128 DISEASES OF SWINE AND OTHER ANBLiLS. 



POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. 



In about one-tliird. of the cases petecliife and larger blood extravasa- 

 tions are seen on the thinner parts of the skin ; in a somewhat larger 

 proportion of cases the abraded spots, already mentioned, are present; 

 making- a section through these, the skin appears thickened and of a 

 very high color, but the sub-cutaneous tissue is not appreciably altered. 

 In one or two cases there was no effusion in the abdomen, but in all the 

 rest this cavity^ contained a variable quantity of liquid — sometimes of a 

 bright yellow color and clear, sometimes of a straw color, and very 

 often turbid and mixed with the coloring matter of the blood. In every 

 case the colon and caecum were plainly affected, reddened externally, 

 and internally showed changes varying from simply a deep coloration to 

 inflammation and great thickening; in some cases they were studded 

 with petechice, in others there were none ; ulcers of various sizes were 

 frequently foimd, and also thickened fibrous, concentric patches, occu- 

 pying sometimes nearly the entire walls of these organs. In one case 

 there were large blood extravasations in the walls of both colon and 

 caecum, distending them to a thickness of half to three-fourths of an 

 inch; on section, these spots had the appearance of a clot of black blood ; 

 they were fi.rm and tough and did not yield to scrax)ing with a knife. 

 Bound, firm nodules, one-half inch in diameter, were frequently found 

 in the waUs of these bowels, which, on section, were of a gTayish-white 

 color, and appeared to be composed of compact fibrous tissue, with the 

 exception of one case in which they were less firm, and iiresented the 

 appearances of the extravasated-blood patches already described. With 

 the exception of petechia© the smaU intestine was nearly always normal ; 

 in one case there were two or three patches of inflammation one to two 

 inches in diameter. The rectum was congested or inflamed in spots 

 only; there were occasionally the nodular masses mentioned above, but 

 in a majority of cases this part of the intestine showed httle or no change. 



The stomach in one-third of the cases was unchanged ; in the remain- 

 der there were patches of inflammation from the size of the palm of the 

 hand to the involving of half of the surface of this organ. Sometimes 

 this was confined to the mucous coat, but often implicated the whole 

 thickness of the walls. 



The cavity of the thorax in every case contamed a considerable quan- 

 tity of a tiu-bid, bloody liquid, in some cases nearly black in color ; the 

 pleurae were generally thickened and covered mth false membranes ; 

 the lungs were constantly found inflamed, occasionally in a few small 

 spots only, but generally the greater part of the lung tissue was in- 

 volved. Often these organs were greatly congested throughout, and 

 would break down under the slightest pressure. The bronchial tubes 

 were also foimd congested or inflamed, and contamed considerable frothy 

 mucus, which in some cases entirely tilled them. The pericardium was 

 in nearly every case distended with a turbid, blood-colored liquid, but 

 no false membranes were discovered, and only in one case a piece of 

 coagidated lymph the size of a hen's egg was found floating in this 

 liquid. Tlie heart seemed to be congested throughout in most of the 

 cases, and had patches of a deeper hue than the rest on its external 

 surface. These patches were very suggestive of inflammation, but in the 

 absence of coagidated lymph this may be considered doubtlul. This 

 organ at times contained clots of blood of difl'erent consistency, and 

 always of dark color, and at other times all the cavities Avould be found 

 em])ty. In all cases the blood was very dark, and generally formed an 

 imperfect clot, and the lymphatic glands were eularged and greatly con- 



