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Two Obscure Cases
CLINICAL ARTICLES.
29th Nov. and to the other cases being propagated directly through living in the same stable. In the second one it was found impossible to trace the origin of the disease beyond the Banbury horse, but, once established in him, its direct transmission to the other horses in the same yard soon followed. The third outbreak is in several respects the most interesting; and that the disease was propagated by any other means than a specific contagium carried by the foal from its dam to its foster mother, which then spread to the other animals in cohabitation, seems very improbable. In conclusion, attention may be drawn to the variation in the incubative period of strangles; that this varies in different animals is well illustrated by the foster dam showing symptoms of the disease two or three days before the foal through which she contracted it.
TWO OBSCURE CASES.
By ARCH. BAIRD, M.R.C.V.S., Royal Veterinary College, Edinburgh. CASE I. The subject of the first case was a very large Mastiff Dog, about 9 years old. When my services were first called in I was informed that the dog had been out of sorts for some days, that is to say, he had no appetite, and appeared dull and listless, and disinclined to move about. On examination I found all his limbs from the elbow and stifle joints downwards considerably swollen (<:edematous), the sheath and scrotum being in the same condition. There was no ascites or hydro-thorax. The pulse was weak and frequent. On the skin of the scrotum, and on that between the fore-legs, were large, irregular-shaped patches of ecchymosis of a deep purple colour, exactly similar to those seen on the skin of pigs suffering from "swine fever." The visible mucous membranes were very much injected, and the Schneiderian membrane exhibited peculiar petechia!, resembling those seen in a corresponding position in horses suffering from purpura ha!morrhagica. From the nostrils there was a slight trickling of blood. The bowels were said to be constipated, but he passed urine freely. The case puzzled me not a little as to its nature, but I considered I could not go far astray in first calling on the bowels to act, which I did by a purgative dose of 01. Ricini. The following day I found the bowels had responded, but there was no improvement in the other symptoms. The lassitude had increased, and it was with great difficulty the dog could be got to move at all. He was fed with brandy and beef-tea at frequent intervals throughout the day. The third day found him much worse; the <:edema was increased, as were also the weakness and lassitude. He absolutely refused all food, but was fed regularly with beef-tea and brandy. I had made up my mind by this time that he was suffering from (if I may be allowed to use the term) a blood disease, similar in its character to purpura ha!morrhagica of the horse; and I, may here mention that I had several cases of the latter disease in horses under treatment simultaneously with the case which I am now attempting to describe in the
CLINICAL ARTICLES.
dog. The remedies which I now adopted were Sulphate of Iron and Quinine in solution in small doses three times daily, and a continuance of stimulants as before. From this time until the ninth day my patient got continually worse. He lost all use of his legs, and on the eighth day became partially comatose. I had for a day or two prior to this considered the case a hopeless one, but still kept at him with the same treatment. On the afternoon of the ninth day I was gratified to observe a slight improvement; he took notice of what went on around him, and seemed to know his friends. The next day he was able to move himself a little, and partook voluntarily of a small piece of fish. Briefly, he continued to improve, and on the 15th day I discharged him convalescent. I shall not venture to assert what the pathology of the disease was, for fortunately (or otherwise) I had not a post-mortem examination to assist me in doing so; but from many of the symptoms I was led at the time to put it down as something analogous to purpura hcemorrhagica in the horse. CASE II. I was called in considerable haste one morning lately to see a well-known trotti'ng horse. I found him, as described by his owner, nearly blind, a thick turbid deposit of greenish-yellow lymph floating about in the aqueous humour, and all but occluding the pupil. The structure of the cornea was not affected in the slightest. There were also slight photophobia and increased lachrymation, pulse and temperature were normal. I was informed that the horse had trotted in a race about a week previous and won, but being heavily handicapped was pretty sorely pressed. Nothing amiss was noticed until the morning on which I was called. I administered Aloes Barb. in ball 3iv, followed immediately by 01. Lini 3vi, Spts. CEther Nit. 5is, and had the horse placed in a darkened loose-box. I had both eyes bathed frequently throughout the day with Liq. Plumbi Subacet. and Water, largely diluted. Next morning the purgatives were acting freely, but the effusion had increased in quantity and density, rendering the horse totally blind. I administered Potas. Iodid. in 3j doses three times a day. I saw the horse again in the evening, and found the purging somewhat excessive, which I attributed to the repeated doses of Potas. Iodid. He was now refusing his food, and I accordingly ordered him a pint of port wine, to be repeated during the night or first thing in the morning if necessary, with flour and chilled water to drink. On my visit next morning I was delighted to find a very marked improvement. The purging had ceased, and what was more cheering, there was a considerable absorption of the lymph. I continued the administration of Potas. Iodid. and Port Wine, the latter because the horse still refused to feed. The improvement was now extremely rapid. Next day what was previously a dense deposit had become broken up into small separate particles, and vision was partially restored. On the fifth day the last flake of lymph had disappeared, and the horse's vision was now as perfect as before the attack, much to the satisfaction of the owner. As in the previous case described, I shall not attempt to theorise regarding the cause of this peculiar affection. The horse is an extremely valuable one, and could not possibly be subjected to any injury without the knowledge of the owner. Possibly, the excessive
CLINICAL ARTICLES.
struggle to win the race may have had something to do with it, by causing congestion of, and subsequent effusion from, the ocular vessels.
