PYAEMIA IN THE DOO. 
705 
Both pyaemia and septicaemia usually have their origin in 
wounds, but cases are recorded where no wound has been 
discovered ; these apparently idiopathic cases being desig¬ 
nated as of spontaneous origin; but reasoning from analogy 
rather than our practical experience with the disease, I think 
the doctrine of spontaneity no more tenable in this particular 
disease than in others. 
Pyasmia and septicaemia are, I think, the unsuspected cause 
of much of the mortality following surgical operations in 
veterinary practice. The unfavorable terminations are has¬ 
tily concluded to be the result of causes other than the 
entrance into the animal economy of organisms whose potency 
in the causation of diseases is beyond doubt. Diagnoses are 
made, but how rarely are ^utopsies performed to verify the 
same. To introduce into our practice the conditions of asep¬ 
sis and antisepsis obtained in our well-regulated human hos¬ 
pitals is obviously quite impossible. 
But do we as practitioners always endeavor to apply as 
far as possible in our practice the doctrines of Lister? 
Are we not frequently careless in this respect, and because 
we cannot easily attain perfect conditions, do we not satisfy 
ourselves with a minimum amount in that direction and then 
blindly attribute failure to anything rather than our own 
carelessness or neglect ? 
Our English text-books on the practice of medicine and 
surgery contain descriptions of pyaemia based for the most 
part on the experiments of Koch, and refer to the occurrence 
of the disease in horses, cattle and sheep, but, singularly 
enough, no cases are recorded of the disease in dogs. 
Our cynological literature also treats but little of the 
disease. Woodruff Hill is the only one of the many writers 
I have consulted who refers to the disease. He advises 
strict cleanliness in the treatment of even small wounds, as 
“ pyasmia and septicaemia may follow carelessness in this 
respect.” 
The French works I have had at my disposal give the 
matter very little notice. Rolle’s “ Pathologie Morbide” con¬ 
tains a good account of the disease, but makes no reference to 
