THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS 321 



carried too far. I am more in favour of slightly stimulating both 

 sides of the chest behind the shoulder with 2 tablespoonfuls of 

 mustard well mixed in 1 pint of cold water, after which a piece of 

 flannel, cotton-wool, or wadding should be put round the body and 

 warm woollen clothing put over all. I also strongly advocate the 

 steaming of the nose and air-passages as recommended under Laryn- 

 gitis (par. 501). Food of an easily digestible nature must be given, 

 such as boiled barley and bran, milk and water, linseed jelly, carrots, 

 potatoes, green food, chopped whins (gone), etc. It is also a good 

 practice to feed patients (discharging from the nose) from buckets or 

 troughs as near to the ground as possible, so as to give an easy 

 means of exit to the discharge. 



513. Congestion of the Lungs. — An overloading or stagnation 

 of blood in the small bloodvessels of the lungs. This is a very 

 common termination of many diseases, and is, in some cases, very 

 easily produced. For example, when an animal is suffering from a 

 slight cold, with relaxed system, a sudden chill will induce congestion 

 of the lungs, and kill the animal in a few hours. On account of its 

 running its course so rapidly in many cases, there is little time to 

 combat the trouble. It is often, in fact, worse to handle than inflam- 

 mation of the lungs. The diffevence between congestion and inflammation is, 

 that in the former the blood stagnates in the tissues of the lungs like 

 water in a sponge, but there is no visible structural change of the 

 part ; for want of tone the blood accumulates, giving the lungs a 

 deep brownish-black appearance. Yet, when they are put into water 

 they do not sink to the bottom, but, being loaded with blood, sink 

 just below the surface — waterlogged, as it were. Inflammation, on 

 the other hand, changes the structure. The lungs become solid 

 similar in appearance to the liver, and, when put into water, sink to 

 the bottom like lead, the air cells being completely blocked up by 

 inflammatory products, whereas in congestion they are merely 

 pressed by the congested vessels. Congestion is at times readily 

 induced (especially in a badly conditioned horse) by a heavy, fast 

 run with hounds, when the animal has been galloped to a standstill. 



When the animal is thus affected, the head is extended, the nostrils 



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