2o VETERINARY LECTURES 



38. Sympathetic Fever. — When fever arises from some ex- 

 tensive injury or wound, it is known as traumatic or sympathetic 

 fever. A few years ago the treatment of sympathetic fever in 

 country practice generally took the form of blood-letting, purga- 

 tives, etc., which then seemed to give satisfaction, but now a more 

 rational mode of treatment is adopted. The personal comfort of 

 the patient is now looked after by putting the animal into a well- 

 ventilated loose box, free from draughts, but with plenty of air ; 

 clothing the body and bandaging the legs, and administering 

 medicines of a saline aperient character, such as 1 to 2 ounces of 

 Epsom or Glauber's salts, 2 to 4 drachms each of nitrate of potash 

 and cream of tartar, with 10 to 15 drops of Fleming f s tincture of 

 aconite, given either as a draught in one pint of cold water, or in the 

 drinking water, two or three times a day, until the bowels respond, 

 along with a suitable cooling diet. But detail will be more gone 

 into when considering inflammation affecting the different organs 

 and parts of the body. 



39. Town practice is different to that in the country. For 

 instance, 4 drachms of aloes would purge a town horse, whereas it 

 would take 6 to 8 drachms to have the same effect on one in the 

 country. The same thing holds good in pit horses, which have to 

 be treated similarly to town horses. Half the dose required for 

 horses in the North of Scotland is sufficient for those in the South of 

 England. , In all cases, whether horse or cow, it is of the greatest 

 importance to have the bowels attended to (as there is.no complaint, 

 however slight, that does not affect the bowels more or less), but 

 greater care is needed with horses, as they cannot stand strong 

 purgatives like cattle. 



40. Simple Fever. — General derangement of system, charac- 

 terized by a rise of temperature, hurried breathing, quickened pulse, 

 shivering, etc., and which may arise without any obvious cause. It 

 may be brought about through changing from field to stable, change 

 of food, drinking cold water when the animal is heated, standing in 

 a draught, etc., and is generally ushered in by a shivering fit that 

 is seldom seen ; but, if observed, it is advisable to at once put on 



