Asthma. Broken Wind. Heaves. Dyspnoea, Etc. 377 



the chest, and dropping of the belly, previously supported by 

 active contraction of the abdominal muscles. The two stages of 

 the expiratory act are quite distinct. The first is manifested by a 

 sudden falling in of the walls of the chest so that the ribs,no longer 

 stand out prominently beyond their interspaces ; the abdomen 

 equally rises inferiorly and falls in laterally so that a projecting 

 ridge is formed from the lower end of the last rib to the point of 

 the hip. This is especially marked during the period of inaction, 

 and this is succeeded by the second effort quick and almost con- 

 vulsive. These movements- are so extensive that they are con- 

 veyed in a striking degree to any vehicle to which the animal is 

 attached, especially if it has only two wheels, and a rider on 

 horseback feels the movement still more disagreeably. When a 

 horse is in this state the alternate rising and falling of the ab- 

 dominal organs imparts a synchronous movement of protrusion 

 and contraction to the anus and in thin subjects a rising and 

 falling of the muscles on each side of the root of the tail. The 

 nostrils too are kept constantly dilated. 



There is a nasal discharge, but this is very inconsiderable in the 

 early stages of the malady. It is a clear watery or slightly gray- 

 ish albuminous material without any visible admixture of pus 

 globules, and on drying, it leaves a scarcely perceptible crust. 

 At first it appears intermittently and in minute quantities, but in 

 bad cases it becomes almost constant, and is especially profuse 

 after exercise. 



Abnormal respiratory sounds are marked symptoms in the 

 advanced stages. The wheezing noise of the breathing, especially 

 when that is excited by exertion, may be heard at a short 

 distance from the animal. The increased resonance on percussion 

 along the lower border of the lung is only heard when the em- 

 physema is extensive. The dry sibilant or whistling rile heard 

 over the same parts is equally a symptom of the advanced stages. 

 When there is much discharge a moist rattle is often heard over 

 the lower end of the windpipe or immediately behind the middle 

 of the shoulder. The overlaying of the anterior lobe by the 

 thick, muscular shoulder, and the complication of results ob- 

 tained at the free border of the lung by the abdominal noises and 

 resonance, render these results less conclusive in the earlier stages 

 and slighter cases. 



