89 

 cJ^ianges In the sensory area of the cord, in t;ie vessel walls have heen 

 ohserved in ajiimals slowly poisoned wi«i ergot. 



The disease saSss its appearance among cattle chiefly in 

 winter and spring seasons and has, at times, been the cause of serious 

 losses throtighotit the central and western states. 



Consumption of ergotized hay by pregnant animals, especially 

 cows, nay cause abortion. Grass containing ergot is especially daraging 

 to aniaals at the time when the uterus is nearly ready to esrclude its 

 contents. The ergot varies in its character and strength according to 

 the variation of the season and local conditions under \sffiitoh it has been 

 grown, as well as the time or stage at which it is harvested, so that 

 the ergot of one year appears to be comparatively harmless, while that 

 of another year, or season, or locality is very injurious. The fact 

 remains, however, that under given conditions of growth it unquestionably 

 causes ergotism and abortion, and in such cases the abortions are wide- 

 spread in the herd or in different herds in the same district. Cases 

 such as these are easily mifetatoen for contagious abortion though there is 

 in the system of the aborting animal no self-propagating germ vfcich 

 will produce the disease if transferred to another animal. 



The toxicological effects of ergot have been tested ex- 

 perimentally on dogs, cattle, swine, poultry, guinea pigs by Tsssier, 

 Brown, Eanck, and others. The results obtained are the same as described 



above . 



Horses are also subject to ergotism. V/ilcox (295) reports 

 a case where several horses upon eating hay which contained a great number 

 of ergot sclerotia dies within six to: twelve hours. The horses showed 

 the following symptoms: a general depression of the vital ^npefeions, the 

 respiration and pulse being slow and the sense organs being less responsive 



