266 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



in others, in quality as well as quantity, it exhibits most 

 remarkable fluctuations — at one time appearing so scanty 

 and trifling as hardly to be worth notice ; at another, 

 pouring forth in all the abundance of the eruption of 

 pent-up channels, solid as well as fluid, from the admixture 

 of lymph with muco or sero-purulent flux, and all of the 

 most fetid nature, in consequence of having been shut up 

 for a period, and so undergone a putrefactive fermentation 

 within the sinuses of the head. Its colour, too, is very 

 variable, depending upon the time it has been retained 

 within the sinus. It may be white, yellow, green, brown, 

 black, according to circumstances — its colour being often a 

 sort of guide to us in respect to its composition and probable 

 duration in confinement. 



A distinction must be made between chronic glanders 

 and what we are in the habit of calling nasal gleet — an 

 aflection some horses are known to have either all their 

 lives, or at certain periods of them. The important question 

 for us to consider is, how are cases of nasal gleet to be 

 distinguished from those of chronic glanders ? The dis- 

 charge in gleet consists of an unusually white mucous or 

 sero-mucous matter, and in several instances has been 

 remarked to be lumpy. There is no enlargement under the 

 iaw ; and this circumstance, as well as the white, mucous, 

 and lumpy nature of the discharge, together with the history 

 of its origin, which should be carefully inquired into, may 

 be found pretty safe ground of distinction between nasal 

 gleet and chronic glanders. 



Strangles is another disorder with which glanders may 

 be confounded, but not by an experienced practitioner. 

 The difl"erent points in the symptoms and progress of that 

 disease will be noted under Strangles. 



The causes of glanders and farcy have occasioned as 

 much difference of opinion as the nature of the diseases 

 themselves. 



It has been said, in a general way, that close, un- 

 wholesome stables, hard work and bad provender, sudden 

 changes from cold and wet weather to hot close stables, 

 hard work and insuflicient keep, and, in short, anything 

 that will weaken the animal considerably, is likely to 

 produce glanders or farcy. 



There will be no danger in admitting this opinion if, 

 at the same time, we keep in view the contagious nature 



