SYMPTOMS 61 
flamed back may heal promptly. It is, there- 
fore, advisable to withhold an opinion about 
the seriousness of harness sores until the be- 
havior of the swelling and of the discharge 
can be noted. As a rule, however, a sore that 
exposes the ligament, and especially if the 
pain on palpation is excruciating and extends 
along the back some distance from it, is one 
to be viewed with suspicion. Painful subacute 
diffuse swellings extending forward over the 
summit of the withers are likewise incriminat- 
ing. Both of these circumstances indicate an 
extensive involvement of the ligament and un- 
derlying bones right from the beginning that 
is pretty sure to lead to a chronic inflammation 
of these structures far beyond the original 
focus—the harness sore. 
Sitfast of the collar seat, on the contrary, 
develops into fistula without these threatening 
external manifestations, and even without any 
perceptible pain. It causes fistula by rooting 
through the connective tissue of the mane into 
the ligament almost unnoticed. It is only when 
sequestration begins or, when extirpation is 
attempted that the depth and the seriousness 
are determined. 
During this first stage of atypical fistula— 
which in this case is the phlegmonous stage— 
the patient is not stricken with illness as during 
