42 SWINE DISEASES 



animals soon pass into a state of coma in which death 

 takes place, probably due to asphyxiation and cardiac 

 failure. 



Treatment. Treatment consists in administering 

 the antidotes of atropin; emetics and purgatives; in 

 stimulating the heart, and in resorting to artificial res- 

 piration. If there are periods of excitement, or con- 

 vulsions, the animal should be given sedatives. A 

 valuable aid in correctly diagnosing deadly nightshade 

 poisoning consists in taking a few drops of urine of the 

 dead animal and dropping it into the conjunctival sac 

 of a normal or healthy animal. If the poisoning is due 

 to atropin, or deadly nightshade, a dilatation of the 

 pupil will occur. 



The carcasses of animals that have died of deadly 

 nightshade poisoning putrify very slowly. 



Garbage 



This is the time of conservation, and although the 

 feeding of garbage to swine is not in keeping with present 

 sanitary requirements, it is upheld by some as a means 

 of utilizing products that would otherwise be wasted. 



In the past rather extensive losses from garbage 

 feeding have been reported, but since the advent of 

 anti-hog cholera serum it has been found that many of 

 the cases formerly reported as garbage poisoning were 

 hog cholera, and it is certain that garbage frequently is 

 contaminated with the virus of hog cholera. 



Garbage poisoning does not signify any one definite 

 kind of poisoning. From the various reports of investi- 

 gators it is found that powdered soap, salt, brine, phos- 

 phorous, and arsenic are the most common active causes, 

 although occasionally, no doubt, ptomaines are a factor. 

 Because of the nature of the poisonous substance, cooking 

 the garbage is of little value. 



Lesions. The lesions of garbage poisoning vary and 

 are dependent upon the specific poisonous principle. In 

 practically all cases there is evidence of gastro-enteritis, 

 which may or may not be associated with hepatitis, 



