NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



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Vol. I. 



BOSTON, SATURDAY. JANUARY 11, 1823. 



No. 24. 



DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



FIECTED AND COMPILED FROM THE BEST AUTHORS, 

 BY THE EDITOR. 



i Inflammation of the Stomach. 



" The complicated structure of this organ, in 

 ruminating animals, renders it peculiarly liable 

 to disease ; inflammation, however, docs not 

 appear to occur frequently as a primary disor- 

 der, but is more commonly a consequence of 

 some offensive matter lodged in one of the four 

 stomachs, or from the animal's feeding so greedi- 

 ly, as to weaken the organ, and prevent it from 

 performing its functions. In eitlier of these ca- 

 ses, the principal object is to get rid of the of- 

 fensive matter, by invigorating the weakened 

 stomach, and enabling it to expel the matter, by 

 which it is oppressed. Should inflammation at- 

 tack the stomach, independently' of this cause, 

 that is without any hurtful matter having been 

 swallowed, or any improper accumulation of 

 food, the principal remedies would be plentiful 

 bleeding and abstinence from food.'" — mite'is 

 Treatise on Veterinary Medicine. 



Dr. Peck says that the symptoms of this dis- 

 order are violent pain in the stomach ; large 

 blisters rise sometimes on the inside of the 

 mouth ; the animal is very restless, and appears 

 to have the pain increased by every thing that 

 is swallowed, which frequently brings a cough : 

 the body feels clammy with sweat ; difficulty of 

 breathing. He attributes the cause to overload- 

 ing the stomach ; cold water ; acid matter, or 

 poisonous substances ; not sufficient water in drv 

 summers. The treatment recommended by this 

 author is to bleed freely every day, if necessary ; 

 keep the body open with castor oil, &c. after- 

 wards give febrifuges [such as glauber'.s sa!i, 

 nitre, salt of tartar, spirit of nitrous ether] as in 

 other cases of inflammation. When !he animal 

 is recovering, give it food sparingly, a little 

 warm, such as scalded malt with warm water, &.c. 

 liiflamnation of the Bo'-xels. 



The principal symptom of this disease is a 

 griping pain, which causes the animal to lie 

 down frequently, and rise with difficult}'. He 

 frequently turns his head towards his belly, and 

 endeavors to strike it with his hind foot ; the 

 body is full ; the eyes dull ; the pulse strong and 

 quick. The quickness of (he pulse forms a dis- 

 tinction between this complaint and the gripes, 

 in which latter disorder, the pulse is sometimes 

 hard, but seldom quickened. When the pain is 

 violent, a copious perspiration takes place. — 

 When proper remedies are not employed, the 

 disease terminates in mortification and death. 

 In the treatment of this complaint, the circum- 

 stances ol the case must be carefully attended 

 to. If the pulse is much quicker than natural, 

 the under surface of the eye-lid unusually red, 

 and the breathing disturbed, let a large quantity 

 of blood immediately be taken away, even five 

 or sis quarts ; and then, unless the bowels are 

 unusually open, give the following drink : 

 Sulphate of magnesia [epsom salt,] 8 oz. 



Castor oil, 1 pmt. 



Gruel, 1 pint. 



Disolve the salts in the gruel, and add to them 

 the oil, for one dose. 



The operation of this drink should be assist- 

 ed by clysters. When ail the above symptoms, 

 however, are not observable ; if the under sur- 

 face of the eye-lid is not redder than nsaal, or if 

 if is rather pale ; if the pulse is nearly in its na- 

 tural state ; and particularly if the animal is 

 rather loose, or scours, the bleeding should be 

 moderate ; and if the animal be rather weak 

 and in low condition, it had better be omitted. 

 The following anodyne drink is to be given : 



Tincture of opium, * oz. 



Spirit of nitrous ether, 5 oz. 



Wafer, 1 pt. 



Mis for one dose. 



When the animal has been kept sometime on 

 ihy food, and is apparently costive, relief can 

 only be obtained by some laxative drink, like 

 that first above mentioned, and clysters. Bleed- 

 ing, however, must not be omitted, particularly 

 if the pulse is quickened, the under surface of 

 the eye-lid redder than natural, and the breath- 

 ing disturbed. If the laxative prove ineffectual, 

 in removing costiveness, it should be repeated. 



Inflammation of the Liver. 



" The structure of this organ in horned cat- 

 tle and sheep, is different from that of the horse ; 

 the latter has no gall-bladder, but in the former, 

 there is one of considerable size. It is on this 

 account, perhaps, that cattle ar^lnore subject to 

 diseases of the liver than the horse. I do not 

 believe that inflammation of the liver often 

 occurs in so acute a form, as to require bleeding 

 largely ; it is more commonly of a chronic or 

 slow kind, causing a defective action in the or- 

 gan, in consequence of which an unhealthy kind 

 of bile is formed, which plugs up the thiols ol 

 the liver, and causes a derangement in the or- 

 gans connected with it.'" — fVhilc's Treatise. 



