SPECIFIC CATARRHAL DISEASE, OR DISTEMPER, 111 



The morbid anatomy of the heady if we commence with the 

 pituitary membrane, betrays, in every instance, diseased appear- 

 ances, and mostly the whole extent of it, from the nasal fossae to 

 the frontal sinuses : the sethmoid cells and turbinated cavities are 

 in the first stages very highly injected, in the next suffused with 

 pus, and in the last ulcerated, the degrees of which are, however, 

 not always in the exact ratio of the symptomatic appearances, 

 but nevertheless correspond in some degree thereto. Within the 

 cranium, when violent epileptic fits have accompanied the disease, 

 the membranes of the brain are usually found highly charged with 

 blood ; and when these have continued an unusual length of time, 

 I have thought I discovered some softening of the cerebral sub- 

 stance itself. Mr. Youatt has found the base of the brain highly 

 injected, and there is often an increase of the serous fluid. The 

 spinal brain presents also phenomena in its morbid anatomy worthy 

 of notice : when the paraplegia, or paralytic weakness of the hinder 

 extremities, has been a marked feature of the complaint, the sheath 

 of the spinal rope has been found more highly vascular, and suf- 

 fused with an undue quantity of serum. 1 am also disposed to 

 believe, from my own observations, that the tendency to universal 

 paralysis often draws its origin from a morbid increase of the fluid 

 of the ventricles of the cranial brain. 



77ie 7norbid appearances in the thoracic viscera, in pneumonic 

 cases, are often considerable, from their commencement in the 

 larynx, along the trachea, and throughout its bronchial ramifica- 

 tions, which present imflaramatory marks, and muco-purulent 

 secretion in abundance. When pneumonia has been very active, 

 coagulable lymph is sometimes found to be thrown out into the 

 air-cells, congesting the lungs ; at others, suppuration takes place, 

 and minute, or in some cases larger, vomicae are found. Less fre- 

 quently adhesions are met with between the costal and pulmonic 

 pleurae, which occur in protracted cases ; but serous efi'usion is not 

 uncommon. The heart I have found gorged with blood in some 

 of these cases, the pericardium inflamed, and its fluid increased in 

 quantity. 



