226 CATTLE. 



Cattle of all descriptions and ages are occasionally subject to in- 

 flammatory fever ; but young stock, and those that are thriving most 

 rapidly, ''ire its chief victims. So aware is the proprietor of young 

 short-horn cattle of this, that while he is determined to take full ad- 

 vantage of their unrivalled early maturity by turning them on mor<» 

 luxuriant pasture than prudence would always dictate, he endeavors 

 to guard himself by periodical bleeding, or by the insertion of setons 

 in the dewlap of all his yearlings. This disease is sometimes epi- 

 demic, that is, the cattle of a certain district have been pushed on 

 too rapidly ; they have lurking inflammation about them, or they 

 have a tendency to it ; and, by-and-byo. comes some change or state 

 of the atmosphere w^iich acts upon this inflammatory predisposition, 

 and the disease runs through the district. 



There are few premonitory symptoms of inflammatory fever. Of- 

 ten without any, and generally with very slight indications of previ- 

 ous illness, the animal is found with his neck extended ; his head 

 brought, as much as he can aff'ect it, into a horrizontal position ; 

 the eyes protruding, and red ; the muzzle dry ; the nostrils expand- 

 ed ; the breath hot ; the lOot of the horn considerably so ; the 

 mouth partly open ; the tongue enlarged, or apparently so ; the 

 pulse full, hard, and from 65 to 70 ; the breathing quickened and 

 laborious ; the flanks violently heaving, and the animal moaning in 

 a low and peculiar way. 



Sometimes the animal is in full possession of his senses, but gen- 

 erally there is a degree of unconsciousness of surrounding objects : he 

 will stand for an hour or more without the slightest change of pos- 

 ture, he can scarcely be induced to move, or when compelled to do 

 so, he staggers ; and the staggering is principally referable to the 

 hind quarters ; rumination has ceased, and the appetite is quite gone. 

 After a while he becomes more uneasy, yet it is oftener a change 

 of posture to ease his tired limbs, than a pawung : at length he lies 

 down, or rather drops ; gets up almost immediately ; is soon down 

 again ; and debility rapidly increasing, he continues prostrate ; some- 

 times he lies in a comatose state ; at others, there are occasional but 

 fi-uitless efforts to rise. The symptoms rapidly increase : there is 

 no intermission ; and the animal dies in twelve to twenty-four hours. 



In a majority of cases, and especially if the disease has been prop- 

 erly treated, the animal seems to rally a little, and some of the symp- 

 toms appear, from which the common names of the disease derive 

 their origin. The beast attempts to get up : after some attempts he 

 succeeds, but he is sadly lame in one or both of the hind quarters. 

 If he is not yet fallen, he suddenly becomes lame ; so lame as to 

 scarcely be able to move. He has quarter-evil — johit-miirrain. 



This is not always an unfavorable symptom. The disease may 

 be leaving the vital parts for those of less consequence. If the 

 apparent return of strength continues for a da}- or two, we may en- 



