8o I'^eterinary Obstetrics 



elliptical elevations or " talerflecke." These eruptions appear 

 suddenly, largely about the flanks, neck, sjioulders, sides and 

 thighs as more or less circular elevations, one to several inches 

 in diameter. The margins of these are very abrupt and stand 

 up above the level of the healthy skin like the eruptions of urti- 

 caria, the hairs upon them being erect. They appear suddenly, 

 not, usually, in great numbers, but only one to five or six at a 

 time, remain a few days and disappear without leaving a mark, 

 to be succeeded by a new crop. It is claimed that, in these 

 placques, the trypanosomes are very abundant during the first 

 stages of their existence, but as the eruptions grow old the para- 

 sites rapidly disappear from them. 



It has been stated that these placques may cause intense itch- 

 ing and lead the animal to bite or rub the part and that they 

 sometimes suppurate. None of these symptoms have been 

 observed by us. 



It is not uncommon to observe in the latter stages of the dis- 

 ease a more or less profuse discharge from the nostrils. This 

 nasal discharge may in some cases be suggestive of glanders and 

 superficial ulceration of the mucous membrane may rarely be 

 present. These erosions, when present, have no specific charac- 

 ter in appearance and suggest rather a necrosis of a greatly de- 

 bilitated tissue as the result of an irritant applied externally. It 

 must not be forgotten that glanders and dourine may coexist 

 and that the latter would, naturally, greatly intensify' the former. 



The general debility or cachexia of the disease shows itself 

 clearly in lesions of the skin. Any wound of the part heals 

 tardily and, if the animal is so weak that it is recumbent a large 

 part of its time, it suffers from extensive decubitis gangrene. 



The symptoms, which are largely referable to the nerv- 

 ous system, appear at about the same time as the placques or not 

 long afterward. The first and most pronounced of this group is 

 usually a progressive paresis, which is chiefly observable in the 

 hinder parts. At first there is an unsteady gait, the animal bring- 

 ing the hind feet forward in a difficult and somewhat uncertain 

 manner. There is a tendency to drag the toe along the ground 

 or to strike it at the middle of the stride. When weight is 

 placed upon the foot the toe is usually brought down first, with 

 the fetlock flexed, and the heel is then lowered suddenly. While 

 standing, there is a tendency for the fetlocks to be maintained in 



