632 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF THE OX. 



in the earlier stages; but if they have gradually grown to a large 

 size, it is often best to slaughter the animal. 



The seventh variety of tumours in oxen, of which we shall 

 speak here, are termed wens. A true wen is a dense fibrous 

 tumour with a small core of cheesy or calcareous material. 

 Indeed a wen may be compared with a purse, with sides of fatty 

 and fibrous tissue, and a small cavity. Wens vary greatly in 

 size ; they may be as large as two fists, and they generally 

 appear either under the tongue or at the angle of the jaw or near 

 the throat. In some instances in the earlier stages a strong 

 blister of biniodide of mercury will remove them altogether ; but, 

 when full grown, they can only be taken off with the knife. 

 They may possibly be tuberculous in origin and nature. True 

 wens are to be distinguished from cartilaginous thickenings or 

 tumours of the larynx or throat, which may be rather diffuse 

 and flattened, and are firmly adherent to the larynx. Our 

 readers will perceive that tumours are much more commonly 

 met with in oxen than in horses; and the importance of this fact 

 is one not to be overlooked, bearing as it does on the relationship 

 of the tumours of man and beast. 



The eighth and last kind of tumours in oxen are termed 

 osteo-sarcomata. They are not uncommon on the lower jaw, 

 beginning as hard bony swellings and gradually enlarging. 

 As they grow, the skin sloughs from over them, and the 

 growth then presents a raw surface, from which a horribly 

 fetid discharge oozes. If the animal is allowed to live, these 

 tumours grow to an enormous size, and, strange to say, 

 their presence does not seem to affect very materially the 

 general health, until they involve the alveolar cavities of the 

 teeth and the tongue. The animal, unless killed, then wastes 

 and dies. 



In cases of osteo-sarcomata , the best plan is to have the animal 

 slaughtered, as these tumours always involve bone. In shape 

 these growths are usually oval, and they are about four to eight 

 or ten inches in length as a rule. They spread into the bone of 

 the jaw, and in weight they vary from two to eight pounds. On 

 the surface they are greatly cut up and nicked. Of such tumours 

 the writers have seen twelve or fourteen. These tumours, we 

 must mention, are to be distinguished from the exostoses men- 

 tioned in our last. Our readers are no doubt aware that a beast 



