Malignant Catarrh of Cattle. iii 



Unless the malady can be controlled in its early stages it usually 

 proves fatal. Patients that recover after it has been well de- 

 veloped sometimes retain its effects in permanent blindness or 

 palsy of the hind limbs. 



Treatment. Early and vigorous antiphlogistic measures are 

 strongly recommended by French and Italian veterinarians. 

 Gelle and Ercolani advocate the most copious bleedings. Festal 

 insists that all other measures are useless when this is neglected. 

 Before adopting free sanguineous depletion the history of his 

 practice was a record of deaths, whereas later his losses were in 

 cases where from a failure to recognize the disease at the outset, 

 from the existence of diarrhoea, from the patient being pregnant 

 or from a fear that the milking properties might be impaired, 

 bleeding was deferred. He pushed the bleeding to the extent of 

 causing acceleration of pulse, quickened breathing and heaving 

 of the flanks, to effect which sixteen pounds had to be abstracted 

 on an average. If this were done early the engorgement of the 

 muzzle had usually greatly diminished if not entirely disappeared 

 in the course of seven or eight hours thereafter. The alleged 

 benefit is probably largely due to elimination. 



I,ess heroic treatment is now generally adopted. An active 

 purgative (one and a half pounds Epsom salts) may be given 

 even though apparently contraindicated by the premonitory 

 diarrhoea, and a further useful derivation may be obtained by 

 applying active friction or even stimulating embrocations to the 

 legs. 



Steam with or without sulphur dioxide may be inhaled as for 

 ordinary corysa and cold water or ice kept applied to the forehead. 



Nitre in ounce doses daily or liquor of the acetate of ammonia 

 in three ounce doses may be given after the purging has ceased. 

 Or drachm doses of hydrochloric acid with bitters may be given 

 thrice a day in at least a pint of water. 



Where the nasal discharge persists after the subsidence of the 

 other symptoms the sinuse should be trephined in front of the 

 horn, and tepid water and mild astringent and antiseptic lotions 

 injected until a healthy action has been established. Change to 

 a dry, well drained pasture or building is desirable for both treat- 

 ment and prevention. 



