MORBID ANATOMY 315 



Other parts of the body. The animal, being unable to stand, 

 lies extended upon its side, the respiration becoming more and 

 more difficult. There are spasmodic contractions of certain 

 groups of muscles, complete prostration and finally death. 



The ordinary course of the disease is four or five days. It 

 may be as short as two or as long as ten days. 



Dumb rabies. When this form of the disease is typical, it 

 comes on with restlessness, depression, a tendency to lick 

 objects and paralysis of the muscles which close the jaws. As 

 a consequence of the paraU-sis, the lower jaw drops, the animal 

 is unable to close the mouth, the tongue hangs out and an 

 abundance of saliva escapes. The mucous membrane of the 

 mouth becomes dry, discolored and covered with dust. The 

 animal remains quiet, it does not respond to calls and appears 

 to understand its helplessness. Bouley states that the animal 

 cannot bite and does not desire to bite. When dumb rabies 

 follows a period in which the animal has been affected with the 

 furious form, the desire and tendency to bite may be retained 

 even after the jaw is paralyzed. 



The 'course of the disease is short, death usually occurring 

 in from two to four days. 



§ 241. Morbid anatomy. One of the striking char- 

 acteristics of rabies is the absence of constant, recognizable 

 lesions. The mucosa of the pharynx and larynx are con- 

 gested. The spleen is sometin:es enlarged and dark colored. 

 In dogs the stomach often contains a variety of foreign matter 

 such as earth, stones, pieces of iron, bits of leather, wood, etc. 

 Axe reports finding such foreign substances present in 90 per 

 cent of 200 cases he examined. Galtier reports such findings 

 in from 50 to 70 per cent. In experimental animals and cattle 

 the writer has rarely found them. It seems to be true that 

 the obvious lesions are not constant and it is very likely that 

 the pronounced changes occasionally found in a .single organ 

 are accidental or secondary rather than primarily related 

 to the disease. The lesions in the brain and spinal cord are 

 likewise variable. In some cases there is a marked hyperemia, 

 while in others the brain appears to be normal. 



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