DISEASES OF CATTLE 235 



Symptoms. The period elapsing between the infection and the 

 appearance of symptoms is somewhat variable. It is usually given 

 as three to six days. It may be briefer or much longer. In cows 

 the mucous membrane of the vagina and the vulva become swollen, 

 inflamed, very tender, and covered with dark-red spots. The secre- 

 tion is very abundant and consists at first largely of serum and mu- 

 cus resembling the white of an egg. Small vesicles then appear, 

 which rapidly burst and are converted into excoriations or deeper ul- 

 cerations. The secretion becomes more purulent and is apt to dry in 

 crusts about the root of the tail. The eruption is accompanied with 

 much itching and difficulty in urinating. The walk may be stiff and 

 awkward. In bulls the eruption is situated on the prepuce and the 

 end of the penis, and consists of pimples, vesicles, and ulcers, as in 

 cows. It is accompanied by a little purulent discharge from the pre- 

 puce, itching, and difficulty in urinating. In severe cases the inflam- 

 mation and swelling may extend backward to the scrotum and for- 

 ward upon the abdomen. 



The disease lasts from one to four weeks and always terminates 

 in recovery. The acute stage lasts only four or five days, while the 

 complete healing of the inflammation is slow. The eruption is usu- 

 ally accompanied by very little general disturbance. If the pain and 

 irritation are severe, there may be some slight loss of appetite and di- 

 minished milk secretion in cows. The disease rarely causes abortion. 

 Chronic catarrh of the vagina and permanent sterility frequently 

 follow as sequelae. 



Treatment need not be resorted to excepting in severe oases. 

 The secretion and exudation should be washed off and a mild anti- 

 septic applied, such as a 1 per cent solution of carbolic acid ( 1 ounce 

 to 3 quarts of water) or 2 per cent solution of lysol or creolin in 

 water. Care must be taken not to carry the disease from the sick to. 

 the well by sponges, etc., which have come in contact with the af- 

 fected organs. These should be destroyed. To prevent the spread 1 

 of the disease the infected animals should be kept isolated until they; 

 have recovered. 



RABIES OP CATTLE. 



Rabies is a disease pre-eminently affecting the ca'nine race, al- 

 though all warm-blooded animals, including man, are susceptible to 

 the malady, which is always communicated through bites from a 

 preceding case. It has required many years of patient scientific re- 

 search to lead the ablest investigators to a clear comprehension of the 

 cause, nature, and characteristics of this affection. It was known and 

 described several centuries prior to the beginning of the Christian 

 era, and from the earliest dawn of history the disease has been feared 

 and dreaded. Its terrible manifestations have always been sur- 

 rounded with an atmosphere of awe and mystery, and it is not sur- 

 prising that myths, fallacies, and misconceptions in regard to it have 

 been common and widely accepted. As the investigations by which 

 we have come to a tolerably clear understanding of the facts concern- 

 ing rabies have been comparatively recent and have appeared for the 

 most part in scientific periodicals, fallacies in regard to the disease 



