878 Erysipelatous Inflammation of the Skin, 



Certain food rashes, especially buckwheat exaiitheina and 

 clover or lucerne disease, give rise in severe cases, to symptoms 

 similar to those of an erysipelatous inflammation of the skin 

 (see iDages 874 and 875). 



Straub has noted an erysipelatous inflanimation of the fetlock region in military 

 horses after drill on stubble fields, while Spath saw a similar disease in cattle that 

 were littered on pine and fir needles. Cadeae and Nys attribute a vesicular inflam- 

 mation of the skin of horses to the action of an acrid substance of Blaps mortisaga. 

 The affection occurred in the months of June and July, and especially affected 

 the head and the region about the mouth. Kossorotow noticed in horses which 

 had been ridden over fields thickly grown with wolf's milk (Euphorbia) a disease 

 which was manifested by an inflammation of the skin, with moderate fever, red- 

 ness, excoriations and rhagadae. 



Symptoms. Erysipelatous inflammation begins either with 

 small spots which spread and merge into one another, or it 

 may commence with large uniformly reddened patches, in horses 

 for instance at the ends of the extremities; there is uniform 

 redness of the skin, swelling, elevation of temperature and 

 increased sensitiveness on handling. These morbid changes 

 which may moreover be accompanied by intense itching, remain 

 unchanged for several days, later on, however, the skin becomes 

 softer, the brownish epidermal layer desquamates in fine or 

 coarse scales, and underneath the healthy skin reappears. In 

 an intense inflammation large and small vesicles develop (Ery- 

 sipelas vesiculosum et bullosum) which soon burst or suppurate, 

 whereupon the surface of the inflamed skin is for a time covered 

 with crusts (E. crustosum). The development of dermatitis is 

 often accompanied by a feverish rise of temperature, loss of 

 appetite and depression, but these symptoms disappear as soon 

 as desquamation commences. ^ ... 



The pathological processes show certain peculiarities, ac- 

 cording to their cause and even more according to breed of the 

 animal, especially as regards the localization of the changes. 

 Thus painful hot swellings develop in horses on the head, around 

 the orbits, the nasal openings and the cleft of the mouth, in 

 consequence of which respiration as well as mastication may 

 be greatly hindered, while at other times the inflammation on 

 the unpigmented extremities occurs at the coronets, on the fet- 

 locks and shin bones, and then consideralile thickenings develop 

 in consequence of infiltration of the subcutaneous cellular tissue 

 which also recede after cessation of the inflammation. 



A peculiar form of erysipelatous dermatitis was observed by Lebrun as an 

 enzootic in military horses. Vertical wounds running parallel with one another 

 developed in the region of the cleft of the mouth and became covered with 

 crusts. At the same time there was ptyalism and hyperemia of the mucous 

 membrane. 



Diagnosis. Erysipelatous dermatitis manifests itself by 

 diffuse inflammatory changes in the skin and by its acute devel- 

 opment accompanied by fever. This distinguishes erysipelas 

 from the much milder erythema, further from eczema which 



