Symptoms. 1043 



according' to Bongartz, last from 1 to 6 weeks ; sometimes they 

 become very severe and may be associated on motion with 

 sensitiveness to pressure in the region of the reticidum, with 

 superficial respiration and evidences of pain. Later, when the 

 foreign body has reached the pericardium, the symptom complex 

 of pericarditis follows immediately; although exceptions may 

 be noted in so far as the signs of traumatic gastritis may dis- 

 appear for a time the pericarditis becoming manifest only after 

 their reappearance, or the trouble may develop without previous 

 digestive disturbances. In similar manner a non-traumatic 

 pericarditis of secondary origin is introduced by the symptoms 

 of the basic affection. 



The ])erio(l between the ingestion of the foreign boily and the appearance 

 of the pericardial symptoms depends upon the nature of the foreign body, the 

 manner in which the animals are kept and fed, and upon accidental factors 

 (parturition, etc.)- 



In the initial stage of pericarditis the animals manifest 

 severe pain, they avoid all motion, stand with head stretched 

 forward, the elbows spread out, the hind feet drawn under 

 the belly, the back arched, they frequently look back toward 

 the abdomen and at times lie down carefully, only to get up 

 again immediately. Pressure on the region of the heart, on 

 the chest or on the back; also percussion of the precordia 

 increases the pain considerably; the animals groan, attempt 

 to evade the pressure or depress the back deeply. They dis- 

 like to move, are surprisingly fatigued after brief motion, and 

 then show shallow breathing, respiration becoming abdominal 

 in type. The pain increases markedly, especially on going- 

 down hill. These symptoms are sometimes so mild as to fail 

 to arouse attention, and the first expert examination, especially 

 in cows which are not worked, often shows already a fairly 

 advanced stage of the disease. 



The heart beat is hastened from the first by i/4, 2 or 3 

 times the normal rate and may be arhythmical. The increase 

 is sometimes aggravated further without any cause whatever, 

 or through quite insignificant influences. Especially during 

 motion the heart beat shakes the entire region of the heart, 

 and the heart sounds are sometimes heard at a distance of 

 3 to 4 steps, being unusually clear and loud. (Lecouturier 

 describes them with the word "claque-claque"). Sonnenberg 

 observed bradycardia in a cow (26 heart beats to the minute), 

 together with epileptoid convulsions and loss of consciousness, 

 which ceased during periodical occurrences of increased heart's 

 action (over 100 heart beats). 



Friction sounds in the heart regions afford the most val- 

 uable symptom. These sounds are synchronous with the motions 

 of the heart, but they do not follow as regularly as the endo- 

 cardial sounds ; they mav be heard together with the systole or 



