DISEASES OF THE EAR. I93 



that may be affected. If there is much blood mixed up with 

 the discharge, then in all likelihood there will exist a soft and 

 vascular polypus, produced from the more vital fibrocartila- 

 ginous structures of the meatus ; and should the smell be 

 great, and the discharge little tinged with blood, then the 

 original disease will be found to exist in the osseous portion 

 of the tube, and the polypus, if it does exist, will be of the 

 chondromatous or cartilaginous kind." 



Treatment. — This should consist, if the growth is in the 

 outer half of the meatus, and within reach, in removal by 

 torsion, ligature, or excision, and the subsequent application 

 of caustic. If near to the tympanum, such an operation 

 would be attended with danger, and the potassa cum cake, as 

 recommended in human surgery, is best adapted to the case. 

 The injection of mild astringents should, in the course of a 

 few days, follow either measure. 



DEAFNESS. 



Deafness in dogs may be congenital,* or result from ob- 

 struction in the auditory passage, caused by disease, injury, 

 the lodgment of water, or it may result from paralysis of the 

 auditory nerve from severe shock. Youatt observes, with 

 regard to cropping : " Deafness is occasionally produced by it 

 in some dogs, and constantly in others. The frequent deaf- 

 ness of the pug is solely attributable to the outrageous, as well 

 as absurd, rounding of his ears. The almost invariable deaf- 

 ness of the white wire-haired terrier, is to be traced to this 

 cause." 



Treatment. — If deafness proceed from congenital causes, 

 it is needless to remark that a cure is hopeless. Where it is 



* I recently examined a white terrier, belonging to a clergyman, in 

 which the sense of hearing had never been recognized — being, in fact, 

 congenita], and the animal was destroyed in consequence. 



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