ECZEMA 



447 



liable to it. It affects certain localities of the body more than others — 

 the neck, jaws, elbow, on the back anterior to the tail, and the outside 

 of the thigh. The first type is restricted to small, irregularly circum- 

 scribed regions, but has a tendency to extend to the neighboring tissues. 

 The eruption begins as eczema papulosum with close nodules. The skin 

 becomes red in irregularly circular patches varying in size from a 

 quarter (shilling) to the palm of the hand (Fig. 158); there is increased 

 heat and the skin thickens, the hair stands up, and soon a number of 

 small vesicles are seen, which burst and discharge a pale yellow viscid fluid, 

 and in from twelve to twenty-four hours there is partial or complete 



Fig. 158. — Moist eczema of the shoulder, and muzzle to jjrevent the animal biting it. 



loss of hair. This rapidly changes into the vesicular layer by alteration of 

 the nodule, and finally we see the appearance of the median stage. 

 This has a more or less extended surface without skin or hair, and shows 

 a bright red, serous, sero-fibrinous or purulent exudate, very painful 

 to the touch, and having a great tendency to extend to the adjacent 

 tissues (phagedenic scab). The stage of crustation follows A^ery slowly; 

 the exudate dries, forming a yellow-green to brownish crust which is 

 firmly fixed to the skin and if not rubbed by the animal forms a thick 

 scab that may fall off in a few days, but generally it is two or sometimes 

 three weeks before it finally comes off, leaving a glossy, hairless, deep 

 red or pigmented surface, with more or less gray scales. The surface 

 soon becomes covered with fine hair, which soon grows very rapidly, 

 covering the spot very quickly. This termination is frequently altered 



