ON THE 



DISEASES OF SWINE 



It is only very lately that any persons have condescended to take 

 into consideration the maladies of swine, and they are little under- 

 stood. The diseases that have been recognised are not numerous, 

 but they are exceedingly fatal ; and that fatality is increased by the 

 difficulty of managing these unruly animals. 



The most frequent disease, and as fatal as any, is — 



INFLAMMATION OF THE ^UNGS, 



This complaint is known among the breeders and fatteners of swine 

 by the term of risinir of the lights. There seems to be a peculiar 

 tendency in every malady of this animal to take on a highly inflam- 

 matory character. It is the consequence of the forcing system that is 

 adopted in the fattening of the hog. It resembles the blood or inflam- 

 matory fever of oxen and sheep,-»-a general and high degree of fever, 

 produced on a system already strongly disposed to take on intense 

 inflammatory action from the slightest causes. Every little cold is 

 apt to degenerate into inflammation of the lungs in the fatted or fat- 

 tening hog; and so many cases of this sometimes occur in the same 

 establisliment, or the same neighbourhood — in fact among those who 

 are exposed to the same exciting cause, that the disease is mistaken 

 for an epidemic. There is no doubt that when this heaving of the 

 lights begins to appear in a herd of swine, a great many of them are 

 sooner or later affected by it, and die. It is the cough or cold that is 

 epidemic, but it is the plethora and inflammatory state of the animals 

 that cause it to be so general as well as fatal. 



The early symptom is cough. A cough in a hog is always a suspi- 

 cious circumstance, and should be early and promptly attended to. 

 The disease is rapid in its progress. The animal heaves dreadfully 

 at the flanks; he has a most distressing cough, which sometimes 

 almost sufl'ocates him, and he refuses to eat. The principal guiding 

 symptom will be the cough getting worse and worse, and becoming 

 evidently connected with a great deal of fever. 



In many cases congestion takes place in the lungs, and the animal 

 dies in three or four days: in others he appears for a while to be 

 getting better ; but there is a sudden relapse, a frequent dry husky 

 cough comes on, there is little appetite, rapid wasting, and the hog 

 dies in a few weeks, evidently consumptive. 



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