210 11 IE MODERN HORSE DOCTOR. 



reduced; this form of fever is called remittent. By remittent 

 fever is to be understood that modification of vital action which 

 rests or abates, but does not go entirely off before a fresh attack 

 ensues. It is evident in this case, also, that nature is busily en- 

 gaged in the work of establishing her empire ; but being more 

 exhausted, she occasionally rests from her labors. It would be 

 as absurd to expect that the most accurate definition of fever in 

 one animal would correspond in all its details with another case, 

 as to expect all animals to be alike. There are many names 

 given to fevers ; for example, we have milk or puerperal fever, 

 symptomatic, typhus, inflammatory, &c. Veterinary Surgeon 

 Percivall, in an article on fever, says, " We have no more reason 



— not near so much — to give fever a habitation in the abdomen, 

 than we have to enthrone it in the head ; but it would appear 

 from the full range of observation, that no part of the body can 

 be said to be unsusceptible of inflammation, (local fever,) though, 

 at the same time, no organ is invariably or exclusively affected." 



From this we learn that disease always attacks the weakest 

 organs. The same author continues, "All I wish to contend for 

 is, that both idiopathic and symptomatic fevers exhibit the same 

 form, character, species, and require the same general means of 

 cure ; and that, were it not for the local affection, it would be 

 difficult or impossible to distinguish between the one or the 

 other." 



Dr. White, V. S., says, " Some practitioners do not admit the 

 existence of fever in the horse as a primary disorder, [they are 

 sensible men,] but consider it as a symptom dependent on inter- 

 nal disease. Then why not attend to the internal disease, instead 

 of attempting to cure the fever? It would be a very difficult task 

 for us to convince mankind generally that fever does not require to 

 be treated as the real enemy ; for fevers are very fashionable dis- 

 eases, and it is a very easy matter to convince a man that his horse 

 has ' got a fever' and he is always willing to pay for its treatment." 



Mr. Blaine, V. S., refers only to three different kinds of fever 



— the common or simple fever, symptomatic fever, and malignant 

 epidemic fever. Mr. White, V. S., thus refers to fever : " The 

 fevers of horses (for it is of little importance whether we call 

 them fevers or inflammation) are generally connected with 



