194 History of Animal Plagues. 



pipe, though without any symptom of pain. In this condition, 

 if any one continues to exhaust or fatigue a horse whose health 

 is impaired by neglect, as is sometimes the case, the disease 

 immediately increases. Acute fever and anguish ensue, there is 

 a discharge from the nostrils, and the throat soon begins to swell. 

 Others become sluggish and thrust out their tongues, which are 

 coloured with a yellowish tint; then there arises shivering and 

 convulsions of the body and staring of the coat, retention of 

 urine, and cold sweats; those so affected for the most part die. 

 On the other hand, those recover, when, from their mouths and 

 nostrils there is a more copious discharge, and who give vent to 

 a large flow of ill-odoured urine, or who have swellings on the 



limbs or joints As regards the origin of the disease, all 



are agreed that the internal and chief cause of the epidemic was 

 the fact of the blood abounding in over- stimulating or lymphatic 

 particles ; for on the surface of the blood taken from the veins, 

 a portion became of a whitish-yellow colour, and of the nature of 

 lard. Besides this, there was the mucus discharge from the nos- 

 trils, both by natural and artificial means, and which marked the 

 disease. Lastly, dissection of the dead bodies showed hard sub- 

 stances of a polypoid nature in the heart and about the pericar- 

 dium, and even in the windpipe and oesophagus, which most 

 clearly indicated that lymph itself, which usually has the power 

 of adding solidity to the textures, makes the disease more intense 

 than the variety of the parts affected would warrant us in sup- 

 posing. We attribute the external cause of this calamity to the 

 impurity of the atmosphere, thinking, as we do, that in this year 

 the air was full of noxious liquid particles which adhered to the 

 bodies of the horses; and we are led to this opinion because the 

 plague attacked the whole equine race without distinction, and 

 in so large a city there must have been a great dissimilarity in 

 the food and water; moreover, nothing could be found to check 

 I the epidemic. As regards contagion, all are of opinion, and 

 rightly so, that the disease was not carried in the breath or ex- 

 halations ; for, generally speaking, it was not those in neighbour- 

 ins; stables to the infected that were attacked.^ ^ 



^ Lancisii, De Equorum Epidemia, quce Romcie Grassata est vere. Rome, 1715. 



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