346 PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



as having the greatest pyogenic aptitude among the domes- 

 tic animals, but this is not entirely correct, because horses 

 as beasts of burden are more exposed to conditions which 

 favor abscess formation than the other species. In spite of 

 the impression that solipeds are more susceptible to ab- 

 scesses, it seems that collections of pus are not more fre- 

 quent than in the other species, proof of which is shown by 

 the following statistics : 



In 438 dogs observed at the Lyons Hospital in the course 

 of several weeks nine abscesses were found, being a propor- 

 tion of 2.05 per cent. 



In 590 horses, only 20 cases, or 3.38 per cent. 



In 261 oxen, only 10 cases, or 3.83 per cent. 



In 70 hogs, only 3 cases, or 3.94 per cent. 



In 144 cats, only 6 cases, or 4.16 per cent. 



In 51 goats, only 5 cases, or 10.10 per cent. 

 These statistics demonstrate very clearly that abscesses 

 occur in the following scale of ascending frequency : Dog, 

 ho^se, ox, hog, cat and dog. 



(b) Race. — Horses of coarse breed — lymphatic animals 

 —are more subject to abscesses than those of the finer breed. 

 [The greater liability of the coarser breed to injury must 

 be taken into account. — L. A. M.] 



(c) Age, diet, mode of utilization, and the hygienic con- 

 ditions in which animals are kept, are also well-known fac- 

 tors in the etiology of abscesses. 



2. Exciting causes. — In the horse contusion, friction, 

 pressure, or abrasion is usually the primary cause of' an ab- 

 scess. 



Pre-existing diseases — endocarditis — may frequently 

 prove a dominating factor. Cadeac has seen an abscess sud- 

 denly attack the anterior limb of a horse recovering from 

 endocarditis, The same author has seen an ileo-spinal ab- 

 scess as the result of a nail wound in the foot. Operations 



