THE OX AND THE DAIRY. 193 



mouth, muzzle, and tongue are ulcerated ; a sanious offensive 

 fluid drops from the mouth and nose ; and the alvine excre- 

 tions are extremely fetid, and mixed or streaked with blood. 

 In this state the poor beast may continue two or even three 

 days, till relieved by death. Farmers call these ulcerations 

 and their concomitants, black quarter ; and the paralytic state 

 of the limbs, quarter-evil, or joint-murrain. 



If the disease be not checked in its inflammatory stage, 

 the chance of saving the animal, when congestion of every 

 organ, brain, lungs, heart, liver, intestines, &c., from the vio- 

 lent excess of arterial action has commenced, is very preca- 

 rious. The first object will be to relieve the congestion under 

 which the vital powers of the system succumb ; if previous 

 bleeding has been neglected there is no room for hesitation, 

 for, weak as the animal may appear, the system must be re- 

 lieved; but if the animal has been freely bled and purged, 

 the question will arise, How far will it be prudent to extract 

 more blood ? As a general rule, blood should be taken, and 

 the state of the pulse should be watched : if it become softer 

 there is still hope ; but if it fail, and become more and more 

 indistinct, the flow of blood should be stopped. Active ape- 

 rients should be administered, beginning with a pound dose 

 of Epsom salts, succeeded by half-pound doses at intervals, 

 until the bowels are acted upon Nor should injections be 

 neglected in aid of the medicine. These may consist of half- 

 a-pound of common salt, and a little oil, in four quarts of 

 water or thin gruel. The swellings of the limbs and loins 

 should be fomented with hot water, and the fetid sloughing 

 ulcers washed repeatedly during the day with a solution of 

 chloride of lime (half-an-ounce of the chloride in a gallon of 

 water) ; the muzzle and tongue should be similarly treated. 

 Some practitioners recommend that a pint of this solution 

 be gently horned down into the stomach, perhaps more than 

 once ; for if there be hoove, or distension of that organ by 

 gas, this solution will combine with it, prevent its further 

 formation, and correct the fcetor, which is often almost un- 

 bearable. 



After these remedies, and supposing the bowels to have 

 been well cleared, mashes of thick gruel should be offered, or 

 even gently poured down the gullet. 



If the ulcers cleanse, the swellings disappear, and the 

 animal begins to eat, indications of incipient recovery, 

 tonics may be given, but not previously. One or two drachrns 



o 



