ON THE 



DISEASES OE SWINE. 



It is only very lately that any persons have condc-scended to take 

 into consideration the maladies of swine, and they are little under 

 stood. The diseases that have been recoo-nised are not numerous, 

 but they are exceedingly fatal ; and that fatality is increased by the 

 difficulty of nianaginij these unruly animals. 



The most frequent disease, and as fatal as any, i/* — 



I x\ F L A M M A T I x\ OF THE LINGS. 



This complaint is known among the breede'3 and fatteners of swine 

 by the terra of risino; of Ike lipids. There seems to be a peculiar 

 tendency in every malady of this animal to take on a highly inflam- 

 mator)'^ character. It is the consequence of the forcing system that is 

 adopted in the fattening of the hog. It resembles the blood or inflam- 

 matory fever of oxen and sheep, — a general and high degfree of fever, 

 produced on a system already strongly disposed to take on intense 

 inflammatory action from the slightest causes. Every little cold is 

 apt to degenerate into inflammation of the lungs in the fatted or fat- 

 tening hog; and so many cases of this sometimes occur in the same 

 establishment, or the same neighbourhood — in fact among those who 

 are exposed to the same exciting cause, that the disease is mistaken 

 for an epidemic. There is no doubt that when this heaving of the 

 lights begins to appear in a herd of swine, a great many of them are 

 sooner or later affected by it, and die. It is the cough or cold that ia 

 epidemic, but it is the plethora and inflammatory state of the animals 

 that cause it to be so general as well as fatal. 



The early symptom is cough. A cough in a hog is always a suspi- 

 cious circumstance, and should be early and promptly attended to 

 The disease is rapid in its progress. The animal heaves dreadfully 

 at the flanks; he has a most distressing conoh, which sometimes 

 almost suffocates him, and he refuses to eat. The principal guiding 

 symptom will be the cough getting worse and worse, and becorainj:j 

 evidently connected with a great deal of fever. 



In many cases congestion takes place in the lungs, and the animal 

 dies in three or four days: in others he appears for a v/hile to be 

 get'.ing better; but there is a sudden relapse, a frequent dry husky 

 couyh comes on, there is little appetite, rapid wasting, and the hog 

 dies in a few weeks, evidently consumptive. 



16 (231) 



