EDITORIAL. 
241 
ing the attention of such men as Nocard, Ravalard, Cagny, 
Barrier and Labat, who discuss it at the Societe Centrale and 
publish their opinions to the effect of throwing light on the 
question, “Is Roaring Hereditary or Is it Not?” as it is of 
great importance for the breeder. There are so many cases 
recorded favorable to both sides of the question, that the answer 
is very difficult to give. Why should u Ormonde,” himself a 
roarer, produce roarers when in England and when taken to 
America not have one roarer to his credit ? Why should other 
similar cases occur of confirmed roarers, even to being obliged 
to carry tracheotomy tubes, as a stallion by the name of “ Star ” 
did, and yet have perfectly sound products? And, again, the 
pathological origin of the symptoms is interesting. The causes 
of roaring (of cuiirse we mean chronic roaring) are numerous. 
But among them none is more important than laryngeal paraly¬ 
sis, which is stated to act in 96 per cent, of the cases, and if it 
can be due to traumatism, pressure, neoplasm, etc., in the 
greatest majority of cases it is the result of nervous alterations 
of microbian origin, microbian intoxication. 
Heredity does not, in the eyes of Prof. Rabat, play the im¬ 
portant part heretofore given to it, and for him the subject ought 
to be considered as follows : 
(1) It is not impossible for roarers, by transferring defect¬ 
ive conformation to their products, to have them roarers at 
birth. 
(2) In the great majority of cases, chronic roaring is due to 
laryngeal paralysis, and animals affected with it do not transmit 
the disease itself, but a real tendency to acquire it; it is the 
heredo-predisposition to roaring. 
(3) Analysis of the causes of roaring has shown that a few 
among them can be transmitted by way of reproduction, viz. : 
vices of conformation and specially predisposition to paralysis 
of the larynx. Consequently all chronic roarings are not her¬ 
editary ; there are no hereditary roarings . 
(4) Heredo-predisposition forms the most important factor 
in the genesis of chronic roaring; it shows itself as the prepar- 
