NASAL GLEET. 373 



exertion. In purchasing a horse with an alleged cold in the head, 

 it is most important to find out whether the affection is merely 

 temporary, or whether it is nasal gleet. Here, a special warranty 

 is the best protection ; for, under ordinary circumstances, the 

 examining veterinary surgeon will not be able to gallop or other- 

 wise severely try the animal's wind. Even if he does so, he cannot 

 get beyond the fact that the horse is unsound in its organs of 

 breathing ; temporarily or permanently he cannot say, unless roar- 

 ing (p. 378) is present. An examination of the state of the glands 

 between the angles of the lower jaw, will not help him much, 

 because they may be more swollen in ordinary cold in the head 

 than in nasal gleet. As a great rule, however, the discharge of a 

 cold issues from both nostrils, although it may come more from oiie 

 than the other ; but that of gleet is almost always confined to one, 

 namely, the left, as already observed. In catarrh, the discharge is 

 rarely offensive in odour, and the eyes, which are not necessarily 

 implicated in nasal gleet, are generally more or less inflamed. 

 In a cold, the mucous membrane of the nostrils will be red ; but 

 in gleet, it will often be of a leaden or yellowish hue indicative of 

 general weakness. 



Having satisfied ourselves that glanders is not present, we should search 

 tor pus in the sinuses (beginning with the superior maxillary sinus as the 

 most likely one) by boring into them with an ordinary gimlet, on with- 

 drawing which, if pus be present, some of it will be found in the groove of 

 the instrument. In case of doubt, this operation should not be neglected ; 

 for it is generally conclusive and is easy to perform. Before explormg with 

 the gimlet, we might test for the presence of pus by tapping the part from 

 the outside with the finger. If it emits an abnormally duU sound — a fact 

 which we may test by repeating the percussion on the other side — we shall 

 have reason to think that our suspicions are confirmed. This method, 

 however, does not always give reliable results. 



CAUSES. — Although the causes of many cases of nasal gleet are 

 obscure, they may number among them : injury to the bones of 

 the face, such as might occur from a blow or fall ; cold in the 

 head ; and diseased teeth. With respect to cold in the head, it is 

 evident that if the inflammation of the mucous membrane of the 

 air-passages of the head, extends to that of the sinuses, the diseased 

 discharge may be retained in these cavities, owing to the small 

 size of the passages which drain them into the nose, in which case, 

 a collection of pus would be the probable consequence. As regards 

 diseased teeth, bear in mind that the fangs of the fourth, fifth, and 

 sixth molars penetrate into the superior maxillary sinus ; and, 

 consequently, disease in them might, not unlikely, set up inflam- 

 mation in the mucous membrane of that sinus. Also, the fourth 

 molar is more liable to decay than any of the others. It is 

 thought by some authorities that the entrance of foreign bodies, 



