Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-12
THE CHAMBERS.
The Disease Described by Veterinarian
Acute and Chronic.

Acute and Chronic.
1t is understood that there will be bill
introduced before the Legislature at the
present session, providing more thorough
measures for the protection of horses, and
human beings as well, from the spreading
of this disease. In this connection the
following description of it, and remarks
relative thereto, written by DR.. A. NJ. Nc
Collum, Y. s., will be of interest;
The loathsome disease known as CLAN
ders can at the outset be said to be incura-
bic. AT its commencement the first symp-
toms noticeable are thin acrid discharge
from the nostril, sometimes slightly col
ored. The membrane presents leaden or
purple color, but at first is very light and
pale. Generally the discharge is from one
nostril, and devoid of odor. As the disease
advances the discharge increases in guam
tity and becomes slightly sticky, adhering
around the nostril, indicating the presence
of mucous. The Emphatic glands become
tumiied and sometimes adhere firmly to
the bone. After a few weeks the discharge
increases in quantity, and may run from
one or both noStrllS, accompanied by very
offensive odor. and sometimes tinged with
ulcers on the septum nasi, or in the frontal
sinuses At this stage there is always more
or less constitutional disturbance, although
an animal will live long time and do con-
siderable work, but finally the appetite
fails, the animal loses flesh, the coat is dry
and staring, the skin is hide-bound, farcy
buds form and break out on the body, the
limbs become swollen, especially the hind
ones, and the animals dies, poor worn
out skeleton mass of corruption.
The acute form often presents itself with
out any premonitory symptoms. There is
always extreme listlessness and prostra
ton. When in the stable the animal stands
almost immoyable, the limbs fixed, and
can only be displaced with difficulty. The
eyelids are more or less swollen, and appear
to cover the eyes, while tears course down
the face The head is carried low, with
stupor and indications of headache. The
animal is also very weak, and as the thorax
becomes filled with fluids the heart pulsa-
tons become very perceptible. The respi-
rations are hurried and difficult, deep, So
norous and painful, and can sometimes be
heard long distance; coat dry and staring !;
legs, ears and nose cold; the schneiderian
membrane IS thickly studded with ChanCreS,
and in q few days death relieves the poor
animal of its suffering.
1t is not my intention to take up much
of your space in describing the symptoms
of this disease,as they are described in every
veterinary work. | consider 1t OF more i'm
| portance to discuss the subject with regard
to the various modes of contagion and the
proper steps to take to eradicate the disease.
Before speaking of the contagion, | will
define what CHAMBERS is: | consider it a
specific disease, or blood poisoning, that is
incurable, and highly contagious to both
man and beast. What | mean by specific
disease is this: When you can take q
portion Of metuiso from the body Of one
animal and inoculate another and produce
similar symptoms. Many people have an
| erroneous idea with regard to the cause OF
| CHAMBERS they think il comes from other
diseases, such as neglected colds, epizootics,
| hard work and bad sanitary conditions.
This do not believe. l have made this
subject a special study for the last ten
years, and | do not believe that any con-
tagious disease can be produced in any
other way than by the reception into the
| body of the living organisms peculiar to
that disease.
| Who ever heard of 4 case Of scarlet fever
running into smallpox, or diphtheria run
| ming into measles or vice versa, yet we
| know them all to be contagious diseases
| Nor do not believe III the spontaneous
generating OF disease, although | do believe
an animal can suffer with two diseases at
! the same time, and also that the germs viii
| lay dormant or III the system for long
period without becoming developed
That a virus producing the peculiar
symptoms OF CHAMBERS in innumerable i'll
| stances, and for so many centuries, should
be spontaneously generated would be won
! dertUl. 1t is instructive to note that CLAN
| ders has never been found III Australia and
New Zealand, although horses there, as
here, are exposed to every kind of hard
| ship and bad sanitary conditions. Horses
exported from Australia to another country
will readily contract the CHAMBERS. The
inference, therefore, is that the germs of
| the disease have not yet found their way to
Australia and New Zealand; also that
colds, epizooticS, etc, will not produce the
disease.
1t was once supposed that If a number of
| animals were crowded into small space
without having any ventilation, such as
| they sometimes are on beard ships, that it
would produce the CHAMBERS, and there are
| several instances recorded where such was
| the case, and every animal on board took
the disease. Now, the inference is this.
that there was one or more glandered
! horses on board when the ship sailed from
disease.
There has also been shipments made
| from Liverpool to Natal where a large
number of horses have been crowded in a
very small space for six and even seven
weeks, and portion of that time was in
the tropics, where all the circumstances of
sitting heat, etc, would have led us to
expect an outbreak of CHAMBERS, but none
| occurred. Here. again, the inference is
| that there We're no previously infected ami
mails on board, all the animals having
undergone rigorous veterinary examina-
ton. / think tits quite plain that CHAMBERS
cannot be propagated by any other means
than by the contagion of the disease
CHAMBERS, and if steps were taken to make
people destroy all their glandered horses
and disinfect their premises the disease
would soon become extinct.
As has been said before, there is no cure,
and as this is an established fact-one that
is known TO every well-read man in the
State-will this disease be allowed to stalk
through the land, or will means be pro-
vided for Its determination