162 THE HORSE IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 



tegration of blood, painful conditions, rheumatism, fatigue due to 

 fighting against restraint, overheating, etc. 



The kinds of fever are determined by the height of the tempera- 

 ture. We speak of a mild fever, 101.5° to 103° F.; a moderate 

 fever, 103° to 105° F.; a high fever, 105° to 106.5° F.; and a very 

 high fever when the recording thermometer registers 106.5° F. or 

 higher. 



The symptoms of fever include a rise in the temperature, 

 changes in the secretions and excretions, a rapid pulse, accelerated 

 respirations, dilated nostrils, a hot dry skin, increased thirst, loss 

 of appetite, and digestive disturbances. Sometimes chills are 

 evident at the onset of fever, causing the patient to tremble and 

 shiver throughout the body. Chills are accompanied by erection 

 of the hair coat and a cold skin. These changes are due to a con- 

 gestion of the blood in the internal organs which leaves the surface 

 of the body cold. 



The crisis of fever is the turning-point when the temperature 

 falls abruptly. Often the crisis is accompanied by critical dis- 

 charges, such as critical profuse excretion of urine, critical diarrhea, 

 or critical sweat. A day or two preceding the crisis the tempera- 

 ture drops almost to normal, but immediately goes up again. 

 This is the pseudo or false crisis. Before crisis occurs the tempera- 

 ture is higher than at any other time during the disease. This is 

 the period of critical change. Animals often die when the tem- 

 perature has reached its lowest point. The decline of fever 

 preceding recovery is believed to be due to the formation some- 

 where in the body (bone-marrow, liver, or spleen), during the febrile 

 process, of a large quantity of protective substances (antibodies), 

 and to the destruction of the fever-producing substances present 

 in the system from the time when the protective substances pre- 

 dominate. 



The prognosis in fever should be guarded, for we find that 

 recovery from diseases accompanied with high fever is quite slow, 

 because the body must replace the large amounts of tissues de- 

 stroyed by the extreme oxidation. The age, vitality, and care given 

 the patient will be important factors in determining the outcome. 



In the treatment of fever only those therapeutic agents should 

 be used which tend to keep it within bounds and prevent structural 

 changes in the internal organs, for we know that beneficial effects 

 follow ordinary degrees of fever from the fact that the higher tern- 



