20 
CLAUDE D. MORRIS. 
Ophthalmia, generally speaking, is a constitutional disease 
affecting the organ of vision, having its origin in the deep 
structures of the eye ; and, as it progresses, works externally, 
involving the entire organ. The varieties of this disease that 
are met with in veterinary practice, are catarrhal, purulent 
and periodic. Catarrhal ophthalmia is a sporadic disease, or, 
we may say, it is one of the manifestations accompanying a 
sporadic disease, arising from a variety of causes, such as al¬ 
ternations of temperature, ill-ventilated and dark stables, 
exposure to wet and cold, and, in a young animal, a strong 
predisposition to colds exists during the process of changing 
the coat. The symptoms that are present when the veteri¬ 
narian’s attention is called, are generally, debility, rough, 
staring coat, the temperature slightly elevated, a discharge 
from the nose and eyes, more or less opacity of all the trans¬ 
parent structures of the eye, and as the owner will frequently 
remark, the animal’s eyes will seem to clqar up and look 
bright, and then in two or three days will look hazy aud dull 
again. The conjunctiva is more or less congested, and in the 
more aggravated cases we find on everting the eyelids that 
the conjunctiva will be red, vascular and swollen, so that the 
meibomian glands are nearly or entirely hidden. The dis¬ 
charge varies in quantity and quality according to the stage 
and intensity of the affection. In the early stages there is 
generally only an increased secretion of tears, but the dis¬ 
charge soon becomes more opaque and stringy, and of a 
yellowish-red tint, consisting chiefly of albumen and broken- 
down epithelial cells. The treatment must vary according 
to the severity of the disease. 
If the eye is very irritable, and there is much lachryma- 
tion accompanied by conjunctival injection, astringents 
should be carefully avoided, as they tend to increase the irri¬ 
tability. Such cases should be treated with soothing appli¬ 
cations (such as atropine and warm fomentations), and in the 
course of three or four days bathe the eyes with a moderate 
solution of boracic acid. 
Purulent ophthalmia is a subsequent termination of ca¬ 
tarrhal ophthalmia, if the former be not checked and is 
