224 DISEASES OF THE HOG. 



There is a marked weakness of the hind legs; the 

 animal staggers, its legs crossing each other, but 

 differs from paralysis in its being able to move 

 them until the last. Some time before death there 

 are patches on the skin of a bluish or purplish 

 color, especially on the inside of hind legs. If 

 these patches are pressed they will become pale, 

 which does not occur in other diseases where the 

 skin becomes discolored, such as in erysipelas. 

 The temperature of the body is at first increased, 

 but soon falls below normal, and I have seen in a 

 few cases, dark blood oozing through the skin. In 

 a number of cases the animal dies in from three to 

 six hours, others live for several days. Although 

 an animal may die in from three to six hours from 

 the time it is first noticed to be sick, there is no 

 doubt but what the animal has been ailing more or 

 less for several days before it is actually taken 

 down sick. I have made post-mortem examinations 

 of pigs, which, to all appearance, seemed well; but 

 on opening them, all the characteristics of the dis- 

 ease were present in an undeveloped form. It is 

 ncessary to make a post-mortem of the first hog 

 that dies to enable us to form a correct opinion as 

 to the nature of the disease. 



Post-mortem appearance : On removing the skin 

 there is usually found an accumulation of serum 

 often mixed with blood, causing red or black spots; 

 this is the result of the plugging and rupture of 

 small blood vessels. I have seen some cases which 

 resembled that which is produced when a hog has 

 been roughly handled on being shipped. In most 



