232 CO>JTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 



held bis cattle in the .yards at night and on the range north four or five 

 days, 1 of the Boyd cattle being with them all this time. These cattle 

 were taken northwest 18 miles, on a range, and remained there until the 

 20th of August. No loss or sickness appeared in this herd. Mr. Hard- 

 wick, of the Glenn House, told me tluit he had a sick cow, also that he 

 lost one several days ago. I promised to go out in the morning to see 

 her. 



On the 31st I drove out 2 miles west to Mr. Forrey's inclosed pasture 

 field to see the Hardwick cow. I found the cow in the following condi- 

 tion at 0.30 a.m.: Temperature 100°; lying on the left side with head 

 thrown somewhat to the right ; was apparently suffering great pain, as 

 was manifested by her deep and agonizing groans ; eyes prominent ; left 

 horn much colder than the right ; nose dry ; skin a deep yellow color ; 

 pulse 80 ; respiration 20 ; painful and prolonged expirations ; could feel 

 through the abdominal walls posterior tc the ribs decided enlargement 

 of the liver ; auscultation and percussion revealed no lung trouble ; 

 thick viscid saliva stringing from the mouth — not profuse. At 10.15 the 

 temperature was 97.5°. At 10.30 I introduced the instrument into the 

 bladder, where it registered 97.4°. I cut a deep gash into the tail, 1 inch 

 in length, about 4inches below the root, in order to observe the flow and I 

 the color of the blood, but only a few drops oozed from the incision ; it 

 was very thin and watery. I cut another gash into the fleshy part of the 

 thigh, but only a slight trickling of blood followed. In making these in- 

 cisions the animal evinced no pain. At 11 o'clock she made an effort to 

 get up, butfailed. A sweat nowjbroke out on the nose; pulse very tense, 

 yet weak. As I stood by her side I could hear distinctly each heart 

 beat. It appeared as if nature was concentrating all the strength that 

 was within the animal to maintain the heart's action. She is now rest- 

 ing on the sternum, with head extended, the lower jaw resting on the 

 ground, and groans at each expiration of breath, to which it is painful 

 to listen. Tremors of the vasti muscles, and also of the muscles of the 

 neck, now appeared. At 11.15 temperature 98°. I then left her; re- 

 turned again at 2 p. m., and found her dead. The surface of the body 

 was yet warm, and out of curiosity I inserted the thermometer into the 

 rectum, when it registered 103.5° F. An hour later I returned prepared 

 to make a post mortem examination. There were present at the exami- 

 nation Messrs. Ewell, Cochran, and Ross, of Harper. 



The animal was lying on the left side, and a quart or more of a 

 greenish watery fluid had escaped from the mouth and nose. After 

 exposing the internal organs to view I found the lungs slightly emphy- 

 sematous and a frothy si)uta in the capillary tubes ; pericardium con- 

 tained about () or 8 ounces of dark, bloody-colored fluid ; external surface 

 of heart extensively ecchymosed; in fact, looked limp, bruised, and worn.|H 

 out by sheer exhaustion; the internal surface of the heart was almost ^^ 

 black, caused by capillary congestion and extravasation of blood into 

 the endocardium ; no blood clots in the heart. The heart weighed 5 

 pounds. The spleen weighed 4 pounds, and presented a disintegration 



