224 BOARD OF AGRICULXUEE. [Pub. Doc. 



tinues to emaciate, even witli plenty of food and a good appelite, so that 

 the qnantit}' of milk is small. At times, in the early stages of the 

 disease, still more in the later stages, the diseased animals manifest con- 

 siderable tenderness when pressure is applied to tlie front or the sides 

 of the chest, by coughing, moaning, etc. Often all symptoms are want- 

 ing, in spite of the existence of the disease. 



Although the endeavor has been made to point out the symptoms 

 as plainly as possible, it should always be remembered that there 

 are cases of tuberculosis in which the lungs are not affected, or are 

 so little injured that the cough and irregular breathing will not be 

 markedly shown ; and there are others, coming rather under the 

 head of the first sort described, in which the disorder has made so 

 little impression upon the general system that its presence is recog- 

 nized only Aviih the greatest care, or is not recognized at all for 

 weeks or even mouths after it has really obtained its foothold. 

 As further aids in discovering the piesence of the disease we may 

 use a clinical thermometer and listen at (auscultate) the chest 

 walls. The thermometer is to be looked upon as being simply an 

 aid to diagnosis ; it will not in any way declare whether or not the 

 anima! has tuberculosis. 



Clinical thermometry is based upon the fact that healthy animals 

 maintain an even internal temperature under certain varying cir- 

 cumstances. This temperature in cows, taken with a reliable instrir- 

 ment in the rectum, is 101° Fahrenheit. If it falls very much 

 below this, sny to 98° or 99°, and remains there for any length of 

 time, the animal may be looked upon as being of a lowered vitality 

 for some reason or other. If, on the other hand, the temperature 

 is raised to 102.5° or more, and remains there for any length of 

 time, it is a certain indication that there is fever due to some cause 

 or other. I have found so many old chronic cases of tuberculosis 

 in cows, when the animals have shown a very little dulness, and a 

 considerable pallidity of skin and mucous membrane, and no other 

 very marked symptoms, except after careful auscultation, in which 

 the temperature has been as low as 98.5° or 99.5°, that I have 

 coms to look upon this low registry of the thermometer as being a 

 sufficiently suspicious circumstance to induce a very careful exami- 

 nation of the animal in all cases wherein it is shown without 

 apparent cause. 



In some of the cases of the second, and in a large percentage of 

 those of the third sort, as well as in some early cases, that except 

 upon auscultation show no symptoms of tuberculosis whatever, the 

 thermometer will be often found to register from 103° to 105°. 

 This, unless the fact is otherwise clearly accounted for, will de- 

 mand that a close examination of the chest be made ; and still 

 further that if, even then, no tuberculosis can be made out, and no 



