66 HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA IN CATTLE 
the cortical substance, though a few are found in the walls of the 
pelvis and ureters. The urine is bloody in some instances. 
The vaginal mucous membrane is congested in many cases. Wilson 
and Brimhall saw one animal that was four months pregnant which 
exhibited small hemorrhagic areas in the placental membranes. 
The udder is congested in some cases. It may be hemorrhagic. 
Occasionally there are hemorrhages in the dura. A few cases are 
recorded of hemorrhages on the joint surfaces. Brimhall reported an 
outbreak where the autopsies showed very few hemorrhagic areas in 
the subcutis and internal organs but there were lesions in the spinal 
cord. The spleens were enlarged. In nine outbreaks, Bact. borisep- 
- ticum was present. 
Wilson and Brimhall fixed portions of the subcutaneous tissue, 
skeletal muscles, lymphatic glands, lung, heart wall, stomach wall, 
and spleen in 95 per cent. alcohol and in 4 per cent. formaldehyde 
solution and stained by various methods. In general the lesions 
found were enormous extravasations of blood, some recent and some 
showing coagulation of fibrin. In the areas of less recent hemorrhage, 
the surrounding tissues showed varying degrees of ordinary coagula- 
tion necrosis. This was particularly marked in the affected muscles, 
lymph glands and portions of the lungs. In the borders of such 
necrosed areas leucocytic infiltration was not infrequent. In the 
spleen, in which the hemorrhagic areas were neither numerous nor 
large, there was in some instances an apparent destruction or shrinkage 
of the parenchyma. 
A very important feature in this disease has been brought out, 
namely, that it is necessary, in order to obtain cultures of the bac- 
terium producing it, that the media should be inoculated very soon 
after death. With this precaution cultures should be obtained. It 
is reported that the lymphatic glands are the most reliable organs 
from which to make cultures. 
Diagnosis. Septicemia hemorrhagica in cattle is diagnosed by 
the symptoms, the lesions and the bacteriological examination. 
There are no specific tests that can be applied with satisfactory 
results. It is to be differentiated from anthrax, symptomatic 
anthrax, death due to accidental causes, poisoning, or the effect of 
over eating of grain or green fodder (hoven). Death from any of 
these causes may be very sudden. It is necessary, therefore, that 
in all cases, especially with the first animals to die, careful post- 
mortem and bacteriological examinations should be made. 
