174 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF THE OX. 



pressure. The animal often changes the position of the hind- 

 legs, and seldom if ever lies down. 



If, when nearly wearied out by the ravages of disease, the 

 subjects of pleuro-pneumonia assume the recumbent posture, it 

 is but for a short time that they do so, and even then the same 

 untiring effort to breathe may be seen in that they rest on 

 the middle line of the chest, with limbs doubled up under the 

 body, or perhaps with the fore-limbs extended in front. The animal 

 stands with muzzle protruded, and with the neck extended almost 

 in a straight line. The back is arched, the nostrils are more 

 markedly dilated, and the flanks heave more violently. The 

 mouth is hot and clammy, the muzzle dry, the breath fetid. 

 There may be even a suppression of the milk and a complete 

 loss of appetite. Only small quantities of fluid can be drunk, 

 and the swallowing even of these produces coughing. There is 

 a watery discharge from the nose and eyes, and this may become 

 purulent and offensive in odour. The extremities, horns, ears, 

 and other parts of the body may be at times hot, at times cold. 

 The mucous membranes are injected, the bowels costive, the 

 feces being hard, dark, and rarely voided. The urine is scanty, 

 and of a high colour; the skin previously dry, harsh, and tightly 

 Ijound to the tissues beneath, clinging to the bones and feeling 

 tense, like parchment, becomes yellow, dirty and scurfy. The 

 body wastes, and the animal becomes exceedingly weak. 



There may be slight shivering fits. The pulse full, fairly firm 

 and averaging about 73 per minute in the earlier part of this 

 stage, afterwards becomes much smaller and feebler, and some- 

 times intermittent and irregular. Indeed it may be scarcely 

 perceptible. The heart's beats are of a bounding character, and 

 are said to become more tumultuous as death approaches. There 

 may be a venous pulse on account of the obstruction to the 

 pulmonary circulation. Auscultation and percussion indicate 

 that extensive alterations are proceeding in the lungs and chest 

 cavity. If the ear be placed at the bottom of the neck, in close 

 contact with it, a loud rushing sound of air is heard. At the 

 top and side of the chest, a little behind the shoulder-blade, the 

 sounds heard are still louder. Behind and below these parts, 

 however, no sound, or only slight whiffing and wheezing noises, 

 can be detected. This absence of sound indicates consolidation 

 of the lung or existence of fluid in the chest, and in these cases 



