102 BOVINE PATHOLOGY. 



from pink to cherry-red, and from red to purple/^ This 

 test must not be applied directly to the urine, but the 

 latter must first be rendered faintly ammoniacal with 

 caustic ammonia, and then diacetate of lead added until 

 it produces a precipitate — this must be washed with dis- 

 tilled water, boiled with alcohol, and thrown into excess of 

 ether — the bile salts will crystallise out and being dissolved 

 in distilled water may be tested by Pettenkofer's test. 



Besides the altered colour and chemical reactions of the 

 urine, other symptoms of a marked character may be 

 noted in this disorder, the visible mucous membranes and 

 the skin become yellow ; the change in colour of the eye 

 gives a very characteristic appearance ; besides the general 

 symptoms of disorder the animal is markedly dull and 

 debilitated. The pulse is slow, and there is considerable 

 disorder of the bowels as shown by torpidity and flatulence, 

 the faeces being scanty, dry, and dark coloured. The 

 bile acts as a natural stimulus to the coats of the intes- 

 tines, and its loss is felt. In milch cows the milk is deep 

 in colour. If these conditions be not relieved the debility 

 increases, the temperature of the body-surface falls consi- 

 derably, the patient wastes away rapidly, dropsical swellings 

 occur in various parts of the body, obstinate diarrhoea sets 

 in, and death from anaemia gradually results. The causes 

 which give rise to this affection are organic disorder of 

 the liver, or such functional derangement as occurs in 

 congestion, also any disorder of the excretory apparatus 

 leading to obstruction, such as tumours, either of the 

 walls of the ducts or gall bladder, or neighbouring parts, 

 parasites, calculi, stricture, or disease of the wall of the 

 duodenum around the opening of the bile duct. This 

 disease appears among cows especially in the spring and 

 autumn, altogether it is rather frequent in the ox. 



Post-mortem appearances will enable us to conclusively 

 determine the cause of the disorder; there is a diffused 

 yellowness of the tissues and a high colour of the serum ; 

 effusions into the areolar tissue, and into serous sacs, as 

 well as other anaemic conditions are present. The flesh of 

 animals which have died from this disease is discoloured, it 



