TlIK IIDRSE. 101 



existed, the one affirming it to be of ;i purely contagious character; 

 tlie other admitting its contagiousness, hut athrming its genesis from 

 all sorts of circumstances. These two opinions still oppose one 

 another, though at present those affirming the alnogcnetic or spon- 

 taneous generation of glanders are becoming less and less. In 

 France, even to this day, there may be found many advocates for 

 the spontaneous generation of glandei-s, while in times past many 

 asserted the non-contagiosity of the disease. This was essentially 

 due to the teaching of Bourgelat and the Alfort school ; while the 

 Lyons school obstinately defended the contagiousness of the dis- 

 ease. 



One of the most important French authors of the last century, 

 and the fii*st of this, and one who has exerted no mean influence 

 upon veterinary literature, was Lafosse the younger, and it is both 

 interesting and instructive to read what he has to say upon so im- 

 portant a subject, particularly as he represents the most advanced 

 veterinar}' thought of his period. 



In his "Cours d'llippiatrique," Paris, 1772, Part 11, p. 2r.3, he 

 savs : " The ancient authoi"s knew nothing more of the seat of 

 glanders than they did of its treatment. Some of them looked upon 

 it as seated in the head, others in the lungs, others in the kidneys, 

 others in the stomach, and confounded the different kinds of dis- 

 charge; to all of which they have given the name of glanders." 



" To assume that glanders was seated in the lungs was pardon- 

 able — 1. Because they have a communication with the nose. 2. 

 Because a discharge from the lungs by means of the nose does take 

 place (as in pneumonia). 3. Because the discharge from the lungs 

 l)ears some resemblance to that from the pituitary membrane (the 

 lining of nasal cavities). 4. Because glanders is often complicated 

 with pneumonia, or, which is the same thing, the discharge from the 

 pituitary membrane is often mixed with that from the lungs. Tlie 

 ancient veterinarians were less scrupulous in their researches than in 

 naming maladies — they were deceived by appearances. They were 

 in a good way, but erred in distinction. To assert that glanders 

 is situated in the kidneys, spleen, liver, or in the brain, is contrary 

 to the best teachings of ' hippotomie.' They utterly ignored the fact 

 that there wa.s no connection between these parts and the nose." 



It is evident that even this great luminary of our art knew very 

 little himself about glanders, and that his knowledge of the seats of 

 the peculiar products of glanders was equally as fallacious as that of 

 the ancients whom he condcnms. But we will let him speak for 

 himself : 



11 



