PHARYNGITIS. 139 



influences are of considerable importance. For this reason chills, 

 sudden variations in temperature, sudden arrest of perspiration, and 

 currents of cold air have always been invoked as causes. Cruzel thinks 

 that the ingestion of ice-cold water in winter is sufficient to produce 

 acute pharyngitis. The action of rough forage may of itself explain the 

 development of pharyngitis in animals constantly kept indoors under 

 excellent hygienic conditions. In such cases the disease may be regarded 

 as of traumatic origin. Furthermore, it is necessary to mention direct 

 injuries of the mucous membrane caused by clumsy examination, 

 awkwardness in passing the probang, and attempts on the animal's part 

 to swallow sharp foreign bodies, which scratch, tear, lacerate, or 

 penetrate the mucous membrane and become fixed in it. 



Finally, another series of causes, and not the least important, 

 remains to be considered — viz., the forced administration of irritant 

 substances like ammonia, tincture of iodine, oil of turpentine, very hot 

 liquids, etc. 



To sum up, the four great series of causes consist in direct irritation, 

 intra-pharyngeal wounds, variations in temperature, or primary or 

 secondary microbic infections. 



The symptoms are characteristic. They consist in loss of appetite, 

 difficulty in swallowing, consequent on the condition of the pharynx, and 

 fever, which is often marked from the first. Pharyngeal dysphagia can 

 easily be distinguished from that due to injury of the oesophagus, 

 inasmuch as it occurs on the first attemj^t to swallow\ 



Urged on by hunger, the animal grasps food, which it chews and 

 attempts to swallow, but immediately allows it to fall back into the 

 manger, or ejects it by a painful coughing effort. In the case of liquids, 

 even of lukewarm drinks, the same accident occurs, the food or liquid being 

 returned by the nostrils. Slight salivation results from this difficulty in 

 swallowing. The animal's attitude is similar to that in j)arotiditis. The 

 head is held stiffly, extended on the neck, in order to avoid compressing 

 the region of the pharynx, and can only be moved slowly and with much 

 pain. There is no apparent swelling of the parotid region, but on 

 manipulating or pressing on the gullet the animal sometimes manifests 

 the very acute tenderness of the parts by coughing and endeavouring to 

 thrust away or to kick the examiner. Finally, examination of the mouth 

 sometimes shows reddening and excessive sensibility of the soft palate 

 and of the pillars of the fauces. 



These symptoms often assume a more alarming character, or are com- 

 plicated by others ; in fact, the condition very rarely stops at pharyngitis, 

 but is usually accompanied by inflammation of the larynx, of the soft 

 palate, and of the naso-pharynx. The whole throat is then inflamed ; 

 the nose and sometimes the eyes discharge, and there is difficulty in 



