264 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



away, and pus escapes from the bone under the periosteum, involving 

 the soft tissues. It is principally confined to the long bones and sel- 

 dom affects more than one. 



Treatment.— The bone should be opened for the purpose of curret- 

 ting out the diseased portion of the marrow cavity and removing all 

 the necrotic pieces of bone. This > should be undertaken only by a 

 competent veterinarian. The after treatment consists in tamponing 

 the wound with pledgets of iodoform gauze or injecting a 2 per cent 

 solution of sulphuric acid or hydrochloric acid of similar strength or 

 pure lactic acid or a mixture of iodoform 1 part and glycerine 4 parts. 

 The wound in the soft tisssue should be kept open until the cavity in 

 the bone has filled with granulation tissue. 



RICKETS. 



This disease, also called "rachitis," is an inflammatory affection of 

 young, growing bones, and involves the ribs and long bones of the 

 legs mostly. It consists in a failure of the organism to deposit lime 

 salts in bone, and for this reason the bones do not ossify as rapidly as 

 they should. The cartilaginous ends of the bones grow rapidly, but 

 ossification does not keep pace with it. The bones become long and 

 their ends bend at the joints, the legs become crooked, and the joints 

 are large and irregular. All the bones affected with this disease are 

 thicker than normal, and the gait of the animal is stiff and painful. 

 A row of bony enlargements may be found where the ribs articulate 

 with the cartilages connecting them with the breastbone and is called 

 the "beaded line." A catarrhal condition of the digestive tract is 

 usually observed. The disease may result from an inherited weak- 

 ness of constitution, poor hygienic surroundings, or improper diet. 

 Calves and foals are less frequently affected with rickets than dogs 

 and pigs. 



Treatment. — The affected animal should be given nourishing food 

 containing a proper amount of lime salts. Outdoor exercise and 

 plenty of fresh air are indispensable. Limewater should be given 

 once daily for drinking purposes and ground bone meal mixed with 

 the food. Phosphorus, one-fortieth of a grain, and calcium phos- 

 phate, 1 dram, given twice daily to a 2-months-old calf, and propor- 

 tionally increased for older animals, has proved efficacious in this 

 disease. In some cases the long bones of the limbs are too weak at 

 birth to support the weight of the auimal and temporary splints, 

 carefully padded and wrapped on with some soft bandages, become 

 necessary. 



OSTEOMALACIA (CREEPS). 



This is a condition of bone brittleness or softening of bone found 

 usually in adult life. It consists of the decalcification of mature 

 bone, with the advancing diminution of the compact portion of bone 



