THE OX AND THE DAIRY. 203 



we suspect that there must be in such cases a predisposition 

 to this scrofulous affection. Often, indeed, phthisis mani- 

 fests itself without any previous definite symptoms. Minute 

 tubercles have existed dormant in the lungs, perhaps for 

 years, nay, perhaps even from birth ; but some exciting cause 

 not to be clearly appreciated or detected, a trifling cold, a 

 hurried walk, a sudden chill after perspiration, damp gar- 

 ments, or some trifling neglect, is followed by dull pain in 

 the chest, a hollow peculiar cough, uneasiness in lying on 

 one side or the other, and other symptoms, which go on for 

 months, or years, till some additional cause accelerates the 

 progress of the disorganization, when copious purulent ex- 

 pectorations, hectic night sweats, debility, severe diarrhoea, 

 and emaciation, end in death. If these observations apply 

 directly to our fellow-creatures, so they do to the dumb brute. 

 During the progress of consumption in the human subject, 

 the appetite is often undiminished, though digestion is slow 

 and difficult ; and the mind is not only clear, but roused to 

 intense activity. In the ox, the appetite seldom fails much, 

 the animal is lively ; nay, in cows, the sexual desires seem 

 not only unabated but increased ; but the animal is subject 

 to abortion. During pregnancy the symptoms of consump- 

 tion are generally much mitigated ; the great current of blood 

 is directed elsewhere for an especial object ; but, after delivery, 

 the disease goes on with accelerated rapidity. In cattle, be- 

 sides the hollow cough, there are purulent and sometimes 

 bloody discharges from the mouth and nostrils, and irrepres- 

 sible diarrhoea ; the skin is evidently very painful when 

 pressed ; the cellular tissue beneath is either inflamed or be- 

 coming disorganized ; the surface of the skin is dry and scaly, 

 and some writers affirm that it will even creak as the animal 

 moves feebly along. 



When phthisis is fairly confirmed, medical treatment is of 

 no avail ; but, in the incipient stage, blisters, sedatives, and 

 cautious bleeding, with a seton on the side, or in the dewlap, 

 may arrest for some time its further progress. The animal, 

 moreover, should be housed in a comfortable and well-venti- 

 lated stable, apart from other cattle, and not exposed to the 

 north or easterly winds ; it should never be hurried or 

 alarmed ; the litter should be always kept dry, and the skin 

 often currycombed, in order to excite the action of the cuta- 

 neous vessels. 



With respect to the use of iodine in incipient phthisis, 



