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observed on the surface of the body, as in hog cholera. There 

 was no regular space of time between first appearance of symp- 

 toms and death, some of the younger pigs — four to five months 

 — died in a day or two, the old sows lingered along for four or 

 five days or a week. 



Post-Mortcm Examination. 



Upon my arrival I went at once to the ranch with Dr. Fitz- 

 gerald and two post-mortems were made ; one on a sixty or 

 seventy-pound pig which had died the night before and one of 

 similar size which we found in a dying condition. In these two 

 animals there wasn't a lesion of any kind. No evidence of hog 

 cholera, or any abnormal condition in any of the internal organs. 

 The only thing noticed was that the kidneys were somewhat 

 paler than usual, due perhaps to the fever. 



An inspection of the remaining animals in the pens revealed 

 five more sick ones. A large part of the healthy ones had been 

 removed by Dr. Fitzgerald to new quarters, and a complete 

 change of diet ordered, and with the exception of one sow, which 

 was taken sick just after removal, no symptoms appeared or 

 deaths occurred among this number segregated. 



It was decided to allow a few days to elapse so as to give an 

 opportunity for lesions to develop in those sick. Consequently, 

 on the following Monday five hogs, in a now dying condition, 

 were killed and careful post-mortem examinations made. The 

 results were, as in the other two, no lesions of any kind through- 

 out the entire thoracic and abdominal viscera. 



Upon opening the brain it was found that there was a slight 

 thickening of the covering membranes which were more ad- 

 herent to the cranial cavity than normally. The brain itself was 

 very much congested. There was a slight increase of the ventri- 

 cular fluid, and the floor of the fourth ventricle was exceedingly 

 congested. The membranes of the spinal cord were thickened 

 and congested. 



Diagnosis. The above outlined symptoms and post-mortem 

 findings strongly suggested a forage poisoning of some kind, and 

 with that idea in view we carefully examined all the feed. The 

 diet consisted of wheat middlings, cane tops and molasses and 

 corn on the cob. Everything was found in excellent condition 

 but the corn. This corn had been purchased by the ranch some 

 time before and was not properly cured in the first place, and 

 was now permeated throughout with all kinds of mould. Not 

 only were the cobs mouldy, but individual kernels could be easily 

 broken and shown to be filled with a green powdery mould. This 

 serious condition of the corn, which was absolutely unfit for food, 

 together with the fact that no sickness occurred among those hogs 

 segregated and to which no corn was given, would seem to in- 