AMPUTATION OF THE LEG OF A HEIFER. By WM. HUNTER, M.R.C.V.S., Newcastle-on-Tyne.
ON April 12th of the present year r was sent for to see a yearling heifer (a cross between a shorthorn cow and an Aberdeen-Angus bull) a few miles from town, the animal having met with an accident to her off fore leg. On arrival r found that she had sustained a compound fracture of. the large metacarpal bone, three or four inches below the knee-joint. She had been hopping about the place, and the injured part had become much soiled, the earth having penetrated some distance down the medullary canal. Seeing this, r advised the owner to let me amputate the pendulous extremity, but he would not hear of such a thing; r must, he said, set the leg at all hazards; he was sure the bones would unite. Having cleansed and washed the part thoroughly with a solution of perchloride of mercury in warm water (I in 1000), r had to lengthen the wound in the skin to get the protruding portion of bone back to its place. r had also to take about an inch off its pointep extremity with the bone forceps to get the parts exactly in apposition, the fracture being oblique. Having done this, and seeing there would be great difficulty in bandaging the leg properly, and, at the same time, leaving an opening for the discharge of matter, r resolved to use plenty of antiseptic solution, and to bind the leg firmly up, trying to exclude all atmospheric germs, in the hope that the wound would heal without a discharge. r padded the part thoroughly with asepticised tow, and made the parts firm with bandages and Plaster of Paris. I had the animal placed in a loose-box, and gave orders that she was to be disturbed as little as possible, and fed as usual. She progressed remarkably well for above a week, but.on the 26th I was sent for again, and I found, unfortunately, that the bones were displaced, the leg being quite twisted. On taking off the bandages r found the wound suppurating, and the knee and leg considerably swollen. The owner wished me to reset the limb, but r at last persuaded him to let me amputate it as the only means of saving her life. r commenced by placing a ligature or tourniquet tightly round the leg above the knee, to stop the circulation. I then performed the operation by the circular method, leaving as much of the integument as possible to suture over the extremity. The blood vessels were taken up and ligatured without difficulty. The part was padded with cotton wool, and dressed with the following lotion, which was applied daily:Olei Eucalypti 3j Olei Carbo!. 3js Olei OliVa! 3vijs
29th Nov. and to the other cases being propagated directly through living in the same stable. In the second one it was found impossible to trace the origin of the disease beyond the Banbury horse, but, once established in him, its direct transmission to the other horses in the same yard soon followed. The third outbreak is in several respects the most interesting; and that the disease was propagated by any other means than a specific contagium carried by the foal from its dam to its foster mother, which then spread to the other animals in cohabitation, seems very improbable. In conclusion, attention may be drawn to the variation in the incubative period of strangles; that this varies in different animals is well illustrated by the foster dam showing symptoms of the disease two or three days before the foal through which she contracted it.
TWO OBSCURE CASES.
By ARCH. BAIRD, M.R.C.V.S., Royal Veterinary College, Edinburgh. CASE I. The subject of the first case was a very large Mastiff Dog, about 9 years old. When my services were first called in I was informed that the dog had been out of sorts for some days, that is to say, he had no appetite, and appeared dull and listless, and disinclined to move about. On examination I found all his limbs from the elbow and stifle joints downwards considerably swollen (<:edematous), the sheath and scrotum being in the same condition. There was no ascites or hydro-thorax. The pulse was weak and frequent. On the skin of the scrotum, and on that between the fore-legs, were large, irregular-shaped patches of ecchymosis of a deep purple colour, exactly similar to those seen on the skin of pigs suffering from "swine fever." The visible mucous membranes were very much injected, and the Schneiderian membrane exhibited peculiar petechia!, resembling those seen in a corresponding position in horses suffering from purpura ha!morrhagica. From the nostrils there was a slight trickling of blood. The bowels were said to be constipated, but he passed urine freely. The case puzzled me not a little as to its nature, but I considered I could not go far astray in first calling on the bowels to act, which I did by a purgative dose of 01. Ricini. The following day I found the bowels had responded, but there was no improvement in the other symptoms. The lassitude had increased, and it was with great difficulty the dog could be got to move at all. He was fed with brandy and beef-tea at frequent intervals throughout the day. The third day found him much worse; the <:edema was increased, as were also the weakness and lassitude. He absolutely refused all food, but was fed regularly with beef-tea and brandy. I had made up my mind by this time that he was suffering from (if I may be allowed to use the term) a blood disease, similar in its character to purpura ha!morrhagica of the horse; and I, may here mention that I had several cases of the latter disease in horses under treatment simultaneously with the case which I am now attempting to describe in the
CLINICAL ARTICLES.
