196 
CATARACT. 
from his chest affection; and that he liad then given a certificate, 
that the horse was unsound, having cataracts/’ 
The horse, while the matter was in dispute, was sold at the 
repository for £17, as an unsound horse, and purchased by a 
coach proprietor in our city, and being then quite blind. 
I feel assured that it is from such misrepresentations as these 
that the theory of cataract coming on without previous inflam¬ 
mation, but being, in fact, a primary disease, has arisen. I have 
seen many a case, when, for a considerable time, the previous 
ophthalmia was so slight as scarcely to attract notice, and, also, 
was entirely overlooked by tliose about the horse, until it was 
pointed out by the veterinary surgeon who was attending the 
horse for some other complaint. Will you permit me to refer to 
one case of this kind, and one out of a great many of the same 
character? 
About the same time (October 1834), I was consulted by a 
gentleman relative to the lameness of a favourite horse, and, 
after due examination, I gave it as my opinion, that if the horse 
was fired and blistered there was a fair chance of his becoming 
sound; “ but,” I added, ‘‘ he has a worse disease, and which I 
fear is incurable. Look at the off eye, and you will perceive the 
forerunner of much mischief.” The gentleman was astonished 
and angry, and exclaimed,—that he had had the horse three or 
four years, that there never had been any thing the matter with 
his eyes, and that there was nothing the matter now. 
The horse was fired and blistered, and dismissed from my in¬ 
firmary—the disease in the eye, in my opinion, progressing; but 
I had been forbidden to do any thing to it. About a month 
afterwards the gentleman called at my house, and said, he was 
sorry to confess that my opinion was accurate : the eye was now 
weeping, and its diseased state could no longer be denied.” 
Proper means were adopted ; but cataract gradually formed, and 
the horse is now quite blind. 
Is it not probable that on such circumstances as these the 
opinion (as I believe erroneous) was founded, that cataract can 
appear without previous ophthalmia ? 
CONGENITAL HEREDITARY CHRONIC GLANDERS. 
Hj/ M. Lautour. 
A MARE that had laboured under glanders four or five 
months, produced a male foal on April 27, 1831. From the 
moment of its birth it had two indurated glands, not adhering 
to the lower jaw, and there was a white discharge from the right 
nostril. Ten days having passed, I perceived some minute ul- 
