ON THE RECENT EPIDEMIC AMONG HORSES. 515 
to its scourge, with few or more modifications in their different 
species. 
During the present and bygone months of this year it made its 
appearance under a mild character, generally attacking the 
organs about the head, and requiring but little medical treatment. 
The first symptoms were a dull and languid state of the animal — 
hanging his head upon the manger — sore throat — coughing — 
slight difficulty in deglutition — watery discharge from the eyes and 
nose — the appetite, in some, impaired — others eating and drinking 
with avidity — the submaxillary and lymphatic glands enlarged — - 
and the pulse accelerated. Some of the patients suffered very 
little from the disease, and in a day or two resumed their usual 
exercise, although not with so much spirit as when in health : 
in other instances it commenced with a disturbance of the respira- 
tion. There was fever — the pulse was increased to about 60 
beats per minute, and very feeble — there was a peculiar drowsi- 
ness about the patient — the eyes half shut — shivering about the 
hind quarters — the extremities rather cold — troublesome cough- 
irritability of the larynx, especially when pressure was applied ex- 
ternally — the mouth hot, the appetite impaired, and the bowels 
constipated. 
The secondary symptoms are, prostration of strength and 
staggering in the gait, which continues hanging about them for 
a considerable period afterwards. In the cases in which the in- 
flammatory action was confined to the mucous membrane of the 
nose, the symptoms were more favourable, although the patient 
was languid for a day or two. The disease afterwards made its 
aspect in the form of a purulent discharge from the nostrils, or 
an abscess would form in the submaxillary or parotideal spaces; 
but these I consider to assume more of a specific catarrhal form 
than in the other cases, where more intense symptoms were ex- 
hibited. In the latter cases the treatment consisted in adminis- 
tering sulphate of copper, gentian, and camphor. Nourishing 
diet was ordered, and hand-walking in the forenoon of each day, 
until the patients recovered their wonted strength. 
In those of the former the remedy was more prompt. The ani- 
mals were kept upon warm bran mashes, turned into a loose box, 
their throats rubbed with some liquid blister, and, when the pulse 
indicated it, the abstraction of blood, to the amount of about 
three quarts, was effected. They were allowed to drink freely of 
a decoction of linseed, and usually bark, aloes, antimonial powder, 
and nitre, were given. When the dung was softened I omitted 
the two former medicines, and continued the two latter, and 
found them to answer well. If debility supervened, 1 gave 
the mineral tonics, combined with pulv. gentian ; 1 also gave 
