DISEASES OP THE BLOOD. 153 



internal temperature or a rapid fall of the mercury are signs 

 of approaching death. The local lesions observable in the 

 mucous membrane are principally due to plugging of even 

 large vessels by lymph deposits, whereby the nutrient supply 

 of the epithelium is cut off, and it undergoes fatty change. 

 This reminds us of the plugging of the minute vessels which 

 occurs from accumulation of bacteria in anthrax, septicaemia, 

 and other diseases of their class. The specific organisms 

 of rinderpest have not yet been recognised. During the 

 great outbreak in this country medical observers noted the 

 presence of ovoid bodies in the muscles between the 

 sarcous fibres, and termed them " cattle-plague bodies,'' 

 more careful examination showed that they are harmless 

 parasites of the division Gregarinae. The mouth, pharynx, 

 and first three compartments of the stomach are generally 

 congested, the oesophagus having undergone no change in 

 the majority of cases. The glandular structures of the velum 

 palati, tonsils, and of the base of the tongue are diseased, 

 their ducts being plugged up with strings of lymph. The 

 rumen sometimes shows somewhat extensive patches of con- 

 gestion of a "port- wine'' colour, or of epithelial proliferation. 

 The omasum almost invariably has its contents in a very 

 hard condition, its epithelium separates somewhat readily, 

 showing a congested surface, and sometimes the leaves are 

 the seat of more severe lesions, and may be ulcerated, 

 as a result of sloughing, to such an extent that they 

 are perforated. The abomasum is congested, and, espe- 

 cially near the pylorus, shows extensive blood extravasa- 

 tions and sloughing after the formation of the character- 

 istic false membranes. The contents are reddish-brown 

 viscid mucus, intermingled with blood. Sometimes it is 

 noted that both in the abomasum and the intestine a 

 certain amount of pigmentary degeneration occurs. The 

 small intestines are rendered dark in appearance by the 

 altered characters of the mucous membrane. This is 

 congested in a streaked or patchy manner, which is rather 

 distinctive of this disorder. Extravasations of blood are 

 present, and the contents are something like those of the 

 abomasum. Where the epithelium has separated from the 



