Ulcerative Infection of the Limbs in Cattle and Sheep. 75 



was a calcareous rock with a surface soil thickly impregnated with 

 pebbles and small flat shaly masses. Sheep suffered in Western 

 New York. 



Causes. In Oneida, the subjects were dairy cows, which in 

 the early spring, when the frost went out of the ground, had to 

 wade through chilly soft mud reaching to the knees or above, and 

 mixed with small stones with sharp edges, and with semiliquid 

 manurial products. The abrasions made by these stones furnished 

 convenient infection atria for septic microbes in the manure. In 

 the pus obtained from the ulcers were found in abundance the 

 bacillus coli commune, and a long streptococcus representing on an 

 average from 20 to 40 cocci in a chain. Dr. Moore made pure 

 cultures of these and produced the same symptoms in a cow by 

 injecting the streptococcus subcutaneously in the back of the 

 pastern, and in another animal by simply abrading the surface 

 and rubbing on the streptococcus culture. As the inflammation, 

 suppuration, and resulting ulcers implicated not only the skin 

 but also the subcutaneous connective tissue, the affection had 

 many of the characters of erysipelas. 



Symptoms. The affection commenced b) r swelling in the region 

 of the fetlock, pastern, metacarpus or metatarsus, and exception- 

 ally, the forearm or tibial region, and advanced to a tense swelling, 

 which pitted on pressure, and the formation of centres of suppu- 

 ration, which burst and discharged. If the exposure to the septic 

 mud were continued the sores ulcerated and extended both in the 

 skin and subcutaneous connective tissue, but when the dry 

 weather came and the mud disappeared, the tendency was to 

 spontaneous recovery. In some instances ulceration extended 

 beneath the hoof threatening its evulsion, and in other cases it 

 extended deeply to the tendons and ligaments. 



Treatment. The main object should be prevention, to be 

 secured by protecting the stock against contact with septic mud, 

 and especially such as is near the freezing point and intermixed 

 with such sharp stones and pebbles as would wound the surface 

 and open channels for infection. When infection has taken place 

 we should seek to limit it by lotions of an antiseptic character. 

 Bandages soaked in a solution of hyposulphite of sodium, 1 dr. to 

 the ounce will often succeed. A more potent application is 

 iodized phenol, prepared as follows: tincture of iodine 2 drs. , 



