DISEASES OF THE HOESE. 497' 



the pulse, acceleration of respiration, dry skin, diminished secretions^ 

 etc., must be considered as an indication of organic disturbance. 



This organic disturbance may be the result of local inflammation or 

 other irritants acting through the nerves on nerve centers; alterations 

 of the blood, in which a poison is carried to the nerve centers, or direct 

 irritants to the nerve centers themselves, as in cases of heat stroke.-, 

 injury to the brain, etc. 



The treatment of fever depends upon its cause. One of the impor- 

 tant factors in treatment is absolute quiet. This may be obtained by- 

 placing a sick horse in a box stall, away from other animals and 

 extraneous noises, and sheltered from excessive light and drafts of air,.. 

 Anodynes, belladonna, hyoscyamus, and opium act as antipjn-etics^ 

 simply by quieting the nervous system. As an irritant exists in the 

 blood in most cases of fever, any remed}^ which will favor the excre- 

 tion of foreign elements from it will diminish this cause. We there- 

 fore employ diaphoretics to stimulate the sweat and excretions from.' 

 the skin; diuretics to favor the elimination of matter by the kidneysp; 

 cholagogues and laxatives to increase the action of the liver and intes- 

 tines, and to drain from these important organs all the waste materiaF- 

 which is aiding to choke up and congest their rich plexuses of blood' 

 vessels. The heart becomes stimulated to increased action at the out- 

 set of a fever, but this does not indicate increased strength; on the-- 

 contrary, it indicates the action of an irritant to the heart that will soor?- 

 weaken it. It is therefore irrational to further depress the heart by; 

 the use of such di-ugs as aconite. It is better to strengthen the heart 

 and to favor the elimination of the substance that is irritating it. The - 

 increased blood pressure throughout the body may be diminished hy 

 lessening the quantity of blood. This is obtained in some cases with, 

 advantage where the disease is but starting and the animal is plethoric- 

 by direct abstraction of blood, as in bleeding from the jugular or other- 

 veins; or by derivatives, such as mustard, turpentine, or blisterg> 

 applied. to the skin; or by setons, which draw to the surface the fluid;; 

 of the blood, thereby lessening its volume, without having the disad- 

 vantage of impoverishing the elements of the blood found in bleeding... 

 Antip^a-etics given by the mouth and cold applied to the skin are most, 

 useful in many cases. 



When the irritation Avhichis the cause of fever is a specific one, either- 

 in the form of bacteria (living organisms), as in glanders, tuberculosis^, 

 influenza, septicemia, etc., or in the form of a foreign element, as in 

 rheumatism, gout, hemaglobinuria, and other so-called diseases of- 

 nutrition, we employ remedies which have been found to have a direct 

 specific action on them. Among the specific remedies for various^ 

 diseases are counted quinine, carbolic acid, salicylic acid, antipyrine,.. 

 mercury, iodine, the empyreumaticoils, tars, resins, aromatics, sulphur,. 

 and a host of other drugs, some of which are ad hoc and others of whick- 

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