TEE LUNG PLAGUE. 25 



An expert dairymaid in the liabit of milking' cows where tlie disease 

 prevails is apt to notice, as tlie malady declares itself, that there is some 

 stiffness, and the milk is not so freely drawn as nsual. The quantity of 

 this secretion then diminishes. 



The progress of the malady is then characterized by loss of appetite, 

 altered gait, segregation of the sick from the healthy in the field, the sick 

 standing with their elbows turned outward, their feet drawn forward, 

 neck and head extended, and nostrils somewhat convulsively expanded 

 at each inspiration. There is qnickness of breathing, especially if the 

 animal is even slightly disturbed, and on the slightest movement there 

 is an audible grunt. The expression of countenance indicates uneasiness 

 or absolnte pain, and the eyes are prominent and fixed. The pulse rises 

 to seventy, eighty, and even one hundred beats per minnte. In hot cow 

 sheds the pulse is more frequent than in the open field in healthy cattle, 

 and a corresponding increase is seen in this disease nnder similar cir- 

 cumstances. The respirations rise to thirty-five and forty per minute, 

 are labored, andible, and each expiration is often associated with a short 

 characteristic grunt. This grunt is especiallj' marked if the sides of the 

 chest or the spine are pressed; and many years ago Lecoq showed that 

 graziers regarded this as a decisive symptom of the malady. A some- 

 what watery discharge from the nose, increased in the act of conghing, 

 is noticed early in the disease, and driving sick cattle in the earliest stage 

 produces mnch thirst, and there is a ropy saliva discharged from the 

 mouth. The nnizzle is hot and dry. 



Cattle suffering from this disease are readily identified as it advances 

 by persons having seen a few cases. They stand motionless, with pro- 

 truding head, arched back, extended fore limbs, with elbows turned as 

 far out as they can be held, and the hind limbs drawn nnder them, with 

 knuckling at the near hind or both hind fetlocks. When lying, especially 

 in the latter stages of the disease, they rest on their brisket or lie on the 

 affected side, leaving- the ribs on the healthy side of the chest as mnch 

 freedom of motion as possible. 



As the disease advances the pulse gets more frequent and feeble, and 

 the heart's beats, which are at first snbdned, become marked and palpi- 

 tating, as in cases of poverty or antiemia. The membranes of the eyes, 

 mouth, and vagina are usually pallid, though the membrane of the nose 

 is often red. The tongue is foul, covered with fur, and the exhaled 

 breath has a nauseous and even fetid odor. 



Listlessness, grunting, grinding of teeth, diminished secretions, Aveak- 

 ness and emaciation, iiK^rease with the progress of the malady. Tlie 

 animals getting weak, lie more. They sometimes show symptoms of 

 jaundice, have a tendency to hove or tympanitis from gases accumuhiting- 

 in the i)annch, and their gait is so staggering that they ai)pear to suffer 

 from ])artial paralysis of the hind quarters. As all tliese aggravated 

 symptoms declare themselves the i)ulsegets weak, and often rises to one 

 bundled and twenty per minute; the breathing gets more freque-nt and 



