272 
DISEASED LUNGS OF A HORSE. 
had been at work, however, up to within a day or two, taking rest in the 
usual way, and, in fact, nothing of serious moment was suspected. From 
her very irritable temperament, it was impossible to approach her head for 
the purpose of examining her visible mucous membranes without apply¬ 
ing a twitch ; however, I did not deem it necessary to do so, but advised 
that she should be taken home and carefully nursed and dieted. I heard 
no more of her until the 17th of February, when her owner thought it 
desirable that she should come to my infirmary and occupy a loose box. 
When his man brought her I observed to him that her respiration was 
very much laboured, and that he must either have ridden her or brought 
her here in a very hurried manner, but he assured me that he led her at 
her own pace. It being late in the evening, I placed her in a comfort¬ 
able loose box, and deferred any minute examination until the following 
morning. On the 18th I ascertained that she had eaten up her previous 
night’s supper and had lain down; her pulse was 56. I managed to 
examine her visible mucous membranes, and found them pallid. I then 
auscultated the chest; the respiration was between 50 and 60 per minute ; 
the sounds on the right side normal, but those of the left indicated great 
oppression, and resembled wind passing through bagpipes. I applied, 
therefore, an extensive blister to the left side. 
19th.—Blister acted well; appetite tolerably good ; respiration more 
easy; pulse 56. 
21st.—Ung. Hyd. Biniod. applied over the blistered part; animal 
feeding tolerably well. 
23rd.—Pulse 60; respiration increased; countenance very much de¬ 
jected, appetite tolerably good, but has not lain down since the appli¬ 
cation of the blister. From this time she began to waste in condition 
very much; the eyes became glassy; the mane also was easily detached. 
On the 10th of March, considering that she had extensive structural 
disease of the lungs, from which she would never sufficiently recover so 
as to be again useful, I advised her owner to have her destroyed. 
On the 12th, on her way to the yard, she walked tolerably well 
until she reached the neighbourhood of Barnsbury, when, as my groom 
informs me, she became suddenly and intensely lame of the off hind leg, 
and, refusing to proceed any further, was destroyed in the street. 
I am, 
Yours very truly, 
William Clark. 
To Professor Varnell. 
It will be seen, by comparing this letter with the one re¬ 
ceived from Mr. South, that the symptoms in the cases they 
refer to, to a certain extent, correspond with each other. 
For example, we find in both cases that the breathing was 
unusually quick, and a cough was present; the pulse in each, 
as compared with the number of respirations per minute, was 
slow, except in Mr. South's case, a short time before death. 
These symptoms, as far as they go, were certainly diagnostic 
of disease of lung, and that of a character not usually met 
with. But I am sure no one will suppose that either Mr. 
South or Mr. Clark could possibly determine the true nature 
of the disease they had to contend with. The symptoms 
were not those of pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, or con- 
