INFLAMMATORY FEVER. 225 



It increases daily, notwithstanding the means employed, and at length 

 assumes the form of pleurisy, or enteritis, or some local inflamma- 

 tory complaint. The general irritation has here concentrated itself 

 on some organ eitlier previously debilitated, or at that time predis- 

 posed to take on inflammation. It is pure or idiopathic fever, as- 

 suming, after a while, a local determination. This is a serious, and 

 frequently a fatal case ; for the whole system having been previously 

 afi'ected, and, probably, debihtated, and disposed to take on inflam- 

 matory action, the proper remedies cannot be sr> fearlessly and suc- 

 cessfully used. Local means of abating inflammation must here be 

 pushed to their full extent. 



Symptomatic fever is yet more frequent and dangerous. No or- 

 gan of consequence can be long disordered or inflamed, without the 

 neighboring parts being disturbed, and the whole system gradually 

 sharing in the disturbance. By the degree of this general aff"ection, 

 by the heat of the mouth, and the frequency of the pulse, a judg- 

 ment is formed not only of the degree of general disturbance, but 

 of the intensity of the local aff"ection. The subsidence of the pulse, 

 and the return of the appetite, and the recommencement of rumina- 

 tion, are indications both of the diminution of the general irritation, 

 and the local cause of it. 



Some have denied the existence of this essential fever in cattle, 

 but the facts that have been stated cannot be doubted. It would 

 be scarcely necessary to recur to this were there not so many instan- 

 ces of bad and dangerous practice in the early treatment of these 

 cases. If fever were plainly recogni'Zed, the owner or the sui-geon 

 would be more anxious to get rid of the local affection before the 

 system was materially affected ; and if he was aware of pure and 

 essential fever, he would endeavor to remove it before it took on local 

 determination. These are the golden rules of practice, which no 

 nonsensical theories should cause any one for a moment to forget. 



INFLAMMATORY- FEVER THE BLOOD BLOOD-STRIKING BLACK-LEG 



QUARTER-EVIL, OR BLACK-QUARTER. 



Thousands of cattle fall victims every year to a disease, which, 

 from its virulent character and speedy course, may be termed inflam- 

 matory fever. A disease of this character, but known by a number 

 of strange yet expressive terms, is occasionally prevalent, and ex- 

 ceedingly fatal among cattle in every district. It is termed black- 

 quarter, quarter-evil, joint-murrain, blood-striking, shoot of blood, 

 •kc; and although it may not, at any time, embody all the symp- 

 toms of either of these diseases, according, at least, as they are un- 

 derstood in some parts of the country, there are few cases in which 

 the prevailing symptoms of most of them are not exhibited in some 

 of the stages. 



10* 



