200 SUEFEIT. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms of Prurigo are well marked. 

 In its milder states the itching prevails over the skin generally, 

 but not violently. In the worst forms the itching increases, and 

 the violence of the patient is frequently excessive. The animal, 

 unless prevented, will rub with such fury against any project- 

 ing body favourable for the purpose, that the skin in many 

 places speedily becomes raw and bleeding. I have, on numerous 

 occasion, treated cases of this nature, where the itching of 

 the skin was so excessive as to cause the horses to throw them- 

 selves upon the ground, and rub against it until they either 

 ceased from exhaustion, or were forced by beating, to desist. 



In other forms of Prurigo, particularly when old horses 

 manifest it, the disease will appear at certain periods ; 

 while, in other animals, in spite of every known kind of 

 treatment, the disease will constantly be present. Of the 

 former, we frequently observe it to appear during the hot 

 months of summer; of the latter, all that I can say about 

 it is, that it appears to depend upon a bad state of the digestive 

 organs. Horses thus affected are always gross feeders, and are 

 possessed of ravenous appetites. 



The periodic attacks of Prurigo are marked by different 

 states of severity. Sometimes the attack is mild ; at other 

 times the patient will so bite and rub himself, as to denude the 

 skin of hair, or otherwise give to it the appearance of being 

 Mangy. 



Treatment. — Attention should first be directed to the 

 diet of the patient ; unless this be properly regulated, 

 medicine will prove of little or no avail. Every article 

 of food which tends to maintain the morbid irritation of 

 the skin should be at once disused, and others of a cooling 

 nature substituted. 



Coarse bread steeped in milk and water will, in all proba- 



