20 CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS. 



also often injured. In such cases the veterinarian must ex- 

 ercise care and judgment and call the owner's attention to anv 

 existing danger. 



Although the main points in the anamnesis should be de- 

 termined before we begin our objective examination, other 

 questions will present themselves in the course of the latter. 

 Thus, when examining the respiratory tract we may inquire 

 whether the animal coughs, and when examining the diges- 

 tive apparatus inquire as to condition of bowels, frequency 

 of evacuation, etc., in this way gradually completing our exam- 

 ination. 



The value of a good anamnesis consists in the fact that 

 not infrequently it is sufficient to base upon it a definite diag- 

 nosis, i. e., careful objective observations of the layman may 

 in some instances be substituted for our examination. How- 

 ever, the veterinarian must always be cautious in complying 

 with the oft made request of owners to treat their animals in 

 absentia. Although the medicines prescribed under such con- 

 ditions may do no particular harm, rational treatment thus 

 delayed may prove to be a positive injury. 



Sometimes the veterinarian is misled by the anamnesis. 

 This he may guard against by making a careful examination 

 of the patient. \Mien the anamnesis does not conform to the 

 results of the examination, it should be accepted with caution ; 

 where the opposite is true, it may be considered reliable. 



