558 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



Oct. 



remainder of the day. Suppose you sit still 

 in the damp clothing ; in a few minutes chilli- 

 ness is observed, tlie cold "strikes in," and 

 next morninir there is a violent cold, or an at- 

 tack of pleurisy or pneumonia which, if not 

 fatal in a week, often requires weeks and 

 .months and weary years to get rid of. The 

 short, sharp rule should be, if the clothing 

 gets wet, change instantly, or work or walk 

 actively, briskly, until perfectly diy. 



Watkkixg Sheep. — A correspondent asks 

 if it is necessary to furnish his sheep with wa- 

 ter. We answer, Yes. Not that they will 

 not live without it, for we have known them 

 to be without drinking for a month, and ap- 

 parently suffer but little if any inconvenience 

 but we have also noticed that where they have 

 access to good, pure water, no animal resorts 

 to it with more regularity, or partakes of il 

 •with more seeming satisfaction. Especially 

 do we think it important that ewes with un- 

 ■weaned lamlis should have water within easy 

 reach. We speak of good, pure water; for 

 not only sheep, but all other animals are only 

 injured by the poisoned, stagnant water af- 

 forded by ponds and holes during the hottest 

 season ; and if they have to die, we don't 

 know but it had as well be by famine as the 

 equally sure method of poison. — Western Bu- 

 ral. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



DISEASES AFFECTING RESPIRATION. 



I have a heifer which has a cough, and at times 

 seems put to it for breath. Wiien hurried up liill 

 she will run out her tongue and seem in great dis- 

 tress fur breatli. Can you inform me wliat to do 

 for lier ? Albee Buss. 



CambrUlgrpoyt, VL, Aug. 19, 1871. 



Remarks. — Before ansvveriugthe question of our 

 correspondent, we propose to give a brief descrip- 

 tion of three of the several diseases wliich affect 

 the iunctiou of respiration, — hvonchiiis, emphysema, 

 and asthma. And we premise M'ith the remark 

 that respiration, the organs by which respiration is 

 performed, the difcascs which affect those organs, 

 and the proi>er remedies for such diseases, arc the 

 same in the brute and in the man. 



The function of the trochea or wind-pipe is to 

 convey air to the lungs, and just before entering 

 those organs it divides into two smaller pipes called 

 bronclu or bronchial tubes, one of which branches 

 out to every portion of the right lung, while the 

 other, in like manner, r.amities through every part 

 of the k'l 1 1 ung. The trachea and the bronchial tubes, 

 even to the smallest of them, are eomiujscd of numer- 

 ous rings of cartilage or gristle, and these rings are 

 connected together and moved by muscular iibres. 

 The smaller bronchial tubes, or extreme branches of 

 the trachea, terminate in numberless little cells in 

 which the purification of the blood, which is the 

 proper function of the lungs, takes place. All of 



these air tubes and air cells hare their inner sur- 

 face covered by a thin soft membrane like that 

 which lines the mouth and throat, and which se- 

 cretes a peculiar substance called mvcus, and is 

 therefore called mucous membrane. These tubes 

 and cells are eoimectcd with each other and with 

 tlic pulmonary arteries and veins, by means of 

 cellular tissue, such as is seen directly under the 

 skin and in various other parts of the body. Now, 

 when that portion of mucous membrane which 

 lines the bronchial tubes and cells becomes in- 

 ll.imed, we have a case of nRONCiiiTis; and when, 

 from violent coughing, excessive ruiming or lift- 

 ing, or any other cause, some of the bronchial cells 

 are ruptured so that air escapes into the connecting 

 cellular tissue, we have a case of pulmonary em- 

 physema or emphysema of the lungs; and 

 when, from any cause the muscular fibres of 

 the smaller bronchial tubes assume a state of pro- 

 longed or permament spasm, we have a ease of 



ASTHMA. ' 



Bronchitis, then, is an inflammation of the lin- 

 ing membrane of the bronchial tubes, and it may 

 be either acute, sub-acute, or chronic. Acute bron- 

 chitis is generally produced either by the action of 

 cold, or by the action of some morbific agent in 

 the atmosphere. In the human subject, it is com- 

 monly preceded by inflammation of the mucous 

 membrane of the nasal passages, which travels 

 downward to the air vessels of the lungs. The 

 cough is at first painful and dry, but after a few 

 days, the patient expectorates a frothy fluid some- 

 times streaked with blood, which soon gives place 

 to a more free expectoration of a thick, yellowish 

 or greenish matter. As a general rule, respiration 

 is not greatly att'ected, and the febrile symptoms, 

 are, usually, moderate. The average duration of 

 this form of bronchitis is ten or twelve days. Sub- 

 acute bronchitis is ordy a milder form of the dis- 

 ease, and requires but little attention. Chro7iic 

 bronchitis is a disease of more serious import, and 

 is sometimes mistaken for pulmonary consump- 

 tion. It is generally a sequel of the acute variety 

 of the disease, and is most common in persons who 

 have passed the middle term of life. The sj'mp- 

 toms differ but little from those of acute bronchi- 

 tis, except that they are less severe, but more per- 

 sistent. 



In regard to the treatment of persons affected 

 with bronchitis, we will only say that in mild forms 

 of the disease, very little need be done, aud in the 

 severer forms the patient should be under the care 

 of a judicious physician. If we hail a horse, an 

 ox, or some other domestic aiumal affected with 

 this disease, we should depend chiefly on a free 

 use of an infusion of flaxseed, or some other muci- 

 lage, with plenty of nourishing food. We would 

 also keep the animal dry aud warm, and give him 

 pure ah" to breathe. 



Pulmonary Emphysema denotes the pre- 

 sence of air in the cellular or connective tissue of 

 i the lungs, and arises from rupture of the air cells. 



