332 
REMARKABLE AFEECTION AMONG HORSES IN INDIA. 
A correspondent, who signs himself a “ Patriarch,” has 
sent us some particulars of a peculiar derangement of the 
urine, to which he says all classes of horses in India are 
liable. We quote from his description in the faint hope that 
some of our readers in that country, or who have had expe¬ 
rience among horses there, will be able to give some intel¬ 
ligible explanation of a very mysterious malady. The writer 
in his account proposes to distinguish the derangement by 
the term “ affection,” instead of complaint or disease, for the 
reason that no mischief ever results, notwithstanding the 
serious aspect of the symptoms. We need scarcely say that 
no such distinction can be sustained. “ Patriarch” writes : 
“ The urine is often passed to all appearance highly 
coloured with, blood, very thick — so much so as to often 
leave a deposit on the bedding after the fluid part strains 
through ; and this deposit to all appearance consists of small 
clots of blood. I feel I must here call on any one who reads 
this to curb their impatience and read on, as I shall try to 
show that this undoubtedly abnormal state of the urine is not 
the disease described and known as hsematuria. The condi¬ 
tion of the urine, as I describe, is at first naturally alarming; 
but when one has come to see it constantly and unquestion¬ 
ably unaccompanied by the symptoms or results of the above 
disease, apprehension gradually disappears. In stating there 
is no straining or any symptom of pain, the urine is voided 
quite naturally, and with all the signs of satisfaction which 
usually accompany the act when performed under the 
healthiest conditions; but I have noticed the colour vary; 
sometimes the first jet would be deeply coloured, the colour 
then cease, and the rest of the urine pass off to all appear¬ 
ance perfectly natural; jets of coloured urine sometimes suc¬ 
ceed each other at intervals, even when passing in an even 
stream; while at other times the urine is voided until almost 
exhausted, and finished with a jet deeply coloured. All these 
variations occur irregularly and involuntarily. The affection 
occurs at all seasons, both after hard work and when horses are 
comparatively idle. In my experience it is seen most in well- 
conditioned, highly-fed, and full-blooded animals ; but then 
my observation has been confined to this class. I do not say 
so in a boastful spirit, but the poorer-fed animals are rarely 
met with in India, except in such situations and of such class 
as donT invite the attention of persons not much interested 
in them, The affection is common to all horses (I mean 
