THE HORSE IN SICKNESS AND DISEASE 249 



to those vicissitudes which are so common at the seasons 

 when fever most prevails. 



The only disease liable to be confounded with fever is 

 pneumonia. 



That disordered or deranged state which assumes the 

 form of fever in the incipient stage may continue and 

 develop itself into a more perfect and decided form of 

 fever ; or it may prove only to have been the precursor of 

 some other disease. 



The disturbed breathing in fever never amounts to the 

 hurried, laborious, and painful heaving of the flanks we 

 find in inflammation of the lungs. It may be said the 

 same symptoms are present in symptomatic fever, or fever 

 arising from local injury, or where pus is forming. But 

 then there are always some other concomitant symptoms to 

 guide us, such as cold, clammy sweats, indicative of pain ; 

 or the pointing of a foot, if that be the seat of injury. 

 Fever arising from external injury, or from local disease, is 

 commonly more violent and active than any spontaneous 

 febrile attack. It assumes more the form of painful or 

 distressing irritation than mild and progressive disease, 

 and is altogether such as the experienced observer refers 

 directly to its proper source ; ever keeping in view the 

 previous history of the case. 



The most unfavourable and frequent termination of fever 

 is inflammation of the lungs. 



Treatment. — In speaking of the treatment of fever, we 

 confine ourselves to it in its simple form, every thoughtful 

 practitioner being fully aware that when it is the conse- 

 quence of local information that is the primary object to 

 be attended to. 



We must be guided in the use of the lancet by the state 

 of the pulse ; for though blood-letting is indicated under 

 all circumstances that have reference to inflammation, still 

 here it must be done with circumspection. Older practi- 

 tioners, in every case and indiscriminately, let the disease 

 be what it might, bled and physicked. In the milder 

 forms of fever the less we do the better, and allow nature 

 to act for us ; at least, our measures should be more 

 palliative than active. In the more violent forms, bleeding, 

 regulated by the state of the pulse ; physicking in mild 

 doses, so as to keep the bowels thoroughly open, without 

 amounting to purging ; acting upon the skin by the use of 



