290 DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, ETC. 



completely transformed into a uniformly grayish mass, very soft, and 

 pulpy to the touch, and appearing like very soft and moist dough. 

 The actinomyces grains were exceedingly abundant in this tissue, and 

 appeared when the tissue was incised as minute sulphur-yellow grains, 

 densely sprinkled through the tissue, which readily came away and 

 adhered to the knife blade. In still another case a portion of the 

 lung tissue was converted into large, soft masses from 1 to 3 inches in 

 diameter, each partly inclosed in very dense connective tissue. These 

 soft, grayish-yellow masses likewise resembled moist dough in their 

 consistency, and the actinomyces grains, though neither very distinct 

 nor at all abundant, were easily fished out and identified as such. A 

 portion of this growth, which was as large as a child's head, was con- 

 verted into an abscess filled with creamy semiliquid pus. 



This case differed from the preceding in that all appearance of 

 lung tissue had disappeared from the diseased mass. Only on the ex- 

 terior could the lung tissue be recognized, although even there it had 

 been largely converted into very dense, whitish, connective tissue in- 

 closing the fungoid growth. In the other case the external form of 

 the lung and the shape and outline of the lobules were preserved, but 

 the lung tissue itself was not recognizable as such. In the case first 

 mentioned the changes were still less marked, and actinomycosis 

 would not have been suspected by a simple inspection. These few 

 illustrations suffice to show that actinomycosis of the lungs may ap- 

 pear under quite different forms, and that the nature of the disease 

 can be accurately determined only by finding the fungus itself. 

 Rarely actinomycosis attacks the body externally in places other than 

 the head and neck. Crookshank describes the case of a bull in which 

 the flank was attacked and subsequently the scrotum became diseased. 

 A large portion of the skin of the flank was destroyed and covered 

 with a leathery crust. When this was pulled away the pus beneath it 

 showed the actinomyces grains to the naked eye. 



Actinomycosis may also involve the udder, the spermatic cord of 

 castrated animals, vagina, and, when it becomes generalized, the 

 brain, liver, spleen, and muscular tissue. 



Actinomycosis may in some cases be confounded with tuber- 

 culosis. The diagnosis does not offer any difficulties, since the pres- 

 ence of the actinomyces fungus at once removes any existing doubts. 

 As has already been intimated, these grains, simulating sulphur 

 balls, are visible to the naked eye, and their nature is readily deter- 

 mined with the aid of a microscope. 



The course of the disease is quite slow. As the tumors grow 

 they may interfere with the natural functions of the body. Accord- 

 ing to their situation, mastication, rumination, or breathing may be 

 interfered with, and in this way the animal may become emaciated. 

 Actinomycosis of the jawbones leads to the destruction of the teeth 

 and impedes the movements necessary to chewing the food. Simi- 

 larly, when the disease attacks the soft parts of the head obstructions 

 may arise in the mouth by an inward growth of the tumor. If 

 tumors exist in the pharynx they may partially obstruct the move' 

 ments necessary to breathing, or close the air passages and cause 



