ALBUMINOUS URINE. 481 



his loins under too heavy weight in the riding-school. With 

 a view of shedding some additional light upon his case, I 

 desired that some of his urine might be caught ; and this 

 circumstance it was that at once unravelled the nature of 

 the disease of which he was the subject. The urine proved 

 to be light-coloured, but very thick in its consistence ; in 

 fact, it was, when poured into a glass, very much like so 

 much melted calf s-foot jelly. I lost no time in consulting 

 some of our best works on human medicine on the subject, 

 and soon learned that the case must be on^ of '^ serous or 

 albuminous urine," a conclusion in which I became after- 

 wards confirmed by the application to the fluid of the usual 

 tests. Since this I have noticed two other cases. 



The Symptoms observed in one slight case were, a con- 

 tinual desire in the horse to stretch himself out in his stall, 

 and in this position to continue, with his fore legs extended 

 under the manger and his hind ones backward, unless dis- 

 turbed, all day long ; not for the purpose of staling, but ap- 

 parently because that posture seemed an easy or a comfortable 

 one to him. In another case, the horse stood in his stall 

 " all of a heap," with his back I'oached and his hind legs ad- 

 vanced underneath his body. Led out, the animal in his 

 gait evinces stiffness in the back and loins, which is most 

 manifest in turning round. There is some fever attendant; 

 but this, in a slight case, will but amount* to some heat of 

 mouth and acceleration of pulse, without materially affecting, 

 perhaps, either the spirits or the appetite. In a severe at- 

 tack, however, there will be rigors, and a great deal of 

 irritation, manifested by accelerated respiration, by loud 

 blowing or puffing at the nostrils, by anxious countenance, 

 and small quick pulse ; combined with extreme disincli- 

 nation to move, and great pain and difficulty in progressing 

 and turning the hind parts. The bowels are commonly 

 confined. 



The state of the urine, however, must constitute our diag- 

 nosis. The groom must seize the earliest opportunity to 

 collect some. Should it prove albuminous, it will assume a 

 deep or dead straw-colour, and be found of the consistence 



II. 31 



