276 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF THE OX. 



parts ; the actual muscle of the organ becomes atrophied by the 

 growth of the fungus, which not uncommonly spreads to the 

 jaws, palate, gums, and cheeks, and even sometimes to the gullet 

 and stomach. 



Enke thus describes the tongue taken from a cow freshly 

 slaughtered after having had actinomycosis six months. The 

 back portion was much swollen and elevated. About three 

 inches behind the tip were found a number of irregular sharply 

 defined warty excrescences over the entire upper surface of the 

 organ. In size they varied from that of a linseed to a hen's 

 egg ; the largest having broken through the lining membrane, 

 while the smaller ones could be felt as little irregular lumps 

 beneath it. The large ones were like oval flattened warty 

 growths, without any epithelial coating; their colour was 

 yellowish, and they were soft and elastic to the touch. The 

 largest of these was on the right side of the tongue, and it 

 measured 4J centimetres long and 3 centimetres broad, and 2^ 

 centimetres high. On the surface of the tongue there were also 

 found three large well-defined reddish cicatrices with small 

 irregularities on their surfaces. When the tongue was cut into, 

 the tissues were found to be very resistant, and the cut surface 

 showed an enormous number of greyish and yellowish white 

 nodules imbedded in patches in the pale-red muscular tissue of 

 the organ. The upper surface of the incised bodies showed a 

 number of millet-seed yellow nodules. The weight of the tongue 

 was 5 lb. 7 oz. 



In some cases the tumours have been found growing at the 

 sides of the back of the mouth, where they cause difficulty of 

 swallowing. When they occur at the opening of the gullet,' 

 they may occlude its channel, and thus the food may pass into 

 the windpipe and disease of the lungs be set up. Sometimes 

 the upper portion of the windpipe itself is invaded, and even the 

 nasal cavities are not uncommonly thus affected. In some cases 

 the bottom lip is greatly indurated and enlarged, this being the 

 only manifestation of the disease. 



We may now consider the actual symptoms manifested by an 

 infected animal. The first case to which we call attention as 

 illustrating these was one of a two-and-a-half year old bullock, 

 the property of a cattle-dealer who had kept and fed him on 

 the Wolds of Lincolnshire. It was first noticed that the beast, 



