AN INQUIRY. 
49 
vature of the colon occupied the chest. I may add that on mak¬ 
ing an aural examination of the chest, I found tympanitic reson¬ 
ance on the left side and moderate dullness on the right. The 
attack was sudden. 
AN INQUIRY 
INTO THE ETIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY OF THE VENEREAL DIS¬ 
EASES OF MAN AND OF THE LOWER ANIMALS. 
By Charles F. Ring, M.D. 
In pursuing our investigation we shall avoid the beaten path 
of others, and mark out one peculiarly our own. What this will 
lead to only experiment can determine. Other theories have 
looked at but one side of the subject—that of human pathology; 
comparative pathology will complete the whole of it, from ours. 
We have carefully studied, not only the venereal diseases in the 
human family, but as they exist in the lower animals as well. 
This overlooking the analogy between these diseases of the two 
species will, we think, account for the failure, so far, to find a 
cause for one of them—syphilis—and to separate pathologically 
these affections. The question of identity between chancroid and 
chancre, in effect, is not yet settled, nor will it be to all minds 
until the exotic origin of syphilis be known. The burden of our 
argument is to prove this, and show its source. The analogy be¬ 
tween these diseases of man and the lower animals is both in 
point of pathology and evolution. To illustrate: Gonorrhoea 
and chancroid in both species were known long before a constitu¬ 
tional disease like syphilis claimed attention. 
It may be asked what will be gained by demonstrating the 
origin of syphilis. We reply, it will prevent the constitutional 
treatment of a local disease like chancroid—as gonorrhoea was in 
years past—to the patient’s detriment. It will set free patholo¬ 
gically, scrofulosis carcinomata, and other diseases with which it 
has been associated of late years. It will show to the veterina¬ 
rian, we think, the nature of a disease in the horse which he does 
not now understand. It will throw out numerous hints that point 
