242 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



sucii periods is liable to bring on. It will be a matter of sincere regret 

 if the transfusion and inoculation experiments are not put to a crucial 

 test before the epizootic shall have disappeared. At present the ques- 

 tion cannot be deliuitely answered as to whether the poison is received 

 into the blood and acts directly on the dilferent organs, or is confined 

 to the mucous membranes and affects the other parts of the system in- 

 directly. 



The state of the blood and of the tissues affected throws little light on 

 this subject. The respiratory mucous membrane, as in simple catar- 

 rhal inflammation, is the seat of congestion and blood stasis, with exu- 

 dation, cloudiness, and softening of the membrane, and an excessive 

 production of granular matter and cells of mucus and pus. But it shows 

 at the same time a great tendency to assume the deeper shades of red, 

 and presents in many cases xjeteclikc as indications of the presence of 

 some potent blood poison, or at least of a highly impure and disorganized 

 condition of the blood. The inflammation of the lungs, too, is manifested 

 rather by that semiliquid infiltration which characterizes the contagious 

 lung fever of cattle than the firm consolidation of a strong type of inflam- 

 mation. The blood in the early stages contains an excess of fibrine, and 

 coagulates with a large amount of buffy coat, and a cupped surface, as 

 in sirai^le inflammatory affections. Later, however, and especially in the 

 most malignant and fatal case, it becomes diffluent, and comparatively 

 incoagulable, as is seen in cases wherein a potent and destructive poison 

 has been present, and in the advanced stages of deadly fevers, where 

 the blood is in a highly impure and disorganized condition. It is not 

 easy to explain the morbid phenomena without assuming the presence 

 of a poison in the blood, and it is still possible that there was some 

 source of fallacy in the traufusion experiments ; but here the subject 

 must be left in anticipation of further developments. 



Treatment. — All debilitating or depressing treatment must be sed- 

 ulously avoided. Bleeding, purging, severe action on the kidneys, de- 

 pressing sedatives and violent blistering are alike to be deprecated. 

 In the regular and incomx)licated form of the disease, nearly all will 

 recover under good nursing and fresh air, and independently of all 

 medicinal agents. Place the patient in a cool, dry, well- ventilated, and 

 well-littered box ; clothe him comfortably^, so as to avoid all tendency to 

 chill, bandage his legs loosely, and change the clothes, and curry or brush 

 the skin twice or thrice a day ; keep quiet and still, although usually 

 a little exercise in hand, in the shelter and sunshine, will be rather 

 beneficial than otherwise. Feed on bran mashes, boiled oats or barley, 

 turnips, carrots, or other roots, in small quantities, and often, so as not 

 to clog the appetite, and supply at frequent intervals a quart or two of 

 water, nearly cold, or cold oatmeal or linseed gruel. 



It is important to favor depuration of the blood by moderate but 

 never excessive action of the kidneys or bowels, Costiveness will 

 oftentimes be best met by abundant and frequent injections of water, 

 blood warm, (three or four quarts at a- time,) or by one-half pound of 

 molasses, or three ounces of sulphate of soda added to the drink. If a 

 laxative is absolutely necessary, it should rarely exceed one-third of the 

 ordinary dose, on account of the dangerous susceptibility of the digestive 

 organs. The author has seen a large Percheron die of superpurgation, 

 after taking but three drachms of Cape aloes. During the recent visi- 

 tation an instance came under his notice in which half a pint of linseed- 

 oil came nigh proving fatal. This susceptibility of the digestive organs, 

 however, varies widely in different epizootics, and in some mild laxatives 



