300 Veterinary Medicine. 



Diagnosis. Apart from its history and the evidence of its 

 causation, the disease may be at first confounded with bronchitis 

 and especially the capillary form. But if it has supervened on 

 disease of the brain or digestive organs ; on tetanus or petechial 

 fever ; on an operation done under anaesthesia or performed on 

 the throat ; if there has been paresis of the throat ; if there has 

 been drenching through the nose or forcibly through the mouth ; 

 or if the affection has developed rapidly with high fever and 

 much disturbance of breathing, prostration and stupor, inhal- 

 ation should be suspected. If later there is foetid breath and ex- 

 pectoration, with a muco-purulent discharge, yellowish, brownish 

 or chocolate colored, with grumous contents or particles of dis- 

 integrating lung or of inhaled food materials, and finally if there 

 are objective symptoms of cavities in the lung a conclusive diagno- 

 sis may be reached. 



Prognosis. The result is usually fatal. Yet much depends on 

 the lack of irritant or putrefactive tendency of the material in- 

 haled and on the strength and vigor of the patient. We have had 

 excellent recoveries from even a large amount of lard in the lungs, 

 from inhalations of saline drenches and other medicinal agents, 

 from blood and even small amounts of alimentary matters. 



Prevention. With such a redoubtable disease the most impor- 

 tant consideration is prevention. To this end all the causative 

 factors mentioned should be guarded against . Drenching through 

 the nose, a forcible administration of liquids through the mouth, 

 especially in diseases that would impair innervation of the phar- 

 ynx, the administration of liquids when the patient is down or 

 with the head unduly extended, ansesthesia and operation with 

 stomach full, prolonged decubitus on one side and bloody opera- 

 tions on the nose or throat without the precaution of tracheotomy 

 and blocking of the windpipe above, should all be carefully guarded 

 against. 



Treatment. This is in the main that of capillary bronchitis or 

 simple broncho-pneumonia, but special attention should be given to 

 the removal of the foreign bodies or the arrest of their septic pro- 

 cesses when possible. In case of blood in the bronchia the clots 

 may be loosened, if not dissolved, by injecting soda bicarbonate 

 solutions into the trachea with a hypodermic syringe or through 

 an opening made in the windpipe. 



