168 HEALTH AND DISEASE 



lead to fatal consequences, and it lias been found necessary, on several 

 occasions when the disease has assumed this virulent form, as it does 

 among ponies which are left to run wild in mountain districts, to apply the 

 stamping-out system in order to check the progress of the disease by the 

 slaughter of the affected animals. % 



Mange frequently attacks horses in large working establishments, but 

 is comparatively unknown in well-managed stables, in which horses are 

 treated with particular care. In the present day it is never allowed to 

 spread, even where horses are congregated in very large numbers, but is at 

 once arrested by proper treatment. 



It very commonly happens in large establishments, where animals are 

 under veterinary supervision by contract, that mange dressings are among 

 the remedies which are kept at hand, and as the veterinary surgeon 

 employed pays periodical visits of inspection, the first symptoms of 

 disease are noted, and the remedies are applied at once. 



As a preliminary to any form of medical treatment it is essential that 

 all the affected parts of the skin should be thoroughly washed with hot 

 water and soft soap, applied by means of a hard brush, in order that all 

 the scabs may be removed, so that the agent used may reach the surface of 

 the skin. In instances where the scabs have become exceedingly thick and 

 hard it is recommended to use the curry-comb to remove them. 



Preparations of mercury, carbolic acid, sulphur, turpentine, and tobacco 

 are commonly used as dressings, and perhaps it may be said that the 

 selection of the remedy is of less importance than the manner of its appli- 

 cation. One thorough dressing will prove more effective than any number 

 of partial and intermittent applications which leave certain diseased parts 

 untouched. 



Dressings must of course be repeated, and in each case preceded by a 

 thorough washing, until the cessation of the disease is indicated by the 

 growth of new hair and the absence of itching. This can be ascertained 

 by rubbing the skin and watching for movements of the animal's mouth, 

 which certainly occur if any irritability remains. 



Mange, like all parasitic diseases, is classed as a contagious affection 

 simply because the acari may migrate from a diseased animal to others, or 

 some of the eggs may be transferred by the agency of clothing or stable 

 implements. It is therefore necessary to adopt precautions in all cases by 

 disinfecting or destroying such articles as soon as the disease is cured. 



