LANCASHIRE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 611 
before the parts are united, or even when the external wound is still 
gaping. 
“ Peculiarity of constitution,” says Mr. Percivall, “ has little to 
do with it, yet irritability of habit may prevent union from taking 
place.” Now, I think it not improbable that, as the late Mr. Vines 
would say, in an unhealthy state of the body, whether produced by 
atmospheric influence or otherwise, there may be a disposition for 
the parts not to unite, as it is well known that in certain unhealthy 
states or habits of the body wounds take on an unhealthy action 
and will not granulate, or heal up, until the body is in a more 
healthy condition, and that at times a wound may be of no impor- 
tance, whilst at other times the smallest and cleanest cut, and’ 
especially a punctured wound, will be a serious affair. The late 
Mr. Daws, veterinary surgeon, has said that he saw more cases than 
usual during the prevalence of influenza. 
Professor Spooner, after trying some experiments to produce the 
disease, and in which he was foiled, says “ that he must be induced 
to look for the ultimate cause beyond mere mechanical or physical 
influence — to a peculiar idiosyncrasy in the animal, a susceptibility 
to take on the inflammatory action, let the exciting or proximate 
cause be ever so slight.” 
Dr. Lee also says, “From the frequent occurrence of phlebitis at 
particular seasons, certain unknown conditions of the atmosphere 
have, probably, a more powerful influence than any other cause in 
the production of traumatic and other varieties of this disease.” 
Mr. Youatt has said, “ We can also believe that atmospheric in- 
fluence has something to do with the case, but a great deal more 
than has yet been unfolded in our philosophy remains to be divulged. 
Atmospheric influence, modes of feeding, modes and degrees of 
work, exert great power, and the very emanations from a bad case 
may have much deleterious influence.” 
By some of the Germans many cases of phlebitis are considered 
to arise from “ a division of a valve, and a portion of it projecting 
through and preventing union.” This observation has been one 
cause why I have troubled you so much with the number and situa- 
tion of the valves in various veins. This protrusion of some portion 
of a valve may produce the disease in some cases, and it may also 
arise from any portion of fatty matter external to the vein. I 
recollect, when bleeding a horse some years ago, a pedunculated 
tumour of the size of a pea made its appearance through the open- 
ing into the vein. I drew it out, and found that it had brought 
with it a portion of its attachment two inches long, and as thick as 
a pin. I cut it off. Even this pedicle might have remained in the 
opening undiscovered, and produced the disease. 
I should not be inclined myself to bleed from the parts that are 
varicosed, as they are but thinly clad with skin and often united to 
it ; so that there would be a difficulty, if not an impossibility, in 
avoiding the vein when pinning up, or there would be considerable 
probability of producing the disease by the contiguity of the pin to 
the vein. 
