028 
ON THE EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA OF 1836. 
groom, and a cordial ball given with a warm bran mash ; but on 
the 14th, becoming evidently worse, he was sent to my infir- 
mary. The symptoms were as follow. The eyelids alarmingly 
swollen, a slight discharge of mucus of a greenish hue from the 
nostrils, the pharynx and larynx much inflamed, great diffi- 
culty to swallow, the mouth dry and feverish, pulse fifty-five, 
respiration much disturbed, the dung voided in small quantities, 
great difficulty in voiding urine. 1 administered the following 
ball : — four drachms of aloes, one drachm of ginger, one 
drachm of tartarized antimony, two drachms of sulphur, one 
drachm of nitre. 
Injections of warm water were ordered every three hours ; 
fomentations and flannel bandages to the legs. The horse was 
well bedded down and turned into a loose box; a strong blister 
was applied to the throat, linseed tea placed constantly within 
reach, and bran mashes given, but which were not touched. 
1 Gth. — No better; breathing more laborious, so much as to be 
heard at a considerable distance ; pulse fifty-nine ; blister not 
taken good effect, bowels not yet open, swelling in the legs in- 
creased ; he cannot move without danger of falling; both eye- 
lids much swollen, and quite closed. 
I gave three drachms of aloes, one drachm of ginger, one 
drachm of antimony, one drachm of nitre in warm gruel; and 
applied a hot linseed poultice to the throat, constant fomenta- 
tions to the legs; gruel, linseed tea, injections as before. 
1 7th. — No better; breathing considerably worse, pulse sixty- 
one. I now began to despair; I renewed the poultice to the 
throat, and made an attempt to horn him with gruel, but it 
was quite impossible, the throat being so much swollen and in- 
flamed, that it returned through the nostrils, and my patient 
almost fell from exhaustion. I then left him for an hour ; on my 
return, 1 found he had voided dung and urine pretty freely ; still 
the obstruction of the throat remained, and it seemed impossible 
for my patient to live, unless relief was shortly obtained. Re- 
collecting a similar case which occurred in my practice some 
time previously, in which I succeeded by the operation of bron- 
chotomy, I immediately set to work, and cut into the trachea, in 
the usual way, and which gave immediate relief. 
18M. — Symptoms better, pulse forty-five. Remove the poul- 
tice ; pass a seton on each side of the throat, and give linseed 
tea ; horn with gruel four times a-day, application to the legs as 
usual. 
19th. — Bowels well open ; omit the injection, foment and dress 
setons ; gruel, 8tc. as before. I gave a little lucern and potatoes, 
which he ate with avidity. 
20 th. — Better; setons began to discharge, eyelids not so mueh 
