General Diseases. 299 



he sat up himself nightly with his favourite, and performed 

 personally all the offices necessary : giving another 

 example of the value of good nursing in disease. 



DIPHTHERIA. 



Among the laryngeal diseases affecting the dog diph- 

 theria (so-called) finds a place. As, I have not seen any 

 throat malady that could be correctly termed such, myself, 

 I transcribe from the Veterinary Journal for August, 

 1875, some interesting cases recorded by Mr. W. Robertson, 

 M.R.C.V.S., Kelso ; subsequently Principal of the Royal 

 Veterinary College. 



"In the outbreak of diphtheria amongst the dogs, a 

 certain amount of variation or modification, as respects the 

 phenomena exhibited during the course of the develop- 

 ment of the disease, was observed in several of the indivi- 

 duals. 



" The dogs amongst which this outbreak occurred formed 

 part of a kennel of high-bred greyhounds. The kennel was 

 in two divisions ; the exercise-yard of the one division 

 running to within two yards of the door of the dormitory 

 of the other, which had originally been a stable, and where 

 all the cases of the disease occurred. The inmates of this 

 kennel were a mixed lot as regarded age ; one half were 

 puppies about twelve months old, the other half consisted 

 in greater part of dogs between eighteen and twenty-four 

 months, with a few aged animals. There had been no 

 importation of animals for some time, and no illness, not 

 even distemper, amongst the residents. The disease first 

 made its appearance amongst the puppies, and nearly the 

 whole, if not the whole, of these were dead before any of 

 the others were seized. Many of the puppies had died 

 before alarm was taken, the kennel-man imagining that 

 they were suffering from distemper ; at last suspicion was 

 aroused, and, as usual when any considerable mortality 



