AIR AS A REMEDY 295 



out the entire body and the blood is driven from the internal 

 organs, especially the lungs, digestive apparatus and brain, to the 

 periphery, metabolism is increased and the constitution is strength- 

 ened. Heat is given off by the body to the surrounding cold air, 

 provided the action of the latter continues long enough. Cold 

 air consequently acts as a refrigerant. Upon the basis of these 

 actions, cold air is employed in the form of ventilation of stables, 

 and animals are exercised in cold air, bivouacked and placed in 

 cold compartments and in shady places to make them hardy; 

 cold air is also employed as a preventive against rheumatism and 

 other diseases due to chilling, as a curative agent in all febrile 

 diseases of the internal organs, and in congestion of the lungs 

 and brain. 



Therapeutic Action of Pure Air. — Pure air, rich in oxygen, 

 poor in carbon dioxide, free from bacteria and other impurities, 

 is the best natural remedy in all catarrhal affections of the respira- 

 tory apparatus. It is employed in the form of good ventilation, 

 the air in the stable being renewed as often as possible, or the 

 animal is placed in the open air (pasture, bivouac, exercise in the 

 open). The renewal of the air in the bronchi and alveoli promotes 

 respiration and removes the injurious air from these structures. 

 Furthermore, the introduction of fresh air dilutes and removes the 

 infectious material present, which is also in part destroyed by the 

 oxygen (disinfectant action of fresh air). Especially good results 

 have been obtained in this respect in strangles, contagious pneu- 

 monia, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. 



Climate. — Climate can only be made use of for healing purposes in veter- 

 inary medicine in exceptional cases, which is in contrast to the very highly- 

 developed climate-therapy of human medicine. The importance of climate in 

 a hygienic sense for the domestic animals has, it is true, been known for a 

 long time. It is known, for example, that the mountain breeds, because of 

 the vigorous climate, are more resistant to diseases of all kinds than the breeds 

 of the lowlands. It is further known that imported animals (monkeys, 

 parrots) are very susceptible to disease and frequently die of tuberculosis 

 because of the change of climate. A similar effect is observed on horses, 

 cattle and sheep when they are taken into a new region with a different climate. 



