478 BOVINE PATHOLOGY. 4? 



ness of one hind limb. The milk is markedly decreased 

 and is curdled, and often intermingled with blood, or 

 simply a thin serous fluid is removed when efforts are 

 made to milk the animal. The inflammatory action may 

 originate in the substance of the gland, or extend from 

 the openings of the teats into the ducts. As the disease 

 progresses resolution may be gradually brought about 

 with subsidence of acute symptoms. Sujp'puration is of 

 frequent occurrence, and is denoted by softness of some 

 part of the gland, which pits on pressure. The abscesses 

 sometimes involve a very considerable part of the giand 

 substance, forming sinuses and fistulas extending from 

 the milk sinuses to the surface. In more acute cases 

 gangrene takes place, and the mortified portions of gland 

 become cold, pasty to the feel, and are removed by slough- 

 ing ; at the same time the constitutional symptoms have 

 a markedly asthenic character. When the inflammation is 

 less acute induration is apt to occur, constituting the so- 

 called '^ scirrhous " condition of one or more quarters of 

 the udder. In either of these cases, suppuration, gangrene, 

 or induration, the quarter is lost. 



In the purchase of a cow the state of the udder, the 

 perfection of all its quarters, must be specially looked to. 

 We have already alluded (p. 174) to a form of septic mam- 

 mitis, which has been described, and admitted that it is just 

 possible that there is a diphtheritic form of the disorder, 

 in which the milk may prove the vehicle of contagion, but 

 we have no positive evidence on this point. 



Treatment of this disorder comprises constitutional and 

 local antiphlogistic means. A cathartic dose should be 

 administered, and the animal allowed nitre in the drink- 

 ing water. Aconite will counteract the systemic excite- 

 ment, and in some cases it is thought advisable to bleed. 

 This measure will prove beneficial when the inflammation 

 runs very high, threatening gangrene, otherwise it may 

 be omitted. The superficial abdominal or milk vein used 

 to be preferred for this operation; it is remarkably 

 developed in the cow, and takes a course from behind for- 

 wards to the internal thoracic veins. This local abstraction 



