DISEASES OF THE EYE. M 



bU .otly organic than all other diseases ; for not only can no cnange 

 ti.ke place in the composition of the blood without in some de- 

 gree affecting all parts which are nourished by it, but that tuia 

 fluid U, stiictly speaking, itself a liviag organism, and every 

 change which takes place therein is organic. Life can not be 

 arrested without material change in the organs necessary to life. 

 Kveiy autopsy in which we fail to discover these changes, proves 

 merely that our knowledge of life and death is defective, not that 

 the changes do not exist." 



Purulent Ophthalmia. 



Purulent ophthalmia takes its name from the profuse discharge 

 of pus, or matter, which escapes from the eyelids. In regard to 

 the human subject, the authorities contend that there are several 

 varieties of this malady prevalent in man, one of which, the Egypt- 

 ian ophthalmia, is contagious ; but no such disease was ever known 

 to occur among horses. 



Causes. — The various maladies which affect the eyes sometimes 

 owe their origin ^o accidents; at other times they occur in badly 

 < entilatcd stabler, where a large number of horses are congregated 

 together, and tl-^n they are supposed to be contagious. But it ap- 

 j)ears that the"'*' is no necessity, in such case, to advance the theory 

 of contagion, by way of explanation of the outbreak ; for the same 

 (ause whicl- produced the malady in the first horse would be more 

 (H less opo^ative in all the rest. A hot, foul atmosphere las a 

 'very V^d effect on the eyes of both men and horses. The mem- 

 brane lining the eyelids, which also covers the eyeball, is very vas- 

 cular and sensitive, and is extremely susceptible to irritation froTii 

 the action of the ammoniacal gases which prevail in foul stables ; 

 hence, in order to prevent the disease, proper attention mu3t b< 

 paid to ventilation and cleanliness. 



Treatment. — For the treatment of purulent ophthalmia Ine au- 

 thor recommends the following lotion : 



No. 3. Powdered chlorate of potass ^ oa. 



Fluid extract of matico 1 oi. 



Water 8 oi. 



Mix. 



A portion of this lotion should be applied to the eyes, by meao* 

 of a soft sponge, two or three times a day ; the ej'cs as well as th« 



