TUBERCULOSIS 145 



acute or chronic diseases, should invariably include 

 careful palpation of the superficial lymph glands, such 

 as the prescapular, precrural, iliac, and mammary 

 groups. Enlargement of any of these glands to a 

 marked degree is sufficient cause for the application of 

 tuberculin, especially when the enlargement is bilateral 

 in any group. 



Localized tuberculous abscesses are very common in 

 the submaxillary, cervical and pharyngeal lymph 

 glands, assuming immense proportions on occasions. 

 If the veterinarian merely lances these and fails to 

 recognize their true significance, he is in grave error. 

 Another very frequent location of a localized tuber- 

 cular abscess is on the side of the face, just a trifle 

 below the eye and near the facial tuberosity. Ab- 

 scesses of this nature are always slow in forming ; some 

 of them rupture spontaneously, discharge their con- 

 tents and heal over, only to enlarge again very soon 

 thereafter. There is here a fairly accurate diagnostic 

 point, to wit: these abscesses may rupture and dis- 

 charge their contents spontaneously. In the cow, ab- 

 scess formations, not tuberculous, hardly ever rupture 

 spontaneously. Immense collections of non-specific pus 

 are retained sub-dermally in the cow for indefinte pe- 

 riods if they are not molested surgically. 



In a dairy practice, abscess formation in any group 

 of lymphatics, not accompanied by definite pathological 

 conditions to which such abscess formation might be 

 attributed, should always be suspected as being tuber- 

 culous. While the experienced practitioner can make 

 a reasonably sure identification by macroscopic pus ex- 

 amination, we do not counsel the lancing of abscesses 

 in the region of any lymphatic groups until a negative 

 tuberculin reaction has been seen. If the reaction is 

 positive they most assuredly should not be opened. To 



