CONTAGIOUS AND EPIZOOTIC DISEASES. i if 



and again in 1850 by an English one, New Jersey in 1S47 Dy 

 English stock, and Boston, Mass., by Dutch cattle in 1859. 

 In Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Oldenburg, Schleswig, Massa- 

 chusetts, and New Jersey, it was stamped out, in the last case 

 by the importer, Mr Richardson, sacrificing his whole herd and 

 voluntarily assuming the loss, but in the other places named it 

 was left to itself and spread disastrously. 



Symptoms. — The period of latency of the poison in the system 

 is from four to six weeks, and in exceptional cases perhaps two 

 or three months or as short as ten days. Increased temper- 

 ature of the body usually appears a week or two before other 

 symptoms. Then there is a slight cough, erection of hair along 

 the back, sometimes shivering, and always tenderness of the 

 back to pinching, the animal crouching and groaning. Soon 

 breathing and pulse become accelerated, bowels costive, urine 

 scanty and high coloured, milk diminished, appetite impaired, 

 rumination irregular, nose alternately moist and dry, and legs 

 and horns cold and hot. If in the field, the sick leave the herd. 

 The cough increases in harshness, depth, and painfulness, and 

 all the symptoms are aggravated until the animal stands in one 

 posture, with head extended on the neck, mouth open, and 

 every breath accompanied by a loud moan. From the earliest 

 stages the ear applied to the sides of the chest detects an 

 absence of munnur over particular parts of the lung, or lungs, 

 with a line of crepitation (fine crackling) around it, and occa- 

 sionally rubbing, wheezing, and other unnatural sounds. On 

 percussion over the silent parts the natural resonance is found 

 to have given place to dullness, and the animal winces and 

 groans. Other peculiar sounds may follow later, into which we 

 cannot enter here, and exhausting liquid discharges fi-om tne 

 bowels and kidneys, tympanies and abortions are frequent 

 results. Death may take place early, from suffocation, when 

 both lungs are involved, or may be delayed six weeks or more. 

 The percentage of deaths and permanent destriction to 



