INFECTIOUS STABLE BRONCHITIS. SCALMA.
Definition. An infectious inflammation, of the upper air passages and bronchia, attended by high fever, special nervous irritability and a protracted convalescence.
Dieckerhoff gave the name scalma (rogue) to outbreaks in given stables of an infection, showing the high temperature of brustseuche, (104° to 107° F.) a similar incubation (6 to 7 days), a correspondingly tardy extension from animal to animal, and duration of the disease. The apparent differences are in the absence of the profound dulness, the yellowness of the mucosæ, and the yellow or rusty nasal discharge, in the ready response to the voice or touch, the disposition to bite or kick, the spasms of the larynx and sudden dyspnœa, in certain cases, and the paroxysmal cough in others. Apart from these transient respiratory troubles the pulse and breathing are unaffected, relatively to the elevation of temperature. Sometimes the jaws are kept in constant motion, from nervousness or pharyngeal trouble.
In the absence of any conclusive bacteriological investigation, it may be surmised that this is a form of brustseuche which has not advanced to the same grade of destruction of red globules and prostration of the nerve centres, the latter showing only an excited and irritable condition.
Treatment and prevention do not differ materially from what is required in contagious pneumonia. The irritable cough may be soothed by inhalations of warm water vapor, with alcohol, camphor, eucalyptol, or opium, or electuaries of bromides, belladonna or stramonium, and local derivatives to the throat.
Most cases are mild and recover in a week, the cough lasting for two weeks more.