372 
A FEW REMARKS ON STRANGLES, &c. 
By J. W. Gloag, M.R.C.V.S., 11th Prince Albert’s Hussars. 
To the Editor of u The Veterinarian .” 
Sir, — W ith reference to an article under review last month, 
“ On the Distemper (Gourme) in Horses,” I beg to offer a few 
remarks. The reviewer gives it as his opinion, that distemper, 
in any of its varied forms of strangles, influenza, catarrh, &c., 
is not contagious. This is a point 1 can scarcely reconcile my- 
self to, although I am fully persuaded that, usually, other causes 
besides contagion are in operation to produce the disease. 
I have generally found a number of young horses to become 
ailing about the same time ; and when two or three cases of 
influenza or strangles occur, others quickly follow. To decide, 
however, that this is absolutely produced by contagion, is a very 
difficult matter, although I certainly have always inclined to 
that notion. I will, at present, confine myself to the complaint, 
strangles. 
Diseases seem to me to have much changed their character 
during past years, and none more than the one under my 
present notice. At one time, I regularly expected annually to 
have a number of cases of strangles ; and the other day, when 
I read your ‘ 4 Review,” T began to cast up in my mind how 
long it was since I had a case under treatment, and I could only 
recollect one for the last two years ; and that solitary case 
occurred in a horse eight years old. This led me to look a 
little more into the matter, and go at once to black and white. 
Taking a period of five years, I found the accounts stand 
thus : — 
From Ap 1 . 1, 1845 to 
From Oct. 1, 1846 to 
From Ap 1 . 1, 1847 to 
From Oct. 1, 1847 to 
From Ap 1 . 1, 1848 to 
From Oct. 1, 1848 to 
From Ap 1 . 1, 1849 to 
From Oct. 1, 1849 to 
From Ap 1 . 1, 1850 to 
From Oct. 1, 1850 to 
Sept. 30, 1846 
March 31, 1847 
Sept. 30, 1847 
March 31, 1848 
Sept. 30, 1848 
March 31, 1849 
Sept. 30, 1849 
March 31, 1850 
Sept. 30, 1850 
March 31, 1851 
tses of 
•angles. 
Cases of Catarrh, In- 
fluenza, Bronchitis, 
Low Fevers, &c. 
10 
20 
1 
25 
0 
17 
2 
27 
15 
35 
11 
34 
0 
31 
0 
18 
0 
12 
1 
36 
On looking over this list, it will be observed at a glance, that 
the great majority of cases of strangles seem to have occurred at 
distinct periods, and that at other times we have had very few; 
