92 



DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTURE. 



POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. 



The structural lesions which occur in splenic fever are so numerous and various that 

 I deem it advisable to transcribe the notes of a sufficient number of examinations in sup 

 port of a summary, which may be considered sufficient for practical purposes by many 

 who may refer to this report. 



That form of splenic fever which is mostly latent, and seen among southern cattle, is 

 not recognizable after death by the condition of skin, muscular system, or, in many cases, 

 even by the mucous membrane, with the exception of that of the stomach. More or less, 

 however, the blood extravasations, congestions, and blood-stained urine have been found ; 

 but these would very rarely have been noticed but for the plan, suggested by me, of inspect 

 ing all slaughtered cattle, and carefully weighing the spleens. 



Dr. Rauch, the medical officer of the city of Chicago, no sooner ascertained my wishes 

 than he arranged for the supervision of all slaughter-houses in Chicago, and for weighing, 

 in the first instance, all the spleens, and, later, all the livers as well as spleens of slaugh 

 tered cattle. To Dr. Ranch s energy and care we are, therefore, indebted for facts which 

 none but a medical health officer, armed with the necessary powers, could well have 

 obtained. As the tables can serve only for purposes of reference, it has been thought 

 proper to publish them in an appendix ; but the facts brought to light admit of being 

 readily stated, and it is due to Dr. Rauch that I should quote his report to the board of 

 health of Chicago, read on the 18th of September, in demonstration of the valuable conclu 

 sions he was enabled to show very shortly after adopting this method of observation. 



The, weight, feel, and texture of the spleen and the condition of the urine have, been found to bo almost infallible 

 in diagnosing the disease. Since the investigation commenced over two thousand spleens have been weighed. During 

 the first few days of the investigation the spleens only were weighed, but as your committee- began better to compre 

 hend the importance of the questions involved, and the value of the facts to be learned, the livers were also ordered to 

 be examined at the same time. Of these about live hundred have already been weighed. The committee have only 

 had time to present the average of the three different kinds of cattle slaughtered here. 



The above were taken indiscriminately, and do not include any of the marked cases that have fallen under our ob 

 servation. During the past week spleens have been found in Texan and in Cherokee cattle that were as much disorgan 

 ized as any that were found in the native cattle that died from the disease. The important part that the, spleen performs 

 in the economy of cattle will be better appreciated when it is recollected that its enlargement and disorganization are 

 always present in this disease, while the condition of the other organs may be regarded as concomitant. The liver 

 was at one time supposed to show evidences of enlargement and increase of weight in this disease, but this does by no 

 means necessarily follow, as in some of the most marked cases no change whatever in the size of the liver was percep 

 tible. In fact, as a general rule, it has been found that, whenever the animal was in a good condition, the spleen 

 weighed less and the liver more than when the opposite was the case. It was also noticed that in the animals which 

 had been driven or transported a great distance the spleen weighed more in proportion than the liver. When the ani 

 mal is in good condition the liver is large ; when there is a depressed or lower condition of vitality the spleen is enlarged. 



The annexed table gives the results of calculations based on the tables in the appen 

 dix ; and it is safe to draw conclusions after the careful examination of no less than 4,739 



