BROKEN WIND, 
81 
mogastric nerves, but upon the skin or some other remote 
organs, whence it is reflected back through the nerves of respi¬ 
ration to the bronchii. Dust acting as an irritant to the 
mucous membrane of the respiratory tract may cause it. 
“ In persons predisposed to bronchial asthma the eating of 
any indigestible substance may of itself be sufficient to cause 
the attack. Dyspepsia in its various forms and the presence 
of irritating substances in the alimentary canal are very fre¬ 
quent causes of asthma.” 
“ The intimate relations existing between the lungs and 
stomach,” says Pepper, “ and the fact that asthmatics usually 
suffer at the same time with dyspepsia, make the question of 
diet an important one.” 
Let us compare asthma in man, and broken wind in the 
horse. 
We find a close resemblance all through, in cause, symp¬ 
toms and structural lesions, if we compare cases of equal sever¬ 
ity and long standing. 
Take the comparative length of time occupied by inspira¬ 
tion and expiration ; we find in the broken-winded hoise at 
rest about double the time occupied in expiration as in in¬ 
spiration. We find emphysema of the lungs. We find peri¬ 
ods of comparative ease and periods of marked dyspnoea. 
We find the accompanying dyspepsia often, and find the dis¬ 
ease influenced by the diet. We find that death is iaiel} 
caused by it, and that the treatment is very much the same 
for both. We also find, according to Williams, the thicken¬ 
ing of the muscular walls of the bronchial tubes; but 
whether we will find two broken-winded males to one broken- 
winded female among horses I am unable to say. 
As to the definition of broken-wind the one given by 
Williams is probably about the best. He says it is “ A non¬ 
inflammatory disease characterized by difficult and peculiai 
breathing; the inspiratory movement is performed with 
ease, the expiratory by two apparent efforts. The difficulty 
in breathing is constant, but is liable to remissions and 
severe exacerbations. A peculiar cough called the bioken- 
winded cough ’ is a constant symptom ; indigestion and flatu¬ 
lence aggrivate the dyspnoea.” 
I 
