OPHTHALMIA. 161 



OPHTHALMIA. 



This disease is divided usually into two distinct 

 classes by professional men Specific and Purulent 

 Ophthalmia; but, since the symptoms and treatment 

 will be the same, I do not think any object will be 

 gained by treating of them separately. 



The symptoms are marked by closing of the eyelids, 

 distended vessels, general muddiness of the iris and 

 cornea, with an almost total loss of transparency, as 

 well as by profuse weeping. 



The treatment should consist of darkening the stable, 

 lowering the diet, and putting a linen compress, soaked 

 in a solution of sulphate of zinc of about the strength of 

 one scruple to the half-pint of water, over the eyelids. 



The horse will assuredly go blind sooner or later, if 

 subject to periodical attacks of this disease ; therefore, 

 copious bleedings, large doses of physic, &c., are utterly 

 inadmissible, inasmuch as they add to the evil by 

 incapacitating the horse for work for a lengthened 

 period. 



The best way is to dispose of a horse after having 

 recovered from one of these attacks, unless intended 

 for double harness, when blindness will not be of much 

 inconvenience either to the horse or his owner. In 

 this case, however, great care must be taken to remove 

 the exciting cause, which I take to be plethora. It is 

 most common in coarse underbred horses of the hack- 

 ney breed, probably because their circulative organs 



M 



