Cattle Plague. 633 



In connection with the .high temperature, which is absent in 

 thrush, this symptom is virtually pathognomic. These concretions 

 are more or less abundant in different cases, sometimes so slight 

 as to be easily overlooked, and in other cases encreasing up to the 

 sixth day, and covering not only the lips, dental pad and gums, 

 but extending back over the hard palate, pharynx and gullet. 

 The concretion is as soft as cream cheese, easily detached and 

 leaves a bright red abrasion (not ulcerated) when removed. 



By the fourth day there are dry or staring coat, sometimes 

 rigors, sometimes small, accelerated pulse (60 to 120 per minute), 

 some loss of appetite and impairment of rumination, dry muzzle, 

 a general flush of the mucosae (mouth, vagina, rectum), and 

 deep blood red discoloration of many of the buccal papillse. 

 There is weariness or debility, the animal remaining down much of 

 the time, also marked thirst, constipation, the faeces covered with 

 mucus or blood, rapidly advancing emaciation, and marked tend- 

 erness of the skin, especially of the loins. The head and ears are 

 drooped, .saliva drivels, the mouth has a foetid odor, the eyes 

 weep, and there may be grinding of the teeth. The skin may 

 be hot and the white and delicate parts (udder, teats) suffused 

 by a deep blush. The milk is decreased at first and finally com- 

 pletely dried up. 



As the malady advances the belly becomes tender, the constipa- 

 tion is succeeded by diarrhoea with much attendant rumbling, the 

 faeces are at finst watery, greenish and acid, and later highly 

 offensive, yellowish brown or graj^, and alkaline. These become 

 encreasingly profuse, foetid and liquid, assuming perhaps a pea 

 soup or rice water consistency before death. The sphincter, at 

 first firm and quickly re.sponsive, finally undergoes permanent 

 relaxation, with con.stant exposure of the dark red mucosa. 



When the disease is fully established the respirations often be- 

 come highly characteristic. There is not the sudden catching 

 and shortening of the inspiration as in pleurisy, but a sudden 

 clo-sure of the glottis with an audible clicking sound in the course 

 of the expiration, and, after a perceptible interval of holding of 

 the breath, the expiration is resumed with or without an ac- 

 companying moan. This phenomenon is so characteristic as to 

 be largely diagnostic. Whether it is due to abdominal pain 

 roused by the sudden forward movement of the diaphragm, or to 



