lOi' ' DISEASES OP THE HOKSE. 



little consequence. It dilates and contracts to a certain extent, thus 

 regulating the volume of air passing through it. The mucous mem- 

 brane lining it internally is so highly sensitive that if the smallest 

 particle of feed happens to drop into it from the pharynx violent 

 coughing ensues instantly and is continued until the source of irri- 

 tation is ejected. This is a provision of nature to prevent foreign 

 substances gaining access to the lungs. That projection called 

 Adam's apple in the neck of man is the prominent part of one of the 

 cartilages forming the larynx. 



Inflammation of the larynx is a serious and sometimes fatal dis- 

 ease, and, as before stated, is usually complicated with inflammation 

 of the pharynx, constituting what is popularly known as "sore 

 throat." The chief causes are chilling and exposure. 



Symptoms. — About the first symptom noticed is cough, followed by 

 difficulty in swallowing, which may be due to soreness of the mem- 

 brane of the pharynx, over which the feed or water must pass, or 

 from the pain caused by the contraction of the muscles necessary to 

 impel the feed or water onward to the gullet ; or this same contraction 

 of the muscles may cause a pressui'e on the larynx and produce pain. 

 In many instances the difficulty in swallowing is so great that water, 

 and in some cases feed, is returned through the nose. This, however, 

 does not occur in laryngitis alone, but only when the pharynx is 

 involved in the inflammation. The glands between the lower jaw- 

 bones and below the ears may be swollen. Pressure on the larynx 

 induces coughing. The head is more or less " poked out," and has 

 the appearance of being stiffly carried. The membrane in the nose 

 becomes red. A discharge from the nostrils soon appears. As the 

 disease advances, the breathing may assume a more or less noisy char- 

 acter ; sometimes a harsh, rasping snore is emitted with every respira- 

 tion, the breathing becomes hurried, and occasionally the animal 

 seems threatened with suffocation. 



Treatment. -^n. all cases steam the nostrils, as has been advised for 

 cold in the head. In bad cases cause the steam to be inhaled continu- 

 ously for hours— until relief is afforded. Have a bucketful of fresh 

 boiling water every fifteen or twenty minutes. In each bucketful of 

 water put a tablespoonful of oil of turpentine, or compound tincture 

 of benzoin, the vapor of which will be carried along with the steam to 

 the affected parts and have a beneficial effect. In mild cases steaming 

 the nostrils five, six, or seven times a day will suffice. 



The animal should be placed in a comfortable, dry stall (a box stall 

 preferred), and should have pure air to breathe. The body should 

 be blanketed, and bandages applied to the legs. The diet should 

 consist of soft feed — ^bran mashes, scalded oats, linseed gruel, and, 

 best of all, fresh grass, if in season. The manger, or trough, should 

 neither be too high nor too low, but a temporary one should be con- 



