300 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



1. Bronchitis; inflammation of the mucous lining of the 

 bronchial tubes and trachea. 



2. Pleurisy ; inflammation of the membrane (the pleura) 

 covering the lungs and lining the chest. 



3. Pneumonia; inflammation of the substance of the 

 lungs. 



BRONCHITIS. 



Bronchitis may be acute, chronic, or epizootic. The causes 

 of bronchitis may be set down as the same which induce 

 common catarrh or cold. Most frequently the extension of 

 inflammation is from the throat downwards. It is often a 

 very insidious disease, though sometimes slight, and free 

 from danger. In many cases it creeps on so gradually that 

 it fails to attract attention until too late. It is not un- 

 common for a cough and a slight diminution of the appetite 

 to be the only symptoms noticed for several days ; although, 

 if the animal were examined at this stage, he would be 

 found to have a quickened and a disturbed pulse with 

 slightly laborious breathing, with a slight discharge from 

 the nostrils. The disease, after creeping on in this manner 

 for several days, sometimes exhibits on a sudden the most 

 dangerous symptoms, the pulse being exceedingly quick 

 and weak ; the respiration greatly accelerated ; the mem- 

 brane of the nostrils and eyelids of a red colour ; and the 

 discharge from the nostrils diminished or suspended. When 

 bronchitis presents itself in this form, it is frequently fatal 

 — the membrane of the nostrils becomes of a purple hue, 

 and death too frequently closes the scene in the course of a 

 week or ten days. 



The disease fortunately does not always exhibit itself in 

 this severe form. We often find the first symptoms are 

 a loss of appetite, dullness, discharge from the nostrils, 

 and cough ; it can only be distinguished from a common 

 catarrh by the quickness of the pulse (advancing from 50 to 

 70), and the disturbance of the breathing. From common 

 inflammation of the lungs it may be distinguished by 

 the warmth of the surface and the extremities which 

 usually prevails, and by the more moderate acceleration 

 of the pulse and respiration. It should, however, be observed 

 that it is by no means uncommon for this disease to be 

 complicated with inflammation of the lungs ; and when 



