386 ERUPTIVE OR PETECHIAL FEVERS. 



symptoms subside, and the animal begins to feed, but rapidly 

 becomes emaciated, with great muscular debility, and inability to 

 rise after lying down ; these symptoms being accompanied by, 

 or independent of, extensive sloughings of the swollen parts. 

 When sloughing takes place the skin and subcutaneous tissues 

 assume a dry, leathery appearance, and separate tardily from the 

 subjacent living structures ; the discharge from the nose may 

 continue, and the animal may die from repeated exacerbations, 

 exhaustion, pyaemia, glanders or farcy, or from gangrene of the 

 lungs, on the third, fourth, or even sixth week after attack. In 

 some cases abscesses may be detected in various parts of the 

 body, in the glands ; or the lungs, liver, kidneys, &c., may be 

 infiltrated with purulent accumulations. 



The post 77iortem appearances of those which have died during 

 the early and acute stages of the disease are as follows : — 



Darkness and fluidity of the blood ; the subcutaneous tissues 

 of the swollen parts filled with dark red or cinnamon coloured, 

 feebly coagulable exudate. Dark spots will be found on the 

 theccB of muscles, and in the muscular structures of various 

 parts of the body. They do not penetrate deeply into the 

 muscular tissues, but the stain gradually decreases as the 

 muscle is cut into, and some trace of it may be found to 

 extend perhaps an inch into the thicker muscles. The vari- 

 ous serous membranes — the pleura, endocardium, pericardium, 

 and cerebral meninges — will be covered with petechial spots, 

 the mucous membranes stained black or blackish-green. This 

 colour will not be uniform, but interspersed with petechial spots, 

 and in some instances the membranes will be covered with a 

 thick layer of imp6rfectly coagulated blood ;i and, again, cinna- 

 mon-coloured, gelatinous coagula will be found on the heart, 

 along with a serous effusion, filling the pericardial sac. The 

 dark spots become black on exposure to the air. The blood 

 has a violet tint, and is variously altered on exposure ; in some 

 instances it reddens, in others, like the spots, it becomes darker. 

 Kept in a vial closely corked, it will retain its fluidity for a very 

 long period. (Healthy blood, to which ammonia has been added, 

 can scarcely be distinguished from the blood of purpura.) 



^ I have a beautiful drawing, given me by Mr. C. Stephenson, Newcastle, of a 

 brain and spinal cord of a horse which died comatose from purpura, showing the 

 ai'achnoidean cavity, cerebral and spinal, filled with extravasation. 



