246 
A. LIAUTARD. 
vagina, from leucorrhoea, the sequellae of parturition, or the like, 
and in this manner originate in some form of special infection, 
possibly of the cryptogamic kind. Those who adopt this view of 
the matter seem evidently to have confounded the true dourine 
and its causes with the mere benignant exanthema of which we 
have spoken. 
It cannot be confidently said whether the disease exists pri¬ 
marily in the stallion or in the mare, though it is quite certain 
that it has been imported into many countries by stallions recently 
purchased, and communicated by them to the mares they have 
served, which latter have, in turn, infected other stallions. 
The most rational hypothesis is that which includes dourine 
with other contagious diseases, in which the theory of spontaniety 
is unknown, and accepts the sexual contact as the only method of 
propagation known to its history. Nothing is yet known of the 
specific action of the product of the secretion seen in the dis¬ 
ease, nor of its virulent properties. The virus has a fixed char¬ 
acter, and the principal vehicles of contagion are the products of 
secretion of the urethra in the male, and of the vagina in the fe¬ 
male. The matter of contagion is more active than that of the 
virus of many other contagious diseases; from one-third to one- 
half of the mares covered by a sick stallion being liable to con¬ 
tract the disease, and the contagion from the male to female 
being no less dangerous, and it preserves its contagious quality * 
for a long time, and quite beyond the time of recovery. Haubner 
believes that the virus may retain its force for a year or more. 
The disease is inoculable, though experiments in this respect 
have not always succeeded (Hertwig) ; virulent mucus must be 
used, inoculations with the blood having proved negative. It is 
also transmissible by contact; diseased mares may convey it to 
healthy ones if contact of the genital organs is possible; but 
cases of this description are rare. It is only by this kind of con¬ 
tagion that the appearance of the disease in colts (Weber, Jessen, 
Maresch) and even in geldings (Hayne, Dayot) can be explained. 
Manipulations by hostlers in cleaning with soiled sponges, for in¬ 
stance, have been a means of contagion (Haubner). These occur¬ 
rences are, however, all exceptional, and copulation must be un- 
