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Treatment of Canker
THE
VETERINARv ~J:Q:uRNAL ' . '. :
AND
FEBRUARY, 1893· TREATMENT OF CANKER. BY j . I. MEYRICK, C.B., F .R .C.V.S.
THE treatment of canker in the horse's foot, whether by caustic dressings or by stripping off the sole, being necessarily accompanied with great suffering to the animal, I would like to bring to the notice of the readers of the VETERINARY JOURNAL a milder method which was very successful in the case of a horse belonging to a battery of Royal Artillery, of which I was in veterinary charge when stationed at Jhansie in 1869. The entire sole and frog were affected, and the di sease had extended b etween the sensitive laminre and wall of the hoof, forming a cavity about two inches broad which reached nearly to the coronet. Being of opinion that the tow with which it is usual to cover the sole had a tendency to encourage the fungoid growth by keeping the parts too moist, I dispensed with everything in the shape of stopping. Every particle of loose horn having been removed and the cheese-like secretion carefully wiped off, the whole surface of the sole and frog was covered with a layer, about a quarter of an inch thick, of very finely-powd ered alum. This was also forced with a probe into the space between the laminre and wall until the cavity was completely filled. The foot was then held with the sole uppermost for halfan-!lour in order that as much as possible of the alum might be absorbed. The horse was kept in a stable with a hard, dry, earth floor, and the sole left uncovered so a s to encourage evaporation of moisture from the diseased parts. The alum was applied in the above-mentioned manner twice daily, and after some days, when all discharge from the cavity inside the wall VOL. XXXVI.
F
74
The Veterinary fournal.
had ceased, a shoe was tacked on for the purpose of assisting in keeping the sole and frog dry, by allowing the air to pass freely under them. The fungoid growth g radually shrivelled up and became desiccated. .Alum was steadily applied to any spots from which moisture exuded until, after about three weeks, there was no appearance of any diseased secretion. The foot was untouched for another fortnight, when a perfectly healthy horny sole had formed under the dried fungoid mass. The horse remained at regular workforfullytwelve months, after which I lost sight of him through being transferred to another part of India. Canker is so uncommon in the army, owing to careful stable management, that I had no opportunity of treating another case during the remainder of my service, but think the method I have described well worth a more extended trial on account of its painlessness. TUBERCULOSIS. BY LEONARD PEARSON, B. S., V. M. D., VETERINARY DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
THE disease tuberculosis is known by a variety of names, as consumption, phthisis, wasting disease, pearl disease and many other synonyms. Tuberculosis affects man and all of his domesticated animals, but is much more prevalent in cattle than in the other species, although it is frequently meet with in the pig, and is rare in the sheep, goat, do5, and horse. Even the hen is not exempt from this disease and flocks are sometimes decimated by i.s ravages. The ancient medical authors were familiar with tuberculosi:, , and until 1882 a great number of theories had been advanced to account for its origin. In 1882 Koch announced his discovery of the bacillus or gern of tuberculosis, and this discovery has since been confirmed by numerous scientists in all parts of the world. This germ, which is the same in man and all species of animals, is a small, rod-shaped organism, from one seventhousandth to one ten-thousandth of an inch long, and onetenth as broad. Small oval spores form within this minute bacillus ; they are liberated and develop into mature forms like their parents. These germs may be cultivated outside of the animal body by transferring a few of them to coagulated blood serum or other suitable culture medium contained in a small glass
VETERINARv ~J:Q:uRNAL ' . '. :
AND
FEBRUARY, 1893· TREATMENT OF CANKER. BY j . I. MEYRICK, C.B., F .R .C.V.S.
THE treatment of canker in the horse's foot, whether by caustic dressings or by stripping off the sole, being necessarily accompanied with great suffering to the animal, I would like to bring to the notice of the readers of the VETERINARY JOURNAL a milder method which was very successful in the case of a horse belonging to a battery of Royal Artillery, of which I was in veterinary charge when stationed at Jhansie in 1869. The entire sole and frog were affected, and the di sease had extended b etween the sensitive laminre and wall of the hoof, forming a cavity about two inches broad which reached nearly to the coronet. Being of opinion that the tow with which it is usual to cover the sole had a tendency to encourage the fungoid growth by keeping the parts too moist, I dispensed with everything in the shape of stopping. Every particle of loose horn having been removed and the cheese-like secretion carefully wiped off, the whole surface of the sole and frog was covered with a layer, about a quarter of an inch thick, of very finely-powd ered alum. This was also forced with a probe into the space between the laminre and wall until the cavity was completely filled. The foot was then held with the sole uppermost for halfan-!lour in order that as much as possible of the alum might be absorbed. The horse was kept in a stable with a hard, dry, earth floor, and the sole left uncovered so a s to encourage evaporation of moisture from the diseased parts. The alum was applied in the above-mentioned manner twice daily, and after some days, when all discharge from the cavity inside the wall VOL. XXXVI.
F
74
The Veterinary fournal.
had ceased, a shoe was tacked on for the purpose of assisting in keeping the sole and frog dry, by allowing the air to pass freely under them. The fungoid growth g radually shrivelled up and became desiccated. .Alum was steadily applied to any spots from which moisture exuded until, after about three weeks, there was no appearance of any diseased secretion. The foot was untouched for another fortnight, when a perfectly healthy horny sole had formed under the dried fungoid mass. The horse remained at regular workforfullytwelve months, after which I lost sight of him through being transferred to another part of India. Canker is so uncommon in the army, owing to careful stable management, that I had no opportunity of treating another case during the remainder of my service, but think the method I have described well worth a more extended trial on account of its painlessness. TUBERCULOSIS. BY LEONARD PEARSON, B. S., V. M. D., VETERINARY DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
THE disease tuberculosis is known by a variety of names, as consumption, phthisis, wasting disease, pearl disease and many other synonyms. Tuberculosis affects man and all of his domesticated animals, but is much more prevalent in cattle than in the other species, although it is frequently meet with in the pig, and is rare in the sheep, goat, do5, and horse. Even the hen is not exempt from this disease and flocks are sometimes decimated by i.s ravages. The ancient medical authors were familiar with tuberculosi:, , and until 1882 a great number of theories had been advanced to account for its origin. In 1882 Koch announced his discovery of the bacillus or gern of tuberculosis, and this discovery has since been confirmed by numerous scientists in all parts of the world. This germ, which is the same in man and all species of animals, is a small, rod-shaped organism, from one seventhousandth to one ten-thousandth of an inch long, and onetenth as broad. Small oval spores form within this minute bacillus ; they are liberated and develop into mature forms like their parents. These germs may be cultivated outside of the animal body by transferring a few of them to coagulated blood serum or other suitable culture medium contained in a small glass