454 



The spleen, or melt, which is found on the right-hand side of the 

 hog's body as viewed at autopsy, lying a little below and to the right 

 of the stomach, is in acute cases of hog cholera found almost with- 

 out exception to be quite large, dark, and soft. In the prolonged, 

 chronic cases, however, the spleen may be even smaller than normal 

 and rather grayish in color. The kidneys, which lie beneath the in- 

 testines as viewed at autopsy, can be easily removed by pulling aside 

 the soft fat and tissues which surround them and cutting the round 

 tube which holds them to the body. The thin fibrous tissue which 

 surrounds the kidneys should be carefully peeled off without cutting 

 into or injuring the organ, and if the case is one of acute hog cholera, 

 it is very likely that the normal light-brown color of the kidneys will 

 be found to be changed to a much darker color, and there may be 

 seen over the surface a number of very dark-red points, some of these 

 no larger than a pin point, whereas others may be larger than the 

 head of a pin. The appearance of the kidneys frequently reminds 

 one of the speckling of a turkey's egg. These spots are caused by the 

 escape of blood from the small blood vessels in the same way as the 

 larger reddish spots which occur in the lungs and on the heart. Both 

 kidneys should be examined. 



Stomach. The stomach is the large white pouch-like organ 

 which is situated in the upper part of the abdominal cavity next to 

 the lungs and by the side of and partly underneath the liver. Usually 

 the external surface of the stomach shows no change from normal, 

 though occasionally there may be observed small red spots similar to 

 those which have been described as appearing in the lungs, heart, 

 and kidneys. The stomach should be opened by cutting the front wall 

 from one end to the other. The partly digested food which is usually 

 found within the stomach is removed and water poured in so as to 

 clean the inner surface and permit a satisfactory examination. The 

 normal stomach lining is a uniform, rather wrinkled, pinkish-look- 

 ing membrane. It is smooth and free from distinct hemorrhages. 

 In cases of hog cholera it is not infrequent to find large portions of 

 this lining membrane of the stomach very much inflamed and red, 

 and a careful examination will frequently show that this lining 

 membrane has been ulcerated. The ulcerated portion usually ex- 

 tends over a considerable area of the lining membrane of the stom- 

 ach and is separated from the healthy portion by a more or less dis- 

 tinct line. 



Small Intestines. The intestines are connected directly to the 

 stomach. The small intestine is that portion which begins at the 

 stomach and continues until a distinct union is made with a portion 

 of the large intestine known as the cecum or blind gut. In normal 

 hogs both the outer and inner surfaces of the small intestine resem- 

 ble considerably those of the stomach, though of course the walls of 

 the intestine are not nearly so thick. The small intestine is well sup- 

 plied with small blood vessels which can be distinctly seen. In some 

 acute and virulent types of hog cholera the outer surface of the small 

 intestine may be literally covered with bloody spots, giving one the 

 impression that blood had been spattered over these organs, but upon 



