Cattle Plague. 683 



straw-colored exudate) ; by the absence, in nearly all cases, 

 of severe abdominal disorder ; by the all but constant vesiculation 

 of the interdigital space, and by its mild and non-fatal issue. 

 Swine contract it as readily as cattle and sheep, and horses, dogs, 

 birds and men by inoculation. 



Dysentery is marked b}' the absence of the early, abrupt hyper- 

 thermia, though the temperature may rise gradually to a high 

 point ; also of the curd-like concretions on the buccal mucosa ; by 

 the earlier onset of the foetid diarrhoea, and by the indisposition 

 to contagious diffusion apart from the confined, foul, crowded 

 buildings. The lesions are mainly on the large intestines while 

 in cattle plague they are on the small intestines, fourth stomach, 

 mouth, throat and skin, 



Gastro-enteritis and Stomatitis from corrosive agents and irritant 

 bacteria, can be traced to a definite local cause, do not extend 

 beyond the herd or animal poisoned, and usually occur where the 

 possibility of cattle plague can be excluded. There is usually an 

 entire absence of the white epithelial concretions, of the blush of 

 the mucosas generally, and of the wart-like epidermic prolifera- 

 tion. 



Anthrax of the alimentary tract and rectum is distinguished by 

 the fact that it is largely an enzootic disease, not spreading widely 

 by simple contact ; that it is easily transmisible to horse, dog and 

 man ; that it lacks the buccal epithelial concretions and character- 

 istic desquamations and the warty-like skin products ; that it 

 shows marked enlargement and engorgement of the spleen ; and 

 that the blood and local lesions contain the large sized, square 

 ended anthrax bacillus. 



Diagnosis in Sheep and Goats. This is based on the same 

 phenomena as in cattle ; the sudden and exalted hyperthermia, 

 blush or petechise of the visible mucosae, concretions on the lips 

 gums and skin, epiphora, salivation, prostration, emaciation and 

 diarrhoea. These last symptoms are, however, less marked than 

 in cattle and the mortality and infectiousness are materially re- 

 duced. Pneumonic complications are much more common in 

 sheep. 



Mortality. Among native cattle in the steppes the mortality 

 is 30 to 50 per cent, whereas elsewhere it is 90 to' 95 per cent. 

 Among sheep in Austria it reached 60 to 66 per cent. Among 

 camels in Asia and Africa the fatality proved as high as among 



