MELANOSIS. 129 



but few exceptions, confined to grey horses, and usually appears 

 after the ninth or tenth year, when the coat begins to turn white. 

 It is much more common in India than it is in England; perhaps 

 because the proportion of grey horses to those of a darker hue is 

 much larger in the former, than in the latter country. The 

 effect of light on the colouring granules of the pigment cells, may 

 also have something to say to the larger percentage of cases met 

 with in the hotter climate. 



Melanosis is a disgusting disease when it is well developed. It 

 is not alone an eyesore, but, also, from affecting the internal organs, 

 it may permanently injure the horse's health, or even prove fatal 

 to him. The animal's condition becomes more or less impaired 

 by the irritation caused by the tumours, which will often, especially 

 if subjected to friction, burst, and form unhealthy sores, which dis- 

 charge a dark-coloured fluid. 



TREATMElNT, as far as I have seen and can learn, is of no use 

 with cases of melanosis in horses. I have always found that cutting 

 out the growth only caused it to appear somewhere else with in- 

 creased virulence. I conclude that this undesirable result has been 

 due to the fact that the removal has not been complete ; for, in 

 human practice, " in no form of malignant growth is resort to early 

 and free excision of more importance to the patient than melanotic 

 sarcoma or carcinoma " {J onathan Hutchinson, Junr.). 



