PNEUMONIA 139 



PNEUMONIA 



For this disease in cattle we would prefer the word 

 pneumonitis, because from the standpoint of treatment 

 the word pneumonitis is specific. The veterinarian in 

 daily practice who comes actually in contact with this 

 disease in cattle does not pay much attention to the 

 particular form of pneumonia a given patient may be 

 afflicted with. To the practicing veterinarian pneu- 

 monia is an inflammation of the lungs, pneumonitis, 

 and that is sufficient for practical purposes. 



Probably a minority of the actively practicing vet- 

 erinarians, although they treat, successfully, several 

 dozen cases of pneumonia each season, can differentiate 

 the various forms of pneumonia either in words or in 

 clinical application. ^ 



The secret of success in treating pneumonia in any 

 form lies in early recognition or diagnosis. The best 

 that any treatment can do in pneumonia is to lessen 

 the severity of the attack, and it can do this best when 

 the disease is just developing. It is now quite gen- 

 erally accepted that pneumonia, once it asserts itself, 

 can not be aborted. On the other hand, correct and 

 judicious treatment instituted early in the attack can 

 make of this disease a reasonably moderate attack of 

 sickness. 



In our own practice pneumonitis in cattle does not 

 cause us much worry if we have been called reason- 

 ably early. We usually have little trouble in giving 

 quite an exact prognosis and as a rule see it verified 

 almost in detail. When we are not called in early in 

 the attack, we have learned from experience to guard 

 our prognosis decidedly. 



