812 Muscular Rheumatism. 



Anatomical Changes. The symptoms of the disease sug- 

 gest that it is a serous inflammation of the intramuscular con- 

 nective tissue, in which the muscle fibers may be affected by 

 cloudy swelling and disintegration. Siedamgrotzky, Bruck- 

 miiller and Zschokke actually found in the affected muscles dila- 

 tion of the vessels and sero-gelatinous infiltration of the intra- 

 muscular connective tissue, granular disintegration, and fatty 

 degeneration in certain muscle bundles. Schmid found hemor- 

 rhages in the affected muscles. In many chronic cases the inter- 

 fibrillary connective tissue was enlarged. 



Kitt found at times in hogs diffuse necrotic foci in the muscular tissue, while 

 according to Glasser, the homogenous, caseous masses in cattle attributed to muscle 

 tuberculosis are caused by bacteria of the typhus-coli group, and according to 

 Hungerbriihler are produced by the bacillus pyogenes. 



Symptoms. The most prominent sign of muscular rheu- 

 matism consists in emphatic expressions of pain. AVithin a short 

 time desided disturbance of motion occurs without any prod- 

 romal symptoms. In the frequent disease of the muscles of the 

 loins (lumbago rheumatica) the stiff position of the hind quarter 

 arouses attention, both while at rest and during motion, and if 

 at the same time it happens that the croup, thigh, and psoas 

 muscles are affected, the hind feet are dragged and scrape the 

 ground. It is only w^itli difficulty that the animals can raise 

 themselves from the ground, and in very severe cases they can- 

 not do so at all. Where the shoulder muscles are involved, 

 which frequently happens, the fore feet are lifted from the 

 ground only slightly and the step is shortened ; when going up- 

 liill the disturbances in motion are increased, and a peculiar 

 cracking of the joints is audible at times. If the muscles of the 

 back or neck are affected the animal stands stiffly in one place; 

 with outstretched neck, while on turning the body is held as if all 

 in one piece and without lateral flexion of the trunk. In simul- 

 taneous involvement of the muscles of the extremities, a con- 

 dition similar to that seen in tetanus may arise ; it is, however, 

 characteristic of muscular rheumatism that the abnormalities of 

 movement as well as the stiffness gradually diminish with exer- 

 cise. In lambs the neck muscles are at times affected on one side 

 only, and the neck is in consequence flexed to the affected side. 

 Intercostal rheumatism causes superficial quickened breathing 

 and sensitiveness to pressure on the intercostal spaces (com- 

 pare pleurodynia, page 87). 



A further sjTiiptom which can be observed only on the 

 superficial muscles is swelling, sensitiveness to pressure and a 

 firm consistency of the affected muscles. The painfulness is 

 especially evident in dogs which howl and whine even when 

 handled gently, or at the approach of anybody, as well as when 

 trying to move about. Where the abdominal muscles are af- 

 fected one notices retention of feces, and now and again painful 

 defecation: where the muscles of mastication are affected this 



