144 DISEASES OF SWINE AND OTHER ANIMALS. 



acting on the biaiii, as the costive bowels causes increased hibor for the 

 kidneys and hastens inflammation of those organs, resulting in abscess. 

 The duration of this disease is from one to six days. Death is caused 

 either by suffocation or fi'om accumulated poison acting on tbe brain. 

 I saw no case of this disease while making my investigation for the de- 

 partment, and my account of it is taken from my record of the disease as it 

 api)eared dimng the winter of 1877-'78. At that time it spread rapidly, 

 and I had no means of testing the period of incubation. Dissection 

 showed the following morbid lesions : In the first stage, inflammation 

 of throat mth diphtheritic exudations on fauces, and inflammation of 

 all internal viscera. In the second stage, all pathological appearances 

 were more positive. The glands of the neck were enlarged, and often 

 contained pus ; throat otten a mass of ulceration, with diphtheritic mem- 

 brane extending to windpipe ; lungs inflamed and kidneys containing 

 extravasated blood, and showing signs of commencing abscesses. In 

 every case where the sjTnptoms were severe and had continued for several 

 days, abscesses of lungs, kidneys, liver, and spleen were observed, and 

 putrefaction set in very rapidly, rendering examinations very dangerous. 

 The speciflc cause of the disease, as stated in definition, is a septic poison, 

 specific in type, and very contagious. It spreads more rapidly than 

 either of the other fevers, and usually within two weeks after it obtains 

 access to a drove it spreads to the entire herd, unless prompt and 

 thorough means are adopted to check its progress. Although, probably, 

 the most contagious of the speciflc fevers, it yields more rapidly to treat- 

 ment and care, but if neglected it is more rapidly fatal, few that are at- 

 tacked escaping with life. 



Having treated of the three diseases I have found in swine, I will now 

 glance at the symptoms and lesions which assist us in a diagnosis of 

 the disease. In typhoid we have diarrhea, tympanitis (wind in bowels), 

 very little eruption, and entire loathing of food. There is seldom much 

 swelling about the neck, but there is ulceration of the bowels and loss 

 of substance. In typhus we find costive bowels and lank flanks, except 

 when filled out with solid feces ; profuse eniption j except in few cases, 

 considerable swelling of glands of neck, but not containing true pus. 

 Dissection shows increase of tissue and deposit, frequently in coats of 

 stomach and invariably around the ilio-ctecal valve ; also accumulation 

 of feces in bowels if they have not been relieved by purgatives before 

 death. In either disease there is seldom much disorganization of internal 

 viscera, unless in advanced stages, when tubercular deposits maj. be 

 found in the lungs. In diphtheria we found constiiiation. There may 

 be eruption, but this is not a uniform symptom ; discharge of matter 

 and blood from the nose and mouth, swelling of glands of neck, appetite 

 not entirely absent, but, although the hog tries to eat, soon turns away 

 from food. Dissection shows ulceration of throat, exudation and inflam- 

 mation of lungs and kidneys, and in advanced cases inflammation, tlisor- 

 ganization of kidneys, lungs. Ha er, and spleen. In diphtheria also the 

 disease spreads more rapidly and is of shorter duration, except in cases 

 of constii)ation in typhus, where death often occurs in a few hours. In 

 all three diseases we have cough, rapidity of breathing, and fever. 



Fredisposing causes. — Included under this head are any causes which 

 have a tendency to reduce the vital strength of the hog, disorder the 

 stomacli, or depi'uve the blood in any way. These causes are foul air, 

 food imi)roper in quantity or quality, bad water, filth, malaria, atmos- 

 pheric influences, scrofulous diathesis, unusual exercise and over-suckUng. 

 All of these causes combined cannot generate the disease, but any one 

 of them, by reducing the vitality or disordering the system in some way, 



