Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 24.djvu/224

Rh 204 VETERINARY SCIENCE noisy, the animal may he made to inhale steam from hot water in a bucket or from bran mash. If the breathing becomes very difficult, the windpipe must be opened and a tube inserted. Instead of the swelling being poulticed, a little blistering ointment is sometimes rubbed over it, which promotes suppuration. When the abscess points, it may be lanced, though it is generally better to allow it to open spontaneously. It is very important to distinguish strangles from glanders ; the character of the nasal discharge, the absence of ulcers from the nostrils, and the diffused soft swelling between the branches of the lower jaw establish the distinction between them. Horse Horsepox, Avhich is somewhat rare, is almost, if not quite, identi- pox. cal with cowpox, being (indistinguishable when inoculated on men and cattle. It most frequently attacks the limbs, though it may appear on the face and other parts of the body. There is usually slight fever ; then swelling, heat, and tenderness are manifest in the part which is to be the seat of eruption, usually the heels ; firm nodules form, increasing to one-third or one-half an inch in dia meter ; the hair becomes erect ; and the skin, if light-coloured, changes to an intense red. On the ninth to the twelfth day a limpid fluid oozes from the surface and mats the hairs together in yellowish scabs ; when one of these is removed, there is seen a red, raw depression, whereon the scab was fixed. In three or four days the crusts fall off, and the sores heal spontaneously. No medical treatment is needed, cleanliness being requisite to prevent the pocks becoming sloughs. If the inflammation runs high, a weak solution of carbolic acid may be employed. Bibliog-raphy. Among the numerous modern popular works iu English which treat of diseases of the hoise, the following may be mentioned : Robertson, Equine Medici ne (London, 188:3); Williams, Principles and Practice of Veterinary Medicine (2d ed., London, 1874-70), and Principles and Practice of Veterinary Surgery (2d ed., London, 1872-70); Courtenay, Manual of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (London, 1880); Fleming, Practical Home-Keeper (London, 1880); Gresswell, Diseases and Disorders of the Horse (Leeds, 1886); Fitzwygram, Horses and Stalles (London, 1809) ; and Law, The Farmer s Veterinary Adviser (London, 1879). Diseases of Cattle. The diseases of the bovine species are not so numerous as those of the horse, and some of the more serious have been already alluded to (see MURRAIN). We will notice a few which have not been included among these. Tuber- Tuberculosis is a most formidable and widespread disorder of culosis. cattle ; it is assuming greater proportions every year in those countries in which it is prevalent, in consequence of no steps being taken to check or suppress it. It is infectious and con tagious, can be conveyed to other species of animals by ingestion of the flesh and milk, as well as of the tuberculous material, and by inoculation of these, or inhalation of dried discharges from the lungs ; it can also be transmitted from the affected animal to the foetus in utero. Its infectious properties and ready communica- bility to other species render it a serious danger to mankind, through consumption as food of the flesh and milk of tuberculous cows. The disease owes its origin to a bacillus. The structures chiefly involved are the lymphatic glands and tissues, the charac teristic tubercles or &quot;grapes&quot; varying in size from that of a millet seed to immense masses weighing many pounds ; they are found in all parts of the body, but generally in the chest and on its lining membrane, as well as in the abdominal cavity. The symptoms resemble somewhat the contagious pleuro-pneumonia of cattle in its chronic form (see MURRAIN), though tubercles, sometimes in large numbers, are often found after death in the bodies of cattle which exhibited no sign of illness during life, and which when killed were in excellent condition. When the lungs are involved, there are a peculiar phthisical cough, low fever, wasting and de bility, and often enlarged throat glands, less frequently enlarged joints. If the animal is not killed, it perishes in a state of maras mus, from the difficulty experienced in breathing, or the profuse fd-tid diarrhoea which ensues. Medical treatment is of little if any avail. Preventive measures are of the utmost importance. Animals free from the tuberculous taint should alone be bred from, and those discovered to be affected should be at once completely segre gated, and if convenient destroyed. The milk of tuberculous cows should not be given to any animal as food, not at least unless well boiled. Neither should the flesh be eaten unless well cooked throughout. Milk or Milk or parturient fever is a specific malady which appears after parturi- parturition, due to the absorption of septic matter from the interior ent fever, of the uterus, or vagina, producing what is known as &quot; blood-poison ing&quot; or septicaemia. The symptoms may be briefly summarized as follows : high fever, restlessness, intense injection of the visible mucous membranes, tympanitis, foetid breath, stupor, swollen limbs, sanguinolmt and perhaps purulent discharges from the vagina, foul- smelling diarrhoea, coma, and death. In the early stage treatment is generally successful. The uterine cavity should be thoroughly clennrd out by injections of warm water, and any adherent portions of placenta removed by hand. Then a weak solution of Condy s fluid (permanganate of potash) must be injected. Cleanliness is all-important. Diffusible