DISEASES OP THE OX AND SHEEP. 585 



the teats of sheep and cows, in which case the skin usually soon 

 begins to crack, and from the thick edges of the cracks a thin 

 gelatinous fluid may be exuded. This fluid may, it seems, 

 infect the lips of lambs and calves. In the cow an erythema of 

 the udder in some cases is, it seems, due to a constitutional 

 specific infection, the vesicles which are formed containing 

 matter which Mr. Power found to cause scarlet fever in man, 

 and which Dr. Klein has fully investigated {vide " Scarlet 

 Fever," pages 328-357). 



When this condition affects the udder in a severe form, mere 

 handling of the teat may produce very great pain, and in these 

 cases the milk should be drawn awa'y by means of a teat-syphon, 

 and on no account should the milk be used for dairy purposes. 

 The calf should be removed, and, if the mouth be affected, it 

 should be dressed with a suitable preparation. The udder should 

 be dressed with the ointment of Eucalyptus or that of salicylic 

 acid. In some cases it may be well to apply a layer of 



n 



Fig. 74.— Milk-Tdbe. 



medicated cotton-wool to the surface of the udder, and to 

 support this organ by means of a broad bandage tied round 

 the back. A cathartic drench should also be administered, and 

 other suitable measures should be carried out by the veterinary 

 surgeon. 



As we have just said, chronic erythema may manifest itself 

 on the udders of ewes and on the lips of lambs, and it is 

 generally met with in the spring, at which season the animals 

 are plethoric. Chronic erythema may develop into an aphthous 

 or ulcerous eruption on the lips and udders respectively, the 

 disorder being transmitted from the one to the other. In these 

 cases it may be found advisable to draw off the milk by means 

 of teat-tubes or otherwise, and if the lambs are permitted to 

 suck, the teats should at least be protected by means of a gutta- 

 percha shield ; for, if no such measure be taken, the teats may, 

 by reason of the rough usage to which they are subjected, be 

 very deeply eroded. When this is the case, the best plan is to 



