Cattle Plague. 68 1 



inervous disordei alone, it is a valuable symptom always to be 

 looked for. It further explains the interlobular emphysema 

 Jisually met with in the lungs in this disease. 



In the more violent cases death supervenes from the sixth to 

 the ninth day, but in the indigenous breeds of Eastern Europe 

 and Asia, which represent a survival of the fittest, the great 

 majority suffer mild attacks and recover, and even in newly in- 

 vaded countries, when the invasion has spent itself and the less 

 susceptible are largely attacked, a fair proportion survive for a 

 longer period and even recover. 



In these milder, protracted, or surviving cases the skin symptoms 

 are likely to come out prominently. Chief among these and very 

 •constant at the height of the disease is an abundant unctuous 

 exudation which dries on, forming a crust, comparable to what is 

 seen on the skin in the fevers of swine. At different points, 

 notably on the teats^ udder, inner sides of the thighs, and arms, 

 and on the neck, lips and face generally, are epidermic concretions 

 having a warty-like appearance, and respectively seated on a very 

 slightly swollen and congested point of the dermis. The deeper 

 layers of these epidermic concretions often soften, so that they 

 have been mistaken for vesicles and pustules, and hence the error 

 by which cattle plague was held to be but a malignant form of 

 cowpox. But these concretions are histologically distinct from 

 vesicles ; there is no liquid exudate on the papillary layer raising 

 the epidermis in the form of a little sac, but merely an excessive 

 production of the cuticular cells with abnormally large nuclei, 

 as happens generally to cells in active proliferation, and an 

 admixture with these of spores and mycelium of fungi which 

 have no special significance. 



Papules, vesicles and pustules may form on the diseased skin 

 and are described by different authors, but they are not character- 

 istic of the disease as are the epidemic proliferations. 



In some rare cases nervous symptoms appear, the animal moves 

 unsteadily without proper sense of balance, it may toss its head 

 and horns as if attacking an enemy or it may sink into a somnolent 

 or comatose condition. Wasting advances rapidly, abortion occurs 

 in pregnant females, the weakness becomes extreme, the animal 

 remains constantly down, unable to rise, rests his head on the 

 ground, breathes heavily and stertorously and perishes with or 

 •without convulsions. 



