LATERAL FACES OF THE HEAD. 63 



ing which we cannot occupy ourselves in this book. Let us limit our- 

 selves to saying that the most serious of all is farcy-glanders^ which 

 should be particularly observed, and in the diagnosis of which the 

 minute examination of the maxillary lymphatic glands must not be 

 neglected. 



It is not rare to meet wounds in the region of the nostrils, which 

 are found mostlv in stallions, and involve the mucous membrane and 

 the cartilage. 



At other times we find finger-nail marks which have been made 

 on the pituitary membrane during the examination by inexperienced 

 persons or those unable to control the animal. 



Normal Liquid of the Nostril. — We have seen above that 

 the normal liquid of the nasal fossae is clear and transparent, from 

 the fact that it results from the continual discharge of the tears. In 

 certain horses, when the atmosphere is cold, and much more in those 

 whose lungs are emphysematous, we find the presence of a flaky dis- 

 charge which adheres to the hairs of the nostrils, and designates the 

 latter, according to horsemen, as being frosted. 



In pathological phenomena the liquid receives the name of dis- 

 charge, and assumes ceiiain characters which depend upon particular 

 diseases. It may be : 



1st. Adherent or not to the alse of the nose. 



2d. Thick, tenacious, or clotted. 



3d. White, reddish, yellowish-green, sometimes streaked with blood. 



4th. Inodorous, fetid, gangrenous, or from caries. 



5th. Unilateral or bilateral. 



In all cases the examination of the nostrils should be completed by 

 that of the lymphatic ganglia. 



Entrance and Exit of the Air. — The expired air merits also 

 to be taken into consideration. It is of little utility to appreciate its 

 quantity, either by placing the hand in front of the nostril, or, when 

 the atmosphere is cold, by considering the two cones of vapor which 

 escape. It is more interesting to assure ourselves of the regularity 

 and equality of the column of air at its exit from the orifices, for it 

 may meet obstructions of a diverse nature in its passage, as polyps, 

 tumors, deviations of the nasal septum, etc. Some autliors report that 

 certain tradesmen, to mask the discharge, have placed a sponge into 

 the diseased cavity. This fraud is very easily discovered, and requires 

 no ftirther explanation. In a state of good health the expired air is 

 inodorous ; the bad odor with which it is contaminated proves a dis- 

 ease of the lungs, caries of the superior molars, and, finally, prolonged 



