GENERAL PATHOLOGY. 35 



becomes fetid. There is great frequency, feebleness, and 

 sometimes irregularity of pulse ; liability to passive conges- 

 tion of dependent parts ; low delirium, and coma. 



It is supposed to be due to defective elimination and 

 accumulation in the blood of the waste products of nitro- 

 genous tissues. 



Hectic Fever is of an intermittent or remittent type. It 

 occurs in connection with persistent purulent discharges, 

 comes on insidiously, and is of long duration. It is asso- 

 ciated with marked progressive emaciation. 



Termination and Stages of Fever. — The stages of fever 

 are termed the ' initial stage,' the ' fastigial stage,' or 

 ' acme,' and stage of ' defervescence,' or ' decline.' 



Fever may terminate in death or recovery. In the event 

 of a favourable issue, the temperature falls suddenly by crmX 

 or gradually by hjsis. It may fall by a combination of these 

 two methods, as, for example, in febricula, when it some- 

 times first falls several degrees by crisis, and then gradually 

 reaches the normal by hjsis. 



COLLAPSE AND SYNCOPE. 



Collapse and syncope are characterized by functional de- 

 pression, and may result from a variety of causes. They 

 may be due to some specific poison in the system ; to high 

 fever ; to suppression of certain secretions ; to the action of 

 extraneous poisons, as, for example, antimony and arsenic ; 

 to excessive pain; to rupture or perforation of internal 

 organs ; to violent injuries, and to haemorrhage, and other 

 causes. 



In Collapse the temperature usually falls ; the skin is cold, 

 and the respirations are slow and shalloAv. The pulse is 

 small and feeble, sometimes rapid, sometimes very slow. 

 There is extreme debility. The animal may be sensible, or 

 there may be partial or complete insensibility. 



3—2 



