gHORTHORN BREEDERS. 345 



Dr. Salmond also says he had opportunity of observing the disease in several 

 living animals, and noticed the following gymptoms: The sick ones were Aveak 

 and staggering in their gait ; pulse feeble; the breathing hurried and panting; 

 the evacuations from the bowels were either hard or profuse and watery; the urin- 

 ary secretions were either absent or profuse and bloody, and in his post-mortem of 

 them, the spleen was enlarged, dark purple, and in some, black kidneys, enlarged 

 and congested ; the bladder tilled with bloody urine. 



The medicinal treatment of Texas fever, like all other contagious diseases, is 

 very unsatisfactory. There is no medicine we know of which acts as a specific. 

 Many have been tried. As constipation is more or less present, especially the third 

 stomach; purgatives will be found useful. Occasionally diarrhoea may be present, 

 but that may be owing to irritation of the intestines. At the same time the third 

 stomach impacted, the gall bladder and ducts connected with it are congested, the 

 flow of bile is impeded, which leads to its absorption into the blood vessels and 

 some of the wonst features of the disease may be attributed to this mixture of bile 

 with the blood. Sulphate magnesia being the most reliable purgative for rumi- 

 nants, it may be given in the dose of one pound with four drachms of pulverized 

 ginger dissolved in a quart of warm water. Calomel or aloes may be added. From 

 their specific action on the liver they will be found useful. 



After all, some cases recover without any treatment, and many will die in spite 

 of all remedies. 



Easily digested food should be given, and all dry and indigestible food avoided. 

 As some outbreaks in all contagious diseases are milder than others, recovery in 

 many cases will take place without treatment. The disease usually pa.sfes unno- 

 ticed in the Texas cattle, but is exceedingly fatal in northern animals. Contagion 

 takes place through the bowel discharges, and roads, pastures, water courses, etc., 

 become efficient bearers of the virus. It is destroyed at once by frosf, and has never 

 been satisfactorily demonstrated to be conveyed from one northern animal to an- 

 other. Sucking calves and young animals rarely suflPer. 



Epizootic aptha, commonly called mouth and foot disease, is a contagious 

 eruptive fever, affecting all warm blooded animals, attacking man under certain 

 circumstances, as readily as any of thed')mestic animals. It consists of an inflam- 

 matory affection of the mucus membrane and skin, evidenced by the appearance of 

 vessicles or small bladders, containing a colorless fluid, on the inside of the mouth, 

 around the coronet and in the cleft of the foot, in fact, any part uncovered with 

 hair. This disease first appeared in England in the spring of 1839, and spread 

 rapidly over England, Scotland and Ireland, and nmained about two year6,'when 

 it seemed gradually to wear out, the severity of the disease abating. Since that 

 time they have had repeated returns of tiie disease, of a more or less general preva- 

 lence. Experiments have been made to test its infectious nature, by saturating 

 food with the saliva from infected animals, and feeding it to healthy ones. The 

 effects were developed in thirty-six hours, and as railways, cattle sheds, and even 

 the clothes of the attendants, are means of infection, hence the necessity of Legis- 

 lative interference in preventing the introduction or removing of diseased animals 

 from one place to another, when by mixing with healthy ones the disease may be 

 carried all over the country. 



