18 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



to notice, as the malady declares itself, tliat there is some stiffness, and the milk is not so 

 freely drawn as usual. The quantity of this secretion then diminishes. 



The progress of the malady is then characterized by loss of appetite, altered gait, 

 segregation of the sick from the healthy in the field, the sick standing with their elbows 

 turned outward, their feet drawn forward, neck and head extended, and nostrils somewhat 

 convulsively expanded at each inspiration. There is quickness of breathing, especially if 

 the animal is even slightly disturbed, and on the slightest movement there is an audible 

 grunt. The expression of countenance indicates uneasiness or absolute pain, and the eyes 

 are prominent and fixed. The pulse rises to seventy, eighty, and even one hundred beats 

 per minute. In hot tow-sheds the pulse is more frequent than in the open field in healthy 

 cattle, and a corresponding increase is seen in this disease under similar circumstances. 

 The respirations rise to thirty-five and forty per minute, are labored, audible, and each 

 expiration is often associated with a short characteristic grunt. This grunt is especially 

 marked if the sides of the chest or the spine are pressed; and many yoars ago Lecoq 

 showed that graziers regarded this as a decisive symptom of the malady. A somewhat 

 watery discharge from the nose, increased in the act of coughing, is noticed early in the 

 disease, and driving sick cattle in the earliest stage produces much thirst, and there is a 

 ropy saliva discharged from the mouth. The muzzle is hot and dry. 



Cattle suffering from this disease are readily identified, as it advances, by persons 

 who have seen a few cases. They stand motionless, with protruding head, arched back, 

 extended fore limbs, with elbows turned as far out as they can be held, and the hind 

 limbs drawn under them, with knuckling at the near hind or both hind fetlocks. When 

 lying, especially in the latter stages of the disease, they rest on their brisket or lie on the 

 affected side, leaving the ribs on the healthy side of the chest as much freedom of motion 

 as possible. 



As the disease advances the pulse gets more frequent and feeble, and the heart s 

 beats, which are at first subdued, become marked and palpitating, as in cases of poverty 

 or anaemia. The membranes of the eyes, mouth, and vagina are usually pallid, though 

 the membrane of the nose is often red. The tongue is foul, covered with fur, and the 

 exhaled breath has a nauseous and even fetid odor. 



Listlessness, grunting, grinding of teeth, diminished secretions, weakness, and ema 

 ciation, increase with the progress of the malady. When the animals become weak they 

 lie more. They sometimes show symptoms of jaundice, have a tendency to heave, or tym 

 panitis from gases accumulating in the paunch, and their gait is so staggering that they 

 appear to suffer from partial paralysis of the hind quarters. As all these aggravated 

 symptoms develop themselves the pulse becomes weak, and often rises to one hundred and 

 twenty per minute; the breathing is more frequent and labored; the animal gasps for 

 breath. The spasmodic action of the nostrils is very marked, the grunt very audible, and 

 there is a peculiar puckering of the angles of the mouth. The temperature, which is ele 

 vated during the acute stage of the disease, is irregularly up and down, according to the 

 complications of the disease, and there is great tendency to coldness of the horns and 

 extremities. Abortion is not an uncommon accident. The constipation, which is a very 

 common symptom of the lung disease, is apt to be followed by diarrhea in the later stages, 

 and this is also associated with a considerable discharge of clear-colored urine. 



Auscultation and percussion are valuable aids in the diagnosis of lung plague. Most 



