LIVERPOOL VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 795 
strong; kidneys and bowels irregular. This disease affects all the vas¬ 
cular coats of the eye, but the iris, choroid, and ciliary processes, are 
most affected. This finishes the first stage ; and as generally we have 
only one eye affected at once, the symptoms appear gradually to subside, 
the flow of tears cease, and the deposit becomes in a measure absorbed, 
commencing superiorly. At this time and just in the same proportion as 
the disease abates in one does it attack the other with just the same 
symptoms. However, should it confine itself to one, we probably con¬ 
gratulate ourselves ; yet having been previously decetved, with fear and 
trembling do we daily approach his box, expecting what we invariably 
get, the cup dashed from our lips as we are about to taste, and as all the 
old remedies have been found to fail, we have been probably trying some 
pet remedy of our own, which we anticipate announcing at the first 
meeting as a specific, but which, unfortunately, proves in most cases 
a hopeless fiiilure, and in some few incalculable benefit; to which I may 
add, as far as my experience goes, the latest treatment of lamlnitis, 
as far as the exercise and throwing the weight on the heels is concerned. 
But to pursue, the iris has not that beautiful polish it had before the attack, 
and very often a line will be left round the margin of the pupil, but 
before this has time to clear away (the time varying) we have a return 
of the first symptoms, and we see with regret the eye as bad as ever; 
and after running the same course, will again clear if the inflammatory 
action has not been sufficiently destructive to have produced total blind¬ 
ness in the first attack, which is not often the case. The cornea continues 
dull, and with each attack increases the turbid state of the humours, the 
effusions of lymph and deposition on the edges of the iris and adhesions 
to the crystalline lens, vascularity and opacity of the latter and its cap¬ 
sule. The anterior chamber becomes so charged with lymph or matter 
producing in technical language hypopium, as almost and in some cases 
totally to obscure the pupil and iris ; in^short, the aim of this disease appears 
to be the entire destruction and disorganisation of the visual organ; for 
so long as there appears any distinct organisation do the attacks con¬ 
tinue, each rapidly succeeding the other. The interval between the first 
and second attack is generally from nine to ten days or a fortnight, but 
no fixed time can be set; it may be longer or shorter, but after each 
fresh attack the intervals become of shorter duration, until only a day 
or two intervenes. Sometimes both eyes are attacked simultaneously, 
but this is rare. 
This disease exists to a greater extent in Ireland than in England, or 
if here it is most frequently Irish horses that suffer ; but spec-oph¬ 
thalmia appears to be one of the diseases dying out, so seldom do we 
meet with it to what our predecessors did,—yet we all of us see quite as 
much of it as we care about. 
I believe it to be hereditary to a degree, and account for its prevalence 
amono- Irish horses from the custom (not general, but in remote districts 
for cheapness) of breeding from anything that will breed,—from mares 
frequently quite blind and from sires either that or nearly so. 
The treatment of this disease, I need not repeat, is very unsatisfactory ; 
the first thing we must do is to bleed copiously and evacute the bowels 
freely, place the horse in a dark box, and foment with hot water. The 
only medicine that is said to have proved very efficacious is calomel, 
which must be given several times daily, and in quantities to produce 
salivation, along with Opii to prevent its action on the bowels being too 
great; the opium from the special action of contracting the pupil will 
tend to prevent adhesions taking place between the iris and crystalline 
lens. Belladonna (extract) is specially recommended to be rubbed on 
