FEVERS. 



497 



fever we have the tissues and the walls of the blood vessels weakened, 

 we have an increased current of more or less altered blood, flowing 

 through the vessels and stagnating in the capillaries, which need but 

 an exciting cause to transform the passive congestion* of fever into 

 an active congestion and acute inflammation. These conditions be- 

 come still more distinct when the fever is accompanied by a decided 

 deterioration in the blood itself j as is seen in influenza, septicemia, 

 and at the termination of severe pneumonias. 



Fever, with its symptoms of increased temperature, acceleration of 

 the pulse, acceleration of respiration, dry skin, diminished secretions, 

 etc., must be considered as an indication of organic disturbance. 

 This organic disturbance may be the result of local inflammation 

 or other irritants acting through the nerves on nerve centers; altera- 

 tions of the blood, in which a poison is carried to the nerve centers, 

 or direct irritants to the nerve centers themselves, as in cases of 

 heat stroke, injury to the brain, etc. 



The treatment of fever depends upon its cause. One of the im- 

 portant factors in treatment is absolute quiet. This may be obtained 

 by placing a sick horse in a box stall, away from other animals and 

 extraneous noises, and sheltered from excessive light and drafts of 

 air. Anodynes, belladonna, hyoscyamus, and opium act as antipy- 

 retics simply by quieting the nervous system. As an irritant exists 

 in the blood in most cases of fever, any remedy which will favor the 

 excretion of foreign elements from it will diminish this cause. We 

 therefore employ diaphoretics to stimulate the sweat and excretions 

 from the skin; diuretics to favor the elimination of matter by the 

 kidneys ; cholagogues and laxatives to increase the action of the liver 

 and intestines, and to drain from these important organs all the waste 

 material which is aiding to choke up and congest their rich plexuses 

 of blood vessels. The heart becomes stimulated to increased action 

 at the outset of a fever, but this does not indicate increased strength ; 

 on the contrary, it indicates the action of an irritant to the heart 

 that will soon weaken it. It is therefore irrational to further depress 

 the heart by the use of such drugs as aconite. It is better to 

 strengthen the heart and to favor the elimination of the substance 

 that is irritating it. The increased blood pressure throughout the 

 body may be diminished by lessening the quantity of blood. This 

 is obtained in some cases with advantage where the disease is but 

 starting and the animal is plethoric by direct abstraction of blood, 

 as in bleeding from the jugular or other veins; or by derivatives, 

 such as mustard, turpentine, or blisters applied to the skin; or by 

 setons, which draw to the. surface the fluid of the blood, thereby 

 lessening its volume, without having the disadvantage of impoverish- 

 ing the elements of the blood found in bleeding. Antipyretics given 

 H. Doc. 795, 59-2 32 



