346 CHRONIC COUGIT. 



bowels. But besides these cases, there exists at times, with- 

 out any attendant difficulty of breathing (the horse at the 

 same time eating well and thriving), a permanent cough, 

 usually more considerable in the morning and evening, after 

 meals, particularly after drinking, or on first going out to 

 exercise. A cough of this description is very common, and 

 it will remain in this state, without otherwise affecting the 

 horse, for years ; sometimes it will even be continued with 

 no obvious injury for his whole life. Young horses, when 

 first brought into stable, are generally found coughing, 

 which, however, subsides,' leaving behind it no perceptible 

 evil effect. In other instances it does not end in so harm- 

 less a manner, but upon any occasional cold being caught is 

 aggravated ; and each cold makes it worse and worse, until 

 at length, by repeated attacks, the respiration, or 'wind,' 

 is permanently affected. An irritable state of the bronchial 

 passages often remains after catarrh and bronchitis, and 

 coughing occurs whenever the horse moves out of or into 

 the stable ; for the inspired air is colder or warmer than 

 what was before breathed, hence becomes a source of irri- 

 tation : drinking cold water produces the same effect, for a 

 similar reason ; as does any hurry or irregularity of motion. 

 In some cases the irritability of the bronchial membrane 

 itself does not seem so much increased, as the mucus 

 secreted from it appears altered, either in quantity or quality. 

 It may become inordinate in quantity, as is often observed ; 

 such horses, when they cough, throw off much mucus by 

 the nostrils : or it may be more acrid in quality, and hence 

 by these means prove a source of continual irritation ; or 

 the secretion of mucus may be lessened to the injury of the 

 passages. 



The treatment of chronic cough must depend on our view 

 of its causes and consequences. When it appears to arise 

 from a want of mucous secretion, expectorants which excite 

 such secretion are premised, as No. 1. When a redundancy 

 of the mucous secretion is apparent, tonics are required. 

 When the secretion is acrid, give No. 2. The cough, which 

 is the effect of an irritable state of the parts, is sometimes 

 relieved by stimulating the throat externally, and by giving 

 internally opium with bitter tonics. In horses naturally of 

 a full habit, and grossly fed, without sufficient exercise, our 



