40 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 



mouth symptoms were iiinch less severe tbau this, but two or tbree- 

 animals were reported to Lave bad any salivation or auy difSculty in 

 eating bay. Some of tbe moutbs presented erosions, wbicb were mostly 

 small, very superficial, and without auy appearance of ulceration. I did 

 not see a single blister, but a few of these were reported by those who 

 visited the herds at an earlier date. Tbe lesions which I saw in the 

 moutbs seemed to be due rather to a softening of the mucous membrane 

 tbau to vesicatiou ; and I was assured that tbe appearances did not 

 differ materiall^^ at the time of my visit from what they Mere when the 

 veterinarians first saw them. In one or two animals there were large 

 patches of thickened mucous membrane of a yellowish color, bard and 

 diflicult to detach. Healthy herds in the vicinity were visited, and in 

 the mouths of these cattle were found discolorations and erosions very 

 similar to, though less extensive than, those seen iu the sick ones. In 

 Missouri some of the cattle had the mouths involved to a greater degree 

 than any I saw iu Kansas, but others with equally bad feet had per- 

 fectly sound mouths. Here I saw pieces of mucous membrane becom- 

 ing detached, but no blisters. Figures 1 and 2, Plate X, show tbe 

 highly inflamed condition of the ulcers in the real foot-and-mouth dis- 

 ease. 



The cattle in Illinois still had erosions in their mouths as late as April 

 24, which were identical in appearance with those 1 saw in Kansas. The 

 steer which first came down with the disease ou the Faunce farm, and 

 which had consequently been affected about four months, showed these 

 about as plainly as any animals I saw in Kansas. In foot-and-mouth dis- 

 ease the eruption disappears iu from two to three weeks, and the animal 

 is convalescent. Before proceeding to Kansas and Illinois the second 

 time, I visited the herds at Portland, Me., which had been affected with 

 foot-and-mouth disease. Tbe contrast was very striking. Although the 

 cattle in Mame had not showed the disease until the second week iu 

 February', they were on the IGth of April in apparently good health. 

 There were no longer any, sores in tbe mouths or on the feet. A week 

 later than this I found cattle in Illinois tliat sickened iu December and 

 still had as marked mouth symptoms as could be found in any of the 

 Western herds. 



The feet symptoms. — Tbe interdigital si)aces and tbe coronet are the 

 seat of tbe eruption in foot-and-mouth disease. ^STot only is there red- 

 ness, heat, and swelling in these parts, but there is formation of blisters, 

 loss of ei)itbelium, and a secretion from tbe whole affected surface of" 

 the skin. Tbe appearance of tbe feet with sheep and cattle baviug this 

 disease is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Plate IX. Sometimes abscesses 

 form beneath the boru, from which the pus may burrow and cause the-] 

 loss of tbe hoofs, or even affect tbe liga-ments and joints. But severe-" 

 complications in the region of the foot do not occur except from this 

 cause. With tbe cattle which I visited, the feet presented a very dif- 

 ferent appearance. Some of tbe limbs were separating, as a couse- 



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