INFLUENZA IN HORSES. 
569 
case in this instance, that the horse being taken away suffering 
from influenza at night, either one or other of the horses 
contiguous was found suffering from it the next day or the 
dav following;. 
It is the practice with some professional men, I believe, to 
bleed, purge, and otherwise deplete the system in influenza. 
On the other hand, a much more numerous class recommend 
the employment of diffusible stimulants, followed by vege¬ 
table tonics. It is, of course, impossible to lay down any 
specific mode of treatment. You must be governed by 
symptoms and other circumstances. 
We left Benares and marched for Oude in the month of 
September, 185S, with all young horses from the Cape, and 
broken in by us five or six weeks previous to the march. 
The rain had not ceased, and it came on very heavily, two 
or three marches from Azimghurh, pouring incessantly ; the 
country for miles round being covered with water, giving to 
it the appearance of a vast lake. However, nothing unfavor¬ 
able occurred excepting a few attacks of colic, which were 
common during the whole of the rains, arising from the rank 
and indifferent grass obtained at that time. I may here 
mention, that an irregular cavalry regiment with us at the 
time, lost as many as three horses in a day from spasmodic 
colic running on to enteritis ; yet, the government will allow 
this sooner than give a veterinary surgeon, who may be 
present at the time, two annas (3d.) a horse per month to 
attend them. I have known instances of the commanding 
officer paying the veterinary surgeon out of his own pocket; 
but this is the exception rather than the rule. 
The treatment adopted by the Indian horse-doctors, even 
after inflammation has set in, for they make no distinction, 
and it follows very quickly in this country on colic, is to 
give a pound of ghee (a kind of stinking butter), with pepper, 
or something equally hot. 
But to revert to the original subject. We marched about 
after the rebels until November, when the weather became 
fine and settled; thermometer about 80° in the middle of the 
day, and as low as 36° at night. During this, and part of 
the following month, we halted at Ackberpore. Now, strange 
as it may appear, during the whole of the bad weather, wdien 
you would suppose from the muggy state of the atmosphere, 
resulting from the almost constant rain, it was most condu¬ 
cive to disease, the horses were perfectly free from any affec¬ 
tion of the air-passages ; but soon after our arrival at the 
above-named place, our horses being picketed on a fine large 
and apparently healthy plain, influenza made its appearance. 
xxxn. 75 
