322 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



comes without any special warning. Worse than all, it is 

 most imminent when the horse is going at speed. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE PERICARDIUM. 



This is the disorder usually known as inflammation of 

 the heart. The membranous envelope of the heart is by 

 no means infrequently the seat of inflammation. In 

 opening horses that die of pleuritic disease, nothing is 

 more common than to find effusions of lymph and water 

 within the pericardiac cavity, as though the one membrane 

 had morbidly sympathised with the otiier. 



Pericarditis may assume either the acute or chronic type. 

 It may exist as an idiopathic afiection, but in most cases 

 it will be found to be secondary — consecutive on inflam- 

 mation of the pleura. That it may, at least in a chronic 

 form, commence by itself and run its course alone, is in 

 some measure proved by the cases of heart dropsy which 

 every now and then present themselves unaccompanied by 

 disease of other parts. 



DROPSY OF THE HEART 



is that stage of pericarditis where effusion has taken 

 place, and the membranous sac is supposed to contain 

 both l3^mph and water. 



The symptoms of this affection, apart from pleurisy and 

 pneumonia, are well marked. They are palpitation of the 

 heart ; the carotid arteries beat forcibly, and are readily 

 recognised on applying the finger to their course in the 

 neck. There is a good flow of blood through the jugulars, 

 a copious return of blood through the neck ; w^hen the state 

 of the pulse is considered, the surface of the body and ex- 

 tremities is warm ; and these latter symptoms continue 

 until within one or two hours of the horse's death. In 

 addition to the above symptoms, there is such an expres- 

 sion of alarm and anxiety in the countenance of the animal 

 as no other malady produces. The respiration is but little 

 disturbed. 



Tiie fluid collected in most cases resembles the serum of 

 the blood. Sometimes it is red, from being tinged with 

 exuded blood ; at others it is turbid from lymph floating 

 in it ; often it is sero-purulent in character, and looks like 



