328 Veterinary Medicine. 



the effusion of pleurisy in this, that the duhiess is confined to the 

 anterior part of the chest, having the outHne of an inverted cone, 

 and does not extend backward along a horizontal line, and, in soli- 

 pedes, in not showing equally on both sides. In the smaller ani- 

 mals it may be distinguished by not always occupying the de- 

 pendent part of the chest when the animal is placed in different 

 positions. As the effusion increases, the heart's sounds, previ- 

 ously strong, become first muffled, then more and more distant 

 until they may become altogether imperceptible. The difficulty 

 and oppression of the breathing increases, the nose is protruded, 

 the eyes more rigidly fixed, and the face more haggard ; a venous 

 pulse, apparently due to the compression of the heart and large 

 veins by the fluid, is ssen in the lower ends of the jugulars, and 

 the animal obstinately stands as indeed the solipeds do all through 

 the disease. At this advanced stage dropsies of the limbs, sheath, 

 and other dependent parts of the body are frequent. 



A painful cough is sometimes though by no means invariably 

 present throughout the disease. Emaciation takes place rapidly 

 and in the more acute cases death ensues in five to eight days. A 

 fatal issue may be delayed until after three weeks or the affection 

 may merge into a chronic Jorm. 



Chronic Pericarditis is sometimes seen in the ox without any 

 preceding acute attack. This is manifested by the local symptoms 

 without the accompanying acute fever. Along with a slight fever, 

 there is the oppressed breathing aggravated by exertion, the weak 

 irregular or intermittent pulse, the weak or distant heart sounds, 

 the absence of respiratory sounds and the dullness on percussion 

 over a space represented by an inverted cone at the anterior part 

 of the chest on each side, the venous pulse in the neck and the 

 general tendency to dropsy. 



If the pericarditis has been the result of sharp pointed metallic 

 bodies swallowed and afterwards making their way to the heart, it 

 is sometimes preceded by eructations, tympan}^, difficulty in 

 swallowing or in rumination, and by dropsy under the sternum, but 

 more frequently the heart symptoms are the first to be noticed. 

 It is not attended by the high fever of other pericarditis. 



Post Mortem Appearances. These do not differ materially from 

 those of pleurisy, to which accordingly the reader is referred. 

 The effusions and false membranes are of course localized in the 



