DISEASES OV DOMESTIC AMIMALS. 55 



he will fall upon his knees. Bowels costive, and those peculiar involun- 

 tary twitchings of the limbs, similar to poisoning with strychnine. 



Post mortem appearance. — In cattle, in particular, there is a great 

 amount of food in paunch, and but little alteration to be noticed in the 

 true digestive system and small intestines. Increased vascularity in the 

 coverings of the brain and cord. Now ergot may affect animals differ- 

 ently, as whisky affects men. If you meet with such cases, give good 

 doses of purgative medicines, and get rid of the poison as quickly as you 

 can. Give stimulants and hypo-sulphite of soda, from one-half ounce to 

 one ounce. Stimulants are not of much use. but may bs of benefit in 

 some cases. Apoplexy may occur in hoi'ses, but it is rare. There is one 

 kind in cattle, due to slight spinal irritation. Symptoms, unable to rise ; 

 in comatose condition. 



Treatment. — Eestrict food; give laxative, bromide of potassium, and 

 nux vomica. 



Rabies, or Hydrophobia.— Called hydrophobia from dread of water ; 

 rabies, from rabia, to rave. It is a disease essentially of the nerves. 

 Symptoms produced from some cause acting upon the blood and affecting 

 the nerves. Not so frequent in this country as in more southern coun- 

 tries, but does occur on this continent. It is a virulent disease, and may 

 be developed in cat or dog spontaneously, but not in other animals. It 

 is a disease belonging to zymotic diseases. 



Pathology. — It depends upon some peculiar alteration of the blood, 

 and affecting the nervous system. There will be no particular lesions in 

 any other parts of the system. Climate does not appear to influence this 

 disease as much as formerly supposed. It was supposed to be more likely to 

 be produced during dog-days than at any other time, but this view is not 

 very well established. As to the contagion of rabies, there is no doubt but 

 it is contagious, and the poison is in a fixed form, and is not transmitted 

 through the air, but must be by direct inoculation. It is more likely to 

 be in the saliva, but may come from any part of the body. It is said 

 that the flesh does not contain the virus, and that the flesh on an att'ected 

 animal could be eaten without danger, but it has been found that the 

 blood does contain it, and inoculation has been produced by the blood. 

 Others say that inoculation has been produced by the flesh. Virus is 

 most easily taken in by one animal biting another. It is recorded that 

 it may be taken in from skinning a dead animal, and taking the knife in 

 the mouth, and that without cutting the mouth, the virus being taken 

 into the system through the saliva ; but the hands are not susceptible, 

 unless there are sores on them. The power of the contagion varies to 

 some extent. It is impaired by passing through several bodies. The 

 most frequent mode of injection is by the teeth, and an animal having 

 been bitten by another, even before the disease had developed itself, may 

 become affected. The period of inoculation varies to some extent, from 

 ten days to five or six months. This has been found from experiments. 

 Some say that man has lived for years and then become aftected, but 

 such statements are not very reliable. Some animals are more subject to 

 it than others, and some have been known to resist it altogether. 



Symptoms in the Dog. — The animal may become excited to a great 

 extent, and so become very dangerous. May also become dangerous if 

 suffering from brain or nervous disease. It is said to occur in two forms. 

 Animal does not become excited to any great extent ; there is a period of 

 dulness, followed by excitement. The violence may continue for some 

 days, then the animal becomes greatly exhausted — has a tendency to lie in 

 out-of-the-way places. May lie quietly for some time, then run about 

 and try to bite surrounding objects ; also has depraved appetite, eating 



