14 
FRED. TORRANCE. 
and may be mistaken for glanders. Such a mistake may occur 
in the pustular stage of the eruption, especially if the vesicles are 
confluent and the sub-maxillary lymphatics swollen from absorp¬ 
tion of the exudation, and the crust not yet formed. But if the 
observer is not frightened at the thought of glanders and makes 
a close examination, he will see that the eruption of variola is 
merely superficial, involving only the epithelial layer, while in 
glanders the sub-mucous layer is affected, and even the cartilage 
may be involved. But if any doubt exists as to the identity of the 
disease, the examination may be postponed for a few days, when 
the symptoms of variola will be more fully developed. 
The Continental Veterinarians lay considerable stress upon 
the similarity of these two diseases, but in this country, where, 
fortunately, glanders is uncommon, variola is more likely to be 
mistaken for a skin disease affecting the heels, and called scratches 
or cracked heels. This is a skin disease brought on by the alter¬ 
nate wetting and drying which horses’ legs undergo in this climate, 
assisted by any predisposing cause that may be present. It may 
be compared to the chapped hands that we sometimes get from 
the same cause, viz: having the skin wet in cold weather. It is 
very easily distinguished from variola, and only an ignorant per¬ 
son would be likely to mistake the two. Mv excuse for mention¬ 
ing it at all is that you will be called upon to remedy the mis¬ 
chief done by those persons in treating variola with poultices and 
stimulating or astringent lotions. Such treatment not only 
lengthens instead of shortening the course of the disease, but may 
produce permanent injury to the horse from the thickening and 
tumefaction of the skin of the part. The eruption of variola, 
like that of all exanthematous diseases, must run its natural 
course, and we can do nothing towards shortening it, and by 
our stupid efforts only bring on fresh complications. An exam¬ 
ple of this is seen in a case that was brought to the yard a few 
days ago. The horse had been suffering from an ordinary attack 
of variola, and the owner, being ignorant of the nature of the 
disease, procured from a druggist, as ignorant as himself, a bottle 
of liniment, which lie diligently rubbed into the horse’s heels. 
But with what result ? The liniment only made the eruption 
