734 DISEASES AXD ABXOItMALITIES OF THE YOUNG ANIMAL. 



in their orbits ; great debility sets in ; thirst is intense ; the abdomen is 

 retracted ; and in some cases a cutaneous eruption is observed, which 

 is generalised or is located in the parts around the anus. 



More than a century ago, Brugnone described the symptoms in the 

 Foal as follows : The diaiTha3a commences two or three days after 

 birth ; a yellow, acrid, sometimes purulent-looking fluid is evacuated ; 

 the animal becomes rapidly emaciated, and is nearly always lying ; it 

 is weak and staggers about, sucks little or none at all, and at last falls 

 into a state of complete marasmus. During the first period, it is not 

 rare to observe a general ophthalmia occur : the humours of the eyes are 

 turbid and these organs are painful ; tears flow continually ; the eye- 

 balls become buried in their sockets and are atrophied; and vision 

 appears to be lost. 



When the Calf becomes affected, it ceases to suck, if it has begun to 

 do so ; for Franck has known the diarrhoea to appear immediately after 

 the Calf was born and before it went to the teat — indeed, it was dead 

 before it could do so ; though in the great majority of cases it has two 

 or three good meals from the udder before acute diarrhoea sets in. 

 When it no longer sucks, it becomes uneasy and bellows ; the faeces, 

 expelled violently, are at first very soft, then fluid and white (mucous 

 diarrhoea), or mixed with particles of casein (white dysentery), and very 

 often streaked with blood ; at a later period the evacuations are con- 

 tinuous and made involuntarily. Exhaustion is rapid and the creature 

 cannot rise ; convulsions occur frequently, similar to those witnessed in 

 infantile diarrhoea ; saliva or foam flows from the mouth ; the expired 

 air has a sour or foetid odour, and great emaciation is observed. There 

 may be slight tenesmus, and the anal opening is dilated as if the 

 sphincter were paralysed ; while the air passing into the rectum pro- 

 duces a peculiar sound. Towards the end the creature lies immovable, 

 and dies without a struggle in from one to three days. Allusion has 

 been made to its fatality ; in Bovines from 50 to 100 per cent, die, and 

 in many outbreaks it kills all the Calves in an establishment ; if any 

 chance to survive an attack, they are sickly and feeble for a long 

 time. 



The Lamb, when attacked, also ceases to suck and becomes dull and 

 very weak ; the dejecta are watery and mucous, and foul-smelling ; 

 frequently there is tenesmus ; and the temperature may rise to 106' 

 Fahr., though it quickly falls again. The respiration is hurried, and 

 foam and saliva accumulate about the mouth. The disease generally 

 manifests itself within three days after birth ; Nikolski^ gives its 

 appearance as 30 per cent, the first day, 40 per cent, the second day, 

 25 per cent, the third day, and only 5 per cent, for the fourth and 

 succeeding days. It runs its course, on the average, in from one to 

 three days ; though in some cases death may ensue in a few hours.- 



1 Veterinary Archives of St. Petershirg, 188.5. 



- With regard to the disease in Lambs, Benedikt{SachsenJahreKberichf, 1871, p. 140) 

 describes it under the head of " typhous diarrhoea in Sheep " {Typhose Bulir bei Scha/en). 

 He writes : " At the commencement of lambing-time, the Lambs are observed, soon after 

 birth, to be dull and dejected ; they do not care to suck ; there is great debility ; the 

 eye is dull and sunken ; there are involuntary evacuations of a fcBtid, brownish-yellow 

 colour, which are ejected some distance ; and in three or four hours death ensues. In all 

 the cases the Lambs appeared to be quite healthy when born ; but in two or three 

 hours afterwards they began to exhibit these symptoms, and during the fir.-t, seldom the 

 second, day they perished. On examination of the carcase, bright-rtd spots were observed 

 in the true stomach and intestines, which contained matter having an unpleasant odour. 

 The Ewes remained healthy." 



