Tuberculosis in Cattle. 13 



white, soft, cheesy mass (caseation) and these numerous cheesy 

 centres become very characteristic of the disease. Sometimes the 

 tubercle develops into a hard fibrous mass the centre of which 

 may still caseate. In other cases it becomes calcareous or gritty 

 a condition which is usually associated with caseation. Some- 

 times the caseated mass softens into a whitish cream-like fluid. 



COMMON SEATS AND SYMPTOMS OF TUBERCLE 



IN CATTLE. 



Tuberculosis of the lungs may be chronic or acute. The 

 chronic cases may last indefinitely with no other s^^mptom than 

 an occasional cough on leaving the hot stable for cool air, when 

 suddenly raised in the stall, when made to run, or when drinking 

 cold water or eating dusty food. The cough is usually small, 

 dry, wheezing and repeated several times in succession. The 

 general health may seem to be good, the subject may be fat or a 

 heavy milker. To the trained ear, wheezing, crackling, or 

 other unnatural sounds ma}^ be heard in the lungs or the}' may 

 fail of detection. There may be a discharge from the nose, 

 which when stained and placed under the microscope may show 

 bacilli, but by cleansing the nose with the tongue the animal 

 may make this test practically impossible. 



Acute tuberculosis of the lungs on the other hand ma}^ prove 

 fatal in a month. It is attended with rapid loss of condition, 

 staring coat, elevated temperature, hurried breathing, frequent 

 weak, husky or rattling cough, heavy, mawkish breath, and 

 nasal discharge containing gritty particles or opaque ^^ellowish 

 masses. Pinching of the back, breastbone or spaces between the 

 ribs, or striking the ribs with the knuckles may cause wincing, 

 groaning or cough, and auscultation over the ribs may detect 

 sounds of friction, wheezing, creaking, crepitation, rattling, or 

 blowing, etc. Percussion over the chest detects areas of lack of 

 resonance corresponding to the seats of tubercles or pulmonary 

 infiltration. A significant feature is that these areas of flatness 

 are distributed over the lungs, and not confined to one spot as is 

 common in pneumonia. Appetite and rumination fail, bloating 

 occurs after meals, the bowels may become irregular, and 



