INTESTINAL CATARRH 63 



drug should be slowly soluble, or in the powder form, or contained 

 intimately mixed with some other substance, it may reach the small 

 intestines or even the large intestines and the rectum. 



The intensity of the disease depends on the amount of the drug taken 

 and on the effect it has on the mucous membranes. The only result may 

 be an attack of acute'catarrh, with some loss of the epithelium of the mu- 

 cous membrane, or there may be also a gangrenous destruction of the 

 w^alls of the stomach. It is seldom that irritating agents get any further 

 than that organ, wasting their strength there and changing the wall of 

 the stomach into a blackened or tinder-like mass, and all the surrounding 

 tissues are swollen and reddened by hyperaemia or hemorrhages. 



We may safely conclude that we have a toxic gastro-enteritis to 

 contend with when the symptoms of a serious gastric catarrh appear sud- 

 denly, especially after eating, and if the grave symptoms increase rapidly 

 and are accompanied by loss of appetite, salivation, vomiting, great 

 restlessness, severe pains taking the nature of colic, and on pressure on 

 the abdomen, it is painful and greatly distended, the vomited matter and 

 the passages from the intestines being mixed with mucus and blood, 

 tenesmus, great weakness and small frequent pulse. 



The treatment consists, first, in giving an emetic, or use a stomach- 

 pump or wash the stomach, see page 21, and after that has had its effect, 

 give a laxative, an oleaginous one (olive oil or linseed oil) is the best, 

 rectal injections of warm w^ater, if there is much j^ain and irritation, small 

 quantities of opium can be given in the oil, and if the poison can be dis- 

 covered, use the proper antidotes, which are given in the chapter on 

 Poisoning. 



Mycotic Inflammation of the Stomach and Intestines (Gastro- 

 enteritis, Mycotic Decayed Meat Poisoning). — This is a variety of toxic 

 inflammation, of the stomach and intestines. It is due to decayed meat 

 poisoning. This is seen after the animal has eaten decomposed meat, 

 offal or from drinking brine (Leisering), or eating cadavers of dogs or other 

 animals that have died infected with bacteria, i.e., pus, septic metritis, 

 mastitis, enteritis, nephritis; from drinking or licking the juices of de- 

 cayed meat, putrified cheese, sausage; fish and all such matters that are 

 filled with toxincs and tox-albumens, developed from the micro-organ- 

 isms such materials contain, also from drinking from stagnant ponds 

 and bodies of water containing decayed substances, or cadavers. This 

 condition is seen in all sorts and conditions of animals, in the best fed and 

 semi-starved, in the first from depraved appetite, due to indigestion. 

 Even when they are well fed, they get into the habit, if they are allowed to 

 roam in closely populated towns and villages, to go a regular route from 

 one garbage pail to another and eat all sorts of decayed vegetable or 

 animal matter. The active agent has a toxic principle present in it. The 



