366 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 



DRY UP THE SWEAT. 

 A sudden drying up of sweat when the horse is being driven 

 or worked indicates the near visitation of lung trouble, as in- 

 flammation or pleurisy. 



FEVER. 



The subject of fever is one that has perplexed the minds of 

 medical men for ages, and I do not propose in this work to ex- 

 amine the different theories heretofore advanced. I only pro- 

 pose to give what seems to me a reasonable explanation of it. 



Fever is an increase of the heat or temperature of the ani- 

 mal body. When in full health — although there are several 

 sources of heat in the body and as many agencies operating on 

 it of a cooling nature — there is never a change in the tempera- 

 ture of any consequence ; not in the extreme, it is said, to over 

 one or two degrees. Consequently, when this temperature or 

 animal heat becomes increased, that unhealthy condition called 

 fever exists. 



If such increased heat were to continue the life of the ani- 

 mal would soon be destroyed. JSavin, in his excellent work, 

 the "Explanatory Horse Doctor," mentions the varieties of 

 fever among horses as " simple scarlet fever," " malignant scar- 

 let fever," " typhus fever," " putrid fever," and " catarrhal 

 fever or influenza." 



Treatment of Fevers in General. Fever should not always 

 be treated as a disease of itself, for in the majority of cases it 

 is only symptomatic of some local or general derangement. 

 More or less fever will be found in all cases of inflammatory 

 •character ; therefore, we should not let the fact of the presence 

 of fever so engross our attention as to overlook the real 

 malady. 



A fever as a disease may be regarded, when fairly seated, 

 somewhat as " self -limited." That is, running a regular course 

 up to a certain intensity, and then, all things being favorable as 

 regards the patient's previous health, management, etc., the un- 

 favorable symptoms gradually subside and the patient conva- 

 lesces into a normal condition. 



