Report on Steppe Murrain or Rinderpest. 259 



May 10th. — The symptoms are somewhat diminished in 

 severity this morning, leading to the hope that the animal may 

 possibly rally. The dysenteric purging is less in quantity, and the 

 eA'acuations are less frequent. The breathing is more tranquil and 

 the cough more audible. The pulse has sunk to 70, and has an in- 

 creased tone. Each rising of the artery is accompanied with a 

 peculiar jerking action. The discharge from the nostrils and 

 eyes has not undergone any material change. The extremities 

 and surface of the body are warmer, and the animal evidently is 

 freer from suffering. He lies less ; takes freely of water, and 

 shows a little disposition to pick some fresh green-clover, a 

 handful of which we gathered for him. 



May \ltli. — Scarcely so well to-day. Some blood is occa- 

 sionally passed with the alvine evacuations. These are still 

 fluid, have a fetid smell, are of a pale colour, and contain 

 numerous shreds of lymph. The abdomen is more pinched in. 

 The pulse is rather quicker, as is the breathing, the expirations 

 being at times accompanied with a slight grunt. The discharge 

 from the eyes and nostrils is less, but the cough is more frequent. 

 He has, however, eaten a little clover and drank some water, and 

 stood up at intervals for a longer time than before. 



This change in the symptoms made us most desirous of 

 watching the case to its close, but the Commissioners ordered. 

 that the animal should be killed forthwith, as they saw no hope 

 of recovery, and were anxious to remove the cordon, there being 

 no cattle left on the premises, except the Steppe oxen, mentioned 

 at p. 239, as having some weeks since recovered from the pest. 



Post-mortem Examination. — On removing the skin, the muscles 

 were found of their usual colour and integrity, and the areolar 

 tissue throughout was free from congestion. Commencing the 

 examination of the internal organs at the nostrils, the Schnei- 

 derian membrane was observed to be much congested, more 

 particularly that portion of it which is continued into the 

 posterior nares, where it was extensively ulcerated. This ulcera- 

 tion could be traced from thence to the free edges of the velum 

 palati. In places it was concealed by a thick layer of lymph 

 which adhered with tolerable firmness to the membrane beneath. 

 The larynx, trachea, and bronchi were free from disease, as 

 were also the lungs. The heart was healthy. It contained, 

 within its ventricles a small quantity of blood, which was par- 

 tially coagulated ; the coagulum being very soft. 



The tongue was healthy as was also the pharynx, but the ducts 

 of the tonsils were filled with effused lymph ; the surrounding 

 vessels being turgid with blood. The oesophagus, rumen, and 

 reticulum were in a normal condition. The contents of the 

 omasum were rather dry from retention, but no structural change 



