EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
61 
having brought under our notice a point which we must 
confess had never suggested itself to us before, and simply 
for the reason, that we had never, in our own mind, entertained 
a doubt on the matter of fact being otherwise than we have 
represented it. The question appears to amount to this — Is 
laminitis on all occasions an idiopathic disease, or is it some- 
times a metastatic one?— and, if the latter even, what diseases 
do we observe it, in practice, to prove, on occasions, the sequel 
of? Our own opinions are already expressed on the point, 
and in more than one place, viz., in the work reviewed 
in our last, (Part I, vol. II, Hippopathology,) and in Part 
II, vol. IV, of the same work, devoted to “ Lameness in 
Horses.” In the latter, under the sub-heading of 4 Acute 
Laminitis,” at page 401, we say: “ Metastasis of inflam- 
mation from the lungs to the feet, after inflammation in 
the former has happened to be severe, and is becoming 
protracted, is a mode in which laminitis, on occasions, takes 
its rise. The inflammation is then said to fall from his lungs 
down into his feet, though it oftener happens that the inflamma- 
tion u falls” into the joints, producing “ rheumatic lameness.” 
As soon as the metastasis has taken place, the lungs become 
relieved through it, nor is the fever that has “ fallen” into 
the feet of so violent and unmanageable a character as is 
idiopathic laminitis.” It is added, that metastasis, it is 
believed, may take place from the feet to the lungs; and that 
“metastasis from the bowels to the feet is hardly less rare.” 
Now, these are no chimerical notions ; they are statements 
founded upon deductions from practice, which have been 
believed to have warranted them. Cases under the name of 
66 Influenza” have been found to be oftener disposed to trans- 
lated laminitis than those of “ pneumonia” have proved ; 
but then, in the form of influenza , the lungs have been suffer- 
ing parts. However, it would avail nothing further on our 
part, to say more than we have said on the subject. We 
hand over, with a mind still unbiassed and unwedded to any 
old or former opinion, the point of difference to the members 
of the profession, especially to those elders of it whose deci- 
sion will, based upon years of experience, at once command 
respect and submission. Meanwhile, we will state what we 
find already on record on the subject : 
In March, 1850, Mr. Stevens, V.S., Hayes, sent a case to 
the Veterinarian, headed “Influenza, followed by typhoid 
pneumonia, laminitis, and dropsy.” He reported that u three 
valuable horses in the same stable were attacked with influenza 
last month. Two of them soon recovered under the usual 
treatment. The other, after two days’ attendance, showed 
