History of Animal Plagues. <!$ 



Apsyrtus, a famous veterinarian, though not treatino- of 

 epizootic aflbctions in his ' Hippiatrica/ appears to be better 

 informed than \"egetius on diseases in general, and his treat- 

 ment is always simple. His descriptions of the symptoms of 

 disease are more exact and life-like, and he seems to have in- 

 vestiti;ated the causes of maladies with much skill. We have an 

 example of this in what he says of the horse when sufl'erino- from 

 what he terms fever. ^ When the horse is sick from fever, he 

 carries his head heavily, and as if immovable; the eyes are swollen, 

 and he can scarcely open them. The lips and all the body are 

 flaccid, the testicles pendent, the breath and the body have a burn- 

 ing heat ; he fixes his limbs, and is insensible to blows, and when 

 compelled to walk, he is every moment likely to fall/ We may 

 notice in passing that his picture of fever reminds one most forci- 

 bly of the symptoms we observe in influenza of the horse. The 

 causes of fever, he explains, are violent riding, heat, cold, and in- 

 digestion, especially that form which arises from having eaten too 

 much grass in the spring-time. His curative measures were bleed- 

 ing from the temples, and giving exercise moderately the first day. 

 In winter it was necessary to clothe and to keep the patient in a 

 warm stable. If he began to walk better, it was then advisable, 

 if circumstances permitted, to let him go to pasture, or sprinkle 

 his hay with fresh water, but only to allow food gradually. 

 Barley-water could also be given with advantage. To know if 

 a horse had fever, one had only to present him with oats or 

 barley; if he ate, then was he only fatigued, for a feverish horse 

 abhors food, is dull, and only cares to drink. He throws himself 

 on -the ground, and is scarcely able to rise. In bleeding it was 

 necessary to take away the blood from veins which were not 

 near nerves (tendons?), because if injured they suffer distension. 

 ' If the disease increases in intensity, the horse dies in three days, 

 not being able to support the violence of the fever any longer 

 than that time. Wc ought not to believe those who pretend 

 that they can reco";nize fever by touching; the cars or the 

 sliouldcrs. We outrht not tr) bleed the fati trued horse, heeausc 

 it weakens his strength, and may jiroduec dangerous con- 

 se(]uences. It is only necessary when the hciid is overcharged 

 with blood, and the disease requires it.' He tells us that the 



