[6]. Catarrhus contagiosus. This malady attacks so many at the same time, and spreads gradually over so great an extent of country, that there can be no doubt but that it is disseminated by the atmosphere. In the year 1782 the sun was for many weeks obscured by a dry fog, and appeared red as through a common mist. The material, which thus rendered the air muddy, probably caused the epidemic catarrh, which prevailed in that year, and which began far in the north, and extended itself over all Europe. See Botanic Garden, Vol. II. note on Chunda, and Vol. I. Canto IV, line 294, note; and was supposed to have been thrown out of a volcano, which much displaced the country of Iceland.
In many instances there was reason to believe, that this disease became contagious, as well as epidemic; that is, that one person might receive it from another, as well as by the general unsalutary influence of the atmosphere. This is difficult to comprehend, but may be conceived by considering the increase of contagious matter in the small-pox. In that disease one particle of contagious matter stimulates the skin of the arm in inoculation into morbid action so as to produce a thousand particles similar to itself; the same thing occurs in catarrh, a few deleterious atoms stimulate the mucous membrane of the nostrils into morbid actions, which produce a thousand other particles similar to themselves. These contagious particles diffused in the air must have consisted of animal matter, otherwise how could an animal body by being stimulated by them produce similar particles? Could they then have had a volcanic origin, or must they not rather have been blown from putrid marshes full of animal matter? But the greatest part of the solid earth has been made from animal and vegetable recrements, which may be dispersed by volcanos.—Future discoveries must answer these questions.
As the sensitive fever attending these epidemic catarrhs is seldom either much irritated or inirritated, venesection is not always either clearly indicated or forbid; but as those who have died of these catarrhs have generally had inflamed livers, with consequent suppuration in them, venesection is adviseable, wherever the cough and fever are greater than common, so as to render the use of the lancet in the least dubious. And in some cases a second bleeding was necessary, and a mild cathartic or two with four grains of calomel; with mucilaginous subacid diluents; and warm steam occasionally to alleviate the cough, finished the cure.
The catarrhus contagiosus is a frequent disease amongst horses and dogs; it seems first to be disseminated amongst these animals by miasmata diffused in the atmosphere, because so many of them receive it at the same time; and afterwards to be communicable from one horse or dog to another by contagion, as above described. These epidemic or contagious catarrhs more frequently occur amongst dogs and horses than amongst men; which is probably owing to the greater extension and sensibility of the mucous membrane, which covers the organ of smell, and is diffused over their wide nostrils, and their large maxillary and frontal cavities. And to this circumstance may be ascribed the greater fatality of it to these animals.
In respect to horses, I suspect the fever at the beginning to be of the sensitive, irritated, or inflammatory kind, because there is so great a discharge of purulent mucus; and that therefore they will bear once bleeding early in the disease; and also one mild purgative, consisting of about half an ounce of aloe, and as much white hard soap, mixed together. They should be turned out to grass both day and night for the benefit of pure air, unless the weather be too cold (and in that case they should be kept in an open airy stable, without being tied), that they may hang down their heads to facilitate the discharge of the mucus from their nostrils. Grass should be offered them, or other fresh vegetables, as carrots and potatoes, with mashes of malt, or of oats, and with plenty of fresh warm or cold water frequently in a day. When symptoms of debility appear, which may be known by the coldness of the ears or other extremities, or when sloughs can be seen on the membrane which lines the nostrils, a drink consisting of a pint of ale with half an ounce of tincture of opium in it, given every six hours, is likely to be of great utility.
In dogs I believe the catarrh is generally joined with symptoms of debility early in the disease. These animals should be permitted to go about in the open air, and should have constant access to fresh water. The use of being as much as may be in the air is evident, because all the air which they breathe passes twice over the putrid sloughs of the mortified parts of the membrane which lines the nostrils, and the maxillary and frontal cavities; that is, both during inspiration and expiration; and must therefore be loaded with contagious particles. Fresh new milk, and fresh broth, should be given them very frequently, and they should be suffered to go amongst the grass, which they sometimes eat for the purpose of an emetic; and if possible should have access to a running stream of water. As the contagious mucus of the nostrils, both of these animals and of horses, generally drops into the water they attempt to drink. Bits of raw flesh, if the dog will eat them, are preferred to cooked meat; and from five to ten drops of tincture of opium may be given with advantage, when symptoms of debility are evident, according to the size of the dog, every six hours. If sloughs can be seen in the nostrils, they should be moistened twice a day, both in horses and dogs, with a solution of sugar of lead, or of alum, by means of a sponge fixed on a bit of whale bone, or by a syringe. The lotion may be made by dissolving half an ounce of sugar of lead in a pint of water.
Ancient philosophers seem to have believed, that the contagious miasmata in their warm climates affected horses and dogs previous to mankind. If those contagious particles were supposed to be diffused amongst the heavy inflammable air, or carbonated hydrogen, of putrid marshes, as these animals hold their heads down lower to the ground, they may be supposed to have received them sooner than men. And though men and quadrupeds might receive a disease from the same source of marsh-putrefaction, they might not afterwards be able to infect each other, though they might infect other animals of the same genus; as the new contagious matter generated in their own bodies might not be precisely similar to that received; as happened in the jail-fever at Oxford, where those who took the contagion and died, did not infect others.
On mules and dogs the infection first began,
And, last, the vengeful arrows fix'd on man.
Pope's Homer's Iliad, I.