INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF CATTLE. 383 



appearance upon these swollen regions of the foot a day or two later, 

 and at this stage it is usual to find that like lesions have made their 

 appearance upon the perineum of the victim. In the case of milch 

 cows the udder and more particularly the teats show the same vesicu- 

 lar eruption, but the latter as the result of milking soon become cov- 

 ered with reddened spots deprived of the superficial layer of skin and 

 may develop deep, obstinate fissures. 



As soon as the disease has become well established the patient 

 evinces pain when attempting to eat; in fact, the appetite is often so 

 seriously affected that all food is refused and the animal uneasily 

 opens and shuts its mouth with a characteristic smacking sound, 

 while strings of cohesive, ropy saliva hang suspended from the lips. 

 With the advance of the disease the vesicles have widened and 

 extended until they may reach a diameter ranging from that of a dime 

 to that of a silver dollar. These rupture soon after their appearance, 

 sometimes on the first day, more rarely on the second or third day. 

 After they have ruptured the grayish white membrane forming the 

 blister may remain attached for a day or more or disappear speedily 

 and leave deeply reddened sensitive spots or erosions behind, both 

 within the mouth and upon the coronet and between the claws of the 

 feet. The same ulceration may be noticed in cases in which the teats 

 of milch cows have become affected, and instances are reported in 

 which sloughing of the tegument immediately around the ulcer upon 

 the udder has occurred. Owing to the tough, fibrous nature of the 

 bovine skin, it is exceeding rare for sloughing to occur upon any part 

 of the body other than those mentioned. 



The attack upon the feet of an animal is frequently manifested in 

 all four feet at once, but one or more of the feet may entirely escape 

 and remain unaffected throughout the course of the disease. As the 

 feet become sensitive and sore the animal lies down persistently, and 

 it has been found that bed sores develop with amazing rapidity in all 

 such cases and wholly baffle all attempts at treatment until after the 

 patient has regained its feet. 



The disease may attack some of the internal organs before it 

 appears upon any of the external tissues. These cases are very liable 

 to prove quickly fatal. The animal dies from paralysis of the heart 

 due to the formation of poisonous principles within the system, or it 

 may suffocate by reason of the action of these same poisons upon the 

 tissues of the lungs, or it may choke to death as a result of paralysis 

 of the throat. 



In cases of serious affection of the udder the erosions will often be 

 found located within the passages of the teats, resulting in a " caked " 

 udder, and the same toxic poisoning, which is the cause of death in 

 the apoplectiform types just mentioned, may arise from this source. 

 In any event the milk from such cases will be found dangerous for 

 use, causing fatal diarrhea in sucking calves or young pigs and 



