46 VETEEINARY HYGIENE 



and pneumonia from 1847-66, a period of nineteen 

 years : 



This shows a reduction in admissions for glanders of 16 

 per thousand, while the admissions for pneumonia and 

 pleurisy were reduced 101 per thousand. 



The practical outcome of this sanitary work was the 

 saving of £90,000 per annum in the purchase of horses. 

 The saving, of course, was much greater than these figures 

 represent, as they take no notice of the value of the 

 horses left alive, which under the old system would have 

 died. 



Eeynal* states that when the old stables at the Alfort 

 Veterinary School were enlarged and ventilated, the 

 excessive mortality from pneumonia ceased, and wounds 

 no longer took on the septic character which was previously 



so common. 



A century ago, in the days of Coleman, the belief that 

 pure air played an important part in the prevention of 

 disease could be easily understood, since it was then very 

 generally held that a vitiated atmosphere might lead to the 

 generation in the system of noxious substances or ' humours ' 

 which were the immediate cause of the disease. Now, 

 however, we are face to face with the fact that the very 

 diseases associated with, or aggravated by, foul air are 

 those which depend for their existence on a specific 

 organism, and, it need hardly be said, the spontaneous 

 origin of living matter is outside the pale of intelligent dis- 

 cussion. It is, however, quite easy to explain the beneficial 

 *' ' Veterinary Sanitary Science and Police ' : Dr. G. Plemint^. 



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