to us with complaints of difficulty or pain in staling ; of the 

 urine they pass being thick, or foul, or bloody; and which 

 horses probably may, on inquiry, be found to show some 

 stiflPness about the loins when first brought out of their stable, 

 though by use the parts quickly grow pliant again. And yet 

 in general way they exhibit every sign of health. With these 

 facts we may connect the circumstance of occasionally dis- 

 covering in horses, who have died from other causes, purulent 

 matter within the kidneys, and now and then disorgani- 

 zation of their substance, and without anything having 

 occurred during life to direct our attention to those organs. 



The Diagnostic Signs of acute nephritic disease are the 

 painful annoyances the animal is continually suffering from 

 the irritation created by continual desire to void urine, even 

 at times when he has none to discharge ; though in other 

 cases frequent dribbling discharges are taking place, which 

 serve to keep the animal quiet while the urine is running. 

 Symptoms which have more repute than reality perhaps, 

 such as, peculiarity of gait behind; tenderness upon the 

 loins ; indisposition to lie down, and pain and difficulty in 

 rising, are less deserving of notice. The quality of the urinary 

 discharges varies : sometimes they are thick and sedimentous ; 

 at others, thick and pungent ; at times, bloody ; always scanty. 

 These will serve to distinguish the complaint from gripes 

 and other painful disorders of the bowels : but these are not 

 sufficient of themselves to enable us to discriminate between 

 this and affections of the bladder. In cystitis, the same 

 incontinence of urine will show itself; but in this case the 

 discharges, though small, will collectively amount to as much 

 as they do in health, and moreover will consist of urine pos- 



