146 CANINE DISTEMPER 
these several organs may be oedematous, ulcerated, or 
ecchymosed. 
Salivary Glands, etc—The salivary and lymphatic 
glands of this region are not usually implicated, though 
_ swellings and suppurations have in rare cases been 
observed. 
Heart.—The heart is not often the seat of pathological 
change, and the most one usually observes is injection 
of the vessels of the epicardium and pericardium, with 
moderate quantities of serous fluid in the pericardial sac. 
The auricles and ventricles, however, are frequently filled 
with black, tarry, blood clots, especially in the acute 
septicaemic types of distemper. 
Kidneys.—The kidneys seldom become diseased to any 
great extent in consequence of distemper, and it is only 
occasionally that one discovers at autopsy an enlarge- 
ment or shrinkage in size, softness or hardness, intense 
red or pale colour, the presence or absence of hzemor- 
rhagic spots on its surface or cortex, and an easily detach- 
able capsule or one tenaciously attached. More fre- 
quently one finds a moderate hypereemia or congestion, 
which may in some cases have developed into nephritis. 
The type of nephritis most commonly associated with 
distemper is a chronic catarrhal condition in which the 
kidney is reduced somewhat in size, its capsule is more 
firmly adherent, and its cut surface shows a pale cortex 
in sharp contrast with a reddened medulla. 
Muscles.—The muscles are usually wasted, and the fat 
seems to set imperfectly and remain soft and wet. 
Central Nervous System.—Much attention has been 
bestowed upon the nervous system, microscopical and 
histological investigations having revealed various con- 
ditions which may be summarily described as follows: 
Kolesnikoff discovered an infiltration by leucocytes of 
the brain substance and vessel walls, and a distension of 
