2}il THEORY AND PRACTICE 



breeding farms and affects large numbers of horses. The 

 horse seems to be the only animal that is affected. It is more 

 common in driving horses than in the running. It is thought 

 to be due to a fungus on the grass or fodder. 



In this condition we usually find the urine thick and mucil- 

 aginous ; the horse tucked up in the flanks and inclined to lie 

 down a good deal ; back is arched ; horse grows thin in flesh ; 

 but the appetite keeps good. The affected bone is probably 

 painful and often the first sign is a peculiar lameness, which is 

 intermitting and frequently locates across the loins. It cannot 

 always be located and is often mistaken for rheumatism. The 

 disease is not confined to the head alone, all the bones^ are af- 

 fected, in fact if the bones of the head become affected, the rest 

 of the body is usually affected also and the horse may break 

 down all at once. This disease is much more common in the 

 south than in the north. 



Some claim to get good results by using iodide of potash and 

 trephining into the enlargement and injecting antiseptics. This 

 treatment does not seem to bring good results. Hyposulphite of 

 soda and cakium phosphate in equal parts three times a day is 

 good. Give a complete change of diet and a change of location. 

 In acute cases death may take place in two or three months. 

 In autopsy we find the face bones so soft that you can sometimes 

 run a probe through them. They are red and vascular, like 

 granulating tissue. 



OSTEOMALACIA. 



Osteomalacia is an acquired disease of the bones of unknown 

 origin. It is rather common in the human and bovines, but not 

 so in other animals. In the human it usually affects adult indi- 

 viduals of the female sex, though it is often seen in males. It is 

 thought to be caused by an innutritions diet, especially such as 

 would occur among the poorer classes. Pregnancy, rheumatism, 

 infection, intoxication, etc., have been blamed for its develop- 

 ment. (See Merillat's, Vol. II.) 



The disease is characterized by a soft, plastic condition of 

 the bones, which depends upon the replacement of the original 



