CHRONIC ATROPHY OF THE LIVER. 



Chronic Atrophy: In old horses: In right and spigelian lobes ; others 

 show hypertrophy. In ruminants, omnivora and carnivora : in areas com- 

 pressed by tumors or parasites. Perihepatitis. Sclerosis. Remedy causes 

 if possible. Fatty Degeneration : Oil globules in liver cells, pathological 

 when they destroy the protoplasm. In ducks and geese, on forced feeding. 

 Causes : poisoning by phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, lead, phenol, iodo- 

 form, alcohol ; excess of fat in food, spoiled fodders, colchicum autumnale, 

 yellow lupins, bacteria, hemorrhages, inflammations, tumors, parasites ; im- 

 proved meat producing breeds, old animals, hot stables. Lesions : liver en- 

 larged, pale, yellow, bloodless, knife in cutting is smeared with fat, oily 

 stain on paper, liver cells enlarged, protoplasm replaced by fat or oil ; may 

 be circumscribed. Symptoms : obesity, overfed in fats and starches, of fat- 

 tening breed, kept in confinement, in hot, moii-t environment, if fed certain 

 poisons, with costiveness and iudigestion, no endurance, short winded, 

 slight icterus, scanty urine, little urea, later, emaciation, palpation of en- 

 larged liver. Treatment : send to butcher, pampered horses, cows from 

 swill stable, a run at grass, with shade trees, a poor pasture, salines, chola- 

 gogues, mineral acids, bitters, iron with alkalies, currying, massage, douches. 



Acute yellow atrophy has been referred to under parenchy- 

 matous hepatitis but a chronic atrophy is also met with in all 

 domestic animals. 



In old horses it affects, by preference the right and spigelian 

 lobes, the portal circulation of which is less direct because of the 

 veins of supply leaving the parent trunk at right angles (Xeblanc) , 

 and because these lobes are more exposed to compression by solid 

 accumulations in the double colon (Kitt). In such cases a com- 

 pensatory hypertrophy of the left and middle lobes is often 

 observed. 



In ruminants the lesion is often circumscribed to the areas that 

 have undergone compression by tumors or parasites (echinococ- 

 cus, actinomycosis), and there may be compensatory increase 

 elsewhere in the organ. 



In swine, dogs and cats the same conditions are operative. In 

 all alike perihepatitis may be a causative factor, and sclerosis 

 (cirrhosis), with contraction of the fibrous hyperplasia may also 

 operate. 



Symptoms are very obscure and treatment unsatisfactory unless 

 the active causes can be recognized and arrested. 

 528 



