THE FARMr:RS- RKGISTER. 



133 



believed lliat the liunnn pulject coulil not lake 

 Klandeis williout iiioculati"n. Tlie reader will 

 bear in mind iliat ilie man I'rost merely plept in a 

 stable where died a <rlati(lered horse, and, llirlher 

 than this, had no ronnexion whatever with ani- 

 mals so dit^eased ; hence we may reasonably con- 

 elude that thii unlortunate niaii took the disease 

 by contan;iun, and rtoi by inociilation. This eon- 

 elusion should serve as a warnlnj^ to ail — (o t;en- 

 llenien as well as i^^iooms. ostlers, farriers, cf hoc 

 genus omne — liow earelbl and cautious they 

 should be when necfssiiy oblliires tiiem to have 

 any connexion will) ijlandered horses. 



About the same period, or shor'Iy after, M. 

 Leone, a veterinary surgeon to a dragoon rejri- 

 ment, iwenij^-nine years of age, and in perlec.i 

 health, had to open a farcied abscess developed 

 in a horse belonirir>S to his re<.'iment. After the 

 operation, he introduced his hand into the cavity, 

 which was covered with matter, in order to 

 explore the extent of the sore; unlornmately he 

 had at the lime a slic/hi scar or abrasion on the 

 index finger of this hand, which changed its ap- 

 pearance in a few days : it increased in size, be- 

 came very painfiil, and covered with fungus-like 

 growths. The wound was cauterized, but did 

 not heal for three months. Three days after the 

 operation, and a! the same time that the sore on 

 the finger was advanciiiii. M. L. recognized the 

 presence of several painful hard tumors like iho«e 

 of farcy developed at the inside of the left elbow ; 

 soon after, the joint itself became painful and 

 swollen ; an abscess formed, and was opened ; 

 others succeeded ; fistulous sores were established, 

 and to this day the arm is still diseased. Six 

 weeks alter liie operation, the right knee-joint 

 becamlk painful and swollen ; the tutnors here did 

 not break, but the disease attacked the instep and 

 foot, which were swollen and painful ; tumors 

 formed, and soon broke, anil still remain open. 

 M. L. had the assistance of several physicians, 

 but without any success. He alleges that he 

 knew many veterinary surgeons who were affiict- 

 ed with the same unlbnunate malady derived 

 from the same source. The foregoing is an ex- 

 ample of inveterate chronicyj/rcj/. 



Very recently we have seen in this metropolis 

 two instances of men suffering from farcy and 

 glanders: one was a groom, the oilier a larrier. 

 The former was taking care of a glandered horse, 

 and had a small puncture on one of his fingers* 

 at the time, which soon began to throb, and on 

 examining it found a dark spot round the punc- 

 ture; swelling of the second joint of the same 

 finger soon followed, and thence passed on to his 

 arm : so rapid was it in its course, that he was 

 obliged to cut the sleeve of liis coat to enable 

 him to withdraw the arm at night: this broke 

 and ulcerated, and shortly afier the left leg began 

 to swell and (eel hard and knotty. Although this 

 man suffered from incessant pain and want of 

 sleep, it is worth remarking, that the only thing 

 which seemed to cause him any anxiety was the 

 fear (to use his own expression) that " he had 

 given the disease to a horse that ivas perfectly 

 sound when he v:ent to attend it, but soon became 

 glandered.''' His own suffering seemed to be lost 

 in this idea. 



These are melancholy details, but is it not better 

 that they sliould be "known? They lead us 

 irresistibly to the following general conclusions— 



I first, that a man is liable to the infection of glan- 

 ders, a disease liiiherto supposed to l)e peculiar to 

 the horse, the ass, and the mule; — second that 

 larcy, which is only a modificaiion of glanders, 

 miiy co-exist wiih that disease, as lias been 

 proved by inoculating the virus of llie two dis- 

 eases; as with fi^ircy you may |)roduce glanders, 

 and vice versa: — third, that inoculation is not 

 alisoluiely necessary tor the production of glan- 

 ders or fiircy, as sometimes the simple cohabita- 

 tion with glandered animals seems to produce 

 these diseases effectually, from which we are led 

 to infer that it is contagious: — Iburth, tliat glan- 

 ders, in its severe form, seems to be an incurable 

 malady, both in man and the horse. 



Prophylactic measures, &c. — Although it is 

 very true that sportsmen — that gentlemen them- 

 selves — rarely meddle with glandered horses, it 

 by no means follows that they should not possess 

 information which might l»e nselLiI for tfiose in 

 I heir service who may be obliged to do so ; and 

 as there is no cure lor glanders, every precaution 

 should he taken to guard against that memento 

 mori disease. The following simple measures 

 are tho-e which we can recommend from consi- 

 derable experience. Whenever an animal is 

 suspected of being glandered, the groom or per- 

 son attending it should make a strong solution of 

 alum, and keep it by him in the stable: as often 

 as be lias occasion to go near the horse, to dress 

 his sores, open an abscess, remove the halter, or 

 administer medicine, lie should immerse his hands 

 in the alum solution, and keep them there for 

 some moments; if there is a cut on his hand it 

 should be carefully covered with adhesive plaster 

 previously. This is not a mere quack remedy, 

 and anatomists know that well ; for prior to ex- 

 amining a brain, the most dangerous part of the 

 dead human subject, they use this very remedy 

 in the same way. A'um is an astringent, and 

 by this properly it can (or a certain time stop the 

 pores of the skin of the hand, and consequently 

 prevent any a6sorjDfion of poisonous matter fi-om 

 taking place. Perhaps other astringents, as 

 sulphate of copper, would answer as well, but 

 alum is cheaper, easier managed, less dangerous, 

 and equally efficacious. JKrinexsis. 



WATERING PLACES — HOOF AIL. 



From the New Genesee Farmer. 



Messrs. Editors — In an editorial article in the 

 December number ol"the " Cultivator," page 184, 

 are remarks on the subject of watering cattle in 

 winter, some of which appear to be objectionable. 

 The sentiment to which I refer is, ''that it is no 

 disadvantage to cattle to go a suitable distance to 

 water, but rather a benefit, as promoting circulation 

 in the feet, and thus preventing disease o( the ex- 

 tremities.'" The same idea is advanced in the 

 February number of the same paper, page 22. 

 And putting both articles together, we should con- 

 clude the " suitable distance" lor cattle to travel 

 for their water in winter was from fifty to one 

 hundred rods. And the advantage set forth is the 

 exercise which prevents what is called the hoof 

 ail. 



" Now it strikes me very forcibly," as thejudgft 

 says. tbRl this course, both in theory and practice, 



