124 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



connective tissue and of fat, the kidneys lie in close contact with the 

 muscles of the loins, and any injury to these may tend to put the kid- 

 ney and its vessels on the stretch, or to cause its inflammation by 

 direct extension of the disease from the injured muscle to the adja- 

 cent kidney. Thus, under unusually heavj^ draft, under slips and 

 falls on slippery ground, under sudden unexpected drooping or 

 twisting of the loins from missteps or from the feet sinking into 

 holes, under the loading and jarring of the loins when animals ride 

 each other in cases of "heat," the kidneys are subject to injury and 

 inflammation. A hard run, as when chased b)" a dog, may be the 

 occasion of such an attack. A fodder rich in nitrogenous or flesh- 

 forming elements (beans, peas, vetches {Vicia sativa), and other 

 leguminous plants) has been charged with irritating the kidneys 

 through the excess of urea, hippuric acid, and allied products elimi- 

 nated through these organs and the tendency to the formation of 

 gravel. It seems, however, that these foods are most dangerous when 

 partially ripened and yet not fully matured, a stage of growth at 

 which they are apt to contain ingredients irritating to the stomach 

 and poisonous to the brain, as seen in their inducing so-called " stom- 

 ach staggers." Even in the poisoning by the seeds of ripened 

 but only partially cured rye grass {Lolium perentie), and darnel 

 {Lolium termilentuTn) , the kidneys are found violently congested 

 with black blood. Also in the indigestions that result from the eating 

 of partially ripened corn and millet some congestion of. the kidneys 

 is an attendant j^henomenon. 



Cruzel claims that the disease as occurring locally is usually not 

 alone from the acrid and resinous plants charged with inducing hema- 

 turia, but also from stinking camomile {Anthemis cotula) and field 

 poppy when used in the fresh, succulent condition; also from the 

 great prevalence of dead caterpillars on the pasture, or from dead 

 Spanish flies in the stagnant pools of water. The fresh plants are 

 believed to be injurious only by reason of a volatile oil which is dis- 

 sipated in drying. In the case of the stagnant water it may be ques- 

 tioned whether the chemical products of the contained ferments (bac- 

 teria) are not more frequently the cause of the evil than the alleged 

 Spanish flies, though these are hurtful enough when present. 



Inflammation of the kidneys may further be a form or an exten- 

 sion of a specific contagious disease, such as erysipelas, rinderpest, 

 septicemia, or even of poisoning by the spores of fungi. Eivolta 

 reports the case of a cow with spots of local congestion and blood 

 staining in the kidney, the affected parts being loaded with bacteria. 

 Unfortunately he neither cultivated the bacteria nor inoculated them, 

 and thus the case stands without positive demonstration that these 

 were the cause of disease. 



