Catarrhal Inflammation of the Fourth Stomach. 167 



of indigestion or acute lead poisoning, and they vary in different 

 cases according to the severity of the attack. In the milder cases 

 there may be loss of appetite and rumination, some tympany, 

 arching of the back, uneasy movements of the hind limbs and 

 tail, a disposition to leave the herd, grinding of the teeth, and 

 frequent gaseous eructations. Some show a depraved appetite, 

 picking up and chewing various non-alimentary substances. 

 Somewhat more characteristic are the dry, hot muzzle, the hyper- 

 thermia of the body, the tenderness to pressure of the epigas- 

 trium, anil the baked appearance and glistening surface of the 

 faeces. In the more severe forms the suffering is increased and 

 the nervous system participates in the disorder. The eyes are 

 congested, fixed or rolled back, the pupils dilated, the vision 

 appears to be abolished, the ears are pendant, if tied the .subject 

 attempts to get loose, if at liberty he moves .steadily iti some one 

 direction regardless of obstacles or dangers, he bellows, pushes 

 again.st walls or other obstructions and may seriously injure him- 

 self or others. There is, however, no mi.schievous purpose, he 

 is simply impelled to blind motion, and no regard is had to any- 

 thing which may be in his way. In .some instances the nervous 

 disorder is manifested by a sensitiveness of the .skin, so that the 

 animal shrinks when handled or pinched along the chine or back. 

 Tremors is another marked symptom. 



Lesions. These consist mainly in congestion and swelling of 

 the gastric mucosa, which is further covered by a thick layer of 

 mucus. The folds are especially thickened and di.scolored, and 

 the seat of hemorrhagic extravasations (petechise) and exuda- 

 tions in spots and patches. Desquamation of the epithelium may 

 be met with at points and even distinct ulcers. Exudation in the 

 submucous tissue, and petechise in the peritoneum are common. 

 The condition may bear a close resemblance to what is seen in 

 rinderpest or malignant catarrh. 



Treatment. The first desideratum is the elimination of the 

 irritant ingesta from the stomach. But for this purpose emetics 

 are u.seless and we nuist fall back on laxatives. Again we are 

 met by the consideration that the inflamed .stomach will neither 

 readily absorb nor respond to a stimulus. Yet as a rule the 

 viscus is not equally inflamed throughout, and even the affected 

 parts do not necessarily have the whole muscular coat involved 



