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M. L. TKASBOT. 
serious. Every practitioner has observed the truth of this fact. 
The predisposition of the organism of the horse, always 
marked, is still increased when under the influence of variola. 
This is so well proven that gourme has been called sjiecijic 
pyogenia. 
But this manifest predisposition, against which, however, 
nothing can be done, is not by itself sufficient to produce in a 
trice all the varied phenomena above considered ; it must, be¬ 
sides, be assisted and stimulated, so to speak, by an external occa¬ 
sional influence. In other words, these same phenomena might 
exhibit themselves on all parts of the body, which is not the case. 
They never begin in any other place except the inferior extremity 
of the head and legs, that is on parts exposed to friction or ex¬ 
ternal violence. Here the food, the bridle, the halter, which, 
rubbing and tearing the summit of the pustules formed in the 
nasal cavities, on the wings of the nostrils, the commissure of 
the lips, the cheeks, etc., produce these accidents ; then the bed¬ 
ding, the blows of the legs against the slats, etc., which causes 
the same effects; and perhaps we may add the direct irritating 
effect of the liquids of the bedding which, coming in contact with 
the skin, unprotected by its epidermis, becomes sufficient cause to 
increase the inflammation already existing there. 
It will consequently be of the greatest importance to take 
these facts into consideration when deciding where inoculations 
must be performed, as we have said that there are great probabil- 
ties that the eruptions will be greater at this point. 
A second complication of equine variola, much more rare, but 
sometimes more serious, is the formation of deep abscesses in some 
parts of the economy. It corresponds to what M. Ch. Martin, in 
his paper “ Study on the specific pyogeny called gourme of the 
horse,” has designated as erratic gourme, on account of the 
various regions where these purulent deposits may be found 
during or towards the end of the disease. He reports fourteen 
cases collected by him since 1854, which are very interesting. 
Abscesses of gourme may indeed be found on every part of 
the body and in all the lymphatic ganglions, deep or superficial. 
Under the thick skin of the extremities of the legs they become 
