538 VARIOLA 



mucous membrane of the upper air passages, lesions whose 

 development is accompanied by coughing, rapid breathing and 

 a pus-like discharge from the nose. 



The prognosis of the disease is generally favorable ; at the 

 site of the confluent pustules the skin sometimes dies and 

 sloughs out, which retards convalescence. In very few cases 

 the disease develops a severe form from the beginning and is 

 accompanied by general infection and death. 



This affection may be confused with foot and mouth disease 

 because, according to Conte, in goats the pustules of the pox 

 sometimes reach considerable size ; however, the characteristic 

 appearance of the pox exanthema as well as the fact that the 

 claws remain unaffected, and the inability to transmit it to other 

 animals, will prevent a mistake in diagnosis. 



§ 425. Swine pox. The occurrence of swine pox is not 

 yet determined with positiveness. Because in common parlance 

 all sorts of skin eruptions of swine are designated as pox the 

 characteristic nature of many diseases described under this 

 name is doubtful. After Chauveau has transmitted cow pox in 

 single cases to sheep, Gerlach swine pox to goats, and Koch 

 swine pox to calves, the occurrence of swine pox cannot 

 reasonably be doubted and it is also probable that the disease 

 passes from the cow, from man and perhaps also from the goat 

 to swine, and once occurring easily spreads among the animals 

 turned together. According to the descriptions the disease as 

 a rule attacks only young pigs and for the most part manifests 

 itself in an exanthema spread over the greater part of the body. 

 Several days after its appearance the animal shows signs of 

 weakness, loss of appetite, slow movements, stiff walk, tail 

 hanging straight down, shivering and ruffled bristles. There 

 immediately appear on the parts of the body with little or no 

 hair, such as the nose, the eyelids, the inner surface of the 

 thighs, the abdomen, seldom on the neck and back, little red 

 marks which quickly increase in size. In the center of these 

 there develops firm nodules and after two or three days the 

 latter develop into pox the average size of a pea and filled at 



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