THE LUXG PLA.GUE. 43 



nine days a swelling" begins, infiltration extends beneath the chest and 

 abdomen, involves both fore legs, is attended with great fever, prostra- 

 tion, and death. In a second case, a drop of ^1rus is inserted in tlie tip 

 of the tail. It may produce a scarcely perceptible local change, when 

 suddenly a swelling occurs at the root of the tail. The lymphatic 

 glands there situated swell, the areolar tissue is distended with a depcxsit, 

 such as ordinarily occurs in this disease in the thorax, and so widely 

 does this invade the open tissues of the x>elvis as to close the rectum, 

 sometimes induce retention of urine, and, in the majority of instances, 

 kill. 



As in the case of variolous inoculation, the efl'ects often vary with the 

 quantity of the virus introduced into a part. Many and deep punc- 

 tures, especially in soft and vascular textures, will i)roduce malignant 

 variola in inoculating sheep. On the other hand, a single and superficial 

 puncture results in a single i)ustule and imperceptible general symjjtoms. 

 It is thus with the lung disease in cattle. 



The slight local change produced by a small quantity of ^nrus, even 

 though it has been impossible to note any systemic disturbance, stands 

 for an attack of the disease, and the animal enjoys almost a ijerfect 

 immunity from further attacks. 



Viewed in this light, we have to classify bovine pleuropneumonia 

 with the contagions fevers, and we must recognize that it is peculiar and 

 difterent from all other known diseases of man or animals. The ordinary 

 phenomena of intlammatious are but superadded conditions, and an 

 animal may have the disease without indicating their presence, 



MEDICAL TEEATMENT OF THE LUIs^G PLAGUE. 



A general and i^ractical review of the means employed for the cure 

 of the lun^- disease results in the conviction that, as a means to be relied 

 on for the protection of the farmer's stock and the herds of a country, 

 they are worse than useless ; and it is necessary to impress this lesson 

 on the public mind, as there are always those who base their futile 

 efforts in this respect on the declaration that all diseases are curable if 

 we could only know the means to attack them, and the best antidotes. 

 When science has sufiBciently advanced, it is thought disease will lose 

 all its power ; and, in accordance with extravagant views in this direc- 

 tion, men and animals ought to attain a state of immortality on earth. 



It is an undoubted fact that wherever rational preventive measures 

 have been superseded by the efforts even of the most skilled veterinary 

 jiruotitiouers, the mortality by the lung idague has always attained its 

 highest point, and continued without intermission. It must be thus to 

 the end of time. 



Nevertheless, circumstances arise when a certain relief may be aif<u'ded 

 by remedial agents. A valuable animal or liiglily prized berd, so 

 isolated from otlier stock as to prevent contagion, may be subjected to 



