THE DISTEMPER 599 



himself, on which he performed inoculation, by 

 vaccine virus, or the matter of cow-pox, had the 

 effect of preventing the distemper completely ; and 

 this was found an effectual preventive by James 

 Drearden, Esq., of Rochdale, Lancashire, confirmed 

 by an extensive and successful practice. It would 

 certainly be worth while to try this expedient, as 

 being exceedingly simple ; and we have ascertained 

 that in the instances where dogs have had the dis- 

 temper after vaccination, it has been very mild. 



The manner in which this operation is performed 

 on a dog, is to make a puncture or scratch inside of 

 the fore-leg, within the shoulder pit : the abrasion is 

 then rubbed with a small quill with the virus, A 

 better method, however, is to puncture with a lancet, 

 charged with the virus, the inside of the ear. The 

 virus acts with more certainty on the sensible skin 

 devoid of hair, and the animal cannot remove it by 

 licking with the tongue. 



Although the distemper is a disease which, for the 

 most part, attacks puppies from four to twelve months 

 old, yet it is said there are instances where old dogs 

 have been affected by it, which had not the disease 

 when young. Without entering into a more length- 

 ened detail of this disorder, I shall only notice the 

 prevailing symptoms, and mode of treatment. 



Symptoms. — There are some symptoms in the 

 distemper which predominate, although the general 

 ones are not invariably the same. In the first stages 

 of the disease, the dog has a hard, dry cough, a want 

 of nervous energy, depression of spirits, a swelling of 

 the glands of the throat, and almost total loss of 

 appetite ; after which he is seized with a running at the 

 nose and eyes, when emaciation and great weakness 

 ensue, more especially in the hinder extremities. These 



