SECTION V 

 THE SKIN 



DISEASES of the skin are probably not so common 

 in swine as in other domestic animals. Because 

 of the location of the skin it is subject to a 

 variety of injuries of various kinds, but fortunately 

 swine are not very susceptible to wound infections and 

 therefore cutaneous lesions heal promptly and with 

 little inconvenience to the afflicted animal. 



Erythema 



Erythema is a name applied to the condition resulting 

 from congestion of the skin. It is quite common, par- 

 ticularly in swine having little or no pigment in the skin. 

 It is also a common condition in some infectious diseases, 

 such as swine plague and hog cholera. 



Etiology. Simple erythema in swine is most fre- 

 quently the result of sunshine but may be due to contact 

 with some irritant. In some instances erythema may 

 be caused by ingested chemicals that have a special 

 selective action on the skin or are eliminated by the skin. 



Lesions. Engorgement of the superficial vessels 

 and redness are the only demonstrable lesions. 



Symptoms. Redness, and perhaps pruritis, are the 

 principal symptoms. 



Treatment. Remove the cause, and the disturbance 

 will cease to exist. 



Sunburn 



Swine having little pigment in the skin are injured 

 by sunlight. In some sections it is not profitable to 

 raise white pigs because of the irritation of the skin by 

 the sun and the production of dermatitis. 



Sunburning is a type of dermatitis characterized by 

 erythema, tumefaction, and desquamation of the super- 



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