, COW-POX. 129 



At the time of, or a little before, the appearance of the pustules, 

 the animal droops, refuses to feed, ceases to ruminate, and labours 

 under considerable fever. The eyes are heavy and dull; the cow- 

 moans and wanders about by herself, and her milk materially lessens, 

 and at length is almost suspended. 



It will rarely be prudent to bleed, but the bowels should be fairly 

 opened, and the fever drink, (No. 1, p. 40), given once or twice in 

 the day, according to the apparent degree of fever. The teats should 

 be frequently washed with warm water, and the following lotion ap- 

 plied morning and night : — 



RECIPE (No. 60). 



Lotion for Cow-pox. — Take sal ammoniac, a quarter of an ounce; white wine 

 vinegar, half a pint; camphorated H»irit of wine, two ounces; Goulard's extract, an 

 ounce. Mix, and keep thein in a bottle for use. 



If the ulcers become very foul, and difficult to heal, they must be 

 treated in the way recommended for garget. 



It is well known that these eruptions give a similar disease to the 

 milker. Pustules appear about the joints of the hand, and the ends 

 of the fingers ; and there is sometimes considerable fever, pain in the 

 head and limbs and loins, shivering, vomiting, and a quickened pulse. 

 The pustules burst in three or four days, and sometimes become trou- 

 blesome sores difficult to heal ; and if unfortunately the patient should 

 have rubbed his cheek or his lips with the diseased hand, the ulcers 

 will appear there also. ♦ 



It was the observation that persons who had had this disease of the 

 cow were usually exempt from small-pox, which led to the most im- 

 portant discovery in medicine that has been made in modern times. 



There is another eruption on the teat of the cow that bears no in- 

 considerable resemblance to the true cow^-pox, and that has been 

 confounded with it. The pustules are smaller: they are not so round, 

 nor so deep; nor have they the blue colour of the others, and they 

 contain pus or matter from the very first. They will readily yield to 

 the ointment for sore teats recommended in Recipe 29 (p. 75). 



Even without any application to them, the scabs usually peel off in 

 a few days, and the skin underneath is quite sound. If, however, 

 these are carelessly rubbed off in the act of milking, troublesome 

 ulcers are apt to ensue. 



It is of much importance to the farmer to be able to distinguish 

 between these two eruptions. The first is contagious, and may be 

 communicated to the milk-maid, and, by her, to other cows. It is 

 the true cow-pox. The second is not contagious, and is readily got 

 rid of. 



