ILLUSTRATIONS OP FEVER 1N T HORSES. 
187 
sooner or later, the local malady shows itself; others return to health with¬ 
out giving me any reason to believe that their ailment has been any other 
than simple inflammatory fever. I have had several cases (most of them had 
their origin in over-exertion) which, with symptoms of fever, have ended 
in death, without showing any or but very inadequate appearances of dis¬ 
ease. 
Q. Do you consider such arguments conclusive ? 
A. Certainly; so far as they serve to establish the presence 
of symptoms indicating fever, without any discoverable local dis¬ 
ease. 
Even fever itself, according to the suppositions of some of the most 
profound pathologists of the present day, is not without its “ local habi¬ 
tation.” Among the French, Broussais is of this opinion : he places fever 
in the stomach and bowels. Among the English, Dr. Clutterbuck stands 
foremost as the espouser of this doctrine: with much more reason, in my 
humble opinion, he seats fever in the brain. 
Q. Can you inform me, summarily, what authors sav on the 
subject? 
A. Ancient veterinary works yield nothing of interest concern¬ 
ing it. Gibson, Bracken, and Bartlet, have borrowed their 
accounts of fever in horses from human medicine. Taplin has, 
very* properly, reduced the various imaginary fevers of these 
writers down to two,— idiopathic and symptomatic; but he has 
adduced no practical facts. Feron staggers our faith by stating, 
that “ fever is much more dangerous in a horse than in a man.” 
White confounds fever with colic and inflammation of the 
lungs. Peall makes no mention of fever. Blaine considers pure 
ox primary fever to be “ a rare occurrence.” 
(/ti* The French writers are quite as barren of evidence on the point in 
question as our own. Solleysel, Garsault, and Bourgelat, admit of fever; 
but, then, they seem to write more in conformity with the prevailing opinion 
of their day, than from their own observations. Vitet copies from human 
medicine; Rozier, from him. Lafosse, and Yolssi (Veterinary Professor at 
Milan) deny its existence. Girard (the son of the present French Profes¬ 
sor, now deceased) refuses to admit of idioputhic fever in the horse ; but, 
then, as a follower of Broussais, he would also, it would appear to me, dis¬ 
card it in man! In fact, his reasoning appears either to amount to an 
unconditional negation, or to a partial concession on our side. 
Q. IIovv is a question of this sort to be decided ? 
A. By an unbiassed observation and faithful report of facts and 
occurrences, followed up with sound reasoning and legitimate de¬ 
ductions. 
Q. In what situations do we meet with most cases of fever? 
A. Among horses who are kept in warm stables, and who are 
highly pampered, but very irregularly worked. 
