Contagious and Ejnsootic Diseases. 15 



in 1858 by an English cow, Brooklyn, L. I., in 1843 by a 

 Dutcb cow, and again in 1850 by an English one, New 

 Jersey in 1847 by English stock, and Boston, Mass., by 

 Dutch cattle in 1859. In Sweden, Norway, Denmark, 

 Oldenburg, Schleswig, Massachusetts and New Jersey, it 

 was stamped out, in the last case by the importer, Mr. 

 Richardson, sacrificing his whole herd and voluntarily as- 

 suming the loss, but m the other places named it was left 

 to itself and spread disastrously. 



Symptoms. The period of latency of the poison ia the 

 system is from four to six weeks, and in exceptional cases 

 perhaps two or three months or as short as ten days. In- 

 creased temperature of the body usually appears a week 

 or two before other symptoms. Then there is a slight 

 cough, erection of hair along the back, sometimes shiver- 

 iug and always tenderness of the back to pinching, the 

 animal crouching and groaning. Soon breathing and pulse 

 become accelerated, bowels costive, urine scanty and high- 

 colored, milk diminished, appetite impaired, rumination 

 irregular, nose alternately moist and dry, and legs and 

 horns cold and hot. If in the field, the sick leave the herd. 

 The cough increases in harshness, depth and painfulness, 

 and aU the symptons are aggravated until the animal stands 

 in one posture, with head extended on the neck, mouth 

 open, and every breath accompanied by a loud moan. 

 From the earhest stages the ear applied to the sides of 

 the chest detects an absence of murmur over particular 

 parts of the lung, or lungs, with a hue of crepitation (fine 

 crackling) around it, and occasionally rubbing, whee2dng, 

 and other unnatural sounds. On percussion over the si- 

 lent parts the naitural resonance is found to have given 

 place to dullness, and the animal winces and groans. Other 

 pecuhar sounds may follow later, into which we cannot en- 

 ter here, and exhausting liquid discharges from the bowels 

 and kidneys, tympanies and abortions are frequent results. 

 Death may take place early, from suffocation, when both 

 lungs are involved, or may be delayed six weeks or more. 



