ACUTE OASTRO-INTESTINAL CATARRH IN THE HORSE. 79. 



the persisting diarrhea becomes dysenteric and colliquative; the 

 abdominal pains are frequent and violent, the flanks are tucked up, 

 and the animals are greatly emaciated. The hair is dull and bristly ; 

 the extremities are cold, the muscular weakness is more and more 

 accentuated ; the animals remain quiet, with the back arched and 

 the feet gathered together. They are tired, exhausted ; they stagger, 

 lie down, and remain in a recumbent position for whole days, and 

 refuse all food. Convalescence is very slow even when in such 

 serious cases a cure is obtained; but the disease leads mostly to 

 marasmus and death, especially in old, exhausted horses. 



Differential diag-nosis. When acute gastro-intestinal catarrh 

 pursues its course without fever, it cannot be mistaken for any 

 other affection of the intestine. In certain cases it is difficult to 

 determine whether the disease is primitive, or if it constitutes only 

 an added symptom of a pre-existing trouble ; therefore no diagnosis 

 of gastro-intestinal catarrh must be made before having excluded 

 the existence of all the other morbid conditions of the digestive 

 apparatus. It is sometimes quite difficult to differentiate between 

 the true intestinal catarrh and gastritis. The intensity of the fever, 

 the general disturbances, and finally the recognition of the causes, 

 permit us, however, to make a diagnosis. When the follicular 

 organs are ulcerated we may very easily mistake the appearing 

 colliquative diarrhea for true infectious dysentery. The course of 

 the disease, the anamnesis, etc., also furnish a clue for diagnosis. 



There are cases where we may assert the localization of the catarrh 

 upon a definite portion of the gastro-intestinal mucous membrane. 



When there are symptoms of icterus, we conclude that the catarrh 

 is located upon the first portion of the small intestine. We may 

 recognize the participation of the stomach in the catarrhal infection 

 by the perception of frequent and violent borborygmi in the left 

 hypochondriac region. 



Catarrhs of the duodenum complicated by an inflammation of the 

 mucous membrane of the biliary canal (ductus choledochus), and 

 icterus through retention of the bile, were formerly designated 

 under the name of bilious fever. But it is very probable that 

 this expression has often been used to designate certain febrile dis- 

 eases of the liver. Hematogenic icterus appearing after serious 

 febrile affections which are accompanied by a certain degree of 

 blood-dissolution (infectious diseases) has been specially designated 

 under the name of bilious fever, bilious condition, etc. It waS' 



