256 History of Animal Plagtces. 



in the horse. ^ About the end of the year 1732, there was a 

 very remarkable distemper among the horses in London and in 

 several other parts of the kingdom. They were seized suddenly 

 with a vehement dry, sounding cough, which shook them so 

 violently that some of them were often ready to drop down with 

 hard straining and want of breath ; their throats were raw and 

 sore ; many of them had their kernels (submaxillary glands) 

 swelled, and painful to the touch. For the first two days, most 

 of them refused all manner of food as well as water, and had so 

 many other bad signs, that when this distemper first broke out, 

 many were afraid of a mortality coming among them ; and, 

 indeed, the only good sign they had was the vehemence of their 

 cough, that both kept their blood in motion and speedily set 

 them a running at the nose, which generally began the third 

 dav ; and continued in so profuse a manner for five or six days, 

 that some of them in that time discharoed as much as two or 



O 



three pails would hold of purulent matter, which, however, was 

 generally of a laudable colour and good consistence. While the 

 running at the nose continued they would not feed much, 

 though their appetites were craving, because the matter mingled 

 so much with their food as to render it altogether disagreeable, 

 so that they lost their flesh exceedingly; but this loss of flesh 

 proved a benefit to them rather than a detriment, and as soon as 

 the running abated they ate voraciously and soon recovered 

 their flesh. This distemper, though no ways mortal, yet was so 

 very catching, that when any horse was seized with it, I observed 

 those that stood on each hand of him were generally infected as 

 soon as he began to run at the nose, in the same manner as the 

 small-pox communicates the infection when they are upon the 

 turn. While this sickness lasted, above a hundred of the troop 

 horses under my care were seized with it. I always caused the 

 sick horses to be removed from the sound as soon as they were 

 taken ill, and put by themselves, as in an hospital. And in one 

 troop of Horse Grenadiers we filled a stable of thirty-six standings 

 in three days; an infirmary of five standings, and another of 

 eighteen standings, in three or four days more; nevertheless, 

 all of them recovered in a short time. Also many gentlemen's 

 horses, where I was concerned, did well without any remaining 



