572 THE DISEASES AND DISOEDEES OP THE OX. 



The urine itself was acid in reaction. No casts, no crystals, no 

 pus, and no blood, could be detected by the aid of the microscope; 

 but the kidneys, when removed and examined, presented well- 

 marked signs of disease. The capsules separated very readily, 

 leaving exposed a yellowish surface mottled with congested 

 stellate veins. The cortex, when cut into, was seen to be 

 swollen, pale yellow in colour, and exceedingly soft. Moreover, 

 the pyramids were firm and of a deep red colour. 



Microscopical examination of the kidneys revealed the fact 

 that the disease was acute tubal nephritis. All the uriniferous 

 tubules of the cortex were greatly distended and choked up by 

 the swollen and degenerated epithelium cells. In the case of 

 the greater number of the sections, the outlines of the cells 

 themselves could not be distinctly seen, though the nuclei could 

 often be made out. The cells were in such an advanced stage 

 of granular degeneration that for the most part they did not 

 stain with logwood, although the Malpighian vessels and 

 adjacent structures did take this stain. Indeed, the Malpighian 

 vascular tufts were very prominent, while their linings of epithe- 

 lial cells were in an advanced stage of granular degeneration, 

 and, like the cells of the uriniferous tubules, they were not 

 stained by the logwood, and could scarcely be distinguished. All 

 the tubules of the cortex of both kidneys were afi'ected, but- 

 the interstitial tissues were quite normal in appearance, and the 

 epithelium of the tubules of the pyramids was but slightly 

 affected. 



The kidneys of the other lamb presented quite similar, but 

 not such decided changes. The skeleton, the brain, the spinal 

 cord (which was microscopically examined), and likewise the 

 navel, were all free from signs of disease. 



The following were the symptoms as gleaned partly from Dr. 

 Unwin, and partly from Mr. Goodacre, a farmer, who lost scores 

 of lambs. As soon as born, the lambs looked weak, and the 

 disease itself generally appeared soon after birth, or some lambs 

 were even born almost lifeless and died soon afterwards. Diffi- 

 culty in walking is one of the first symptoms, the lambs reel 

 about, and subsequently entirely lose the power of walking, and 

 even that of standing, and the weakness increases very rapidly, 

 and at length the animals fall down and remain lying on one side. 

 The loss of power is seen in all the limbs equally. The lambs 



