ETIOLOGY AND OCCURRENCE 33 



inguinal lymph glands are so situated tliat their becoming con- 

 taminated is almost certain. 



The trite phrase that ' ' the tissues are bathed in lymph ' ' should 

 make clear the reason for the frequent occurrence of infectious 

 lymphangitis and lymphadenitis. Foreign substances, bacteria 

 and their products, inorganic material and in fact, anything that 

 is inti-oduced into the tissues, if soluble or miscible, will be taken 

 up and conveyed by the afferent lymph vessels and disseminated 

 throughout the system — hence the constitutional disturbances so 

 frequently thus caused. 



A non-infectious type of lymphangitis is frequently seen in 

 the heavy draft breeds of horses and in such cases one or both 

 hind legs are involved — it is very seldom that the thoracic limbs 

 become so affected. Law^ refers to this ailment as "Acute 

 Lymphangitis of Plethora in Horse." When one takes into 

 consideration that these cases so frequently occur in heavy draft 

 animals that are not worked regularly, that the pelvic limbs are 

 the ones involved, and that the disorder often runs a short 

 course (recover}' often taking place within two or three days, 

 with no treatment given other than a purge, circulatory stim- 

 ulants and walking exercise) it is plausible to ascribe the con- 

 dition to idiopathic factors. 



Admitting the frequency of non-infectious lymphangitis, the 

 practitioner must not confuse this type with similar lymphatic 

 inflammation occasioned by nail punctures of the foot. It is 

 very embarrassing indeed to make a diagnosis of lymphangitis — 

 expecting that the disturbance will terminate favorably and un- 

 eventually — and later to discover a sub-solar abscess caused by 

 a nail prick in the region of the heel. 



Recurrent attacks of this disturbance cause hypertrophy of 

 the lymph vessels and in some cases lymphangiectasis. In old 

 subjects used for dissection or surgical purposes, it is very evi- 

 dent that in the ones which have suffered from chronic lymphan- 

 gitis there exists an excessive amount of sub-facial connective 

 tissue, making subcutaneous neurectomies quite difficult in some 

 instances. 



A sequel of chronic lymphangitis is a condition known as ele- 



'A'ol. I, page 534, Veterinary Medicine, by James Law, F. R. C. V. S. 



