278 PNEUMONIA-ST. PANCRAS SCHOOL. 
strenuous eftorts to obey the mandates of his cruel task-master, 
often subjects himself to disease and death. 
The horses that perform stage-coach work are very susceptible 
of this disease. If the coachman stops at an ale-house, he forces 
the poor horses to make up by their speed the time that he has 
lost. 
This disease is most frequent in summer, which shews that 
cold is not the prevalent cause of it. 
All these facts tend to prove that pneumonia is occasioned by 
an increased circulation, no matter how produced, whether by 
violent exertion or animal poison. 
Inflammation of the lungs may be said to consist in the pul¬ 
monary arteries acting equal to tivo, while the small vessels of 
the lungs act only equal to one, and thus have not sufficient 
power to contract on their contents ; and on account of the pow¬ 
erful pumping of the right ventricle, and the pulmonary artery 
throwing in a greater quantity than the smaller arteries can 
carry, fatal congestion must take place. 
A very frequent cause is the purchasing a horse of a dealer in 
a fat condition, and then riding him, although, perhaps, but a 
few miles, yet until he is thrown into excessive perspiration. 
The horse being full of spirit, sets off on his journey with very 
great courage; but he is soon knocked up; he perspires largely, 
breathes difficultly, his legs become cold, and in four or five 
days he dies of inflammation of the lungs. On opening him, 
you will find his lungs containing six or eight pounds of blood 
more than they ought to do. 
In the country it is a very common practice, when a horse is 
in a violent perspiration, to take him into a pond of water, and to 
scrub him all over; and this is not so dangerous a practice as 
some imagine. If, for instance, you take two horses, ride them 
the same distance, and cause them to perspire a great deal, let 
one be treated wuth the water as just mentioned, and he will 
become immediately cool, for it causes a great deal of evapora¬ 
tion, and evaporation produces cold, and he wall return to his 
food immediately; w'hile the other will long continue to perspire, 
and wall not be fit for any thing for several hours. We find the 
best treatment of inflammation of the lungs to be, to promote an 
evaporation, wdiich wall cool the animal and relieve the fever. 
Syjnptoiris .—The horse is seldom disposed to lie down; there 
is great difficulty in breathing; the legs and ears are cold; the 
tongue dry; the pulse quick. When there is difficulty in finding 
the pulse at the maxillary artery or chest, it is a very bad symp¬ 
tom; the more distinctly you can feel the pulse the better. The 
reason of the horse not lying down, is on account of his not being 
