DISEASES OE THE SKIN. 323 



sensory nerves produce itching, or may go further and cause dis- 

 tinct inflammation of the skin. In another class of cases the pruritis 

 may be due to an atrophy, contraction, or hardening of the skin, when 

 the nerves become irritated by the pressure. These conditions may be 

 so slightly marked in a thick skin like that of the ox that they can not 

 be recognized. It is frequently noticed that cattle will rub themselves 

 as soon as they pass from the stable into the open air — changing from 

 a warm to a cold atmosphere. Again, we may find an animal which 

 does all its rubbing in the stall. We may look for lice, but fail to find 

 them. These conditions are generally attributable to high feeding and 

 to too close confinement. They may be associated with inflammatory 

 irritation or not; certainly we fail to discover any morbid changes in 

 the skin. There is to some extent a delightful sensation produced by 

 rubbing, and it may partly become a habit of pleasure. 



Treatment. — We must place our chief reliance upon a change of food, 

 plenty of exercise, and in most cases the administration of an active 

 cathartic — 1 to 1£ pounds of Epsom salts, a handful of common salt, a 

 tablespoonful of ginger or pepper, mixed with 2 quarts of water, all 

 of which is to be given at one dose. Afterwards half an ounce of hypo- 

 sulphite of soda may be given twice a day for a week, mixed with the 

 feed. For an external application, when the skin is abraded or thick- 

 ened from rubbing, a solution of borax, 4 ounces to the quart of water, 

 may be used. Carbolic acid, ^ ounce to a quart of water, will give 

 relief in some cases. 



INFLAMMATORY DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 

 ERYTHEMA. 



This is the simplest form of inflammation of the skin. It consists of 

 an increased redness, which may occur in patches or involve consider- 

 able surface. The red coloration disappears when pressed upon by 

 the finger, but soon returns after the pressure is removed. There is 

 seldom much swelling of the affected part, though often a glutinous 

 discharge may be noticed, which dries and mats the hair or forms a 

 thin scale upon the skin. In simple erythema the epidermis alone is 

 affected; when it becomes chronic, fissures form, which extend into 

 the corium, or true skin. 



Causes. — Simple erythema, consisting of an inflammatory irrita- 

 tion, is witnessed in very young calves, in which the navel leaks. 

 The discharge being urine, it causes an irritation of the surrounding 

 skin. Chafing, which is another form of erythema, is occasionally 

 seen on the udder of cows from rubbing by the legs ; chafing between 

 the legs is not uncommon among fat steers. Chronic erythema is 

 found in the form of chapped teats of cows and chapped lips in suck- 

 ing calves. It frequently occurs in cows when they are turned out 

 in winter directly after milking, and in others from chafing by the 



