DIAGNOSTIC PRINCIPLES 45 



One must not lose sight of the fact that unscrupulous dealers, 

 — "traders" — make use of their knowk^dge of this principle in 

 various way usually for the purpose of attracting attention to 

 a part, which, presumably might have been blistei'ed in order to 

 intentionally produce inflammation of tissu'^s. iti this way; 

 causing lameness which is not manifested until an animal has 

 been kept by its new owner for twenty-f( U)- Ik urs or more. 

 This, to be sure, usually makes a dissatisfied purchaser who is 

 willing to dispose of his newly acquired animal at a sacrifice. 

 thus enabling the original owner or his agent to regain posses- 

 sion of the victimized animal at less than its real value. 



Some nervous animals, because of the manner of approach of 

 the practitioner, are wont to flinch, and there is manifested a 

 pseudo-supersensitiveness. Young animals not accustomed to be- 

 ing handled are likely to be timorous, and one must not hastily 

 conclude that a part is painful to the touch because the subject 

 resents even gentle digital manipulation of such parts. In 

 instances of this kind, one needs to compare sensibility by manip- 

 ulation of different parts of the subject's liody in a careful and 

 gentle manner ; and by exercising patience and good judgment 

 in such work, it is possible to actually distinguish between nor- 

 mal sensibility and abnormal sensitiveness, in most cases. Here, 

 again, the diagnostician needs to jiossess skill as a horseman and 

 good judgment as to individual temperament of different animals, 

 under any condition which may exist af the time he makes his 

 examination. 



By palpation alone, one can recognize the presence of fluctu- 

 ating enlargements ; one may not oidy recognize such conditions, 

 but distinguish between a fluctuating ma-s such as exists in non- 

 strangulated hernia and a large fibrous tumor. By palpation, 

 for the recognition of density and for determining the presence 

 or absence of hyperthermia, one may decide that there exists 

 an abscess and not a tumor. Edematous swellings are recog- 

 nized by palpation, — the characteristic indentations which may 

 be made in dropsical swellings are pathognomonic indicafoi-s. 

 In this manner it is easy to differentiate post-operative or i)cst- 

 traumatic edemas which may or may not cause lameness. At 

 any rate, it is essential to take into account all determinate con- 



