DISEASES OF THE EYE. 261 



A dose of physic should be given ; and if, in a day or two, 

 there be still much inflammation, a few quarts of blood may be 

 taken from the neck of the affected side. When the inflamma- 

 tion has in great measui'e abated, but a film or opacity remains 

 on the cornea, a few drops of the following stimulant should 

 be applied twice a day with a camel's hair brush : — 



Distilled water 1 ounce. 



Nitrate of silver 1 or 2 grains. 



Or instead of this, a little vinum opii, or tincture of opium 

 diluted with an equal quantity of water. — Ed.] 



Specific Ophthalmia, or Inflammation of the Hye. 



[This disease used to be called by farriers moon blindness, 

 under the idea that its periodical attacks were influenced by the 

 moon, as it sometimes occurs about once a month. This idea, 

 however, is altogether absurd, and its periodical returns are 

 rarely so frequent as once a month. The disease consists of a 

 specific inflammation of the various parts of the eye occurring 

 without any immediate external cause ; and though in great 

 measure curable for the time, yet occurring again and again, 

 until the structure of the eye is so changed by these repeated 

 attacks, that blindness follows, or otherwise a cataract takes 

 place, either total or partial. 



The symptoms generally appear somewhat suddenly ; in the 

 evening, perhaps, there might have been nothing amiss, but on 

 the following morning sometimes both eyes, but usually one eye 

 only is found nearly closed and suffused with tears ; there is 

 great impatience of light, and indeed it is somewhat difficult to 

 induce the animal to ojien the lids sufficiently for examination, 

 and when he does so, the pupil is found exceedingly small, so 

 as to keep out the light as much as possible. The cornea is not 

 so opaque as when the inflammation is brought on by an ex- 

 ternal injury ; but on looking into the interior of the eye we 

 observe that it has lost its usual brightness. The attendants of 

 the horse usually report that some hay seeds must have got into 

 the eye, or that he must have injured it in some way : but a 

 proper examination will detect the difference, and this will be 

 greatly assisted if we can ascertain that the horse had had a 

 previous attack. 



The progress of the case will depend on the treatment em- 

 ployed, the degree of inflammation, and the particular parts 

 most affected. 



I have known a case terminate in blindness from cataract in 

 the course of three days, and in another case the animal was 

 subject to periodical attacks for eight years without entirely 



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