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moist, and a very small purple speck on the membrana nictitans.
Two salutries, most
experienced in this disease, say they suspect the case is surra, though they are not yet sure of it.
The horse feeds well. Urine, specific gravity 44, alkaline, free from albumen, good colors.
Blood not examined.
September 28th—Morning.—Pulse 40, respirations 10, temperature 104 3/5. Urine, specific
gravity 40, alkaline, free from albumen. Eyes more suffused. Evening.—Pulse 48, respirations
28, temperature 106 3/5. Urine, specific gravity 44, color normal, free from albumen. (Edema
of the hind legs. Petechiae on the near eyelid, very marked. Blood not examined. Salutries
have no doubt the animal has surra.
September 29th—Morning.—Pulse 38, respirations 11, temperature 103 2/5. Blood examined :
parasites found swarming, and very active. Urine, specific gravity 48, alkaline, no albumen,
color normal. Evening.—Pulse 42, respirations 33, temperature 105. Fed up during the day.
September 30th—Morning.—Pulse 42, respirations 8, temperature 103 2/5. Œdema increasing
in all the four legs. Petechiae very marked on membrana nictitans of both eyes. No evening
observation.
October 1st-Morning.—Pulse 44, respirations 10, temperature 103 3/5. Slight oedema of
the sheath. Urine not examined. No evening examination made of this case, for I had too
much work with a post-mortem examination and with horses coming in from outposts.
October 2nd—Morning.—Pulse 44, respirations 8, temperature 103 4/5. Urine, specific gravity
34, has no albumen. Fed yesterday 6 lb. grain. The animal has lost condition remarkably
since the commencement of the experiment.
So far I have watched all the cases of surra without any complication by the effects of
medicine. Now I purpose making the experiment of giving carbolic acid as a remedy to this
and a few others which I shall select as being most favorable for recovery. 1 would not have
selected this case if he had got the disease in the ordinary way, because he is so old, and at this
stage of the disease, being so much reduced in condition since he was inoculated, there appears
to be no chance of his recovery; still, as he has got the disease in this unusual manner, it is
desirable to see what effect carbolic acid may have upon him as compared with others. Let him
have three drams of carbolic glycerine (1 to 4) in a pint of water, morning, noon, and evening.
October 3rd—Morning.—Pulse 44, respirations 10, temperature 103 1/5. From this date I was
not able to examine the urine, except watching whether the carbolic acid affected its color.
October 4th—Morning.—Pulse 44, respirations 14, temperature 102*?. (Edema increasing.
Fed well yesterday 8 lb. grain, besides grass.
October 5th—Morning.—Pulse 44, respirations 10, temperature 100 3/5. Fed well yesterday,
increased dose of carbolic glycerine to four drams three times a day.
October 6th—Morning.—Pulse 44, respirations 10, temperature 101 2/5. Feeding well.
October 7th—Morning.—Pulse 43, respirations 10, temperature 101 4/5. Feeding well.
October 8th—Morning.—Pulse 46, respirations 13, temperature 104. Feeding well.
October 9th—Morning.—Pulse 40, respirations 10, temperature 101. Feeding well.
Examined the blood and found the parasite active, and many in the field of the miscroscope.
The carbolic acid appears to have had no effect upon them yet. Increase the dose of the carbolic
glycerine six drams three times daily.
October 16th—Morning.—(I returned from the outposts last night, which accounts for
no entry having been made of this case since the 9th). Pulse 46, respirations 12, temperature
102 4/5. (Edema less. Conjunctiva and mucous membrane generally more pale and anaemic. The
petechia3 continue. Reported to have fed well during the past week: 8 lb. of grain daily,
besides grass; but he is reduced to a miserable condition, so thin compared to what he was at
the commencement of his illness. After much search found one parasite only in a drop of
blood ; white corpuscles normal. A great number of small ill-shaped particles of red corpuscles
with a quantity of granular matter in the serum. Increase the dose of carbolic glycerine to one
ounce three times a day for one week, unless it should produce some marked ill effects, or cause
the urine to become very high colored. The urine appears normal now. At the end of the
week, if not sooner, discontinue the acid.
Here my own observation of the case ended.
Remarks.—It should be noted in this case that though the subcutaneous injection of blood
from a horse suffering from surra produced the like constitutional disease in the horse so
inoculated, yet there was not the slightest local irritation produced at the points punctured by
the syringe; no one could ever tell after the operation where it had been performed, from any
local marks.
P. S.—Since the above was written, I have been informed the horse died on the 29th
October.