28 INOCULATION AS A PREVENTION OF PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 



the tail crooked and denuded of hair at this part, or death of 

 the tip takes place and a line of demarcation being formed, 

 between the living part above and the dead tip below, the latter 

 is finally thrown off. My experience, however, is that the great 

 majority of milk cows do not seem to have the power of carrying 

 through this latter process favourably. Left to themselves, the 

 line of demarcation alluded to is never perfectly formed. The 

 death which has taken place at the tip spreads upwards, and 

 although I have seen it finally thrown off at a point higher up, 

 I have in view of the fact, that it may not be thrown off, but 

 may lead to further mischief, made the following my practice: — 

 After the appearance of the eruption I watch each case very 

 closely, and the earlier the eruption appears the closer it must 

 be watched. By experience I know if an inoculation is going to 

 spread, just as one can tell if it is going to decline. The time 

 to watch is about the ninth day, when, if the inoculative action 

 is severe, I at once amputate the tip of the tail an inch or so 

 above the upper incision. The stump should bleed freely, if it 

 does not, then remove a small portion more, or until it does 

 bleed freely. Cauterise the bleeding stump with a red-hot iron, 

 so as to stop the bleeding and form at once a surface impervious 

 to the air. The great majority of cases so treated require 

 nothing more, and in process of time a really very good imita- 

 tion of a tuft makes its appearance to hide any apparent dis- 

 figurement. The shortening of the tail is the only objection I 

 have ever heard to inoculation. The objection is, however, a 

 purely sentimental one; better, I say, have no tail than no 

 iDeast. 



In some cases we find that the eruption and the swelling 

 extends all the way up the tail. This looks very alarming, but as 

 long as the tail retains its normal temperature throughout the 

 extent of the swollen portion and a degree of movement, there 

 is nothing to be feared. Keep such cases well protected from 

 cold, and dress the swelling and eruption twice or three times a 

 day with flour ; than which I have found nothing better, not 

 only for reducing the intensity of the local inoculative action, 

 but to prevent its spreading and assist in the drying up of the 

 exudate. Such cases are always accompanied by a marked 

 degree of fever, and in the case of cows for a few days they go 

 a little off their food and milk. They generally end by the 

 diminution of the swelling, drying of the exudate, and by the 

 formation of sloughs in one or more places, which after a time 

 heal up, requiring in the meantime no treatment beyond 

 occasional irrigation with carbolised water, or dusting with any 

 drying disinfecting powder to keep down smell. These are the 

 ordinary and favourable terminations of inoculation. The average 

 time required for the completion of the process being from the 

 day of operation to that of dismissal as follows : — 



