OBSERVATIONS ON SOUNDNESS. 207 
suppuration takes place elsewhere^ the horse too frequently 
sinks under the attack.^^ 
Mr. Percivallhas much to say upon this affection, and pays 
a high tribute to the opinions of the late Mr. Casiley and Mr. 
Hales. All, however, tends to the same end. I think all 
persons believe the disease to be one which every colt is liable 
to at some period of his existence, and that time has been 
pointed to as falling between the first and fourth year of his 
age. I likewise think that, as a general rule, writers upon 
this, as well as many other subjects, are too anxious to 
ignore a fact, if it can be shown there any exceptions. Because 
one writer happens to know that a horse has lived up to four 
years old without his having been known to be affected 
with strangles in its severe or any other form, it does not go 
to prove that all animals are not subject to the disease, or 
that it is not a constitutional affection, any more than the 
fact of a lady of my acquaintance having lived up to the age of 
forty-five without having had measles. I say these individual 
instances should be taken no notice of when speaking of 
constitutional diseases. Another writer, who is a strenuous 
advocate for contagiousness, will in nearly every case endea¬ 
vour to prove that such and such a disease is contagious, 
merely from the fact of its being known that the disease is 
prevalent at some particular season. I don^t know that we 
need go beyond the present one, as for many weeks past 
influenza, both in its mild and severe forms, has been very 
prevalent here and elsewhere, among the human family ; old 
and young, rich and poor, have suffered from attacks of it, and 
in most cases we find the attacks have become tedious and of 
long duration, not being easily got rid of. Some persons 
have suffered this year who have never been known to have 
coughed in their lives; yet this I say is no proof of its 
contagiousness. Up to the present time but few cases 
have been presented to me for treatment in the horse, our 
patients having as yet escaped coughs and colds. Strange 
to say, for some years past the human family seemed to 
have taken precedence in these affections, and after the 
disease has had its own sway amongst men, women, and 
children, then the equine race have received their share. 
Such, at least, has been the result of my observations. 
Most veterinary surgeons will, doubtless, view' strangles as 
an affection of the entire system, assuming a febrile cha¬ 
racter, more or less severe, as the case may be, and having a 
tendency to the production of an abscess in the submaxillary 
glands. Why these glands should be more susceptible than 
others has not been featisfactorily demonstrated, any more 
