378 Strangles. 



The spread of the inflammation to the lymph glands of the 

 neck results in inflammatory swellings of one or both sides of 

 the neck, which later open to the outside. More dangerous are 

 those abscesses which develop from the retrotracheal connec- 

 tive tissue. In these cases bursting not infrequently takes place 

 both to the inside and outside, and the resulting fistulae usually 

 heal very slowly or not at all. Abscesses developing in this part 

 ma}' also cause severe dyspnea and difficulty in swallowing 

 by pressing on trachea and esophagus. If inferior cervical 

 glands in front of the chest are involved, a marked swelling 

 results, which may gradually extend to the lower two thirds 

 of the neck. The fascia of the neck affords usually a sufficient 

 guard against the pus breaking into the thoracic cavity; but 

 sometimes the swelling exerts such a pressure on the trachea 

 and the large blood vessels that the animals finally die from 

 asphyxiation. In rare cases the inflammation may extend also 

 to the organs of the thoracic cavity, and in such instances there 

 exists danger of general fatal infection. 



The inflammation of the axillary, inguinal, popliteal and 

 precrural lymph glands is not dangerous in itself on account of 

 the superficial location of these glands. Their involvement 

 is indicated by the inflammatory swelling of the affected parts 

 and by the disturbance of locomotion, which however disappears 

 rapidly after the abscesses burst. Suppuration in the perianal 

 glands, which also usually burst to the outside, may cause an 

 obstruction of the feces, sometimes also symptoms of inflam- 

 mation of the rectum; there may be added an involvement of 

 the pelvic lymph glands with extensive abscess formation. 

 An affection of the mammary lymph glands is usually asso- 

 ciated with severe inflammatory swelling of one or both halves 

 of the udder. 



The inflammation of certain joints, which sometimes de- 

 velops in association with the disease, causes painful, hot swell- 

 ings and marked lameness. The knee, pastern and coronary 

 joints become affected relatively most frequently, and the in- 

 flammation occurs in one alone or in several joints at the same 

 time. In some cases a phlegmonous inflammation of the sub- 

 cutaneous tissue develops, which later results in necrosis of 

 the skin and inflammation of the adjacent tendon sheaths, espe- 

 cially in the pastern and the fetlock joints. 



The mediastinal and the mesenteric lymph glands are 

 among the internal lymph glands most frequently affected. An 

 involvement of the mediastinal lymph glands can be established 

 in the living animals only with very great difficulty. Under 

 febrile s^miptoms severe distur])ances in respiration develop 

 gradually without it being possible to establish an affection of 

 the thoracic organs by percussion or auscultation. The contrast 

 between the striking disturbance in respiration and the nega- 

 tive results of the physical examination points to an affection 

 of the diaphragm if there is a suspicion of infection. This 



