105 



METHODS OF EXAMINATION FOR DISEASES HAVING THEIR SEAT 



WITHIN THE CHEST. 



To lay down a set of rules for the guidance of the general reader in 

 discriminating between the different affections of the organs of respira- 

 tion situated in the thoracic cavity, is a task hard to accomplish. In 

 the first place, it is presumed that the reader has no knowledge what- 

 ever of the anatomical arrangement, and probably but a meager idea 

 of the physiology of the organs, therefore the use of technical language, 

 which would make the task a simple one, is out of the question. And, 

 to one who scarcely understands the signs and laws of health, it is dif- 

 ficult to convey in comprehensive language, in an article like this, an 

 adequate idea of the great importance attached to signs or symptoms 

 of disease. Then, again, the methods used for the detection of symp- 

 toms not visible are such as require special cultivation of the particu- 

 lar senses brought into play. It will be the endeavor of the writer, 

 when describing the symptoms of each particular disease, to do so in 

 such manner that a serious mistake should not be made; but for the 

 benefit of those who may desire a more thorough understanding of the 

 subject a brief review of the various methods employed and an ex- 

 planation of certain sj-mptoms will be given here. 



Pulse. — By the pulse is meant the beating of the arteries, which fol- 

 lows each contraction of the heart. The artery usually selected in the 

 horse for " taking the pulse" is the submaxillary where it winds around 

 the lower jaw-bone. On the inner side of the jaw-bone the artery may 

 b^ readily felt and pressed against the bone, hence its adaptability for 

 the purpose of detecting each peculiarity. The number of beats in a 

 minute, the regularity, the irregularity, the strength or feebleness, and 

 othei peculiarities are principally due to the action of the heart. 



In the healthy horse the average number of beats in a minute is 

 about forty; but in different horses the number may vary from thirty- 

 five to forty -five and still be consistent w4th health. The breed and 

 temperament of an animal has much to do with the number of pulsa- 

 tions. In a thoroughbred the number of beats in a given time is gen- 

 erally greater than in a coarse-bred horse. The pulse is less frequent 

 in a dull plethoric animal than in an excitable one. The state of the 

 pulse should be taken when the animal is quiet and at rest. Work, 

 exercise, and excitement increase the number of pulsations. If the 

 pulse of a horse be taken while standing quietly in the stable it will be 

 found less frequent than when he is at pasture. 



It is not within the scope of a work of this kind to give all the pecu- 

 liarities of the pulse; only a few of the most important will be noticed. 

 It should, however, be stated that if the reader would learn something 

 of the pulse in disease he must first become acquainted with the pulse 

 in health; he must know the natural peculiarities before he can detect 

 the deviations caused by disease. 



