ROARING is a disease also of the air-passages. Its common seat is either the windpipe itself or the mouth of that tube, which is called the larynx. lts nature consists in partial obstruction of some kind or other in some one of the air-passages, in consequence of which a peculiar sound or noise is created every time the air passes into or out of the lungs with more than ordinary force or celerity. The noise is more commonly elicited by the act of inspiration than expiration; occasionally by both. The nature and intensity of this unpleasant sound will depend upon the particular situation, extent, locality, and relative volume of the obstruction; and therefore it is that we are in some slight measure enabled to give an opinion about the disease when we examine the horse, according as we find him to be "a wheezer," "whistler," "high-blower," or "grunter;" all which jargon is in common use among horse-dealers, and has been from them adopted by professional men to denote certain kinds ur stages of roaring, for which they have as yet no other terms.
The wheezer's noise has been well compared to the sound made by an asthmatic man: it has a deep wheezing sound, and proceeds, we believe, from obstruction in some of the branches of the windpipe.
The whistler's note resembles " the northern blast" rushing through a crack in the window-shut ter. It is occasioned by some diminution or con traction of the passage either in the windpipe it self or the larynx.
A is recognised by puffs or small blasts proceeding from the nostrils. In this case, the impediment is in the head.
The grunter emits murmurs or deep-buried sounds resembling the grunts of a hog. This noise, we are of opinion, proceeds from the ramifications of the windpipe., The genuine roarer, or as he is sometimes desig nated, in contra-distinction to the other species, " the confirmed roarer," is the one whose boations, in inspiration, are too loud and too notorious to need characterization.
To detect this disorder, we must by some means or other force the animal to make a deep, sudden, or quick inspiration. The horse-dealer's mode of procedure (and it is the readiest and most sum mary one) is to make a feint at an unexpected mo ment to give the horse a blow upon the head, as though you were going to knock him down. hard galloping, particularly up hill, and still more, hard driving in harness, are, however, the surest tests of roaring.
Whenever we are called on to treat roaring, we may assure our employer that the horse's life is in no danger; but we cannot, on any reasonable grounds, in the majority of cases, hold out pros pects of success. Very many roarers are harness horses, and become so disordered from the conti nual reining-in of the head by the bearing rein. These cases, if recent, are the most favourable we can encounter: the plan of proceeding with them consists in so confining the head that the very op posite tendency be given to it; viz. reining it as much outward or forward as possible, and at the same time elevating the nose: by thus posturing the animal for four or five hours every day, and working his mouth so as to produce the same ef fect at exercise, much benefit, and even a cure, may result. In other cases, repeated blisters along the course of the windpipe, or several setons passed transversely through the skin in front of it, aided' by the absorbent effects of purgative and diuretic medicines, are the only measures likely to be pro ductive of much amelioration.