A. The General Part of the Examination. 



I. Signalment. 



By the Signalment is meant a description of the patient 

 for identification by peculiar marks or characteristics. For 

 forensic purposes and special cases the proper taking of the 

 signalment is of great importance. It is further of some value 

 in a diagnostic sense and is sometimes taken into consideration 

 therapeutically. 



It includes : 



I. Kind of animal. Many diseases are peculiar to cer- 

 tain genera while they do not occur in others. This is espe- 

 cially true of the infectious diseases as, for instance, the horse 

 suffers from strangles, and glanders ; the ox from contagious 

 pleuropneumonia (lung plague), malignant head catarrh, and 

 swine from hog cholera and swine plague. There are also 

 special sporadic diseases which owe their origin to the pecu- 

 liar anatomical or physical make-up of a genus. As exam- 

 ples, may be mentioned traumatic pericarditis of the ox ; rup- 

 tures of the stomach and roaring in the horse. 



II. Sex. Diseases of the sexual organs are not com- 

 mon in animals, but sex is of influence in the appearance of 

 some diseases. In stallions inguinal hernias which cause 

 symptoms simulating colic occur ; mares during the period 

 of heat may act as if they were suffering from some brain 

 disease (act like dummies) or may balk or show obstinacy 

 when at work. In the ox urethral calculi are not uncommon. 

 The condition of pregnancy is as of great importance from 

 the diagnostic as from the therapeutical standpoint, because 

 this condition may induce physiological symptoms that would 

 be considered pathological in non-pregnant animals. In preg- 



