288 DISEASES OF TRUE INFECTION 



complete prostration, no appetite, skin cold and inelastic. When the 

 skin is drawn from the body it remains in position instead of flying back 

 as healthy elastic skin will do; foetid stools, albuminuria. As a rule death 

 comes quickly. In less acute cases we find symptoms of nephritis, 

 hepatitis, endocarditis, or evidences of localization of the condition in 

 the formation of abscesses of the lungs, liver, or in the articulations. 



Therapeutics. — There has been no specific serum that seems to have 

 any effect on the disease, so the symptoms must be treated as they appear. 

 Try to keep up the strength of the patient, administer alcohol in the form 

 of wine, whiskey, or brandy frequently, and strong liquid foods. Digi- 

 talis and strophanthus have not given good results in keeping up the heart's 

 action in septic diseases; to cut down the fever use antipyrin, antifebrin or 

 Cj[uinine; the latter should not be given if the heart is particularly weak. 

 To assist in eliminating the microbes, administer a hypodermic injection 

 of from 30 to 300.0 c.c. of an 8 per cent, solution of chloride of sodium. 

 It is well to keep in mind the importance of antiseptics in all wounds and 

 operations, and any ^^I'ocess of disease that will tend to produce 

 septicopysemia. 



Malignant CEdema. 



{CEdemu Maligna.) 



This disease is extremely rare in the dog. It is an acute infectious 

 disease caused by a specific bacterium (bacillus oedematis malignae). It 

 begins at a certain infected point in the form of a hot, painful oedematous, 

 pitty swelling which afterwards becomes an emphysematous (crepitating) 

 swelling which extends very rapidly into the surrounding tissues. This 

 crepitation is peculiar to the disease, and can be separated from simple 

 emphysema by the fact that in simple emphysema there is no fever pres- 

 ent. Immediately after death the bacilli are found in the serum of the 

 oedematous swellings and in the blood. 



This Bacillus oedematis malignse is not only found in animals but also 

 in garden soil, dust, putrid organic materials, excrement of herbaceous 

 animals, etc. It has been demonstrated recently that the oedema bacillus 

 only develops when in combination with other bacilli such as the staphylo- 

 cocci, diplococci, etc. 



The treatment of malignant oedema must be very energetic, as the 

 disease causes death in a very short time. It consists in opening and 

 breaking down the infected connecting tissues and thoroughly disinfecting 

 them, first cleaning them out with peroxide of hydrogen, and then 

 washing with a 1 to 3000 solution of corrosive sublimate. 



