DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND SUB-TISSUES. 287 



•hort distance, he is brought back with his neck and sides covered 

 with blotches or elevations. On pressing them with the fingers 

 they crepitate, showing that they are gaseous elevations or disten- 

 sions, originating in the cellular tissue beneath the skin, from the 

 spontaneous generation of gas. The gas probably arises from fer- 

 menlation of the food, and instead of accumulating in the intes- 

 tines, finds its way to the surface of the body. 



Treatment — Dissolve two ounces of hyposulphite of soda in one 

 pint of warm water, and drench the animal with the same. Then 

 sponge the body witn a portion of the following surfeit lotion : 



No. 34. Aqua ammonia 2 oz. 



Animal glycerine 1 oz. 



Water 1 quart. 



If taken in time, the affection will disappear in a few hours. The 

 patient should be kept on bran-mashes, well salted, for a few days ; 

 or a couple of weeks' run at grass, if the season permits, will be 

 of great service. 



Dropsical Limbs (Swelled Legs, " Stocking "). 



It is a very serious annoyance to the owner of a valuable horse 

 to find that, after the animal has been standing in the stable for 

 only a period of twelve hours, his hind limbs have wonderfully 

 increased in size ; and equally mortifying is it to see some animals 

 with their limbs continually tumefied, and without any other ap- 

 parent sign of disease. 



Dropsy of the limbs generally proceeds from congestion. The 

 serum, or more fluid part of the blood, transudes through the walls 

 of the blood-vessels, and accumulates in the cellular tissue, under 

 the skin. But dropsy takes place not only in consequence of 

 venous congestion, but accompanies very many forms of disease, 

 such as scarletina, influenza, farcy ; and the cure of such diseases 

 also accomplishes the cure of dropsy. 



Causes. — The cause of that form of dropsical limbs which 

 seems to occur without any other visible disease is now the sub- 

 ject for consideration. When a horse's limbs swell persistently, 

 after a few hours' rest, and disappears under exercise, we may 

 infer that there exists a dropsical diathesis in his system; that, by 

 virtue of his constitution, he is predisposed; and such cases are 

 designated as chronic local dropsy. 



