26 
permanently enlarged; and this is the condition which has often beem 
confounded with farcy. The writers have seen cases where a second anda 
third attack have been followed by a fourth, fifth, and even a sixth. 
The chief cause of weed is feeding beyond the requirements of the- 
healthy nutrition of the animal, Cessation or sudden diminution of work. 
in well-fed horses is also a. common cause, as is seen in the frequent. 
occurrence of this malady among heavy draught horses after a Sunday’s rest, 
The complaint has in consequence been named the “Monday morning 
disease.” Sudden or prolonged exposure of the horse to cold or damp will in. 
many cases bring on an attack by suddenly disturbing the digestive functions, 
and indeed any rapid change in the work or habits of the animal may bring 
on an attack. Lastly, “weed” may occur as a local inflammation of the 
limb resulting from an injury., For example, an injury to the foot in shoeing 
may bring on an attack. The inflammation spreads upwards to the groin, and 
thus differs from the general disease, in which it begins above and spreads. 
downwards. The symptoms of weed, like those of many other diseases, 
vary very much with the intensity of the attack, and though they are quite 
characteristic, the writer has nevertheless, strange as it may seem, been called. 
on several occasions to cases of “weed” which were being treated by farriers. 
as “inflammation of the lungs.” In many cases a shivering fit precedes 
the local inflammation of the limb or limbs, and this may last during some 
hours. As arule the intensity and duration of this “rigor,” as it is termedr 
is a mark of the severity of the attack. At an early stage there is restlessness 
and lameness, and after the shivering fit a hot stage follows, The fever 
runs high. The pulse varies from 70—I00 per minute, and is hard, full, and 
firm. Sometimes, though not always, the breathing is also much accelerated, 
and sweats bedew the body. The quickness of the breathing is the factor 
which leads so many farriers to treat weed as if it were inflammation of the 
lungs, a disease which does however sometimes complicate weed. In weed 
the bowels are constipated, the urine is dark coloured, and the temperature: 
is raised from 2°5 to 3°5 degrees above the normal, which in the horse is- 
100°5° F. The appetite is lost, and there is great thirst and restlessness, ... 
The swelling is very tender, and rather firm, It is first noticed in the groin, 
or in the corresponding region of the fore part of the body. It feels hot, 
and gradually extends downwards, first on the inner side of the thigh, but 
gradually encircles the whole of the limb. This pain and lameness increase 
until the crisis of the fever is reached, and then they remain stationary for 
a day or two. In severe cases a serous exudation often occurs over the inner 
surface of the limb, and particularly at the “bend” or “flexures” of the 
joints. : 
The general and the local symptoms continue to increase for 24 to 4 
hours, and then remaining stationary, are followed in a day or two by 
subsidence of the fever and gradual diminution of the local swelling. 
When weed recurs in a limb, there is less chance of complete recovery, 
for the tissues of the part become augmented, the entire bulk of the limb 
becomes increased, and the skin is thickened and hardened. This condition, 
