INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF CATTLE. 389 



or carbolic acid, or one one-thousandth bichloride of mercury solu- 

 tion. For pyemia, where the abscesses are near the skin, open them 

 and treat antiseptically by injecting any of the previous mentioned 

 germicides. General and heart stimulants are indicated, such as a 

 drench containing digitalis 2 drams and alcohol 2 ounces. Quinine 

 and calomel in repeated small doses of one-half dram each three times 

 a day are sometimes beneficial. Camphor in the form of oil of cam- 

 phor (camphor dissolved in 10 parts of sweet oil) is a good stimulant 

 and has some antiseptic properties, which makes it a valuable drug in 

 combating these diseases when given in doses of 2 drams three times 

 daily. 



HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA. 



Hemorrhagic septicemia is a name applied to a highly fatal, infec- 

 tious disease existing in various species of domestic and wild animals, 

 due to a micro-organism having definite biological characters and pos- 

 sessing the properties of producing clearly defined and characteristic 

 lesions. 



This causal agent, Bacterium bovisepticum, belongs to the same 

 group of cocco-bacilli as those causing chicken cholera, swine plague, 

 and rabbit septicemia, and may be described as an ovoid, nonmotile, 

 polar staining bacterium with rounded ends, -j-g+inr °£ an' inch wide by 

 xsiwu °f an inch long, sometimes seen in pairs and sometimes in chains. 



Various names have been applied to this disease, and though the 

 causative agent and the distinctive lesions are well known it is more 

 than likely that the affection is seldom recognized. It was described 

 by Bollinger in 1878, and named Wild und Rinderseuche, from its 

 having affected deer, wild boars, cattle, and horses in an epizootic 

 which swept over Germany at that time. However, before this sev- 

 eral epizootics of what was evidently the same disease had been well 

 described, notably that which occurred in England in 1854. Since 

 then it has occurred in epizootic and enzootic forms in many sections 

 of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. In this country the disease 

 has been observed in Texas, Tennessee, New York, Minnesota, Penn- 

 sylvania, District of Columbia, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Other 

 names given to it are game and cattle disease, buffalo disease, bar- 

 bone, pasteurellosis bovina, ghotwa, and infectious pneumoenteritis. 



In earlier times it was evidently confounded with gloss anthrax, and 

 even now it is probably mistaken in a great many instances for anthrax, 

 blackleg, cornstalk disease, and cerebro-spinal meningitis. 



The disease is essentially a septicemia, or blood poisoning, and the 

 microbic invasion occurs from inoculation probably either through 

 abrasions of the skin or by injury to the mucous membranes from 

 coarse fodder, etc. Moore and Smith have found bacteria belonging 

 to this group in the mouths and nasal cavities of healthy animals, 

 including cattle ; but these organisms proved to be nonpathogenic. 



