PNEUMONIA 75 



PNEUMONIA 



We shall confine this discussion of pneumonia to that 

 of treatment. There is in all veterinary practice no 

 other disease in the treatment of which good judgment 

 is so valuable as in this. If it can be said of any disease 

 to which the horse is subject that "Dr. So and So killed 

 him," pneumonia is that disease. Were I the owner of 

 a valuable horse afflicted with this disease and given my 

 choice, in the selection of a veterinarian to treat the case, 

 between a recent graduate with a grip full of drugs and 

 an old practitioner with nothing but a head full of good 

 judgment, I would say, ' ' Keep your young fellow with his 

 grip full of drugs and give me the man with his head full 

 of good judgment. ' ' I would be the last person on earth 

 to lay anything in the way of the young graduate 's prog- 

 ress, but I firmly believe that in most instances he is seri- 

 ously handicapped in the handling of pneumonia because 

 of a lack of practical experience in this particular work. 



So many young practitioners seem to forget what their 

 instructors told them about pneumonia almost as soon 

 as they graduate ; at least, they seem to forget the most 

 important point from the side of treatment, and that is 

 that you can not abort a case of pnewmonia! If a prac- 

 titioner knew nothing else about this disease, but had it 

 indelibly ground into his brain that pneumonia is a self- 

 limited disease, and that he is only lessening the chances 

 of his patient for recovery when he attempts to cut short 

 or interfere with its regular course, he would be suffi- 

 ciently qualified for all practical ends. Such a man 

 would at least do no harm to the patient. Just as soon 

 as the treatment in a case of pneumonia takes the form 

 of heroics it is harming the patient. I do not intend to 

 modify or qualify this statement under any circum- 

 stances. 



