DYSENTEKY. 289 



animal dies. If the chronic type of the disease declares 

 itself, the animal may linger on for a prolonged and inde- 

 finite period of time. 



In the chronic cases the general symptoms are very severe, 

 and faithfully enough pourtrayed by Youatt, who says : " The 

 beast is sadly wasted vermin accumulate on him his teeth 

 become loose swellings appear under the jaw, and he dies 

 from absolute exhaustion; or the dejections gradually change 

 their character blood mingles with the mucus purulent 

 matter succeeds to that it is almost insupportably fetid 

 it is discharged involuntarily gangrenous ulcers about the 

 anus sometimes tell of the process that is going on within ; 

 and, at length, the eyes grow dim and sink in their orbits, 

 the body is covered with cold perspiration, and the animal 

 dies. 



"In some cases the emaciation is frightful; the skin 

 cleaves to the bones, and the animal has become a living 

 skeleton; in others there have been swellings about the 

 joints, spreading over the legs generally, occasionally ulcer- 

 ated; and in all, the leading colour of the membranes, the 

 rapid loss of strength, the stench of the excrement, and the 

 unpleasant odour arising from the animal itself, announce 

 the approach of death." 



The post-mortem appearances of dysentery are : Ready 

 removal of the epithelium over the three first stomachs, 

 which are usually pretty empty; the third may contain some 

 solid food. The fourth stomach is the seat of reddish dis- 

 coloration of its mucous membrane, which is occasionally 

 oedematous, and at others the seat of exudation of lymph, 

 which has been said to give to it the appearance of jelly. 

 The small intestine, distended by fluid material, is occasion- 

 ally injected, but often presenting no abnormal appearance. 

 The coecum, colon, and rectum are obviously inflamed. The 



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