405 



questionably true, but to believe an inflammation can be almost rao« 

 meutarily transferred from one organ to another, no matter how remote, 

 is to destroy all belief in our knowledge of the pathology of this com- 

 plicated process. We do not pretend to deny that the induction of 

 laminitis, during the course of some other disease, may serve to arrest 

 the further invasion of healthy tissue by the primary process, or that 

 it may exert a remedial influence upon the first disease, but it can not 

 and does not aconce remove that inflammation and obliterate its lesions, 

 for the products of any inflammation, be it never so simple, require a 

 certain time for their removal, and it is impossible that, for instance, 

 the products of inflamed lung tissue can be immediately removed and 

 the iuflammation in whole transferred to the laminae. Metastatic lam- 

 initis, then, is nothing more nor less than concurrent laminitis, and as 

 such presents little in anyway peculiar outside the imperfectly under- 

 stood exciting cause, and the practitioner who allows the acute symp- 

 toms of the laminitis to mislead him, simply because their severity has 

 overshadowed those of the primary disease, may lose his case through 

 unguarded subsequent treatment. This form of laminitis is by no means 

 commonly met with, but when seen will usually be found in conjunc- 

 tion with pneumonia, according to Youatt with inflammation of the 

 bowels and eyes, and according to Law and Williams sometimes witli 

 bronchitis. 



Symptoms. — Laminitis is characterized by a congregation of symp- 

 toms so well marked as scarcely to be misinterpreted by the most casual 

 observer. They are nearly const-ant in their manifestations, modified 

 by the number of feet affected, the cause which has induced the disease, 

 the previous condition of the patient, and the various other influences 

 which operate in all diseases to some extent. They may be divided into 

 general symptoms, which are concomitants of all cases of the disease, 

 subject to variations in degree only and special symptoms, or those 

 which serve to determine the feet affected and the complications which 

 may arise. 



General symptoms. — Usually the first symptoms that would indicate 

 any definite obstruction to functional performance is the interference 

 with locomotion produced by congestion of the sensitive membrane. 

 Occasionally the other symptoms are presented first. With the devel- 

 opment of the lameness the pulse will be found accelerated, full, hard, 

 and striking the finger strongly ; the temperature soon rises several 

 degrees above the normal, reaching sometimes 100° Fahr., although it 

 generally ranges between 102.p and 105° Fahr. The respirations are 

 rapid and panting in character, the nostrils being widely dilated, and 

 the mucous membranes highly injected. The facial expression is anx- 

 ious and indicative of the most acute suffering, while the body is more 

 or less bedewed with sweat. At first there may be tendency to diar- 

 rheaj or it may appear later, particularly as the result of the medicines 

 used. The uriue is high colored, scant in quantity, and of increased 