dog. The remedies which I now adopted were Sulphate of Iron and Quinine in solution in small doses three times daily, and a continuance of stimulants as before. From this time until the ninth day my patient got continually worse. He lost all use of his legs, and on the eighth day became partially comatose. I had for a day or two prior to this considered the case a hopeless one, but still kept at him with the same treatment. On the afternoon of the ninth day I was gratified to observe a slight improvement; he took notice of what went on around him, and seemed to know his friends. The next day he was able to move himself a little, and partook voluntarily of a small piece of fish. Briefly, he continued to improve, and on the 15th day I discharged him convalescent. I shall not venture to assert what the pathology of the disease was, for fortunately (or otherwise) I had not a post-mortem examination to assist me in doing so; but from many of the symptoms I was led at the time to put it down as something analogous to purpura hcemorrhagica in the horse. CASE II. I was called in considerable haste one morning lately to see a well-known trotti'ng horse. I found him, as described by his owner, nearly blind, a thick turbid deposit of greenish-yellow lymph floating about in the aqueous humour, and all but occluding the pupil. The structure of the cornea was not affected in the slightest. There were also slight photophobia and increased lachrymation, pulse and temperature were normal. I was informed that the horse had trotted in a race about a week previous and won, but being heavily handicapped was pretty sorely pressed. Nothing amiss was noticed until the morning on which I was called. I administered Aloes Barb. in ball 3iv, followed immediately by 01. Lini 3vi, Spts. CEther Nit. 5is, and had the horse placed in a darkened loose-box. I had both eyes bathed frequently throughout the day with Liq. Plumbi Subacet. and Water, largely diluted. Next morning the purgatives were acting freely, but the effusion had increased in quantity and density, rendering the horse totally blind. I administered Potas. Iodid. in 3j doses three times a day. I saw the horse again in the evening, and found the purging somewhat excessive, which I attributed to the repeated doses of Potas. Iodid. He was now refusing his food, and I accordingly ordered him a pint of port wine, to be repeated during the night or first thing in the morning if necessary, with flour and chilled water to drink. On my visit next morning I was delighted to find a very marked improvement. The purging had ceased, and what was more cheering, there was a considerable absorption of the lymph. I continued the administration of Potas. Iodid. and Port Wine, the latter because the horse still refused to feed. The improvement was now extremely rapid. Next day what was previously a dense deposit had become broken up into small separate particles, and vision was partially restored. On the fifth day the last flake of lymph had disappeared, and the horse's vision was now as perfect as before the attack, much to the satisfaction of the owner. As in the previous case described, I shall not attempt to theorise regarding the cause of this peculiar affection. The horse is an extremely valuable one, and could not possibly be subjected to any injury without the knowledge of the owner. Possibly, the excessive
CLINICAL ARTICLES.
struggle to win the race may have had something to do with it, by causing congestion of, and subsequent effusion from, the ocular vessels.
AMPUTATION OF THE LEG OF A HEIFER. By WM. HUNTER, M.R.C.V.S., Newcastle-on-Tyne.
ON April 12th of the present year r was sent for to see a yearling heifer (a cross between a shorthorn cow and an Aberdeen-Angus bull) a few miles from town, the animal having met with an accident to her off fore leg. On arrival r found that she had sustained a compound fracture of. the large metacarpal bone, three or four inches below the knee-joint. She had been hopping about the place, and the injured part had become much soiled, the earth having penetrated some distance down the medullary canal. Seeing this, r advised the owner to let me amputate the pendulous extremity, but he would not hear of such a thing; r must, he said, set the leg at all hazards; he was sure the bones would unite. Having cleansed and washed the part thoroughly with a solution of perchloride of mercury in warm water (I in 1000), r had to lengthen the wound in the skin to get the protruding portion of bone back to its place. r had also to take about an inch off its pointep extremity with the bone forceps to get the parts exactly in apposition, the fracture being oblique. Having done this, and seeing there would be great difficulty in bandaging the leg properly, and, at the same time, leaving an opening for the discharge of matter, r resolved to use plenty of antiseptic solution, and to bind the leg firmly up, trying to exclude all atmospheric germs, in the hope that the wound would heal without a discharge. r padded the part thoroughly with asepticised tow, and made the parts firm with bandages and Plaster of Paris. I had the animal placed in a loose-box, and gave orders that she was to be disturbed as little as possible, and fed as usual. She progressed remarkably well for above a week, but.on the 26th I was sent for again, and I found, unfortunately, that the bones were displaced, the leg being quite twisted. On taking off the bandages r found the wound suppurating, and the knee and leg considerably swollen. The owner wished me to reset the limb, but r at last persuaded him to let me amputate it as the only means of saving her life. r commenced by placing a ligature or tourniquet tightly round the leg above the knee, to stop the circulation. I then performed the operation by the circular method, leaving as much of the integument as possible to suture over the extremity. The blood vessels were taken up and ligatured without difficulty. The part was padded with cotton wool, and dressed with the following lotion, which was applied daily:Olei Eucalypti 3j Olei Carbo!. 3js Olei OliVa! 3vijs