Case of Croup in a . Calf. 59 



sucked, and swallowed the milk ; which it had not 

 done for several days before. But the disease return- 

 ed ; and continued for four or five days, with restless- 

 ness, a cough, and the sharp sound of difficult respira- 

 tion. It finally died, by suffocation, in a spasmodick, 

 or convulsion, fit. I believe about eight or nine days 

 had elapsed, from the time I had the first notice of the 

 disease. The calf was about a week old, when it was 

 first seized with the disorder. I had it dissected (not 

 very neatly) by my old farmer. In the wind pipe 

 there was every appearance I had seen or read of in 

 human subjects, victims to the Croup. The mem- 

 braneous substance obstructing the inside of the tra- 

 chea^ and the coagulated lymph, or tough mucus, 

 which formed a kind of false casing to the trachea^ 

 and a sort of ill digested greyish pus^ filled up the pas- 

 sage ; and the preternatural membrane, or enlarge- 

 ment of a natural one, was remarkably apparent. 

 There were appearances of inflammation, in one or 

 two places. I intended to have sent the whole of the 

 parts aflfected to you ; and your professional knowledge 

 would have enabled you to have given of them a de- 

 scription, of which I am incapable. But my old far- 

 mer conceived my curiosity sufficiently satisfied ; and, 

 in my absence cut to pieces the wind pipe, and sepa- 

 rated all the morbid parts, for his own amusement. 1 

 regretted my disappointment much. It is certainly 

 an inflammatory disease ; and in its incipient state 

 should be treated accordingly ; with depleting and 

 cooling remedies, among which frequent bleeding 

 is essential. After its being fixed, I doubt the effica- 

 cy of any remedies. Dr. Rush informs me he ha 



