Diseases, Parasites, &C.305 



answers from those who had had practical experience 

 of the malady. The information furnished was placed 

 in the hands of Professor J. Wortley Axe, at that period 

 connected with the Royal Veterinary College ; but I regret 

 to say nothing satisfactory came of it. In December of 

 1908 the Committee of the B.G.S. took further steps in 

 this matter, and, with the assistance of Mr. Arnold 

 Spicer, F.R.C.V.S., who kindly offered to conduct 

 the enquiry, gave notice that they were prepared 

 to receive for post-mortem examination the carcases of 

 goats that had died from symptoms which pointed to this 

 disorder, and a live goat suffering from it for treatment. 



SYMPTOMS. The first thing often noticed is a falling 

 off of appetite, which may at first be slight, but soon gets 

 worse, until it is a difficult matter to get the animal to 

 eat at all. The result, of course, is that it rapidly loses 

 flesh and falls away to a skeleton. Sometimes, however, 

 the appetite remains tolerably good, but the emaciation 

 goes on just the same, though the process is slower. The 

 breathing is sometimes laboured, and the breath nearly 

 always very unpleasant. A cough is very often an ac- 

 companiment of the disease, leading one to suppose that, 

 with other symptoms, the lungs are affected, but this 

 is seldom the case. The one prevailing feature which 

 can never be overlooked is the general bloodlessness of 

 the animal. This is shown by the pale colour of the gums 

 and inner surface of the lips, and also of the membranes 

 lining the eyelids, which in health are of a bright red. 



Before the disease is far advanced diarrhoea generally 

 sets in. At first this is not particularly severe; it 

 soon gets worse, however, and though it may be tem- 

 porarily arrested it is almost sure to break out again, 

 owing to the failure of the digestive organs from the 

 impoverished condition of the system. The diarrhoea 

 may last for several weeks, but as it progresses it often 



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