HORSE-SICKNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
37 
probably due to parasite fungi investing the weeds and grasses 
in the same way as smut, rust, and other cryptogams affect 
forage and other grain. 
Animals have been known to become affected with diseases 
allied to this after eating food on which cryptogamic plants 
were found, and colic often occurs after the ingestion of 
mouldy forage and other food affected with such parasitic 
plants, and colicky pains are often among the first visible 
symptoms of an attack of horse-sickness. 
Nature. 
A consideration of the conditions known to be most favour¬ 
able for its development, the causes assigned, the symptoms 
observed during life, and also the post-mortem appearances, 
together with the constant presence of Bacteria in the blood, 
—in every case where I have had an opportunity of examin¬ 
ing it—enable me to identify it as one of a group of septic 
diseases termed Anthrax. 
Horse-sickness, then^ is Anthrax fever, resulting from the 
action of a poisonous agent ingested with the food, causing 
grave changes in the blood, impairing its vitality, and inducing 
general morbid state of the system, with congestive inflamma¬ 
tion of the lungs, and in some instances external tumours. 
Treatment. 
In the treatment of a disease so sudden in its development 
and fatal in its results, anything like a specific is out of the 
question, and it too often happens the remedial measures, 
however prompt and skilfully applied, fail to produce any 
benefit. It must be borne in mind that there are grave 
changes in the blood, as well as an engorgement of both 
lungs and other organs to contend with, and also a high 
degree of fever; the treatment, therefore, should be such 
as will counteract these several conditions. 
In the majority of cases the symptoms are not noticed till 
the dis’ease is too far advanced for treatment to be of any 
benefit; when, however, they are noticed in a comparative 
early stage, I would recommend the administration of 20 
drops of tincture of aconite, to be followed as quickly as 
possible by a ball composed of— 
Powdered digitalis . 
Tartar emetic 
Calomel 
Camphor 
Chlorate or nitrate of potass 
1 dram. 
1 
1 
1 
2 
11 
11 
91 
11 
