50 Veterinary Medicine. 



the liquid parts of the blood, as takes place in dropsy, but it is to 

 a large extent a selective process determined apparently by the 

 condition of the capillary walls, and the nature of the inflamma- 

 tion is stated according to the character of the exudate. The 

 dropsical effusion contains little albumen, fibrine or cell forms, 

 and does not coagulate. The inflammation exudate contains 

 abundance of fibrine, cells and other solids and coagulates spon- 

 taneously in contact with inflamed tissue, or when removed from 

 the body, by reason of th^ transforming leucocytes. Inflamma- 

 tory exudate usually contains 6 to 8 per cent, of solids whereas 

 the normal canine lymph contains 4 to 6. The exudate varies 

 not only in different inflammations, but in successive stages of 

 the same inflammation. The exudate may be mucous, serous, 

 fibrinous or hsemorrhagic. 



Mucous Exudate. In inflammation on a mucous or synovial 

 surface the inflammatory exudation, mingled with the more or 

 less altered .secretion of the mucous glands, and the epithelial cells 

 and leucocytes forms a viscid fluid, rich in mucin, and character- 

 izing the mucous or catarrhal i7iflammatio7i. The nature of the 

 discharge varies greatly, the serous character predominating at 

 the start of the inflammation, and a thick, opaque creamy or semi- 

 solid muco-purulent material appearing as the disease advances. 

 It contains filaments of precipitated mucin insoluble in acetic 

 acid or alcohol and cells in all stages of change from the exuda- 

 tion leucocyte and mucous cell to the pus corpuscle, the latter be- 

 ing characterized by its bipartite or tripartite nucleus rendered vis- 

 ible by contact with weak acetic acid. 



Serous Exudate. This consists of the liquid elements of the 

 blood with only a limited amount of fibrine formers and conse- 

 quently little tendency to clot firmly. The presence of fibrinogen 

 however serves to distinguish it from the liquid of mechanical 

 dropsy, as does also the greater quantity of cells and nuclei of 

 common salt and phosphates. It is usually straw colored in 

 mass, but is sometimes slightly opalescent by reason of the num- 

 bers of cells and floating filaments of fibrine. Serous exudations 

 take place in the early stages of inflammations (as in catarrh) and 

 in inflammations of serous membranes (pleura, peritoneum, 

 joints), in strong, vigorous subjects. They constitute the liquid 

 contents of blisters whether raised by medicinal irritants, chafing, 