stimulants in large quantity should be given, with doses of solution of sulphate of quinine, perchloride of iron, oil of turpentine, or carbolic acid. There is now strong evidence that one form of abortion in cows Ahor- is due to infection. Whenever a case of abortion occurs in a shed, tion. either the cow should be at once removed from the others, if they are pregnant, and cleaning and disinfection immediately resorted to ; or, better still, the pregnant cows should be quickly moved out of the shed, and every care taken to keep them away from the sick cow and the discharges from it these and the aborted foetus being burned or otherwise completely destroyed. Cowpox is a contagious disease of much less frequent occurrence Cowpox. now than formerly, probably owing to improved hygienic manage ment. In many localities the disease appears in all heifers which have recently calved on certain farms. There is usually a slight premonitory fever, which is generally overlooked ; this is succeeded by some diminution in the quantity of the milk, with some in creased coagulability, and by the appearance of the eruption or &quot;pox &quot; on the udder and teats. In well-observed cases the udder is hot and tender on manipulation for a day or two previous to the development of small pale-red nodules about the size of peas ; these increase in dimensions to from three-fourths to one inch in diameter by the eighth or tenth day, when their contents have become fluid and they present a depressed centre. This fluid, at first clear and limpid, becomes yellowish white as it changes to pus, and soon dries up, leaving a hard, button-shaped black crust, which gradually becomes detached. On the teats, owing to the handling of the milker or to the cow lying on the hard ground or on straw, the vesicles are early ruptured and sores are formed, which often prove troublesome and may cause inflammation of the udder. Actinomycosis, though affecting man (cf. vol. xviii. p. 270), horses, Actino- pigs, and other creatures, is far more common in the bovine species, mycosis. The fungus (Actinomyces) may be found in characteristic nodules in various parts of the body, but it usually invades the bones of the jaws, upper and lower, or the soft parts in the neighbourhood of these, as the tongue, cheeks, face, throat, and glands in its vicinity. About the head the disease appears to commence with slight sores on the gums or mucous membrane of the mouth or with ulcers alongside decaying teeth, and these extend slowly into the tissues. If the jaw is affected, a large rounded tumour grows from it, the dense outer bone becoming absorbed before the increas ing soft growth within. Soon the whole becomes ulcerated and purulent discharges take place, in which are found the minute, hard, yellow granules which contain the fungus. When the tongue is affected, it becomes enlarged and rigid ; hence the designation of &quot;wooden tongue&quot; given to it by the Germans. In the course of time the surface of the organ becomes ulcerated, and yellowish masses or nodules may be seen on the surface. Sometimes the entire face is involved, the lips and nostrils becoming swollen, hard, and immovable, often rendering respiration difficult. Around the throat there are rounded dense swellings, implicating the glands. When the disease is well-defined and of slight extent, the parts involved may be removed by the knife, wholly or partially. If the latter only, then the remaining affected tissues should be dressed with tincture of iodine or iodized carbolic acid. Chromic acid has also been found useful. Bibliography. J. H. Steel, Diseases of tlie Ox (London, 1SS1); J. W. Hill, Borine Medicine and Surgery (London, 1882) ; G. Armatage, Clater s Cattle Doctor (London, 1870) ; J. Dobsoil, On the Diseases of the Ox (London, 1804) ; W. Youat t, On Cattle (London, 1854); J. Law, The Farmer s Veterinary Adviser (London, 1870) ; G. Fleming, Tuberculosis from a Sanitary and Pathological Point of View (London, 1880), and Influence of Heredity and Contagion on the Propagation of Tuberculosis (London, 1883). Diseases of Sheep. The contagious diseases of the sheep are comparatively few, and two of the more serious have been described under MURRAIN. The formidable disorder of sheep-pox is confined chiefly to the Sheep- continent of Europe. It is extremely contagious and fatal, and in pox. these and some other characteristics resembles human smallpox. From three to twelve days after being exposed to infection the sheep appears dull and listless, and eats little if anything ; the temperature rises ; there are frequent tremblings ; tears flow from the eyes ; and there is a nasal discharge. Red patches appear inside the limbs and under the abdomen ; and on them, as well as on other parts where the skin is thin, dark red spots show themselves, which soon become papules, with a deep hard base. These are generally conical, and the apex quickly becomes white from the formation of pus. This eruption is characteristic and unmistakable ; and the vesicles or pustules may remain isolated (discrete pox) or coalesce into large patches (confluent pox). The latter form of the disease is serious. In bad cases the eruption may develop on the eyes and in the respiratory and digestive passages. The course of the disease lasts about three weeks or a month, and the eruption passes through the same stages as that of cowpox. The mortality may extend from 10 per cent, in mild outbreaks to 90 or 95 per cent, in very virulent ones. Diseased animals should be sheltered, and fed on nourishing food, especially gruels of oatmeal, flour, or linseed ; acidulated water may be allowed. If there is sloughing of the skin