LEUCORRHCEA IN A MARE. 605 
It is not a disease that is very prevalent in this animal, at least not 
so much so as gonorrhoea. 
I am confident that practitioners who have served apprenticeships 
in large towns, and eventually establish themselves in one, rarely, 
if ever, see a case of this description. In breeding countries and 
racing establishments, however, we sometimes meet with them. In 
any accounts, therefore, of cases of parturition, it is possible this case 
may prove of some utility. 
To distinguish leucorrhcea from gonorrhoea , it is necessary to 
attend to the following circumstances. In the latter the discharge 
is constant, but in small quantities; there is much itching of the 
pudendum, and swelling of the labia, and I have frequently seen 
also ulceration to a great extent of these parts. The mare is often 
at oestrum, there seeming to be in these cases an increased desire 
to venery ; whereas, in leucorrhoea the discharge is irregular and 
in considerable quantities, and is neither preceded by nor ac¬ 
companied with any inflammatory symptom, 
I was requested by Mr. Whitehouse, a gentleman living at 
Codsall, about six miles distant from me, to examine and give my 
opinion about a bay hackney mare labouring under a profuse dis¬ 
charge from the vagina. The discharge was of a thick yellow 
shining nature, and was issued to the extent of more than half a 
gallon per diem. The history of the case, of which Mr. W. kindly 
gave me the particulars, is as follows:—This well-bred mare was 
put to the horse called the “ Libel,” own brother to the celebrated 
entire horse “ Touchstone,” and about six weeks after exhibited 
discharge per vaginam. I know of several mares that were put to 
the same horse without having experienced any such contamination. 
The discharge collected within the pudendum, in the fossa navicu- 
laris, and used to come away in gushes from the parts. The sides 
of the vulva were agglutinated by the discharge forming incrusta¬ 
tions around its orifice. The mucous membrane did not put on any 
appearance of inflammatory action, but seemed rather blanched. 
The discharge flowed in that abundance that it ran down the thighs. 
Could the discharge proceed from immoderate coition, or was it the 
effect of the large convexity of the horse not properly adapting 
itself to the concavity of the mare, beautifully as Nature has fitted 
them for each other 1 The organs of generation in this mare are evi¬ 
dently very small, and there is not a doubt but the force applied was 
the cause of setting up irritation in the membrane lining them. 
The mare was poor and emaciated; had a staring coat, and a 
large pendulous abdomen; though a fine frame, and was in estima¬ 
tion previous to her becoming diseased. The gentleman who kept 
the entire horse gave Mr. W. very little hopes of her recovery, 
he having had one die from the same cause. 
