68 THE FARM DOCTOR. 



and to gravitate downwards into the limbs and the lower parts 

 of the trunk, where they form extended, tolerably smooth swell- 

 ings, pitting on pressure, and subsiding abruptly into the sound 

 skin at their upper margins. The membrane lining the nose 

 usually shows dark blood spots and patches, ineffaceable by 

 pressure even at this early stage, sometimes indeed before 

 any swelling of the skin, but always as the disease advances. 

 Similar spots may be seen on the skins of white animals. The 

 urine is usually dense, thick, ammoniacal, and often brownish- 

 red. Shivering often marks the period of effusion, but there is 

 at first little change of pulse, temperature, breathing or appetite. 

 As the swellings increase, the animal becomes unable to see, to 

 eat, or even to move almost, and breathing may be carried on 

 only with the greatest difficulty, through the swollen and closed 

 nostrils. Transverse cracks and yellowish liquid oozing, appeal 

 in the bends of the joints; little blisters with yellowish or 

 bloody contents rise, especially in the hollow of the heel behind 

 the pastern, and, bursting, continue to discharge. Yellowish 

 serum or dark blood may ooze from the general surface of the 

 swelling; patches of skin die, drop off, and leave unhealthy, 

 weak sores with a serous discharge ; the exudations may even 

 soften the muscles, and loosen and detach the tendons from the 

 bones, leading to turning up of the toe or other distortions. 

 Sometimes the superficial swellings suddenly subside, and 

 unless a critical diarrhoea or diuresis occurs, serous infiltration 

 of some internal organ like the lungs or bowels is apt to ensue, 

 cutting off the patient suddenly, with great oppression of 

 breathing, or violent and persistent colicky pains, and, at 

 times, a bloody foetid diarrhoea. 



The symptoms and dangers vary with the seat of the effusion. 

 The result is most favourable when this is under the skin, the 

 main danger then bemg from suffocation, extensive death and 

 sloughing of skin, and softening and detachment of tendons 

 and ligaments. Unless improvement is shown by the third or 



