528 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
(as I prefer to designate it) in its incipiency, it requires a careful 
physical examination, as the calm respiratory movements do not 
furnish any pronounced information until the disease is thoroughly 
established. 
Acute glanders was the most dangerous complication or sequel 
of all. 1 have had occasion to witness seven cases during the 
presence of the cellulitis, a very unusual occurrence. Several of 
these cases terminated with suppurative pneumonia, and the 
others were destroyed. Iu two of these cases, there were suspicious 
indications before the epizootic broke out. 
But the most lamentable and destructive accident that befel 
the equine species during the prevalence of this influenza, was the 
frequency of abortions in pregnant brood mares. This deplorable 
complication has never in the history of previous visitations of in¬ 
fluenza, to my knowledge, played so important a destructive role, 
as it has during this one. If it had, the scarcity of the equine 
population would be felt in commercial interests. As for cases 
of purpura hemorrhagica, which was the great bugbear of former 
epizootic outbreaks of influenza, 1 sought for them in vain. These 
cases must have been exceedingly rare, judging from the 1,500 cases 
more or less, of this form of influenza, that came under my super¬ 
vision. I found but one case that bore the slightest resemblance to 
this unwelcome complication. He was a bay draught horse 
whose limbs were greatly swollen, clear up to his elbow and 
stifle joint, with bloody serous oozing through the skin for two 
days. He had no petechise on his visible Schneiderian membrane, 
nor any swelling about his head. I therefore regard it as nothing 
more than a phlegmonus case of cellulitis. I do however admit, 
that cases of genuine purpura hemorrhagica, are met with, prob¬ 
ably in most instances as a complication of a catarrh or laryngitis 
not having any connection with the influenza, as I have had quite 
a number of cases of coryza in non-infected districts, that had re¬ 
covered, and several weeks afterwards were attacked with the 
cellulitis in all its phases. 
Of course, there were numerous other incidental complica¬ 
tions, as intestinal catarrh, laminitis, cerebral afflictions, etc. 
Judging from the complications, the absence in a great 
