CORRESPONDENCE. 
223 
PERINEPHRITIC ABSCESS—POSSIBLE PARASITIC ORIGIN. 
New York City, May 22, 1900. 
Editors American Veterinary Review : 
Dear Sirs :—I feel impelled to make a few observations in 
regard to the article detailing a case of perinephritic abscess 
with haemorrhagic nephritis, published in your valuable monthly 
of this month, on page 113. I am surprised not to find a single 
word in that article as to the possible parasitic origin of the 
pathological alterations mentioned. The post-mortem report 
appears to be rather incomplete, as nothing is mentioned about 
the other internal organs, including the blood vascular system. 
As far as the etiology is concerned, I am very strongly in¬ 
clined to believe that the pathological alterations of the kidney 
were either due to primary parasitism within the kidney 
{strongylus gigas) or due to verminous thrombosis of the renal 
artery or some other artery—for instance, anterior mesenteric 
artery, or cceliac axis, the latter two possibilities also being 
capable of producing embolic infarcts of the kidney, followed 
by formation of one or more abscesses. 
I think that every veterinarian who is acquainted with the 
natural history of strongylus armatus and the frequency of this 
parasite in horses, and the possible consequences it is apt to 
produce, will agree with me as to the chances of the etiology of 
the case in question. 
The possible injury which is mentioned as a probable cause 
seems to me a little far fetched, especially when we consider 
the well protected anatomical location of the kidneys in 
horses. 
I cannot approve of leaving the diagnosis of such an inter¬ 
esting pathological anatomical case to an M. D., as medical 
men are not supposed to know much about special pathology 
in horses. Of course, it is too bad that pathological anatomy 
is such a weak point with a majority of our veterinarians, and 
that as a consequence medical men are called upon. 
Yours respectfully, 
Dr. Wilfred Eellmann, 
Professor at N. Y. -A . V. C. 
Flushing, N. Y., May 25, 1900. 
Editors American Veterinary Review : 
Dear Sirs :—I have read with a great deal of pleasure the 
interesting and life-like descriptions of Dr. Ellis’ case of a 
perinephritic abscess, as reported in your last issue, but I believe 
that the cause is not of external origin but of internal. I ad- 
