128 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
The first horse died shortly after I saw him ; I gave him no treat¬ 
ment, for he was beyond the influence of medicines. The third 
horse recovered quickly under the usual treatment, while the 
second one died, after lingering for a week or more, during which 
time I had an opportunity of closely watching the disease and 
minutely observing any changes that might take place. 
When I first saw this case the limbs were not swollen. The 
respiration was labored ; pulse quickened and weak; temperature 
106, the eyelids swollen, conjunctiva injected, throat sore, a 
greenish discharge from the nose, vesicular murmur in the lungs 
and palpitation of the heart. On the following morning the 
limbs were swollen, unequal in temperature, and the murmur in 
the lungs much increased. He remained so all day, and about 
ten o’clock at night went down and seemed to sleep. He remained 
down all the next day until near evening, when he arose of his 
own accord, but seemed very weak, staggering around the stall. 
The next morning he was standing, and ate his breakfast as he 
had done all his meals since coming under my care. Toward 
noon he again went down, and seemed to have lost his senses 
entirely. He continued in this state until he died on the evening 
of the following day. Having made a post-mortem examination 
on the horse that died first, I concluded to do so in this case also, 
and found the general appearances closely resembling each other. 
I found the trachea of a greenish-red hue, and in places cov¬ 
ered with a watery lymph ; the bronchial tubes were affected in 
the same manner. The lungs were oedematous, congested and 
filled with black blood. In the lung of the horse that died first 
were traces of suppuration. The liver, in both horses, was 
oedematous. On removing the integument of the limbs, I found 
quite an amount of watery exudate in the cellular tissue under 
the skin, etc., but neither in limbs or internal organs did I find 
anything to remind me of cellulitis ; and I am of opinion that 
this serosity was simply the result of a passive congestion. 
It is well known that influenza is a specific febrile disease, the 
result of a blood poison, not necessarily contagious, primarily 
affecting the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, and 
manifesting itself by symptoms of passive congestion of these 
parts, accompanied by a typhoid or low form of fever, 
