96 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
eased, and, as many of the causes which lead to these attacks can 
be avoided, it is both important and profitable to know and study 
the causes. 
CAUSES OF DISEASES OF RESPIRATORY ORGANS. 
The causes of many of the diseases of these organs may be given 
under a common head, because even a simple cold, if neglected or 
badly treated, may run into the most complicated lung disease and 
terminate fatally. In the spring and fall, when the animals are 
changing their coats, there is a marked predisposition to contract 
disease, and consequently at those periods care should be taken to 
prevent other exciting causes. 
Badly ventilated stables are a frequent source of disease. It isa 
mistake to think that country stables necessarily have purer air than 
city stables. Stables on some farms are so faultily constructed that 
it is almost impossible for the foul air to gain an exit. All stables 
should have a sufficient supply of pure air, and be so arranged that 
strong drafts can not blow directly on the animals. In ventilating a 
stable, it is best to arrange to remove air from near the floor and ad- 
mit it through numerous small openings near the ceiling. The reason 
for this is that the coldest and most impure air in the stable is near 
the floor, while that which is warmest and purest, and therefore can 
least be spared, is near'the top of the room. In summer, top exits and 
_eross currents should be provided to remove excessive heat. Hot 
stables are almost always poorly ventilated, and the hot stable is a 
cause of disease on account of the extreme change of temperature 
that a horse is liable to when taken out, and extreme changes of tem- 
perature are to be avoided as certain causes of disease. 
A cold, close stable is invariably damp, and is to be avoided as 
much as the hot, close, and foul one. Horses changed from a cold 
to a warm stable are more liable to contract cold than when changed 
from a warm to a cold one. Pure air is more essential than warmth, 
and this fact should be especially remembered when the stable is 
made close and foul to gain the warmth. It is more economical to 
keep the horse warm with blankets than to prevent the ingress of 
pure air in order to make the stable warm. 
Stables should be well drained and kept clean. Some farmers 
allow large quantities of manure to accumulate in the stable. This is 
a pernicious practice, as the decomposing organic matter evolves 
gases that are predisposing or exciting causes of disease. When a 
horse is overheated, it is not safe to allow him to dry by evaporation; 
rubbing him dry and gradually cooling him out is the wisest treat- 
ment. When a horse is hot—covered with sweat—it is dangerous to 
allow him to stand in a draft; it is the best plan to walk him until his 
