538 Chronic Interstitial Hepatitis. 



Enlargement of the .spleen can be diagnosed in carnivora 

 and emaciated jDigs by xjalpation of the abdomen. In the horse 

 it may sometimes be discovered Ijy rectal examination. 



In cattle, jaundice is freqnently seen, and towards the end 

 it is very severe. In other animals it nsnally sets in at a late 

 stage and is not very prononnced even then. This is quite in 

 accordance with the fact that the hyperplastic form of the dis- 

 ease is the commonest in cattle. 



The specific gravity of the urine is higher, it is darker in 

 color and contains less uric acid than normal; but in some 

 cases albumin, sugar and urobilin are present. (In a liter of 

 urine from a horse, Mouquet found 7.25 gm. of uric acid, 0.12 

 gm. of albumen and 15.4 gm. of sugar. Urobilin was also 

 present.) 



Towards the end of the disease, nervous symptoms make 

 tlieir appearance, the animals l^ecoming dull and lethargic. In 

 Schweinsberg disease and condition caused by plants of the 

 order Senecio, these symptoms are sometimes very severe, and 

 appear in the early stages. There is giddiness and unsteadi- 

 ness of gait, the animals lean forward with their heads against 

 the wall and attempt to go forwards, make gaping movements 

 and seem dull and sleepy. The appearance is suggestive of 

 staggers (Beichold, Imminger, Robertson). 



In cases of secondary cirrhosis of the liver the symptoms 

 of the primary disease are present. 



Course. The disease lasts for several months (usually 

 from three to six months in the case of Schweinsberg disease). 

 Tlie disease of the liver and the sul)sequent catarrh of the 

 stomach and intestine cause a loss of condition, pronounced 

 wasting and anemia. In the later stages there are often drop- 

 sical swellings. Finally in the last stages there may be hemor- 

 rhages in the mucous membranes, gums, skin, stomach or intes- 

 tines. Exceptionally rupture of the liver or dilatation of the 

 stomach (in the horse) may cause death unexpectedly, death 

 usually occurring only after the animal has reached a state of 

 utter exhaustion. 



Diagnosis. The symptoms are never easily interpreted. 

 The insidious development of the disease, persistent digestive 

 disturl^ance, the possible presence of ascites and enlargement 

 of the spleen and sometimes of jaundice render diagnosis a pos- 

 sibility, but do not absolutely exclude the chance of error. Di- 

 gestive disturbances of this nature in horses in districts where 

 it exists suggest Schweinsberg disease. The following dis- 

 eased conditions of the liver cause a similar train of s\anptoms : 

 carcinoma of the liver in dogs (large tumorlike growths in the 

 liver are particularly suggestive of this), ainyloid liver in 

 which the organ is enlarged and firm, but its edges rounded 

 and smooth, peritonitis (the abdomen sensitive to pressure and 



