Diseases of the Chest. 153 



CHAEACTKR OF THE) BIXPIRED AIR. 



The breath is sensibly warmer in excited breathing, high fever, 

 and acute bronchitis and pneumonia. It is cool in most chronic 

 diseases, in advanced consumption and hydrothorax. Its odor is 

 vegetable and acid in the acute indigestions of cattle, and fetid in 

 many chronic diseases of the air passages attended with destruc- 

 tion of tissue, or the escape of imprisoned pus, but especially 

 fetid in gangrenous sore throat or gangrene of the lung. 



MODIFICATION OF THE RESPIRATION. 



The number of respirations in a given time may afford valuable 

 indications in the horse but in the other domestic animals varia- 

 tion in number imports little. In the ox for instance, the respira- 

 tions in health may vary from twelve to eighty per minute, 

 according to the heat of the cowhouse, the plentitude of the 

 abdominal organs and other circumstances. So in the sheep and 

 dog slight causes, quite compatible with health, may cause the 

 breathing to become short, panting and hurried. , 



The young horse breathes ten to twelve times per minute, the 

 adult animal nine to ten. Any excitement accelerates. A horse 

 walked a few hundred yards had the respirations increased from 

 ten to twenty-eight per minute ; after trotting five minutes they 

 numbered fifty-two ; after galloping five minutes sixty-five. 



Hurried breathing occurring independently of exercise, heat 

 of the atmosphere, or distension of the abdomen, is indicative of 

 fever, especially if associated with rapid pulse and increased heat 

 of the body. 



Infrequent respiration appears in certain brain diseases in the 

 intervals between the more violent paroxysms, also in poisoning 

 by opium and other narcotics. Tardy or slow respirations 

 differ from those last noticed in the act occupying a longer time. 

 In infrequent breathing the act may be short, though there are 

 few respirations in the minute. This is likewise seen in brain 

 diseases and sometimes in broken wind. In the last case there is 

 double action of the flank, each act of expiration being effected 

 by two successive and distinct elevations of the flank. 



Quick breathing in which the act occupies only a short time is 

 usually abruptly cut off, the inspiration terminating by a catch or 



