There are many preparations employed to cure mange. All have some repute, though all (save that already given) are attended with some danger. The author, however, will recite two, at the same time warning the reader that neither of those which follow can be sincerely recommended.
Ointment for Mange.
| Strong mercurial ointment | Three ounces. |
| Soft soap | One pound and a half. |
| Mix. |
Wash for Mange.
| Corrosive sublimate | One drachm. |
| Spirits of wine | One ounce. |
| Tobacco (made into an infusion) | One ounce. |
| Hot water (which is to be poured into the tobacco) | One quart. |
| Dissolve the corrosive sublimate in the spirits of wine. Soak the tobacco inthe boiling water. When cold, mix. | |
The question has been much debated, "whether man can derive the itch from an animal?" Imaginary proofs favoring the possibility are every now and then confidently promulgated; but all doubts seem to have been put to rest by the investigations conducted by M. Bourguignon. That gentleman demonstrated the unfitness of one creature to support the parasite generated by another. Horses may be violently irritated by insects bred by fowls; but, remove the birds, the supply ceases, and the irritation dies away. So an individual handling mangy horses may get some of the acari upon him and cause vexatious itching; but let the man keep away from the contaminated stable and the sensation is quickly lost. The repeated and repeated renewal of the pest gives a seeming warranty to the popular belief. Certain disorders assuredly are communicable throughout every species of life, as though to prove to the stubbornness of mankind that all nature is akin. Such are hydrophobia in the dog, and glanders in the horse; were all affections, however, equally interchangeable, the inhabitants of this world would speedily become one breathing mass of disease.
PRURIGO.
This affection may lead many a gentleman to imagine his horse has caught the mange; the leading symptom in each disorder is the same. Excessive irritability of the skin is, in prurigo, generally exhibited during the spring of the year; the animal will rub itself with a fury which often removes portions of the coat, but which never exposes the dry and corrugated patches that characterize genuine mange.