The symptoms of this disorder, according to 

 Doct. Peck, are, difticult breathing ; swelling 

 about the short ribs ; pulse hard, full and fre- 

 quent ; thirst ; yellowness of the eyes ; costive- 

 ness, &c. Fat beasts are most subject to this 

 complaint in hot weather, by being over heated 

 in driving, or running about the pasture ; by be- 

 ing exposed to severe cold, when hot. The 

 treatment recommended by Dr. Peck, is to bleed 

 according to the symptoms ; give cathartics, 

 [purges,] clysters, febrifuges, &c. ; Diet, mash- 

 es made of scalded bran and malt; blister the 

 sides of the belly, and rowel underneath. 



Liflammatiun of the Kidneys. 

 Tlie following are the symptoms of this disor- 

 der : — quick pulse ; loss of appetite ; the ani- 

 mal is frequently endeavoring to stale, and voids 

 only a small quantity with n»uch difficult}' and 

 pain ; pressure on the loins gives pain, and 

 causes the animal to shrink or give way to it ; 

 there is generally, considerable stiffness in the 

 hind parts, observable when the animal attempts 

 to walk : the urine is commonly of a dark red 

 color. This disease is, however, very difl'erent 

 from that named red-wafer, [to be treated of 

 hereafter] and unless properly treated at its 

 commencement, often terminates fatally. Dr. 

 Peck says, the symptoms that are of a favorable 



nature, are, urine liigli, or of a coffee color, dis- 

 charged in large quantities; afterwards co|)ious, 

 thick, and mixed wilh mucus. The unfavora- 

 ble arc, sudden cessation of pain ; urine dribbling 

 away in small qu-.intitios, of a black and fetid 

 color and smell. The disorder is caused by vio- 

 lent blows across flio loins ; small stones or grav- 

 el being lodged within the kiduies ; violent mo- 

 tion or hard driving in hot and sultry weather. 



Let the animal be bled freely and take a 

 pint of castor oil. If the dung is at all hard, or 

 deficient in quantity, let clysters or warm wa- 

 ter, with a little sweet oil, be employed. The 

 liniment or embrocation, directed for iutlamma- 

 fion of the lungs [see ))age 177, 3d column] 

 should be rubbed on the loins ; after which, let 

 them be well clothed, or covered \\'n\\ a fresh 

 sheep or lauil/s skin. When the pain and diffi- 

 cult)', or rather the almost constant straining to 

 stale continues, af'ier the castor oil has operated, 

 and the bowels have been sufficiently opened, 

 an anodyne clyster may be administered, con- 

 sisting of about one ounce and an half of tincture 

 of opium, in one quart of gruel ; or, from one 

 dram to two of crude opium, dissolved in warm 

 water, and mixed with gruel. 



If the animal is ver}' thirsty, he should be re- 

 strained from drinking ; and what he takes shoulcS- 

 be impregnated with some mucilaginous sidi- 

 stance ; an infusion of linseed, or decoction of 

 marsh-mallows is very proper. 



Inflammation of the Brain. 



This disease is a kind of madness, "attended 

 u'ifh ravings and con-tant watchings ; slow res- 

 piration ; a strong pulsation in the temporal ar- 

 teries, and sometimes irregular ; running at the 

 nose ; the i,nin.ai appeurs in a very fierce state, 



as if seized with a turouiem rhu w^ j-„..„ . 



the eyes appear much inflamed and ready to 

 start from their orbits; the beast falls down of a 

 sudden, and rises again with the same volatility, 

 until nature is quite exhausted; a constant trem- 

 bling and starting of the tendons; a dry and 

 harsh skin ; a suppression of the urine ; grind- 

 ing of the teeth, and a total want of rest ; these 

 last are unfavorable symptoms. 



The cause of this disorder is found in too great 

 an efflux of blood pressing on the temporal ar- 

 teries ; from which an increased action takes 

 place ; wounds or contusions on the head ; sup- 

 pressions of the natural evacuations. 



The cure should be souglit by bleeding freely, 

 according to the violence of the .symptoms and 

 the strength of the animal, in the jugular-vein ; 

 keep the bowels open with castor oil, and other 

 purging medicine.'. Blister the side of the neck 

 with flies and spirits of turpentine. 



From what has been said of the treatment of 

 diseases, caused by inflammation of the inter- 

 nal organs of the body, it will be seen that they 

 are all of a dangerous nature, and require the 

 earliest attention ; that they are generally the 

 consequence of improper management or neg- 

 lect, and may, therefore, most commonly be 

 prevented ; and that the most essential remedy 

 is for/^ and copious bleeding, with laxative medi- 

 cine. 



(to be contixued.) 



