86 
ON GLANDERS. 
healthy inflammation, ” if ahorse is attacked with violent inflam¬ 
mation of the lungs which destroys him in forty-eight hours, it is 
to be set down as a case of healthy, active inflammation ; but if 
the attack is less violent, and, after proper depletory measures 
have been adopted, the inflammation subsides, but leaves the 
horse in a state of debility, although he may recover, this is to be 
considered as a specimen of unhealthy inflammation; for if I at 
all understand Mr. Vines’ description of unhealthy disease, it 
means neither more nor less than that state of debility to which 
every horse is reduced at the conclusion of every severe disease 
that continues beyond a few days. Now, when it is known that 
glanders does not supervene upon one horse in a hundred that is 
reduced to this state of debility, it appears reasonable to look for 
some other cause of the disease than the debility or “ unhealthy” 
state of the animal; and in those instances in which glanders fol¬ 
lows an attack of some other disorder, it appears to me quite as 
fair an inference to suppose that the weakened state of the horse 
predisposed him to the action of the peculiar or “ specific” mat¬ 
ter of glanders. In addition to this, as it can be satisfactorily 
proved, as far as human observation goes, that horses in the best 
possible condition, and previously in the most perfect health, 
occasionally become affected with glanders (as from contagion), 
I conceive it must be admitted that these cases, at all events, do 
not owe their origin to the subjects of them being in an unhealthy 
state before they became affected with glanders ; for the ex 
post facto argument, that because a horse becomes glandered he 
must have been previously in an unhealthy state, will scarcely be 
received. 
Mr. Vines, if he does not entirely deny the contagious nature 
of glanders, considers that it very seldom arises from such a 
source ; and this is probably the natural consequence of his 
notion of the malady, that it is originated by unhealthy disease ; 
but I hope (without presuming too far) that I may advise my 
professional brethren to be wary in receiving such doctrine, no 
matter how high the authority from which it may emanate; and, 
whatever their private opinions may be, to consider in their prac¬ 
tice that glanders is a contagious disease. No harm can result 
from precaution, while great evil may arise from our being lulled 
into too great security. My faith in contagion is not so strong as 
to believe some of the extraordinary accounts that are given of 
glanders being caught in this way ; but my own experience fully 
convinces me that the disease may be readily communicated by a 
glandered horse being stabled with others, or kept at grass in the 
same pasture with them. I cannot, perhaps, better elucidate this 
part of my subject than by giving a brief account of some cases 
