FORAGE POISONING ERGOTISM 25 



causes are assigned. Dr. Francis reports that in the fall of '03, spring of '04, 

 four to five thousand horses and mules died with a nervous disorder character- 

 ized by structural changes in the brain which cause incoordination, delirium, 

 coma and usually death. He concludes that the disease is not caused by 

 moulds but is the result of animals having free access to a labor diet when kept 

 in idleness. He was unable to find the germ described by Wilson and Brimball. 



"Professor Harrison of the Ontario Agricultural College reported several 

 cases and as a result of his investigations he concluded that the disease was 

 due to a coccus insolated from the meningeal fluids. Pearson studied an out- 

 break in seven horses, five of which died. The outbreak occurred soon after 

 opening a new silo, the ensilage from which was mouldy. The symptoms ob- 

 served were very similar to those observed by Professor Harrison and he 

 emphasized the paralysis of the pharynx and great muscular weakness. He 

 concluded as a result of feeding experiments that the so-called cerebro-spinal 

 meningitis was a forage poisoning. Dr. Dow of Connecticut describes two 

 cases which were attributed to watering from a tub containing a mouldy slime. 

 Dr. Ferguson of Texas describes three cases of forage poisoning due to smutted 

 corn. There was vertigo, coma, low temperature, pulse in later stages rapid 

 and irregular. In 1901 Dr. Hickman investigated an outbreak among horses 

 in North Carolina in which a large number of horses died. In 1906 another 

 outbreak occurred at the same place (Hyde Co.) in which about forty horses 

 and mules died in about three weeks. The cause in these cases seemed to be 

 moulds on vegetation. On the whole the country is low and swampy. The 

 pathological changes of Epizootic Leuco-Encaphalitis were described by McCal- 

 lum and Buckley in 1902. Muller of Germany reported an outbreak among 

 horses, cattle and sheep due to mouldy straw. (Berliner-Tierarztliche Wochen- 

 schrift). Drs. McCarrol and McMullen describe an outbreak of cryptogamic 

 poisoning in horses due to feeding mouldy beet tops. Dr. Eockhart describes 

 several cases in Canada. The prominent symptom seemed to be the inability 

 to swallow. 



"Two outbreaks have come under our observation during the past year. 

 The first consisted of eleven head of horses, two horses were being fed for 

 market, the others were fed in the same manner during the nights and turned 

 out during the day. The first animal affected was one being fed for market. 

 It ate part of its feed in the morning but in a few hours showed symptoms of 

 ptyalism, depression and paresis of the hind quarters. By noon the animal was 

 down, unable to rise and struggling some, and died that night. The next 

 animal to show symptoms was its mate. The symptoms shown in this case 

 were similar to acute cases of the so-called cerebro-spinal meningitis, coming on 

 with trembling and weakness causing the animal to stagger. An early symptom 

 in all cases coming tinder our observation is the ptyalism due to inability to 

 swallow. (Dyspagia). As a result the saliva collects in the mouth and hangs 

 from it in strings. Muscles of different regions of the body are liable to con- 

 tract. The breathing is rapid and in some cases may be of the Cheyne-Stokes 

 variety. The temperature in this case was sub-normal. In some of the more 

 chronic cases and when the animal has been down for some time with con- 

 siderable struggling the temperature was somewhat elevated. The pulse was 

 variable, being about normal in some cases and rapid and almost imperceptible 

 in others. The animal became quite violent at times and finally died living 

 but a few hours longer than the first animal. The other seven animals showed 



