940 VETEKINAEY HYGIENE 



verandah. There are no walls, the whole place is open, 

 and no other type of structure should be used as stabling 

 either in tropical or subtropical countries. The roof keeps 

 off the rain and sun, the absence of walls maintains the 

 circulation of air, while the deep verandah prevents the 

 rain driving in so as to reach the horses. 



The floors are of earth and require constant repair. A 

 series of outside lines exist where the animals can be placed 

 at night or any other time; this helps to save the stable floor. 



The Indian stable cannot be improved upon, though the 

 earth floors are a constant source of trouble from a sanitary 

 point of view. 



In South Africa the stables are galvanized iron and 

 closed with four walls, perforated by large shutters which 

 admit of good ventilation. Some of the stables have no 

 such shutters, and are built on the lines of home stables, 

 with only windows and ridge ventilation to keep them from 

 being stuffy. This type is much too hot ; all iron build- 

 ings are either hot or cold depending upon the season. 

 Structural difficulties in dealing with sheet iron have pre- 

 vented the walls in the South African stables being left 

 open as in India. 



The flooring is of concrete and cement, and the drainage 

 surface, the urine being disposed of by the general drainage 

 system into septic tanks, described on p. 370. 



The mangers are of galvanized iron, and both this and 

 the amount of wire in the country is a frequent source of 

 wounds and injury, often resulting in lymphangitis. South 

 Africa is essentially a country of iron houses and barbed 

 wire, these take the place of wood which is practically non- 

 existent. 



The influence of stables on sickness is a point of 

 considerable importance. Do we save life by placing 

 animals under shelter from sun, rain, wind, and dust? 

 With one exception we do not, and the exception is South 

 African Horse Sickness, which is enormously influenced by 

 shelter. In making this statement we do not include the 

 period of acclimatization of imported animals, which in a 



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