104 DISEASES OF THE HORSE, 
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 pressure 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.—in all cases steam the nostrils, as has been advised for 
cold in the head. Jn 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- 
