532 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
In the simplest form the first symptom noticed is a swelling, or 
several swellings, occurring on the surface of the body—on the fore- 
arm, the leg, the under surface of the belly, or the side of the head. 
The tumefaction is at first the size of a hen’s egg; not hot, little sen- 
sitive, and distinctly circumscribed by a marked line from the sur- 
rounding healthy tissue. These tumors gradually extend until they 
coalesce, and in a few hours we have swelling of the legs, legs and 
belly, or the head, to an enormous size; they have always the char- 
acteristic constricted border, which looks as if it had been tied with a 
cord. In the nostrils are found small reddish spots, or petechia, 
which gradually assume a brownish and freqently a black color. 
Examination of the mouth will frequently reveal similar lesions on 
the surface of the tongue, along the lingual gutter, and on the 
frenum. If the external swelling has been on the head, the pete- 
chize of the mucous membranes are liable to be more numerous and to 
coalesce into patches of larger size than when the dropsy is confined 
to the legs. The animal may be rendered stiff by the swelling of the 
legs, or be annoyed by an awkward swollen head, which at times may 
be so enormous as to resemble that of a hippopotamus rather than 
that of a horse. During this period the temperature remains nor- 
mal; the pulse, if altered at all, is only a little weaker; the respira- 
tion is only hurried if the swelling of the head infringes on the 
caliber of the nostrils. The appetite remains normal. The animal 
is attentive to all that is going on, and, except for the swelling, 
apparently in perfect health. 
In from two to four days, in severe cases, the tissues can no longer 
resist the pressure of the exuded fluid. Over the surface of the skin 
which covers the dropsy we find a slight serous sweating, which 
loosens the epidermis and dries so as to simulate the eruption of some 
cutaneous disease. If this is excessive we may see irritated spots 
which are suppurating. In the nasal fosse the hemorrhagic spots 
have acted as irritants, and, inviting an increased amount of blood 
to the Schneiderian membrane, produce a coryza or even a catarrh. 
We may now find some enlargement and peripheral edema of the 
lymphatic glands, which are fed from the affected part. The ther- 
mometer indicates a slight rise in the body temperature, while the 
pulse and respiration are somewhat accelerated. The appetite usu- 
ally remains good. In the course of a few days the temperature may 
have reached 102°, 103°, or 104° F. 
Fever is established, not an essential or specific fever in any way, 
but a simple secondary fever produced by the dead material from the 
surface or superficial suppuration, and by the oxidization and absorp- 
tion of the colloid mass contained in the tissues. The skin may sup- 
purate or slough more or less over the areas of greatest tension or 
where it is irritated by blows or pressure.. The great swelling about 
