THE 
VETERINARIAN. 
VOL. Yl, No. 65.] MAY, 1833. [New Series, No. 5. 
MR. YOUATT’S VETERINARY LECTURES, 
DELIVERED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON. 
LECTURE XXYIII. 
The Symptoms, Causes, a)id Treatment, of Inflammation of 
the Lungs in the Horse, 
WE will now proceed from the mucous membrane of the 
bronchial passages to that which lines the air-cells of the lungs, 
or to the proper cellular texture or substance of the lungs,—the 
interior of the lobuli to which we have traced the air-tubes, and 
in which the important change of the blood is effected. I have 
said, that the intimate structure of these lobuli has never yet 
been demonstrated ; but we can scarcely avoid considering them 
as composed of little cells or pouches, into which the air is at 
length conducted, and over the delicate membrane constituting 
the divisions of which myriads of minute bloodvessels are rami¬ 
fying. The blood is not merely permeating them, but it is under¬ 
going a vital change in them : there is a constant decomposition 
of the air, or of the blood, or of both ; and during the excitement 
of exercise that decomposition proceeds with fearful rapidity. 
Then we can readily conceive that a membrane so delicate as this 
must be, in order that its interposition shall he no hinderance to 
the arterialization of the blood, so fragile also, and so loaded 
with bloodvessels, must be exceedingly subject to inflammation, 
and that of a most dancrerous character. 
Causes. —Inflammation of the parenchyjna of the lungs is the 
not imfrequent consequence of all the diseases of the respiratory 
passages that we have considered. Catarrh, influenza, bronchitis, 
if neglected or badly treated, or sometimes in spite of the most 
skilful treatment, will spread along the mucous membrane, and 
at length involve the termination of the air-passages. At other 
times we have pure pneumonia. This cellular texture is the 
primary seat of inflammation. It is often so in the over-worked 
horse. After a long and hard day’s hunt, it is very common for 
horses to be attacked by pure pneumonia. A prodigiously 
VOL. vr. G g 
