250 
C. CRES8WELL. 
Johnson consented, and a young thoroughbred mare having 
the disease in its worst form, to the extent of complete per¬ 
foration of the nasal septum, was shot and examined at once. 
Absolutely no disease whatever of the lungs, spleen or liver 
was discovered, and no enlargement of the lymphatic glands 
other than those in and around the throat. 
The body was well nourished, all the disease being con¬ 
fined to the septum, and already the process of healing had 
begun. But the structural changes in the nose and the frontal 
sinuses of the head, caused by the ravages of the disease, 
would in all probabilty have rendered the mare useless for 
racing purposes. The question of glanders having been thus 
eliminated, the disease was decided to be an aggravated form 
of what is technically called purpura hemorrhagica, commonly 
called purpura or scarlet fever form of distemper and its per¬ 
sistence on this farm accounted for—and the chronic altera¬ 
tions of structure somewhat usual in outbreaks of this dis¬ 
ease— by the peculiar conditions existing on the farm, here¬ 
after more fully described. This form of distemper is very 
persistent in its recurrence in a given locality, is especially 
destructive in its action on all high-bred stock, and is fatal in 
a large percentage of cases if not properly treated. 
It starts with a high fever, injection of the lining mem¬ 
brane of the nose, with first scarlet and afterwards purple spots 
on the visible mucous membranes, and tumefaction of various 
glands. If the fever is very high, and runs unchecked, and 
death does not occur from passive congestion of some im¬ 
portant organ, it frequently happens that ulceration of the 
nostril will take place, and sometimes pyaemia or general 
blood poisoning from the enlarged glands. And even though 
apparent recovery should take place after these many changes, 
it is yet possible for the animal to still retain some subacute 
disease ol the nasal passages. In this case the glands would 
naturally remain slightly enlarged so long as the disease 
lasted. One of the principal reasons for its continuance on 
this farm is, in my opinion, the exceptional hardness of the 
water, drawn from a suface well sixteen feet deep. It is a 
well-known fact that water containing a large amount of 
