THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT OF FARCY. 347 



So far as relates to the constitutional nature of farcy — it being 

 in that respect identical with glanders, or rather one and the same 

 disease as glanders — it is no more curable than glanders itself is: 

 when we say we havQ " cured" a case of farcy, we mean we have 

 succeeded in driving back or away the local disease ; we have 

 subdued the inflammation, reduced or dispersed the buds and 

 swellings, and healed the ulcers — in fact, rendered the animal fit to 

 resume his work ; and so long as his constitution remains un- 

 affected by the virus, and no fresh eruption makes its appea,rance, 

 the horse may continue at work, and appear as though he were 

 cured — if not in reality so. It must, however, be borne in mind — at 

 all events, for some considerable time afterwards — that a relapse is 

 not an unlikely occurrence, and that it is possible, if not probable, 

 for him, at some future period, to end his days through glanders. 



In the absence of any internal remedy which will act as a spe- 

 cific against farcy — counteracting, neutralizing, or expelling the 

 virus — we have recourse to remedies of an ordinary kind, and 

 place a good deal of dependence upon such as are local or topical 

 in their operation. In so far as inflammation constitutes a leading 

 feature of the disease, there can be no doubt but that an antiphlo- 

 gistic plan is proper at the commencement of an attack of farcy. 

 When a horse is brought with one of his hind limbs enormously 

 swollen, hot and tense, and tender to pressure, and evincing evi- 

 dent pain and lameness, no veterinarian of any experience would 

 hesitate a moment to bleed and purge. Could blood be drawn 

 from the farcied limb, there can be no question about its being 

 preferable to general blood-letting, as well on account of the better 

 effect it would have on the limb as on account of the saving of 

 strength to the animal, constitutionally : since, however, this can- 

 not in the horse be put into practice — leeches and cupping-glasses 

 proving inapplicable, and opening a vein in the diseased parts 

 being highly inadvisable — we are forced to abstract blood from 

 the neck or some remote part, to have an effect produced on the 

 diseased limb through the medium of the system ; and this is a 

 great disadvantage we labour under, because while by the reduc- 

 tion of the constitutional powers we are benefitting the diseased 

 part, we are, perhaps, thereby doing injury to the general system. 



