'264 THE. DISEASES AND DISORDERS 01^ THE OX. 



This is strikingly shown by the fact that if cattle-plague in its 

 benignant form is propagated from Eastern Europe to other 

 countries where the disease does not exist, it assumes the 

 malignant type. 



Now, the symptoms of benignant cattle - plague are not 

 marked, nor is the disease in this form at all fatal in its results. 

 The manifestations of fever are but feeble and transient, and 

 th,e disease may be shown only by signs of fatigue and weakness 

 in the animals which are attacked. There may be in addition a 

 slight diarrhoea, and also an eruption of the skin, and possibly 

 greater or less disturbance of the function of digestion, together 

 with loss of appetite, shedding of tears, coughing, diminution of 

 -milk in milk-giving cows, slight elevation of the body- tempera- 

 ture, and finally, as the natural result of these disturbances of 

 (the vital processes, general depression. Yet no one can exag- 

 :gerate the importance of bearing in mind that even the very 

 mildest of these mild cases of cattle-plague are capable of pro- 

 ducing in the cattle of other countries this disease in its most 

 deadly form. 



Malignant Cattle-Plague. — Among the cattle of eastern 

 countries, the scourge, though varied and irregular, and, more- 

 over, gradually produced, is of an exceedingly severe character 

 The symptoms to be now briefly described are not to be observed 

 In the same animal, as they vary greatly in intensity and also in 

 regard to order of succession. The nervous phenomena, though 

 the most constant, are also variable ; but having regard to the 

 extreme intricacy of the working of the nervous system, this 

 may be perhaps rather apparent than real. Sensibility may be 

 either heightened or diminished. Sometimes the animals may 

 be afflicted with delirium to such an extent that they present the 

 jippearance of suffering from the violent form of rabies. Breath- 

 ing is performed with difficulty after exertion, or even during 

 rest. 



The first noticeable sign of the disease is an elevation of 

 temperature which may be observed by the thermometer or by 

 placing the hand into the rectum, (Guyot.) This rise of body- 

 heat usually appears about two days before the changes in the 

 mucous membranes. In the morning the temperature is lower 

 itlian in the evening, and it rises during the day, and sinks during 

 *tlie night. It may vary about 1° C, but it is generally about 



