Special Report on Diseases of the HorseUnited States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Science
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse
United States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Horses -- Diseases
_Pathology._--On section we find the capillaries dilated, the connective
tissue filled with a coagulable or coagulated lymph, and frequently we
may discover gangrenous spots beneath the skin or involving the skin.
The lymphatic glands are swollen and inflamed. Extensive extravasations
of blood may be found embedded between the coats of the intestines, or
excessive effusion into the substance of the lungs.
_Treatment._--Diffusible stimulants and tonics should be given from the
start. Carbonate of ammonia, 1 dram, fluid extract of red cinchona bark,
2 drams, and tincture of ginger half an ounce, with half a pint of
water; thin gruel or milk should be given every four or six hours. But
especial care should be exercised to avoid injury by drenching. If the
horse has difficulty in getting the head up and swallowing, smaller
doses must be given with a small hard-rubber syringe. Sulphate of iron
in 1-dram doses may be dissolved in water and given every six hours.
Chlorate of potassium, in 2-ounce doses, may be given every eight or
twelve hours. Colloidal silver may be administered intravenously in
doses of from 5 to 12 grains. Washings with lead and alum water are
useful and may be repeated several times each day. If the swellings are
very great, they may be incised freely and the resulting wounds should
be washed at least twice daily with a warm 3 per cent solution of
carbolic acid or other good antiseptic. Tracheotomy may be necessary.
Complications, when they arise, must be treated with proper
circumspection.
DISEASES OF THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM.
The lymphatic, or absorbent, system is connected with the blood-vascular
system, and consists of a series of tubes which absorb and convey to the
blood certain fluids. These tubes lead to lymphatic glands, through
which the fluids pass to reach the right lymphatic vein and thoracic
duct, both of which enter the venous system near the heart. Through the
excessively thin walls of the capillaries the fluid part of the blood
transudes to nourish the tissues outside the capillaries; at the same
time fluid passes from the tissues into the blood. The fluid, after it
passes into the tissues, constitutes the lymph, and acts like a stream
irrigating the tissue elements. Much of the surplus of this lymph passes
into the lymph vessels, which in their commencement can hardly be
treated as independent structures, since their walls are so closely
joined with the tissues through which they pass, being nothing more
than spaces in the connective tissue until they reach the larger lymph
vessels, which finally empty into lymph glands. These lymph glands are
structures so placed that the lymph flowing toward the larger trunks
passes through them, undergoing a sort of filtration. From the fact of
this arrangement lymph glands are subject to inflammatory diseases in
the vicinity of diseased structures, because infective material being
conveyed in the lymph stream lodges in the glands and produces
irritation.
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