DISEASES OF SWINE AND OTHER ANIMALS. 139 



that miglit have recovered from the fever is carried off with coiisump- 

 tiou. The odors of the exhalations are peciihar, and will at once diag- 

 nose the disease from any other. To describe this peculiar smell would 

 be impossible in words. 



Duration. — The diu-ation of the disease is variable. Many animals die 

 within a few hours, but if the bowels are emptied by saline cathartics 

 or injections, the animal generally lingers into the second or third week 

 before the crisis will occur. The prognosis is very unfavorable, especially 

 in large droves, where little can be done to relieve symptoms. Our ad- 

 vice is, m all large herds where this disease obtains access, to destroy 

 at once the sick animals, burn or bury the carcasses of the dead, and 

 labor to check the progress of the disease by prompt hygienic measures. 

 In small droves, or where the stock is of peculiar value, an eflbrt maybe 

 made by the use of medicinal agents and care to relieve the symptoms 

 and guide the case to health. But in large herds this effort will be found 

 unprofitable. When we remember that in man, with all the advantages 

 of a thorough knowledge of the disease, with skilled physicians and 

 competent nurses to care for the sick, many of those attacked in crowded 

 armies succumb to the influence of the disease, we certainly cannot ad- 

 vise fanners having large herds to attempt remedial measiu'es. Another 

 argument against attempting to ciu'e those having well-marked symj)- 

 toms of the disease is that, if there is the slightest taint of the scrofu- 

 lous diathesis in the blood, the spark will almost certainly be fanned into 

 a flame, and the patient, reacting from the specific fever, will be carried 

 off by deposit of tubercular matter in the lungs or mesenteric glands. 

 Now, we know that the hog is an animal of low "sitality, and, in a major- 

 ity of cases, of scrofulous habits, hence we need not be surprised to 

 find consumption a very frequent sequence in this disease. 



PatJiolof/ical lesions. — During the first three days after the appearance 

 of the outward symptoms of the disease dissection will show but little, 

 if any, change in the viscera. The bowels will be found loaded with 

 hard fecal matter, and careful examination will disclose some thickness 

 of the inner coat of caecum and ascending colon. A hog which has been 

 sick a week or ten days will still disclose no disorganization of internal 

 organs sufficient to account for the severe outward symptoms. The blood 

 is blacker and less coagulable than in health ; a general irritated condi- 

 tion of all mucous membranes will be noticed. The lungs will show no 

 organic change, unless tubercular matter has already l3een deposited. 

 In a majority of cases dissected, I have found the liver, kidneys, and 

 spleen healthy — at least showing no signs of disorganization. I have 

 never, in this disease, found abscess of any internal ^'iscera, but have 

 frequently found a low form of inflammation in the glands of the necky 

 which discharged a thin, sanious matter, but not true pus. In all cases 

 examined I have found certain uniform morbid lesions, invariable thick- 

 ening, and deposit in certain portions of alimentary canal, particularly 

 at opening of small bowels into large bowel. This increase of tissue 

 may take ])lace in stomach or in any jmrtion of alimentary canal, but 

 will always be found in the ca?cum aiound the ilio-ca^cal valve. In a 

 large number of cases I have found at tliis point tliat "peculiar bearded 

 appearance " spoken of by Flint. But these black specks were only 

 found during the first few days of the disease. At a later stage there 

 was invariably great increase of tissue, thickening, and hard deposit. 

 During the investigation I dissected over fifty hogs, all presenting the 

 peculiar symptoms of typhus fever, and in every case I found thicken- 

 ing or deposit around the ilio-caical valve ; in several cases where the 

 disease was recent I found the minute black specks, and my own opinion 



